Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The sea was calm and peaceful, not nearly as terrifying as the squirrel had made it out to be.

Zheng Jian snapped out of his daze and whispered to Jiang Linchuan, "He's just trying to scare us... right?"

Jiang Linchuan shot him a look. Seeing the complex expression, Zheng Jian's heart pounded even faster.

"Abyss Lord?" The squirrel pressed its face against the transparent box, whispering, "Wake up, don't sleep anymore."

"Our home has been dug up by humans. This isn't fun at all, stop playing around."

"I knew I shouldn't have let you go out to find some wild man to have a child with. Boo hoo..."

The "wild man," Jiang Linchuan: "?"

But the squirrel did remind him of a few things.

Jiang Linchuan called General Wu.

Hearing Jiang Linchuan's voice, General Wu remained calm: "You're back? Did you find your lover?"

"No, but I'll keep looking." Jiang Linchuan was equally composed. "I just received some news about the abyss in Baigu Town. I thought I should inform you."

After listening to Jiang Linchuan, General Wu frowned slightly: "You believe that squirrel?"

"It's not that I believe him, but it suddenly occurred to me—was dealing with the Abyss Lord really that simple for you?"

"The senior general spent years planning this operation. It wasn't as simple as you think..."

"I'm not talking about that kind of simplicity. Have you ever considered that the Abyss Lord might not be simple-minded, but actually very clever?"

"What?"

Jiang Linchuan leaned back, his gaze fixed on the transparent box, deep in thought: "Perhaps your plan was perfect, but the Abyss Lord isn't a fool. He walked right into it so casually. Didn't you ever suspect anything?"

General Wu paused for a moment before replying, "If what you say is true, what would he gain from it?"

"To make humans reap what they've sown, and relive the glory of a century ago."

Jiang Linchuan's sarcastic tone sent a shiver down General Wu's spine. He instinctively replied, "But he's trapped too. Wouldn't that be a losing bargain?"

"I don't know what he was thinking." Jiang Linchuan lowered his eyes. "But I feel like someone of his temperament would do something like this. Or perhaps..."

Jiang Linchuan narrowed his eyes, deliberately probing: "He knows there's a way out of this box, so..."

"Impossible." General Wu cut him off. "There's no way out."

"Didn't the senior general leave a backup plan?"

"Linchuan, there's no need to test me. Do you think the senior general would leave a loophole so the Abyss Lord could someday share a drink with him?"

Jiang Linchuan let out an exasperated laugh and nodded, "Fine, impressive. I'm truly in awe."

Jiang Linchuan hung up. General Wu sighed, pondered for a moment, then stood up and headed out to find the senior general.

Although Linchuan's words sounded unbelievable—why would the Abyss Lord willingly be imprisoned?—Linchuan wouldn't fabricate lies just to test him.

General Wu opened his office door, and the person raising their hand to knock stumbled forward.

General Wu steadied him. The man looked frantic: "General, Xingcheng reported that just half an hour ago, a fissure appeared there."

"What fissure?" General Wu didn't grasp it immediately. "An earthquake?"

"Not an earthquake." The man took a deep breath to calm himself, his voice hoarse: "The fissure is over ten meters wide and bottomless. Those who got close to it... mutated."

"Mutated?" General Wu was shocked. "Xingcheng is thousands of miles from Baigu Town. How could—"

General Wu froze abruptly, recalling what Jiang Linchuan had just said. His hand clenched at his side, and he said sharply: "Notify everyone for a meeting. Now. Immediately."

*

Jiang Linchuan leaned back, taking a moment to collect himself, then ordered Zheng Jian to have the Special Operations Team deploy defenses along the coast.

If there were truly abyssal anomalies deep in the ocean, they would surely return, and Jincheng would inevitably be impacted.

Jiang Linchuan rubbed his temples, increasingly convinced that his earlier speculation was likely true.

Shen Jin had done it on purpose.

If that were the case, given Shen Jin's nature, how would he let himself stay trapped inside?

So, could he actually get out of that box?

The Abyss Lord's powers came from emotions. The box blocked out sound, air, everything. If he could get out, how would he do it?

"Abyss Lord, are you asleep again? You're not going to sleep for another hundred years, are you?"

The squirrel leaned against the box, muttering quietly: "Please, wake up. I don't want to be captured by humans. Humans are terrible."

"Can Little White Daddy wake up?" The little kid knelt down, blinking his big eyes at the squirrel, his small face full of hope.

The squirrel pouted and shook his head: "If he doesn't want to wake up, no one can rouse him. Unless something interests him greatly. Like when he wanted to find a human to help him have a child. Later, he found out that useless man didn't give birth—instead, he did it himself. That interested him so much he went to kill that man—"

"Hey, why are you still alive?" The squirrel stared at Jiang Linchuan in shock.

Jiang Linchuan, who had just learned he’d narrowly escaped death: "...I served him well."

"What did you do for him?" The squirrel was curious. "You made him happy? Impossible. I don't believe it. Teach me, so I can serve him that way too."

