I'm Trapped in the Block

Li Luo took out an observation device and flew it into the distance.

This sea of white shells seemed vast. The observation device flew for a long time without finding its edge.

The returning video feed showed only a vast expanse of white, an endless pile of shells of unknown depth.

The space was enormous. Many streams flowed down from the cavern ceiling, the water falling from the air into the sea of shells and seeping down through the gaps.

’No wonder these shells are all damp.’

"Are these all shells from the Shell People?" Li Luo asked in surprise.

"There’s no way I’d misidentify them. Those bastards have been causing trouble since Oasis City was founded. I know them all too well."

Old Xu picked up a piece of a shell and began to explain it to Li Luo.

"They have white, wavy edges, and spiral patterns that never appear on any other type of shellfish. They come in both left- and right-handed spirals, and there’s a fold at the spiral’s edge."

"They’re like oysters in that they grow in all sorts of strange shapes, but they aren’t dirty like oysters. Even the crevices are perfectly clean."

"The texture is identical, too..."

"But the most crucial point is, aside from the Shell People, I can’t think of any other creature whose shells would appear in the desert."

Old Xu turned the fragment over in his hands a few times and added, "Judging by the thickness, this must be a shell from the head."

He seemed very confident in his judgment.

After listening to Old Xu, Li Luo nodded as well. "Why would so many fragments of Shell People be piled up here?"

Old Xu gazed into the distance, lost in thought. "This must be their graveyard."

’A graveyard?’

’How many Shell People would have to die to create a sea of shells on this scale?’

Mo Ling was startled.

"There are so many Shell People, yet they never managed to take down Oasis City?"

He had never seen a Shell Person and didn’t know how many shells one left behind after death, but to form a sea of shells this large, the number of dead Shell People must be immense.

Beside him, Li Luo asked in confusion, "Just how many Shell People died here? Did they all die in this place?"

Old Xu was also a little excited. He nodded. "I always thought it was just a rumor. I never expected it to be real. The Shell People’s graveyard actually exists."

He thought for a moment, then slowly began to tell Li Luo and the others about the legends of the Shell People.

...

What kind of creatures were the Shell People?

Ever since this species was discovered, the people of Oasis City had been trying everything to understand them, including their methods of reproduction, their form of civilization, and so on.

But the Shell People were frustratingly elusive. They would appear in Oasis City at any time as if on a mission, cause trouble, then disappear back into the deep underground waterways without any discernible pattern.

Through the relentless efforts of Oasis City’s researchers, they managed to capture some Shell People who failed to escape in time after causing trouble.

These Shell People were then locked in prison cells.

However, once the Shell People realized they could no longer escape, they would retreat into a corner and remain motionless, unresponsive to any stimuli from the researchers.

Like shellfish lying on a beach, these Shell People would neither resist nor communicate, sealing their shells tightly and protecting themselves completely.

They refused all food and water. After a period of time, these motionless Shell People would quietly die, and their shells would open.

Researchers dissected the bodies of these dead Shell People and discovered that the soft-tissue structure inside their shells was like a combination of human and shellfish—very peculiar, with many organs of unknown function.

Of course, they also found reproductive organs similar to those of shellfish.

Afterward, Oasis City captured more Shell People and studied them. They found no physical differences between the living and the dead, other than the fact that the living ones kept their shells tightly shut.

As the Shell People’s invasions continued, researchers also discovered that they had a tribe-like social structure, with some Shell People directing others to attack specific locations.

Their means of communication was to tap their shells to produce rhythmic sounds, similar to Morse code but far more complex.

Not only that, but in the course of their constant conflict with humans, the Shell People became increasingly cunning and familiar with human tactics, making them harder to capture.

The most terrifying part was that they seemed to have learned the consequences of being captured alive.

As if to prevent their enemies from studying them, once a Shell Person determined it could not escape, it would seal its shell and secrete a decomposing fluid from within, completely dissolving its own body.

In the end, all the researchers got was an empty shell, which was of no use.

At the same time, the Shell People seemed to be continuously learning about human civilization.

At first, they would just charge mindlessly into Oasis City. Later, they began to sabotage power generators, bomb weapons depots, and infiltrate using transport vehicles, making them impossible to defend against.

Eventually, a faction of people in Oasis City could no longer tolerate it and formed "Shell-Extermination" squads to venture deep into the underground waterways and eliminate the Shell People.

They would deliberately let some of the Shell People attacking Oasis City escape, then secretly follow them into the underground waterways.

Unfortunately, the waterways were a sprawling maze, and in the end, the "Shell-Extermination" squads returned to Oasis City for their own safety.

Such teams were formed many times, but all of them ended in failure.

That is, until one team claimed they had tracked the Shell People to a graveyard full of shells. Unfortunately, that team had to retreat in a hurry due to an earthquake and left no evidence behind.

Nevertheless, the story of the Shell People’s graveyard was recorded as one of the few pieces of information on them.

"You can look it up. There should be some information about the graveyard," Old Xu said to them.

Li Luo checked on an electronic screen and, sure enough, found a corresponding record. However, it also stated that this was only a rumor and not entirely credible.

"Why would they make a special trip to a graveyard?" Li Xiangyi asked in confusion, looking down at the thick carpet of shells underfoot.

"Who knows? Oasis City still knows far too little about them," Old Xu sighed helplessly.

Water continued to fall, striking the vast field of shells and splashing up a damp mist.

"Let’s keep moving. My intuition is still guiding me," Old Xu said seriously, looking ahead.

There was no other choice right now but to take it one step at a time.

The group continued forward, treading on the shells.

The crunching of shells mingled with the sound of flowing water. A light mist filled the air, and the faint, fishy smell of shellfish permeated the dampness.

Li Xiangyi’s band of light still shone as bright as the sun, illuminating the surroundings completely.

But the mist seemed to be growing damper, and where the sunlight hit it, a strange rainbow was refracted.

The mist fluctuated with the impact of the falling water from above. It thickened when the flow was strong and gradually dissipated when it was weak, over and over again.

The rainbow also began to appear and disappear, its position constantly changing, flickering and moving rapidly within the mist.

Not only that, but the number of rainbows was also increasing.

As they walked further in, the surrounding rainbow light enveloped them.

CLICK.

Suddenly, the sound of a shell being tapped rang out.