Shell-bearing Species

Ye Yan slowly flipped open the pages of the Sherlock Holmes Casebook. The moment his fingertips touched the paper, a cool sensation spread from his touch throughout his entire body.

The text on the pages began to flow and reorganize, transforming into a series of familiar scenes.

The confusion of his first crossing, his meeting with Sherlock Holmes at Scotland Yard, the terror of being hunted by cultists, the determination to rescue those on the Saint Helier...

A faint lamp flickered to life in his heart.

Though small, the light was exceptionally clear, like a lighthouse on the surface of a dark sea.

His former self stood once again at the crossroads of memory, where every choice was clearly discernible, including the hesitation he felt earlier in court when he had nearly exonerated Scarface.

Ye Yan felt a sense of enlightenment spread through his mind, and the incessant, tangled noise gradually subsided.

"So that's how it is..."

He whispered softly, and the text on the pages transformed into a bright path before his eyes.

Looking along this path, he saw the ginkgo tree of his hometown, his mother's back as she busied herself in the kitchen, and the desk lamp he always forgot to turn off.

Those images were so vivid that his eyes grew slightly warm.

He wanted to go home.

He wanted to go home as the person known as "Ye Yan."

This realization was like a clear mirror, reflecting accurately onto the softest part of his heart.

If he were to shield a criminal just to get home, it would be like trying to hold clear water with mud-stained hands. Even if he succeeded in the end, the result would be unrecognizable.

Ye Yan gently closed the book.

He took a deep breath and found that the thoughts that had been rampaging through his mind had quieted down, like the sea after a storm, leaving only gentle ripples behind.

[Congratulations, Administrator. Your Shell-Crossing Disease has been cured.]

"Why did I contract this... Shell-Crossing Disease?"

Ye Yan rubbed the spine of the book and asked, puzzled, "Was it an infection caused by summoning a spirit earlier?"

He had known before that souls could also fall ill, but it was impossible for him to have caught it for no reason; just like a human body falling ill, there had to be a source.

[Summoning a spirit only has consequences if it fails.]

The candles in the Bookhouse flickered rhythmically.

[We suspect that you must have come into contact with something strange previously.]

Ye Yan frowned in thought.

Past memories began to rewind bit by bit, gradually revealing that bloody night. The bloated bodies of the cultists, the hard shells of the alien monsters, and...

"It was that alien!" He widened his eyes abruptly, his Adam's apple bobbing: "At the time, I was influenced by the principle of the Cup, which triggered an uncontrollable appetite. I almost... its remains..."

His words cut off abruptly; a certain sticky sensation seemed to return to the root of his tongue.

Rustling sounds came from the shadows of the bookshelves, like countless pages whispering to one another.

[That explains it.]

The voice of the Bookhouse carried a tone of sudden realization.

[The residue left a hidden influence upon you. When you summoned the spirit, this influence was awakened, leading to the infection of your soul-quality.]

Ye Yan felt a lingering fear and instinctively wiped the corner of his mouth. The frantic actions of that night seemed incredible now; he had actually wanted to devour such a disgusting creature.

But what was even more terrifying was that, for a fleeting moment, he had truly felt that it tasted "delicious."

"Is that influence still on me?" Ye Yan asked.

He did not want to carry such an unstable ticking time bomb; what if it flared up again at a life-or-death moment...

[Please rest assured, Administrator.]

The sound of pages turning was like a gentle reassurance.

[Since you have recovered, it means the influence has been completely eliminated.]

Hearing the Bookhouse's reply, Ye Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately, he felt a surge of intense curiosity about that peculiar alien.

What on earth was that thing?

It could make him lose control while alive, and leave a mark on him even after death.

Ye Yan rubbed his chin and raised his hand to summon his Travelogue of the Homeless.

"Thinking is useless. Time to write!"

He opened the book and used his intent as a pen, recording the experiences of his recent investigations on a brand-new page.

From meeting Billy to summoning the spirit of Daphne.

[There is a trace of an Hour in the travelogue you have written. You have obtained a coordinate mark: [Void Realm]]

A ribbon of color appeared once again within the Luck Compass, weaving and intertwining with the ribbons of the two previous mysterious coordinate marks.

This filled Ye Yan with immense joy.

Within books, one finds houses of gold; within books, one finds faces fair as jade.

The words of the ancestors were truly correct.

Just as the corners of Ye Yan's mouth began to lift, the voice of the Bookhouse suddenly echoed in his heart.

[Administrator, the second chapter of the travelogue you have written has reached the required length. Shall it be submitted to acquire knowledge?]

"Can I choose the knowledge myself?"

[You may.]

The candlelight dimmed slightly.

[But you must consider carefully; self-selected knowledge is not necessarily the knowledge most suited to you.]

"I am certain." Ye Yan nodded.

[What aspect of knowledge do you wish to know, Administrator?]

"I want to know what the exotic species affecting me is."

[It is a Shell-bearing Species, Administrator.]

The voice of the Bookhouse turned somewhat somber.

[They appeared earlier than human civilization...]

From the Bookhouse's narration, Ye Yan learned about the Shell-bearing Species.

The Shell-bearing Species were a form of intelligent life that existed before human civilization; they resembled insects in appearance and were divided into many different tribes.

The exotic species Ye Yan had encountered was likely a degenerated subspecies of the Sickle-Tooth Clan.

Within the lineage of the Shell-bearing Species, this clan was known for its vast wisdom and complex tooth structures, and their sickle-shaped pseudo-carapace was one of their defining morphological traits.

Ye Yan frowned.

"So, the Shell-bearing Species left something inside humans, hoping to wait for an opportunity to rise again. Is this why the condition of Soul-Quality Knock is named the Shell-Crossing Disease?"

Thinking about the possibility of turning into a bug made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

[You may understand it that way, Administrator.]

The Bookhouse provided an affirmative answer.

[The Shell-bearing Species have vanished, but they have not died; they persist within.]

Ye Yan heaved a deep sigh.

He finally understood why the Darwin of this world did not claim in On the Origin of Species that humans evolved from apes, but instead asserted that humans originated from insects.

Humans in his original world could not revert to apes, but humans in this world could truly revert to insects.

Insectification Disease.

This was a hereditary disease that humans in this world could contract, specifically manifesting as the growth of insect-like features.

In this world, On the Origin of Species was classified as a forbidden book, banned by various nations from circulation among the populace before it was even published. It was not only because it denied the doctrine of God creating humanity, but also because it proposed the theory that humans originated from insects.

One must know that the Church in this world not only held secular power but also possessed extraordinary strength; how could they allow a book to shake their sacred authority?

Even in Ye Yan's original world, people of that era found it difficult to accept the view of "common ancestry between humans and apes," let alone a theory as shocking as "common ancestry between humans and insects."

However, this discourse did not lack supporters.

Even the British Empire, much like his own world, applied the concept of "survival of the fittest" to society, declaring poverty and colonization to be "inferior natural selection."

This was also the origin of the "principle of less eligibility" in the Poor Law, though this application was clearly a distortion and alienation of "survival of the fittest."

The degree of its distortion was on par with that saying from his homeland: "Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs."

Ye Yan shook his head. He recalled the reverent expression on Doctor Watson's face when he secretly handed him that forbidden book, as well as the undisguised regret in the Bookhouse's tone when it had refused to accept the book at the time.

"The knowledge contained in this book is highly forward-looking, but the author's vision limited his potential."

"What a pity."

"The author of this book was a true scholar, but he failed to obtain true knowledge."