099. The Sea of Entropy
The player named Muga-Muga was Old Blind's ace in the hole.
Li Aozi's Omega Energy rental service was extensive, but it was obvious to anyone that [Gravity] was his most powerful force—though it came at a steep price.
They pooled together all of the guild's resources, barely scraping together enough for one slot. Without hesitation, Old Blind gave the sole rented [Gravity] Omega Energy to Muga-Muga, the most skilled, highest-level, and quickest-reacting player, to complete the mission.
Sure enough, Muga-Muga easily infiltrated the facility. Thanks to [Gravity]'s invisibility effect, he could remain hidden for 40 minutes. As for taking pictures, there was no need to worry—he could take screenshots, upload them to the game forum, and then download them in-game. It was a great way to generate attention, making the rental even more worthwhile.
As Muga-Muga moved quickly through the underground facility, he was awestruck by the sights before him, still a rookie in many ways. Complex particle colliders, one-to-one scale urban warfare killhouses, exoskeletons that allowed people to walk and leap on walls and ceilings with ease, and even machinery that enhanced [Martial Artist]'s combat abilities.
The four nations had deeply studied superhumans, focusing heavily on boosting the combat power of low-level superhumans. Whether it was giving them greater mobility to avoid artillery fire or equipping them with armor too heavy for ordinary humans but just right for superhumans, they aimed to maximize destructive power by blending cold and hot weapons.
There were even Omega Energy users on display, being dissected and experimented on. These individuals were laid out openly on operating tables, their bodies cut in half, electrodes stimulating their brains to observe how Omega Energy affected their organs during release. The scene was so gruesome that Muga-Muga almost vomited after taking the screenshots.
Despite the shocking visuals, Muga-Muga still hadn't found his target—the hydrogen bomb.
He continued to descend, burning through a lot of Omega Energy. He took a break by hiding in a trash bin, recharging his energy before resuming his reconnaissance.
The invisibility effect of [Gravity] was strange. It seemed to bend light away, but as a result, the player felt unnaturally cold, as though deprived of external radiation. Thankfully, it was just a game, so he could endure the discomfort.
Muga-Muga kept taking screenshots and closely coordinating with his teammates, mapping out as much detail as possible. Though the Murloc Guild didn't have its own analysts, they had a huge following from their streaming roots. In no time, fans in their chat were helping analyze the underground structure.
"This is clearly designed like a termite nest. B4 looks like a fire exit, G9 could be a civil defense shelter... hey, H3 is interesting. It's placed here, could it be connected to an elevator shaft?"
Taking the advice from their fans, Old Blind directed Muga-Muga to move toward H3. Nervously, Muga-Muga tiptoed past security, barely breathing as he worked to keep his heartbeat steady.
As he approached, he found H3 was indeed a hidden elevator shaft. After waiting a while, the elevator opened, and a group of scientists and researchers in heavy protective suits emerged, guarded by armed escorts. Muga-Muga quickly slipped inside, blending with the next group of passengers heading downward.
The elevator descended slowly, likely because it had a long way to go. After 20 minutes, during which a researcher nearly bumped into him, Muga-Muga was forced to balance on one foot for several minutes, pressing tightly into the corner.
Finally, just as Muga-Muga's energy was nearly depleted, the elevator jolted to a stop. The doors opened, and the group poured out, giving Muga-Muga his first glimpse of the lowest level.
But as he stood there in the soft sand, the salty sea breeze brushing against his face, the scene before him left him in a state of shock.
"...WTF?"
Old Blind, noticing Muga-Muga's strange reaction, asked, "Hey, Muga-Muga, what's up? Did you find the hydrogen bomb?"
"No, not yet. But damn... this... this can't be real!"
"What are you talking about? Muga-Muga, explain yourself."
"It's impossible. This makes no sense," Muga-Muga muttered in disbelief.
"What did you see?"
"The sea."
Muga-Muga answered:
"I see the sea, but there's no water. I see the sky, but there are no clouds. My god... this is unbelievable."
Old Blind and the others exchanged confused looks. After berating him briefly, they coaxed Muga-Muga into reluctantly starting his game stream.
After a short delay, Old Blind and the others entered the stream and witnessed the "sea without water":
Pale blue fog, thick like the clouds of Calamity, swirled across the ground. Sea creatures—fish, jellyfish, and whales—floated freely in the fog as if they were swimming in water. Massive coral reefs, 70 to 80 meters tall, covered the land, and in the distance, they saw a small floating island with houses, fields, palm trees, and a beach.
But where was the water?
Why did that blue fog look so similar to the form of Calamity?
The breathtaking scene immediately drew in a large number of viewers, and the livestream's popularity skyrocketed. Even Li Aozi, browsing the forums, received a notification about it. Clicking into the stream, a smile spread across his face.
"Yes, that's it."
He nodded slightly:
"Calamity is the thought of the Lord of Entropy, and Abandoned Mist is the information destroyed by the Lord of Entropy."
The ocean here wasn't a real ocean, and while the creatures within it were real, they weren't living beings—just meaningless fragments of information.
This was the terrifying aspect of the Lord of Entropy... those destroyed by the Lord never realized they had been destroyed.
Yet, because of the nature of Abandoned Mist, people used it to recreate scenes from past eras or to hide certain secrets.
Such as the hydrogen bomb—or perhaps... the Isle of Elves.