Chapter 96: Digital Cruise (IX)

Chapter 96: Digital Cruise (IX)

Zhou Heqi was momentarily stunned before he looked at the paper in his hand, hesitating, "What's wrong with this name?"

What is wrong with the name?

Ning Suisui asked, "Do you know who this person is?"

"Yes, I do."

"You do??" Ning Suisui was genuinely speechless, "Knowing who he is, why would you put him at the top of the list?"

Zhou Heqi replied with an indifferent expression, "In this instance, shouldn't every player be considered our competition?"

Ning Suisui was taken aback for a moment, "You certainly have grand aspirations."

Zhou Heqi immediately revealed that he did not have grand aspirations, he was just simply naive and inexperienced.

"Besides, we have you, Captain Ning, don't we? You're the ruthless individual ranked seventh on the scoreboard, a master among masters! Isn't this minor Xie something you can handle easily?"

Ning Suisui understood now.

She asked, "How many times have you cleared a level five instance before?"

"Although this is my first time, I believe that with our collaborative efforts, the ocean treasure will certainly be within our grasp!"

In the dim and dilapidated little diner, Zhou Heqi's companions around him started to applaud energetically.

"Bravo!"

Bravo my ass! Idiot!!!

No wonder he dared to confront Xie Fangcheng directly just now!

Since becoming a bounty hunter, Ning Suisui had been very conscious of her image, but at this moment, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Let me give you a piece of information then," she said, devoid of any expression, "The 'demon' Ji Ge, who is ranked fourth on the leaderboard, was bedridden by this 'minor Xie' you speak of, and Ji Ge—"

Ning Suisui raised a finger, "Received only a single strike from him."

Zhou Heqi paused, hesitating as he opened his mouth to speak, "Is Ji Ge really that weak?"

Damn!

Ning Suisui also believed that Ji Ge's strength wasn't particularly impressive. His ability to squeeze into the top ten on the leaderboard, ranking even higher than her, was largely due to relying on Ji Chaoyang.

But no matter what, that was a player ranked seventh on the leaderboard. While Ning Suisui could consider Ji Ge weak, where did Zhou Heqi, who hadn't even made it onto the leaderboard and was attempting to clear a level five instance for the first time, get the audacity to call Ji Ge weak???

At this point, Zhou Heqi seemed to have realized his mistake, hesitating for a moment before saying, "So, about this person's strength... Captain Ning, are you not confident in handling him?"

Ning Suisui replied irritably, "I am confident that I can escape from his grasp!"

"And speaking of confidence, didn't Zhou Heqi hear how terribly the NPC was screaming when Xie Fangcheng was attacking it?"

"However, fortunately Xie Fangcheng is slow; otherwise, Ning Suisui really wouldn't dare to say that."

"Ah," Zhou Heqi hurriedly crossed out the name, "Let's spare him for now! Let's check the next one... Eh! Here's one with 71 points, and their strength seems quite average. It's just that the name is rather odd, how do you pronounce this surname, 'ji'?"

Ning Suisui glanced down: "..."

Ning Suisui swiftly drew out her golden massive axe: "No need to go through all this trouble! I might as well chop you down directly!!"

Even "Yan Xiaoxi" seemed somewhat speechless: "Big brother, you really know how to pick 'em, don't you!"

Zhou Heqi asked, "This one is no good either? Is their strength also very strong?"

"That's Xie's boyfriend! The brother of the former president of Ronghua! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Then who is acceptable?"

Ning Suisui scanned the list, quickly circling a name on the paper.

"Let's go with this one, Liu Guangming, one hundred and twenty-one points."

.

While the "Golden Leopard" squad was bustling about, Xie Fangcheng and his group were dining on the third floor.

The price list on the third floor indicated that each single-serving meal set cost fifty points, but upon seeing Xie Fangcheng and his group, the NPC showed a notably gentle and kind expression: "Please wait a moment, we prepare our ingredients freshly; it will be ready soon."

"There's no point cost?" someone inquired.

"Esteemed guests on board do not require it," replied the NPC.

Suddenly, Zhang Dao'an asked, "Is the cost covered by other players?"

The NPC responded with a smile, yet remained silent.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.

Wei Yuan hesitated before speaking, "It's fine to waive the ship fee, as it is a necessary expense. But isn't it a bit too luxurious to dine like this? I think... maybe we should check the restaurant on the first floor?"

Before he could finish, Xie Fangcheng was already negotiating with the NPC after reading through the single-serving meal menu.

