Chapter 22: The Mysterious Creature

Chapter 22: The Mysterious Creature

He strolled along, surrounded by a cacophony of sounds, vibrant colors, and heightened scents. Though he had walked this street countless times before, it now felt strangely novel, as if the entire world had become more vivid and alive.

Without realizing it, he arrived once more at the abandoned building. He paused, hesitating for a moment before swiftly slipping inside when no one was looking. Soon, he found himself at the familiar spatial gateway and stepped through into the Otherworld.

Breathing in the thick air, he felt a dormant power within him stir back to life, a sense of familiarity washing over him. He glanced at his Attribute Panel—Primary Regeneration had once again transformed into Natural Healing.

In the Otherworld, it was already afternoon, roughly equivalent to 2 PM on Earth, when the sun blazed most fiercely. He took a few steps, readjusting to the gravity, then ran through several repetitions of the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques to limber up. Under three times the normal gravity, each movement demanded tremendous effort, draining his stamina rapidly.

Fortunately, he was no longer the same as before—among all his attributes, his physical endurance was now the strongest. After five full sets, he finally began to feel slightly fatigued. But he dared not exhaust himself here and soon stopped, picking up the wooden stick he had discarded the day before to continue exploring the island.

Though he had surveyed the island briefly yesterday and found no immediate dangers, he remained cautious. The Otherworld was utterly different from Earth. While its elemental composition was the same, the entire world was suffused with a mysterious force field—what the barbarians called natural force or primal force.

It permeated everything, seeping into every atom and even the subtler structures of matter. It severely disrupted the movement of electrons, making chemical reactions sluggish and even preventing fire from igniting easily. By all logic, such a world should be lifeless, incapable of sustaining any organisms.

Yet, the Otherworld teemed with vitality. According to the most widely accepted scientific explanation, this mysterious force field could be easily disturbed by living beings. From the simplest microorganisms to highly intelligent creatures, all exhibited active biochemical reactions. Even after death, souls could persist independently, lingering for extended periods without dissipating.

Ghosts, specters, and the far more terrifying natural spirits—mere legends on Earth—were real and abundant in this world. In such an environment, even plants possessed individual consciousness, intelligence, and the ability to move, let alone animals.

…………

Chen Shouyi gripped his wooden stick, carefully making his way up the hill. The island was undeniably barren—nothing but weeds, wildflowers, and oddly shaped rocks, without a single tree in sight. He suspected it had only recently emerged from the sea.

Before long, he reached the summit. The sea wind howled, whipping his hair wildly as he gazed at the endless ocean stretching in all directions, a sight both exhilarating and awe-inspiring.

Chen Shouyi couldn't help but let out a long roar to vent his excitement.

After a while, he finally descended from the mountain and returned to the beach. The ocean tide ebbed and flowed, endlessly washing against the shore. A few crustacean creatures scurried swiftly across the sand, and occasionally, colorful seashells could be seen shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.

He was immediately drawn to the shells' vibrant hues. Compared to those on Earth, the shells here were not only more bizarre in shape but also far more dazzling in color.

He had always been fascinated by items from the Otherworld and decided to take one back to his bedroom as a decoration. If Chen Xingyue saw it, she would probably be green with envy.

He carefully scanned for the perfect target, intending to pick the most beautiful one.

Then, his eyes suddenly lit up.

There, lying on a massive rock over a meter above the waterline, was a palm-sized shell. Under the sunlight, it radiated a mesmerizing rainbow-like halo, standing out distinctly among the other shells.

Moreover, the shell was half-open and half-closed, and its surroundings were completely dry—clearly a lifeless object.

Though Chen Shouyi still harbored some instinctive wariness toward creatures in this world, since this was just an inanimate object, he felt no psychological burden.

He strode over and reached out to pick it up from the rock.

But before he could examine it closely, something unexpected happened.

The shell suddenly opened, and a tiny figure floated in the air just an inch above it, waving her limbs and striking poses, with sparkling motes of light swirling around her.

The sudden anomaly startled Chen Shouyi so much that his eyes widened in shock, and he nearly flung the shell away.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that this mysterious creature didn’t seem to pose any threat to him.

