Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - The Life-Saving Membrane Mage (5)

(A diseased, Sick Spider!)

I wanted to shout excitedly, but of course, no sound came out of my mouth.

Yes, how could I forget the Sick Spider!

Among our group, she was the only one whose strength, even a year ago, was still equivalent to that of Special Class Combatant in the organization!

She could release silver threads from any part of her body, and from my angle, I could clearly see that although she, like me, gradually faded, there were no ink-like crosses on her face! This meant that her abilities weren't completely suppressed, nor were they completely sealed by the Shadow Domain; she could still create silver threads using her head! But what method did she use?

Perhaps sensing the question in my eyes, she winked at me impatiently, then opened her mouth.

A thin silver thread emerged from under her tongue and crawled up its surface—she didn't stick her tongue out, but opened her mouth so wide that I could just see the thread on her tongue, thus allowing the silver thread to evade the surveillance of both Fiser and Chi Ying.

The silver threads intertwined and overlapped on her tongue, weaving three small words—"threads glowing." If my eyesight weren't better than average, I really wouldn't have been able to see them clearly.

Lines... glowing?

... ah!

So that's how it is! If Fiser's companion's ability is to seal the movement of "objects whose shadows are cast into the Shadow Domain," then there's a prerequisite—the object being sealed must be something that can generate shadows! If the object doesn't have a shadow, then the ability simply doesn't work!

What has no shadow?

It is a light source.

Light can dispel shadows; a light source itself does not cast its own shadow.

The Sick Spider's silver threads constantly emitted a silvery glow, though this glow was quite faint, it was still a small light source. Perhaps the situation would be different if there were a larger light source, but at least for now, its own shadow would not be cast into the Shadow Domain.

If you look closely, the shadow of the Sick Spider's head was cast onto the side of the container, not into the Shadow Domain. Initially, although there were many lights on the ceiling of the Sea Beast's belly, casting our shadows onto the deck, our shadows didn't fall entirely on the deck floor; much of them landed on the container walls, railings, and other areas. The sudden, powerful searchlights that appeared when the barrier formed were there to illuminate us, ensuring our shadows fell entirely on the ground—the area covered by the Shadow Domain.

The words woven from the threads on the tongue of the Sick Spider change continuously:

"Previously," "within the organization," "by chance," "heard of," "the ability of," "the shadow," "the seal," "therefore."

(Oh oh--)

I had heard about this beforehand, so I was mentally prepared. Perhaps the moment the searchlight flashed on us, the Sick Spider used its glowing silver threads to completely cover its head. Sick Spider threads are unaffected by the Shadow Domain, thus preventing its body from being completely sealed away and preserving the parts of its body that could use its powers!

My heart leaped with joy.

The ruthless assassin, the executioner capable of slaughtering an entire city in an instant, is now—or rather, is—my comrade! If she were to take action—

The silver threads wove out new words.

"Impossible"

--What!?

(Why?! If it were you!)

I looked at her with a surprised expression and asked. Her face twitched, and she continued weaving an explanation—

"Monitor"...

The wording changed several times in succession:

"Discovered," "Will be exposed," "Identity," "Defector," "List"

... I see.

The list of defectors, as Winnie explained to me, means that once someone in the organization is identified as a traitor, their name is recorded in Absolute Contract called the "List of Defectors." The effect is that if a defector is approached by a current member of the organization, their body will explode and they will die, and their spirit will be completely destroyed.

In this space with surveillance cameras and Chi Ying, if the Sick Spider blatantly uses its silver threads to cut through barriers or the ship's hull, it will be immediately exposed and identified as a defector, putting it in extreme danger.

Having realized this, I used all my strength to make my increasingly pale lips tremble, conveying a message to her with my eyes and what could hardly be called lip reading.

(Then you should first destroy the surveillance camera.)

She also came up with new words to reply to me.

"No," "As far as I know," "Chi Ying," "Shadow Domain," "Can serve as," "Eyes"

That's why they weave words into their mouths... not only to avoid the eyes above, but also to avoid the eyes below.

It cannot be discovered by either the top or bottom side.

(Let's take down that Chi Ying first!)

"Hidden", "concealed", "can be confirmed", "not present", "deck"

Well... right, although at first I subconsciously thought Chi Ying was definitely hiding on the deck, but then I realized she had no reason to risk her life! On such a huge container ship, she could hide anywhere! Not to mention that my powers are suppressed now, I can't even sense Blood Energy!

If we can take down Chi Ying, we can regain our mobility, then destroy the barrier and escape.

However, we can't find Chi Ying right now, so we have to take care of the monitor first, and then--

(--Then you can use the line to cut the barrier, wouldn't that work!)

"I won't do it!" "Idiot!" "Cut open!" "Instantly!" "Outsiders!" "Saw!" "Exposed!"

You even made up an exclamation mark?! Your body is already more than "transparent," what are you still worrying about?! Sure enough, Fiser is definitely watching from outside. The moment the barrier is cut open... oh no, she'll definitely see the Sick Spider's silver threads, and then...

(Don't be ridiculous! Exposing yourself doesn't necessarily mean you'll die, but if you don't act, everyone is definitely going to die right now!)

