Chapter 75
There were still plenty of fish on the speedboat. Jiang Liu directed the others to prepare and grill them for sustenance, while she leaned against the fire alone, gazing out at the sea.
Gao Yuan wasn’t on the shore. Instead, he was lying in the nearby seawater with his head sticking out. According to him, this was far more comfortable than being roasted by the fire.
The human and the fish stared at each other. Jiang Liu found the sight of that lone head floating on the sea surface so bizarre that she silently averted her gaze. “Is the death rate in all instances this high?”
Gao Yuan grunted in affirmation. He had clearly overheard the players’ conversation earlier and spoke with some melancholy, “Ever since I started this job, the death rate has always been high, and it’s even trending upward.”
Jiang Liu frowned slightly, accurately grasping the key point. “What about before?”
The head on the dark sea surface seemed to pause for a moment before speaking softly, “I’m not authorized to view past data, but I’ve heard it was about half of what it is now.”
After he finished, he couldn’t help but look up at the island. Jiang Liu sat there quietly, lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the fire, though it was unclear what she was looking at.
She was wearing the simple, neat shirt she had found in Teacher Yang’s dormitory in the last instance. The firelight illuminated her profile, making her features appear even more defined.
To this day, Gao Yuan still couldn’t believe that those seemingly slender arms could burst with such formidable power, leading her team through four instances without a single death.
Jiang Liu was silent for a long time before she suddenly looked up and met his gaze.
Caught staring, Gao Yuan felt a bit awkward and quickly looked away, his eyes darting around. But Jiang Liu didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, she spoke thoughtfully, her tone tinged with an unidentifiable complexity, “I heard from Zhao Ziming that there was once a very strong player in the instances.”
He was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Jiang Liu was asking this.
Gao Yuan had thought she would be most concerned about Yang Caisi.
But he still nodded and went along with her. “You’re talking about that cross, right? It was indeed brought out by that player. That was over a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, I came in late and never saw it with my own eyes.”
“What happened to that player in the end?”
Gao Yuan’s expression was a little strange. “They probably got out? I’m not sure, but that person is no longer in the system.”
After saying that, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you concerned about this?”
Jiang Liu relaxed and leaned back, lying directly on the damp sand.
The sky was dotted with stars, a spectacular sight that made it feel as if she were in the middle of the cosmos.
A moment later, her calm voice sounded, without a ripple of emotion. “I suspect that player was me.”
There was a moment of silence nearby. Not far away, Tang Rui was distributing grilled fish to everyone. Learning that they still had a chance to get out alive, the group had finally regained their vitality and were chatting animatedly with Tang Rui.
The two bonfires seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, forming two completely different worlds.
Gao Yuan opened his mouth, but found he didn’t know what to say.
If someone had told him before this that she was the legendary figure who had lived in the system for over a hundred years, Gao Yuan would have checked their temperature and then unhesitatingly sent them to the Logistics Team to get their head checked, while cursing them for letting such people in.
But the person who said this was Jiang Liu.
He felt he must be crazy. He knew it was impossible for a person to live that long, and even more impossible for them to come back again, but there was a thought in his heart telling him that what Jiang Liu said might be right.
Her ease in facing the instances, her strange relationship with Yang Caisi, and even that indescribable aura about her were all proof.
Gao Yuan gave a dry laugh. “So?”
Did Jiang Liu want to confirm all this? His authority wasn’t high enough for that.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Liu tilted her head and changed the subject. “You said you were squatting here for three days? What’s that about?”
It was as if she had just thought of the possibility and mentioned it casually to Gao Yuan as a friend. Whether he believed it or not didn’t affect her in the slightest, nor did she expect to hear anything from him.
Now that she had snapped back to reality, she was back to business.
Gao Yuan couldn’t help but admire Jiang Liu. Under such circumstances, a person’s mind would be filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts, and overthinking was mentally exhausting. But not Jiang Liu.
She wouldn’t be swayed by her thoughts. Instead, she would move forward with her suspicions, seeking evidence to confirm her guesses.
This was truly a remarkable mentality. Gao Yuan felt inferior.
He was lost in thought for a moment, then spoke seriously, “At this point, I can only tell you.”
The story began after the end of the last instance.
Recalling the scene, Gao Yuan thought for a full two minutes to organize his words. “After your last instance ended, I received news that Xiao Yang was punished by the Inspection Team.”
Yang Caisi was taken away by the Inspection Team before she could even guide the players out. In her haste, she only left him a message, asking him to help hide her whereabouts from Jiang Liu. At the same time, detailed information about Jiang Liu’s next instance arrived.
Speaking of which, Gao Yuan also became a little confused. “Player instances are all randomly matched. I don’t know where Xiao Yang got the information, but the file was sent through a special channel. I had a bad feeling about it right away.”
Yang Caisi was a famous Model Worker in the System. On average, the number of players she had guided could hold hands and circle the globe.
