# 1393
Chapter 1394: Tomato Hot Pot
Several massive shadows fell silent beneath the sea.
"I've heard that your species, aside from your exceptional concealment talent, also possesses a special ability—you can see clearly across a hundred miles, even distinguishing a single ant's antennae." Yuehuai seemed to have thought of something and spoke slowly. "Can this ability of yours share what you see with others?"
"Share? No." A massive shadow's voice transmitted.
The shadows surged, and a jet-black tentacle rose from the waves. At the tip of this tentacle, a green eyeball spun rapidly, finally locking onto Yuehuai before it.
"If you want to see what we see... you must first become one of us." The massive shadow's voice continued.
Yuehuai gazed at the eyeball before him, brow slightly furrowed, those deep eyes flickering with faint light as if contemplating something.
After a moment, he still reached out and accepted the spinning eyeball, saying flatly: "Become one of you? You overestimate yourselves. You are merely tools created by that Lord... And tools must fulfill their intended purpose at critical moments."
"You...!"
With an expressionless face, Yuehuai reached up and removed one of his own eyeballs. As blood dripped down his cheek, he forcefully stuffed the green eyeball into his own eye socket.
His bloodstained eyelids fluttered, and a strange eerie light缓缓绽放from the depths of the green eyeball.
Yuehuai, now covered in blood, surveyed his surroundings, expression somewhat bewildered. "This eye... is interesting."
Eventually, he turned toward the direction of the Island, green eyes narrowing slightly:
"Let me see... who exactly guards the fate of Great Xia..."
...
Island.
Fwoosh, crackle, crackle—!
Flames blazed from the dry branches, constantly licking the bottom of the jet-black vats. The high heat warmed the water inside, steam rising and dissipating into the air.
In the warm medicinal liquid, Lin Qiye, who had been in a comatose sleep, felt his eyelids twitch before snapping open!
His muscles tensed all over as he instinctively thrashed in the water. Only when he realized he was no longer in that endless sea did his movements abruptly cease.
Lin Qiye shook his groggy head, consciousness gradually returning. His gaze swept across his surroundings, and he froze entirely.
He blinked hard, confirming he wasn't dreaming, then wore an expression of utter bewilderment.
They were in the open-air area in front of the air-raid shelter. At this moment, four jet-black vats were suspended over four burning campfires. Inside each vat floated a member of the [Nightfall] squad.
Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, and An Qingyu were in the other three vats, eyes shut tight, seemingly still unconscious. Jiang Er's black coffin stood upright against a boulder nearby, motionless...
Besides these, no other figures could be seen.
Lin Qiye looked down at the vat he was in. It was filled with dark red liquid that bubbled as the heat beneath it intensified. Various unidentified herbal residue floated around him, making it look like a pot of boiling tomato and pork hot pot.
"What the hell..."
Lin Qiye stared at this bizarre scene, eyes full of confusion.
He continuously retrieved memories from his mind. If he remembered correctly, before losing consciousness, he should have been fighting Commander Tang Yusheng... How did he wake up to find himself being boiled in a pot?
"Coughcoughcoughcough..."
Just as Lin Qiye was about to leave, a string of coughs came from the neighboring hot pot... neighboring vat. A blob of white flesh struggled to sit up, froze in place for a moment, then let out a hearty string of expletives!
"Who's been stewing me?!"
Baili Pangpang panicked, trying to climb out of the vat. When he saw Lin Qiye in the neighboring vat, he froze again.
"Seven Nights, what primitive tribe have we been captured by?" Baili Pangpang managed after a long pause.
"...Probably not primitives." Lin Qiye casually grabbed an herb and examined it closely. "I remember my bones were shattered during that battle. Now they're basically healed... If I had to guess, this should be the commanders' work."
Hearing this, Baili Pangpang relaxed slightly.
He also reached into the vat and fished something out. Looking at the star anise, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns in his palm, he turned to stone.
"Se... Seven Nights... This doesn't look like stuff for recuperation..." Baili Pangpang stammered. "Do you think the commanders have been stranded on this Island for too long... and gone crazy from hunger?"
"Don't worry, those are for deodorizing you." Li Kengqiang's voice drifted over from nearby. "You were soaking in seawater too long. You reek of fish. There was no perfume or anything, so I just grabbed some seasoning from last night's cooking to get the smell off you."
Cao Yuan and An Qingyu nearby woke up one after another, curiously打量着四周.
"Gun Brother, where are we..." Lin Qiye asked, puzzled.
"I saved your lives, and used some mild herbs to stimulate your potential." Li Kengqiang's gaze swept across the four's ruddy faces, satisfied. "Looks like this first training session went well."
Lin Qiye closed his eyes and found his spiritual power had indeed improved compared to before. Though the increase was small, for a "Klein" apex, every bit of progress was precious.
Additionally, his injuries from the battle had healed almost completely, and even his mental exhaustion had vanished.
"How much longer do we need to stay in?" An Qingyu asked.
"About two more hours." Li Kengqiang glanced at the sky. "Just relax in there. I'll keep adding firewood for you."
As he spoke, Li Kengqiang dragged another large bundle of branches from the nearby woods, stuffing them one by one into the fires beneath the four vats. The flames grew larger and larger.
For Lin Qiye and the others now, this temperature was nothing at all. They only felt warm all over and quite comfortable. Since they couldn't leave for a while anyway, they simply closed their eyes and relaxed...
...
A hundred miles away.
A gentle breeze brushed across the sea's surface. Yuehuai stared at the distant Island, expression gradually stiffening.
That green eye clearly saw a figure carrying a bundle of branches, constantly adding fuel beneath the four steaming vats... And in each vat, a figure floated on the scalding water. The surrounding dark red liquid churned, occasionally churning out Sichuan peppercorns and star anise as steam rose upward.
Beneath the seawater, several massive shadows also watched this scene. After a long silence, they couldn't help but speak:
"Yuehuai, are you sure we haven't found the wrong place?
This looks like nothing but a primitive tribe... How could it possibly be Great Xia's dragon's eye?"