Chapter 488 - 485: Film

Chapter 488: Chapter 485: Film

Bottlecap reluctantly touched the button and left, as Lord Ying had said this job required secrecy.

"Can I really not listen, Lord Ying?"

"No. This job is extremely important and must remain confidential. However, I’ll tell you about it once it’s complete. I will also guarantee your apprentice’s safety. Don’t worry, Bottlecap..."

And just like that, Mo Ling was left all alone beside the button.

The moment Lord Ying sent Bottlecap away, Mo Ling realized he had likely been exposed.

Sure enough, as soon as Bottlecap was gone, Lord Ying’s next words directly revealed Mo Ling’s identity.

"You’re from outside the Sky Island, aren’t you?"

As a vastly powerful relic, Lord Ying wasn’t as easy to fool as Bottlecap. That gentle, steady voice made Mo Ling’s heart hammer in his chest.

However, Lord Ying seemed to see right through Mo Ling’s thoughts, calmly explaining, "I mean you no harm..."

"I knew the moment you all arrived on the island, but I was too preoccupied. This island is in a terrible state right now."

Mo Ling could actually hear a trace of exhaustion in that voice.

"You should already know that I haven’t responded to Bottlecap and the others for a long time. The Activation has already spread far and wide. My attempts to clear out the Activated are but a drop in the ocean. One day, the Activation will completely consume this Sky Island and spread throughout the entire Abyss."

As he listened to Lord Ying, Mo Ling analyzed its motives.

This Lord Ying seemed deeply concerned about the spread of the Activation’s corruption. Everything it said, both directly and between the lines, indicated that it had been trying to suppress it.

’But isn’t it a living relic itself? Why would it want to stop the spread of the Activation’s corruption?’

’The wider the Activation spreads and the more relics are corrupted, the more of its own kind there will be. Shouldn’t that be a good thing?’

Mo Ling was deeply confused, but for now, all he could do was keep listening.

"You’ve seen the Eye of the Stars, haven’t you? Have you seen that river of stars? It stirs a desire in the heart of every living creature, a desire no one can escape..."

As Lord Ying spoke, a roll of film suddenly flew through the air and stopped in front of Mo Ling.

"Don’t be afraid."

The film slowly unfurled. Blurry images began to appear, gradually sharpening until Mo Ling could clearly see what was on them.

’It’s that transport team from before...’

However, the film didn’t seem to show the transport team’s battle with the Antlered Apes, but rather a different story altogether.

Lord Ying’s ethereal and gentle voice spoke again, "This is the end of the film. The ending that was never shown..."

Listening to the gentle voice, Mo Ling became completely engrossed in the film before him.

...

Why was there Activation on the island? No one knew.

When the transport team arrived on this island, the Activation was already there.

However, at that time, the Activation’s corruption manifested in a different way.

"Leader, we’ve determined the cause of the weapons rusting..."

"Let me see."

"Can’t. The computer’s rusted solid; it’s useless. But we recorded the data in time." The Researcher handed over a yellowed notebook.

The leader paused for only a moment before taking the notebook.

After a quick glance, he asked in confusion:

"Oxidation?"

"That’s right. Oxidation. There’s no other special cause. As soon as metal is exposed to the air here, it oxidizes at an accelerated rate."

The leader nodded. The oxide on a metal’s surface was rust; there was nothing wrong with that. It was just...

"Why is the rate of oxidation so fast?"

"That’s the problem," the Researcher replied. "This Sky Island seems to accelerate electron activity. Oxidation-reduction reactions are essentially the movement of electrons. The electrons are more active, so substances lose them faster, which in turn speeds up oxidation. That’s why the rust is forming so rapidly."

It took the leader a moment to process the Researcher’s explanation. After some thought, he asked, "Have you found the reason for the increased electron activity?"

"No."

"Could it be a relic phenomenon unique to this Sky Island?" the leader conjectured.

"Highly likely. But we haven’t identified a specific source, so we can’t jump to conclusions."

The Researcher was meticulous and did not directly confirm the leader’s guess.

"Right now, the rust is the least of our worries. We have to get off this island immediately. Human metabolism also relies on oxidation-reduction reactions. This electron activation will rapidly deplete our energy."

"Our gas masks are protecting us for now, but if we stay on this island any longer, our bodies will soon be permeated by the activated electrons. Our accelerated metabolism will cause us to waste away."

The Researcher spoke gravely, "Some of the team members are already feeling suffocated. The gas exchange in human lungs is finite. Once our metabolism accelerates, we’ll become oxygen-deprived. It’s possible we’ll suffocate to death before we even die from energy depletion."

Just as he finished, the leader’s stomach growled.

"The breakdown of food by stomach acid is also an oxidation-reduction reaction. Electron activation will make us digest food faster. Leader, our bodies are already being affected..."

The Researcher’s words were like daggers to the leader’s heart.

He was no longer in the mood to investigate the source of the electron activation. The top priority now was getting everyone off the Sky Island.

"There’s no time to lose. Tell them to stop packing. Ditch the useless supplies. We’re leaving immediately."

The leader ordered his second-in-command to inform the others. Whether from lack of oxygen or not, he found himself panting heavily.

"Move out!"

At the leader’s shout, the transport team, who had hastily abandoned their supplies, began their escape from the Sky Island.

Many of them were already feeling dizzy, their limbs growing weak.

"Drop everything! Survival is all that matters!"

"Do we have to abandon the relics, too?" several team members carrying the relic-filled packs asked reluctantly.

The leader didn’t hesitate. "Drop them!"

His mind flashed through the manifest of relics for this transport. None of them would help the team escape faster, so he made the call instantly.

"Drop them!" At his sharp command, the team members reluctantly unfastened their packs.

And just like that, the powerful relics were abandoned on the ground.

The leader grit his teeth and led the team away without a single look back.

However, even after jettisoning the relics, their pace grew steadily slower. Even the powerfully built leader felt his strength failing, his consciousness starting to blur.

They had landed in the center of the Sky Island, and the battle with the Antlered Apes had already drained much of their energy. They had little strength left to begin with.

"Leader? Leader?"

Ringing filled the leader’s ears. He thought he heard someone calling out to him, but when he turned his head, there was no one there—only a field of stars before his eyes.

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...

His ragged breathing mingled with the ringing in his ears, and his stomach rumbled intermittently. The leader could run no further and stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head again and shook it hard.

"Keep up!" He roared with the last of his strength, the shout momentarily scattering the stars dancing in his vision.

But no one answered.

The leader’s eyes widened. His body swayed as he tried to discern the condition of his team through the blurry, double vision.

Finally, he saw clearly...

The space behind him was completely empty.