“It’s called Thousand Threads.”
“Thousand Threads?”
Jiang Yue watched the strands glowing with pink luminescence. Thousand Threads was indeed a very fitting name.
She stepped forward slightly and looked down into the depths of the enormous pit.
The concentration of the blastozyme had already reached 620 times normal. Because of its intensity, the air had taken on a faint dark blue hue. From the high platform looking down, the enormous pit seemed shrouded in a dim blue mist, while the pink luminescent threads stretched all the way to its deepest recesses, eerily beautiful.
“Major Ye Xi, I’ve checked all the available records and have never heard of a Zerg species called Thousand Threads,” Jiang Yue said.
Ye Xi replied, “Of course you couldn’t find it. The records of this species exist only in classified files, and it isn’t even a product of this era.”
Jiang Yue grew increasingly confused. “Not a product of this era? But the walls of our entire dormitory are full of these things. I always thought they were some common type of Zerg species.”
Ye Xi shook her head and asked Jiang Yue, “How are you with history?”
Just the mention of history class gave Jiang Yue a headache.
In this world, humanity inhabited seven planets, and each planet had its own distinct history and political system.
On top of that, students at the military academy also had to study the history of the Zerg species and mutant breeds.
The amount of material was enormous, equivalent to multiplying Earth’s world history by twenty.
To be honest, Jiang Yue hadn’t even studied the history of her own Huajia (Flower Clan) very thoroughly. She might not even be able to recite all the dynasties’ representatives, and the Federation’s history classes were practically killing her.
When she heard Ye Xi ask about history, Jiang Yue immediately put on a pained expression and admitted frankly, “History is my worst subject. It’s truly dreadful.”
Ye Xi laughed as well. “Mine’s the worst too.”
Ye Xi stood about 185 cm tall, and when she smiled, it was incredibly gentle. Most of the Alphas at the military academy were sloppy and careless, so Jiang Yue hadn’t seen such a gentle senior in a long time. She was almost moved to tears.
“All my other courses are full marks, but history… every exam I’m short by a point or two,” Ye Xi said with a regretful sigh.
The warmth Jiang Yue had felt instantly vanished without a trace.
She silently glanced at the terminal. By now, the concentration of the blastozyme had reached 710 times normal, and the dark blue hue in the air had grown even deeper.
Jiang Yue nervously pressed the respirator on her face and spoke seriously, “Major Ye Xi, I feel like I’ve already learned so much and gained a lot of experience. My horizons and knowledge have expanded, and if I try to take in too much at once, I’m afraid I won’t be able to digest it all. Maybe we should just head back for now.”
Ye Xi glanced at the time and shook her head at Jiang Yue. “It’s not time yet. Let’s study a little longer, there’s no rush.”
No rush for you, but I’m panicking!
Watching the concentration of the blastozyme nearing 800 times normal, Jiang Yue felt tears streaming down her face like wide noodles, hugging her small, helpless self tightly.
Ye Xi lowered her voice and said, “Twenty-six seconds remaining.”
Jiang Yue was on pins and needles, trembling, silently counting the seconds in her mind.
At the 26th second, a faint white light suddenly appeared deep within the pit shrouded in blue mist.
The very next second, countless strands crisscrossing the depths of the pit burst into an incredibly dazzling brilliance.
The entire pit seemed to be lit by pink flames, with countless pink points of light traveling along the threads toward the depths of the pit, converging into that faint white glow.
The strange scene lasted only ten seconds, yet it sent chills down the spine and made the hair on the back of one’s neck stand on end.
When everything returned to silence, Jiang Yue choked out, trembling, “What… what was that?”
Ye Xi answered, “It’s a mass of spiritual energy.”
Jiang Yue gasped, “All spiritual energy needs a host. This pit is so deep, how massive must that spiritual energy be? And such enormous energy… what could its host possibly be?”
Standing on the high platform and looking down, Ye Xi said softly, “It’s a mutant breed, immense and dangerous beyond imagination.”