"...You can't. Only I can."

The squirrel snorted: "Humans are so stingy."

Jiang Linchuan crouched down: "How can you be sure he's asleep?"

"Otherwise?" The squirrel retorted. "I watched him sleep for a hundred years. Don't you think I know what he looks like when he's asleep? And what else would he do in there? Stare blankly?"

"...Can he get out?" Jiang Linchuan asked again.

"You'll have to ask the ones who locked him up. How would I know?" The squirrel was furious. "Humans really are the most despicable species."

Jiang Linchuan: "..."

"But... our Abyss Lord is the most powerful. No one can keep him trapped." The squirrel hugged the box and suddenly began wailing: "Abyss Lord, is there really nothing in this world worth longing for to you? Your son, don't you want... right, you were going to eat him anyway... It's over, he won't wake up... Boo hoo..."

Jiang Linchuan stroked his chin as he looked at the box. Asleep, huh?

Inside the box was like a vacuum—utterly silent, undisturbed, gently swaying. Probably very comfortable for sleeping.

Jiang Linchuan breathed a sigh of relief but then narrowed his eyes. Sleeping soundly, are we?

Nothing left to live for in this world, is there?

Let me put you to sleep.

Jiang Linchuan found a fishing net, dumped the box into it, and tied the net to a speedboat.

The speedboat raced across the sea, the net sloshing through the water, swinging up and down wildly.

"Is this supposed to be rocking the Abyss Lord's cradle?" the squirrel asked. "He'd probably adore it."

Jiang Linchuan: "..." Got it. Still too gentle.

Hanging it off a cliff and swinging it up and down—the frequency isn't enough, still too gentle.

Kicking it down a slope to tumble—not enough spin and too much work.

...

None of these methods were cutting it, but the idea was on track. That punk's picky about his sleep—if he doesn’t sleep well, he’ll be furious.

Jiang Linchuan’s gaze fell on a construction site nearby, and his face suddenly lit up.

*

Jiang Linchuan stood before a cement mixer, holding the box. "Alright, my emperor who can’t hear, see, or feel anything—this humble servant will let you experience what it’s like to be churned and battered."

"Sleep whenever you damn well please." Jiang Linchuan sneered. "I can’t wait on you for free, right? I need to make you remember me, make you seethe with rage every time you think of me."

"Hate lasts far longer than love." Jiang Linchuan threw the box into the mixer and hit the switch.

The mixer, capable of mixing concrete, was set to its highest setting. The box tumbled and rolled inside, clanking and banging like crazy.

"The rhythm's still too slow." Jiang Linchuan grabbed a toolbox and walked over to another mixer. "I’ll tweak this one's settings. I must let His Majesty experience the ride of his life."

The squirrel, clutching its two tails, crouched on the steps and watched the Abyss Lord being churned. It couldn’t help but tsk. "This human man is so brave. Brave people always die first."

Five mixers, each with different frequencies and rotation patterns, churned away at the Abyss Lord day and night, switched up every few hours.

"How do we know when he's up?" Jiang Linchuan asked the squirrel.

"Uh..." The squirrel scratched its head and shrugged after a moment’s thought. "When he’s woken up, he'll fly into a rage. Then all creatures will flee, terrified they'll be squashed if they’re too slow... When he comes out to crush you, that’s when he’s awake."

Jiang Linchuan: "..."

Jiang Linchuan leaned over the round opening of the mixer and peeked inside. The box, despite being churned thousands of times, remained good as new.

"Wake up, my Abyss Lord. Instead of sleeping on a two-million-dollar mattress, are you really planning to spend the rest of your life in a cement mixer?"

*

Shen Jin sat cross-legged inside the box, his disdainful eyes staring in jerky motions through the mixer’s rotation at the madman outside who would soon be dead.

To hell with him.

I should have strangled him before getting into the box.

Is he insane?

Clatter, bang.

Rattle, clang.

A whirlwind ride.

Ugh—

Shen Jin held his forehead.

That damned bastard.

Is he out of his mind?

Shen Jin had originally planned to sleep. After all, the box was actually quite comfortable—more comfortable than the Abyss in Baigu Town. No sounds, no sensations, everything was pure, purer than the little one. He liked that feeling, so he was happy to sleep inside.

Rather than wasting time and energy fighting wits with those detestable humans, it was better to sleep and let the world turn completely upside down into a world of monsters.

Compared to killing, he preferred to let humans destroy themselves.

After all, he’s kind-hearted.

But his sleep wasn’t peaceful, because he had accidentally brought that damned human’s finger bone into the box. The bone kept faintly scratching him, making his whole body itch.

So he slept fitfully, irritated and restless, and in his drowsiness, he kept seeing that damned human man’s face, lingering relentlessly.

But he could endure it. Endure a little longer, and it would pass. Endure a little longer, and humanity would be finished.

Until Jiang Linchuan threw him into the mixer.

Drop dead, you lunatic.