Beijing, People's Liberation Army: General Hospital
Third floor, Intensive Care Unit.
There was only a single bed in the ward with all kinds of facilities available, which was not inferior to a 5-star hotel. There was a patient lying on the bed. He was neither on a drip nor was he connected to any medical equipment. He merely laid there quietly like an ordinary person who was sound asleep.
However, it could be seen from his pale complexion that he was not in good condition!
Xue Hanglin's heart was filled with sorrow and he felt pain as if a knife was twisted in his heart. There was nothing more painful than to see his child die before himself.
He had heard a piece of heartbreaking news three hours ago. The plane headed towards the US which his son was on had suddenly collided with an extraterrestrial meteorite!
The plane exploded on the spot, killing all 200 passengers and there was not a single survivor.
Even if they were not killed on the spot, below them was an endless ocean. How could anyone possibly survive?
"I'm sorry, my son!"
Despite the severe pain he was experiencing, it was far inferior to the grief he felt. He was feeling extremely regretful. If only time could turn back, he would never have asked his son to travel to the US!
In fact, wanting to see his wife for the last time was a lie and the real reason was that he wished for his son to look for his mother. The only way his son would be willing to go was if he used himself as an excuse!
Xue Hanglin deeply understood that Xue Yue who inherited his mother's personality might not even step foot into the US if he had not raised this request. He knew that his son who was abandoned by his mother from a young age would always have a thorn in his heart. It was the love for his mother that had transformed into resentment!
As for that cruel woman, if he himself or his son did not come looking for her, she would never look for Xue Yue on her own accord based on her personality. Even if she knew that he was on his deathbed, or even if she knew that she had a son living alone in China!
"Oh God, what sin have I committed in my life? Why are you punishing me like this!"
Bang!
Just then, the door was pushed open as a tall, sexy woman walked in soon after. She had a face with defined lines, abstruse eyes, and wore a black leather suit which made her appear domineering. But despite so, her face was as chilling as a refrigerator.
This woman was very cold without any expression on her face. When standing by her side, one could even feel a bone-chilling shiver.
"You're here!"
When he saw the woman, Xue Hanglin's pale face revealed a trace of excitement and he struggled to sit up. However, he was powerless and fell back down.
"You were looking for me?" The woman's expression was of indifference as she stared at Xue Hanglin on the hospital bed while five words came out from her mouth.
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen you. But you're so special that I've recognized you in a glance!"
Xue Hanglin shook his head with a bitter smile and his voice was somewhat hoarse. "Do you recall promising me three things unconditionally after I returned from the moon?"
"Yes!" The woman's words were as rare as gold and her expression was similar to a block of thousand-year ice without the slightest change!
Xue Hanglin smiled. However, when that smile appeared on his pale face, it gave off a feeling of indescribable bitterness. "The first thing I want you to do is to locate my son. He was faced with an accident. He was riding on the plane that collided with the meteorite today!"
A trace of change finally happened on her cold face, but her voice was still very cold. "It's impossible for there to be survivors from that plane…"
"Even if he's dead, I want to see his corpse!"
Xue Hanglin was suddenly agitated as he gritted his teeth and yelled, "Life has been harsh on this child! He did not have a mother to dote on him from a young age. Moreover, as his father, I was often away from him and we spent more time apart instead. I've given him too little and he has suffered too many hardships. He shouldn't have had a short life!"
"Help me, you have to help me find him. Promise me!"
"Ok…" The woman's brows slightly frowned and only coldly replied after some time had passed.
"As for the second promise…"
When he saw that she had agreed to his request, Xue Hanglin's pale face suddenly showed a smile. A trace of expectation and pain had also flashed past his eyes. "If… if… if you can find him and he's still alive, I want you to keep him safe throughout his life. Even though I'm in the dark about your true identity, I believe this can be easily accomplished with your abilities!"
The woman did not speak immediately and merely stared at Xue Hanglin coldly. After a long time, her ice-cold face loosened slightly and said, "Change the request. It's impossible for him to be alive!"
"I won't change it. That is my request!" Xue Hanglin stubbornly shook his head and looked at the woman without blinking.
"Alright then!"
"Thank… thank you!" After he heard her, Xue Hanglin was thoroughly relieved and breathed out the last breath he held onto. His head then tilted and his entire body went soft before he slowly closed his eyes and gradually stopped breathing.
The woman stared blankly at him for a long time before murmuring, "I owe you a life. I will definitely locate your son as long as he's alive. However…"
...
Where should he head towards?
The terrain of the deserted island was hard to traverse and it was about to be night time soon where the sky would turn pitch-black. Moreover, his right leg was injured and if he was careless, something bad might happen.
The most ideal place to go was the cave beside the pool, as there was a bed and food inside. However… The thought of the unknown animal inside the pool made him feel chills deep down as he shivered.
"No, I doubt it. It's gotta be impossible for it to come ashore. There were no traces of animal activity or footprints near the shore. I can just remain awake and stay alert at all times while spending a night in the cave. After that, I'll leave the first thing tomorrow morning…"
After he hesitated for a long time, Xue Yue finally convinced himself to return to the cave for the night.
