Chapter 254: I Saw the God of Death

This time, not only could Shen Yu play baseball on it, but he could even perform a somersault without worrying about falling through.

He also discovered that the center of the coffin was hollow. Once he lifted the lid, it could even serve as a sunshade and storage box.

It was practically the perfect mobile base.

Shen Yu nodded in satisfaction, then instinctively reached for the spot beside him.

His hand met nothing.

Only then did he remember that Brother Bone had already ascended—and that his exceptionally magnificent thigh bone had disappeared with him.

Shen Yu gazed silently at the distant horizon, his back radiating an indescribable melancholy.

"Big Brother, you left so suddenly..."

The live chat exploded.

Hahahahahaha! I declare, the greatest tragic scene of the Ocean Era has just been born!

The big shot lost his beloved thigh bone. How can you still laugh?

Hahahaha! Brother Bone, you only care about my leg!

The once-in-a-lifetime love story between Coffin Bro and Bone Bro has come to an end!

Zhang Guangwei, who had been drinking water, kept his eyes glued to the screen. The moment he heard Shen Yu’s words, he spat out his water and choked, coughing repeatedly.

The psychological assessment expert struggled to suppress a laugh.

"Comrade Shen Yu’s mental state is exceptionally stable. He belongs to the type of person least likely to collapse under pressure."

"Stable?" Zhang Guangwei was still coughing.

General Pei rarely showed a hint of a smile. He shook his head.

The lost thigh bone could not be recovered, but life had to go on.

As Shen Yu turned around, something hanging at the back of the boat caught his attention.

It was an oar nearly two meters long. Its shaft was made from a single elongated bone, resembling the spine of some creature. At the end was a paddle shaped like a kite, its surface marked with wood grain.

Shen Yu picked it up.

It was not light, but its balance was excellent. Swinging it required little effort, and the edge of the paddle gleamed with a cold light.

He turned it sideways and saw that it was extremely sharp.

Then he lowered the new oar into the sea and gave it a gentle stroke.

The bone raft immediately glided forward, smooth and swift, leaving a straight ripple across the water. It was far more efficient than his previous bone-rowing boat.

"Welcome aboard," Shen Yu said softly, in an excellent mood.

The words were meant for himself—and for Brother Bone.

By then, the sun had already tilted westward. Shen Yu casually hung the chunks of meat back on the railing, checked the sun’s position, and continued sailing steadily in a fixed direction.

For now, the problems of food and transportation had been temporarily resolved.

The next priorities were fresh water and a more long-term goal: finding land and earning more Evolution Points.

Night fell.

The vitality of the day was swallowed by darkness, leaving only the monotonous sound of the waves, amplified by the surrounding silence.

For most contestants, night meant danger.

In Pretty Nation’s live stream, contestant Jack Morrison was curled up on his sailboat. The sail had been lowered, and he and his two teammates had tied their rafts together. They wrapped themselves in the sail and took turns keeping watch.

Ivan from Bear Nation was much bolder. He had tied himself directly to the mast with hemp rope, allowing the sea breeze to blow over him.

The live streams from other countries were much the same, filled with sobbing and prayers.

But Dragon Nation’s live stream looked rather unusual.

On the small coffin raft, Shen Yu hummed a tune as he leisurely organized his supplies.

First, he placed the dried meat he had left to air-dry all afternoon inside the coffin. Then he took out a handful of feathers.

What is Coffin Bro doing? It’s already dark. Isn’t he scared?

The atmosphere in Pretty Nation’s live stream is so tense that I don’t even dare to breathe. Meanwhile, this guy looks like he’s just getting off work and heading home.

He’s humming!

I can tell. It’s "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

The boss has such a unique taste.

In the command center, the psychological assessment expert watched Shen Yu’s leisurely movements and offered an analysis.

"Comrade Shen Yu’s inner world is remarkably orderly. He seems to be enjoying the tranquility."

Zhang Guangwei was stunned.

"Enjoying it? What’s there to enjoy?"

