Chapter 148: Like

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Like

Shi Zhiyi took out a knife and cut off a piece along the severed edge.

She had Shi Zhile put the rest in her backpack.

She then took out a cutting board and a set of barbecue tools, asking as she sliced, "Lele, how do you know the traits of a Level Five Monster? Have you encountered one before?"

"I’ve encountered one, and I’ve killed one.

Compared to the Level Four Octopus, the mermaid was actually easier to kill. Standing upright, it was a little taller than me. Its upper half was human, and its lower half was a fishtail. It had a hideous face and sharp claws.

The most important thing is that its fishtail is impervious to blades, and when its scales bristle, they can pierce human skin."

Just as Shi Zhile was about to help, Shi Zhiyi stopped her and shooed her away, telling her to go have fun.

Once the meat was cut, Wen Bai started a fire on the grill without needing to be asked.

Wang Peng took out a few sea fish and squatted on the deck to clean them. Jiang Yuxing sat off to the side, fishing with his rod, and quickly caught two palm-sized octopuses.

Everyone had their own task; only Shi Zhile had nothing to do.

She entered the Planting Space, brought Mr. Wen out, then took out two lounge chairs and lay down on one.

Mr. Wen surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. Seeing Shi Zhiyi and Wen Bai, he knew they were safe for the moment. Then, noticing everyone else was busy, he understood Shi Zhile’s intentions.

"You rascal, you just saw that everyone else had something to do and dragged me out here because you were bored, didn’t you?"

Her plan exposed, Shi Zhile refused to admit it.

"Of course not! I called you out for a midnight snack! This is Level Four monster meat—it can increase your Life Value by ten points. Don’t you want to try some?"

’There were many things that could increase Life Value, but Level Four monster meat wasn’t exactly common.’

’He really did want to give it a taste!’

Wen Bai added, "Every 500 grams of octopus meat increases Life Value by ten points, but it also reduces Spirit Value by five. If your Spirit Value hits zero, you get a splitting headache. Elder Wen, you’re getting on in years, so you can’t eat too much."

Mr. Wen settled into the other lounge chair. "I can spare a mere five points of Spirit Value."

While they were chatting, Jiang Yuxing had already caught a lot of octopuses.

Wang Peng finished cleaning the sea fish and arranged them neatly on a plate.

Shi Zhiyi placed the sliced octopus on the grill. As the temperature rose, she sprinkled on the seasoning, and the unique, charred aroma of grilled food began to dominate the air.

As the wind picked up, Wen Bai raised the large sail, and the boat continued on its course.

Shi Zhiyi placed the freshly grilled octopus foot on a plate and went back to grilling the fish and small octopuses.

The stars twinkled in the sky as the group sat around the grill, eating the sizzling barbecue.

The first bite of octopus foot was springy and firm. The spiciness of the seasoning hit first, even before the savory flavor.

Shi Zhile chewed and chewed. After she swallowed, her Life Value instantly maxed out. "My Life Value went up, but this Level Four Octopus doesn’t taste any different from a normal octopus."

Wang Peng was taking huge bites, his lips turning red from the spice. "Delicious! A bottle of beer would make this perfect."

Shi Zhile said, "I have beer. Want some?"

Before Wang Peng could answer, Mr. Wen shook his head in disapproval. "The monster could come back for revenge at any moment. It’s one thing if it’s alone, but it would be bad if they attacked as a group.

Drinking clouds your judgment, and we can’t afford to be careless when our lives are on the line. There will be other times for drinking, but not tonight."

Jiang Yuxing and Wen Bai ate little and spoke even less.

The conversation turned to monsters, which brought to mind the Level Five mermaid mentioned earlier.

Shi Zhiyi gazed out at the vast, open sea, her expression calm and cautious.

"Mr. Wen is right. We injured that monster; it’s bound to come for revenge.

There’s never just one monster of a certain Level. We can handle a single octopus, but what if several attack at once?

The fundamentals don’t change. The octopus’s body grew larger, but its vital point shouldn’t have changed. We can only kill it for good by severing its head.

What we lack most right now is intel on monsters. We know so little. Lele, do you know the mermaid’s Vital Point?"

’I only managed to win that time because I had the advantage of my Planting Space,’ Shi Zhile recalled her fight with the mermaid.

’And the mermaid’s main goal back then was to destroy the shelter.’

"The mermaid’s Vital Point is at its waist. The best way to kill it is to sever the torso from the tail. I smashed its head to pieces, but that didn’t stop it from fighting back.

The only tricky part is its tail—it’s incredibly agile and impervious to blades."

Wen Bai said, "A Level Five Monster... You’d need an Advanced weapon to kill it. What Level weapon did you use?"

"A Level Three. The Level difference was huge. It took everything I had just to cut off its tail."

The group discussed monster Levels for a long time. Throughout the conversation, Jiang Yuxing remained silent, not uttering a single word.

After clearing away the barbecue gear, the large boat sped onward.

The boat was fast to begin with, and with the sea wind filling the sails, they were making incredible time.

As night deepened, the elderly Mr. Wen was sent into the Planting Space to rest.

Shi Zhiyi and Wen Bai went to the control cabin, determined to get the boat to the island as soon as possible.

Shi Zhile, Jiang Yuxing, and Wang Peng stayed on deck, enjoying the breeze while standing watch.

Shi Zhile poked Jiang Yuxing, who was beside her. "You have nothing to say about monster Levels and Vital Points?"

Jiang Yuxing chuckled softly. "You can kill a Level Five Monster with ease. Does anything else really matter to you?"

"Of course, it matters. Knowing the Vital Point for a one-hit kill saves a lot of trouble.

After the shelter is upgraded, the Level of the monsters attacking Stone Island will also rise. I want to know what a Level 6 monster is."

"I have no idea!"

Jiang Yuxing yawned, closed his eyes, and seemingly fell asleep.

Shi Zhile turned to Wang Peng, who immediately shut his eyes and started snoring.

Shi Zhile lay back in her lounge chair, staring up at the starry sky.

"Since they’re all sea monsters, the fundamentals shouldn’t change. They should eat fish food and smaller fish, right? Do you think if I pulled out some dried fish or fish feed during a fight, it would distract them?"

Jiang Yuxing’s eyelashes fluttered.

Shi Zhile glanced over and reached out to poke his cheek. It was soft and smooth to the touch, even more so than a woman’s skin.

’Starving for a long time makes you thin. Too much sun exposure makes your skin dry, chapped, and dark.’

’After being exposed to the wind and sun in the Primitive Forest for so long, everyone else’s skin had become dark and rough. Only Jiang Yuxing and Wang Peng hadn’t changed at all.’

’They ate, drank, and traveled together. It made no sense that only those two were unaffected.’

’Or could it be... that they weren’t using their own bodies in this game? Is that why they don’t change?’

’She suddenly recalled her first encounter with Wang Peng. His appearance hadn’t changed, but his accent had.’

’Or rather, he had been faking a Northeastern accent from the start. Maybe he wasn’t very good at it, which was why it came and went, always sounding a bit off.’

’She could have chalked up his disguise to an attempt to seem more common, but she couldn’t help but suspect they had ulterior motives.’