Chapter 49 — Chapter 49

How to Choose?

Now, the tentacles of that deep-sea monstrous beast were frantically attacking the ship.

The long tentacles, covered in countless bizarre suckers, could directly smash through the ship's deck and drag people away.

And a line of names was floating red above its head.

South Sea Water Monster.

They called it a water monster, but it was likely modeled after an octopus by the game's artists.

Now, this guy was trying to capsize the entire ship.

But its attention was usually drawn by the infant newly thrown down as bait.

Eating the child took time.

And this mealtime gave the NPCs a chance to capture it.

This was Jin Wanyin's plan.

“Shouldn't we be defeating this monster now?” Xian Feng's sword was already pointed at the water monster.

“Perhaps, but it won't be that simple,” Jiang Ye said softly. “If it were, there would be no need for that pop-up window just now.”

Choose...

What else could they, a group of players, choose?

The only target within visual range was the octopus.

Unless...

Jiang Ye looked up. From her vantage point on the first level of the ship, overlooking everything, her eyes were filled with excitement. The Fat Pig holding the whip was now showing an excited smile.

Jin Wanyin.

“I want to try,” Jiang Ye told her teammates. “If you agree to this, in three seconds, I will attack Jin Wanyin. If there's a reaction, then he might turn to attack us. At the same time, the water monster's attack might not stop. This means—”

“We'll have to face two, or even more enemies,” Qian Shan Ye finished Jiang Ye's sentence.

“Exactly,” Jiang Ye nodded.

“There was an easy path, why choose a more complicated possibility?” Qian Shan Ye looked at Jiang Ye.

“Because this is a game,” Jiang Ye smiled.

“Most of the time, games are fair. The higher the difficulty of the challenge, the higher the reward. Isn't that right?”

“I support A Leaf Boat,” Qian Shan Ye stated. “Anyway, even if we lose right at the beginning, there's no penalty.”

“......” Jiang Ye was numb.

These players had no penalty.

The penalty all fell on her, the island owner.

For her small island, no matter what, Jiang Ye could not let all of this lead to failure.

This trial had only one choice.

That was to win!

And to win beautifully! To win greedily! To win arrogantly!

So—

“Great God, we support you.”

“It's just a game anyway, how we choose doesn't matter.”

“Our squad will keep an eye on this monster, you guys can prepare to deal with that fatty.”

Everyone discussed, but unanimously agreed with Jiang Ye's choice.

Jiang Ye gathered her spirit and took a step back with her right foot. She ran forward, using the momentum to leap into the air.

The giant wave stirred up by the water monster surged towards Jiang Ye.

Just as everyone worried she would be swept away by this wave, her body rose a little higher. She directly crossed over the wave, flipped sideways, and landed steadily.

The wave disappeared, leaving behind lingering water on the ship.

Jin Wanyin's white name above his head also disappeared.

Because Jiang Ye's Blood-red small knife, like slicing pork, ruthlessly pierced his neck.

Blood, like tomato juice, sprayed out exaggeratedly.

Jin Wanyin's body went limp and he fell to the ground.

Everything went back to normal.

Jiang Ye shrugged.

“Alright, I was overthinking it.”

She turned around, preparing to fight the water monster.

“Sister!!!” I'm Super Fierce shouted.

Jiang Ye suddenly turned her head and found Jin Wanyin's corpse wriggling and standing up. The blood at her feet, belonging to Jin Wanyin, changed from red to black.

And this blackness firmly confined her, making her completely unable to move.

The corrupted Jin Wanyin stood up hunched over.

His hands hung limply at his sides, but the whip seemed alive, twisting on its own and coming towards Jiang Ye.

This was an attack!

Just as Jiang Ye was about to casually take a steamed sea urchin from her backpack to remove the binding buff and dodge the attack, a white shadow flashed by.

Her waist was embraced.

Looking down slightly, she saw a sharp cat claw firmly gripping her waist. The owner of the cat claw thoughtfully retracted the tip, leaving only the soft paw pad against Jiang Ye's waist through her clothes.

The wind blew, and Jiang Ye's hair fluttered.

She was now standing at the very top of the mast.

To be precise, her entire person was being held by I'm Super Fierce.

I'm Super Fierce was standing on the mast.

That palm-sized support area...

What could Jiang Ye say?

This was indeed the balance ability of a cat!!

I'm Super Fierce glared fiercely at Jin Wanyin, bared her teeth, and let out an angry roar. At this moment, she looked like a kitten protecting its owner.

Jiang Ye casually ate the steamed sea urchin, breaking the paralysis on her body.

“Thank you,” Jiang Ye said.