"For someone who has experienced extreme chaos and noise, this kind of tranquility is a luxury."

General Pei gazed thoughtfully at Shen Yu on the screen.

Shen Yu was tying feathers onto hemp ropes, quickly making a long string of them.

The audience was confused again.

Is he making decorations to hang on his new coffin?

Maybe he’s making a duster. The boss is a neat freak. He’ll probably clean tomorrow.

Hmph. Is your imagination really that limited? I think he’s making ritual tools to communicate with the God of the Ocean.

The person above must have watched too many Western movies.

Shen Yu carefully hung the feather string along the railing, then spread the remaining feathers across the coffin lid.

Professor Li Shu studied the screen for a moment. Her eyes lit up.

"He’s collecting fresh water."

Everyone in the meeting room turned toward her.

"Dew," she explained. "At night, the temperature over the sea drops, causing water vapor in the air to condense into dew on cold surfaces. The colder and smoother the surface, the more dew it can collect."

She pointed at the feather strings tied to the railing.

"Feathers have a large surface area and can hold moisture. By spreading them across the boat, he can collect dew that forms on its surface. The feathers hanging from the railing can also capture moisture carried through the air."

She paused, then continued.

"By tomorrow morning, he’ll only need to gather the feathers and wring them out to obtain fresh water."

It can be done like that? The survival manual only taught us to use canvas!

He’s amazing, but he’s still one of our people. I really want to go and join him.

If you go, you’ll only slow him down. He might even treat you as emergency rations.

You really know how to ruin the mood.

For now, all they could do was wait.

Shen Yu sat back in his seat, slowly chewing on a piece of dried meat he had torn off.

The stars in the night sky were exceptionally bright. A brilliant Milky Way stretched across the heavens.

In his previous life, the sky had been shrouded in dust and smoke. He had not seen such a starry sky in many years.

Staring quietly into the distance, he began humming "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" again.

In that peaceful, almost unreal atmosphere, a sudden flicker of orange-red light appeared on the distant horizon.

His humming stopped abruptly.

Shen Yu stood up, narrowed his eyes, and stared intently at the light.

It seemed to be a fire.

In the wilderness, fire meant cooked food. It meant a way to repel wild animals—and, more importantly, a potential source of fresh water.

At Dragon Nation’s highest command center, everyone tensed almost simultaneously.

"Straight ahead. Estimated distance: three to four kilometers. Heat source detected."

"Confirm the source."

The live feed that had originally shown Shen Yu split in two. The second screen switched rapidly before finally settling on a raft considerably larger than Shen Yu’s coffin.

"It’s Hans Cat Country’s contestant No. 33, Klaus Schmidt," the intelligence analyst reported immediately. "According to the records, he’s a mechanical engineer."

At that moment, Klaus’s live stream was filled with wails.

Oh my God! Is Klaus going to die? What is that monster?

He set his mast on fire! Is he trying to scare it away?

It’s useless! The boat will burn, and he’ll fall into the water soon!

Zhang Guangwei’s brows knitted so tightly they could have crushed a fly.

"That Hans Cat Country contestant has run into something terrible. It looks like he won’t survive."

Professor Li Shu, however, was focused on something else.

"If Shen Yu can obtain that fire, his chances of survival will increase dramatically."

Everyone’s hearts raced.

Fire on this primitive ocean was priceless.

But obtaining it carried a risk no less dangerous than sneaking into a dragon’s lair to steal its treasure.

Dragon Nation’s viewers also noticed the fire in the distance.

What’s that? Is someone setting off fireworks?

No, it’s a fire! Someone’s boat is burning!

I can see it on the split screen. It’s Hans Cat Country’s contestant. He’s being attacked by a monster!

My God, that monster is huge!

Coffin Bro, don’t go over there!

But there’s fire! If he gets it, he’ll be able to grill meat!

You greedy little thing! What’s more important, food or your life?

