Chapter 23 part 1
For the next few days, Ouyang Xiaoli subtly kept an eye on the situation in the Silver Sea Empire. The matter of the Zerg invasion was neither small nor large.
The other three cities, having received the news, all arranged for men to guard the entrances, but this was clearly of little use.
The Zerg were masters of swarm tactics. They knew their advantage, so their attacks and invasions usually involved tens of thousands of them swarming at once.
Fire was the primary means of defense, but of course, that was only effective against low-level Zerg.
Ouyang Xiaoli had seen low-level Zerg before. They had no intelligence of their own and could only follow the commands of the high-level Zerg that controlled them.
These low-level Zerg were crimson all over, shaped like ants but the size of goose eggs. A single bite from one would inflict level-ten pain.
Someone in the underground city had once been accidentally bitten by a low-level Zerg and had writhed on the ground in agony.
He died the next day.
He had literally died from the pain.
It would have been better if they were venomous. The poison would spread, gradually numbing the body, making death less torturous. But these Zerg were completely non-venomous.
On this day, Ouyang Xiaoli, Tang Si, and the others went to the entrance of the underground city. Two men, sent from Xicheng, were standing guard there.
“Is guarding this place even useful? The low-level Zerg are as cunning as ants. They burrow into the ground, who knows when they’ll suddenly pop out and take a bite.”
“Exactly, it’s useless to stand guard!”
“But we can’t just not guard it. Do you remember how bad it was last time in the underground city? It was truly… I was completely frozen stiff, didn’t dare to move. The streets were littered with white bones, like something out of hell.”
“Stop, stop talking about it. The moment you mention it, I get goosebumps.”
“That was a real tragedy.”
The two men guarding the entrance hugged their arms, unable to stop a shiver. They darted their eyes from the ground to the ceiling, extremely vigilant.
After a while, the shorter of the two couldn’t help but complain, “If the Zerg really come, won’t we guards be the first to die?”
The taller man said, “What are you thinking? We probably won’t be that unlucky. It’s not like we’re always on duty; there are plenty of others rotating in.”
“But what if…”
“Shut your jinxing mouth!”
The taller man had clearly thought of that outcome as well. Fear crept into his heart, but he feigned impatience. “You’re just scaring yourself!”
The shorter man fell silent.
From a shadowy corner, Ouyang Xiaoli and Tang Si stood motionless, listening for a while before heading towards their nearby destination.
“Can this really hold them off?”
Xiao Mo put down the bucket he was carrying.
Not just Xiao Mo, but Tang Si and Ouyang Xiaoli were also carrying two buckets of diesel fuel each. The smell was pungent, but it couldn’t be helped.
Ouyang Xiaoli said, “The underground city is short on resources. This is all we have left. Use it sparingly.” He also placed his buckets on the ground.
The ground here wasn’t cold concrete but soft, dark soil. This black earth was highly flammable once it caught fire.
It was good stuff.
Ouyang Xiaoli looked down for a moment, a small figure appearing in his mind. He paused. Perhaps the little mermaid would have a solution?
The Great Elder had once prophesied that the little mermaid was the hope and salvation of the underground city. Ouyang Xiaoli hadn’t understood it back then, but gradually, he had come to believe it.
Improving the soil.
That was already showing results.
So, when it came to defending against foreign enemies, would a little mermaid from the deep sea have a way? If he relied solely on mental power, the little mermaid would likely struggle to hold on.
“Boss, what are you thinking about?” Tang Si waved a hand in front of Ouyang Xiaoli’s face, then presented him with a ball the size of a shot put, molded from soil. He pushed it forward. “…This invincible coal briquette bomb really stinks. The diesel smell makes it even worse. Hey, Boss, do you think the soil on ancient Earth smelled this bad? I heard they had fertilizer.”
He grumbled, “I’ve lived this long and I still don’t know what fertilizer looks like.”
Ouyang Xiaoli had never seen fertilizer either. He had only heard the Great Elder talk about it, saying it was very useful for the soil and for plants.