“N-no problem.” The originally fierce little cat instantly became a stutterer.

“Hey, you up there,” Chun Deng Luan looked up at them. “You guys handle Jin Wanyin, we'll deal with the others and the water monster, okay?”

Jiang Ye looked down. The ship had long since descended into chaos.

All of Jin Wanyin's subordinates had turned red-named, becoming enemies to the players and the mobs they needed to eliminate.

“No problem,” Jiang Ye glanced at Jin Wanyin's wildly flying whip. “Be careful to dodge Jin Wanyin's attacks. Once the whip is stained with black blood, it will trigger paralysis.”

“I'll toss everyone some food, you all take it.”

“Steamed sea urchin?” Yu Chi Xi read out the name.

“Yes, I am the island owner's agent, I can temporarily take things from her warehouse. Steamed sea urchin can remove status effects, so if you get paralyzed, you can use it immediately.” Jiang Ye was talking nonsense.

But everyone believed her.

“Thank you, Great God!” Feng Wu Yao Ji stomped her feet excitedly.

“Shut up and heal me,” Jun Lin Tian Xia raised his sword and cut off someone's head.

Feng Wu Yao Ji obediently listened and stood behind Jun Lin Tian Xia, tossing him healing potions.

Those two and A-Xing were responsible for the mobs.

The Xian Feng five-person team and Qian Shan Ye's group were fighting the water monster.

Because the ship's employees had gone mad and stopped feeding the infants, the water monster's entire attack target was now on the players.

Nine people held on for dear life.

Sleepyhead's weapon was a giant hammer. Every time he raised his hand to smash the tentacles that the water monster sent through the deck from the water, he looked exactly like he was playing Whac-A-Mole.

Jiang Ye glanced at it and felt a bit envious.

She should have chosen a hammer too.

She didn't expect it to be so violent, so stress-relieving, so satisfying to play.

“Sigh,” Jiang Ye sighed.

“Sister, what's wrong?” I'm Super Fierce asked worriedly. “Is there anything else uncomfortable?”

“No.” Jiang Ye maintained her posture, being held by I'm Super Fierce. She looked at Jin Wanyin and said gently but firmly, “Can you throw a frisbee? Throw me out. Towards Jin Wanyin.”

“......?” I'm Super Fierce was stunned for a moment.

But in front of Jiang Ye, she was an obedient cat.

Whatever Jiang Ye said, she did.

I'm Super Fierce gathered her strength with both hands, held Jiang Ye horizontally, and threw her out in a javelin-throwing stance.

Jiang Ye was like a bolt out of a string.

Her hands tightly gripped the boning knife, showing no fear, and she charged head-on towards her target, Jin Wanyin.

As the flying whip reached her eyes, she moved her hands and could cut it off.

Thus, the path of this arrow named Jiang Ye was unobstructed.

I'm Super Fierce's aim was excellent, just like her balance ability.

Jiang Ye's head was like the arrowhead, directly colliding with Jin Wanyin's forehead.

Clang——

A violent impact.

-999!

The damage display appeared, heralding Jiang Ye's successful attack.

Headbutt! Back in action!

After Jiang Ye hit Jin Wanyin, Jin Wanyin's whip grew back, several of them together, wrapping around Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye flipped in mid-air. Her boning knife flashed twice, like slicing through the hard-to-separate tendons between pieces of beef, cleanly cutting off the attacking whips.

It was cool, but Jiang Ye had nowhere to land.

Once she landed, she would be contaminated by Jin Wanyin's blood and become paralyzed.

“Super Fierce!” Jiang Ye shouted.

I'm Super Fierce felt familiar with being called that for a moment, but her attention was focused on her actions.

She once again displayed her excellent agility and balance.

I'm Super Fierce rescued the falling Jiang Ye and stood on the rope again.

“What next?” I'm Super Fierce asked.

A new attack was spreading from around Jin Wanyin.

[If you land, you will become a servant of Jin Wanyin, the Rich Merchant.]

With this description, Jiang Ye knew that Jin Wanyin wouldn't be easy to defeat.

This guy was good at manipulating people with money, so he could make people sell their own children for glory. Within his sphere of influence, becoming his servant would inevitably mean losing control of one's character.

But it seemed no one present, except I'm Super Fierce, could confront Jin Wanyin without landing. Moreover, I'm Super Fierce also said that her agility special skill could only last for a certain period and she couldn't fight in the air for a long time.

There was no other way.

“Continue,” Jiang Ye said. “Keep throwing me.”

I'm Super Fierce no longer hesitated and threw Jiang Ye out again.

This time, Jiang Ye used the same tactic.

But her head was no longer the same head as before.

