I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

The Black Pearl, like a giant black beetle, hovered silently above the crisscrossing cracks of Europa's ice field.

Here we are very close to Jupiter, where the massive gas giant takes up half the sky. The blood-red eye of the Great Red Spot is staring intently at this tiny moon, as if ready to swallow it whole at any moment.

"Wow—this place is colder than Antarctica!"

Wang Ergou wrapped his body tightly in the Spider Silk Thermal Underwear. Although the clothing was said to be able to withstand absolute zero, looking at the icy wasteland outside the window with temperatures of -170 degrees Celsius, the psychological chill still made him shiver.

"Boss, are we really going down there? This ice looks like it's tens of kilometers thick, right? Can we even drill through it?"

Jiang Li stood in front of the control panel, munching on freshly baked "space whale jerky" while staring at the faint distress signal on the radar screen.

"Drill? Who said we were going to drill?"

Jiang Li swallowed the dried meat and pointed to the location of the signal source.

"The signal came from 20,000 meters below the ice. This means there is a liquid ocean below. As long as we lift this 'lid,' we can go 'winter swimming'."

"Lift it..."

Liu Wei wiped away his cold sweat. "Boss, this lid is a bit thick."

"It's okay, we have professional bottle openers."

Jiang Li picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted into the [Vovados] who was playing with fire in the cabin:

"Old Wo! Stop grilling meat! Get out there and get to work! We need your high-temperature blowtorch!"

"call--"

A flash of green light appeared, and Worvados (the Fire Master) floated onto the deck. As an Old One, it completely disregarded the vacuum and low temperature environment.

"Where to burn it?" Vovados asked succinctly.

"That spot! Burn it through!" Jiang Li pointed to the ice beneath his feet.

"receive."

Wovados spread his arms, and his originally humanoid flame body instantly expanded, transforming into a towering green pillar of fire that slammed into the ice field.

"Zzzzz—Boom!!!"

The collision of extreme heat and extreme cold produced a violent physical reaction. Large amounts of ice were instantly vaporized, and white columns of steam shot straight into the sky, as if creating an artificial volcano on Europa.

The ice sheet, as hard as iron, melted rapidly under the scorching heat of the divine fire, creating a hole tens of meters in diameter, which continued to extend downwards at an astonishing speed.

"Wow! That's incredibly efficient! Much better than a tunnel boring machine!"

Jiang Li exclaimed, "Old Wo, I'll give you double your salary (for coal) later!"

Ten minutes later.

"Thump!"

As the last piece of ice melted, the water pressure below surged upwards, forming a huge geyser.

"It's clear! Let's get the water flowing!"

Jiang Li shouted.

The Black Pearl retracted its landing gear, activated its Bio-force Field Shield (Deep Sea Mode), and like a black capsule, plunged headfirst into Europa's subsurface ocean through the still-steaming hole.

……

The moment I entered the water, the world around me went silent.

There is no sunshine, no storms, only endless darkness and suffocating depth.

The Black Pearl turned on its searchlights.

A bright light pierced the darkness, illuminating this underground world that had been sealed away for millions of years.

Everyone (except Jiang Li) held their breath.

So beautiful!

This is not a lifeless black water, but a world filled with strange creatures and light.

Countless luminous plankton floated in the water like stardust, and huge, transparent plants swayed in the current, their light illuminating the seabed like a dreamlike fairyland.

"Wow... is this an alien ocean?"

Wang Ergou pressed his face against the glass, his eyes glued to the glass.

"Boss! Look over there! Is that a fish?"

A group of flat fish with translucent bodies, glowing skeletons, and four fins were seen swimming curiously around the spaceship.

"A transparent fish?"

Jiang Li's focus was clearly different.

"This fish looks so tender! No need to debone it, just fry it directly, even the bones will be crispy!"

"Big Yellow! Stop drooling, remember what it looks like, we'll catch a bunch in a bit!"

The Black Pearl continued its descent.

As the depth increases, the water pressure becomes greater, but the hull, reinforced by the crystal crab shell, remains as stable as a mountain.

Finally, after descending to a depth of about 20,000 meters, the red dot on the radar screen began to flash.

"Approaching target! 500 meters away!" Mi Go reported from his brain.

In the darkness ahead, the outline of a huge man-made object could be vaguely seen.

It was an abandoned spherical research station, its outer shell bearing a faded insignia of the joint expedition team. It lay silently on the seabed, like a lonely tomb.

Strangely, the research station did not rust or rot.

Its surface is covered with a thick, crystal-clear layer, as if it were encased in amber.

"Is this the place where the distress signal was sent out?"

Liu Wei frowned and said, "It looks like it's coated in sugar? What kind of substance is this?"

"Let's go over and take a look!"

Jiang Li directed the Black Pearl to hover at the entrance of the research station.

