Brain Damage

Chapter 48: Brain Damage

Feng Ling tossed out, "To the dock," and hurried ahead.

Everyone was completely baffled.

Zhou Diao caught up to her and asked, "Hey! Why are we suddenly going to the dock? Did you find a clue?"

Feng Ling walked quickly. She did not want to waste time in traffic again like she had last night.

"For the frog to rush toward the sky and kiss the white bird, the frog must be positioned below the white bird. We're standing on the bridge deck right now, so the angle is wrong. No matter how we look at it, we can't see the angle of the Salivating Kiss," Feng Ling said rapidly. "We need to find a viewpoint low enough."

Zhou Diao blinked dazedly. "...Right. The lowest viewpoint here is on the river."

He understood at once and grew excited. Catching up with Feng Ling, he said, "Not bad, Feng Ling! Your brain works pretty well!"

Having solved the riddle, Feng Ling felt a little pleased with herself.

She was in an excellent mood.

The group arrived at the dock, where River Ferry passengers were lining up to board.

They boarded the ferry alongside the other passengers.

It was an ordinary ferry with only three stops, traveling in a triangular loop across the river.

Feng Ling rode one full circuit but failed to find a viewpoint she liked.

"How about trying a sightseeing cruise?" Zhou Diao suggested after studying the route map.

Feng Ling checked the time.

Taking the ferry for another round trip would take too long. If they could not obtain the clue today, they would have to start over tomorrow.

Besides, although the sightseeing cruise had more stops, its route was even more fixed. It simply could not cooperate with their search for clues.

"Looks like we can only charter a boat." Feng Ling felt as though someone were carving flesh from her body.

Zhou Diao scratched the back of his head. "The River Patrol Team has yachts. Should I borrow one?"

Feng Ling perked up immediately, her eyes shining as she looked at Zhou Diao. Even her tone softened. "Can you borrow one?"

"...I'll give it a try." Zhou Diao took out his phone and made a call. "This is a legitimate mission, so the river patrol should be able to provide hardware support."

Feng Ling thought he would call the patrol team directly, but Zhou Diao opened with, "Lao Su."

"Lao Su, here's the situation..."

Zhou Diao explained the problem they had encountered.

An enraged roar came from the other end of the phone.

"Stop yelling, stop yelling..." Zhou Diao could not help digging at his ear. "I know she shouldn't have gone out, but we didn't come out to play. The sooner we find the Maze, the sooner Feng Ling can lower her Corruption Value. Hurry up and contact the River Patrol Team. I'll wait for your news."

After hanging up, he did not forget to comment on his leader. "Lao Su is good in every way, except he's too rigid. He doesn't know how to adapt."

Feng Ling nodded in agreement.

Although Su Yuqing always liked to talk about rules and regulations, he was still reliable.

Not long after Zhou Diao made that call, he received one from the Patrol Squad. After confirming the number of people and the location, they sent over a small Patrol Boat along with a driver.

With the Patrol Boat, it became much easier to search for the right position on the river.

Feng Ling had the Patrol Boat pass beneath Qingjiang Bridge No. 1, sail forward, and stop in the middle of the river. Then, looking past the bridge, she finally saw with her own eyes that the Ferris Wheel cabin at its highest point overlapped with the top of the bridge arch.

The Frog in a Top Hat rushed toward the sky, its Salivating Kiss falling upon the lone White Bird.

"This should be the spot, right?" Zhou Diao narrowed his eyes at the distant Ferris Wheel and sighed. "We finally found it."

Their relief lasted only half a minute.

Feng Ling's expression gradually turned cold, and irritation and frustration faintly appeared on her face.

Because she still could not find "Snake Moon" and "Skyfire."

Huangfu Miaomiao cautiously studied Feng Ling's expression. "How about... we try again tonight?"

Feng Ling nodded once. "Mm."

They had spent too long on the river and were nearly sunburned raw. Everyone wanted to get ashore and rest as soon as possible.

The moment Feng Ling nodded, everyone let out a breath of relief.

They found somewhere near Qingjiang Bridge to eat, rested until the sun set and the moon rose, then set out again to search for clues.

The Patrol Squad members were also highly cooperative, taking Feng Ling's group around the river several times.

Unfortunately, they made no progress at all.

The evening breeze blew gently, while the river surged and rolled.

The city's dazzling lights reflected in the river, like a brilliant rainbow blooming across a sweep of heavy ink.

Such beauty could not soothe the anxiety in Feng Ling's heart.

She stood silently on the Patrol Boat.

The wind, carrying watery mist, rushed against her face. It blew through her sweat-soaked cotton shirt, bringing a chill that seeped into her skin.

When she raised her head to look at the moon, it seemed about to vanish behind the clouds.

Where exactly was the Maze?

No one spoke aboard the Patrol Boat.

Zhou Diao signaled to Huangfu Miaomiao with his eyes.

Huangfu Miaomiao shrank her neck, lowered her head, and pulled up her hoodie as though she had seen nothing.

Zhou Diao looked toward the three Special Forces members, only to find each of them staring at him expectantly.

Zhou Diao: "..."

Forget it.

If I don't go to Hell, who will?

"Ahem, well..." Zhou Diao said to Feng Ling, "How about we call it for tonight? A place as unusual as the Maze is naturally difficult to find. We should be mentally prepared for a long campaign. Let's go back?"

"Mm, let's go back," Feng Ling said.

Her tone was dejected.

Zhou Diao was not feeling much better either. He sighed quietly and went to the front to have the Patrol Boat driver bring them ashore.

Feng Ling took out her phone and photographed Qingjiang Bridge, intending to continue studying it after returning.

Daoist Priest Li sent her another message.

'Daoist Priest Li: Are you okay?'

Is he worried I'm dead?

She gloomily replied with two words.

'Aisha: Not okay.'

'Daoist Priest Li: What's wrong? Are you hurt?'

'Aisha: More or less.'

'Daoist Priest Li: Where are you hurt? Is it serious?'

'Aisha: My brain is injured. These riddles are about to turn me into an idiot.'

No message came from the other side of the chat for a long time.

He was probably speechless too.

But Feng Ling did not care. She desperately needed an outlet, so she rattled off a stream of messages into the chat window.

'Aisha: I've racked my brain and still can't figure out what Snake Moon's Skyfire means.'

'Aisha: I thought Snake Moon meant the moon's reflection in the water, so I ran out onto the river and got blasted by the wind all night. In the end, I couldn't see anything except the light show.'

'Aisha: Then I thought Skyfire meant a Meteor at night, but tonight just had to be cloudy. Even the moon kept appearing and disappearing!'

'Aisha: I really want to cut open my own head and see what's inside!'

'Aisha: Daoist Priest Li, didn't you say Xenomorphs would come looking for me? Why haven't they come yet?'

'Aisha: Daoist Priest Li, my head hurts so badly right now.'

'Daoist Priest Li: What is your Corruption Value now?'

Feng Ling had been venting when she saw those words. She froze slightly, and the fingers flying across the keyboard stopped as well.

Suddenly, she was no longer so agitated.

She even felt like laughing a little.

'Aisha: Daoist Priest Li, I don't understand. What is Corruption Value?'

Another long silence followed.

At last, Daoist Priest Li sent another message.

'Daoist Priest Li: Snake Moon may not refer to the moon. In Taoism, the Twelve Yuanchen govern the twelve months. Among them, Taiyi Yuanchen protects Si Month, which is also called Snake Moon.'