The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

However, as time went on, Shen Ge's consciousness seemed to sink into cold, viscous ink, becoming hazy and disoriented, just like his current predicament, tossed about by the waves.

One hour? One day?
Shen Ge didn't even know how long he had been adrift at sea. He felt as if his body was "swelling up." If it weren't for his half-human, half-monster constitution, he probably would have died countless times already.

The immense power of the seventh-tier Ghost King vanished, and the source of power that once surged like magma within his body was now just a dried-up, cracked riverbed.

There's absolutely not a drop left.

Shen Ge tried several times to mobilize the strange energy without success. The progenitor strange cells also fell into an unprecedented silence, like a hibernating dead thing, and no matter how he called on the system, there was no response.

In the past, when the system was upgraded, it only lost its "response", but all the functions could still be used normally.

Shen Ge can't even use the most basic functions now. It feels like the last strange energy storm didn't tear him apart, but rather tore apart his system and the Red Mist Armor.

The rise and fall of the waves no longer provides support, but becomes a cradle of torment.

Every jolt brought a tearing pain to my whole body, and the icy seawater filled my mouth and nose, making me feel suffocated like a ghost.

Just as he felt his consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness again, a blurry black dot on the horizon at the edge of his vision slowly entered his field of vision as the waves rose and fell.

The black dot gradually grew larger, and its outline became clearer.

a ship.

A rather old, weathered... wooden fishing boat.

The boat, its hull mottled, its paint peeling, its sails patched, was slowly cutting through the shimmering waves as it drifted toward the direction he was floating.

However, before he could see clearly, his consciousness sank, and his vision gradually went black.

In his daze, Shen Ge felt something cold touch his body. It first probed, and then a cold, strangely slippery force grabbed his arms and shoulders.

Danger!

The fighting instinct etched into his bones was instantly awakened by the stinging pain. Shen Ge suddenly opened his heavy eyelids, his vision blurred by swaying light and shadow. Without thinking, he used all his remaining strength to extend his right hand like lightning, his five fingers like hooks, and fiercely grabbed at the nearest cold spot.

Instead of the expected enemy's throat or weapon, what I touched was an unusually soft, elastic, yet cold as a deep-sea reef... bulge?
Immediately afterwards, two other equally cold hands pressed down hard on his wrists with an unusually strong force, carrying an undeniable sense of restraint.

"Uh..." Shen Ge let out a muffled groan. The little bit of strength he had forcibly gathered was extinguished instantly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

A tremendous wave of dizziness engulfed him like a tsunami, plunging him into complete darkness.

The last sensation was the violent tremor of the soft object being grasped, and a few short, angry, and unintelligible whispers.

……

After an unknown amount of time, a pungent smell, a mixture of strong fishy and rotten seaweed, entered Shen Ge's nostrils, forcibly waking him from his deep sleep.

He struggled to open his eyes, his vision filled with a low, damp wooden ceiling blackened by smoke and fire. A few faint rays of light squeezed in through the cracks, illuminating the dust swirling in the air.

Beneath him was a hard wooden board, which hurt painfully, and he was covered with a rough, tattered blanket that smelled strongly of fish.

Shen Ge felt her throat was so dry it was like it was about to burst into flames, and every swallow was accompanied by a tearing pain.

He struggled to prop himself up with his aching arms and looked around. It was an extremely narrow cabin filled with fishing nets, ropes, and some miscellaneous objects whose shapes he couldn't make out.

In the corner sat a bowl made from the shell of some large nut, similar to a coconut shell, filled with a dark, viscous paste that emitted an indescribable, strange smell, a mixture of rust and the smell of the sea, somewhat like highly rotten, congealed fish blood, but mixed with something else.

Shen Ge tried to summon even the faintest trace of his strange energy. However, his body was completely empty. The power that had once been so readily available to him was as if it had never existed.

He tried to call out to the system in his mind, calling out to Xiao Qi... but only "dead silence" answered him.

The monotonous sound of waves crashing against the hull, and his own heavy, weak breathing echoed in the narrow space.

A chill, colder than seawater, crept up my spine.

Shen Ge braced himself against the cabin wall and stood up unsteadily. His legs were as weak as noodles. The ship swayed violently with the waves, and he stumbled and almost fell.

