Specter Thread Fish

Escaping the trapped forest, the scene before their eyes changed completely. The purple flowers and hundred-meter-tall towering trees had all vanished. Ahead lay rolling, gravel-covered boundless hills.

Lin Shan quietly watched it all, his ominous premonition truly coming true.

"Where on earth are we? I want to go home..." A female could not help murmuring with a crying stutter.

"We... can't possibly go back. We can't find the way." A fragile female wept aloud, her body swaying. Had someone not supported her, she would have long since collapsed limply to the ground.

"How are we supposed to... survive in this unfamiliar world?" Even some males had voices trembling at this moment, filled with intense dread and unease.

"Don't panic. Stay calm. There will be a solution," Zhang Zhonghua shouted loudly.

"That's right." Lin Shan nodded in agreement. "The Ash Fog has been scattered. We can go explore the surrounding area."

The unknown filled some people with awe and fear while simultaneously igniting the desire for exploration in others.

Lin Shan took the lead and walked forward, wanting to see the situation nearby.

Zhao Xiao An was not far away, looking somewhat cold as she crossed her arms, her beautiful face a bit pale. When Lin Shan passed by, he took off his outer garment and handed it over. She voiced a soft thank you, then shook her head in refusal: "I'm not cold, just a little scared..."

Lin Shan did not say much else. He had simply offered kind help out of seeing a companion in need. Seeing the other person refuse, he put the outer garment back on and continued walking forward.

Advancing another several hundred meters, yet another river appeared before their eyes. It was much smaller than the river seen previously, with a width of only around ten meters.

Seeing this small stream, Wu Wang's eyes lit up. "Old Lin, stop walking. I can't walk anymore. Let's check nearby for something to eat first."

The others were also already exhausted.

"I've been hungry for ages. I wonder if there are fish in this stream..."

"I just saw fruit on the trees nearby. I wonder if it's edible."

"I saw it too. Those fruits are ordinary in shape, not brightly colored, and look like regular wild fruits."

"However, don't forget this is a world with transcendent power. Exercise caution above all else."

Seeing the sky gradually darkening, the group discussed for a while and decided to make camp right here.

Zhang Zhonghua surveyed the crowd and instructed, "Lin Shan, Wu Wang, Jin Tianzong, make a simple fish spear and go to the riverside to see if there are any fish. Luo He, Si Zhennan, the three of us will go pick some wild fruit in the trees."

Pausing for a moment, he fished a lighter out of his pocket and handed it to Chao Yuxin, saying, "The remaining five girls will go around and pick up more dead tree branches for starting a fire."

Fortunately, he had kept the lighter close to his body when crossing over with it, otherwise, they would have had to learn from the ancients and drill wood for fire.

"Got it."

"No problem."

The group answered.

Ten minutes later, looking at the branches in his hands, Lin Shan could not help sinking into deep thought. He knew how to make a simple fish spear, but with zero tools whatsoever, surely he couldn't gnaw one into shape with his mouth...

Wu Wang and Jin Tianzong were the same, utterly helpless as they stared blankly at the branches in their hands.

Sighing, Lin Shan proposed, "Just find a few pointed branches. Let's go to the riverside and take a look first."

Wu Wang smiled and said, "The fish in another world probably haven't seen humans, aren't very smart, and might be exceptionally easy to catch."

"Heh heh, is there a possibility," Jin Tianzong let out a strange laugh and said, "that the fish of another world are even more formidable than us..."

Lin Shan smiled. "There really is that possibility. Don't forget, transcendent entities exist in this world."

"True. Against such bizarre things, we don't have the slightest capability to resist." Wu Wang nodded.

"Stop right there, stop." Jin Tianzong made a stopping gesture. "I was just joking. What you guys are saying sounds like it's actually real. It's creepily terrifying."

Lin Shan smiled without speaking. Although Jin Tianzong was nearly forty, his personality lacked even a shred of an elder's demeanor.

The three advanced another hundred meters, arriving at the riverside. The river water was crystal clear, and fish with terrifying appearances could be seen swimming in the river at a glance.

