Brain Injury

Chapter 48: Brain Injury

Feng Ling tossed out a "To the dock" and hurried forward.

Everyone was completely baffled.

Zhou Diao caught up and asked, "Hey! Why the sudden trip to the dock? Did you find a clue?"

Feng Ling walked quickly, unwilling to waste time stuck in traffic like last night.

"The frog has to charge into the sky to kiss the white bird. That means the frog's position should be below the white bird. Right now we're standing on the bridge deck—the angle's wrong. No matter how we look, we can't see the angle of the Salivating Kiss." Feng Ling spoke rapidly. "We need a position low enough."

Zhou Diao was dazed. "...Right. The lowest viewpoint here is on the river surface."

Realization dawned, and he got a bit excited, catching up to Feng Ling. "Not bad! Feng Ling, you've got a good head on you!"

Feng Ling felt a little smug at cracking the puzzle.

Her mood was very cheerful.

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

They followed the other passengers onto the ferry.

It was an ordinary ferry with only three stops, running a triangular route across the river.

Feng Ling rode a full circuit but didn't find a satisfactory angle.

"Maybe try a sightseeing cruise?" Zhou Diao suggested after studying the route map.

Feng Ling checked the time.

A round trip on the ferry took too long. If they couldn't get a clue today, they'd have to start over tomorrow.

And while the sightseeing cruise had more stops, its route was also more fixed—it couldn't adapt to their search for clues.

"Looks like we'll have to charter a boat." Feng Ling felt a pang of reluctance, like cutting flesh from her own body.

Zhou Diao scratched the back of his head. "The River Patrol Team has speedboats. Want me to borrow one?"

Feng Ling's spirits lifted. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Zhou Diao, even her tone softening. "Can you borrow one?"

"...Let me try." Zhou Diao pulled out his phone to make a call. "This counts as official business, so we should be able to ask the River Patrol Team for hardware support."

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

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

Zhou Diao explained the problem they were facing.

An angry roar came from the other end of the line.

"Stop yelling, stop yelling..." Zhou Diao couldn't help but rub his ear. "I know I shouldn't have let her out, but we're not here 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."

He hung up and even added a comment about his superior: "Lao Su's great in every way, but he's too rigid. Doesn't know how to adapt."

Feng Ling nodded in agreement.

Su Yuqing might always harp on the rules, but he was still very reliable.

Not long after Zhou Diao's call, the patrol team called back. After confirming the number of people and the location, they sent a small patrol boat, along with a driver to operate it.

With the patrol boat, finding positions on the river became much easier.

Feng Ling had the patrol boat pass under Qingjiang Bridge No. 1, sail forward, and stop at the center of the river. Then, across the bridge, she finally saw with her own eyes the highest Ferris Wheel cabin overlapping with the top of the bridge arch.

The Frog in a Top Hat charged into the sky, drooling a Salivating Kiss at the solitary white bird.

"This should be it, right?" Zhou Diao squinted at the distant Ferris Wheel and sighed. "Finally found it."

The lighthearted mood lasted only half a minute.

Feng Ling's expression gradually cooled, irritation and frustration faintly showing on her face.

Because she still couldn't find "Snake Moon" and "Skyfire."

Huangfu Miaomiao cautiously glanced at Feng Ling's expression. "Maybe... we could try again tonight?"

Feng Ling nodded. "Mm."

They'd spent too long on the river, nearly getting sunburned raw. Everyone wanted to get ashore and rest.

The moment Feng Ling nodded, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

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

The patrol team was very cooperative, taking Feng Ling and her group on several loops around the river.

Unfortunately, there was no progress.

The evening breeze rustled, the river waters surged.

The city's dazzling lights reflected in the river, like a splash of thick ink blooming into a gaudy rainbow.

Such a beautiful scene couldn't soothe Feng Ling's inner agitation.

She stood on the patrol boat in silence.

Wind carrying moisture rushed against her face, piercing through the sweat-soaked cotton shirt and bringing a chill that seeped into her skin.

She looked up at the moon—it seemed about to vanish behind the clouds.

Where exactly was the Maze?

No one spoke on the patrol boat.

Zhou Diao signaled Huangfu Miaomiao with his eyes.

Huangfu Miaomiao shrank her neck, dropped her head, and pulled up her hoodie, pretending not to see.

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

Zhou Diao: "..."

Forget it.

If I don't enter hell, who will?

"Ahem, well..." Zhou Diao said to Feng Ling, "How about we call it a night for now? The Maze is such a special place—it's normal for it to be hard to find. We should also mentally prepare for a long haul. Let's head back?"

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

Her tone was low.

Zhou Diao wasn't in a great mood either. He let out a faint sigh and walked to the front to tell the patrol boat driver to dock.

Feng Ling picked up her phone and took a photo of Qingjiang Bridge, planning to study it further when she got back.

The Daoist priest had messaged her again.

'Daoist Priest Li: Are you okay?'

Feng Ling thought: Is he worried I'm dead?

She sullenly typed back two words.

'Aisha: Not okay.'

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

'Aisha: Pretty much.'

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

'Aisha: My brain is hurt. I've been guessing riddles until I'm almost brain-dead.'

For a long time, no message came from the other end of the chat.

Probably speechless too.

But Feng Ling didn't care. She desperately needed an outlet, so she started venting into the chat box in a rapid barrage.

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

'Aisha: I thought Snake Moon was the moon's reflection in the water, so I went to the river and blew in the wind all night, but all I saw was a light show.'

'Aisha: Then I thought Skyfire was a meteor at night, but tonight's cloudy—even the moon keeps appearing and disappearing!'

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

'Aisha: Daoist priest, didn't you say the Xenomorphs would come to me? Why haven't they come yet?'

'Aisha: Daoist priest, my head hurts so much right now.'

'Daoist Priest Li: What's your Corruption Value?'

Feng Ling was in the middle of venting when she saw this message. She paused slightly, and her furious typing fingers stopped.

She suddenly wasn't so frantic anymore.

She even felt a bit like laughing.

'Aisha: Daoist priest, I don't understand. What's Corruption Value?'

Another long silence.

Finally, this Daoist Priest Li sent another message.

'Daoist Priest Li: Snake Moon might not refer to the moon. In Daoism, there are twelve Yuanchen that govern the twelve months, and Taiyi Yuanchen protects the Si Month, also known as Snake Month.'