Chapter 717 Unbelievable

Chapter 717 Unbelievable

Elbert felt a wave of disappointment.

Ever since he met Robert, things had gone smoothly. There wasn't a single skill that had taken him more than three seconds to pick up.

But now.

This whole mental energy thing was completely out of reach, no matter how hard he tried.

Like a powerhouse gripping a toy water gun — all that strength and nowhere to put it.

Robert said, "Unfortunately, there's no existing material on mental energy to reference. We'll just have to figure it out bit by bit. Maybe it's all a wild goose chase anyway... maybe this stuff doesn't even exist."

Elbert nodded, reluctantly.

He looked around at the white mist and asked quietly, "Robert, did you catch anything on camera?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a drone's aerial footage appeared in his field of view.

There he was, standing alone in the middle of the island, muttering at a leaf — looking exactly like a crazy person talking to himself on a street corner.

Nothing unusual anywhere around him.

Elbert reached out and grabbed at the empty air, a little dazed. "So the white mist is just an illusion."

He looked down at the metal ballpoint pen in his hand.

Something wasn't adding up.

This illusion seemed so... gentle. Why?

Slowly, Elbert narrowed his eyes.

This was an illusion capable of pulling elaborate tricks. Could things really be this simple?

He suddenly asked, "Robert, what if the white mist is hiding something?"

Robert scratched his head. "It's a bare little island. What's there to hide?"

Elbert looked around.

The mist was thinning. He could faintly make out the blue sea nearby.

Elbert shook his head. "Fair point."

So here was the situation.

Elbert and Robert were trapped in the mist with limited visibility.

The old fisherman and the girl were out on the water, able to see everything clearly.

This patch of white mist had cut off both Elbert's eyes and Robert's camera. The two sides could see each other, but Elbert had no idea. It was like stepping into a sealed-off world of its own.

Massive waves churned at the edge of the island. Beneath the surface, a huge shadow was thrashing violently.

Elbert looked up.

He knew what it was — the giant squid and the electric catfish.

Robert said, "The two little monsters miss their owner. They're rolling around begging for attention."

Elbert smiled with amusement and walked toward the shore.

Out on the fishing boat in the distance, the grandfather and granddaughter were staring up at the sky, completely stunned by a mirage unlike anything ever seen before.

This mirage was way too realistic!

There were panicking crowds inside it!

Crumbling buildings and falling cars!

Well, sure — if your world suddenly flipped upside down, you'd lose your mind too!

Whoosh...

The massive scene flickered like starlight a few times, then vanished.

The two of them snapped back to reality.

"Grandpa..."

"That was SO incredibly amazing!"

"I never knew a mirage could look that real!"

The rebellious girl was beside herself with excitement. "Coming out to sea with you this time was totally worth it!"

The old fisherman had his back to his granddaughter, but the corner of his mouth was twitching uncontrollably.

He'd spent decades at sea, and he'd never seen anything like that either.

After a moment, he forced his voice steady and said with a casual air, "Ahem, what's the big deal? You're overreacting. I keep telling you — stay calm. Come out to sea with Grandpa more often, and you'll see even more interesting things!"

"Too bad the mirage only lasted a few seconds."

The girl looked disappointed, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! That handsome guy is walking toward the shore!"

The old fisherman curled his lip. "Just like I thought — he's going to catch an octopus. Next he'll be yelling something like 'smash that like button' and fishing for free hearts."

The girl pouted. "None of your business! I'll like his videos if I want to!"

The young man in white slowly walked to the water's edge.

BOOM!

The surface exploded like a bomb had been dropped into it.

A colossal creature rose from the water, blotting out the sky, its tentacles lashing the air with thunderous cracks — like a monster descending from another world.

The thing was nearly as large as the island itself. Its shadow stretched over three hundred feet of ocean and sent massive waves crashing in every direction.

One second ago, the old fisherman had been calmly taking a sip from his water bottle.

The next second, his jaw dropped open like it had come unhinged, water spilling down his chin in a stream.

"Oh my God!"

"What IS that thing!"

"That's an octopus?!"

The rebellious girl was just as stunned, hands over her mouth, unable to get a word out.

And Elbert?

He just stood there on the island, calm as ever, looking up at the giant squid in front of him.

The giant squid let out a deep rumbling call. Clearly overjoyed to see its owner after so long.

Elbert nodded. "You've grown about forty feet since I last saw you."

Robert's voice came through, "I named them — the squid is Husky, and the electric catfish is Labrador!"

Elbert drew a sharp breath. "Two rulers of the deep, and you named them after dogs?"

Robert said, "Because it's cute."

Elbert pressed his lips together and nodded. "...Fine."

The giant squid — Husky — loomed at the island's edge, half its body rising out of the water.

Labrador could only circle restlessly in the water farther out.

Elbert watched his two loyal monsters.

A sudden wave of irritation hit him.

You two worship me like this, and I can't even flip a leaf over.

He slowly opened his palm. The little green leaf he'd failed to move lay there in his hand.

Whoosh!

Husky's massive tentacle swung in the distance, kicking up a gust that swept across the water — and landed perfectly, flipping the leaf right over.

Elbert frowned.

Bad enough you won't comfort me. Now you're rubbing it in.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you've had your visit. Go on, go play somewhere."

The two sea giants thrashed around near the shore for a moment, then dove back into the deep.

The old fisherman watched the whole thing, muttering under his breath, "Oh... my God..."

"Grandpa!"

The girl rushed to the bow and grabbed the old man's arm. "Do you see stuff like this out at sea all the time? This is insane! I've been so wrong about the ocean my whole life!"

The old fisherman's face had gone green.

All the time?

Are you kidding?

He'd spent his whole life at sea, and today was a first.

He worked his mouth slowly.

That creature had to have been a giant squid.

But how could it possibly grow that big?

It made no sense.

Oh!

The old fisherman suddenly had a flash of understanding. "That's why it seemed so crazy — that monster must have been part of the mirage!"

"And that guy in the white clothes — also a mirage. Not real!"