Chapter Fifteen: Testing the Waters

The empty town was especially quiet at night. Though it was the height of summer, not a single insect chirped, nor did any bird sing; the atmosphere was unnervingly oppressive.

Shen Lie returned to the riverside once more. After such a long time, the river remained unchanged—no creatures leaped from its depths, nor did anything particularly unusual occur. He thought for a moment and decided not to wait any longer.

He backed away carefully, picked up a stone the size of his fist, swung his arm, and hurled it forcefully across the river. Unimpeded, the stone soared lightly over the water and landed with a dull thud on the opposite bank. Shen Lie pondered this; it seemed the river only reacted when living beings approached, non-living objects were not within its range of attack.

Even so, crossing was impossible. He had nothing that could mask his life signals, nor did he know how this strange river distinguished between living and non-living things. Attempting it recklessly would be irrational.

Shen Lie continued to walk along the river, keeping a safe distance, searching as he went. He hoped to find a frog or some other living creature to test his theory, but after searching for quite some time, he found nothing—until he encountered an ordinary spider monster.

It was likely a spider monster out hunting alone. Shen Lie instantly realized that the insects and animals here had probably all been devoured by these newly arrived monsters; otherwise, it wouldn’t be so difficult to find a single creature.

One lone spider monster didn’t faze Shen Lie. After ensuring it wasn’t followed by a larger group, he easily lured it aside and dispatched it in a few swift moves, barely making a sound in the process.

He was fairly satisfied with his own strength, though regrettably, this spider monster’s body contained no crystal stones. That was normal; luck like before couldn’t be counted on every time.

After dealing with the spider, Shen Lie realized the riverside was unsafe. If he couldn’t cross immediately, he needed to hide somewhere discreet and wait for daylight. He also wanted to gather more supplies; crossing the river could wait one more night. With this in mind, he carefully moved away.

With poor visibility at night, Shen Lie didn’t risk moving about. He found a random apartment building to spend the night in, and only at dawn did he begin searching supermarkets and stores for supplies.

Most goods had already been taken, but enough remained—food, water, necessities—he gathered several large bags with ease. By deliberately avoiding the monsters, he managed not to encounter any.

However, Shen Lie noticed something unusual: the number of spider monsters seemed to be increasing. Yesterday he’d encountered just over twenty; today he saw several large groups, each with thirty to forty monsters.

This was extremely dangerous. He suspected a stable spatial rift might be forming here; otherwise, a shifting, hidden rift shouldn’t have such enormous throughput. In any case, the riverside was no longer tenable. At this rate, soon the area would be swarming with monsters, making concealment nearly impossible.

Shen Lie decided not to wait any longer. Regardless of the risks, he had to attempt to cross the river today. With the rift hidden on this side and the river blocking access, the far bank was comparatively safer. It was better to risk crossing now than to remain under constant threat; once the monsters covered both banks, crossing would no longer be an option.

He prepared plenty of provisions, even medicines. Of course, Shen Lie couldn’t carry everything on his person, but he had a plan. He first transported the supplies in batches to the spot he’d selected by the river yesterday. Then, carrying one bag, he approached the river at a safe distance, braced himself, and hurled it across with all his strength.

Seeing the river remain inert, Shen Lie nodded in satisfaction, further confirming that the water only attacked living beings. This meant he could stockpile supplies on the opposite bank.

According to the woman’s notes, even if survivors existed across the river, their situation would be dire. No one dared eat any living plants, and the river’s appearance suggested even well water might not be safe to drink. Otherwise, the woman wouldn’t have risked crossing back to find food.

If he couldn’t find a way out soon after crossing, it would be safer to have extra food and water, sparing him from having to return. With the monsters increasing and the river’s strange dangers, once was risk enough.

Following the same method, Shen Lie threw all the remaining supplies across. The opposite bank was lined with dense elm trees, their leaves seemingly mutated as well, but that was of no concern. He opened the last bag and began retrieving items.

After pondering overnight, Shen Lie devised several possible methods to cross. The first was a rope.

The far bank was conveniently lined with large elm trees, and this side had a mobile signal tower. If he could connect the two ends with a rope at height, he could slide across easily.

However, for this to work, he first needed to know the river’s attack height and strength. If even a single splash could be fatal, caution was paramount.

This was manageable; his morning sweep had yielded some living creatures. Though the town was bleak, Shen Lie found several birds in cages—two larks and a thrush, all in a large cage with two buckets, one for feed, one for water. Thanks to these provisions, the birds survived; perhaps their owner still hoped to return home.

None of the three birds had mutated, proving animal mutation wasn’t universal even in the apocalypse. He opened the cage, grabbed the thrush, and though its song might once have been pleasant, now it would serve as bait.

Standing at a relatively high spot, Shen Lie tossed the lark upward. As the momentum faded midair, the bird regained control, fluttered its wings, and prepared to fly off with a cheerful chirp.

But it had reached the space above the river. The water, as if sensing an intrusion, rippled; a water line shot skyward with such speed Shen Lie was reminded of a frog’s tongue catching prey.

The bird was struck instantly, dissolving into a bloody mist, falling back into the river with the water line. The surface quickly returned to calm.

Shen Lie swallowed hard, grateful he hadn’t attempted to cross recklessly. Whatever lurked in the river, the bird had been at least four meters above it, yet still within range—its killing force undiminished.

"So it’s a corrosive attack?" Shen Lie muttered, glancing at the reddish water. He pocketed the remaining two birds, retrieved a telescope from his bag, hung it around his neck, and began climbing the signal tower.

Halfway up, he paused, looked down, then at the elm trees opposite. He put one bird into a tin can, ignoring its frantic fluttering, and hurled it toward the far bank.

With the added weight, it traced a strong arc through the air, crossing high above the river. Suddenly, the surface rippled; a water column shot skyward like an arrow, striking the can dead center. The can remained intact, but the bird inside gave a mournful cry, fluttered twice, then exploded into blood mist, falling back into the river with the can.

The water line ignored the can’s barrier, attacking the living being directly, dashing Shen Lie’s hopes of crossing in protective gear.

"Still not high enough?" Shen Lie observed that though the bird failed to cross, the river’s attack was weaker—it hadn’t killed the bird instantly. This proved the river’s attack range had limits.

Now he was halfway up the tower. He could climb higher, but the elm trees on the opposite side weren’t as tall; even if he reached the top, there’d be no place to anchor a rope.

"No matter, I’ll try anyway!" Shen Lie looked up. He still had a bird left; first, he’d determine a safe height.

He doubted how the woman from the inn managed to cross—an ordinary person accomplishing such a feat was a miracle, surely there was some secret he hadn’t discovered.

But that secret wasn’t something he could find quickly, nor did he have time. This time, he climbed to the very top of the tower. Looking down made him dizzy, but he tied the bird securely with rope, adopted a throwing stance, and, holding the telescope to his eye, flung the bird toward the opposite bank.

Bound tightly, the bird couldn’t struggle, and, like a stone, traced a path through the sky, landing smoothly among the trees across the river.

Shen Lie was startled, then quickly scanned the river below with his telescope. He saw ripples spreading across the surface, but no water column arose; after a moment, the agitation faded and the river grew calm once more.