But before that, he snapped a tree branch and crafted a simple spear!
He was very careful and extremely alert this time around. His eyes never left the pool when he approached while he stayed alert to anything that could possibly appear.
However, there was no abnormal sound except for the splashing sounds caused by the waterfall in his surroundings. Xue Yue gradually relaxed as he carefully approached the pool. When he took a look, he was suddenly rooted on the spot.
The originally clear pool had been dyed red in blood as even the surface was red in color. The water flowing out the small stream was also blood red.
Xue Yue looked down at his right leg and muttered to himself, "Even though my leg was bitten, I doubt I bled so much?"
The red pool had puzzled Xue Yue. Even though he had also bled, how could that amount possibly dye the entire pool red?
All of a sudden, Xue Yue vaguely recalled hearing a scream when he was pulled underwater. He then linked it to the fact that he managed to escape by fluke and he could not help but have a thought, "Could it be that… it was injured?"
Xue Yue found this quite possible. Otherwise, why would it have released his leg? If it was not injured, how could it have allowed him to escape?
However, how did it get injured?
No abnormal activity happened around the pool while he stood in the vicinity, so he could only guess. Instead, the sky had completely turned dark and a cold wind blew by, causing him to shiver. Without any other choice, he could only walk into the cave.
However, he did not dare to venture in too deeply and merely curled up near the entrance of the cave. In this way, he could make a quick escape even if a creature were to appear. Otherwise, if he was trapped inside, then there was honestly no way to escape and he might even meet his end!
The starry sky was bright at night, while ripples could be heard from the nearby pool. The sound of insects was soft and melodious, giving off a primitive atmosphere.
The night on the island was very long. Even though it was cool and windy, the weather was not too extreme. The problem was that he only wore a T-shirt and his pants were also wet. As a result, he felt very uncomfortable throughout this dark and lonely night.
He had not felt anything while bustling around in the daytime, but now that darkness had descended and he was frightened and scared, his longing for his father came crashing down like a flood that invaded his mind. It caused him to shed silent tears as he felt for his father's pain and suffering.
After some time had passed, the physically and mentally exhausted Xue Yue could no longer resist his surging sleepiness as he fell fast asleep.
...
Gu gu ji ji --
The daybreak morning dew twinkled with a sparkling luster, and the chirping birds sang melodiously, suppressing the sound of the waterfall. The dazzling light shone down from the East and passed through the woods before sprinkling near the pool.
With a turn, Xue Yue fell with his head hitting the ground. That strike to his head immediately sobered him up and after a short period of confusion, he bounced upright while his eyes stared outside.
It was daybreak!
"Damn it! I fell asleep!" Delayed fear crept up from within Xue Yue and fortunately, nothing happened. Soon after, he picked up the spear from the ground, left the cave, and wandered over to the pool.
"Oh my god!"
The blood within the pool had dissipated a fair bit making the appearance not as reddish as before. However, Xue Yue saw a monster floating above the water!
"What the heck is that?" Xue Yue was greatly frightened to the extent his legs felt slightly weak and he nearly turned around to escape. However, a remaining trace of curiosity made him stay.
The floating monster remained unmoved and it's round belly was revealed above the water. Just like it, it floated with the waves and was a meter or two away from the shore.
"Could it be the thing that attacked me last night?" Xue Yue was bewildered and unsure. After he hesitated for some time, he picked up a large stone and threw it over. The stone plopped somewhere near the monster and caused a splash. However, the monster remained still, as if it had not been alarmed.
"Is it dead?"
Bang!
Plop!
He threw over another stone and it had accurately struck the monster's belly this time around. But even so, there was still no response!
"Haha, it's dead. It's really dead. Hmph, it must be retribution for biting me!"
Xue Yue was ecstatic. He did not know how it had died, but when he thought of the bloody red pool, it must have been caused by that monster.
"Since you're dead, then I'm not afraid of you!"
He lifted his spear and poked at the monster but it still remained still. Xue Yue had finally relaxed and pulled it over immediately as he wanted to drag it up on shore.
But he never expected the monster to be immensely heavy! Even though it looked light from how it floated on the surface of the water, it was unusually heavy the moment it reached the shore.
Xue Yue only managed to pull it up on shore after exerting tremendous strength to pull it up. At that moment, he was surprised to find out that he had never seen this species before!
It was more than two meters long and exceptionally sturdy. It's outer appearance was similar to a sea turtle, just that it's neck, limbs and tail were much longer. Moreover, the biggest difference was that it had a shell on his abdomen but no protection on its back.
"A half-shell turtle?"
As he looked at the strange creature before him, Xue Yue suddenly recalled a creature he had seen before on a certain newspaper.
Half-shell turtle… A known species from 220 million years ago: the half-shell turtle off the coast of China was the oldest known turtle.
However, half-shell turtles were already extinct for 200 million years, so how did it appear here?