Skyfire of Snake Moon

Feng Ling sat in the car, her face dark as a storm cloud.

It was way too congested...

A distance of less than ten kilometers had stubbornly trapped her for an entire hour.

She watched helplessly as the sun sank lower and lower, finally disappearing completely. At eight in the evening, the city streetlights flickered on, illuminating the gradually clearing road.

But what use was that?

The sky was pitch black now. Once they got on the bridge, aside from the road lit by headlights, the river on both sides was as dark as ink, merging with the night sky into one seamless expanse. She couldn't see a thing.

The frogs, the white birds—all of it—she couldn't see any of it!

Zhou Diao spoke slowly from inside the car: "This road is always jammed, and with a traffic accident today, it's even worse. Anyway, it's dark now. Let's just take a loop on the bridge and head back."

"Let's head back." Feng Ling felt deflated. "We'll come check again tomorrow."

"If we find the white bird tomorrow, will we be able to find the Maze entrance?" Zhou Diao asked her.

Feng Ling shot him a glance. "The riddle has three lines. The last one is: The Skyfire of the Snake Moon burns open the gate within the ashes."

Zhou Diao said lightly, "Just three lines. We've already got leads on the first two. Finding the third one will definitely be quick. No need to rush at all~"

Feng Ling closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat, and replied irritably, "Twenty-nine percent."

Zhou Diao: "..."

Well, maybe they did need to rush.

An eerie silence fell over the car.

Half a minute later, Zhou Diao pulled himself together and said to Feng Ling, "I say we don't waste time. Even if it's dark and we can't see the white bird, we can still study what the third line means. Let me think... The Skyfire of the Snake Moon... Hmm..."

Zhou Diao racked his brain, glancing out the window. "Can't even see the moon..."

"It can't be that straightforward, can it?" Feng Ling frowned. "Snake Moon means a moon that looks like a snake? Skyfire means fire in the sky?"

Huangfu Miaomiao was also thinking hard. "Fire in the sky... Either the sun or a meteor?"

Feng Ling got annoyed. "The sun is a daytime thing, and meteors only show up at night! A Maze this complicated—does it even want people to get in?!"

Zhou Diao thought to himself: The Maze was never meant for humans in the first place.

Before he could open his mouth to tease her, he saw Huangfu Miaomiao in the rearview mirror shaking her head at him frantically, her mouth moving slowly. From the shape of her lips, she seemed to be saying—

Don't... provoke her?

Zhou Diao: "..."

Maybe he should just persuade Feng Ling to enter the Gas Chamber. This pressure, ready to explode at any moment, was way too nerve-wracking.

No one spoke in the car. Feng Ling wasn't in the mood for small talk either.

Restlessly, she opened her phone and was surprised to find that Daoist Priest Li had messaged her.

'Daoist Priest Li transferred ¥650.00 to you. Please accept.'

'Daoist Priest Li: Have you found a safe place to stay? Are food and water prepared?'

Feng Ling's face visibly brightened.

Who wouldn't brighten up at receiving money?

Without a shred of guilt, she tapped to accept the transfer, happily pocketing the six hundred fifty, her entire demeanor radiating warmth and cheer. Huangfu Miaomiao and Zhou Diao in the car stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Who messaged you?" Zhou Diao couldn't contain his curiosity.

"A good person." Feng Ling's eyes curved as she looked down to reply.

'Aisha: Found one~ (^w^)~'

'Aisha: Would the Daoist Priest like to visit? I'll treat you to a meal~'

'Daoist Priest Li: Don't tell me your address, and don't tell anyone. They'll be coming soon.'

Coming soon?

Feng Ling narrowed her eyes slightly.

'Aisha: But I already said on the forum that I'm going to Yunhai City.'

'Daoist Priest Li: Not all players pay attention to posts on the human forum.'

'Daoist Priest Li: Some of them form alliances, specifically hunting lone high-Point prey. Contaminants and Bosses are their targets too. Be careful.'

Feng Ling wondered if there was new activity on the Player Forum.

'Aisha: How many of them are there? Are they strong?'

The Daoist Priest didn't reply for a long time.

She waited a moment, then sent a question mark.

Still no response from the other side. Maybe he was busy with something.

Feng Ling scrolled back through the chat history, savored the memory of the ¥650 transfer, then turned off her phone.

Huangfu Miaomiao and Zhou Diao in the car saw her calm expression and both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Back at the apartment, it was already nine at night. Feng Ling opened the chat window again, but still hadn't received a message from the Taoist.

How strange.

She didn't dwell on it too much, habitually opening the food delivery app to order.

The two nests on her body were constantly absorbing energy, and she had to eat heavily to meet her body's demands. Otherwise, she really worried that not only would she fail to feed the nests, but she'd starve herself to the point of collapse.

Restaurants open at night were pitifully few, delivery riders were scarce, and the delivery fees were shockingly high.

After all, on nights when Xenomorphs were more active, everyone was risking their lives for money.

Feng Ling didn't have many options. She found a Shaxian Snacks that hadn't closed yet and ordered every item on the menu.

She even worried it wouldn't be enough, so she went to the kitchen to boil frozen wontons.

Zhou Diao was utterly amazed by her appetite, and even a little envious. He sighed with emotion, "If you ate like this every day for a few days straight, wouldn't you not need to eat for the rest of the year?"

"It's a special period lately, so I'm eating more," Feng Ling said between bites.

"Special period?" Zhou Diao sat across from her and asked, "What kind of special period?"

"It's a bit hard to describe..." Feng Ling thought for a moment, swallowed the food in her mouth, and explained, "You can think of it as me being pregnant with twins right now, needing a lot of nutrition."

Zhou Diao was stunned. "You... are pregnant?"

"It's just a metaphor," Feng Ling continued eating. "If you don't get it, forget it. It's not important."

Zhou Diao was a bit confused at first, but after hearing her say that, he couldn't help but get annoyed. "How am I not getting it? You're the one who didn't explain clearly! What woman uses being pregnant as a metaphor!"

Huangfu Miaomiao silently raised her perfume bottle beside him.

Zhou Diao: "..."

Suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

Zhou Diao cautiously observed Feng Ling's reaction, and only relaxed a little when he saw she was still eating calmly, with no signs of anger.

"Then..." he asked hesitantly, "you, ahem, when are you due?"

"Any time," Feng Ling replied.

Zhou Diao fell silent for a long time.

What did 'any time' mean?

Was it what he thought it meant?

He quietly studied Feng Ling. No matter how he looked at her, she didn't seem like she was about to give birth...

Zhou Diao had always considered himself fearless, but the thought of Feng Ling being pregnant and giving birth—why did it feel so terrifying? It was enough to make his heart race.

"Tonight? Giving birth?" Zhou Diao mustered the courage to ask.

Feng Ling shook her head, as if she had seriously considered the matter. She replied, "Xenomorphs could appear any time, the Maze hasn't been found yet, the Corruption Value problem isn't solved either. There's a pile of things waiting for me to do right now. The timing isn't right. It's not the time to raise a cub."

As she spoke, she flicked her left wrist.

The two Silver Bracelets on her wrist suddenly transformed into two Silver Cards, floating beside Feng Ling.

Unlike ordinary Silver Cards, these two cards seemed nested. There was a pattern inside, and an outer layer etched with a pattern of big eyes.

"Whoa..." Zhou Diao exclaimed, unable to resist reaching out. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't touch," Feng Ling said. "Or else you'll be born from me."