Shen Ge finally managed to steady himself, took a deep breath to suppress his churning blood and intense dizziness, and staggered toward the rickety wooden door of the cabin.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the blinding sunlight poured down without any obstruction, causing Shen Ge to subconsciously squint.

The salty and fierce sea breeze instantly filled my nostrils, carrying the scent of freedom, but also bringing a deeper sense of bewilderment... The sea?
Before me stretched an endless expanse of azure sea, shimmering with golden light under the midday sun. The sky was high and clear, with only a few wisps of thin clouds.

But when he saw the ship he was on... his heart sank.

The ship was more dilapidated than one could have imagined.

The wooden hull was covered with signs of repair, dark moss and barnacles grew rampantly, and the paint had long since peeled off, revealing the decaying wood grain.

The mainmast was crooked, the sails were thickly patched and billowed in the sea wind, making a dull thumping sound. The repair planks on both sides were crooked and haphazardly arranged, giving the illusion that as long as they were "nailed on," the ship would be repaired.

The ship felt so fragile to him, as if it could be smashed to pieces by a slightly larger wave at any moment.

"Ho."

A suppressed, terrified gasp came from behind me.

Shen Ge suddenly turned around.

At the rear of the deck, near the simple steering wheel, stood five figures. The moment Shen Ge, who was well-versed in the world, saw their faces, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

people?
fish?
Or... some kind of intelligent marine race that has never been seen before?

For a moment, Shen Ge even had the feeling that he had been thrown into a Pandora-like place, and that what he saw in front of him was an ocean version of "Avatar".

They have outlines and features that are highly similar to humans, but their skin is a deep, pearly blue.

The ears are not located on human auricles, but rather on two thin, fan-shaped membranes that pulsate slightly and resemble fish gills.

On the bare arms and calves, one can see clearly fine scales arranged like decorative patterns, shimmering in the sunlight.

On the outer side of the arm, near the elbow, small, translucent, fin-like membranes even extend out.

Their clothing was very primitive, consisting of aprons and bodices simply sewn together from some kind of tough, dark animal hide to cover their vital parts.

What surprised Shen Ge the most was their "good looks".

Setting aside their inhuman features—gills, blue skin, scales, and fin membranes—the facial features alone reveal exquisite beauty in all of them. Whether it's the two clearly adult women, the two somewhat slender boys, or the little girl hiding behind the woman, barely a meter tall, each one is exquisitely beautiful. Deep-set eyes, straight noses, and perfectly proportioned lips combine to create an ethereal and mysterious exotic beauty that transcends human aesthetics.

If we use a human 100-point scale, it would indeed easily surpass 90 points.

Goodness, having seen so many bizarre creatures whose appearances make your sanity drop like crazy, Shen Ge suddenly had to wonder if he'd wandered into the wrong movie set when a few good-looking non-human beings suddenly appeared.

Shen Ge immediately realized that this must be the "person" who had pulled him out of the sea.

He suppressed his shock and doubt, forced what he thought was a friendly smile, and waved to them.

"Thank you for saving me." His voice was hoarse and dry, almost blown away by the sea breeze.

However, the five people on the other side did not respond.

The adult woman's eyes were filled with vigilance and a hint of barely perceptible fear as she held the girl even tighter behind her. The two blue-skinned boys quickly stepped forward, raising their simple yet sharp bone harpoons horizontally, the tips subtly aimed at Shen Ge, and making low, threatening grunts in their throats.

The little girl opened her eyes wide, which were like the purest sapphire, and curiously peeked half her head out from behind the adult, secretly observing Shen Ge.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Shen Ge frowned, softened her tone, and tried to express herself more clearly: "I meant no harm. You saved me, right? Where...is this place? Who...are you people?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, pointing to the sea and spreading his hands to show his confusion; pointing to himself and then to them, making a pulling motion; finally spreading his hands as if asking a question.

Shen Ge felt that he had expressed himself very well, but judging from the reactions of the people opposite him, he had probably just been busy for nothing.

Shen Ge, however, was unwilling to give up so easily. He tried every possible way to communicate with these people, writing and drawing, because he first needed to figure out if this was still Earth.
The two women exchanged a glance, their wariness still evident, but they seemed to understand some of Shen Ge's gestures.

One of the women, who appeared slightly older and more composed, hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth, and a string of clear and distinctive syllables flowed out: "*&%￥#@……Kururu……*&%￥#……Ales……*&%￥#……Mora!"

