Xiaoning, the Helan Snow Biological Research Base.
Inside the heavily guarded observation room, scientific researchers clad in white lab coats spun around like spinning tops in front of various precision instruments, not resting for even a moment.
The click-clack of typing, the humming of instruments, rapid breathing, and the rustling of paper records being flipped...
It was incredibly oppressive.
Four months and eleven days had passed since the explosion and collapse of the Western Xia underground palace.
When the palace collapsed, the authorities' emergency rescue team discovered that the unknown, mysterious passage had vanished.
Yes, like a living creature, it had silently disappeared without a trace right under the authorities' noses.
No matter how deep the rescue workers excavated, they couldn't find even the slightest trace of the tunnel's existence.
Even the hordes of hungry ghosts had vanished completely.
It was as if the seven exploration teams who had gone in before had entered a different world.
The mysterious fluctuations in the Xiaoning region remained continuously active.
They were like ants trapped between two panes of glass; they could clearly see the food, yet they were completely unable to reach it.
It was as if an invisible wall lay right before them.
But half a month ago, those mysterious fluctuations vanished overnight.
It was as if they had never existed.
The underground passage, the black hungry ghost hordes, the miraculous spirit herbs brought out from beneath the palace, the mysterious biological waves...
If not for the surviving records, everyone would have thought it was all just a figment of their imagination.
The underground excavation work was still ongoing.
Working in twenty-four-hour shifts, not a single person involved in the excavation had given up.
Alive, they wanted to see them in person; dead, they wanted to see their corpses.
This was the obsession of the Great Xia people.
The suicide letters left behind by the original exploration teams were exceptionally painful to look at.
Sorrow hovered over the research base. Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit, a breath of suffocating air seemingly trapped in their chests.
They had no way to let it out.
The names on the missing list were not just block characters; behind them were their mentors, comrades, friends, lovers, and even relatives.
They had no time to grieve; they could only take up the wishes of those who came before them and continue moving forward, carrying hope on their shoulders.
If they fell as well, there would surely be successors to pick up their suicide letters.
“Beep beep beep beep beep beep!”
Suddenly, one of the instruments emitted a sharp, blaring alarm. A red warning light flashed violently, and everyone stood up in unison, staring at the main screen.
On the radar monitor, a highly conspicuous red dot appeared on the screen:
“Abnormal fluctuations detected near the Yellow River. Large lifeform detected—”
The report cut off abruptly.
Because on the monochrome screen, countless red dots of varying sizes suddenly materialized 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 warn us?!”
Someone asked with a slight tremble, voicing the question in everyone's mind.
...
Wang Shuang was a newly popular viral streaming host.
Her stream content was simple: one person, one mountain bike, cycling across Great Xia, streaming twenty-four hours a day nationwide.
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, Wang Shuang planned to cycle all the way to Anxi, hoping to make it home to reunite with her family before New Year's Eve.
“My friends, Xiao Shuang is currently in Xiaoning, about to get onto the national highway. As you can see, on my right is our Mother River, the Yellow River.
Right now, it happens to be the dry season for the Yellow River. Standing on the highway, you can see the exposed riverbeds along the banks, right? During the wet season, the water level is much higher.”
Wang Shuang parked her mountain bike on the side of the road, holding up her phone to enjoy the scenery with the viewers in her stream.
Behind her was the national highway, with an endless stream of traffic. Occasionally, curious passersby would stop to watch for a moment.
With the end of the year approaching, everyone had free time on their hands.
Hundreds of thousands of onlookers flooded into the stream, joking around, chatting, and happily spamming bullet comments:
【The north wind sweeps the earth, snapping the dry grass; in the northern lands, August brings flying snow.】
【Is it already snowing in Xiaoning? What's that white stuff on the grass leaves on the ground? Frost?】
【Doesn't the Yellow River freeze over? It looks freezing.】
【Lunar New Year is late this year, not until mid-February. I wonder if the host can cycle back in time to eat New Year's Eve dinner.】
【There are quite a few cars on the national highway too. In just this short while, so many have passed by.】
【Xiaoning isn't safe, is it? Weren't there rumors about mummies?】
【Are you out of your mind? Hahaha!】
【The ones in pyramids are called mummies, but the ones in the Western Xia Imperial Tombs are called zombies, okay? Besides, that was news from half a year ago. The authorities already debunked it as a rumor.】
【Aren't the Western Xia Imperial Tombs and the pyramids both just mounds of dirt? Zombies and mummies don't seem that different (doge)】
【Do you really believe that? My hometown is in Xiaoning, and the zombie thing is real. Back then, those things bit and killed many tourists. There was blood everywhere, and they even mobilized the military in the end. You guys don't kno...】
【Serves you right. That's what you get for spreading rumors. You got 404ed, didn't you?】
The bullet comments were filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Wang Shuang rested for a moment and was about to hit the road again when a sharp-eyed viewer noticed something was off:
【Fish! So many fish!】
【Holy cow! Such huge fish!】
【What huge fish! Anglers must be ecstatic!】
Wang Shuang froze. Sure enough, in the shallow water near the gravel beach not far away, water was splashing everywhere as fat carp thrashed against the surface, making quite a commotion.
"Splash, splash, splash!"
"Slap, slap, slap, slap!"
"Slap, slap, slap!"
She quickly turned her head to look 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 crazy.
“So many fish?!”
“What's wrong with these fish? Why are they running onto the shore?”
“Quick, quick, quick! Get a scoop net!”
Passing drivers were overjoyed. They stopped in groups of two or three to take photos, and some of the bolder ones even jumped straight down onto the gravel beach, grabbing a large fish weighing over ten jin and running back with it.
The bullet comments had practically gone wild.
【What are you waiting for?! Go down and grab them!! This is a godsent fortune!】
【Anglers are furious! Is someone electrofishing in the water?!】
【Who could electrofish in the Yellow River?? Is it an earthquake? You bunch of fools, run!】
【It feels like carp jumping over the Dragon Gate.】
【I know, these are guide fish. Whoever goes to pick them up will be dragged into the water by water ghosts. Let me check for you, host, put the location on the screen...】
Seeing that some had benefited, more and more cars stopped. The people from the cars acted as if they were attending some sort of party, joyfully picking up the fish.
"Splatter, splatter!"
"Slap, slap, slap, slap!"
"Slap, slap, slap!"
The sound of splashing water grew increasingly urgent. By the end, the density of the fish and shrimp was terrifying. Layer upon layer of dense fish and shrimp piled on top of one another, struggling and squirming.
Old soft-shell turtles crawled onto the shore, water snakes fled for their lives, and even the waterbirds nesting in the reeds along the banks refused to land, flapping their wings overhead and letting out long, shrill cries.
It was as if something in the water was about to arrive.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."
The ground began to tremble faintly.
The willow branches along the riverbank shook incessantly.
The cries of the waterbirds in the sky grew more and more urgent.
Wang Shuang held up her phone, staring blankly at the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
At the horizon, a vast white line drew closer, expanding from a distant streak into a roaring torrent as it swept forward with immense momentum.
“A flood is coming! Run!!”
Someone shrieked. The people on the gravel beach woke up as if from a dream, dropping the fish in their hands and rushing toward the shore without a second thought.
Some didn't even realize they had run out of their shoes. Their legs were weak, forcing them to scramble and crawl.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."
In the very center of the river, massive bubbles suddenly began to rise, and more and more aquatic creatures started thrashing wildly.
The next moment, an incredibly thick python body emerged from the water, revealing half of a hideously terrifying snake head.
The bullet comments were instantly filled with a wall of "holy shit."
Rate on N.U.
