I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 162

While drinking flower tea, Old Xu chatted about the story of that spring water.

……

From when the official investigation team first came to the Abyss Second Layer and discovered the oasis, that spring water had always existed, but at the beginning it was just ordinary spring water.

Because it was fresh water, after testing, the investigation team used that spring water as a drinking water source, filtering it for consumption.

This spring water was a type of intermittent geyser. During only certain times of the year would it erupt, when hot water would gush forth. Usually it was just like an ordinary water pool.

It could be said that Oasis City was built upon this water spring.

As a member of the original investigation team, Old Xu had always been drinking from this spring water.

“It was very sweet and not hard water, perfect for making tea,” Old Xu said nostalgically.

However, Oasis City wasn’t as peaceful as it is now in the beginning. Back then it was still called Oasis Monitoring Station.

The oasis was like a brilliant pearl in the Disorderly Dunes, and many dangerous creatures lived within this oasis.

Human activities affected their survival, so they would come to harass Oasis City every few days. Many people died as a result, and the facilities that had been built with great difficulty were destroyed.

Among them was an intelligent race that looked very similar to humans, but their bodies were covered with hard mollusk shells. Thick calcium armor completely protected their soft parts.

Even their heads were wrapped in two hemispherical sharp shells.

This oddly-shaped intelligent race had been secretly sabotaging the Oasis Monitoring Station until the investigation team discovered them.

They were eventually named Shell People. The investigation team found that their level of civilization wasn’t high, they had a tribal social structure.

But the Shell People had lived in the oasis for a long time and were very familiar with it. They lived in the extensive underground waterways, making them impossible to guard against.

The reason they attacked the Oasis Monitoring Station wasn’t clear either, but they caused real and substantial damage.

When the Oasis Monitoring Station was understaffed and still in its early stages, they nearly destroyed the monitoring station.

Once, the Shell People used their ability to control shell growth and secretly sealed up all the supply warehouses in the Oasis Monitoring Station.

They had done such things before, but when people went to break the shells, the Shell People infiltrated the power station and cut off all electricity to the monitoring station.

They had actually figured out humanity’s electrical system!

It was nighttime then. Without light sources, humans couldn’t see clearly, but the Shell People could. They took this opportunity to damage the monitoring station, sealing almost all buildings with calcium shells.

For a time, people were in a panic. The investigation team had to notify everyone to gather in the plaza for defense, planning to hold out until morning.

At midnight, creaking shell sounds came from the surroundings. Those Shell People hiding in the waterways came out in full force. Only then did the investigation team realize that tonight’s attack was a long-planned operation by the Shell People.

The Shell People didn’t approach. They hid in the darkness, the creaking sounds of colliding shells rising and falling. The investigation team cautiously defended the perimeter, but for a long time the Shell People didn’t attack again.

Old Xu was also holding his Relic vigilantly at the time. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong with the sky. Looking up, the moon had disappeared.

A drop of water fell from the sky and hit Old Xu’s lips.

He licked it.

“So salty.”

Old Xu’s heart jumped in alarm and he shouted, “Above us!”

The investigation team quickly grabbed lighting equipment and aimed it at the sky.

The beam of light didn’t shoot straight up to the sky but hit a dome above.

It was a shell dome!

“The Shell People want to seal up all the humans!” The moment he saw the shell dome, Old Xu understood.

The Shell People had long known the investigation team would try to stall for time, wanting to delay until morning, so they chose an extremely time-consuming tactic, sealing everyone with shells.

Fortunately they discovered it early. The shell dome hadn’t yet closed, and reinforcement hadn’t begun. The investigation team members quickly used everything they had, trying to break out.

“Follow me, charge this way!” The captain led everyone in the same direction.

But after reaching the edge, they discovered that the “Shell People” figures moving around earlier and the sounds they heard were just illusions created by the Shell People.

At the edge was only a hard shell wall with constantly opening and closing shell pieces.

“We’ve been tricked!”

The shell wall had already been reinforced layer by layer. The investigation team tried various Relics but couldn’t break through. They could only watch as the dome in the sky continued to close.

“Look for other places!” The captain quickly ordered them to spread out and search the surroundings for weak points in the dome or other places where they could break out.

Old Xu ran directly backward, intending to go to a more distant place.

But when he returned to that spring water, he saw the spring water that should have been in its quiet period suddenly gushing up.

Before he could react, he was grabbed by the giant hand formed by the spring water and pulled into the water flow.

“Where is this?” Old Xu was dizzy from being shaken by the giant hand. When he came to his senses, he was already surrounded by golden water flow.

“Sorry, it’s my first time so I’m not very familiar with this. Hello,” a little sprite emerged from the water flow.

“What are you?” Old Xu asked warily.

“I’m the spring water you often drink,” the little sprite explained.

Spring water?

“I’m inside the spring water?” Old Xu looked around and found he was indeed surrounded by constantly surging water flow.

“Are you a Relic? Why did you grab me at this time?” Old Xu was somewhat anxious. His companions outside were in a critical moment, yet he had come to this strange place.

“Yes, I’m a Relic. I’m very sorry for suddenly grabbing you,” the little sprite apologized to him. “I just wanted to ask, what do you want most?”

“You can’t lie.”

Old Xu was stunned by the sprite’s sudden question. After being puzzled for a long time, he turned to look and saw that the golden water flow around him already displayed what his heart yearned for—

Investigation team members escaping the dome, defeating the Shell People, building Oasis City, making Oasis City the strongest monitoring station in the Abyss Second Layer, becoming a stable haven for countless Hunters, eliminating those creatures that dared to invade…

“Don’t you already know what I want?” Old Xu pointed at the phantoms in the water flow and asked in confusion.

“……”

The little sprite was very embarrassed and scratched its head. “I just wanted to remind you not to lie.”

“Why would I lie?” Old Xu asked back. He really didn’t know what this spring water sprite was trying to do.

He was very anxious now, thinking only about how to escape the dome and how to destroy the shell walls.

“Please send me out quickly. Now isn’t the time for chatting!” Old Xu carefully urged, worried that his bad attitude might anger this Relic of unknown origin.

“Alright! I’ll send you out right away. Let me fulfill your wish first.”

The little sprite flew in front of him and pointed at his heart.

Old Xu suddenly stiffened, feeling as if a piece of his heart had become empty.