Although she was a bit cold, her professional ability was there for all to see. She had never made a mistake and could be said to have received rave reviews.
But at some point, she seemed to have become a key target of the Inspection Team. She was reported and complained about in almost every instance, and this time was particularly serious—
Because the message she sent received no reply.
Gao Yuan didn’t know why, but considering the recent situation, he guessed it was related to Jiang Liu. Before he could think further, he found that he had received a transfer order, sending him, who originally had no mission, to a special assignment.
“You might not understand, but special assignments are complicated. Anyway, there are all sorts of unexpected situations. Even for us, it can take ten days to half a month to get out.”
He explained a bit, then smiled smugly. “I’m so smart. I guessed someone was trying to transfer me away, so I had a stroke of genius and ran off the night before the transfer order took effect, making arrangements in advance to rush into your instance.”
Because he didn’t know when Jiang Liu would arrive and was afraid of running into players and starting a fight, Gao Yuan swam eastward and squatted at the bottom of the sea for three days.
Gao Yuan complained bitterly, “I was about to starve to death. Although there were plenty of small fish and shrimp at the bottom of the sea, I couldn’t eat them raw. I was full from drinking seawater every day. I finally waited for you.”
Listening to his rambling, Jiang Liu’s mouth twitched. She rolled over and sat up. “So you have no plan at all? And you don’t know anything?”
Gao Yuan scratched his head and retorted, “Nonsense! My plan was to wait for you! Then we can discuss the next step!”
Jiang Liu was speechless.
She was silent for a rare moment, almost laughing out of frustration at Gao Yuan.
She thought she had a capable assistant, but it turned out to be someone who knew nothing.
Xiao Si, oh Xiao Si, what on earth are you arranging?
She sighed heavily in her heart, finally reining in her helplessness. “Can you contact her now?”
Gao Yuan’s head shook so fast it created ripples in the water. “Can’t. And I can’t be seen. If I’m found to have snuck out, I’ll be punished too.”
He pointed to the seaweed on his head. This stuff wasn’t just for comedic effect; it was specifically to disguise his presence so he wouldn’t be discovered.
“I’ll definitely have to squeeze two bottles of good wine out of her when we get out. Let me tell you, Xiao Yang is so strange. She doesn’t drink a drop herself but insists on keeping a warehouse full of good wine. I can never beat her to it. Isn’t that infuriating!”
Gao Yuan was fuming, but Jiang Liu, a true wine lover, cleared her throat and looked away, feeling inexplicably guilty.
She already had some concrete plans in mind. She let out a long breath, got up to eat, and didn’t forget to turn her head and ask Gao Yuan, “Are you eating?”
Gao Yuan nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, give me two more!”
***
The reason they had to stay on the island for another day, according to Gao Yuan, was to wait for high tide.
At a fixed time, the tide would surge, revealing a special passage to the bottom of the sea. Only then could Jiang Liu enter the true Mermaid Sea Region.
“Sis, they said twenty-five people came at the beginning. What about the bodies of the other players?” Tang Rui asked, listening to Jiang Liu’s analysis, unable to help but rub his arms and suck in a cold breath.
Jiang Liu gestured towards the sea with her chin. “Bait, of course.”
In this humid environment, bodies would rot and stink easily, not to mention—
She looked down at Zhang Zhong, who had been moved nearby and was still sleeping soundly.
From the players’ descriptions, Zhang Zhong had been relatively protective of them. His advice for Tang Rui and the others to leave at dawn was also because he didn’t want them to get involved in this mess.
He and Li Feiyang had been partners many times without falling out. There was no need for them to have a major falling out this time. It was likely that Li Feiyang had done something that crossed his bottom line.
For example—using bait to attract Mermaids.
Tang Rui immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
Jiang Liu pursed her lips, reached out to poke the fire, and continued, “I need to go to the bottom of the sea. You guys take them and the boat to complete the mission.”
After speaking, her gaze fell on Tang Ruo opposite her, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “You should know how to operate a boat, right?”
Tang Ruo raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with surprise. “How could you tell?”
“Your skills are trained. Did you go to a military academy?” Jiang Liu chuckled.
Tang Ruo’s silence served as an answer. She changed the subject. “I’ll go with you. That way, I can find her after we get out.”
As long as Xu Meng came out alive, she would definitely contact Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu sighed helplessly. “It could be dangerous.”
The girl opposite her shrugged, her eyes unusually determined. “Everyone can encounter danger.”
“Alright.” Jiang Liu knew she couldn’t make her back down, so she didn’t waste any more words. Her gaze swept over the others, looking for a suitable driver.
She had originally wanted to ask Jiang He. He was young and had good physical fitness. In desperate situations, people learned quickly. But who would have thought that the young man, as if sensing her intention, would quickly speak up and refuse.
“I want to go with you.”
His tone was a bit anxious, his eyes fixed on the churning sea surface. It was almost high tide, and waves were already surging there.
“I heard my brother’s voice. He said he wants to see me.”