“Make a few more of these coal briquette bombs.”
He also stepped forward, grabbed a handful of soil, and started molding it into a ball. This “coal briquette bomb” was Ouyang Xiaoli’s invention, modeled after ancient Earth explosives.
If the Zerg came, they would light these crude coal bombs and throw them into the streets. They could kill dozens of Zerg; their power was not insignificant.
The other cities had followed suit.
And so, the three men, having finished making their coal briquettes, returned carrying their buckets. The streets of the underground city were sparsely populated, but the few people around couldn’t stand the smell.
They all scattered.
Ouyang Xiaoli: “…”
Tang Si: “…”
Xiao Mo: “…”
The three of them looked as if they had just returned from a coal mine; not a single spot on them was clean. They stank. The three men silently went to their respective homes to shower.
Ouyang Xiaoli calmly swiped his card and entered his apartment. Before he could even step inside, he saw the little mermaid pinching his nose and dashing to the balcony to slide open the glass door.
A cool breeze wafted in.
“Did you poop your pants?” the little mermaid asked in a low voice, standing motionless by the glass door.
Ouyang Xiaoli’s face darkened. He had left the three buckets of coal briquettes downstairs, afraid of the smell, but the black dirt clinging to his body was unavoidable.
Usually, when the little mermaid saw him return, he would scurry over, his eyes sparkling.
Today was the opposite. Before he could even speak, the other boy looked like he wanted nothing to do with him, standing by the glass door as if terrified he would take a step forward.
“…”
“Say that again.”
The man lifted his eyes coolly.
Xia Yi was still clinging to the door, peeking at him with half his head showing. “Well, if you didn’t poop your pants, why do you stink so bad? It’s really smelly.”
He emphasized the last two words, as if afraid the man didn’t know it himself.
Ouyang Xiaoli stepped inside, his face expressionless as he walked towards the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of rushing water came from within.
Xia Yi stayed on the balcony for a while. Once the smell in the apartment had dissipated, he slowly made his way back to the living room. He twitched his nose, sniffing the air like a dog—here, there, and everywhere. He even went to the spot where Ouyang had just stood and took a deep sniff.
He confirmed the smell was gone.
Only then did Xia Yi breathe a sigh of relief.
The water stopped.
Xia Yi waited for a moment, but heard no movement. He glanced towards the bathroom. He blinked, and a sudden flash of inspiration hit him!
Ouyang hadn’t taken any clothes in with him.
But… Ouyang didn’t seem to like people coming in when he was showering. The last time he had gone in, Ouyang had been furious.
He shouldn’t make the same mistake again.
But Ouyang hadn’t taken any clean clothes in. He couldn’t just come out wearing nothing.
Xia Yi thought for a moment, then padded into Ouyang’s room, quickly rummaged for some clothes, and ran, panting, to the bathroom door without looking back.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked cautiously.
The man’s voice came from inside, sounding somewhat distant. “What is it?”
The mermaid’s soft voice replied from outside the door. “I found you some clean clothes. I put them on the stool by the door. Don’t worry, I won’t peek.”
After saying that, he righteously placed the clothes down, turned around with a serious expression, and walked towards the sofa.
One of the sofas had its back to the bathroom door. Xia Yi deliberately sat there. A moment later, he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening.
His ears instantly perked up.
Ouyang Xiaoli had only a towel wrapped around his waist. The bathroom door was only half open. He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the mermaid on the sofa, who was now just a view of the back of his head.
The little mermaid’s back was ramrod straight.
A slight curve appeared on the man’s lips. He picked up the clothes from the stool, closed the door, and intended to change. Then he noticed something was missing.
“…”
Fifteen minutes later.
The man walked out.
To be honest, it felt a bit awkward. Although his shirt and pants were on properly, things were… swinging. Even walking felt a bit strange.
He was about to head back to his room.
Suddenly, the little mermaid on the sofa shot up, knelt on the cushions, and turned to look at him. “Ouyang, come here. Let me smell you.”
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