Chapter Fifteen: Testing the Waters

The empty town was especially quiet at night. Though it was the height of summer, there was not a single chirp of insects or birdsong to be heard; the atmosphere was unsettling. Shen Lie returned once more to the riverbank. Despite the long hours he had spent observing, the river remained unchanged—no creatures had leapt from its depths, nor had any particularly strange phenomena occurred. After some thought, he decided to stop waiting.

He stepped back to a safe distance, picked up a stone the size of his fist, and hurled it with all his might toward the opposite shore.

There was no resistance at all; the stone sailed lightly over the water and landed with a dull thud on the far bank. Shen Lie pondered this. It seemed the river only reacted when a living being approached; inanimate objects were not within its range of attack.

Even so, he still couldn’t cross. He had nothing to conceal his own life force, and besides, he had no way of knowing how this strange water distinguished between living and non-living things. It would be unwise to act recklessly.

He began walking along the river at a greater distance, searching as he went. He hoped to find a frog or some other living creature to test his theory again, but after a long search he found nothing. Instead, he encountered an ordinary spider-beast.

This must have been a lone spider-beast out hunting. Shen Lie immediately realized why he hadn’t found any small animals or insects—these invading spider-beasts must have devoured them all. Otherwise, it was impossible that he wouldn’t find a single one.

A single spider-beast was nothing to worry about. After confirming that there was no larger group lurking nearby, he easily lured it aside and dispatched it with a few swift blows, barely making a sound in the process.

He was satisfied with his own strength, though it was a pity that this spider-beast contained no crystal stone. Of course, that was to be expected; luck like before could not be counted on every time.

After taking care of the spider-beast, Shen Lie realized the riverbank was not safe. If he couldn’t cross right away, he needed to find a hidden spot to lay low until daylight. He also wanted to gather more supplies. Crossing the river could wait another night, so he carefully moved away from the area.

With poor visibility at night, Shen Lie didn’t take any chances; he picked a random apartment building and spent the night there. At dawn, he began searching supermarkets and stores for supplies.

Although most goods had already been taken, there were still plenty left—food, water, daily necessities. He quickly filled several large bags. By moving cautiously, he managed to avoid any run-ins with the spider-beasts.

However, he noticed something odd: the spider-beasts seemed to be multiplying rapidly. Yesterday, he had only encountered around twenty; today, he saw several large groups, each numbering thirty or forty.

This was extremely dangerous. He suspected that a fixed spatial rift might be forming here; otherwise, a shifting, hidden rift shouldn’t be able to support such numbers. Regardless, it was no longer safe to remain on this side of the river. At this rate, the area would soon be overrun. No amount of hiding would prevent discovery.

Shen Lie decided to stop waiting and observing. Whatever happened, he had to try crossing today. The rift was on this side, but the river provided a barrier; the far bank was relatively safer. It was better to risk crossing now than to remain in constant peril. Once the spider-beasts filled both banks, he’d have no chance of escape.

He had prepared plenty of food, supplies, and even medicine. Of course, he couldn’t carry everything at once, but he had a plan. He transported his supplies in batches to a spot on the riverbank he’d chosen the day before, then stood a safe distance from the water, hefted one large bag, and flung it across to the opposite shore.

The river showed no reaction. Shen Lie nodded in satisfaction, further convinced that the water only attacked living beings. This meant he could stockpile supplies on the other side.

According to the woman’s journal, even if there were survivors across the river, their situation would not be good. Any living plants were likely unsafe to eat, and given the nature of the river, even well water might be undrinkable. Otherwise, the woman would not have risked crossing back for food.

If he couldn’t find a way out quickly after crossing, it was best to have ample provisions. Returning would be dangerous—not only because of the growing number of spider-beasts, but also because crossing the strange river was a risk best taken only once.

Following the same method, Shen Lie threw the rest of his supplies across. The far bank was lined with dense elms; their leaves seemed to have mutated as well, but that didn’t concern him. He opened his last remaining bag and began taking things out.

After a night of careful thought, Shen Lie devised several possible methods for crossing. The first was to use a rope.

The far bank had several large elm trees, while on this side stood a mobile signal tower. If he could secure a rope at both ends, he could easily slide across.

But for this to work, he first needed to know the river’s vertical attack range and its intensity. If even a single drop could kill, he would need to act with extreme caution.

This, too, was manageable. His morning search had not been in vain; despite the town’s desolation, he found some live animals—several caged birds.

Two larks and a thrush, all in the same large cage. There were also two big buckets: one with feed, the other with water. It was thanks to this food and water that the birds had survived. Perhaps their owner still hoped to return home.

None of the three birds had mutated, suggesting that animal mutations were not as widespread as presumed. Shen Lie opened the cage and took out the thrush. Its song might once have been beautiful, but now it was to serve as bait.

He climbed to a relatively high spot and flung the thrush into the air. As the bird regained its freedom and fluttered its wings, it chirped joyfully and tried to fly away.

But as it passed above the river, the water below rippled as if its territory had been trespassed. A streak of water shot skyward, swift as a frog’s tongue snatching prey. The thrush had no chance to react; struck by the water, it instantly burst into blood and flesh, falling back into the river, which then returned to calm.

Shen Lie swallowed hard, grateful he hadn’t tried to cross himself. He had no idea what lurked in the river; the bird had been at least four meters above the water, yet was still within attack range. The water’s force had not diminished in the slightest.

“So it’s a corrosive attack,” Shen Lie muttered, glancing at the red-tinged water. He put the remaining two birds in his pocket, then slung a pair of binoculars around his neck before climbing the signal tower.

Halfway up, he paused, looked down, then across at the elms on the far bank. He placed one of the birds into a tin can, ignoring its frantic flapping, and hurled it across.

With the added weight, the can flew in a high arc over the river, more than ten meters above the water. Suddenly, the river rippled and a jet of water shot up like an arrow, striking the can in midair. The can didn’t shatter, but the bird inside let out a cry, beat its wings twice, and then exploded into a mist of blood, falling into the river with the can.

The water’s attack bypassed the container and struck the living creature directly, dashing Shen Lie’s hope that protective gear might allow him to cross.

“Still not high enough?” he wondered. Although the bird hadn’t made it across, the force of the attack was clearly weaker this time; it hadn’t killed the bird instantly. This suggested the river’s range had its limits.

He could still climb higher, but the elms across the river were not as tall as the signal tower. Even if he reached the very top, there would be nowhere to anchor the rope on the other side.

“No matter. I’ll try anyway,” he told himself. With one more bird, he could test the safe height.

Shen Lie now deeply doubted how the woman from the inn had managed to cross from the far bank. For an ordinary person, it seemed impossible—there must be some secret he had yet to discover.

But that secret wouldn’t reveal itself in a short time, and Shen Lie had no time to look for it. This time, he climbed to the very top of the signal tower. The dizzying height made his head spin. He tied the last bird with two lengths of string, readied his binoculars, and then flung the bird toward the other bank.

With its wings bound, the bird could not struggle. It arced through the air and landed safely in the trees across the river.

Shen Lie was startled, then quickly trained his binoculars on the water below. He saw ripples spreading on the surface, but no jet of water arose. After a moment, the ripples faded, and the river returned to stillness.