Chapter 311: Wheel of Time (Part 2/3)
Translator: Strivon
It was reasonable for Xue Lei to be worried.
It was hard to stand steadily on the smooth and soft back of the devil ray. Plus, right now Luo Nan was very weak. Were it not for Xue Lei supporting him, he would have fallen down as soon as his other foot left the ground.
Luo Nan had no intentions of giving up partway. He took in a deep breath, and the lightning in his eye sockets flashed once more. The marvelous power of the large and small gears coupling penetrated through his body. It was like the stimulation from defibrillation. All the pores in his body opened up, and a tingly heat condensed in a small circle within and outside his body.
"Huh?"
Xue Lei was caught off guard by the sensation of electricity running through his palm. He loosened his grip by reflex, but his reaction was top-notch in terms of swiftness. He reached out to support Luo Nan again, but Luo Nan already stepped out with his left foot at the edge of the devil ray's back. He was really standing atop the flat body of the devil ray.
The devil ray wasn't quite used to it. The degree its body undulated suddenly increased. Luo Nan's body began to lean forward helplessly. However, the coupling effect of the heart lantern of the eyes orifice illuminated in a timely fashion. A mass of predictive lines were laid out. It was as if an invisible spiderweb unfurled upon the devil ray's back.
The 'stick strength', namely the sense of balance between the devil ray and Luo Nan, was marvelous and rapidly increasing.
Luo Nan's own predictions toward the control of the devil ray, and the information-sharing mode formed from the coupling of the large and small gears allowed Luo Nan's foresight to permeate deep within the devil ray's body. Luo Nan could see every single corner outside and inside the devil ray, as well as all its emotional changes.
Actually, his heart lantern of the eyes orifice had yet to fully mature, but the transformation that arose from coupling exceeded the limits of the heart lantern of the eyes orifice. Gym Master Xiu had said, "The sole heart lantern illuminates the nine netherworlds." Luo Nan had yet to see the 'nine netherworlds', but the clarity of his 'heart depths' was not inferior.
Aside from being separated by skin and flesh, right now Luo Nan and the devil ray could be said to be of one body, with Luo Nan's will in the center.
In this state, Luo Nan stepped out, and this was enough to eliminate his momentum from leaning forward. He rocked a little bit and grasped his balance. It appeared dangerous, but he was actually quite stable.
The devil ray's body endlessly rippled beneath his feet. Luo Nan thought for a moment, then decided to simply stop moving. The devil ray's flat body’s shaking intensity increased. With controlling intent, Luo Nan stepped on this rippling body to move levelly across. He moved until he reached the head section of the devil ray.
With a mere thought, the two long head fins of the devil ray flipped up. These things were used by the devil ray to help catch prey. At that moment, Luo Nan used them as handrails. He held them to stand firmly upon the devil ray's giant body.
It was certainly a bit awkward to hold on to the head fins of the devil ray. However, the devil ray’s fear of Luo Nan remained a dense cloud of thunder in its heart. The behavior of its enormous body was naturally led and affected by these emotions. The flapping rate of its wing-like fins increased by quite a margin.
"Nanster, don't be impulsive!" Xue Lei wanted to jump up as well, but if he did, the balance Luo Nan had with the devil ray would instantly be broken. It would be very difficult for Luo Nan to adjust. Therefore, the devil ray shook its body in a very unfriendly manner. It floated up, not giving Xue Lei a chance.
Xue Lei was worried, but he had some energy. He looked at where Luo Nan's gaze was directed; it was cast into the jungle behind the darkness of the night sky. How could Xue Lei not know what his best friend was thinking. Xue Lei went, "Hey! Hey!" immediately, but he stumbled on his words. He was unable to say anything to stop Luo Nan. He could only ask Zhang Yingying for help.
"Hurry up and persuade Nanster. He's going to ride the fish and fly over…."
"Uh, what?"
The situation had changed far too quickly, with most of the key details occuring on the mental plane. Zhang Yingying wasn't clear on the changes in circumstances on the viewing platform. She just felt that there was something wrong with her ears. It sounded like Xue Lei's mouth had cramped up.
Precisely in her bafflement, Luo Nan actually took the initiative to contact her. "Give me information on Tank."
"Tank. I say—"
"AT ONCE!"
Luo Nan's voice wasn't high in volume, but the depth of it agitated one's heart. Zhang Yingying became inexplicably timid. She hemmed and hawed. "That person's body is of excellent quality, and he has outstanding mastery over it. He can strengthen parts of his body's defensive power at the last minute, but other than that he's nothing special."
"Is his defensive power formidable?" It seemed that Luo Nan didn't quite understand.
"What's going on over there? Hey, Nanster, you…. Oh my god!"
Before Zhang Yingying could finish speaking, a terrifying deep whistle exploded from her side. Her heart suddenly tightened and she felt the blood rush from her head. Her brain felt dizzy, and her entire body felt terrible. She cut off the communications by reflex. Her body's feelings improved a bit, but by the time she came to, she could only look at the severed communications indication, and smacked her head.
The devil ray rose sevenish meters above the viewing platform. It suddenly opened its enormous mouth. At the same time, the two columns and four rows for a total of eight mouth slits opened up below its stomach. This location would be the location of the cheeks for a normal devil ray. But after the mutation, this part had been alienized. Now, there were residues of oceanic flesh left from the destruction in the crystal pillar, giving the mutant a tyrannical air.
A low frequency hissing was coming out from the enormous mouth and the slits.
The hissing sound was propelled by enormous pressure to diffuse in all directions. The rumbling vibration was like a heavy train galloping across. It caused every frame, structure, and protective glass to intensely vibrate atop the viewing platform. It was like an earthquake was happening.
