Xiaoning, Helan Snow underground research base.
Inside the heavily guarded observation room, researchers in white coats were spinning like tops in front of various precision instruments, never stopping for a moment.
The click-clack of typing, the hum of equipment, the sound of hurried breathing, the rustle of turning pages...
The atmosphere was incredibly stifling.
Four months and eleven days had passed since the explosion and collapse of the Western Xia underground palace.
When the palace collapsed and the authorities launched an emergency rescue, they discovered that the unknown, mysterious passage had vanished.
Yes, it had disappeared without a trace right under their noses, as if it were a living thing.
No matter how deep the rescue teams dug, they couldn't find even a hint of the passage's existence.
Even the hungry ghosts had vanished completely.
It was as if the seven groups that had gone to explore had traveled to another world.
Mysterious fluctuations in the Xiaoning region remained active.
They were like ants trapped between two panes of glass; they could clearly see the food, but they couldn't get close to it.
An invisible wall seemed to stand between them and their goal.
Then, half a month ago, those mysterious fluctuations vanished overnight.
It was as if they had never existed.
The underground passage, the black hungry ghosts, the magical spirit herbs brought out from beneath the palace, the mysterious biological fluctuations...
If there weren't records left behind, everyone would have thought it was all just a hallucination.
The underground excavation work continued.
Working in twenty four hour shifts, not a single person involved in the digging had given up.
If alive, we must see them; if dead, we must find their bodies.
This was a deep seated conviction for the people of Great Xia.
The final letters left behind by the exploration team were particularly heart-wrenching to see.
A sense of sorrow hovered over the research institute. Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit, a surge of emotion suppressed in their hearts with no way to vent it.
The names on the missing list weren't just square characters; behind them were their mentors, comrades, friends, lovers, and even family.
They didn't have time for grief; they could only take up the final wishes of those who came before and continue to carry the burden of hope.
If they fell, there would surely be others to pick up their final letters.
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!"
Suddenly, one of the instruments let out a sharp, piercing alarm. A red warning light flashed incessantly. Everyone stood up in unison and looked at the large screen.
On the radar, a strikingly bright red dot appeared on the screen:
"Abnormal fluctuations detected near the Yellow River. Large lifeform detected—"
The words cut off abruptly.
Because on the monochrome screen, countless red dots of varying sizes had appeared in a dense cluster along one side of the Yellow River.
"So many... giant demon beasts! Where did these things come from?! Why didn't the radar give a warning earlier?!"
Someone asked the question that was on everyone's mind, their voice trembling slightly.
...
Wang Shuang was a newly popular viral streamer.
Her content was simple: one person, one mountain bike, cycling across Great Xia with a twenty four hour national livestream.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Wang Shuang planned to cycle all the way to Anxi to reunite with her family before New Year's Eve.
"Friends, Xiao Shuang is currently in Xiaoning, getting ready to head onto the national highway. As you can see, on my right is our Mother River, the Yellow River.
It's currently the dry season for the Yellow River. Standing on the national highway, you can see the exposed riverbeds. During the wet season, the water level is much higher."
Wang Shuang parked her mountain bike by the side of the road, holding up her phone to enjoy the scenery with the netizens in her livestream.
Behind her was the national highway, with a constant stream of traffic. Occasionally, curious people would stop to watch for a while.
As the year-end approached, everyone had more free time.
Tens of thousands of spectators flooded the livestream, cracking jokes and bantering. The comments scrolled by at a frantic pace:
【The north wind rolls across the earth, snapping the grasses; the August sky of the frontier is filled with flying snow.】
【Is it already snowing in Xiaoning? What's that white stuff on the grass? Frost?】
【Doesn't the Yellow River freeze? It looks freezing.】
【Spring Festival is late this year, not until mid February. I wonder if the streamer can make it home in time for New Year's Eve dinner.】
【There are quite a few cars on the national highway. So many have passed by in just this short time.】
【Isn't Xiaoning unsafe? Didn't they say it was haunted by mummies?】
【You're hilarious, haha!】
【The ones in pyramids are called mummies. The ones in the Western Xia Imperial Tombs are called zombies, okay? Besides, that's news from half a year ago. The authorities debunked it as a rumor.】
【Aren't the Western Xia Imperial Tombs and the pyramids both just dirt mounds? Zombies and mummies aren't that different (dog head).】
【Do you really believe that? My hometown is in Xiaoning, and the zombie thing is real. Those things bit many tourists to death, there was blood everywhere, and they even called in the military. You guys don't kno—】
【Serves you right for spreading rumors. You got 404ed, didn't you?】
The comments were filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Wang Shuang rested for a moment and was about to set off again when a sharp-eyed viewer noticed something wrong:
【Fish! So many fish!】
【Holy crap! Look at the size of those fish!】
【Those fish are huge! Anglers must be losing their minds!】
Wang Shuang blinked and indeed saw that in the shallow water near the gravel beach not far away, water was splashing everywhere as plump carp slapped the surface with significant force.
Splosh! Splosh!
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Slap! Slap!
She quickly turned her head and realized it wasn't just in one spot. Along the shallow banks, countless fish and shrimp of all sizes were jumping onto the shore like they were crazy.
"So many fish?!"
"What's wrong with these fish? Why are they running onto the shore?"
"Quick, quick! Get a hand net!"
Passing drivers were overjoyed, stopping in small groups to take photos. Some bold ones even jumped down onto the gravel beach, grabbed a carp weighing over ten pounds, and ran back.
The comments section went wild.
【What are you standing there for?! Go down and pick them up!! This is a deluge of fortune!】
【Anglers are fuming! Is someone using electricity to fish?!】
【Who could use electricity in the Yellow River?? Is it an earthquake? You idiots, run!】
【It feels like carp jumping over the Dragon Gate.】
【I know what this is. These are guide fish. Anyone who picks them up will be dragged into the water by water ghosts. Streamer, let me check for you, post the address on the screen...】
Seeing others getting a taste of the benefits, more and more cars stopped. The people getting out looked like they were attending a party, joyfully picking up the fish.
Slap! Slap!
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Slap! Slap!
The sound of slapping water grew more urgent. Eventually, the density of the fish and shrimp reached a terrifying level, with layers upon layers of them squirming and twisting together.
Old soft shell turtles crawled onto the shore, water snakes fled for their lives, and even the water birds nesting in the reeds refused to land, flapping their wings overhead and letting out long cries.
It was as if something in the water was coming.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The ground began to tremble faintly.
The willow branches by the river shook incessantly.
The cries of the birds in the sky grew more urgent.
Wang Shuang held up her phone, looking blankly toward the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
At the horizon, a white line appeared, approaching from afar and growing more defined, like a thunderous roar that silenced all else as it swept forward with grand momentum.
"The water's rising! Run!!"
Someone screamed. The people on the gravel beach snapped out of it, dropped the fish in their hands, and scrambled toward the shore without a second thought.
Some didn't even realize their shoes had fallen off as they ran, their legs weak as they crawled and clawed their way up.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
In the middle of the river, giant bubbles suddenly began to rise, and more and more aquatic creatures started thrashing.
The next moment, a massive python body surfaced from the water, revealing half of a terrifying and hideous snake head.
The comments section was filled with a chorus of "Holy shit."
Rate on N.U.
