Heartbeat from Beneath the Water

As Lin Jie's hand gripped the metal cable, an incredibly complex stream of sensory information surged along this "solid bridge," nearly shattering his consciousness entirely.

This was vastly different from any experience he had with an Afterimage before; it was not a single fragment of emotion or memory, but the heavy, majestic voice of a "soul" that had spanned millions of years across an entire lake.

He "heard" the mournful cries of massive glaciers from the Ice Age as they slowly shifted, grinding and crushing against the bedrock at the bottom of the lake.

He "saw" the first ray of sunlight piercing the ice, the most primitive joy of life's resurgence as the first water plants took root on the lake floor.

He "felt" countless schools of fish rushing past him like a silver storm, and he felt the lingering warmth of the earth's veins after the final eruption of the lake-bottom volcano, now plunged into eternal silence.

In an instant, his consciousness seemed to detach from his small body, transforming into Loch Ness itself; he became the water here, the rocks here, every grain of silt here, experiencing everything this ancient body of water had endured since its birth.

This grand experience of connecting with the "memory" of a lake made his own soul tremble, feeling as if it would dissolve into the river of time in the next second.

Sergeant William's roar, sounding like a war cry, forcibly pulled Lin Jie's unraveling consciousness back from the brink of that fatal "assimilation."

Lin Jie jolted violently, only then realizing that his mental energy was being drained at a terrifying speed.

He immediately gathered his focus, forcing himself to peel away from that grand "memory of the lake."

He began to filter out all irrelevant noise, filtering out the glaciers' cries, the clamor of the fish, and the silence of the earth's veins.

His entire will condensed into the finest probe, searching through this abyss composed of countless information for the unique frequency representing a massive "living entity."

Right there, in the absolute darkness and cold so deep that even sunlight could not reach, he found a voice.

It was not a sound heard through ears, but an ancient, slow, yet vibrant and grand pulse felt through the soul.

Thump... The sound was extremely heavy, with a long pause between each pulsation.

Thump... There was no malice in this pulse, no predator's greed, nor a guardian's rage; it contained only the most primitive "existence" itself.

It was a peace and serenity that transcended joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, bordering on the "Dao," like a high monk who had been in meditation for thousands of years, every heartbeat perfectly synchronized with the breathing of the entire Loch Ness.

Lin Jie's consciousness was deeply drawn to this grand "heartbeat," and he felt an urge to draw closer, to merge into that absolute tranquility.

He could feel that if his will were to slacken even slightly, he would be completely "embraced" by that pulse, as warm and serene as a mother's womb, and then fall into a sweet, eternal slumber from which he would never wake.

Alarm bells rang in Lin Jie's mind: Danger!

He immediately realized that this "serenity" itself was a higher-level, lethal danger!

It was like a poppy—beautiful and fragrant, yet capable of making any mortal creature that touched it lose its self and become a mere appendage.

He bit the tip of his tongue hard, the pain instantly clearing his mind, and he began to struggle desperately to pull his consciousness away from that fatal attraction.

This process was far more difficult than he had imagined; the serene pulse had also sensed the presence of this intruder, and that gentle power began to carry a hint of irresistible retention.

Lin Jie shouted in his heart: "Heart of Serenity!"

His right hand, gripping the cable, was nearly losing all sensation, but his left hand, resting at his waist, used every ounce of strength to clutch the grip of the Webley revolver!

A cold mental power, carrying absolute "reason" and "Zen," surged out from it!

Though this power was faint, its nature was extremely pure.

It did not fight against the grand pulse, but instead focused on guarding Lin Jie's own small realm of "self," preventing it from being completely assimilated.

As one force waned and the other waxed, Lin Jie finally managed to pull his consciousness out of the abyss, inch by agonizing inch!

The moment his consciousness fully returned to his body, he fell backward uncontrollably, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, staining the deck before him.

William and the scholar let out simultaneous gasps of alarm, both rushing forward to help him up.

Lin Jie felt the world spinning, everything shaking, with only a buzzing sound in his ears.

Every ounce of strength had been drained from his body; he couldn't even move a finger. This mental exhaustion was more severe than any he had experienced before.

Yet, in his eyes, which appeared somewhat unfocused due to weakness, there shone a brilliant light of having discovered the truth.

He said intermittently: "I... I heard it... It... it is down there... It is alive... It is the... heartbeat... of this lake..."

Alistair held Lin Jie's hand, his entire body trembling with excitement. He didn't know what Lin Jie had just experienced, but he saw the blood at the corner of Lin Jie's mouth and felt his weakness.

He knew that this young man must have touched the ultimate secret they had pursued for a lifetime in a way they could not understand, risking his own life to do so.

He asked in a trembling, pleading tone: "What... what is it like? Did you see it?"

Lin Jie shook his head, struggling to organize his words to describe an experience that transcended mortal senses: "I... I did not see its form."

"It is not something... that can be described by shape. It is more like... more like a pure aggregate of energy, a living spiritual force field."

"It is ancient, serene, but... also extremely dangerous."

"Any mortal consciousness that attempts to approach it will be assimilated by its vast 'peace,' and then... completely cease to exist."

He turned to look at the veteran William, stating his final conclusion: "Our mission report must be re-evaluated."

"This thing... its threat level is absolutely not just Caution Rank."

"In terms of the 'magnitude' of its power, it far exceeds the Town Rank Mist Walker I encountered before."

"The only reason it hasn't been rated at a higher level is simply because it lacks 'malice'."

"It is like the sun hanging high in the sky; it has no intention of harming anyone, but any moth that tries to get too close will only be burned to ash by the irresistible light and heat."

These words left both William and Alistair in deep shock and silence.

A guardian with no malice, yet whose very "existence" was enough to pose a lethal threat to mortal beings?

After saying that final sentence, Lin Jie could no longer hold on, his head lolling to the side as he slipped into unconsciousness.

In the very last moment before he lost awareness, a satisfied smile hung upon his lips.

He had finally confirmed the existence of that massive living energy source at the bottom of the lake in his own way, and the price he paid was the majority of his mental energy.

But it was all worth it.

From this moment on, all the mysteries regarding the "Loch Ness Monster" held no more secrets before him.