The palace complex, after surfacing, seemed to transform into an ordinary structure. Gone were the bioluminescent creatures, the "corals," and the mantis shrimp; everything was remarkably quiet.
It was as silent as any common house found on land, but what other architectural complex would be devoid of any vegetation or living beings besides the palaces themselves, appearing as a lifeless dead zone?
"Strange... logically, this whale has been submerged and surfacing for so long, there should be some seaweed or barnacles growing on it," Wu Tianzhen examined the clean, neat bluestone bricks closely, their surface incredibly smooth to the touch.
"How can it be so clean? Do these special bricks prevent biological attachment? What's the principle behind that?"
"That's not right," Fatty chimed in, "When I went down there, it was quite lively!"
"The grass was growing so much, wow, it was so hospitable, giving me a warm welcome, I couldn't even leave!"
Hearing Fatty's words, Wu Tianzhen also recalled the white, unknown objects that turned to ash in the sunlight when the island of Yingzhou first emerged from the sea. His thoughts paused, and he too began to wonder.
"That's true... it clearly had plants growing on it before—"
"Not plants," Zhang Qiling, who had been pulled over and remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"Those were parasites."
These bluestone bricks likely did possess the ability to prevent external organisms and plants from growing and attaching. However, the "corals" were actually parasites from within the whale's body, occasionally emerging from the brick seams to hunt, making them impossible to prevent.
"Ah, let me, Fatty, say it!" Fatty, hearing about parasites or plants, was now utterly confused, but he wasn't the type to dwell on such minor details. His mind was focused on one thing:
"Quick, quick, let's open a room first!" Fatty, with the excitement of opening a blind box, rubbed his hands like a fly and, looking around, had already chosen a lucky room, taking two steps at a time towards the entrance.
But fortunately, at this moment, he still remembered a bit of brotherhood. He stepped back half a pace, grinning as he turned back, "Uh, Little Brother, Tianzhen, shouldn't we, you know, do that, hehehe!"
Zhang Qiling: ...
He slightly averted his gaze, not wanting to look at Fatty's lecherous expression, which clearly displayed thoughts of gold and treasure. He quietly focused his sight on the outer wall of the palace before him.
The bluestone bricks of the outer wall were tightly fitted. Positioned directly facing the sun, they faintly revealed traces of intricate patterns under the direct beam of light, suggesting the builders of this palace complex had put considerable effort into its construction.
And just then—
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed across the wall!!
It was a human shadow, but what kind of person could grow like that?!
One arm was long enough to reach the bend of the leg, while the other was so short it looked like a tumor attached to the shoulder. The head was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, forming a bizarre inverted triangle shape, making it look less like a human and more like a strange praying mantis.
And... the figure was clearly unnaturally tall!
...Could the angle of the sunlight be distorting the shadow?
Impossible.
The sunlight was shining directly down; there was no way it could form such a bizarre shape.
His mind raced in a flash. Zhang Qiling turned around almost instantly, but behind him, there was nothing but the casually strolling Hei Yanjing!
In that instant, he realized the dark shadow had not flashed behind them, but rather—
It was something that had emerged from the bluestone wall like a phantom.
But looking again, the shadow had already vanished, as if it had quietly melted away under the furnace-like heat of the sun.
Hei Yanjing slowly approached. Seeing Zhang Qiling's gaze turn towards him, he exaggeratedly made a scared gesture, indicating he was so afraid of Wu Tianzhen that he dared not come closer.
Zhang Qiling had no intention of playing along with his antics. In fact, he had a sudden realization: "You really did go and interact with them."
But this was something he had anticipated, so his mood remained quite calm.
He wasn't holding a grudge at all.
"The wall?"
"Yes, I saw it just now too." Hei Yanjing adjusted his sunglasses. Under the scorching light, his sunglasses were finally fulfilling their intended purpose.
"It's an interesting thing. There are probably quite a few of them around here~" Hei Yanjing smiled, revealing a row of white teeth, but his expression was far from cheerful, instead exuding a chilling ferocity, like a beast about to hunt.
Having received confirmation, Zhang Qiling nodded indifferently and walked out without looking back.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty, having just engaged in a theatrical display at the doorway, had not seen any strange things. Now, they impatiently pushed open a gap in the door, peeking inside stealthily.
The stone bricks had excellent light-blocking properties. Even though it was so bright outside that they couldn't open their eyes, the room inside was pitch black.
Sunlight streamed through the door gap, revealing clear outlines under the Tyndall effect. The tiny dust particles dancing in the light beams further emphasized the antiquity and desolation of the place.
A gentle breeze brushed past them. The two turned to see that Zhang Qiling had appeared at the doorway at some unknown time, his silent movement like that of a cat with padded paws.
"Little Brother is here, shall we go?" Fatty asked, but his hands had already "swished" and flung the door open entirely!
If he were alone, he would have meticulously checked for any traps or hidden weapons, preparing himself before entering cautiously.
But what time was it now? He had Little Brother beside him!
They now knew Zhang Qiling like the back of their hands (in terms of personality). If there were any traps or hidden weapons here, Zhang Qiling would never have allowed them to open the door.
With Little Brother in hand, they had the world at their fingertips – it was simply two words:
Arrogant!
With this inexplicable sense of pride, Wu Tianzhen and Fatty strode in with great confidence, looking more like leaders inspecting the safety of ancient architecture than explorers of a perilous place.
Zhang Qiling followed closely behind, but just as Hei Yanjing was about to follow—
With a "bang," Zhang Qiling actually slammed the door shut against the frame!
If Hei Yanjing hadn't had sharp senses and agility, dodging the door by a hair's breadth, his prominent nose bridge might have been crushed by the impact.
...Don't doubt it.
Hei Yanjing stared at the door panel, which had been slammed back with such force that it had even cracked slightly, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
...He believed that the "mute" had put a lot of force into this, and if he had been hit, let alone his nose bridge, his entire face would have been flattened.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were also startled by this action. They turned back, only to see Zhang Qiling's innocent eyes.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty: ...Accidentally, probably?
...Yes, it was an accident.
Zhang Qiling exchanged a glance with Hei Yanjing, who was visibly holding a grudge and had just entered, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.
...He was not a grudge-holding person at all.