In the man’s eyes, colorful lights swirled enchantingly:
“If I were to give this place a name, I would name it—Heaven!”
On the deck at dusk, men and women in swimsuits gathered joyfully by the poolside.
“To paradise!” A man raised a champagne glass and shouted, and the others followed suit, raising their glasses in unison:
“To paradise!”
Energetic music played as people laughed and danced under the brilliant sunset. Water splashed, reflecting rainbows, while a bubble machine worked diligently, projecting rainbows onto bubbles of all sizes and floating them in front of everyone.
“Pop.”
Rong Yi squatted in a corner, popping the bubbles in front of her, with Luo Huayue and Zhang Haiyang looking worried on either side.
They were like three unhappy beggars, out of place in the festive atmosphere.
Luo Huayue stared at the heavenly scene in front of her, her eyes gradually captivated by the colorful rainbows. Standing up, she reached out towards the joyful ocean—
As Rong Yi reached out, dragging her back to the ground abruptly, Zhang Haiyang grabbed a nearby bucket and poured water over her head: “Miss, snap out of it!”
Half-drenched, Luo Huayue’s eyes suddenly cleared. She wiped her face, despondently sighing, “Addiction is happiness, clarity is pain. Ah, what a painful realization!”
They habitually followed Rong Yi’s decisions, instinctively switching their “idols” as she said, even in their confused state, which immediately startled them with abnormal reactions.
Once their senses returned, they dared not linger in the crowd for another moment.
When they found Rong Yi, she was foolishly smoking a cigar that appeared out of nowhere, blowing smoke at the colorful clouds in the sky.
After they snatched the cigar away, her eyes alternated between colorful and dark, struggling briefly before regaining her composure.
The three of them summarized the key to maintaining clear consciousness:
Do not look at the clouds;
Do not participate in ship activities;
Do not yearn for the scene in front of your eyes.
But the ship’s activities were so diverse and appealing everywhere. To avoid constant temptation, they could only cower in a bare corner of the deck, reminding each other. If anyone became lost again, the others would wake them up.
In this way, they struggled until dusk.
Since parting ways, Ice and Raymond had disappeared without a trace, and Rong Yi couldn’t even contact them through the squad communication.
They probably didn’t heed her advice and seemed to be even more deeply trapped.
“Gurgle—”
They didn’t dare to go to the restaurant for lunch, feeling their hungry stomachs growling while ignoring the aroma of barbecue wafting from the party ahead.
Zhang Haiyang swallowed, “I’m so hungry…”
Luo Huayue said, “Me too… Why isn’t someone bringing us snail noodles like yesterday?”
Luo Huayue’s words reminded Rong Yi that the three of them hadn’t eaten lunch, starting to feel hungry in the afternoon. According to the ship’s rules, shouldn’t food be brought to them immediately when they wanted to eat?
She thought again that they had all recognized the ship’s strangeness and were constantly maintaining their clear consciousness. If delicious food appeared right now, would they dare to eat it?
At least Rong Yi herself didn’t dare to touch it.
“It’s caution!” Rong Yi said. “We are wary of the ship’s actions, so it no longer satisfies our needs.”
“Or, our needs have a premise that the ship cannot fulfill: our demands cannot be met by the ship, otherwise, everything will be seen as a trap.”
“Gurgle—”
Thinking consumes energy, and Rong Yi had a reasonable guess, making her even hungrier.
“So what do we do?” Luo Huayue rocked back and forth with her knees hugged against her empty stomach, anxiously suggesting, “When it’s not mealtime, can we sneak into the restaurant to steal some food?”
Rong Yi was considering the feasibility of doing so when she suddenly heard a stern warning from an elderly person nearby:
“I advise you not to.”
Turning to the source of the voice, Rong Yi saw an old, gaunt man sitting high on the ship’s railing, unlike the brightly dressed people at the pool party. He wore tattered, dirt-stained rags, a torn straw hat on his head, and a fishing rod made crudely from a rusty iron rod and cotton thread torn from his clothes.
