I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 169

Li Luo sent out observation equipment to fly into the distance.

This white ocean of shells seemed to cover a large area. The observation equipment flew very far but still hadn’t found any boundaries.

The transmitted images showed only white vastness, with endless shell accumulations of unknown depth.

This space was extremely large. At the top, many tributaries flowed down along rock caves, with water falling from the air into the shell ocean, then seeping down through the crevices.

No wonder these shells were all somewhat damp.

“These are all Shell People shells?” Li Luo asked in surprise.

“I couldn’t be mistaken. These guys have been causing trouble since Oasis City was first established. I’m far too familiar with them.”

Old Xu picked up a piece of shell and began explaining to Li Luo.

“White wavy edges, and spiral patterns that never appear on other shellfish, with both left-handed and right-handed spirals appearing together, and a fold angle at the spiral edges.”

“Similar to oysters, they grow in all sorts of strange shapes, but unlike oysters they’re not filthy, even the crevices are completely clean.”

“The texture is also completely identical…”

“Most importantly, I can’t think of any other creatures besides Shell People that could produce shells appearing in a desert.”

Old Xu turned the fragment in his hands several times and added, “Judging by the thickness, this should be from a head shell.”

He seemed very confident in his judgment.

After hearing Old Xu’s words, Li Luo also nodded. “So many Shell People fragments, why would they accumulate here?”

Old Xu gazed into the distance, thoughtful. “This should be their graveyard.”

Graveyard?

How many Shell People would have to die to create such a scale of shell ocean?

Mo Ling’s heart jumped in alarm.

“With so many Shell People, they still didn’t manage to take down Oasis City?”

He had never seen Shell People and didn’t know how many shells a single Shell Person left behind after death, but to form such a large-scale shell ocean, the number of dead Shell People was certainly not small.

Li Luo beside them also asked in confusion, “Exactly how many Shell People died? Did they all die here?”

Old Xu was also somewhat excited and nodded. “I always thought this was just a rumor. I didn’t expect it to be real, the Shell People graveyard actually exists.”

He pondered for a moment, then slowly told Li Luo about the Shell People rumors.

……

What kind of creatures were the Shell People exactly?

From the moment this species was discovered, the people of Oasis City had been trying every way to understand them, including their reproduction methods, civilization forms, and so on.

But these Shell People were truly elusive. They would appear in Oasis City as if completing missions, cause havoc and then disappear, hiding in the deep underground waterways with no discernible pattern.

Through the unremitting efforts of Oasis City researchers, they captured some Shell People who hadn’t escaped in time after causing trouble.

These Shell People were subsequently confined to prison cells.

However, after the Shell People realized they could no longer escape, they would hide in corners and remain motionless. No matter how the researchers tried to stimulate them, they remained unresponsive.

Like shellfish lying on beaches, these Shell People wouldn’t resist or communicate, they would tightly close their shells, protecting themselves completely.

They neither ate nor drank. After some time passed, these motionless Shell People would quietly die, their shells opening.

Researchers dissected the bodies of these dead Shell People and found that the soft structures inside their shells were like a combination of humans and shellfish, very peculiar, with many organs of unknown function.

Of course, they also discovered reproductive organs similar to those of shellfish.

Afterward, Oasis City continued to capture Shell People for research. Living Shell People showed no physical differences from dead ones, except they would tightly close their shells.

During the Shell People’s continuous invasions, researchers also discovered they had tribal-like group behaviors, with some Shell People commanding others to attack certain locations.

Their communication method involved using shells to tap out sounds with specific rhythms, similar to Morse code but more complex.

Not only that, but in the process of constantly opposing humans, the Shell People became increasingly cunning and familiar with human methods, making capture more difficult.

Most terrifyingly, they seemed to know the consequences of being captured alive.

As if to prevent enemies from studying them, once these Shell People confirmed they couldn’t escape, they would tightly close their shells and then secrete a decomposing liquid inside, completely dissolving their own bodies.

What researchers ultimately obtained were just empty shells with no useful purpose.

At the same time, the Shell People seemed to be continuously learning about human civilization.

Initially they would just charge straight into Oasis City, but later they began destroying power equipment, bombing weapons depots, and infiltrating using transport vehicles, making them impossible to guard against.

Finally, some people in Oasis City couldn’t tolerate it anymore and organized “Shell Extermination” teams to enter the underground waterways and eliminate Shell People.

They deliberately let some Shell People attacking Oasis City escape, then secretly followed them into the underground waterways.

Unfortunately, the underground waterways extended in all directions, and ultimately the “Shell Extermination” teams returned to Oasis City for safety reasons.

Many such teams were established, but all ended without success.

Until one team claimed they had tracked Shell People and discovered that the Shell People had gone to a graveyard full of shells. Unfortunately, this team hurriedly returned due to an earthquake and left no evidence.

However, the Shell People graveyard incident was still recorded as one of the few pieces of Shell People data.

“You can look it up, there should be information related to the graveyard,” Old Xu told them.

Li Luo checked on her electronic screen and indeed found corresponding records, though it was also noted that this was merely rumor and not entirely credible.

“Why would they specifically come to a graveyard?” Li Xiangyi asked in confusion, stepping on the thick shells underfoot.

“Who knows? Oasis City’s understanding of them is still too limited,” Old Xu sighed helplessly.

Water continuously fell, striking the patches of shells and splashing up a damp mist.

“Let’s keep walking and see. My intuition is still guiding me,” Old Xu said seriously, looking ahead.

There wasn’t any other option now—they could only take it step by step.

The group continued forward, stepping on the shells.

Cracking sounds mixed with the sound of flowing water. The air was filled with light mist, and a faint fishy smell of shellfish permeated the humid air.

Li Xiangyi’s light band still maintained bright sunlight, illuminating the surroundings clearly.

But this mist seemed to be getting increasingly humid. The sunlight shining on the mist refracted into an unusual rainbow.

The mist constantly changed with the impact of water falling from above—becoming dense when the water flow was strong and gradually dissipating when the flow was weak, over and over again.

The rainbow also began constantly appearing and disappearing, its position continuously changing, moving and flickering rapidly in the mist.

Not only that, but the number of rainbows kept increasing.

As they walked further in, the surrounding rainbow light had surrounded the group.

“Click.”

The sound of shells striking suddenly rang out.