But from here, things started to become a bit different...
Wang Xueqi, in the last moment of being drowned, had realized what her fate would be. Her final thought was like a desperate scream, echoing in the water.
"Don’t! Don’t come over! Don’t drown..."
In her final moment, when she knew for certain she was going to die, knew she would inevitably become the next Water Ghost, she thought of those friends who worried about her. They feared she was too isolated, were willing to care for her, take her out for walks, hike mountains, and help her relax.
Her last thought was that, if she died here and turned into a Water Ghost, she absolutely did not want to drag her friends into the water to drown if they also fell in.
Her final cry, her final roar, the strongest, purest, and most resolute will of her entire life, erupted at the moment she was to take over.
She couldn’t prevent her own death, but she managed to slightly alter something derived from the ancient profession of the Water Ghost.
She couldn’t change the most fundamental rule of the ancient Water Ghost profession: to be set free, one must drag someone in, drown them, and make them the new Water Ghost to inherit the profession.
But her screams and final struggle were deeply imprinted upon this Domain. The moment the Domain appeared, they became part of its rules.
She didn’t want her friends, should they fall, to suffer the same fate as her. This will and wish were so strong that they began to evolve into a part of the Domain’s rules.
Humans cannot enter this Domain.
But this directly conflicted with the fundamental rules, and the system couldn’t operate. So, for the system to evolve, it was altered so that only non-human entities could enter this Domain.
The system could now operate, but a new problem emerged. She wanted to be freed, yet she still had to drag someone into the pool and drown them to pass on the Water Ghost profession.
The rules themselves became contradictory. As a result, a bug occurred, and she became stuck here.
From then on, she would never find release.
Wen Yan felt Wang Xueqi’s final cries and sensed her last wish. Everything around him vanished, and he was once again in the gloomy depths of the water.
Wen Yan looked at Wang Xueqi, who had regained a bit of consciousness, a slight smile appearing on his face. He was almost out of breath. Then, he opened his mouth and took a deep breath. Even though he felt water pouring into his mouth and filling his lungs, he experienced no sensation of choking at all. It was as if he were standing on land, breathing air normally. Seeing Wang Xueqi’s somewhat panicked expression, he reassured her, "It’s okay, don’t worry."
He hadn’t guessed wrong. From the first time he saw Wang Xueqi, even though Natural Enemy had provided a hint, it hadn’t generated the corresponding Temporary Ability. Back then, Wen Yan had already begun to suspect. It was like when he encountered Honest Man, Pei Tugou; Natural Enemy Profession had given him a choice: did he need the corresponding ability or not? Wen Yan’s intuition told him it wasn’t necessary. Consequently, the corresponding Temporary Ability was ’None.’ And this time, upon meeting Wang Xueqi, there wasn’t even an opportunity to choose; the result was directly ’None.’ At the same time, Natural Enemy Profession wouldn’t issue a prompt for every insignificant encounter. If a prompt was given, it meant it was necessary, indicating that the subject was, at the very least, not weak, or perhaps rather special. Considering all this, Wen Yan surmised that this ’None’ signified that there was absolutely no need whatsoever. When he saw why Wang Xueqi had become a Water Ghost, he was completely certain he hadn’t been mistaken. Indeed, it was completely unnecessary, because the power of this Domain simply couldn’t harm any living person.
Wang Xueqi’s most fervent will had burned and twisted the rules, setting the ancient Water Ghost profession on a new path.
Let all misfortune end with me. After me, this professional line—which has continued for who knows how many successions and harmed countless individuals—will never again be passed on to another.
Wen Yan looked at the Water Ghost before him, who had regained some consciousness and was now panicking, trying to push him away. He was at a loss for words.
Even though he had suspected it, he was still profoundly shocked at the moment of true confirmation. He thought of those three Ghosts, who had forgotten even their own names, yet retraced their former path to find the missing Wang Xueqi, ultimately falling to their deaths from a cliff. Their only lingering thought after death was merely that phrase: "We brought her out, so we must bring her back." And between them, to put it bluntly, they were merely online gaming friends, yet the kindness they shared was exceptionally pure.
"You need to go! Hurry, get away from here! You’ll drown..."
Wang Xueqi, having regained a little consciousness, immediately began to frantically pull at Wen Yan’s body, trying to push him towards the water’s surface. But the surface seemed perpetually out of reach, and she grew increasingly anxious.
"Don’t worry, it’s all right. Thanks to you, no one will drown here anymore."
Wang Xueqi gradually calmed down. She finally realized that Wen Yan was speaking to her underwater without producing any bubbles, and he showed no signs of distress. Information beyond the fundamental rules of this Domain also began to surface in her mind. She gradually understood what Wen Yan was saying and became certain that he was indeed a living person.
"I should still get you to the surface first..."
Wang Xueqi stubbornly insisted on taking Wen Yan to the surface, supporting him as she continuously floated upwards.
"How much do you remember?"
"I lost consciousness after I died. Now I can only recall bits and pieces. It seems like every day I pulled strange people or talking animals into the water. Some of them simply couldn’t be drowned."
"Do you remember those Zombies and other Ghosts?"
"I don’t remember clearly. I vaguely recall there were a great many, but I only saw them once. Is this important?"
"Yes, very important. Whatever you can remember, please try to tell me."
"I don’t remember clearly. It’s very vague."
"No problem. Take your time, no rush."
As they talked, a faint light appeared above their heads. Wang Xueqi immediately smiled and hastened her ascent, supporting Wen Yan as she floated upwards.
The moment Wen Yan’s head broke through the water’s surface, as expected, the unexpected happened.
As far as he could see, it was no longer that pool. There was no dense forest around, no mountains.
The place where he surfaced was a dilapidated factory. Under a dim sky, only some burning buildings and vehicles illuminated the scene.
Everything in sight was filled with rust and decay. Of the huge steel structures, many parts were rusted through and broken, and one had already collapsed halfway.
Inside the factory, Walking Dead roamed everywhere, and Wraiths drifted about. Sounds of pain and wailing rose and fell throughout the area.
And the place he had surfaced from was not a natural pool or river, but a square, man-made pool, its water looking none too clean.
In another pool in the distance, the water churned into waves, continuously surging out from within it, relentlessly flinging out Walking Dead and Wraiths.
Uncle and the Little Zombie were also among them.
Wen Yan, looking at this scene, muttered to himself, "This is indeed the surface, but it seems I’ve come out onto the wrong one..."