This seemingly unhappier beggar-like old man, amidst the festive atmosphere, exuded an air of “I am awake while all others are drunk.”
Zhang Haiyang whispered in confusion, “My god, where did this ‘wise man’ come from?”
Having learned her lesson from the alluring traps of the replica, Rong Yi was very cautious about unexplained occurrences. She stood up, politely approaching the old man to ask, “May I ask why you entered the game and what wish you have in mind?”
This is a question that only players can answer.
The old man peered at her from under his straw hat, his relaxed eyelids revealing a pair of bright, astonishing black eyes. He chuckled hoarsely:
“I haven’t misjudged. Two seasoned players, finally a couple of clear-headed ones.”
This statement held a vast amount of information, making Rong Yi feel like she had glimpsed a ray of light in the endless night, her heart racing. She placed a hand over her chest, still cautious. “Please answer my question first.”
The old man’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and with his thin arms, he lifted the fishing rod with force –
A rainbow-colored sea fish, trailing glistening water droplets, was pulled out of the water!
Zhang Haiyang couldn’t take his eyes off the colorful fish skin. “My Heavens! What kind of fish is this? Is it a unique species in the game’s instance? Master, wait, I want to take a photo—”
To their surprise, the old man swiftly dealt with the fish, expertly smashing it on the ship’s side. From his boot, he retrieved a sharp metal piece, gutted and skinned the fish, discarding its innards and bones back into the sea, leaving only two pieces of bluish-gray fish meat.
“Here, don’t focus on fancy things.” The old man cut the fish meat into small pieces, stashed them in a cloth bag around his waist, took one out, hooked it, and cast the line back into the water.
“Regarding your question,” the old man spoke slowly, “my wish is to eradicate all cancers in the world.”
Rong Yi was stunned. “…That’s impossible.”
“Of course, I know it’s impossible,” the old man said dryly. “But after my wife passed away, I yearned so much, longed so much to rid this world of all those damn cancers!”
“Unexpectedly, at this ripe old age, I encountered such an unfortunate thing.”
Whether it was the old man’s fishing skill or the abundance of foolish fish in this area, as he spoke, he caught an even larger rainbow fish, repeating the same process of cleaning it and preparing the bluish-gray meat, continuing to bait and fish.
“Now it’s your turn,” the old man said.
Zhang Haiyang puzzled, “Our turn for what?”
Rong Yi understood, “Our turn to prove ourselves as players, not NPCs.”
Luo Huayue stared at the old man’s fish-filled pockets, almost drooling, and hurriedly raised her hand. “Me first! My wish is to get into the Z Central Academy!”
Zhang Haiyang said, “I want to graduate with a Ph.D.”
When Rong Yi remained silent for a long time, the old man peered at her under his drooping eyelids and exclaimed self-deprecatingly, “Oh, I’ve waited too long and finally encountered a clear-sighted ‘player’ aboard this ship to amuse me, it’s not entirely impossible after all.”
“No, no, you’ve misunderstood,” Rong Yi waved her hand. “I’m not silent because of wishes related to the game.”
Zhang Haiyang and Luo Huayue widened their eyes. “Rong, really?”
“How did you get in then? A system glitch?”
Rong Yi shrugged, “It might really be… a system glitch.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “It’s not entirely without wishes—I can only think of one wish, which is to meet my online boyfriend in real life.”
Everyone: …
Rong Yi felt a bit embarrassed for once. “Haha, forgive me, this matter really doesn’t warrant such a big fuss. But in this regard, it’s the only thing that can be considered a ‘wish’ for me.”
The old man seemed somewhat interested in her, propped the fishing rod on the ship’s side, and made an unusually light landing from over a meter high ship railings. With hands behind his back and a slightly stooped and skinny figure, he circled Rong Yi and said:
“Oh… I think I roughly understand what’s going on here!”
Rong Yi hastened to ask, “Do you know why I entered the game?”
“I’m not sure about that,” the old man shook his head. “But I guess you are the first among you all to awaken?”
