Chapter 487: An Ominous Night at Sea

“Mr. Lone Soldier, your break room is right here. I’m in the adjacent one,” came the message.

After landing on Qinggang’s main ship deck, Lu Xin was led by the first mate to a cabin near the command center. The room had already been tidied up, much like a hotel. Han Bing brought Lu Xin inside and explained, “Since you’re in charge of the experimental security, you’ll come here a day earlier to get acquainted with the environment for the job.”

“The Doll and four auxiliary ability users will arrive early tomorrow, with the experiment set for 7 PM that evening…”

“Professor Bai is still busy with preliminary experiment preparations. Later he might discuss the details with you.”

“……”

Lu Xin agreed one by one and curiously asked, “Why isn’t the Doll coming with us?”

Han Bing glanced at him and laughed, “Maybe because the moment the Doll sees you, he gets too distracted to learn properly?”

“This…”

Lu Xin felt a flush of embarrassment—had Han Bing really just teased him?

He stayed in the cabin for now as staff soon arrived with the new protective suits.

At that moment, Lu Xin also noticed that among all the staff at this experimental base, very few were male. They were all clad in heavy protective suits, the kind with the strongest protection but the bulkiest appearance.

Female staff, though noticeably more at ease, had also donned all the necessary protective gear.

The pollution in Sea Country primarily affects men between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five.

Though not exclusively so, survey data from Sea Country shows that occasionally individuals outside this range are also affected.

However, the pollution’s impact is most pronounced within this age group.

Professor Bai had already analyzed it—it likely relates to the unique desires and concerns innate to men.

After all, ages eighteen to fifty-five are when desire burns the strongest.

“Do I have to wear this too?”

Staring at the bulky protective suit that resembled a giant cotton jacket, Lu Xin pondered seriously.

Then he obediently put it on.

Immediately, it felt as though he’d been locked inside an iron cage.

Behind the thick glass mask, even breathing felt labored.

But there was no choice; the data left by Sea Country indicated that many ability users eventually succumbed to this very pollution. He couldn’t let his guard down, especially since he was also within that vulnerable age range.

…Just another perfectly normal man.

……

……

After resting in his room for a while and pretending to review some materials (which Lu Xin soon found rather uninteresting), he hesitated to wander outside as the deck was now bustling with activity.

By around 7 PM, Lu Xin had finished the staff-delivered work meal.

Eating in a protective suit was a hassle, and Lu Xin noted that the warship adhered to a strict schedule. From 8 PM to midnight, removing your helmet was absolutely forbidden. At other times, you might remove it briefly to catch your breath—but if you heard any strange singing, you had to report immediately.

Half an hour later, staff came to invite Lu Xin to the experimental control center.

He followed them to the second deck control room, where he met Professor Bai and several other professors and researchers. All were dressed in heavy protective suits, standing authoritatively like a row of iron cans.

On the surrounding walls, numerous layout charts and schedules were pinned up.

Outside the glass, a vivid red moon was seen rising from the sea, casting a dark glow over the water.

“Mr. Lone Soldier, you’ve reviewed the materials on Sea Country’s pollution incident, haven’t you?”

Professor Bai, wearing a heavy glass helmet and protective suit—which gave him a somewhat comical appearance—addressed him.

In fact, everyone in this control center was as heavily protected as he was, resembling a cluster of cans gathered for a meeting.

“Yes, yes. I even reviewed the key parts several times,” Lu Xin replied, eager to show his diligence despite being just security.

Time was drawing near.

Professor Bai checked the time and said to Lu Xin, “No amount of reading will compare to witnessing it firsthand.”

“At eight?”

Lu Xin nodded and moved closer to the command room window.

He recalled that the schedule strictly forbade removing helmets from 8 PM to midnight.

This meant that some abnormal occurrence was bound to happen at eight.

“Professor Bai, everything is ready on all fronts,”

At 7:50 PM, Han Bing entered, glanced at the group of ‘cans’ in the command room, and suppressed a laugh.