[System: Loaded biological trait of Ocean Sunfish - Enormous Head.]

[System: Biological trait loading.]

[System: Loaded biological trait of Monk Seal - Spindle-shaped Body.]

[System: Biological trait loading.]

This operation was discovered by Jiang Ye after the island upgraded to level 25.

She could now imitate and use the characteristics of existing manual creatures to a certain extent.

So now, Jiang Ye had stacked the effects of a big head and a streamlined body on herself.

Her character's appearance had not changed, but her physique had.

This way.......

KABOOM!!!!

This collision was incredibly violent.

A row of terrifying damage popped up on Jin Wanyin's head.

-9999!

One-shot kill!

Jin Wanyin died, and the other humanoid mobs also disappeared.

At this moment, the water monster, which the nine-person team had been fighting with all their might, also disappeared.

The ship returned to its initial calm.

But the mood of all the players present could not be calmed.

They looked at Jiang Ye, their eyes complex, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Feng Wu Yao Ji, who didn't understand the atmosphere, chuckled and asked, “Great God, what skill was that just now?”

“Ft=Mv,” Jiang Ye replied with a knowing smile.

“..........？？？？？”

“F is the average force, t is time, M is the mass of the object, and v is the velocity. Do you have any other questions? You can ask me.”

They didn't understand a single thing!!!

Just as Jiang Ye was about to continue explaining, the entire ship began to shake violently.

“It's a whirlpool!” A-Xing shouted.

It turned out that, from some unknown time, the ship they were on had entered the center of a whirlpool.

At this moment, the hull was constantly descending with the whirlpool until it was swallowed by the sea.

“Not good!” Xian Feng tensed up. “We can't last long in the water! Everyone hold your breath!”

“No need,” Jiang Ye said calmly. “Did you forget? I'm the island owner's agent.”

With that, she snapped her fingers.

All members of the squad received a new notification.

[System: Congratulations on obtaining the Island Master's Blessing.]

[System: Blessing duration is 3 hours. During this blessing, you can breathe freely in the sea. Wishing you all the best in the ocean.]

And so, from this moment on, the entire squad could move freely in the sea.

Some people were experiencing this novel sensation.

“Wow, this feels just like when I went underwater in the streamer's live broadcast!”

While others had already become vigilant.

The ship kept descending, towards the deepest part of the sea.

As if there was no end to it.

During this continuous descent, Jiang Ye felt as if she was watching a long CG movie.

As their ship sank non-stop into the deep sea, a ethereal music began to play in everyone's ears.

As if coming from very far away, with ancient chants, every note and tone carried a mysterious aura.

Jiang Ye suddenly thought of the pop-up window she received at the beginning of the quest.

This was the trial of the mermen.

Jiang Ye realized that the singing that constantly echoed in her ears was perhaps the song of the mermen.

Covering her ears was useless, and the song had no offensive effect.

Jiang Ye gave up resisting and appreciated the melody.

When the song ended, their ship finally sank from the surface of the sea to the deepest point and stopped.

The ship stopped on a sandy area, unable to descend further.

Jiang Ye had expected the deepest part of the sea to be desolate. After all, according to science, there was no light at the bottom of the sea.

But now, the end of the deep sea presented before all of them was like an oasis.

It was more beautiful than the world above.

Radiant, like a fairy realm.

Full of life, like a spiritual valley.

Beautiful deep-sea gemstones were everywhere.

The caves of giant coral reefs were like treasure caves.

Various magical weapons were stuck in them.

Colorful plants grew dreamily.

“My god,” Feng Wu Yao Ji exclaimed. “This place looks like a fairy tale world.”

Yes.

Everything was too unrealistically beautiful.

“Can we get off the ship and take a look?” Xian Feng asked Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye nodded.

“Be careful,” she warned.

No one knew if something in this place harbored a hidden mechanism, nor did anyone know what dungeon mechanisms existed here.

One could only be cautious and explore little by little.

Careful sailing ensures ten thousand years of safety.

With Jiang Ye's approval, Xian Feng leaped off the ship. He landed on a stretch of white sand. The ground was soft, and this sensation felt novel to him, so he, like children who enjoyed stomping in puddles on rainy days, stood in place, curiously sensing everything.

Jiang Ye crouched down, scooped up a handful of white sand, and rubbed it between her fingertips.

“Is there a problem?” Qian Shan Ye asked.

“Something's not right.” Jiang Ye grabbed a handful of sand, and a silver object next to the sand was exposed. Jiang Ye glanced at it but didn't investigate further.

“This texture isn't quite like sea sand,” she said.

