Chapter 34: Mysterious Waters

Massive concrete blocks tilted like sunken mountains. Twisted steel rebars were exposed, looking like a jungle of thorns. Half-sunken car roofs, toppled billboard frames, and floating furniture debris—everything was soaked in the murky floodwaters. Occasionally, animal remains could be seen, washed by the current to reveal eerie white bones.

Besides this, the number of Crocodile Lizards in the water had increased. Almost every few hundred meters, they could spot at least one or two of them swimming nearby. Moreover, Han Ning keenly noticed that these Crocodile Lizards were generally larger than the ones he had initially encountered. He clearly remembered that many of the hatchlings that first attacked humans were no more than a meter long, and the adults were mostly around a meter or so. But the ones they were encountering now were generally close to two meters in length, or even longer. Two or three of them clearly exceeded two and a half meters.

Han Ning thought, "The juveniles are almost nowhere to be seen." He felt somewhat worried; with the water level rising so quickly, the situation for human survivors would only become more difficult. He thought, "The deeper the water, the faster they seem to grow."

Fortunately, Han Ning had snow cake swim in front. As a fellow Crocodile Lizard, it could spot and avoid the other wild ones in advance. He wasn't out hunting this time; he was here to scout. There was no need to fight these creatures. Relying on his vague memory of the city's landmarks, Han Ning directed snow cake to constantly adjust its course, heading toward the general direction of Bailu Port as he remembered it.

After swimming for about three kilometers, Han Ning suddenly noticed a change in the water current.

He thought, "Huh? The water ahead... seems to have gotten shallower?"

This feeling was very abrupt. They had previously been navigating through areas where the water was generally above waist level, or even over their heads. But at this moment, the information transmitted back from snow cake indicated that the underwater terrain ahead was rising, and the current seemed to have become somewhat gentler.

He thought, "No, it's not just getting shallower..."

Han Ning signaled snow cake to slow down, and he himself swam forward more cautiously.

He thought, "This is..."

When he and snow cake carefully poked their heads out of the water to observe what was ahead, the sight before him made Han Ning hold his breath, his pupils shrinking.

Ahead lay an indescribable, almost boundless... white Fog Area. The fog was as thick as coagulated milk, forming an extremely bizarre contrast with the surrounding torrential rain. The dense raindrops smashed into the churning white fog, as if they were being devoured. Instead of Scattering the fog, the rain seemed to help it, making the mist appear even denser. Line of sight was completely blocked, with visibility plummeting to less than ten meters. The white fog churned and surged, completely swallowing everything around it—buildings, streets, and the water's surface. It left only blurry and twisted outlines faintly visible deep within the mist, like the skeletons of giant beasts hibernating in the dense fog.

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH! SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!

The sky and Earth were completely silent, save for the dense crackling sound of rainwater smashing against the water's surface. This scene reminded Han Ning of a horror game he had once played: Silent Hill! Unlike Silent Hill, however, this was in the ruins of a flooded city.

"How... how is this possible..." Han Ning couldn't help but mutter softly, his voice exceptionally faint amidst the curtain of rain and fog.

He couldn't understand it. After all, fierce winds were constantly blowing in this area, carrying torrential rain. With such violent wind and rain, it stood to reason that any fog should be instantly torn to pieces. But the white fog before his eyes seemed alive, silently devouring the rain falling from the sky to constantly strengthen itself, forming a white domain that neither wind nor rain could shake.

GRRR...

snow cake let out an uneasy low growl. Its vertical yellow pupils stared at the churning white fog, its body tensing slightly as if there was something extremely troublesome inside.

Han Ning looked around, trying to determine their bearings. They should still be some distance away from Bailu Port. As a tourist port, Bailu Port had complete surrounding facilities. Within a one or two-kilometer radius, there were many resorts, high-end hotels, office buildings, and residential areas. Its level of prosperity far exceeded the mid-range neighborhood where he lived. However, at this moment, this supposedly bustling area lacked any sign of life. Even the roaming Crocodile Lizards from before were gone. Some buildings were still exposed to the torrential rain, the water washing over glass curtain walls and dilapidated facades. More buildings were swallowed by the boundless white fog, revealing only blurry outlines that bobbed in the mist, casting faint shadows like ghosts.

Bailu Port was very likely deep within this white Fog Area, or at the very least, they needed to pass through it to get there. But this fog was too bizarre, completely defying common sense. Just as Han Ning hesitated, considering whether to detour or temporarily retreat to plan further...

"Ah!! Help!! Save... Ugh-ah!!!"

Suddenly, an incredibly shrill, agonizing female scream came from the boundary between the rain curtain and the white fog. The voice came from just beyond the edge of the white fog, an area that had not yet been completely swallowed.

Han Ning snapped his head around, his gaze piercing through the heavy curtain of rain to lock onto the source of the sound. It was a street-facing shop half-submerged in the water. Its signboard was long gone, and the pitch-black display window looked like a giant mouth ready to devour people.

He thought, "Something's strange..."

He thought for a moment and decided not to go over. He had watched too many horror movies, especially The Grudge. Most characters ended up eternally damned just because their curiosity drove them to take a look inside a house. Curiosity killed the cat.

"Let's go!" he decided. Han Ning made a prompt decision, turning around without hesitation. He kicked his flippers, retreating in a direction away from the white fog. He thought, "Save someone? Better ensure my own survival first!"

However, he had barely swum less than twenty meters when...

"Save me, save me!"

The woman's scream rang out right next to his ear without any warning. It didn't come from the shop behind him, nor from the front, nor from the side—it was right by his ear... The clear voice was pressed right against his auricle, crying out for help with desperate gasps.

"..."

A chill instantly shot through Han Ning's scalp, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He wondered, "Are there things like that in this world, too?"

Alarm bells rang in Han Ning's heart. He tried his best not to look back and continued swimming forward. But even though he didn't look, the corner of his eye inadvertently caught a glimpse of the interior of the shop next door.

Deep within that dim shop, filled with muddy water and floating garbage debris, Han Ning's peripheral vision spotted a figure. A woman wearing a white dress was pinned down tightly by a broken, massive concrete beam, completely unable to move. She was mostly submerged in the Qianqian standing water. She struggled to lift her head, her wet, long hair plastered against her pale face. That face was twisted, filled with extreme fear and agony, her mouth opened wide as she let out a silent scream.