Although the female staff had taken some protective measures, they still appeared much more relaxed.

“Excellent,”

White Can (as they jokingly referred to Professor Bai) nodded solemnly and added, “This is our final data check before the experiment—a very critical step.”

Noticing that the time was almost up, everyone silently rose and moved to the window.

For better observation, the Qinggang warship’s command center was much higher than Sea Country’s deck, allowing them a commanding view of the deck below.

They saw an endless expanse of deck belonging to Sea Country, shrouded in darkness and occasionally swept by the warship’s searchlights.

The red moon over the sea appeared striking, heavy and looming above them all.

The sluggish and numb men on deck were still scattered around—some lying down, others propping themselves up. They resembled tattered sacks or decaying sea mammals, completely devoid of any human spark or vitality.

“Prepare yourselves…”

At 7:58 PM, Professor Bai softly reminded them.

Everyone in the command center held their breath, intently watching Sea Country’s deck.

Two minutes passed swiftly—and whether it was exactly at eight or not, Lu Xin could see through his glass mask that the lifeless deck suddenly stirred. He squinted to see several men on the deck reacting—as if they’d heard something, their heads tilting upward.

In those normally emotionless eyes, glimmers of excitement shone through.

Soon, more and more men lifted their heads, as if awakened like decaying penguins.

Not only did they lift their heads, but their entire expressions shifted to one of intense excitement and vitality. Some listened intently, while others struggled to stand, faces turned toward the gigantic red moon with open arms.

Gradually, it was as if the sea itself began to boil.

Lu Xin observed as the men on the deck began moving frenetically. Their excitement mounted—some began waving their arms and legs, their faces now alight with fervor, a stark contrast to the numbness they displayed earlier. Some shouted, others scrambled for alcohol bottles, hastily prying off the caps to gulp down large swigs.

Some even pounded the deck as if drumming out a rhythm.

More men linked arms, dancing merrily and in unison on the deck.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The deck resounded with the heavy, tearing sounds of their stomping.

Even bodies of fallen comrades on the ground were crushed into mush beneath their feet, yet no one paid them any heed.

……

……

Inside his protective suit, Lu Xin heard nothing but a dead silence. Yet outside, under the red moon of Sea Country, the men seemed to be holding a silent, frenzied party.

The sheer, hysterical madness provided a jarring visual impact.

Suddenly, Lu Xin felt a wave of suffocating pressure.

It was as if a faint sound was drifting by—just beyond clear hearing.

He stood quietly by the control room window, watching the frenzied celebration of the Sea Country men.

Before he knew it, his hand had slid up to his helmet.

Slowly, he unfastened the clips and gently removed his helmet.

In an instant, a clear, ethereal singing filled his ears.

It was a woman’s voice—otherworldly and lilting, yet without distinct lyrics.

As the song played, Lu Xin felt a subtle warmth surging through his body.

A hallucination took hold in his mind.

It was as if a perfect woman were softly soothing his body and soul—every pore tingling with an exquisite sensation, awakening a primal desire far stronger than before.

Even his limbs began to twitch slightly with spasms.

An overwhelming, insatiable craving welled up inside him.

“Snip, snip…”

At that very moment, the crisp sound of closing scissors filled his ears and everything fell silent.

He jerked his head up to see Mom already by his side, standing with him as they both gazed out at the red moon.

“Not yet…” she gently teased, sensing the intense look in his eyes.

Lu Xin’s expression shifted as he quickly placed his helmet aside.

“This pollution is truly terrifying…”

Watching the maddened, convulsing Sea Country men outside, he no longer felt anything strange—only a deep sympathy.

……

……

“Oh dear…”

Meanwhile, Professor Bai and the others noticed that Lu Xin had removed his helmet and was staring blankly out the window.

They exchanged worried glances, silently communicating their concern.

“Thank goodness, he didn’t do anything drastic…”

“It sounds absurd, but I did feel a twinge of worry just now…”

“If he ends up succumbing to this pollution, how will we manage tomorrow’s experiment?”