Rong Yi nodded, “My awakening was purely coincidental, due to conversing with an ‘idol’ NPC that belongs to someone else…”
The old man chuckled, “There are so many players and NPCs on this ship, you’re not the only one who accidentally conversed with other NPCs.”
“But you—” his wrinkled skin creased as he pointed a bony finger at Rong Yi, “you don’t rely on the game to fulfill your wishes. So, the game can only superficially confuse you spiritually and cannot, like other players, provide individualized, profound temptations based on their specific wishes.”
“You are the easiest to awaken.”
Luo Huayue said, “But I have been awakened too.”
The old man smiled and shook his head, “But you are easier to fall back into addiction, and the addiction will be deeper.”
“It’s like taking a dr*g. Logically, you know it’s wrong, but the sensation in your body is happiness, incomparable happiness.”
“Once the threshold of happiness is raised by the illusion of the instance, you can no longer experience that happiness in a rational state…”
The old man grinned, baring yellow teeth. “Do you all feel frustrated now? Low-spirited, not understanding why you must restrain yourselves from obvious pleasures?”
Zhang Haiyang honestly replied, “Because Sister Rong doesn’t allow it.”
“That’s because she has ‘no desires’ for the game, low aspirations.” The old man climbed onto the ship’s guardrail, picked up a fishing rod, “You are very lucky to have a clear-minded person by your side who is willing to listen to her.”
“Unlike me, struggling to wake up on my own, no one listens to advice, only able to watch them sink….”
Rong Yi couldn’t help but ask her most concerned question, “You said that the two rounds of players finally met us—weren’t you the player who entered the instance in the last round?”
The old man reeled in a rainbow fish and nodded, “I am a survivor from the last round.”
It turns out this is an instance that allows players to stay overtime!
“From the last round until now, how long have you been waiting?” Rong Yi asked again.
The old man tapped his tattered straw hat, not looking at the overly beautiful clouds in the sky or the water, his gaze straight to the distant, barren horizon.
“Probably… about three months.”
Luo Huayue exclaimed, “Heavens!”
Hunger made Rong Yi’s mind turn quickly, “You didn’t recommend us to go to the restaurant for food earlier because there’s a problem with the food on the ship? Have you survived these three months by eating fish?”
“Haha, talking to smart people is easy.” The rainbow fish he hooked was quite large, breaking the cotton thread used as the fishing line. Unfazed, the old man skillfully retrieved a new cotton thread from his ragged clothes, wound it around the iron rod, and tied a piece of bent iron wire at the end before baiting the hook again.
Luo Huayue, already too hungry, swallowed saliva, “Grandfather, could you share some fish meat with us as bait? Once we catch a fish, we’ll return it immediately!”
The old man chuckled, “I give you fish meat, but do you have fishing rods? Despite this ship seemingly having everything, you need to find something to make a fishing rod, huh—” He displayed the iron rod in his hand, “Do you know how long I looked for this treasure?”
Luo Huayue took out a marker she always carried with her from her pocket, “No need for all that trouble.”
The old man was about to say something when suddenly the fishing rod in his hand tightened, a fish was hooked!
This time, it wasn’t as easy and relaxing as when he caught the rainbow fish. He was so nervous that his whole body seemed to almost stand up on the side of the boat, his lean muscles bulging as he exerted all his strength to control the fishing rod.
“This feeling…” Excitement peeked through the old man’s serious face. “It’s that kind of fish! Edible!”
As he spoke, the crude iron fishing rod started to slip slightly due to his sweaty hands and the weight of the fish.
Rong Yi furrowed her brows. “Is it heavy? I’ll help too!”
She climbed onto the side of the boat, where there was only a palm-wide space to step on, with two decorative steel bars the width of two fingers running parallel on the side of the boat with enough gap for the ankle to squeeze in.
Following the old man’s lead, Rong Yi wedged her foot between the boat side and the steel bar, stabilizing her posture, gripping the fishing rod with both hands, and pulling up with all her might alongside the old man!
Zhang Haiyang and Luo Huayue each held onto the waist of one person on the boat side, afraid that they would be dragged into the sea by the fish!