"I don't fancy this sashimi, can it be replaced with something else? Tempura? What is that? Oh, fried shrimp, yes, bring a portion of that."

After speaking, he turned around to find Wei Yuan and the members of Ronghua staring at him in astonishment.

Xie Fangcheng asked, "What's the matter?"

Nie Shuangshuang was the first to slam the table boisterously.

"Forget it, if that group of players has any complaints, let them take it up with the NPCs!"

The reason she eventually left Ronghua was because every time she entered an instance after her power was downgraded, players who recognized her as Nie Shuangshuang from Ronghua always expected her to contribute more beforehand, with phrases like "This part is rather difficult, Sister Shuangshuang, you take it on", or "No one is doing this task, Sister Shuangshuang, you take it".

When Nie Shuangshuang declined, those individuals always exhibited an incredulous expression, as if saying, "You are a member of Ronghua, how could you not help the other players more?"

It used to be like that in the past, but back then Nie Shuangshuang had the advantage of being strong, and she usually teamed up with the vice president of Ronghua for missions, so a small loss didn't mean much.

But now it was different. Now, after Nie Shuangshuang finished a mission, she would lie awake at home until midnight, constantly questioning herself whether what she did before was wrong, and if Ronghua really shouldn't exist.

Consequently, Nie Shuangshuang left Ronghua and joined the professional league as a real estate agent.

At this point, while Wei Yuan was still adhering to Ronghua's rules, Nie Shuangshuang had already synchronized with Xie Fangcheng's pace.

She even stylishly snapped her fingers, but then couldn't remember how to say it in English: "Um... I'll change my order too."

Wei Yuan had a conflicted expression on his face.

Zhang Dao'an glanced at him, "How many guilds does Ronghua have?"

Wei Yuan didn't understand, "One."

"See, even now it's just one," Zhang Dao'an remarked calmly, "A spark can only be useful if it sets a prairie afire; if it only burns itself without igniting others, it will eventually burn out, won't it?"

Wei Yuan fell into deep contemplation.

While he was engrossed in his thoughts, the NPCs had already started serving the dishes with swift efficiency.

After nibbling on a piece of fish, Nie Shuangshuang nudged him with her elbow, "Stop pondering, leave these professional matters to the professionals."

"Huh?"

Nie Shuangshuang gestured towards Zhang Dao'an, whispering to him, "Just think about what he teaches, and what his profession is. We just need to follow his lead peacefully. With your intellect, you're only slightly better than Brother Xie."

Meanwhile, Xie Fangcheng was also consulting Zhang Dao'an, "What are your thoughts on how to proceed next and clear the level?"

"Wait," Zhang Dao'an said, "Ning Suisui and the others are gathering players' points. Once they have collected them all, we can go collect them."

"Oh, oh!"

"However, around midnight today, you might need to lend a hand."

Xie Fangcheng inquired, "Hmm? Help with what?"

"Try to prevent the players who haven't paid the ship fare from dying, if possible."

"Alright," Xie Fangcheng was somewhat curious, "But I'm a bit confused about what you're really trying to do here."

In response to his query, Zhang Dao'an patiently explained, "The final rule of the cruise is, 'The top three players with the highest points can obtain the ocean's treasure.' I believe this treasure is also the NPCs' goal. However, the players generally have low points and are not a concern. Although the players are generally not strong, a hundred players, if united, can indeed pose a significant force."

"Then why not simply let the players do whatever they want on the ship? After all, as long as the NPCs get the treasure when the cruise arrives in three days, and the players die, that should suffice. Why create these rules that incite players to kill each other? It seems as if they can't wait for all players to perish."

Saying this, Coach Zong glanced at Jie Fangcheng with the kind of natural and practiced ease one might exhibit when questioning a student.

However, this student clearly wasn't like the others he had taught before. Jie Fangcheng responded calmly, "Just lay it out straight, you know my situation."

Zong Daoan couldn't help but chuckle: "I suspect those NPCs are marine creatures, with the players being their food source."

"Oh!" Jie Fangcheng exclaimed, as if seeing the light, and then asked, "How does this relate to your plan?"

"What if, the mortality rate among the players is quite low?" Zong Daoan proposed, "Even if their scores drop to zero, the players won't die. In such a case, wouldn't the NPCs on the ship, unable to feast, start attacking the players?"

"They would."

"That's exactly my objective," stated Zong Daoan.

