The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1281: Desert Ocean

Chapter 1281: Desert Ocean

The black vortex sucked them in and spat them out. They scattered in the air like confetti scattering from a party popper. Their heads cleared as they slowly descended from the “air”.

“What—”

Water rushed into Zhang Wei’s mouth the moment he opened it. Pearls of bubbles escaped. He realized that he was underwater.

Coming to the same realization, the others held their breath.

“We can...talk...” Raven Shark said, his breath bubbling.

They calmed down and quickly adapted to the strange environment. Although they were underwater, they could breathe and talk. It was a curious feeling.

“What...is this damn place...” Bubbles rushed out of his mouth as Zhang Wei talked. His feet touched the ground—the soft sandy ground of a desert.

Gregor looked around. “Desert Ocean. That’s an apt name.”

A grey-blue desert stretched beyond their sight. Dunes rose and fell, shrouded in the darkness of the quiet night. It seemed as if the entire desert was submerged in the ocean.

“Where’s Black Dog?” Wang Zikai sputtered bubbles, his blond hair floating in the water. “Ran away again?”

“It’s Cerulean Dog,” Vermillion Bird snorted. “At least got his name right.”

Wang Zikai huffed in annoyance. “I tire of this game. Why don’t we just cut him down...gurgle...” He choked on the water.

“Don’t...talk too much at once,” Raven Shark warned. He liked the room much more than the others.

“Patience, Brother Kai,” Zhang Wei said. “We’ve got to the fifth room. We’re almost there.”

They climbed onto a dune and looked down from the vantage point. Although the desert appeared vast and desolate, it felt crowded, as if something omnipresent was surging and procreating.

Gregor, unable to smoke here, made a strange analogy: “It’s like suddenly realizing that you’re sweating sesame paste instead of regular sweat after drenching the blanket.”

Nice analogy, they said. Never do it again.

Chen Ying checked for threats with Sensory. Her face darkened. “Three kilometers ahead. There’s something there.”

“What is it?” Vermilion Bird asked. “Dangerous?”

“I don’t know.” Chen Ying shook her head. “It’s an energy signal I’ve never encountered.”

“Check with Clairvoyance,” Liao Liao suggested.

“I did. I saw nothing.”

“Huh?” Zhang Wei asked. “You sensed it but saw nothing?”

Chen Ying nodded.

“Is it able to go invisible?” Liao Liao guessed.

“Probably,” Chen Ying said uncertainly. “But there’s something wrong with it.”

“Let’s check!” Wang Zikai wanted it to be an enemy. The others had had their time to shine in the previous rooms, while he alone had contributed nothing. It made him feel useless.

“Approach slowly and be careful,” Gao Yang said.

It was difficult to walk underwater, so Raven Shark turned into a sea turtle by wrapping himself with Sea King’s energy, carrying his companions toward the mysterious target. On the way, they broke into a discussion while staying alert.

“Don’t you think the space elevator resembles the DNA structure?” Liao Liao asked.

“Very much so,” Dr. Jia said.

“Very much so, very much...” Parry attempted to repeat his words, but it hadn’t quite gotten used to breathing underwater.

“Would there be some sort of symbolism involved in our transportation here from the DNA?” Liao Liao asked with feigned nonchalance.

“Liao Liao, just speak your mind,” Gregor said with a laugh. “Aren’t you tired of always lowering your bar to meet ours?”

Liao Liao’s laughter came out as bubbles. “I think the question of this room may be life.”

“I feel the same,” Chen Ying said. “This place is called Desert Ocean, and life originated from the ocean.”

“Makes a lot of sense.” Hong Xiaoxiao had her eureka moment, too. “We were transported here like information recorded in DNA, like lives suddenly getting born in the ocean.”

“Amazing, Hong Xiaoxiao!” Zhang Wei teased. “You’ve managed to string together so many words!”

Hong Xiaoxiao blushed. “You... you’re being a jerk, Zhang Wei.”

“What about the desert part?” Adept Horse asked. “Desert does not give birth to life.”

“Life isn’t just about living, but also dying. The desert may represent the end of lives.” Chen Ying attempted an interpretation.

“Seems to make sense.” Gregor stroked his chin. “But on second thought, it seems a bit far-fetched.”

“What’s far-fetched about it?” Zhang Wei spoke up. “Isn’t Sister Ying’s argument quite sound?”

“Were life the question, what would be the answer?” Gregor asked.

Zhang Wei paused. “How would I know?”

Gregor narrowed his eyes. “Based on our journey so far, I have a feeling that Cerulean Dog—or the master he serves—isn’t making things difficult for us on purpose, but... How do I put it...?”

“Has been guiding us.” Gao Yang had long come to the conclusion.

“Yes,” Gregor agreed. “It also feels to me that the guidance isn’t good or evil. It’s simply trying to lead us to find the questions and answers that have always existed.”

“I feel the same,” Liao Liao said. “Had we not entered the Gates, I would’ve never given any thought to philosophical questions like these. I always considered those questions to be distant concepts, but they were actually closely related to us.”

“Yeah.” Dr. Jia shared his thoughts. “I believe the questions and answers aren’t important. Right or wrong is relative here. The key is our thought process. That holds more value to God.”

“Yeah.” Gregor nodded.

“Alright,” Zhang Wei said, stopping the digression. “So what does that have to do with our earlier conversation?”

Gregor grinned. “Put simply, Chen Ying didn’t manage to convince me.” He glanced at Liao Liao. “And neither did she convince you.”

Wait, don’t drag me into this.

Liao Liao laughed while waving her hands. “I still don’t have any clue.”

“You’re way too subjective,” Zhang Wei said.

“Nothing is truly objective.” Gregor shrugged. “Objective is merely a name people give to compromises born out of the clash of subjective thoughts.”

“Layman’s term.” Zhang Wei huffed.

“Simply put, we can’t clear this room if we’re too divided in opinions.”

Zhang Wei said in annoyance, “Smart people like you have one flaw: you’re too proud. It’s fine if you look down on me, but looking down on Sister Ying...”

“Zhang Wei,” Chen Ying interrupted calmly. “This is just a discussion. There’s no winner or loser.”

“See, that’s what a magnanimous person looks like,” Gregor commented with a smile.

Dr. Jia was going to honestly admit that he looked down on everyone here equally, but he decided to shut up in case Wang Zikai killed him.

Zhang Wei crossed his arms and turned away in a huff.

They continued their discussion.

Fuming, Zhang Wei suddenly shouted at the sky, “The question is life, and the answer is soul! That’s reincarnation! Speak, Cerulean Dog...gurgle...”

No response.

Vermilion Bird smiled wryly. “Alright. Time for you to give up.”