Jiang Ye had often walked on beaches in the game during these days and was the most aware of sand's properties and texture.

Now, the soft sand spread before her, when rubbed in her hands, was not as fine and smooth as the sand on her island, but had a slight hardness.

This feeling was very subtle.

Jiang Ye couldn't describe it in words, so she handed the sand to her other teammates to try.

Qian Shan Ye also rubbed it but didn't come up with any ideas.

He shook his head.

I'm Super Fierce directly bent down and grabbed a handful. The fine sand slipped through her pink paw pads. I'm Super Fierce frowned, grabbed another handful, and brought it to her nose.

Her small nose twitched, sniffing.

I'm Super Fierce had a guess.

But she wasn't sure.

“It's bone,” Jun Lin Tian Xia, who had been silent for most of the journey, only chopping violently, suddenly said. “Bone ground into sand or ash is like this.”

“Damn! Bone ash!” Xian Feng immediately leaped up, wanting to turn back to the ship. But although the ship behind him existed, he could no longer jump back onto it.

That ship seemed to have become a ghost ship, untouchable, only visible from the side, like a mirage.

“No way!!” Xian Feng couldn't take it. “I'm afraid of ghosts!!”

“It's not entirely bone ash,” Jun Lin Tian Xia disdainfully glanced at Xian Feng. “At most, it's just bone ash mixed with sand.”

“Coward,” he said the two words to Xian Feng.

“Yes! I'm a coward! So what! Beat me!” Xian Feng hid behind the female shield sister, poked his head out, and yelled at Jun Lin Tian Xia.

“......” Jun Lin Tian Xia raised his hand and pressed on the scabbard, about to retort.

“Hehe, you can't hit your teammates,” Xian Feng said deliberately.

Jun Lin Tian Xia slammed his hand back, suppressing his anger.

“If it's really bone ash, then its appearance must have meaning,” Chun Deng Luan pondered. “And the ship's state is abnormal now, everyone must be careful.”

“The Island Master's Blessing duration is shortening, and the exit button has disappeared. If we can't complete the mission or resolve the current predicament within three hours, will we suffocate here?”

Chun Deng Luan's analysis caused a commotion.

“No! I don't want to experience suffocating in a dungeon!” Feng Wu Yao Ji cried. “I'm scared!”

He wanted to hide behind Jun Lin Tian Xia, but suddenly Jun Lin Tian Xia drew his sword with a flash, and a silver light glinted on the sharp blade.

Seeing this, Feng Wu Yao Ji's fake tears instantly receded.

Jiang Ye looked up at everyone.

“Here's a thought, what if it's not the ship that's wrong, but us?”

“What if we've turned into ghosts.”

“No way,” Yu Chi Xi frowned. “If we were ghosts, we should realize it ourselves.”

“And we all look normal to each other right now,” A-Xing agreed with Yu Chi Xi.

“If everyone turned into ghosts, could they still distinguish between them?” Qian Shan Ye chuckled. “I think A Leaf Boat is right. But I have a question, even if we reach that conclusion, what good will it do?”

“We have no clues right now,” Qian Shan Ye looked at Jiang Ye.

“Who said that?” Jiang Ye raised her eyes and looked ahead.

The previously calm water suddenly began to churn with small bubbles.

“Prepare for battle! Shields to the front! If you see a monster, attack immediately! Healers to the back! DPS roam freely within attack range!”

The leisurely atmosphere instantly changed.

Everyone adjusted their positions.

The water bubbles churned faster.

Gradually, people began to see what was coming.

Fishmen with ugly mouths, lacking any dreamlike beauty, looking as if they had crawled out of a sewer, their bones and flesh exuding a rotten smell.

They had hands, but their faces were completely unrecognizable as human.

Their mouths were wide open, and the disgusting smell spread through the water.

“Ugh,” Xian Feng couldn't help but turn his head and retch.

“Attack ineffective!” Qian Shan Ye shouted from the front. “Cannot attract aggro!”

“Me too!” the female shield replied.

“Damn it, what’s going on!” A-Xing complained.

The three shields encountered a special situation where they could not attack, or rather, the attacks landed on the monsters but received no reaction or damage.

Jiang Ye looked at Yu Chi Xi.

Yu Chi Xi unhesitatingly drew his bow and shot an arrow. The swiftly launched arrow hit a corrupted fishman.

No damage notification appeared.

After the imposing arrow flew out, it disappeared.

“What do we do now!” A-Xing shouted. “They're almost here!”

“Try this!” Jiang Ye took out an arrow with a silver tip.

Yu Chi Xi nodded, took it, and swiftly drew his bow again.

The moment the arrow was released, the surrounding water was stirred into splashes by the extreme speed.