Jie Fangcheng paused for a moment, taken aback.

"These players who have boldly ventured into a level five instance are largely seasoned veterans, representing the strongest faction within the player community, truly the pinnacle of the pyramid," explained Zong Daoan, "But honestly, their performance is disappointing. When oppressed by the NPCs, their initial reaction is not to reason with the NPCs but to lash out at Ronghua instead. Faced with adversity, they only think to turn their blades on their comrades, never contemplating uniting their forces to retaliate against the NPCs. But it's not entirely their fault; the perception that the NPCs are vastly more powerful than the players is deeply ingrained in their minds."

"But if there has been a change in the NPCs, would they have the courage to exploit this shift?"

— If the NPCs have indeed undergone a change.

Jie Fangcheng realized, "You've been consistently emphasizing the importance of having 'background NPCs' control the props and promoting unity among them. Has it shown effects now?"

"Yes."

"Where?" Jie Fangcheng inquired.

Zong Daoan shook his head, "It's merely a hypothesis at the moment. I seem to have noticed an NPC that's somewhat different."

The first floor.

"Yan Xiaotong" and her group were leading the band of players who hadn't paid the ship fee, initiating conversations with any NPCs they encountered along the way.

"Is this really effective?" someone asked dejectedly, "These NPCs are just insignificant background characters. I believe we need to move upwards and consult the higher-ranking NPCs, don't we?"

The true objective of "Yan Xiaotong" and her group wasn't to help these individuals pay the ship fee; in fact, it was better if they couldn't pay, avoiding the wastage of so many points.

"However, NPCs with higher ranks represent greater power. Currently, we can converse with these common NPCs, and even if we violate their killing rules, I can manage them. If they are slightly more formidable..."

Her argument was indeed logical.

The group had no choice but to continue interrogating one NPC after another.

From ordinary attendants to cleaners and kitchen staff, the level-five instance NPCs appeared to be more intelligent, each patiently answering their queries.

But the universal response from all the NPCs was, "If you haven't paid the ship fee, you'll have to disembark, and there are no avenues to earn points."

It wasn't until Sun Ting questioned a NPC, who was hand-washing clothes, that the latter hesitated for a moment.

"You haven't paid the boarding fee?"

"Yes!"

The NPC glanced over Sun Ting's shoulder first.

Due to the immense size of the cruise ship, the players had dispersed to inquire separately. Sun Ting had ventured quite far, with no one visible behind her.

The NPC hesitated momentarily, but finally, under her gaze, chose to speak.

"I know a guard who might spare you, for a certain price."

Sun Ting was taken aback and hastily inquired, "What kind of price?"

"They..." the NPC began, a shiver of dread passing over its face as it thought of those guards, "they have a penchant for human flesh."

The value of flesh compared to life was clear. Without hesitation, Sun Ting nodded vigorously, "Yes, I'm willing!"

As she spoke, thoughts of the other players who also hadn't paid the boarding fee crossed her mind. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "I also know a few others who haven't paid the..."

"No!" the NPC rejected the suggestion instantly, "Sparing you is already stretching it, quite risky! If there isn't enough meat, the captain and others might conduct an investigation!"

She couldn't be blamed for this then.

Sun Ting promptly let go of her guilt, naturally following behind the NPC.

The NPC led her through a labyrinthine route, soon entering a room on the first floor cluttered with miscellaneous items. Following that, the NPC unveiled a secret entrance hidden beneath the carpet.

A damp staircase descended before them, with a nauseating stench of rot assailing them immediately.

Although plunged in darkness, Sun Ting could vividly perceive the grotesque scene below, swiftly covering her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting.

In the murky water resembling a pool beneath the ship deck, two corpulent octopuses were floating, sharing a cadaver reduced to nothing but a skeleton, slurping remnants of flesh wedged within the bone crevices.

It must be Gu Zailai.

At that moment, Sun Ting and the NPC arrived at the location, the octopuses in the pool lifted their heads, producing human-like voices despite being marine creatures.

"Why have you brought a guest here? Get lost at once!"

The NPC standing in front of Sun Ting hastily grinned appeasingly, "I thought you two must be famished from waiting for so long. This young lady hasn't paid the boarding fee and is about to be thrown off the ship soon. Maybe you could indulge yourselves first?"

Sun Ting froze, turning to flee instantly.

But the NPC behind her restrained her with a firm grip, whispering urgently as she prepared to fight back, "If you leave now, death awaits you at midnight regardless. Trust me!"