“Don’t rush!” The old man reminded with deep breaths between exertions. “The cruise ship has speed. If we tire it out, it will naturally be easier to pull up!”
“Creak.” A faint sound caught Zhang Haiyang’s attention. He looked up to see the fragile cotton line had snapped partially due to the immense pulling force!
“Oh no.” The old man also noticed, frowning and cursing. “How could this fish be so big, the line can’t hold… ”
Luo Huayue, struggling with her petite stature pulling Rong Yi, said with some effort, “It’s okay, there’s the next one, more docile…”
“No!” The old man roared, with a desperate resolve. “The chance of hooking this fish is a hundred times smaller than the rainbow fish. If we let this one go, I’ll go hungry today!”
“Creak.”
Another part of the cotton line fiber broke off—
“Pull it up!” Zhang Haiyang shouted.
“No!” The old man yelled, sweating profusely. “The current force is balanced. If I exert force, the line will surely break!”
“Listen to me! Pull it up!” Zhang Haiyang shouted even more excitedly. “This won’t get us anywhere, listen and pull it up, I have a way!”
The old man hesitated, gritted his teeth. “If you—if you make me go hungry today, I’ll eat you!”
With that, he let out a loud roar, and with Rong Yi, exerted force, dragging the fish out of the sea just before the fishing line snapped!
They saw it!
It was a fat, vigorous, thigh-thick black-gray fish, full of life, desperately struggling on the fish hook!
“Snap.”
The fishing line broke in mid-air. The fish was about to fall back into the sea—
The old man reached out eagerly, “My fish!!”
“Activate! [The Big Water Rushed the Dragon King Temple]!”
This was Rong Yi’s first time seeing Zhang Haiyang’s innate skill. She watched as the sparkling sea water spiraled up from the sea like a dragon sipping water, carrying the large black fish and gently placing it above everyone’s heads.
Rong Yi watched Zhang Haiyang struggle to control the sea water, his face turning red, and suddenly felt something was wrong, about to jump off the side of the boat!
But it was too late.
“Ah, so tired.”
Zhang Haiyang deflated, and the sea water with the large fish poured down on him!
“Whoosh!”
The big fish leaped and splashed on the deck, leaving several players standing around soaked from head to toe.
Rong Yi brushed her wet hair away from her eyes, revealing her clean forehead, wiped the salty seawater from her mouth, and looked at the disheveled appearance of her companions, laughing.
“Hahaha—”
“Why are you laughing as if you look good now!”
“Kid, what’s your skill called? [The Big Water Rushed the Dragon King Temple]? Pretty fitting, indeed…”
“Zhang Haiyang! I’ve seen you use this skill since the Gikas Castle dungeon, and you’re like a flushing toilet, why haven’t you made any progress until now? Do you even practice in your spare time?!”
As they bantered and teased, gradually feeling the exhaustion after a fierce battle like the unmoving fish, they sat by the boat’s side, with the old man dividing the fish among them to satiate their hunger.
“Even though it was a fish that we struggled to catch,” Luo Huayue, with a blank expression, mechanically chewed on the snow-white fish meat. “But I have to say: it tastes really bad.”
Rong Yi forced herself to swallow the rough, fishy, and slightly bitter fish meat, finding it hard to imagine how the old man managed to survive on this alone for three whole months.
The pool party across from them continued. As dinner time approached, the aroma of barbecue, the sweetness of fruits, the tempting aroma of steak, all carried by the sea breeze, wafted into the noses of everyone huddled by the boat side.
They reluctantly swallowed the fish meat amidst the enticing aromas.
Zhang Haiyang took another piece after finishing one, saying, “Actually, after eating it for a while, it’s quite tasty. The taste of the wild.”
The old man also adopted a senior posture, saying, “Those are just sugar-coated bullets of duplicates! Isn’t it more satisfying to eat the fruits of your own labor?”
The crowd responded weakly.