But this deep hissing sound didn't even last five seconds. The platform suddenly went silent. It wasn't that the sound had stopped; the sound waves had simply changed frequencies. It had gone below the 20 Hz boundary, entering the infrasonic wave realm.
The vibrations transmitting through the air didn't directly affect Snake Tongue, but they were able to stupefy her.
The penetration power of the infrasonic waves was formidable. The information transmitted was accurate. The life forms in the ocean felt a sense of danger through it, and they discerned the direction it came from. However, there were few things that could produce such powerful sound waves at will.
Theoretically speaking, the mutant devil ray with its enormous mass and pure fleshly power should be close to A-Rank. Its fleshly body was strong and flexible; as long as the body was put to appropriate use, high frequencies and low frequencies were easy when using the cavities to emit sound. It made sense.
The key lay in the application. The devil ray possessed the ability to produce ferocious and shocking infrasonic waves, but this wasn't part of its natural instinct. It lacked this instinct even after the mutation. If it had, it would have displayed a shocking change in how it hunted prey. The management of Cloud City Water Village wouldn't have placed this dangerous large beast into the crystal pillar.
In other words, Luo Nan reprogrammed the way the devil ray applied its power after controlling it. What other changes could he induce?
How did Luo Nan do this? And, what did he plan to use infrasonic waves for?
A series of questions piled up to combine into one with the dark cloud Snake Tongue harbored in her mind. This made her feel that her luck was turning for the worse. Her train of thought was unavoidably influenced by these series of changes. She became somewhat distracted.
But suddenly, a substantial psychic pressure pressed down upon her in this moment, making her mind shiver.
A drifting 'curtain' had been erected atop the viewing platform. For the sake of better producing sound waves, the devil ray's enormous body went nearly ninety degrees vertical. Although it was like this, it formed a sunken pit in the flesh of its back, giving Luo Nan a support point to maintain balance.
Right now, Luo Nan grasped its head-fins in his hands. His vision rested over the colossus by a head. His relative height exceeded ten meters. In this towering situation, he seemed like a god riding a demonic beast, and he looked down upon Snake Tongue's soul body from above.
Luo Nan's eye sockets remained flowing with blood, but the dazzling lightning continued to flash within. It radiated with brilliance, revealing a different sort of cold intent.
A jolt ran through Snake Tongue's mind, but her pride made her refuse to continue being controlled by Luo Nan. She immediately adjusted the wind, the medium she used to talk, and she spoke cheerily, "Lord Luo, the winds are strong up high. You should be careful. Maybe you need my help. I can talk with Tank…."
She suddenly stopped talking halfway through.
The high-pressure infrasonic waves didn't directly destroy Snake Tongue's Vocal Spell, but the most suitable frequency was calibrated after a period of time. Changes subsequently came.
Atop the viewing platform, the tourists, who had been knocked unconscious by Luo Nan early on, still maintained a murky consciousness. However, they began to groan and struggle in their dazes, as if they were in nightmares.
Snake Tongue understood the true target of the infrasonic waves at last…. The vehicles for her Nightmare Vine Spell were suffering from the attack of the infrasonic waves. They caused a dangerous resonance to form in the tourists’ chests.
Wasn't this no different from mass murder?
The Nightmare Vine Spell was erected upon people's bodies, using them as vehicles. If this group of people were to all die, the spell would naturally disintegrate. But Snake Tongue had analyzed Luo Nan's temperament before. She didn't believe that this teenager had the guts to wipe out several dozen... no, hundreds of people.
It must be known that the penetration power of infrasonic waves was considerable. Finding the right frequency with the mutant devil ray's near A-Rank level in power required sweeping enormous sound waves through the core of the viewing platform. The civilians several dozen floors below would likely all die as well!
But looking at Luo Nan's attitude…. Could it be that his mother's work being on the verge of destruction had agitated Luo Nan enough to lose all sense of reason? Just looking at those eyes, interwoven with a bloody glow and flaring lightning, made Snake Tongue terrified of confirming this.
A second later, or maybe even less time than that, Snake Tongue suddenly heard Luo Nan speak. "I shouldn't be wasting any further time on you, but I need practice…."
Luo Nan spoke openly, with not a hint of coloration from emotions. This showed that Luo Nan still maintained his sense of reason. However, the strength of his rationality was unable to contain his restless killing intent.
Snake Tongue didn't understand what Luo Nan meant by 'practice', but she soon realized that Luo Nan had excellent control over the infrasonic waves, whether it was in intensity or in scope of influence.
Luo Nan did this accurate work with the devil ray in a way utterly incomprehensible to Snake Tongue. He caused several dozens of people to wander above the line between life and death, but they didn't make contact with the line.
Soon, the results of this method revealed themselves.
The resonance of the heart and lung organs wasn't so intense that it was fatal; it just sent the unconscious people's blood and energies into turbulence. This affected the functions of their nervous systems, forming all sorts of unwellness for those unconscious. It formed unsteady states of chaotic thoughts and bad feelings.
Snake Tongue knew that things were bad. The fortifications formed from the Nightmare Vine Spell had the primary functions of diverting and blood-drawing, most especially the latter. The spell needed external energy. It stimulated the potential of its victims and drew their energies to strengthen itself.
But these people's blood and energies were now a big mess thanks to Luo Nan's meddling. They couldn't possible have any potential energy now. It was fine if this was the case with only one or two of them, but with several dozen of them like this, even though Snake Tongue was a mage, it was impossible for her to control the situation in such a short time frame.
Plus there existed the rush of power from the whiplash in the midst of this chaos. A strange feeling came at the same time as the whiplash. It was as if several dozen invisible hammers were fiercely bombarding into the roots of the Nightmare Vine Spell. Lightning even coursed through!