She hovered in the air, detached from the shell, surrounded by flickering specks of light—an utterly enigmatic sight. Yet, her size was far too small, no longer than one of Chen Shouyi’s fingers, making it impossible for him to feel any real sense of danger.

Suppressing his initial fear, Chen Shouyi studied the peculiar being closely. She bore a striking resemblance to a human female in both appearance and form, though completely naked.

Her strange movements gradually made sense—she seemed to be dancing.

What kind of act is this? Does she think she can scare me off by playing ghostly tricks?

Curious, he lightly tapped her with his finger. As expected, the Shell Woman was all bark and no bite—she immediately tumbled back into the shell, curling up in fear and soon bursting into soft sobs.

But Chen Shouyi felt little sympathy for this Otherworldly creature.

This must be the first time humans have discovered such a being. If I posted a video of her online, it would probably cause a sensation. The thought flashed through his mind as he watched the weeping Shell Woman.

However, he dismissed the idea almost instantly.

If he uploaded footage of this creature, investigations would inevitably follow, and the spatial gateway would be exposed.

He still hadn’t decided whether to report the spatial gateway to the authorities.

For now, he resolved to observe the situation further. If it proved truly dangerous, he would report it immediately. But if no threat emerged, he would continue delaying for a while.

After all, the existence of this spatial gateway likely wasn’t just a day or two old. If there were any risks associated with it, they would have manifested long ago and not waited until now.

……

At this moment, the Shell Woman’s expression flickered between uncertainty and resolve. Suddenly, as if making up her mind, she gritted her teeth and, taking advantage of the "giant’s" inattention, flew up from the shell and darted toward the distance.

A trail of beautiful, shimmering light followed behind her as she desperately fled toward the sea.

But before she could even fly half a meter, she felt darkness loom over her head, followed by a violent gust of wind. The next instant, her tiny body was seized by a massive hand.

"Ah!" A sharp, despairing scream erupted from the Shell Woman, her face twisted in terror.

Her shriek was like the piercing hum of a tuning fork, making Chen Shouyi’s ears itch slightly.

He then stuffed the miraculous Shell Woman back into the beautiful shell and clamped it shut tightly. The endless screaming immediately became muffled and drawn-out.

Chen Shouyi was in a good mood. This mysterious creature he had captured piqued his interest greatly.

He no longer intended to stay on the beach and returned to the gateway.

Then, he suddenly realized the Shell Woman had gone silent. Just minutes ago, he could still feel her pounding against the shell, but now there was no movement at all.

"Did she suffocate?" He gently shook the shell.

But all he felt was a slight rolling motion inside, with no further response.

Quickly, he cracked the shell open slightly and saw that the Shell Woman had indeed fainted. Her pale face was streaked with tears, still frozen in fear.

Fortunately, Chen Shouyi could still detect faint breathing, which made him sigh in relief.

Rubbing his chin, Chen Shouyi thought to himself:

"Looks like I need a different method of confinement!"

His peripheral vision caught sight of the weeds on the ground, and an idea struck him.

Soon, he found a tough vine, stripped its bark, and twisted it into a thin, long rope. Chen Shouyi grabbed both ends and pulled with all his strength—it was incredibly durable, unbreakable even with his full force.

Then, he lifted one of the Shell Woman’s feet.

His hands trembling slightly, he tied the rope securely around her ankle before finally relaxing.

He placed the Shell Woman in his palm.

Before long, she finally woke up.

Dazed, she opened her eyes and stretched, seemingly still confused about her situation—until she saw a pair of enormous eyes staring down at her.

She screamed again, fluttering into the air in an attempt to escape.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t flown far before the rope yanked her back.

This reminded Chen Shouyi of the sparrows his father had caught for him as a child. Sadly, none had ever survived more than a few days of play.

The Shell Woman collapsed to the ground in despair, tears streaming down her face. After a while, she began to speak, her tone alternating between furious indignation and mournful sorrow. Unfortunately, her voice was so tiny it was barely audible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

Chen Shouyi leaned in closer, trying to hear more clearly.

The next moment, the Shell Woman spat at him.