Chapter 23 Aquaman 4

Unlike the tumultuous waves on the surface, the underwater world was relatively calm.

Xia Qi dove into the ocean, and instantly, water pressed in from all sides, flooding his ears and temporarily sealing off his hearing.

As he descended, he felt an increasing pressure on his chest, making his head feel heavy.

The deep-sea pressure made his movements sluggish, and with his legs encased in the fish-tail skirt, he had to exert great effort to swim downward.

"Gulp, gulp."

Xia Qi, with seaweed pills in his mouth, released a long string of bubbles.

The fine bubbles floated upward, eventually disappearing at the surface of the water.

"Swish—"

At that moment, the bubbles he had released were suddenly scattered as a tall mermaid's shadow splashed into the water, creating countless white waves and foam.

Judging by the direction this mermaid's shadow came from, Xia Qi thought it must be the girl falling down.

Just as he worried whether her dress would affect her movement, she merely sank slightly at the waist, and her shimmering blue tail slid gracefully downward, drawing a beautiful arc in the water.

In an instant, she landed right in front of him.

Her swimming skills seemed far superior to his, leaving Xia Qi secretly amazed.

The girl extended her hand toward Xia Qi, signaling for him to grab it so she could lead him forward. Xia Qi waved his hand, refusing her offer.

He needed to adapt to the underwater environment on his own; he couldn't rely on others forever.

Seeing Xia Qi attempting to swim in his own way, the girl spread her tail and circled around him.

The water pressure seemed to have no effect on her; she moved as nimbly as a bird in the sky, circling him repeatedly, looking very pleased and enjoying the sensation of being in the water.

Xia Qi couldn't help but notice that the scales on her tail seemed different from those on his fish-tail skirt. In the dark environment, her scales glowed faintly, like twinkling eyes, and with each movement, they left a trail of star-like sparkles in the water.

Xia Qi stared at her tail for a while, losing himself in the sight. However, he quickly snapped back to reality and began observing her movements in the water closely.

Xia Qi tried to mimic her posture, moving his fish-tail skirt. Unfortunately, after nearly five minutes of struggling, he still hadn't learned how to swim like her.

"Forget it," Xia Qi thought. If he delayed any longer, he might not complete his task.

Xia Qi raised his hand and pointed toward Pearl Reef.

Unlike the dark, exposed rocks on the surface, the underwater Pearl Reef emitted a soft white glow, making it easy to spot.

The girl understood his intention and led him toward Pearl Reef.

They arrived near a cluster of Pearl Reefs.

These Pearl Reefs grew wildly, taking on bizarre shapes—some resembling branches, some like mushrooms, and others forming clusters of flowers that looked like chrysanthemums.

The girl seemed particularly fond of the chrysanthemum-shaped Pearl Reefs and grabbed Xia Qi, urging him to start digging.

Xia Qi: "…"

Considering that damaging the chrysanthemum-shaped Pearl Reefs might bring bad luck, Xia Qi waved his hand, indicating his refusal to dig them up.

Then, he swam over to a patch of mushroom-shaped Pearl Reefs and slowly began digging with his shovel.

The pressure of working underwater was significant, and by the time Xia Qi finished his assigned task, forty minutes had passed. He now had one hour and twenty minutes left.

He still had ten pearl fish to catch.

Suddenly, Xia Qi realized that he hadn't seen any pearl fish while digging.

Where were the pearl fish?

Xia Qi frowned. The female assistant had mentioned that pearl fish would appear near Pearl Reefs, and given their snowy white appearance, he wouldn't have missed them if they had been around.

At that moment, several shadows appeared in the distance, resembling other players wearing fish-tail skirts. However, these figures moved incredibly fast, darting past the Pearl Reefs before Xia Qi could identify them.

Watching their incredible speed, Xia Qi felt a chill. Were those really players wearing fish-tail skirts?

Although Xia Qi wasn't a professional swimmer, he considered himself reasonably skilled and fit. The speed of those "fish-tail skirt players" didn't seem human.

However, Xia Qi had no time to worry about others; he needed to catch the pearl fish.

Concerned that the girl might not understand his intentions, he gestured with both hands: Let's find the pearl fish.

To his surprise, the girl nodded.

"You understood?" Xia Qi showed disbelief.

The girl nodded again, patting her chest as if saying: Wait here, I'll go look.

Without waiting for Xia Qi's response, she flicked her tail and glided away. When she stopped, Xia Qi was shocked to find that they were already more than five meters apart.

Xia Qi: "…"

Her lightning-fast speed was even more terrifying than those "fish-tail skirt players."

Xia Qi shook his head in exasperation, deciding to wait a few minutes. If the girl didn't find the pearl fish, he would search for them himself.

After helping the girl dig up her share of Pearl Reefs, only one hour remained.

Feeling anxious, Xia Qi decided to search for the girl.

Just then, he tasted a hint of blood in the water.

"Something's wrong?" Xia Qi was slightly startled. His intuition told him that something strange was happening in the water.

In the game, although going to the scene of the incident could be dangerous, to progress, one had to gather more information.

Xia Qi swam without hesitation toward the scent of blood. He passed through layers of Pearl Reef and arrived at a relatively open area. When he saw shadows ahead, he hid behind a chrysanthemum-shaped pearl reef and peeked out.

Ahead was a sea of algae, with a few glowing jellyfish illuminating the scene enough for Xia Qi to see clearly.

