Ever since arriving in the Tianshan Mountains, that strange black liquid had started appearing everywhere. As long as there was a mud pit, it could be found—sometimes more, sometimes less. It usually needed to be refined to get even a small amount, but there was no denying that this stuff was all over the place.
The biggest batch Jing Shu had ever seen was in Xiao Wei's underground nest, where there were probably several dozen kilos of pure black liquid. She even suspected that the source of those gastropod monsters might be tied to this substance. Maybe the Gastropod Queen had turned into that horrific creature only after drinking it. And the fusion between Xiao Wei and the Gastropod Queen had likely happened because of those black crystals too.
If that liquid could create a new species like the gastropods, how many more unknown creatures were still hiding within the Tianshan Mountains?
That led to the real question: if the whole mountain range was saturated with this black liquid, then where was it coming from?
Only when she reached this junction point—where everything was being swallowed by that black hole—did excitement and suspicion stir in her chest. Could the source of all the mountain's black liquid be right here?
According to the last messages from her bugs, the entire black hole was filled with that liquid. Just how much of it was in there? Jing Shu couldn't help swallowing hard. She wasn't greedy—she just wanted enough to upgrade her Cube Space, and that'd be more than enough to make her happy.
"This place is about one kilometer away from the black hole. I can't go any closer, there are too many dangerous factors over there. It's deadly," she muttered.
Jing Shu cherished her life more than anyone else. Especially after dying once, she'd learned to stay far away from anything that could kill her. No matter how tempting, if there was any risk to her life, she wouldn't take it. She only acted when she was sure and safe.
She paced along the trembling ground. Any further down, and even a rock would get caught in those churning tracks, grinding and clashing against others before being hurled into the black hole. Everything was trapped in that endless cycle—collide, shatter, get dragged in. Who knew how much debris had already been crushed into nothing by now?
"I'll try again with the bugs. Why do I keep losing contact the moment they touch the liquid?"
She sent out another wave of her bug army, countless tiny creatures marching in formation toward the black hole. This time, she made sure they were connected in one continuous line to increase her chances of successfully drawing some black liquid.
Ever since discovering these bugs during the Xishan crisis, she'd been raising and evolving them.
This mission used up nearly half her current stock, and she doubted they'd make it back. But she couldn't risk sending any more—she needed enough to keep herself safe in the future. These bugs were her secret weapon, capable of devouring anything in seconds, scouting dangerous terrain, and striking enemies unexpectedly. They were her hidden trump card that even her family didn't know about.
Only a few teammates from that mission to America had seen her use them before. During one underground team battle, she'd unleashed the swarm, and they'd devoured every opponent within seconds. That scene had terrified everyone.
Now, each bug carried a long, reinforced strand of silkworm thread. Ever since she'd used extra-long silk to steal crimson liquid back in America, she'd realized how useful it was and made even stronger, higher-quality silk afterward.
It was tough, light, and perfect for reaching places she couldn't go herself.
Her Rubik's Cube Space had a specific rule: she could only collect dead matter by touching something physically connected to her hand. As long as the bugs carried the silk to the right spot, she could use the thread as a medium to pull whatever she wanted into her Cube Space.
The bugs bit down on the silk one by one and crawled into the grinding tracks, vanishing as the ground swallowed them whole.
Jing Shu watched nervously, keeping her focus on the silk thread and the bugs' faint mental signals. When they reached the end and were swept into the black hole, the lead bugs were quickly submerged in the black liquid.
"This is it. Now, collect!"
But the moment they touched the liquid, all contact with them was lost—and worse, the liquid still hadn't entered the Cube Space!
The black liquid shimmered like a vast starry sky, glowing faintly as it flowed endlessly within the black hole. It felt alive, conscious even. It was as if countless individual minds made up one massive existence, something that reminded her how small humans really were.
Through the remaining bugs behind, she sensed something strange. The first ones to fall hadn't actually died—they were still alive, and they were greedily drinking the black liquid!
That meant once they entered it, she completely lost control of them. But why? The black liquid in the mud pits and the one Xiao Wei had didn't make her lose control of her creatures. What was different about this one?
As more bugs fell silent, her anxiety grew. The Cube Space had many collection rules, but she couldn't figure out which one she was violating now. Was the black liquid alive? Was it one whole entity? Or was it conscious?
Then she suddenly noticed something crucial: in the very first instant her bugs bit into the liquid, she still had control—but she lost it only after they swallowed it. Right before losing the connection, she managed to collect a single droplet of the liquid into the Cube Space.
Her eyes lit up. That was it! Each bug that carried silk into the hole could deliver her one perfect moment to collect a droplet of black liquid.
One after another, the bugs plunged into the black hole, disappearing in massive waves. Every time she lost contact with one, she gained another drop.
Each drop was instantly absorbed by the Cube Space, none wasted. And though every bug only brought back a single drop, she had a massive swarm. Soon, over a million bugs had crawled into the abyss.
The Cube Space let out a faint hum of joy. It was about to level up!
Jing Shu gritted her teeth. This was her one shot. She couldn't stop now. She sent in her last elite batch, leaving behind only a few of her top-tier bugs to continue breeding later. Rebuilding the swarm would take time and effort, but it was worth it.
These final bugs exceeded all her expectations. Maybe it was because they'd absorbed more Spirit Spring and were stronger, but they held out longer in the black liquid. The connection didn't break right away, and each one managed to deliver several drops instead of just one.
The Cube Space grew denser with every drop absorbed.
Jing Shu's mind started to blur, but she clenched her jaw and forced herself to keep going. She had to collect as much as she could now—because once she left, who knew when she'd ever get another chance?