Although not delicious, a fish was quickly devoured, but it wasn’t enough to feed four adults. Rong Yi clapped her hands, looking at the elderly (Luo Huayue half-choked by fish) and the disabled (Zhang Haiyang depleted from using skills):
“I’ll go fish some more.”
Luo Huayue immediately protested, “Rong Yi, the fish is so big, you can’t handle it alone. Don’t take it to the sea!”
The old man didn’t mind and gave her a bag of rainbow fish meat as bait, saying, “It’s rare to find one this big. If you can catch a palm-sized one, that’s good enough. If it’s a rainbow fish, just throw it away; the bait is enough.”
After satisfying her hunger, Rong Yi started contemplating about her children’s private affairs.
Where was that classmate Emerson who said he would come to see her?
Setting aside her fishing hook, she initiated communication with X.
Rong Yi: The person who said they would come to see me, where are you?
Rong Yi: Don’t tell me you’re backing out at the last minute?
X: I’ve arrived already!
Rong Yi scanned the surroundings but didn’t see any suspicious “person.”
Yes, this “person” was in quotes because her young boyfriend seemed to assume he was an NPC.
Rong Yi self-mockingly thought, I’ve never been in love, and now it’s an AI romance. How avant-garde of me.
Regardless of whether you are human or data, deceiving me for so long, get ready to face the consequences!
Afraid the communication system might send out such thoughts as messages, she quickly changed tack:
Rong Yi: I’m fishing by the boat, where are you?
X: I’m also by the boat…
Rong Yi: I don’t see you?
X: What fish are you fishing, Rong Rong?
Rong Yi: …Flattering solicitations usually mask ulterior motives.
Rong Yi: A kind of black, edible fish, what’s the matter?
X: Just wait.
Rong Yi felt the sea breeze, awaiting her boyfriend who suddenly went silent, as well as the fish that might bite at any moment.
Meanwhile, the old man and the two chatted leisurely: “Both of your skills are quite impressive and practical! No wonder you can enter A-grade dungeons.”
“This makes me even more curious. As the leader of your team, the girl’s skills should be even more impressive, right?”
The two: … emmmm
Luo Huayue didn’t know what to say, “Rong Yi’s prowess lies not in her skills… it’s in her as a person…”
Zhang Haiyang added, “Of course, her skills are impressive – well, let’s say they’re mysterious!”
The old man asked, “Mysterious?”
“Oh!” Rong Yi, fishing nearby, suddenly called out softly, reeling in her fishing line effortlessly and pulling up a familiar black fish, “Is it this fish?”
The old man’s eyes widened, “Yes, yes, that’s it! You’re really lucky!”
He helped her unhook the fish, but it didn’t move. “Is it dead?”
Rong Yi puzzled, “No, how can a dead fish bite the hook?”
Just then, the fish suddenly floundered, jumping from the old man’s hand to the deck, very much alive!
The old man asked, “…Fainted? The fish you caught, fainted?”
Rong Yi couldn’t understand, “Do I scare fish that much?”
She cast her line again, feeling the rod getting heavier after a few seconds.
“Ah, another edible one!”
“Why does it keep fainting…? Luckily it fainted; otherwise, I couldn’t pull such a big one.”
“Is your skill exceptionally lucky?”
Taking advantage of her good luck, Rong Yi continued to cast her line.
“Caught another one.”
“It’s the edible kind again.”
“Why do big fish faint when I catch them?”
“Is it enough, will it spoil if we can’t finish it all?”
…Under the ship’s railing, in the deep blue sea, a colossal black shadow moved slowly, larger than the giant cruise ship.
It extended long, terrifying tentacles, deftly catching a black fish among the colorful fish shoal, stunning it, and carefully hanging it on the fishing hook on the railing.
Then it controlled the force, carefully pulling on the fishing line.
The fishing line with the stunned black fish ascended, eliciting amazement from the deck.
The shadow curled up obediently, occasionally releasing bubbles.
Blue, blue, blue…
Compensating for past mistakes.
Now, Rong Rong shouldn’t be too afraid of me, right?
DAMN HE’S A SEA CREATURE THIS TIME!?