“Screech!!”

Yu Chi Xi shot one of the fishman's eyes, and the fishman let out a scream.

“Holy crap, Yu Chi, why is your attack effective?” A-Xing was shocked.

“Everyone! Start using the weapons in this place now! Anything you can see is a weapon! Quickly! Find something you can use before they arrive!” Jiang Ye said and quickly took action.

Her guess was indeed correct.

This was equivalent to a specialized dungeon.

Players' own weapons could not be used; only weapons present in the dungeon map could be used.

For example, the arrow she had just pulled from the sand.

Jiang Ye quickly pulled two short swords from the coral reef and threw them to her teammates when she saw suitable ones.

After all this commotion, the fifteen people finally obtained suitable weapons before the army of rotten fishmen.

No...

“Super Fierce, you didn't find a weapon?” Jiang Ye asked, noticing I'm Super Fierce was empty-handed.

“Sister, I don't need it,” I'm Super Fierce smiled obediently and revealed her claws towards Jiang Ye. “Before entering the game, I didn't choose to hide or disable my beastman bloodline. So……”

Her sharp claws on her cute paw pads gleamed coldly.

“I already have the most suitable weapon.”

Hearing her words, Jun Lin Tian Xia and the female shield both looked over.

The next second, I'm Super Fierce shot forward like lightning.

At that moment, the three shields had already pulled aggro.

I'm Super Fierce rushed forward, grabbed a fishman with her claws, pinned it to the ground, and then tore it to shreds with a swipe.

“Now I finally understand why she's called that name,” Xian Feng muttered, looking at her brutal appearance. “Since she's so strong, why haven't I seen her on the leaderboard before?”

Jiang Ye's mouth twitched slightly. She probably knew the answer.

This little cat might be addicted to watching live streams every day and has no intention of leveling up, which is why her progress is so slow.

However, the beastman's talent and bloodline brought her many advantages in the game.

This direct and brutal close-combat style of tearing with cat claws was also the first time Jiang Ye had seen.

After her pet, she also charged forward with her short sword.

She subtly placed the Egg Yolk Jellyfish and Sea Snake among the fishmen, and every time they touched, the fishmen would enter a paralyzed and vulnerable state. Then, when she moved in to finish them off, the rate of getting fish heads was very fast.

She didn't release the other pets, partly because they were too individual and easy to be recognized and noticed, and partly because it was unnecessary.

Although there were many corrupted fishmen, like flies, swarming over.

But their combat power was not weak!

Sleepyhead swung his hammer wildly, Xian Feng, screaming, speared fish with the sword in his hand, and Yu Chi Xi was even more accurate. He was skilled at aiming for the prey's eyes.

With everyone's combined efforts, the first wave of fishmen attacks had passed.

The highest damage dealer in the damage statistics was, unsurprisingly, I'm Super Fierce.

Looking at I'm Super Fierce, who finished the fish cleanly and subconsciously wanted to lick her claws before stopping, Jiang Ye thought, perhaps this was racial suppression.

After all, if nothing else, cats are natural enemies of fish!

Everyone was recovering their stamina and health, adjusting their states.

The corpses of the fishmen that had just died suddenly moved again, floating and slowly forming into the shape of a giant fishman.

“Is this the BOSS!?” Xian Feng asked.

“I don't know,” Jiang Ye replied. “Whether it is or not, we'll kill it.”

Strategy?

No strategy.

Just brute force output!

“Family members!” Jiang Ye shouted. “Let's go get it!!”

“After this, the island owner will treat us to grilled fish!!!”

“Can you decide that?” Chun Feng Luan asked doubtfully.

“Don't forget, kid, I'm the island owner's agent,” Jiang Ye gripped her two-bladed sword and flashed past Chun Deng Luan. “How about we play a game?”

“Whoever deals the most damage gets the most grilled fish.”

“How about it?”

As soon as Jiang Ye finished speaking, Sleepyhead, who had been dozing, opened his eyes, his golden eyes shining like the sun.

He picked up the hammer in his hand and moved forward with fierce momentum.

His forceful stance was as if he intended to smash the BOSS into meat paste.

Jin Luyi was amazed.

“I've known him for so many years, I've never seen him so motivated.”

“Really?” Qian Shan Ye said nonchalantly. “When you were trapped on Insect Planet, he went to save you, it was the same then.”

“Boss, are you saying my value is the same as grilled fish?” Jin Luyi glared.

Qian Shan Ye suddenly felt a headache.

He pinched his temples.

“Let's not talk about it, let's fight the monster.”

If we keep talking, I'm afraid I'll have a myocardial infarction!