But, how… did the plastic come about?
Why were the sea creatures in the food store in such a strange state—was it the influence of garbage like plastic and metal pieces, or the effect of the plastic people running the store?
And also, when the plastic people were preparing food, they could just reach out and grab the ingredients—did these things come from the sky?
Mu Anqi looked up at the "sky." Looking upward from the underwater city, the sky was also blue, except that instead of white clouds drifting by, there were all kinds of plastic bags, and you couldn't even guess what color the next drifting plastic bag would be. Would more trash float on the sea surface? Judging just by this underwater city, it seemed they were trying hard to recycle various types of garbage, whether for roads or houses, food or clothing… As for water—well, maybe the sea creatures didn't need to drink water?
Where did the clothing store and food store get their supplies? Body modifications—what exactly did those modifications involve? Mu Anqi wanted to see the procedure for the modification surgery, or at least ask about it…
"Miss Mermaid, could you tell me your name?" Mu Anqi looked at the mermaid, who still seemed a little hungry. "If possible, could you help us ask about something?"
"After all, even though this place seems harmless, it's still a Black Mirror Vortex. If things get worse and we can't find a way to clear it, pass through, or escape, we'll either starve and thirst to death, or become part of this place," Mu Anqi said earnestly. "You're a mermaid, so communicating with those sea creatures should be easy for you, right? And you can sing too."
"…" The mermaid wanted to say that singing was just a talent of her kind, and what she sang couldn't really be called songs—it was just flapping and fishing to get a meal. But the player in front of her was obviously not easy to provoke, and since the Black Mirror Vortex was dangerous everywhere, she couldn't just do nothing and expect the player to protect her. "Alright, my name is Jun Xi—Jun as in 'gentleman,' Xi as in 'cherish.'"
"Okay, Miss Jun Xi… um, could you help ask where all this plastic here comes from?" As for whether the modifications started with the internal organs, how they survived after being modified… that was all part of the Black Mirror Vortex, so there was nothing that couldn't be understood. But perhaps exploring the source of the plastic could reveal an important location in the Vortex. If that doesn't work… we'll infiltrate the hospital, see if there are any warehouses, or observe the doctors' movements to find clues. "Please rest assured, we will protect you!"
"If only I could lend my 'good person card' to someone else," Fang Xunjiu sighed. "With Jun Xi's mermaid traits plus her favorability, maybe others would tell her all their secrets."
"…" Dreams really are nice.
"For safety's sake, how about this?" Xia Yun interrupted and then said, "We randomly catch a lucky creature at the hospital entrance, then take it to a deserted corner and 'question' it?"
"I and Mu Anqi will handle it, while Jun Xi and Fang Xunjiu can calm the lucky creature when it's startled and frightened, and help us ask the questions."
This suggestion… actually isn't bad.
"Then let's do it!" Mu Anqi said. "I'll control it with a blessing; if it doesn't struggle violently, you can carry it away with the flying sword. If it resists a lot… then we'll have to handle it up close."
The group crouched at the hospital entrance, keeping a close watch on the doors, not noticing the hesitant mermaid. No need for such a vicious blessing anyway—once the target is selected, she could use her singing to pull the consciousness of the chosen sea creature. Then they could just carry the body away—wouldn't that be easier?
But no matter how many times she mustered her courage, she still didn't speak up.
…She was just an ordinary mermaid, both timid and lazy.
The "lucky" sea creature appeared!
It was a little frigatebird—of course, Mu Anqi and the others didn't recognize the species. Anyway, as soon as the bird stepped out, Mu Anqi quickly cast a "Great Blessing" on it, and the bird twitched as if convulsing, then began nodding its head continuously…
The next moment, a flying sword slid under it along the plastic path, lifting half of the plastic path and placing the entire bird on the sword, then carried it into a narrow alley.
What does "in one go" even mean!
The nodding seabird was filled with terror.
"Don't be afraid, and don't worry. We're all good people," the mermaid coughed softly and used her unique mermaid voice to say gently, "We just have a few questions we'd like to ask you."
"Yes, we're all good people." Fang Xunjiu stuffed a Good Person Card into the wings of the nodding seabird. These human-like animals in the Black Mirror Vortex were great—they retained their features while gaining human-like flexibility. Using a wing to hold a card felt a bit odd, but it wasn't a big deal; even cartoons did it that way. "Relax a little."