The two octopuses leisurely emerged from the water.

While in the water, they were already a revolting sight; now, slithering out and moving on their tentacles across the ground, their presence exuded an extreme level of discomfort and sliminess.

One of the octopuses hesitated for a moment: "But every guest is accounted for, the captain keeps a close eye on each one."

The NPC persuaded: "What does it matter? Anyway, their guests often end up nearly killing each other. We can just say she died in a fight, and replace her with some random bones, can't we? Look at this young lady, her flesh is tender and fresh. Raising her to enjoy a few bites of flesh daily is certainly better than gnawing on bones, right?"

The not-so-bright octopus was convinced.

It nodded: "Alright, let's keep her then."

As it spoke, an appendage from the octopus on the right swiftly cut across, Sun Ting froze momentarily, attempting to cry out in pain, but was quickly silenced by the NPC beside her.

"Tsk." A snicker came from one of the octopuses, followed by another sharp pain in Sun Ting's leg.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, she lowered her head to see a chunk of muscle missing from her calf.

Trembling, Sun Ting retrieved a potion from her system backpack and drank it hurriedly. Under the watchful eyes of the octopus and the NPC, the flesh on her legs grew back at a rapid pace.

"Oh? This is indeed premium meat!" the octopus exclaimed joyfully, bursting into hearty laughter, "Zhang Min, this will earn you a merit."

A flash of cold light flickered imperceptibly in the eyes of the NPC named "Zhang Min", but she quickly regained her smile and nodded: "Thank you, boss."

Although her flesh had regenerated, the deep-seated pain still caused Sun Ting to shudder uncontrollably.

Zhang Min steadied her, saying: "Look at how pale you've gone, I will take this young lady away now, and come back tomorrow!"

The tentacles of the two octopuses reluctantly coiled around Sun Ting's legs twice before finally releasing her.

With a source of "live meat" possessing such potent regenerative abilities, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry each day.

"Alright, take her away. Remember to come back tomorrow."

The octopus returned leisurely to the pool.

Zhang Min, supporting the sweaty Sun Ting, escorted her out of the storage room. Sun Ting then glanced down at her legs.

She couldn't shake the feeling that pieces of her flesh were still missing from her legs, the pain not diminishing in the slightest.

"Do... Do I have to come back tomorrow?"

Zhang Min glanced at her: "If you don't come, they will come looking for you."

Sun Ting felt darkness encroaching upon her vision.

Zhang Min cautiously scanned the surroundings, picking up on some noise.

"I have to go," she whispered, "Same time tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you here."

With that, Zhang Min disappeared swiftly from sight.

Roughly ten seconds later, "Yan Xiaotong" came searching for her.

She looked at Sun Ting, who was crouched on the ground: "What are you doing here?"

Each of them had a designated area to investigate, and this vicinity wasn't within Sun Ting's assigned region.

Moreover, Sun Ting looked as if she had just narrowly escaped with her life.

Sun Ting restrained the trembling in her legs, forcing herself to stand up from the ground.

"It's nothing," she tried hard to maintain a facade of calmness, "I finished checking my area, so I thought I'd extend my search here. I... I will head back first."

As she passed by "Yan Xiaotong", before Sun Ting could react, the figure before her had forcefully pinned her to the ground.

"I am trying to help you out of goodwill, and you deceive me?"

Startled, Sun Ting hurriedly explained: "No! I just... just found it inconvenient to speak up!"

The grip on her didn't lessen in the slightest.

Left with no choice, Sun Ting had to recount the entire incident that had just transpired.

"But that NPC also mentioned that because many players have been expelled from the ship, they had the opportunity to let me off. I... I don't want to stand by and watch others die, but there's only one spot available, which I found, there's nothing wrong in wanting to survive, right?"

The "Yan Xiaotong" holding her down remained silent, finally releasing her grip.

She sighed, "Indeed."

A small weight lifted from Sun Ting's heart.

"Yan Xiaotong" sighed again, "But you shouldn't have lied to me, I can understand your situation. Here's what we'll do: first, take me to that storeroom you mentioned to have a look. Tomorrow when you return, I will secretly follow to see if there's any way I can assist you. Otherwise, experiencing such horrific flesh-shredding again and again is just too cruel."

Sun Ting paused, then looked at the girl in front of her with moved eyes.

"Miss Yan..."

"Yan Xiaotong" smiled and patted her on the shoulder: "Alright, let's go. It's almost midnight, and we have another plan to execute."

