Chapter 114: Returning to 1000 Meters

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Returning to 1000 Meters

The three of them gathered together to discuss the watch order.

They decided that Shi Zhile would take the first half of the night, from nine to twelve.

Chuyi would be on watch from midnight to 3 AM, and Jiang Jing from 3 AM to 6 AM. They would set off right on time at 6 AM.

Wood burned in the stove, occasionally spitting sparks, the sound startlingly clear in the quiet night.

The waves rose and fell ceaselessly, rocking the players on the rafts and making them drowsy.

The night deepened, and the clamor faded.

The raft closest to the black-canopied boat drew near, silently and stealthily.

Shi Zhile sat at the stern, her head lowered as she toyed with her bow and arrow.

With no firelight to illuminate her, she looked as if she were asleep to others.

When the raft was three or four meters from the black-canopied boat, an Arrow Fletching instantly pierced the heart of the player on it.

He only had time to let out a blood-curdling scream before sinking instantly into the sea.

Shi Zhile stood up and looked at the other players nearby, who were still eager to try their luck.

"You only need to survive in this instance for three days to get out, but some people just can’t help themselves and want to die.

A bunch of idiots. You’ve been sold and you’re still counting the money for them. Do you really think the heads of the players on the rankings are that easy to take? The system dangled those heads and supplies in front of you as bait, just to get you all killed."

A nearby player immediately retorted, "Nonsense! The game’s clearing conditions are correct. As long as we kill the players on the rankings, we can leave the instance early."

Shi Zhile: "Leave the instance early? And then what? When the next instance arrives, you’ll just die in that one?

If you don’t have enough power to protect the supplies you own, even if you kill the person at the top of the rankings, you’ll just be killed by someone else next time.

Based on the last instance’s survival rate of one in ten, there aren’t many people left in the game. No monsters have appeared today. If you want to live, stop the infighting."

’If war between the interstellar and Earth people is inevitable, then preserving our combat strength is a tactic in itself.’

’Players can keep dying, but they can’t keep dying at the hands of their own people.’

’If this infighting continues, the Earth people will be completely wiped out in this game without them even having to lift a finger.’

Sporadic muttering could be heard. They kept their voices low, as if they wanted her to hear but were also afraid she would.

"Easy for you to say. We’re about to starve to death. How are we supposed to survive if we don’t fight amongst ourselves?"

"She’s just saying all that high-and-mighty stuff to persuade us because she’s afraid we’ll all gang up on them."

"If you’re really so sincere, why don’t you share some of your supplies?"

"Actually, she’s not wrong. If we all stuck together, we could clear this instance. It’s just that people are selfish, and no one is willing to share their supplies with others."

"You’re the second-ranked player on the supply leaderboard. If you can lead us through these three days, then we’ll be willing to trust you."

There were too many jumbled voices. Some people started crying as they spoke.

"I was sleeping soundly in my own home, why did I have to be dragged into this game? I just want to live! My wife and kids are still at home, I just want to live to see them again."

"I miss my family... I don’t know where my mom and dad are. I’m so scared they’re in the game too. I can’t even protect myself. I’m so, so tired."

"I used to think my job was exhausting, but compared to this bullshit game where only one in ten survives, I’d rather go back to my crappy job. I don’t want to die, but it’s so tiring just to stay alive here!"

The sounds of weeping rose and fell. The players who had been radiating killing intent just a second ago now seemed to have reverted to the ordinary people they were outside the game.

Their past lives felt like a passing cloud of smoke. After waking from the dream, they were back in this game that would eat you alive and not even spit out the bones.

The crying grew louder, sounding especially desolate and grim over the dark, boundless sea.

Shi Zhile frowned at them and raised her voice, "Shut up, all of you! Are you trying to lure up the monsters from the bottom of the sea? The instance just didn’t mention monsters, that doesn’t mean they won’t appear."

A man stood up and roared at the sky, "Bring it on! I’ve had enough of this goddamn terrifying life! If it comes down to it, I’ll fight the son of a bitch!"

Shi Zhile: "Since you want to go pick a fight with a monster, go howl somewhere else. Better yet, call all of them out. If you want to die, don’t drag everyone else down with you."

All eyes shot toward him. The man’s eyes were bloodshot. He actually started paddling his raft away.

No one stopped him, because they all wanted to know if monsters would really appear in this instance.

Seeing that the others had calmed down, Shi Zhile’s voice softened a little.

"If you want to survive in this instance, you need to be self-sufficient. There are fish and shrimp in the sea and supplies on the islands. These are the resources you have to work with.

The sea is ultimately not as safe as the islands. The less you fight amongst yourselves while at sea, the sooner you can get to an island.

There’s no sun at night, but the moonlight is bright enough for everyone to see their direction. Players without shade should travel at night and rest during the day. Players who have a way to make shade can rest at night and travel during the day.

Traveling separately can avoid chaos, but the prerequisite is that you don’t covet other people’s supplies. Mind your own business and stay safe."

That prerequisite was too difficult to fulfill.

Outside the game, even with the constraints of the law, humanity was already apathetic.

Without the rule of law, human nature was laid bare. Humans became like animals in the forest, where the powerful leopard is always the first to pounce on the naive white rabbit.

As the crowd fell silent, Shi Zhile raised her bow, drew it, and released an arrow, instantly killing a player who was trying to launch a sneak attack.

Before she could lower her bow, an especially tense voice cried out from the crowd, "Watch the bow of the boat!"

Shi Zhile looked toward the bow. A man had circled around and was stealthily approaching, intending to attack from the front of the boat. Unfortunately for him, Shi Zhile had spotted him long ago.

Before the figure could even get close, he was shot and fell dead onto his raft.

Shi Zhile retrieved a bottle of water from the cabin and looked at the young girl who had warned her.

"This bottle of water is a thank-you gift."

She tossed the water toward the young girl’s raft. The girl caught it and thanked her gratefully.

Shi Zhile sat down on the deck. Under the moonlight, many players were taking advantage of the night to travel.

The skin on their hands was pale and wrinkled from being soaked in seawater, but without paddles, paddling with their hands was their only option.

Some players who had managed to grab wood at the start were also using pieces of it to paddle.

As soon as it was past twelve, Chuyi woke up right on time. Shi Zhile went back into the cabin, put her bow and arrows into her Breeding Space, and fell asleep hugging her axe.

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight touched the surface of the sea, and the black-canopied boat set off once more.

There were even more players ahead. Shi Zhile did a quick count and estimated there were nearly a hundred people.

Jiang Jing was rowing the boat, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "The distance has changed."

Shi Zhile, eating a piece of grilled fish, asked, "What distance has changed?"

"The distance to the island. Last night, the place we stopped to rest was about six or seven hundred meters from the island. But now the island looks smaller, like it’s farther away from us."

Shi Zhile stood up and looked at the island. Visually, it did indeed look smaller.

She entered her Breeding Space, found a pair of binoculars, and brought them out.