Jiang Yue suddenly understood. “No wonder the concentration of the blastozyme here is so high.”
The blastozyme was a sedative for spiritual energy. On the high platform, its concentration had already exceeded eight hundred times the lethal dose, it was unimaginable how concentrated it must be at the bottom of the pit.
Perhaps it had reached thousands of times normal, maybe even close to ten thousand.
Yet Jiang Yue grew increasingly confused.
How could such an enormous mass of spiritual energy even form?
Why could a mutant breed even serve as a host for spiritual energy?
Everything contradicted the knowledge in her textbooks, leaving Jiang Yue utterly bewildered.
Her mind was a complete mess, like mush, and she remained in a dazed, absent-minded state as she followed Ye Xi out of the pit.
Ye Xi arranged a room for her. The décor was very rough, there weren’t even tiles on the floor, but the facilities were decent, and the 1.5-meter-wide bed was extremely comfortable.
Aside from the lack of windows and natural light, everything here was actually pretty decent.
Jiang Yue lay on the bed, lost in thought. Fu Yan had granted her a month-long leave, which meant she would have to stay here for at least a full month.
“Just when one wave dies down, another rises… when will I ever get a peaceful life?”
She hugged her pillow and muttered to herself, “In the romance novels I read, it’s never like this. After transmigrating, the heroines always become delicate beauties, then meet some high-ranking, sickly-adorable, cunningly handsome big shot. Every day they get pinned against walls for kisses, and all they have to do is lie in the big shot’s arms acting cute.”
Why did she have to be so unlucky? Not only did she fail to transmigrate into a delicate beauty, she became a 1.9-meter-tall female Alpha. There was no hope of meeting a high-ranking, cunningly handsome big shot, and lying in his arms acting cute was out of the question. Her current appearance simply wouldn’t allow it.
Jiang Yue painfully scratched her head. Seriously, why did they have to make someone like her, a refined little fairy who never touched the mortal world, transmigrate into such a ridiculous, messed-up world?!
Thinking about that eerie, massive pit, Jiang Yue’s head began to ache again.
She sighed, removed her respirator, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then lay back on the bed, gloomily drifting off to sleep.
The network here was blocked, and there were no entertainment facilities. For three straight days, Jiang Yue was in a state of utter despair. On the fourth day, however, an unexpected visitor knocked on her door.
It was Xiang Sui.
Jiang Yue was shocked.
She had never seen Xiang Sui looking so exhausted.
Most of the time, Xiang Sui wore a cool, aloof expression, chin slightly raised, arms crossed, walking as if carried by the wind, a mix of cool and arrogant, his whole face practically screaming “I’m number one in the world.”
Now, his listless expression and the two large dark circles under his eyes left Jiang Yue staring for a long time. She double- and triple-checked before she could be certain that this utterly defeated person before her was indeed her roommate Xiang Sui, the one who normally didn’t take anyone seriously.
Jiang Yue was horrified. “Xiang Sui, what’s wrong with you?”
Xiang Sui rubbed his eyes. “Nothing, just didn’t sleep well.”
Jiang Yue quickly made him a cup of milk tea; Xiang Sui’s favorite, chocolate-flavored.
Xiang Sui sat on the sofa, holding the milk tea in silence.
Both of them were speechless, their minds full of things they didn’t know how to say.
Finally, Xiang Sui lowered his head and took a sip of the steaming hot milk tea. In the haze of the rising steam, the rims of his eyes were faintly reddened.
Jiang Yue lifted her hand and placed it on his shoulder. “Xiang Sui, if something’s bothering you, you can talk to me. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside.”
Xiang Sui set down the milk tea and gave a bitter smile. “Jiang Yue, I just suddenly feel… useless.”
“Xiang Sui, that’s not true,” Jiang Yue said. “People grow bit by bit, no one’s amazing from the moment they’re born.”
