The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Delicious Sand-Roasted Whale

The flames baked the sand. Xu Qingsui’s Fire Attribute was steadily draining, but unlike using her Thunder Attribute in water, she couldn’t generate more on her own.

As time wore on, Xu Qingsui began to show signs of fatigue. She could clearly feel that her Fire Attribute was on the verge of being depleted.

Xu Qingsui frowned. If she couldn’t find the whale’s hiding spot, she would fall into a vulnerable state again once her Fire Attribute ran out. It would take time to recover.

Frustration welled up inside her, and her mind began to wander. ’How can I recharge myself, just like with the Thunder Attribute?’

She racked her brain but couldn’t come up with a solid plan, and her Fire Attribute reserves were clearly about to hit rock bottom.

When that moment came, she would have to hide in the water indefinitely to avoid the whale’s attacks. She was a little worried she’d get waterlogged after a while.

If her spirit body didn’t return to her physical one soon, who knew what kind of trouble would stir up once Lu Jingyu discovered her situation.

The more Xu Qingsui thought about it, the more anxious she became. Just then, her nostrils twitched. She caught the faint, charred aroma of roasting meat.

Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but wonder, ’Am I craving meat so much that I’m starting to hallucinate?’

As she was thinking this, the flame-scorched sand began to shift.

At first, it was as if something was wriggling under the sand, causing it to ripple slightly. Then the movement grew larger, and as it did, the meaty aroma in the air intensified.

Xu Qingsui watched the shifting sand in astonishment. Suddenly, a massive body burst from beneath it, then fell heavily back onto the beach.

Immediately, Xu Qingsui heard a sound like roasting meat coming from the beach: SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE.

Xu Qingsui took a closer look, and her furrowed brow finally smoothed out.

’So there’s the whale! And... it looks delicious...’

Seeing the whale’s body roasted to a golden brown and smelling its fragrant, meaty aroma, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but gulp.

The whale lay on the sand, twitched a few times, and then fell completely still.

Listening to the SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE of roasting flesh and smelling the mouth-watering aroma, Xu Qingsui figured the whale could no longer attack her.

Mustering her courage, she finally stepped onto the beach.

The sand, having been scorched, radiated waves of blistering heat.

When Xu Qingsui stepped on it, she felt a momentary flash of intense heat, which was quickly replaced by a feeling of immense comfort.

She stood on the sand and could clearly feel a warm current surging from the soles of her feet through her entire body.

The warm current circulated through her body, drying her seawater-soaked clothes in an instant.

The warmth then transformed into Fire Attribute, refilling her depleted reserves.

Feeling the changes within her, the corners of Xu Qingsui’s mouth tilted up into a slight smile.

’Talk about getting what you wish for.’

Her Fire Attribute could also be self-sustaining now. At this rate, she wouldn’t be afraid even if a few more whales showed up.

Her confidence surging, Xu Qingsui immediately walked up to the whale.

The closer she got to the whale, the richer the meaty aroma became. Xu Qingsui felt like she could just start eating right then and there.

The whale was on its last breath. Even with Xu Qingsui standing right beside it, it had no strength left to retaliate.

Seeing this, Xu Qingsui didn’t hesitate any longer and placed her hand on the whale’s body.

The spirit body instantly disintegrated, transforming into a blue beam of light—tinged with the scent of roasted meat—that drilled into Xu Qingsui’s palm.

Meanwhile, back in the physical world, Lu Jingyu had already checked on everyone. After making some quick arrangements, he was preparing to act immediately—to cut open this Mutant and get them out of here.

Just as he was about to tell Xu Qingsui his plan, a strange feeling suddenly welled up within Lu Jingyu.

The other team members vaguely sensed it as well.

In perfect unison, everyone looked up, scanning the fleshy prison that held them captive.

They suddenly noticed that the pinkish flesh had dimmed somewhat.

Looking closer, they could even see that the blood in the vessels had stopped flowing.

Though they sensed the change, no one delved deeper into what it meant.

Lu Jingyu strode toward Xu Qingsui, just as she opened her eyes and stood up.

”Feeling rested? We just discussed a plan. We’re going to cut this Mutant open to get out of here.”

Xu Qingsui’s brow tightened. Before, they had only seen a massive body, but the high walls of the maze had prevented them from seeing what kind of creature it was.

But after entering the Mutant’s Sea of Consciousness and seeing its spirit body, Xu Qingsui knew the behemoth was a whale.

And a whale’s hide is notoriously thick. This one was a polluted Mutant, to boot. ’Trying to cut it open like we did that turtle is going to be incredibly difficult,’ she thought.

It wasn’t impossible, but she didn’t agree with the plan.

Noticing the look on her face, Lu Jingyu asked, ”What is it? Do you have a different idea?”

Not wanting to waste time, Xu Qingsui said diplomatically, ”Based on how we were sucked in, I think this Mutant is probably a whale.”

”It’s not impossible to cut through a whale’s hide, but it certainly won’t be easy. I think we should consider other options.”

”A whale?” Lu Jingyu mulled it over for a moment, then nodded. ”Do you have a better idea?”

Xu Qingsui stroked her chin thoughtfully. ”A whale’s blowhole can suck things in and spit things out. Maybe we can use the blowhole as our way out.”

A pang of regret hit Xu Qingsui. ’Now that the whale is dead, I wonder if the blowhole can even open,’ she thought anxiously.

Lu Jingyu agreed with Xu Qingsui’s idea and immediately relayed the new plan to the others.

The team members had no objections, but the usual discordant voice inevitably piped up.

”Easier said than done. How are we supposed to make the whale spit us out? If you ask me, it sucked us in on purpose. Getting it to spit us out voluntarily won’t be so simple.”

After all this time, Xu Qingsui couldn’t be bothered to deal with Xu Ruming.

Still, her point this time was a valid one.

Xu Qingsui said she’d think of something and turned to the Golden Octopus for an answer.

’After all, octopuses and whales are both sea creatures. Even if they’re different species, it should know something,’ she reasoned.

”System, now that the whale is dead, is its blowhole passage open? Can we use it to get out of here?”

The Golden Octopus materialized before Xu Qingsui, waving its golden tentacles. ”Unfortunately, a whale’s blowhole has a cartilaginous flap that controls inhalation and exhalation. Now that the whale has lost its life force, it can no longer control this flap to open or close the passage.”

Xu Qingsui felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head, chilling her to the bone.

’So much for leaving the way we came in,’ she thought. ’Does this mean we really have to do what Lu Jingyu suggested and cut the whale open?’

[However... solutions are a matter of ingenuity. If you wish to open the passage, it is possible.]

The Golden Octopus’s slow words instantly made Xu Qingsui’s eyes light up.