He saw a person who looked like a "Mermaid Skirt Player" surrounded by other "Mermaid Skirt Players." The person in the center had their hands and feet bound by algae, struggling desperately.

Xia Qi frowned slightly. Why was this person bound by algae?

Why weren't the onlookers helping them?

Suddenly, a tall "Mermaid Skirt Player" emerged from the crowd, holding an object resembling a trident. He waved it in front of the bound person.

Just as Xia Qi was puzzled, the man with the trident thrust it forward, piercing the throat of the "Mermaid Skirt Player"!

Xia Qi choked on the water, spitting out a string of bubbles.

Realizing his shock had caused a commotion, Xia Qi quickly covered his mouth. However, by the time he suppressed his cough, it was too late.

The man with the trident suddenly turned and looked in Xia Qi's direction. His emerald eyes were fierce, filled with venom.

In that instant, Xia Qi felt as if he had been shot by an arrow. Without thinking, he turned and fled.

Xia Qi frantically swam through the Pearl Reef, using his arms to propel himself.

Due to the darkness, he soon lost his sense of direction.

"Gulp gulp."

Although the underwater environment was eerily quiet, Xia Qi felt his heart racing. The man with the trident seemed to be nearby, searching for him.

He hid behind a massive pearl reef, gripping the rocky wall tightly, praying not to be found.

Unfortunately, just as his heart was about to leap into his throat, the algae pill in his mouth shrank to half its size and stopped producing oxygen.

Xia Qi bit the algae pill in disbelief, confirming it had failed. He cried inwardly, "Bad!"

"This algae pill is faulty!"

Xia Qi held his breath, ignoring any pursuers, and swam upward with a two-pound coral reef in hand.

Since he had dived deep, reaching the surface would be challenging. He might not make it back up.

With determination, Xia Qi dropped the coral reef and swam upward. Suddenly, a silver-gray fish, as tall as an adult, charged at him, knocking him back several meters.

If he wasn't mistaken, the fish was an Atlantic salmon.

Due to the lack of oxygen, Xia Qi's head began to buzz. He tried swimming upward again, but another red-purple-spotted male salmon appeared and collided with him.

How much longer would these fish keep coming?

Xia Qi swore silently that once he reached the surface, he would spear all of them and cook them in a pot!

Unfortunately, the fish couldn't hear his threats and continued to gather around him, blocking his path whenever he tried to swim upward.

Suddenly, another two-meter-long salmon emerged and rammed into his abdomen.

"Puff."

Xia Qi exhaled his last breath, a string of bubbles bursting above his head. In an instant, without oxygen, his vision went black, and he began to sink uncontrollably.

Despite sinking, he still retained some consciousness. Just when he thought he was finished, a merman's shadow approached him swiftly.

Instead of drowning, the figure reached him, slipping an arm around his waist and gently holding him.

The other hand cradled the back of his head, pulling him closer.

Xia Qi managed to open his eyes slightly, seeing the blurry face of the merman.

The merman gazed at him tenderly, his azure eyes filled with deep-sea-like affection, capable of embracing everything.

Xia Qi's body went limp, leaving him at the mercy of the merman.

The merman slowly leaned in, stopping just half an inch from Xia Qi's face before suddenly lowering his head and biting down hard on Xia Qi's lips.

His urgent actions resembled those of a ravenous beast.

"Mmm—puff."

Suddenly receiving a burst of oxygen, Xia Qi felt alive again.

However, despite the oxygen, he still felt uncomfortable. The merman held his head firmly, forcing him to accept the breath.

Xia Qi struggled slightly, but the merman's grip was strong, like iron clamps.

In the deep blue, tranquil depths, a dim blue light fell upon the tall merman and Xia Qi.

The merman's elegant tail swayed gently, holding a black-haired youth in his arms. His seductive back curved slightly as they leaned their heads together. The merman's silver hair intertwined with the youth's black hair, dancing in the water.

Soft algae danced around them, white coral bloomed, and colorful fish swam diligently. Glowing jellyfish shone brightly, creating a beautiful dreamlike scene around the kissing couple in the otherwise silent underwater world.

After a few more seconds, Xia Qi felt his strength returning. He raised his hand to push the other person's shoulder but accidentally touched skin that felt like fish scales.

The other person’s skin had an odd texture; although the shoulders were human-like, they felt slippery and smooth as silk to the touch...

This sensation was definitely not that of human skin!

Just as Xia Qi was startled, a continuous stream of notifications from the system flooded his mind.

"True Love Value +999"

"True Love Value +999"

"True Love Value +999"

...

Although he had gained countless True Love Values in one go, being forcibly kissed by an unknown creature filled him with both shock and fear.

"Let go!"

He struggled hard, but the more he struggled, the tighter the grip became, causing discomfort around his neck. Frowning, he lightly bit the other person's lower lip, hoping to make them release him.

Blood quickly filled their mouths, yet the other person did not loosen their grip. The mermaid’s eyes stared intently at him, the corners slowly turning red.

Taking the opportunity, Xia Qi pulled out the True Love Magic Wand from his system backpack and aimed it at the other person's temple.

At this moment, the other person seemed to become agitated, gripping his mouth tightly and inhaling sharply. Before Xia Qi could utter a word, all the oxygen in his mouth was sucked away.

"Mmm."

The sudden lack of oxygen made Xia Qi see stars. In just an instant, he passed out again.

Looking at the youth in his arms who had stopped struggling and whose head was slowly tilting back, the mermaid was momentarily stunned.

Passed out?