Leaning back on the sofa, Xiang Sui stared blankly into space. “Actually, when I was a kid, I was amazing. When I was thirteen, I could already manifest my spiritual power into form.”
Jiang Yue was surprised. “But didn’t you say you couldn’t do that?”
Xiang Sui wearily rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t lie to you. I really can’t now. When I was fifteen, I lost the ability to manifest my spiritual power into form.”
In the book Jiang Yue often read, Consciousness Projection, there was an example like this: some people, after experiencing immense psychic trauma, could develop problems with their spiritual body as well.
Some people develop psychological issues. Those with mental problems place an invisible shackle on themselves, severing the bridge to their spiritual power and losing the ability to manifest their spiritual body.
Jiang Yue didn’t dare ask. Whatever the cause, it was a scar on Xiang Sui’s heart.
Some people can point out where their scars are, but they won’t tell anyone how those scars were formed.
Jiang Yue was that kind of person. So she chose to remain silent, picked up the water kettle, and asked Xiang Sui, “Do you want me to add some water?”
Xiang Sui handed the cup to her, and Jiang Yue rummaged through the tea box on the coffee table.
“What flavor do you want?”
Xiang Sui perked up and picked a tea bag. Holding a pink one, he examined it from all angles before nervously reading aloud, “Rose beauty and body tea?”
He stiffened, staring at Jiang Yue in utter shock. “You drink this stuff?”
Not convinced, he picked up an orange tea bag and slowly read the name aloud, word by word: “Honey Citrus Sweet Grapefruit Skin-Beautifying Tea?”
Then he grabbed a green one, frowning slightly as he read, “Green Grapefruit Aloe Skin-Moisturizing Tea?”
Jiang Yue: “…”
Flustered, she quickly tidied up the tea bag box and put out a more normal one on the coffee table. Scratching her head, she stammered, “I-I was just curious… wanted to see what it tastes like.”
Xiang Sui picked a lemon black tea bag and nodded in understanding. “Makes sense. The Golden Eagle is very curious.”
With that little distraction, Xiang Sui’s mood finally improved a bit. He sipped his tea slowly, while Jiang Yue silently pushed the assorted beauty-and-skin tea bags to the very back of the drawer.
She definitely didn’t want to go through that kind of social death a second time.
Jiang Yue felt bitter inside, but she couldn’t say anything.
While Xiang Sui sipped his tea, she asked, “Why are you here too? And why have you let yourself get so exhausted and depressed?”
Xiang Sui looked up at her and pointed to the dark circles under her eyes. “Aren’t you pretty drained and miserable too?”
He sneered. “This damn place!”
Jiang Yue scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward. “Well… after you left, we were all really worried about you. We sent you so many messages, and you didn’t reply to a single one. Xi Boyu said your brother might have run into some trouble, and I’ve been really worried. I wanted to ask, did the problem get resolved?”
Xiang Sui’s expression sank again. He hung his head dejectedly. “No. Did you go see that pit?”
Jiang Yue: “I did.”
Xiang Sui: “My brother is in that pit… and he hasn’t come out.”
Jiang Yue almost jumped up.
“People went there?!”
Xiang Sui’s face had turned ashen. “Not just my brother. There was also a special rescue team sent in, none of them came back.”
Isn’t this just like the Calabash Brothers going to save Grandpa and never coming back1In Chinese folklore and the 1986 animated series Calabash Brothers (葫蘆娃), seven brothers with supernatural powers set out to rescue their grandfather from a demon.?
Jiang Yue felt her heart drop. “What are we going to do?”
Xiang Sui pressed his hand to his forehead. “There are two plans at the moment. One is to relocate the people and blow up Liyue City. The other is to gather everyone who can materialize their spiritual power and have them attack that mass of energy together, until it dissipates completely.”
Jiang Yue swallowed and said blankly, “I think… the first plan is more reliable.”
Xiang Sui nodded. “Right. Everyone agreed the first plan was more dependable, until the imaging from the optical scanner came back, and they discovered a fatal problem.”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152