As scheduled, Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko made their way across the island in about half an hour.
The other side of the island was no different from the side they landed. The bun-shaped hills were covered by dense forests. At second glance, the island resembled less of a gourd and more of a brassiere.
Unsurprisingly, there was a complete lack of inhabitants. He shifted his gaze towards the far corner of the horizon but there was nothing.
âBoss!â Kyoko pointed towards a far corner. âIs that a boat?â
Xia Lei was invigorated by a simple statement as he instantly turned towards where she directed. Yet within his vision were a void of nothingness. Not only were there no boats, but there was not even a bird in sight.
âIs that a Turkish or an Iranian boat?â Tsukino Kyoko enthusiastically added.
Xia Lei frowned in dismay. âYou really see a boat?â
âWell yeah, there it is. You donât see it?â Tsukino Kyoko's head slightly tilted as she turned towards Xia Lei.
âTell me then, what kind of boat is that?â Xia Lei stared at the vast ocean as he added.
âItâs a little blurry, but Iâm guessing itâs a cruise ship,â Kyoko answered. âYou really donât see it?â
Xia Lei promptly figured out the situation. It was not that his sight was blinded, but Kyoko who was the one hallucinating. The culprit was none other than the crystal skull!
âI need to catch their attention!â Tsukino Kyoko sprinted towards the beach before she began screaming and vigorously flaying her limbs.
Xia Lei, however, was occupied with something else. âSomething that could disrupt the most cutting-edge of technology, one that could wash the memories of the strongest of wills, even creating hallucinations in many minds at onceâŠâ
These powers fittingly reminded Xia Lei of Zhu Xuanyue.
Excluding the military-grade equipment created with that intended purpose, Zhu Xuanyue could also create hallucinations or mess with a personâs memory at will. Could this be a member of Zhu Xuanyueâs tribe? One could only wonder what he could do when he was alive!
The reason his deduction of the skullâs owner was a âheâ was that the crystal skull was a manâs skull. The Mayans, however, created theirs resembling a femaleâs.
Professor Mark stated that the Mayanâs crystal skull was a replica of this one, which wasnât the case. Unless there was a different skull of a tribe woman, and the Mayans based theirs over that...but where could it be?
The truth was shrouded in mystery.
âIf the crystal skull was from Zhu Xuanyue and her tribe, would that meanâŠâ Xia Lei shifted his thought back to himself.
He was reminded of his current evolutionary status, currently approaching thirty percent. If he keeps his momentum, his evolution percentage will only go up from there to a full hundred percent!
And when the time comes, who knows what would happen to his brain? Will I have a crystal skull too?
The mere thought kept him on his feet.
âHey, you rascals!â Tsukino Kyoko scowled towards the open sea. âWeâre here! Hey! Steer your ship over here you dimwits!â
She actually drew her gun.
Xia Lei came to a certain realisation as he hurled himself towards Tsukino Kyoko and they both went toppling down on the beach.
Tsukino Kyoko aggressively wiggled and struggled as she attempted to shake herself free from Xia Leiâs overpowering clutches. She was intertwined with Xia Lei as her muffled screams struggled to reach its intended volume, like a beast in chains.
Xia Lei clamped down upon her while disarming the Viper from her possession.
Tsukino Kyoko utilized the split second that he loosen his grip to wrap her arms around his neck, her legs locking onto his waist, instantly closing in on what little gap that was left between the two bodies. The prey had instantly become the predator.
The sudden change in position caught Xia Lei off-guard. Staring blankly at Tsukino Kyoko, he took to questioning. âKyoko, snap out of it! Itâs just a hallucination created by the crystal skull. Itâs the reason youâre seeing things, there is no boat!â
Tsukino Kyoko mumbled fervently, âDoomsday is here. Doomsday has caught up to us. Weâre all going to dieâŠâ
âWhatâs going on in your head? Or should I say, who's telling you all of that?â Xia Lei was getting anxious. Yet amongst the nonsensical statements, it reminded him of Ning Jing. She saw hallucinations too. She even drew out the unprecedented visualisations in her head.
Tsukino Kyoko mumbled on, âDoomsday, destruction...corpses everywhere, devils who feast on the human mindâŠâ
Xia Lei was visibly shaken by her words as he aggressively clenched onto her shoulder. Panicking, he asked, âKyoko, how did you know about the devils that feast on human brains? Who told you that?â
The devil that feasts on the human mind was none other than Zhu Xuanyue. But nobody knows that but Xia Lei, not even his father, so how would Tsukino Kyoko know?
This was spiralling into peculiarity!
Xia Lei shifted his gaze towards the zipped up backpack. Its contents were obscured from general sight, but with Xia Leiâs vision, the crystal skull was vividly within his sight. âKyoko is clearly in this state because of it! The way it manipulated Kyokoâs mind is exactly how Zhu Xuanyue used to play around with Ning Jingâs head. I guess my assumptions were indeed true. This skull was from Zhu Xuanyueâs tribesmen!â
Pitter-patterâŠ
Beads of rain came pelting down from the overcast sky into the vast ocean. As the rain quickly began heavier, tens of thousands of holes were bored as miniature pits on the sand.
And one particularly vigorous soul was doing just the opposite.
Unknown to them, however, a mild glow seeped through the backpack, hidden even from the eagle-eyed Xia Lei.
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