Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 155: Underwater World
Perhaps to keep players from getting scared, the fall was slow. It took them several minutes to float down the five or six meters into the ocean.
Shi Lan heard a splash, but before the water could submerge them, a transparent bubble instantly formed around her and Jiang Xia, securely shielding them within.
They were now inside a single bubble.
Jiang Xia was full of relief. "It’s a good thing I held onto Lanlan on the way down. We almost got separated."
Hearing him say that, Shi Lan realized they were still holding each other. She quickly let go, her face turning a little red. Perhaps from overexcitement, her heart was still beating erratically, as if it would leap out of her throat at any moment.
Jiang Xia also felt a belated sense of bashfulness. Alone together in such a confined space, he could clearly smell the faint scent of roses on her. He remembered it was the same scent as the shampoo she had given him before.
But he had used that shampoo, and it was nothing compared to Lanlan’s own scent.
Besides, from holding Lanlan so tightly just now, he’d discovered how soft her entire body was. The part pressed just below his chest was especially, unbelievably soft.
Jiang Xia didn’t dare to dwell on what that was. In their society, people were very open about pursuing partners; he wasn’t that naive.
For some reason, he found it a little hard to breathe. He couldn’t help but greedily take a few breaths of the fragrance filling the air before his Adam’s apple bobbed twice. "Let’s head into the sea now."
At this moment, their bubble was floating on the surface of the sea, drifting with the waves. Curious seagulls circled nearby.
Shi Lan wasn’t feeling very calm herself, so she didn’t notice there was anything off about him.
She just nodded, watching as Jiang Xia found the control stick and they began to gradually sink into the water.
At first, Shi Lan’s mind was a jumble of thoughts, but her gaze was soon drawn to the world outside the bubble.
The reason so many people flocked to the ocean, aside from its rich marine products, was its beautiful scenery. Even though the real ocean came with many dangers, it still couldn’t stop humanity’s advance.
Shi Lan couldn’t swim, so she’d never truly been in the ocean. Being a complete landlubber, the most she had ever dared was splashing around in the shallows with a flotation ring. Anything more was out of the question.
However, she had been to many aquariums at various tourist spots.
Those aquariums bore the marks of human creation. While beautiful, they lacked the magnificence and naturalness of the true seabed. But this place was different. Every reef, piece of coral, and the patterns on the fish were so realistic they seemed real.
Jiang Xia explained to her, "The deepest part of the ocean world in the holographic game is 1,000 meters. These 1,000 meters are almost a perfect replica of the real Ocean Star."
That’s why many marine biologists also come to this game area to explore, since they can avoid the dangers of the real world.
Shi Lan’s jaw dropped. "Doesn’t that make the program incredibly complex?"
Jiang Xia’s lips curved smugly. "It’s not so bad. A large part of the program was built by an intelligent AI. I happen to have shares in that AI company, and it’s backed by the Mu Family."
"That impressive?"
Jiang Xia nodded. Even though he kind of disliked Mu Tangfeng, Mu Tangfeng’s mother was incredible. "Actually, the original idea for holographic games came from Mu Tangfeng’s mother. She and her other Beast Husband then developed a true, fully autonomous management AI, and that AI assisted in developing most of the game."
"Then are the robots in the prison also owned by the Mu Family?"
Jiang Xia shook his head. "No. Since that includes many combat robots, they’re all under the state’s central control. The Four Great Families only participate as investors, but the research teams all answer to the Monarch."
"Oh, I see."
Shi Lan didn’t know much about these things, so she just nodded, thinking, ’No wonder Mu Tangfeng is so familiar with how robots are built. His mother is incredible.’
Meanwhile, outside, more than an hour had passed, and Shi Lan and Jiang Xia still hadn’t emerged. Growing impatient, Mu Tangfeng was asking his mother for administrative privileges for the holographic game.
He knew the holographic game pods were his family’s creation, but his mother had said that to protect every user’s privacy, central control was currently shared between the AI, Fengbao, herself, and the other developer, his "Third Uncle." That’s why he’d never thought to ask for access.
Perhaps because he had experienced the holographic game pods very early on, Mu Tangfeng didn’t have much interest in the games themselves. Compared to that, he was probably more interested in studying Fengbao.
Now that he was asking again, his mother refused him just the same and even asked what he wanted it for.
Mu Tangfeng obviously couldn’t say it was to find Jiang Xia and Shi Lan’s location in the game. After hemming and hawing for a long time, he could only give up.
His mother said gently, "Your temperament isn’t steady enough yet. When you start your own family in the future, the family company will gradually be handed over to you. You’ll have the authority then."
Mu Tangfeng didn’t really want to inherit the family business; he preferred joining the military and fighting on the battlefield. But he was the only heir to the Mu Family. In the past, hearing his mother say this would have made him look impatient and resistant.
But now, he was silent for a moment before nodding.
’I really do need to make more money to give Lanlan a better life.’
’I remember the director mentioning Ocean Star... buying one costs 1.3 billion Star Coins. I’m still a long way off. I have to work harder.’
Mu Tangfeng’s mother looked at him in surprise. After a moment, she said with a beaming smile, "My dear Feng’er really has grown up."
Mu Tangfeng’s face grew a little hot. Embarrassed that his mother had seen through him so easily, he quickly ended the call.
When people have too much time on their hands, their minds tend to wander. Unwilling to think about what Jiang Xia and Shi Lan were doing in the holographic game, he decided to pull out the projection recording device Shi Lan had given him last time.
「Inside the holographic game, Shi Lan and Jiang Xia had already explored down to a depth of fifty meters.」
However, she didn’t like the deep-water areas. She still had a touch of thalassophobia, so she had Jiang Xia return to the shallows.
Shi Lan lay down, and the bubble automatically expanded to accommodate their new positions.
She looked up comfortably at the water’s surface. It shimmered and sparkled as if the moon had shattered into pieces and scattered across the sea.
Schools of fish swam back and forth near the surface, their fleeting reflections in the light creating a dreamlike, beautiful scene.
Shi Lan was mesmerized. She couldn’t help but close her eyes slightly, savoring the tranquil atmosphere. She could hear the gentle lapping of water as fish swam by, and beneath it all, the sound of Jiang Xia’s breathing next to her own.
Jiang Xia had been piloting the bubble, but when the sounds beside him gradually faded, he lowered his gaze. His golden pupils locked on, unwilling to look away.
His gaze, full of awe and fascination, fell upon her face. It felt as if his stare was a physical touch, tracing her features, which looked even more translucent and soft beneath the water’s surface. She had her eyes closed, long lashes curled upward, casting shadows beneath them that shimmered with the water’s blue light. The rippling light danced across her face, making it seem as if she were merging with the sea, sprouting a layer of blue and white scales like a mermaid.
She was like a daughter of the sea—pure and beautiful, sleeping peacefully, as if waiting for a prince’s call to awaken.
Jiang Xia stared and stared, as if in a trance. His eyes slid down to her full, rosy lips.
His throat became unbearably dry, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down.