The live chat was in an uproar. Some viewers advocated taking the risk for a chance at a reward, while others believed Shen Yu should develop steadily and avoid unnecessary danger.

But Shen Yu clearly had his own judgment.

He would keep his distance, observe first, and then assess the potential gain.

He picked up the oar and paddled toward the fire.

As the bone-and-wood coffin drew closer, Shen Yu could clearly see the burning raft and the figure struggling in the firelight.

The man was in a terrible state.

The raft’s mast had become a giant torch, illuminating the surrounding waves. Beneath the water, a shadow revealed part of its true form.

It was a snake-like creature beyond anything Shen Yu had imagined.

Its body was covered in fine scales, and every movement scattered sparkling points of light through the water. Its head had not surfaced, but judging from the width of its body as it churned beneath the waves, it was undoubtedly more than ten meters long.

At that moment, it seemed to be intimidated by the flames.

Its head, glowing with a faint green light, appeared intermittently beneath the water. It circled the raft, repeatedly slapping the surface with its tail in an attempt to overturn it.

"Help! Is anyone there? Save me!"

The contestant on the raft was clearly reaching his limit.

The burning mast would not last much longer, and the flames had already spread to the raft. Although his raft was larger than Shen Yu’s, its construction appeared loose and unstable.

Once the fire spread further, he would quickly end up in the water.

Shen Yu had already given the monster a name in his mind: the Fluorescent Sea Serpent.

From his observations, its main method of attack seemed to be physical impact. Its scales looked sturdy, and ordinary attacks would probably be ineffective.

Its weakness appeared to be its fear of the flames on the raft. Whether it feared fire itself or merely the light was still uncertain.

Klaus had already given up hope.

He had set the mast on fire. Although the flames had made the giant serpent hesitate, they had only delayed his death.

"Lena, I’m sorry. Your brother can’t save you anymore."

As memories and reality intertwined in the moments before death, he saw a ship breaking through the darkness.

Its shape was distorted by the flames.

Klaus blinked hard, his eyes stinging from the smoke.

"A coffin?"

On top of the coffin stood a tall figure, holding a bone staff in one hand.

"Oh my God," Klaus muttered absentmindedly. "Lena... is that the Grim Reaper coming for me?"

The Grim Reaper?

Shen Yu had no intention of approaching cautiously or trying to sneak around without alerting the enemy.

Fortunately, the foreigner on the raft kept yelling and screaming, drawing the giant serpent’s attention completely.

As Shen Yu drew closer, he heard something about the Grim Reaper.

He smiled.

This foreigner must be out of his mind.

If Shen Yu were the Grim Reaper, his boat’s performance would have already dropped to rock bottom.

His gaze swept across the burning raft.

It was somewhat larger than his own. The wood seemed heavier, and most importantly, there was the burning mast.

Although the raft had not been upgraded, its base showed signs of reinforcement, and the edges had been fitted with simple joints. Without those improvements, it would have fallen apart already.

Then Shen Yu looked at the man’s waist.

There appeared to be a tool bag hanging there.

A man who knew how to handle things, understood how to reinforce a raft, and carried a tool bag...

Shen Yu’s mental scales quickly tilted in his favor.

He picked up the bone oar again and slowly rowed toward the light.

Holy crap! What is Coffin Bro doing?

No, please, boss! That green serpent is more than ten meters long. We don’t need that kind of food!

Is he crazy? What’s the difference between this and seeking death?

You don’t understand anything. The boss must have a plan!

Rationally, I know this is dangerous. Emotionally... damn, this is exciting!

Meanwhile, the command center of Hans Cat Country was in chaos.

"It’s over! Klaus is as good as dead!"

"Our top contestant is about to be eliminated!"

"Wait! What’s that? A ship is approaching!"

"It’s a contestant from Dragon Nation!"

The ambassador from Hans Cat Country had already contacted Dragon Nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We can see that your country’s contestant is attempting a rescue. If—if he can save Klaus, Hans Cat Country will seek the deepest possible cooperation with Dragon Nation’s contestant in the future."