Their "plan" was to try commanding the NPCs if they couldn't find any to cover the ship fees.

Ning Suisui had suggested this.

She suspected that the NPCs had digital markers, but couldn't determine exactly how many each NPC carried. Hence, she wanted to initially test it on some background NPCs to gauge the extent of these digital markers and if they could be constrained by the cruise's rules.

After probing the NPCs, they could evaluate the strength of the guards trying to evict players from the ship and potentially explore the extent of their digital markers.

As for these unfortunate players without allocations, that's just how level five is; if they die, it can only be attributed to their lack of strength.

With these thoughts, "Yan Xiaotong" followed Sun Ting to the storeroom first, memorizing its location before leading Sun Ting to rejoin the main group.

As expected, besides Sun Ting, the rest of the players returned empty-handed.

"We have no choice but to proceed this way."

"Yan Xiaotong" seemed to sigh regretfully, "We can only begin by testing the NPCs' digits, followed by attempting to defeat the guards."

Before the words fully settled, from afar, a person carrying a stick was approaching.

Jie Fangcheng greeted the players present as he arrived, following the directions given by Zhang Daoan.

"Hey, good afternoon."

No one responded.

Why did so many incidents happen in the morning?

Isn't it all because the people from Ronghua failed to pay the ship fare, forcing everyone else to pay an extra fifteen percent, and now many plans have changed, leaving us with no option but to fight against the NPCs?

What is this person doing here now?

Their silence didn't bother Jie Fangcheng, who simply walked over and stood at a spot.

"Yan Xiaotong" couldn't help but ask him, "What are you doing here?"

Jie Fangcheng gestured to her, "It's nothing, just pretend I'm not here."

“……”

But given his strong capabilities, it indeed was difficult to drive him away.

Ning Suisui had mentioned when the two groups of Jin Qianbao separated that there was a sharp-minded individual in Ronghua who could likely figure out that the "NPCs also have points."

With Jie Fangcheng standing there now, "Yan Xiaotong" pondered for a moment before proceeding with the plan as initially outlined.

"We have ten minutes left, currently, we have four people with a score of zero, so there's no need for them to test. The rest, shall we start the probe with those having the lowest scores?"

A player with a full-faced beard stepped forward.

"I'll do it, I only have seven points."

"Alright!"

Just at that moment, a servant NPC carrying a tray was passing by nearby, and the bearded player quickly issued a secret task.

"I command you to place the tray on the ground!"

As the command was given, the NPC immediately turned his head to look at him.

The bearded player froze for a moment, then his expression turned extremely ugly in an instant.

"How did it go?" the crowd inquired with concern.

The bearded player gave a bitter smile, "The good news is, we indeed can command the NPCs."

"The bad news— "

The NPC really set the tray aside and then, with a hint of excitement appearing on his face, charged towards them.

"The bad news is that my score is lower than his. The system alerted me that the NPC has been enraged and is about to attack me," he conveyed grimly.

The NPC advanced at a swift pace. The bearded player, who had a warning skill, now had his mind filled with system notifications and alarm sounds mingling together.

With no other options, the bearded player pulled out his weapon, casting a desperate glance towards "Yan Xiaotong" at his side.

"Sister Xiaotong..."

"Yan Xiaotong" hesitated, unsure whether or not to assist him.

This NPC was of average strength, and she felt confident about dealing with it.

However, attacking NPCs recklessly within the instance was a big taboo. What if they triggered a swarm of them?

Seeing her hesitation, the bearded player already knew her answer.

Damn it!

It seemed he could only rely on himself to fight...

In a state of desperation, the bearded player gritted his teeth, gripping his weapon tightly.

The next second—

There was a loud "thud".

Jie Fangcheng, who was standing by, swung his stick and sent the NPC flying with a powerful blow.

The NPC, who was as eager as he had charged a moment ago, now looked utterly disheveled as he flew away.

After hitting the ground, the NPC shrieked and fled without even retrieving the tray.

The bearded player was momentarily stunned, before joy rushed into his heart: "Thank you..."

It's still Ronghua indeed! These Ronghua people do have this trait of lending a helping hand when witnessing injustice!!

Meanwhile, Jie Fangcheng, who had just wielded his stick, turned his head.

"I seem to have forgotten to mention this in advance," he extended his hand, "The fee is an item worth over 3 million points in the market. You can either give it to me or I can call the NPC back right now. Your choice."