I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 255

“We came back?”

Bai Zhou struggled to climb up from the boat and looked outside.

Waves gently lapped against the shore, and the fog remained thick.

“What was that collision just now?”

Bai Zhou looked toward the bow and found the small fishing boat stuck on a massive rock by the shore. The collision had come from this rock.

He looked at his disciple with confusion, “Did you see anything just now?”

“I didn’t see anything, Master. I listened to your words and kept my eyes closed the whole time.”

“Then, did you feel anything?”

His disciple thought for a moment, “I just felt our direction getting more and more off course. After going in a big circle, we came back.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

Hearing his disciple’s answer, Bai Zhou became even more confused. Then what was his experience at sea all about?

Just then, he felt something poking uncomfortably against his chest.

What was it?

Bai Zhou reached in and pulled out a root-carved figurine from his completely soaked pocket.

The figurine had no facial features, arms crossed in an embrace, lying eerily in his hand.

When he had fallen earlier, his chest seemed to have been bumped, and the pain was only now beginning to show.

“Master, why are you carrying this?” his disciple asked curiously upon seeing it.

“Why am I carrying it?”

Bai Zhou felt the same confusion in his heart, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember why he had brought this Relic with him.

…

After that, Bai Zhou tried many more times with his disciple. Every time they wanted to leave the island, they would return to the island for various reasons.

The fishing boat seemed to completely lose direction in the fog, going in circles and always ending up back at the shore.

Although the fog hindered Bai Zhou’s departure, it wasn’t as violent as before.

After several near-accidents, Bai Zhou didn’t dare continue trying.

Not only that, when Bai Zhou had other Chali Tribe members attempt it, he found they couldn’t leave the island either.

At this point, he already had an ominous suspicion, the Chali Tribe was trapped by this fog.

Even some small boats that had sailed out to sea began showing mold spots. The fog seemed to be trying every possible way to prevent the Chali Tribe from leaving this island.

Thinking of this, Bai Zhou made one final attempt. This time he didn’t bring anyone else.

He found an intact small boat and began sailing away from the island alone.

This time, the fog’s influence wasn’t as severe.

After going in circles, Bai Zhou passed through the edge of the fog and reached the open sea.

Looking back at the small island shrouded in thick fog, Bai Zhou was once again confused.

“Why can I get out?”

When he was alone, he could leave. Although there were still obstacles, they weren’t obvious.

After returning to the island, Bai Zhou thought for a long time and speculated there might be two reasons:

First, his understanding of immortality was also superficial—he only knew the basics, so the fog’s aggression toward him wasn’t strong.

Second, the fog’s behavior might mostly target “races,” and its targeting of individuals wasn’t as severe.

Although he racked his brains, Bai Zhou couldn’t figure out the fog’s purpose. But he still managed to summarize some principles of the fog. For now, he could only regard this fog as punishment for prying into immortality.

“If it targets races, it really does feel like karmic retribution…”

Because one person isn’t enough to bear the cost of prying into heavenly secrets, heaven’s punishment affects tribe members and descendants, following bloodlines to implicate the relevant people.

Even an entire race must bear the cost.

Thinking about this, Bai Zhou silently opened his bundle again.

The bundle contained “weapons” he had collected on the human island.

He picked up those runic components that looked like bronze artifacts and found they had actually rusted.

The rust patterns were very clear. Bai Zhou realized he seemed to have seen these patterns somewhere before.

“Those mold spots?”

After looking at the rust traces for just a few moments, Bai Zhou suddenly understood. No wonder they looked so familiar.

“That fog can actually affect the mermen’s weapons.”

Could it be that the fog mistook the owners of these weapons for himself?

Thinking of this, Bai Zhou instantly understood everything.

Then, a brilliant idea appeared in Bai Zhou’s mind.

“I can use this fog to help me get revenge.”

But how could he make the mermen race affected by the fog?

Bai Zhou thought for a long time but couldn’t think of a method.

Just then, the little girl beside him reminded him:

“Have the mermen race come to this island themselves, let them personally discover the secret of immortality. That way it won’t arouse suspicion, and the mermen race will also be trapped on this island by the fog, never to be reborn!”

“Yes!” Bai Zhou looked at the little girl beside him and praised, “What you said makes perfect sense.”

After being praised, the little girl grinned with half her mouth again.

But Bai Zhou began to hesitate.

“But what about the Chali Tribe? Wouldn’t I be putting them in danger by doing this?” he said worriedly.

The little girl sat beside Bai Zhou, hugging his arm with her charred little hands, obediently silent.

But the scorching heat from inside the little girl surged onto Bai Zhou’s arm. Before long, Bai Zhou felt his arm burning unbearably.

Bai Zhou wanted to pull his hand away, but those charred little hands were incredibly fragile, as if they would crumble with any force.

As soon as he moved slightly, he seemed to hear the sound of crumbling charcoal. Now he didn’t dare move recklessly and could only endure the discomfort, sitting rigidly.

Sweat dripped from Bai Zhou’s forehead, and his thoughts became chaotic.

“Are you going to keep running? Where do you want to go this time?” the little girl asked curiously, raising her head.

Bai Zhou instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he opened his mouth, he didn’t know how to explain.

He really had been running all along.

“Don’t worry…”

“But you’ve been running for a long time.”

Now Bai Zhou was even more speechless.

“It’s not finished burning yet, still burning. We’re all burning. How far do you want to run? Do you not want to care about us anymore? If you run far enough away, you can be cool, right?”

“I didn’t!”

Hearing the little girl’s questioning, Bai Zhou could no longer endure it. In an impulse, he violently pulled his arm away.

Crack!

The little girl’s charred little hands broke off with a sound. She looked at her hands that were now just short stumps, at a loss.

She didn’t cry either, just sat there quietly.

Very well-behaved.

Only then did Bai Zhou realize he had made a terrible mistake. He asked tremblingly:

“Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt, I have no feeling… I just can’t hug you anymore…” the little girl said dejectedly, her two broken little hands moving slightly.

“I can’t hold onto you anymore. Don’t keep running, okay?”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Bai Zhou instantly collapsed, falling to the ground and frantically kowtowing to the little girl beside him, tears streaming down his face.

“I won’t run, absolutely won’t…”

Heat rushed into his skull.

It seemed only by banging his head hard against the ground would Bai Zhou feel slightly better.

…

“Master, what are you doing?”

His disciple pushed open the door and asked in surprise, seeing Bai Zhou continuously kowtowing.

Bai Zhou knelt on the ground, struggling constantly.

The moment he heard his disciple’s question, all the strength in Bai Zhou’s body seemed to drain away in an instant, and he froze in place.

Sweat mixed with tears dripped down.

Soaking the ground.

“Disciple, I want to ask the Chali Tribe to help me perform a play…”