Ji Zhixing followed the Landwalking Ancient Whale back to the Underground Water Cave and found a place to climb ashore.
He sat cross-legged on the rocky bank and took the freshly refined bottle of Stone Skin Gene Potion out of the Gene Furnace.
"The twelfth bottle. This one has to work."
Ji Zhixing took a deep breath, unscrewed the cap, and tipped his head back to pour the potion into his mouth.
The pale gray liquid flowed down his throat, carrying a familiar stony tang.
Inside his Gene Aperture, the phantom Stone Monkey shone with a faint light, as though something was taking shape within it.
Ji Zhixing closed his eyes and settled his mind.
In his mind, an illusory monkey used the Stone Skin Ability again and again. He watched the illusion, even merging his consciousness with it, continually deepening his understanding.
"Almost. I'm almost there!"
He murmured to himself.
At one point, something stirred within him. He abruptly channeled his Gene Source Force into his arm, and in an instant, his skin began changing before his eyes.
A grayish-white keratin layer emerged from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his entire arm, rough and hard as rock.
The keratin layer was not particularly thick, but it felt solid to the touch. Tapping it with his fingers produced a faint knocking sound.
"Stone Skin!" Ji Zhixing looked at his arm, covered in grayish-white keratin, and felt an irrepressible surge of joy.
With a thought, the keratin layer spread from his arm to his shoulder, his chest, and his back.
Grayish-white, stony skin covered most of his upper body like a suit of crude armor.
He clenched his fists and moved his body a little. Stone Skin did not restrict his movements; instead, it gave him an added sense of security.
"A two-star ability, Stone Skin. It strengthens the skin's defenses."
Ji Zhixing quietly assessed his new ability. "It's only two-star, but its defensive strength is far beyond ordinary skin. Even an ordinary person armed with a sword or knife probably couldn't hurt me now."
With a thought, he withdrew Stone Skin into his body. The grayish-white keratin layer receded, revealing the normal skin beneath, completely unharmed.
He let out a long breath and turned to look beside him.
There had originally been more than a dozen Giant-Footed Frogs huddled together on the rocky bank. Now, only six remained.
Over the past few days, the other Giant-Footed Frogs had ended up in the Landwalking Ancient Whale's belly, one after another.
Even though I've developed the Stone Skin Ability, it does nothing to help me out of my current predicament.
Ji Zhixing thought silently, No matter how strong Stone Skin's defenses are, they can't withstand the Landwalking Ancient Whale's bite. One chomp, and I'll be no different from those Giant-Footed Frogs.
He glanced into the depths of the cave, then at the dark water at its entrance, his heart heavy.
I can't escape. It won't give me any opportunity at all.
He leaned against a rock and closed his eyes.
If I get out of this alive, once I have the money, I'm definitely buying a phone that works in the Wilderness, he resolved.
The school had never expected such a major incident during this training trip, and he certainly had not had the money to buy that kind of specially designed phone.
A device capable of communicating in the Wilderness cost tens of thousands of Gene Coins. He simply could not afford one.
"I'll worry about that if I get the chance to go back." He sighed and continued refining the Earth Core Spirit Liquid.
Stone Lake Town.
A drone flew quietly around the town. It was the military's daily routine patrol.
After so many days, the missing students from Rain City No. 3 High School had either been confirmed dead or found. Only a handful were still missing.
But no one believed those remaining missing students were still alive. The military continued its routine patrols, but only as a matter of procedure.
"Captain, we've found something!"
The soldier operating the drone stared at the screen and suddenly called out.
On the screen, several lines of large characters had been scratched into the sand on the gravel beach at the edge of Lake Center Island, using something like a stick.
"Ji Zhixing?" The officer who had been called over looked at the writing on the screen in surprise. "That missing student from Third Middle School? He's still alive?"
He stared at the screen for several seconds, then read the words in the sand again. "Landwalking Ancient Whale... a third-order Gene Beast. Underwater, hardly anyone can handle that thing unless a fourth-order Morning Star Rank cultivator steps in."
He frowned, considered for a moment, and said, "Here's what we'll do. Deploy a few more drones and keep Stone Lake under constant surveillance."
"The next time Ji Zhixing comes out with the Landwalking Ancient Whale, if he sees a drone, he'll definitely surface and deliberately let us spot him. I'll step in and rescue him then."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier immediately accepted the order.
The next day.
Having finished cultivating and put away the Yellowstone Staff, Ji Zhixing was resting on the rocky bank when the Landwalking Ancient Whale stirred deep inside the cave.
Its enormous body rose through the water, slowly swimming toward the cave entrance.
"Heading out again." Ji Zhixing stood up and, without thinking much of it, leaped into the water to follow.
The man and whale passed through the cave and entered Stone Lake. The Landwalking Ancient Whale swam lazily along, occasionally opening its huge mouth to suck in a mouthful of fish and shrimp.
Ji Zhixing followed behind, his gaze habitually sweeping the lake bed for signs of Petrified Crabs.
By chance, he glanced up at the sky.
A machine was moving slowly through the air.
A drone.
Ji Zhixing's heart gave a sudden jolt. The drone was flying low, its body painted with the military's insignia, its metallic surface gleaming in the sunlight.
The military! Ji Zhixing's heartbeat abruptly quickened. Did they see the words I left on the island?
He glanced at the Landwalking Ancient Whale. The big fellow was busy swallowing a school of small fish, its attention focused entirely on its mouth. It had not noticed the object in the sky.
My chance!
Ji Zhixing forced down his excitement and pretended to surface for air. He kicked his legs and rose through the water, silently leaving the Landwalking Ancient Whale's side.
Upon reaching the surface, he took a deep breath. After confirming that the Landwalking Ancient Whale had not noticed him, he took a Gene Source Stone out of the Gene Furnace, aimed at the drone overhead, and hurled it with all his strength.
The Gene Source Stone tore through the air, flying toward the drone with a piercing whistle.
"This guy!" The soldier operating the drone jumped in alarm and hastily sent it climbing sharply, barely dodging the Gene Source Stone.
They've spotted me! Wild joy surged through Ji Zhixing, but he suppressed it and did nothing else out of the ordinary. His heartbeat, however, raced beyond his control.
Whoosh!
A moment later, the sound of something cutting through the air came from the distance. Ji Zhixing looked up to see a figure in military uniform flying toward him from the opposite shore of Stone Lake.
A pair of illusory black wings extended from the man's sides, spanning a full four or five meters. Every beat stirred up a fierce gust of wind, propelling him at astonishing speed.
The man flew over the lake, swept his gaze across it, and immediately spotted Ji Zhixing in the water.
He dove, skimmed the surface, and reached down, scooping Ji Zhixing out of the water.
"Let's go!"
With that low shout, he beat his wings hard and soared into the air with Ji Zhixing, flying toward the opposite shore of Stone Lake.
In Stone Lake, the Landwalking Ancient Whale raised its head and stared blankly for a moment at the figures flying farther and farther away.
(Guys, hold on to your monthly votes a little longer. There'll be four updates tomorrow, so give them to me then. This humble author thanks you. Several generous readers gave me their monthly votes yesterday and today, and one even cast fourteen votes for me. I'm excited, moved, and aching over it all at once.)
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