"Professor Miller, take the translator. Lao Liu, Lei Meng, and Da Huang, come with me. We're going to see if this is a cry for help or if someone is trying to lure us into a trap."

……

The group put on specially made diving suits (actually, as long as Jiang Li's rules were protecting them, it didn't matter whether they wore them or not; it was mainly for the sake of ceremony), left the Black Pearl, and swam into the research station covered by crystals.

The door was blocked by the crystal, but Jiang Li kicked it open (the underwater resistance did not affect his performance).

"Is anyone there? Delivery guy!"

Jiang Li's voice traveled underwater through mental fluctuations.

No one answered.

There was only deathly silence.

They entered the hall.

The sight before him made Professor Miller gasp.

"My God..."

The hall was not empty.

On the contrary, many people.

Dozens of expedition members, dressed in old-fashioned spacesuits, are maintaining the postures they were in before their deaths, either sitting in chairs, standing in front of control consoles, or running in the corridors.

However, they are no longer flesh and blood.

Their bodies were completely assimilated by the transparent crystals, turning them into lifelike "crystal statues." Through their transparent skin, one could even see their crystallized internal organs and blood vessels.

Their faces still held expressions of extreme terror, as if they had witnessed some indescribable horror at the last moment.

"This is... the [Crystallization Curse]?"

Professor Miller stepped forward, trembling, and tried to touch a statue.

"Don't move!"

Jiang Li grabbed him.

"This thing seems to be alive."

Jiang Li pointed to the eyes of the "statue".

Deep within those eyes, which had turned into diamonds, a tiny point of light seemed to be slowly moving.

"This is no curse at all."

Jiang Li stroked his chin and gave a judgment that was highly personal.

"Isn't this... the filling for 'Crystal Shrimp Dumplings'?"

Professor Miller: "..."

What the hell are these crystal shrimp dumplings?! These are human remains!

"No, I mean, it's a parasitic organism."

Jiang Li explained, "Look, this crystalline layer is actually the outer shell of some kind of fungus or coral; the real organism is inside. They used these unfortunate creatures as petri dishes, turning them into... uh, canned goods?"

Just then.

"Buzz... Help..."

The distress signal that had been playing on a loop suddenly became clear.

The sound was coming from beneath a huge control panel in the center of the hall.

"Over there!"

Lei Meng rushed over, carrying a large black pot, and ripped open the control panel cover.

There were no survivors below.

There was only a black box that was still flickering, and... a transparent object lying on top of the black box, radiating a mesmerizing glow...

"Jellyfish?"

Lei Meng was stunned for a moment.

It was a jellyfish-like creature, no bigger than a palm, but its tentacles were deeply embedded in the black box's circuit board, seemingly using bioelectricity to send signals.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the "jellyfish" suddenly stopped sending signals.

Its body suddenly swelled up and instantly turned red.

"squeak--!!!"

A sharp, piercing mental scream shattered everyone's eardrums.

Immediately afterwards, all the "crystal statues" in the hall started moving!

"Snap! Snap!"

The crystalline shells crackled, and dozens of parasitized corpses stiffly turned around, their empty crystal eyeballs staring intently at the intruder.

"Hungry……"

"I'm so hungry..."

Countless overlapping voices resounded on the spiritual level.

"It's come back to life! It really is a zombie!"

Wang Ergou jumped onto Dahuang's back in fright. "And it's a crystal zombie! This thing must be really hard!"

"It's better if it's firm! Chewy!"

Jiang Li not only didn't panic, but actually laughed.

"I knew it! This place is definitely a 'buffet restaurant'! Look, they've prepared all the food for us, and it's even 'frozen'!"

He pulled out a butcher knife from behind his back.

"Lei Meng! Don't smash it with the pot! You'll easily break this 'sugar coating'! This layer looks quite crispy; it should taste delicious!"

"Old Liu! Put your stun gun away! Don't burn the meat!"

"Rhubarb! Bite their legs! That's cartilage!"

"Dinner's ready!"

With Jiang Li's command, a bizarre battle for the "deep-sea buffet" began.

Although those crystal zombies were incredibly strong and their bodies were as hard as diamonds, they were still no match for Jiang Li and his group of "super gluttons".

Jiang Li's swordsmanship was superb; each cut precisely struck the crystal's connection point, as if peeling a crayfish, instantly removing the outer shell to reveal the perfectly preserved interior...

Well, although it's a corpse, under Jiang Li's [Purification] rules, it's a high-level piece of spiritual energy flesh.

"Nice leg! Muscular!"

"This head... never mind, it's too hard, I don't want it."

Big Yellow was like a fish in water, eating them one after another with great relish.

Just then.

"Boom!"

The entire research station suddenly began to shake violently.

The floor of the hall cracked open, and countless huge, transparent tentacles emerged from the ground, instantly entangling several crystal zombies and dragging them directly into the earth.