"Anyway," "I'm going to die anyway," "I might as well," "take you down with me."

You bastard--

Letting the Sick Spider cut through the barrier is probably the only way to break the deadlock, but this thing is stubbornly refusing to comply!

Now, is there no other way but to give up and do nothing? Don't open it—

Just then,

An unexpected savior appeared.

It was her voice, that familiar loud voice.

"Hey, Fissesan? Where did Xiao Ye and the others go?"

Little Ying's voice suddenly reached my ears through the barrier.

"--Eh!?"

Sitting on the airship, Yu Xun panicked and almost dropped the monitor in her hand.

She rubbed her eyes hard, then looked down—it was her! Si Nan Ying!

But weren't Ye and her group all trapped on the container ship? When did she escape?

She quickly descended from the small airship and saw—it was indeed the real Si Nan Ying!

"Hey, Fisesan? Where are Xiao Ye and the others?"

"You... aren't you with them?"

Yu Xun suppressed her wildly beating heart and asked in a relaxed and natural manner.

Little Ying scratched her head, looking quite embarrassed.

"Oh, actually... well... okay, I admit it! It was my first time on a container ship, and I was really curious. I wanted to check out the other container ships, but Xiao Ye kept telling me not to run around... so I... well, I was a little confused, and while they were all looking at the small boat for some reason, I sneaked off to play on the container ship next to us... If Xiao Ye gets angry later, could you please put in a good word for me?"

"Uh... ah... oh, I see, you..."

What a jerk! He ruined my plans!!!! Idiot!!!!!! Moron!!!!!!!!!

Yu Xun cursed this guy a thousand times in her mind, but still tried her best to maintain a normal expression.

It must not be exposed.

This girl might be quite powerful in attack, but she's clearly a brainless idiot. If we just stall for a little longer until Ye and the others are reduced to nothingness, this girl will be no threat at all.

As long as we can intimidate her for now...

It's Little Ying! By sheer luck, this little rascal actually pulled off a brilliant stroke of luck!

I stared at the Sick Spider, our eyes brimming with barely concealed excitement. Since the Sick Spider was so adamant about not breaking down the barrier, wouldn't it be better for Little Ying to do it from the outside?

But...

Both of them were speaking very loudly, and the barrier wasn't very soundproof, so I could still vaguely hear what they were saying from here.

You're asking about this ship?

"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention for a moment, why... did it turn into a silver-gray egg?"

"This ship is under repair, you know. Repairs often produce bright sparks and things like that. If we leave it unattended, it will definitely affect other people, right? That's why we need to deploy this protective layer first."

"I see, I know, I know~"

You know nothing!

Don't listen to that woman's nonsense! Your companions are disappearing on this wrecked ship! You're the only one who can save us!

"But what about Xiao Ye and the others?"

"They went to the food station inside the belly of the Sea Beast."

"Hey--they were secretly eating and drinking well behind my back? I'm so annoyed!"

"Shall I take you to find them?"

"Okay, okay~ Please!"

Idiot, idiot, idiot! This is a diversionary tactic! Don't go with her! I can see the bird poop on the deck right now! It's getting closer and closer to disappearing completely!

I need to get her attention! I have to get her attention as soon as possible! But there's no guarantee that Fisse isn't watching the monitors right now, and that Chi Ying is watching us too. Damn it, what the hell...

(Sick Spider!)

"What to do""?"

(Damn it, do as I say, I'll risk it all!)

In a cabin two levels above the deck--

The Chi Ying is hidden here.

She huddled in a closed diving chamber, curled up and motionless, her eyes closed, with only the walkie-talkie Yu Xun had given her hanging from her ear.

She was faithfully carrying out the task assigned to her: to ensure that Ye and his group were sealed off by the Shadow Domain, and to use the Shadow Domain to monitor their movements to prevent any accidents.

"Don't let anything happen... don't let anything happen... don't let anything happen, don't let anything happen..."

She's always so neurotic, constantly rambling on and on; that's just her usual self.

"Don't let anything happen, don't let anything happen... huh?"

Something's not right.

Through the "eye" of the Shadow Domain, she noticed a black-haired little girl who she hadn't paid much attention to before, who seemed to be behaving strangely.

Just as I was about to zoom in for a closer look--

Shh-shh--!!!

Suddenly, the "eyes'" vision was stained red; it was Ye, the girl with the peach-pink hair. She suddenly coughed up a lot of blood, most of it splashing onto the black-haired girl. This was clearly something Ye had been accumulating; her powers had been suppressed to their limit, and it took her a long time to barely release this blood. Moreover, she had lost control over the blood, simply letting the droplets fall freely. The shadows cast by the blood into the Shadow Domain, sealed off, were illuminated by the light...

Then what?

It seems like that's the end of it.

Ye's body is fading more and more, and she is very close to disappearing.

The blood splatter that momentarily affected Chi Ying's vision and startled her, but had no other effect.

"Is it abnormal? Is it abnormal? Is it abnormal... Should I report it...? I don't know... I don't know... It shouldn't be...?"

Chi Ying returned to silence, continuing to carry out her task from her favorite dark and narrow space.

She had no idea what would happen in half a minute.

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