The reason they were terrifying was because these fish had two heads. Just looking at them made one's heart flutter with anxiety, yet this double-headed fish was actually a bit foolish just as Wu Wang had said, failing to swim away even upon seeing people arrive.

For a moment, the three hesitated, unsure whether they should actually catch them or not. The hands holding the sharp branches trembled slightly.

With a "Thump!", the sound of a branch entering the water rang out, and that double-headed fish was pierced straight through. After being penetrated, the fish remained in a daze for two seconds before it began thrashing desperately. Unfortunately, it was already too late, and Lin Shan used brute force to flip it up onto the bank.

Looking at the still-floundering double-headed fish on the shore, Wu Wang gave Lin Shan a thumbs-up. This fish was half a meter long and quite plump; just a single one was enough for two adults to eat.

"Is this fish edible... The two heads look strange no matter how you view them." Wu Wang felt his scalp tingle slightly as he looked at the fish on the ground.

"Don't view the creatures of another world through the perspective of Earthlings," Lin Shan replied, and then said, "Keep looking and catch a few more to take back. This fish probably isn't afraid of people precisely because it hasn't seen them before, making it very easy to catch."

"You got it," Wu Wang responded, beginning to search carefully along the bank.

With a "Thump!", yet another half-meter-long double-headed fish was flipped onto the shore. This time, it was Jin Tianzong who caught it.

"That's enough. Let's hurry back. We've walked a bit too far." Lin Shan looked at the darkening sky and reminded them, "It might get completely dark in another half an hour."

Each person carried two fish in their hands, returning along the riverbank the way they came.

Suddenly, a massive blue full moon abruptly appeared above everyone's heads, illuminating the earth with a somewhat eerie blue glow.

Lin Shan raised his head in shock to look at the blue moon overhead. This blue moon had appeared suddenly without any warning, and its size was gigantic, suspended right above their heads in a way that made one feel as if it would crash down the very next second.

"A blue moon..." Wu Wang and Jin Tianzong also stared in astonishment at this abruptly appearing blue moon.

"Hurry back," Lin Shan urged. Beneath this blue moonlight, he sensed an inexplicable pressure.

"Huh?"

Just then, Lin Shan cast a glance toward the river.

There was a mass in the river twisted and pieced together from black threads, looking somewhat in the shape of a fish.

"A Specter Thread Fish?" Lin Shan asked with some uncertainty and alarm.

Jin Tianzong asked in puzzlement, "Why do I suddenly feel a bit cold?"

"Yeah, y-yeah." Wu Wang hugged his arms and trembled, "Ever since just now, I've felt chilled to the bone, just like an air conditioner got turned on."

Lin Shan's sensation was even more pronounced. Not only did he feel cold all over, but a lot of cold sweat also streamed down his forehead, his body grew somewhat weak, and his strength drained away unawares.

He immediately realized something was wrong and shouted, "Get away from here, quick!"

Thud! With a sound, Jin Tianzong collapsed flat onto the ground. Lin Shan's pupils contracted, and he wanted to call out to Wu Wang to help carry Jin Tianzong and run outside together.

Before he could even open his mouth.

Thud! With another soft sound, Wu Wang fell down too.

What was hair-raising was that the fish-shaped anomaly swimming in the water was actually floating directly on the water's surface, its entire body trembling at a high frequency.

Hum~

Following that strange tremor, a darkness as dense as ink rapidly closed in.

The instant the darkness struck, Lin Shan directly hurled the fish he was carrying in his hand, striking right against the high-frequency vibrating ball of threads. The moment the fish came into contact with the thread ball, it rotted away instantly! Before long, not even bone fragments were left behind.

In the end, Lin Shan was still engulfed by that darkness.

He could feel that he had already lost control of his body. Aside from his brain still turning, every other part was slowly losing sensation, as if something was gnawing at him. As time passed, more and more areas lost sensation... If it spread to his entire body, Lin Shan could be certain his fate wouldn't be any better than the fish earlier.

Cold sweat broke out all over Lin Shan. He exerted all his might and desperately tried to break free, but it was useless. His entire body was as though pinned down by iron nails, not moving a single inch.

No matter what methods he used to struggle desperately, it still had no effect at all.

Am I really going to die here? Only this single thought remained in his mind at this moment.