"What is that? Trying to steal my food?"

Jiang Li was taken aback.

From the crack, a colossal creature slowly rose.

It was an enormous, mountain-sized... transparent mantis shrimp?

No, to be precise, it was a [Jupiter's Europa Crystal Beast - Abyss Predator].

It has a multi-segmented body like a mantis shrimp, but each segment is covered with thick crystal armor. Its head is a huge mouth covered with barbs, and its two huge catching legs are like two giant scythes, gleaming with a cold light.

It is the true overlord here! Those crystal parasites are merely "spores" it spreads out to make "preserved meat" for its consumption.

Now, someone is trying to steal its stored food, and it's furious!

"Roar—!!!" (My food!)

The giant beast roared and its scythe-like claws slashed fiercely at Jiang Li.

Wow! What a huge mantis shrimp!

When Jiang Li saw this thing, his eyes shone brighter than a searchlight.

"This is the main course! The previous dishes were just appetizers!"

"That size! That shell! This is absolutely the ultimate form of 'Crystal Shrimp'!"

Facing the massive scythe that came crashing down upon him, he advanced instead of retreating.

"Big Yellow! Same old rules! You attack the bottom lane, I'll attack the top!"

"Lei Meng! Get the biggest pot ready! This shrimp is too big; we need to cut it into pieces before cooking!"

Jiang Li leaped high into the air, and the pig-slaughtering knife in his hand burst forth with a black light.

"Watch me—the 18 techniques for peeling shrimp!"

"when!"

The blade clashed with the giant scythe, sparks flying everywhere.

But this crystalline behemoth clearly underestimated the human's power.

With a "crack," the seemingly indestructible crystal scythe was actually severed by Jiang Li's single strike!

"Excellent swordsmanship!"

Jiang Li landed smoothly on the back of the giant beast.

"That back must be really fleshy! Open it up!"

He gripped the knife with both hands, plunged it downwards with force, and then pulled it backwards along his spine.

"Sizzle—"

It's like unzipping a zipper.

The thick crystal shell on the giant beast's back was neatly cut open, revealing the translucent, still-wriggling shrimp meat inside.

"Absolutely top-notch! Truly top-notch!"

Jiang Li couldn't resist reaching out and picking out a piece of meat, stuffing it into her mouth (eating it raw).

"Mmm! Sweet! Crispy! Cool!"

"The texture... is even crisper than Arctic surf clams! Sweeter than sweet shrimp! And it's like it's naturally chilled!"

"If we took this back and made it into a sashimi platter, it would sell like hotcakes!"

The giant beast writhed in agony, desperately trying to shake the flea off its back.

But Dahuang had already bitten off all of its legs, Lei Meng had set up the pot, and Liu Wei was pouring [Mars Spicy Broth] into it.

"Time to cook!"

Jiang Li kicked the still struggling S-class behemoth towards the Black Pearl (where there was a larger cold storage).

"That's a wrap! This trip to Europa was worthwhile!"

……

After cleaning up the battlefield, the Black Pearl's cargo hold was once again full.

Besides the giant "crystal mantis shrimp", Jiang Li also collected a large number of "crystal parasites" (to make jelly) and those luminous plankton (to make glow-in-the-dark drinks).

As for the remains of those dozens of expedition members...

Jiang Li did not eat them (although he was a little tempted), but instead asked Professor Miller to properly collect them and prepare to take them back to Earth for burial.

"After all, they were pioneers of humanity; we should give them some respect."

Jiang Li said so.

"But I kept that black box; maybe there's a treasure map hidden inside."

……

The Black Pearl departed Europa and returned to the vastness of space.

Jiang Li sat in the driver's seat, looking at the dazzling starry sky outside the window, holding the black box he had brought back from the research station in his hand.

Migo's brain has already cracked the data inside.

"Boss, besides some navigation logs, there's also some strange coordinate information here."

"The coordinates point to... [Saturn]?"

"Saturn?"

Jiang Li looked at the planet with the beautiful halo.

"What good food is there?"

"According to the data... Saturn's rings are actually composed of countless ice blocks and rocks, and in the gaps of the rings lives a type of creature called the 'Void Jellyfish' that feeds on sound waves."

"And... on Titan, there is an ocean of liquid methane, where it is said that the offspring of the banished Great Old One, Ghroth, slumbers..."

"Wait, Geheros?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment, "Is it that Judgment Star that looks like a giant eyeball and goes around singing and destroying the world?"

"Yes."

"Its offspring... are just small eyeballs, then?"

Jiang Li's mind conjured up the image of those "bursting eyeballs".

"This thing... it'd probably burst with juice if you grilled it, right?"

"It's decided! Next stop—Saturn!"

"Let's go ice skating on Halo! And while we're at it, let's try that 'bursting eyeball'!"