The sound was crisp and melodious, like the echo of waves crashing against rocks, with a peculiar rhythm, but it was as if the sound was coming from the deep sea, shrouded in a layer of "bubbles".

The woman had a healed old scar near her shoulder on her left arm, which, combined with the fish scales and fins on her arm, gave off an eerie and chilling feeling.

Strangely, she stood behind the two boys, as if she were the one being "protected."

However, Shen Ge didn't pay attention to her appearance and features, because when he clearly heard the other person's "language", he was completely stunned.

Although Shen Ge was not a learned man, based on his knowledge, he was certain that the woman was speaking a language that was not any known language on Earth at present.

He was certain that this was neither some obscure dialect nor the "ee-ee-ya-ya-gu-gu-ga-ga" way of speaking of some indigenous tribe.

The way this language was pronounced, the combination of syllables, and the rhythm and intonation were completely beyond his comprehension.

"Depend on……"

Shen Ge couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath, a huge sense of absurdity and helplessness welling up inside him: "Could I have really been thrown onto a Pandora-like planet?"

Just then, the ship lurched violently with a slightly larger wave.

Shen Ge, already extremely weak, could no longer hold on. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the wet deck with a "plop," splashing water everywhere.

The sudden movement seemed to startle the girl, who cried out and shrank back behind the woman. The two boys were even more alarmed, and they pushed the harpoon forward a little further.

Shen Ge gave up struggling and sat on the deck, leaning against the cold ship's railing, panting heavily. He looked helplessly at the woman who had spoken and tried to communicate again. He pointed to himself and uttered two words clearly and slowly: "Shen, Ge".

Then, he looked at the other person with anticipation.

The woman looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly understanding his intention. After Shen Ge repeated himself several times, she seemed to understand.

Then, she pointed to herself and clearly pronounced a syllable: "**Alai**".

There is a door!

"Alai?" Shen Ge tried to pronounce the syllables he heard, but all he got in return was a completely bewildered look from the woman.

This shows that Shen Ge's "language system" is indeed very different from that of women.

After a moment of silence, Shen Ge suddenly had a whimsical idea. He put some saliva in his mouth, making a gurgling sound, and then tried to repeat, "Alai?"

The woman was startled and looked at Shen Ge with a hint of disbelief.

Did she understand?

Shen Ge didn't know how to describe the feeling of closing his mouth and then trying to make a sound with his throat. He had wanted to say something more.

As a result, a "gurgling" sound came from his throat as he swallowed. Upon hearing this, the woman was first stunned, and then showed a similarly surprised expression.

?

wrong.

That "gurgling" swallowing sound, isn't that a weird and unique way of making sounds?
In any case, after Shen Ge's attempts and probing, he was at least able to communicate with this "Blue Scale Sister" to a limited extent.

Whether this Blue Scale Sister is called "Alai" as it sounds is not important; what is important is that Shen Ge wants to find out where he is.

After several tens of minutes of "exchange," Alai pointed to the dilapidated fishing boat at his feet, then to the vast and boundless sea. He then clasped his hands together in front of his chest, bowed his head slightly, and showed an expression that was a mixture of worry and vigilance on his face. He uttered that word again: "**Kururu**!"

“Kururu?” Shen Ge repeated, trying to understand the meaning of the word.

Is that the name of this sea area?

Or is it the name of their race?
Or... does it represent some kind of danger?
Shen Ge really wanted to complain about what they were saying in their "gibberish" and ask if they could speak Chinese, but now was clearly not the time to joke.

Just as he was racking his brains, the little girl who had been hiding behind Alai seemed to be amused by Shen Ge's clumsy imitation, or perhaps she felt that this "dark-skinned (combat suit)" weirdo wasn't so scary anymore.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when Alai and Shen Ge were "talking," she darted out from beside Alai's legs like a nimble little fish and ran to Shen Ge in a few steps.

Before Shen Ge and Alai could react, the little girl stretched out her small hand, which was also covered with fine blue scales and had faint webbed fingers, and quickly poked the sleeve of the black combat uniform on Shen Ge's arm with great curiosity.

"Wow!" she exclaimed briefly, as if she had discovered some novel toy, then quickly withdrew her hand, her big eyes filled with surprise.

"..." (End of this chapter)