Yang Yi pulled Suna into the captain's cabin of the Nightmare.
“What exactly happened?” He asked seriously, “Where did these bugs come from?”
“About fifteen minutes ago, the sky suddenly turned dark. I was still steering the ship when I noticed a lot of black dots appearing in the crystal ball image. I stopped the ship and walked to the bow to get a clearer look,” Suna recalled. “After that, you know what happened.”
Yang Yi immediately took the crystal ball and examined it closely.
Meanwhile, Suna began sharing her theories about the giant worms.
“These giant worms probably don't have eyes or visual organs. Otherwise, they would have noticed the Nightmare a long time ago. They likely live in darkness, relying on hearing, smell, or other sensory organs to hunt. Because of the storm's interference, their perception range has significantly decreased, making them unable to see the Nightmare.”
Yang Yi frowned as he studied the map. At the same time, he opened the world chat channel to check on other players' situations. As soon as he entered, he found the channel in an uproar.
“Why is it so dark? I’m completely lost! Can someone tell me where the exit is?”
“There are so many giant worms in the sea! One of them is less than twenty meters from me, oh my god!”
“GOD, have you abandoned me?”
Players who escaped the stormy seas mocked those still trapped inside, with a mixture of schadenfreude and sarcasm.
“More monsters? Great, serves you right for being slow!”
“Ever played a battle royale? You’re slow, so now the danger zone is closing in. Who’s to blame?”
“Idiot, just stay in there and wait for death!”
“Don't you dare die on me! If you die, who will I sell my newly caught fish to, huh? Hahaha!”
“High prices for second-hand gear and items!”
“Damn it!”
“I'd rather feed the bugs than leave you a single cent!”
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.[^1] Don’t get cocky too soon!”
…
Yang Yi shut off the chat, his expression grim. Most people had already escaped the stormy seas. With so many people fleeing, the game seemed to be trying to expel and eliminate the remaining players. Yang Yi and Suna, having set out two days later than others, were now trapped inside.
As he paced around, Yang Yi suddenly recalled a key piece of information – twenty metres! He reopened the chat and found the message from that player, then sent him a private message.
“Are you still alive? Are you sure the giant worm was twenty metres away from you?”
The other player, extremely tense, replied quickly.
“Yes, it scared the life out of me. The bug seemed to be dozens of metres long and about three metres thick!”
“Calm down. Look again carefully – are you certain it was twenty metres?”
“No need to look again. I work in surveying. I can gauge that distance at a glance!”
Yang Yi relaxed slightly and immediately had an idea. He examined the map and used the scaling function to set the scale at 1cm to 200m, so one centimetre on the map would represent a distance of twenty metres. After measuring twice on the map, he exclaimed, “Got it!”
Yang Yi regained his composure and, with renewed determination, told Suna, “You were right. These bugs can’t see, and their senses are heavily impacted by the storm. We can try to navigate through the gaps between them. Although the route is tricky, there’s enough space between the giant worms to make it possible!”
Suna’s eyes lit up at his words. She was so fascinated by these strange creatures she hadn’t even considered fleeing. But Yang Yi was different – he wanted to survive, no matter the cost.
“But do you know what the safe distance is? And there might be individual differences among them.”
“A player gave me a hint,” Yang Yi explained. He set the lower distance limit at twenty metres, with no upper limit – the further, the better – and prepared to head towards the exit according to this standard.
“I’ll take the helm next. Just in case, don’t stay inside the cabin. It’s better if you stand on the deck. If the bugs attack, you’ll be able to notice it immediately. If you jump into the sea, you might still have a chance to survive…”
Yang Yi, decisive as always, acted immediately upon making up his mind. Holding the crystal ball map in one hand and steering with the other, he adjusted the ship’s speed as needed, slowing down when passing between two of the closer giant worms.
As he approached them, he realised under the occasional lightning strikes exactly how massive the creatures were.
They ranged in diametre from two to five metres, and the parts of their bodies above the water were tens of metres long, some even up to a hundred. One bite could potentially tear the Nightmare apart.
Yang Yi navigated carefully, having changed into a sharkskin swimsuit. If the ship were to break apart and he fell into the water, it could be a lifesaver.
After slowly manoeuvring for two hours, Yang Yi felt somewhat relieved. He had finally found a way out. Despite the nerve-wracking experience, it was better than certain death!
Yang Yi shared his discovery in the world chat. Doing so wouldn’t cost him anything, and in fact, he might gain goodwill or even unexpected rewards. So, he sent out the following message:
“I’ve discovered these bugs have a very limited sensory range. As long as you keep a distance of at least twenty metres, they won’t notice or attack you! We can pass through the gaps between them.”
“Really?”
“Wow, you’re brave to have figured that out!”
“But how do you gauge the distance? It’s too dark!”
“Wait for the lightning. You can see briefly when it strikes!”
Yes, it was more difficult for those without a map. But staying put was certain death. In the face of hope, humans were never short on courage!
“Thank you! I made it through safely. This method works!”
“You’re my lifesaver!”
Yang Yi instantly received a flood of friend requests, with some even offering gifts. Although the gifts weren’t much, mostly materials he didn’t need immediately, he selectively accepted some.
The materials he received included: 3 units of wood, 227 units of cloth, 12 units of stone, 7 units of steel, 13 crystals, and 4 units of sulphur.
The captain of the Fisherman, He Qi, even sent him a rare item. Yang Yi accepted his friend request.
His ship was slow, blocked by the giant worms, and he hesitated to move forwards. In reality, he was not far from the exit.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to move. This item is my gift to you. You can always catch more treasures, but you only have one life. Good luck.”
When the item was spat out by the octopus head, Yang Yi's eyes widened in shock. The Fisherman really lived up to its name as a ship for veteran anglers – the things it caught were different!
【Name: Low-Grade Abyssal Soul Stone】 【Type: Consumable】 【Quality: Rare】
【Description: Can upgrade the quality of relics, enhancing any relic of excellent or lower quality by one level. Hold this stone close to your ear, and you will hear the voice from the deep sea...】
It was a magical stone, encased in a semi-transparent black crystal with glowing liquid flowing inside.
“Who would’ve thought my first rare item would be a gift...” Yang Yi laughed.
He immediately used the soul stone to enhance his Rusted Flintlock.
The soul stone shattered, and the glowing liquid flowed into the flintlock, altering its properties.
【Name: Faintly Glowing Rusted Flintlock】
【Type: Relic】
【Quality: Rare】
【Description: This was once a masterpiece, now gradually regaining its edge! Unlocks Dual Mode. Cannon Mode: Fires a powerful shot, dealing massive damage. The recoil is significant, so aim carefully. After firing, enters a 12-hour cooldown during which the gun is 100% likely to misfire. Standard Mode: No reloading needed, with a firing rate of one shot every ten seconds. Deals minimal damage, but be warned...due to sea rust, there is a 5% chance of a misfire.】
Looking at the revived flintlock, Yang Yi was thrilled. One shot every ten seconds, though weak, was still a solid improvement. And there was the cannon mode.
His eyes gleamed as he looked at the swaying worms.
“Maybe...”
Yang Yi stared at the giant bugs, his sanity dropping to 48 as he slipped into madness, eager to try out his gun.
But he restrained himself, remaining rational and resisting the urge to fire.
“Not yet… Not unless it’s absolutely necessary!”
Notes
[^1]:
“三十年河东，三十年河西 ” : idiom that says situations can change dramatically, and what was once dominant or prosperous can become weak or decline, while the opposite can also occur. It serves as a reminder that nothing remains constant and that one should be prepared for unexpected changes. -Simply