Chapter 116: Where’s the Island?

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Where’s the Island?

Chuyi lay back lazily. "There are sharks in the sea. If you want to swim, be my guest."

Jiang Jing replied, "I was just saying. Since we can’t move forward, let’s just stop here and watch. I’m damn well going to see how this island runs off on its own."

As night deepened, the two of them positioned the black-canopied boat sideways. One sat at the bow and the other at the stern, each holding a torch as they watched the island.

The waves from the rising tide grew larger and larger, slamming against the boat and shaking it violently. Just as the two were awkwardly steadying themselves, the island vanished in the blink of an eye.

The waves gradually subsided. A light breeze drifted by, carrying the damp, briny smell of the sea. The remaining ripples sounded like the giggles of children, sometimes loud, sometimes soft.

Only after confirming the large waves were gone did Jiang Jing slowly release his tight grip on the side of the boat.

When he looked up, he felt like the sky had fallen.

The surface of the sea was pitch-black. The island, which had been faintly visible as if shrouded in a veil, was gone.

"What the hell! Where’d my huge island go? Chuyi, what happened? Where’s the island?"

When the huge waves had surged, Chuyi had nearly been thrown overboard. He had clung desperately to the edge of the cabin, his palms scraped raw.

Hearing Jiang Jing’s words, Chuyi looked up and was stunned as well.

’Where’s the island?’

’Holy shit, I knew it could run, but I didn’t know it could run *that* well!’

’The instance has changed!’

’When this instance was first designed, I’m sure I didn’t add any difficulties for landing on the island.’

’First, there was a force preventing us from landing, and now the island just vanishes. No matter how you look at it, it seems like someone is deliberately sabotaging things.’

He felt a little flustered, but it was more the bewilderment of the instance deviating from his expectations.

’If the instance is no longer under the game’s control, will the game’s rules gradually go off the rails?’

This wasn’t what he wanted. He hated the feeling of being controlled by others.

’It’s time to leave the game and meet with them.’

Jiang Jing was still searching for the island, looking left and right in a way that was almost comical.

’Humans like this, what right do they have to possess Earth? Such a perfect ecosystem shouldn’t be occupied by weak Earth people.’

’It should belong to the interstellar community!’

’It can *only* belong to the interstellar community!’

’It drifts in the vast cosmos, so of course it belongs to the interstellar people who can also traverse the universe!’

In his eyes, the saying "fools have fortune" was utter bullshit. Even smart people struggled to find good fortune, so what right did a fool have to it?

He looked at Jiang Jing, suppressing the scorn in his heart.

"The island disappeared when the tide came in. The waves nearly swept us into the sea. We were looking out for ourselves, so naturally, we didn’t have time to pay attention to the island."

"Let’s take another look after daybreak!"

Jiang Jing’s eyes flickered. "So the island was washed away by the waves?"

Chuyi was silent for a moment. "Perhaps. I don’t know if there’s a problem with the instance."

His expression was unreadable, but his agitation was becoming more and more obvious.

Jiang Jing said no more and sat at the stern, sending a message.

Without any other players to interfere, there was no need to be on edge. The night passed with unusual peace.

Shi Zhile was licked awake by the little calf, its warm tongue swiping back and forth across her face.

After waking up, she first fed the calf some tender grass, then checked her panel.

Her Spirit Value had fully recovered, and its maximum cap had risen to 30.

’It rose from 23 to 30. It seems that after the Spirit Value is completely depleted, the total amount increases.’

’It’s like a balloon. You think you’ve inflated it to its maximum, but you can still make it bigger by slowly adding more air.’

’The total Spirit Value can increase, but the prerequisite is to exhaust it completely each time. Only then will it slowly grow.’

’When your Spirit Value hits zero, you become weak and get a splitting headache. If someone comes after you during that time, you could easily lose your life. Next time I try this, I have to have someone trustworthy watch over me.’

A private message appeared from a friend in her system. Shi Zhile opened it. It was from Jiang Jing, sent at around one in the morning.

[Jiang Jing: After the tide came in at night, the waves got bigger. The island disappeared after the waves calmed down. Chuyi’s expression changed. He probably sensed a problem with the instance.]

Shi Zhile stroked her chin. "His expression changed? He sensed a problem with the instance... Could it be that Chuyi was involved in designing it?"

During her rest that afternoon, Shi Zhile had sent Jiang Jing a message, specifically asking him to observe Chuyi.

Due to the special nature of Jiang Jing’s work, he was the least likely to be detected while monitoring Chuyi.

Moreover, Chuyi himself was extremely arrogant. Although Shi Zhile hadn’t interacted with him much, his smiles always carried a sense of scrutiny and disdain.

’People like that are the most cunning. They often hide their true intentions within a pile of words.’

Shi Zhile ate breakfast in her space, then exited.

Today was overcast. Dark clouds hung low, merging with the sea.

On the black-canopied boat, Jiang Jing was grilling some fish. When he saw Shi Zhile appear, he handed it over with a pained expression.

"They say timing is everything. I just finished grilling this and you show up."

Shi Zhile took it, broke off a piece to taste, and then handed the rest back.

"Salmon really is better raw. It gets tough and dry when you cook it."

Jiang Jing took a bite. "It’s pretty good, just a little bland. I’ll have to find some salt to sprinkle on it later."

"Chuyi, you try some. I think it’s delicious. Zhile must just be sick of eating fish lately."

Chuyi refused. "I also think it’s better raw."

Shi Zhile gave him an appreciative look. "How far are we from the island now?"

Jiang Jing handed her the binoculars. "About five hundred meters."

Shi Zhile walked out of the cabin, raised the binoculars, and looked toward the island.

The lush green trees were still there, but they looked grim and terrifying against the backdrop of the overcast sky.

Ten in the morning would mark the start of the third day of the instance. It was the last day, and it definitely wouldn’t be peaceful.

Jiang Jing and Chuyi followed her out, one after the other. Chuyi said, "We still have to land on the island today. I have a feeling that if we can’t get there before dark, we’ll probably die at sea."

"I’ve been thinking. The probable reason the boat couldn’t land yesterday was that we were all on it together. Today, let’s split up."

Shi Zhile: "I have no objection."

Jiang Jing was quiet for a moment. "I don’t have any objections either. It’s not safe for you to take Elder Wen by yourself. Let’s wait until we’re closer to the island to split up. I’ll take Elder Wen with me when we land."

Shi Zhile: "No problem."

Chuyi took out a raft, said goodbye to the two of them, and left.

As the raft slowly moved away, Shi Zhile took out the oars from the cabin. She and Jiang Jing began to row slowly, one on the left and one on the right.

Chuyi’s raft moved very quickly. Even though they had left around the same time, he vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

On the vast expanse of the sea, there was nothing but Shi Zhile and Jiang Jing’s small boat.

"Jiang Jing, what exactly did Chuyi say yesterday?"

Jiang Jing recalled their conversation from the previous night and repeated it word for word. Afterward, he asked, "Is there something wrong with what he said?"

Shi Zhile didn’t say a word. She brought the boat, along with herself and Jiang Jing, directly into the Breeding Space.

The black-canopied boat landed with a thud, startling the chicks and ducklings into a chaotic frenzy. The sudden noise was deafening. Shi Zhile then brought them into the Planting Space to meet up with Mr. Wen.

Though it had only been a day, Mr. Wen was glowing with health. He currently had his pant legs rolled up and was digging at the soil.

Seeing the two of them enter the space, he looked up and gave them a quick glance. "Why are you both here? Did you get beaten up out there?"