After using the Good Person Card skill, the seabird finished nodding. They hadn't counted exactly how many times, but judging by the time… about fifty times?
Fang Xunjiu didn't pay much attention. Many doubts flashed through his mind, but he wasn't afraid of being stared at by countless sea creatures or getting tracked by the plastic people anymore. He looked at the seabird, still terrified, and rubbed his face. Something wasn't right! At this moment, the seabird's favorability toward him should have increased!
"Mr. Seabird, could you tell us where all the trash in this city comes from?"
The seabird didn't answer.
Fang Xunjiu was extremely puzzled. He had clearly shown a bright smile! Seeing this, the mermaid quickly reassured him: "If you don't know, you can tell us you don't know. We're all good people and won't do anything to you."
"Ahhh, don't kill me, don't kill me! I'll tell you, I know everything I know!" After saying this, the seabird burst into tears. "It's just that I don't know what you mean by 'trash'!"
"Uh…" Fang Xunjiu froze. He didn't know what trash was?
"Let's ask a different question." Wu Sansheng stepped forward and asked softly, "This city's plastic, metal, and some small fragments and parts—how did these things come here?"
"They… they came to save us," the seabird stammered. "I didn't want to be fully modified! But… but their appearance really saved us. Ever since my digestive system was modified, I no longer starve from a lack of food."
This wasn't the answer Wu Sansheng wanted, but he continued, "Did they appear out of nowhere?"
"Y-yes… they appeared one day. I've forgotten the exact time," the seabird's eyes rolled, as if hesitating on how to explain.
Wu Sansheng interrupted him and asked directly, "Who modified this city and modified you?"
"!" The seabird opened its beak, took two steps back, and looked toward the alley's exit, trying to escape rather than answer. At that moment, Mu Anqi's handgun pressed against his head just in time:
"Afraid of being discovered? We won't go telling everyone; we just want to know these things. Since you know, it shouldn't be a big secret, right? Or is it something you can't tell newcomers?" Mu Anqi shrugged. "But if you don't tell us, you'll die right now."
"I… I…" Mr. Seabird looked utterly panicked. He never imagined that simply going to the hospital for a checkup and asking when the next stage of modification would happen would lead to encountering these troublemakers. "…When we were close to starving, a plastic person appeared."
"He was very strange. The first time we saw someone like him, he showed no signs of being alive. He could even disassemble his own body at will! He… he said that anyone who wanted to live could follow him, and he could help everyone get modified."
"Did you all originally live in this underwater city?" Wu Sansheng didn't immediately pursue questions about the plastic person who caused all these changes; instead, she asked this.
"Of course we…" Mr. Seabird was about to answer firmly, but halfway through, he hesitated and covered his head. "We… we… originally lived in… the ocean? No… we lived in…"
Suddenly, he began convulsing, and the entire bird looked extremely frightening.
"Stop!" Wu Sansheng shouted. She frowned at the seabird. Clearly, this touched on the Black Mirror Vortex's background, and it seemed this background was not fully complete. It was a bit like a bug appearing during a game. Wu Sansheng didn't dare waste time and continued asking, "So where does the plastic person live now?"
"A factory…" Mr. Seabird's expression was numb as he replied in a daze. "He created this city, created the hospital, modified us, and gave us a new life. When someone among us was fully modified to become like him, he established a factory…"
"A factory?"
"Yes. It provides food, clothing, modification equipment, construction materials, and a series of other things," Mr. Seabird said. "All the industries in the city belong to him, but he only recruits residents who have been fully modified."
After saying so much, Mr. Seabird seemed almost resigned. He sighed: "I used to always wonder, if I became a plastic person, would I still be myself? But… but we have lifespans. After full modification, I would exist permanently! You might not be able to tell, but I'm already not young, my body has many problems, and small modifications take time… This time, I… I actually want to just fully modify myself already…"
Wu Sansheng remained calm, observing Mr. Seabird's expressions. In this Black Mirror Vortex, all the sea creatures were anthropomorphized, so she could pick up on subtle clues. After confirming he wasn't lying, she continued, "Then, where is the factory?"
"It's built entirely from plastic sheets—that's the factory," Mr. Seabird said, pointing into the distance so Mu Anqi and the others could see the tall building. "It's right there."
Wu Sansheng nodded and didn't ask further. Fang Xunjiu leaned over and asked, "What does eating plastic feel like? Can you really eat it? Why do the sea creatures in the food store look so strange?"