I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 131

Bai Zhou pulled up information about sirens and placed it in front of Li Luo.

……

Sirens are a rare species found on the third layer of the Abyss.

This creature originally only appeared in human mythology.

They use their singing to lure lost ships, bewitching the sailors on board, making the ships crash into reefs and sink, then dividing up and devouring the people on board.

But on the third layer of the Abyss, this creature appeared alive before the eyes of hunters.

At first, when people began exploring the third layer of the Abyss, they didn’t know about the existence of this strange creature.

A hunter captain named Odysseus organized a group of hunters, hoping to find the entrance to the fourth layer by sea.

But as they passed an island, he heard a song.

The song was enchanting, melodious and winding, drifting from that beautiful island.

As Odysseus listened, an uncontrollable longing arose in his heart, making him want to get closer.

Listening to that tempting song, he lost all reason and directed the ships toward the island.

The crew was also captivated by the song, excited, their minds filled only with the beautiful melody.

So, the ship crashed into the reef.

Odysseus fell into the water and lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he was already on another ship. A nearby hunter told him they’d found him on an island full of human bones.

He had lain unharmed in the center of the bones, so conspicuous that the scouting companions noticed and rescued him.

Having survived, Odysseus repeatedly expressed his gratitude and told his rescuers what had happened.

“You didn’t run into a siren, did you?” the rescuer asked curiously after hearing Odysseus’s story.

A siren?

Odysseus recalled his experience-it did match the characteristics of sirens in legend.

Especially that beautiful singing, exactly the same.

Odysseus said firmly, “It must have been a siren!”

After returning to the safety of the island base, Odysseus quickly uploaded his experience to the database, then began handling the aftermath for his fallen teammates.

When all was done, he finally slept deeply. In his dreams, he seemed to hear the sound of fangs gnawing on bones, echoing in his ears.

He woke with a start to find it was already noon the next day; the strange sound was just the noise of the cleaning staff’s cart wheels scraping outside the door.

For several days after, he kept having the same nightmare, leaving Odysseus physically and mentally exhausted.

So, a few days later, he made a decision: he would return to Dawn City to rest for a while, then apply for an official position and stop exploring downward.

Once he boarded the ship back to the second layer, the anxiety in Odysseus’s heart gradually faded.

“How much longer?” Odysseus asked a young crew member.

“Almost there, probably half an hour, but the weather’s a bit rough today, so it might be slower,” the crew member replied blandly.

Odysseus nodded, thanked him, and walked out onto the deck, gazing at the sea.

The wind was indeed strong today, and the waves rocked the ship.

But Odysseus wasn’t worried, this was an official vessel, with all kinds of safety measures, maybe even protected by a Relic, totally different from the old antiques he’d bought before.

He leaned on the railing, feeling the sea breeze, and saw a black line on the horizon.

“Is that our destination?” Odysseus asked another passenger nearby.

But the passenger looked confused and said, “Our destination isn’t land. That should be an island.”

An island?

Hearing this, Odysseus’s heart leapt.

He quickly reassured himself-there are plenty of islands, don’t overthink it. Only then did his pounding heart begin to settle.

But the next words from the passenger chilled him to the bone.

“I’ve taken this ship many times, never seen an island on this route. It’s odd.”

Odysseus looked fearfully toward the distant island. As the ship drew closer, his legs gave out.

It was the same island where he’d encountered the siren!

Ignoring all objections, he rushed into the captain’s cabin.

“Tell the captain to steer away from that island! There’s a siren there! Or tell everyone to block their ears!”

But as he spoke, a faint singing had already reached his ears.

It was over.

It was all too late.

When Odysseus came to again, he was lying in a bed.

Odysseus was surprised, he wasn’t dead?

Looking around, it seemed to be the hospital at the island base from before. He’d been here, he remembered it.

“How did I get back?”

The doctors were busy nearby, and when they saw him awake, they quickly made a call.

Before long, two formally dressed officials came to his bedside and asked about his experience:

“Ferry 17, returning to the second layer of the Abyss, vanished without a trace. Only you were found floating on the water, Mr. Odysseus. What happened?”

Odysseus hurriedly recounted the ship’s encounter with the siren.

“I wanted to warn the captain, tell everyone to block their ears, but it was too late,” Odysseus said regretfully. “If I hadn’t hesitated when I saw the island, maybe more people could have been saved.”

As he spoke, this weathered hunter actually broke down in tears.

“I promised them we’d find the entrance to the fourth layer of the Abyss together, and now it’s all gone.”

“I didn’t save them. I didn’t save anyone on the ship. So many people, all gone, all gone.”

Odysseus’s tears soaked the pillow.

“That crew member was so young, about my child’s age. Why did he have to go through this?”

He grew more agitated, and the two officials could only comfort him helplessly. “Mr. Odysseus, this is the Abyss.”

Hearing this, Odysseus’s tears stopped abruptly.

He wiped his eyes, sat up, and asked resolutely, “Is there anything else I can help with? I’ll do everything I can.”

The two officials exchanged a glance. One of them said, “Mr. Odysseus, can you move around?”

“Of course.” Odysseus jumped out of bed. Aside from some stiffness, he was fine.

“Then come with us, over there.” The official pointed to a balcony nearby.

With that, the two walked to the balcony.

Odysseus, though puzzled, followed.

The two officials stood on the balcony waiting for him, leaving a space by the railing.

“Do you see it, Mr. Odysseus?”

Odysseus stared blankly out at the sea.

There was a shadow that filled him with terror.

An island.

“How, how is it here!”

Odysseus recoiled in shock, but the officials grabbed his arms, not letting him leave.

“You have to warn everyone, block their ears!”

But the two officials remained calm, saying, “Don’t worry. We’ve already secured it.”

“Mr. Odysseus, you’re a Level 3 Hunter, right?”

“Yes,” Odysseus replied.

“As a Level 3 Hunter, there are some things you should be able to understand after hearing them.”

“We now officially inform you: you have been infected by a conceptual lifeform. For now, we’re calling this creature, a siren.”