Chapter 102: The Digital Cruise (Part Fifteen)

Chapter 102 The Digital Cruise Ship (15)

[Ding - Congratulations player [Sun Ting] for gaining 87 points.]

[Ding - Congratulations player [Sun Ting] for gaining 76 points.]

Hearing the two system prompts despite hovering near death from her heavy injuries, Sun Ting still felt a flash of joy.

How she had gained these points was obvious to Sun Ting - it was the two dead octopus guards!

Although the guards weren't killed by Sun Ting, but stabbed one by one by Zhang Min, what Zhang Min had fed Sun Ting was evidently very lethal to these NPCs, robbing the monsters of their ability to resist.

She had eaten what Zhang Min gave her, the guards ate her flesh - looking at the judgment, she had somewhat contributed to the guards' deaths.

So the shipboard NPCs also had point values?

Killing NPCs would gain their points?

Though with the guards' strength, their point values weren't actually that high.

Then again, 70-80 points was quite a lot. With the guards' abilities, only top-tier experts on the rankings like Ning Suirui would have a chance against them. Ordinary players need not dream of it.

It was just that these point values didn't match up to the guards' formidable strength...No, wait!

Sun Ting realized - she had only assisted! Zhang Min should have gotten the lion's share of points, right?

Although Zhang Min was an NPC, if the guards had points, Zhang Min should too. She could also gain points from the guards, right?

Although Zhang Min was an NPC, since the guards had point values, Zhang Min should as well. She should also be able to gain points from the guards, right?

Sun Ting inevitably wondered - Zhang Min's strength wasn't that great. If she recovered, could she take Zhang Min's points?

Just then, Zhang Min suddenly turned her head.

Meeting her gaze, Sun Ting froze up, first guiltily, then a shock rose in her heart.

Why wasn't Zhang Min giving her the medicine yet?

Sun Ting wasn't dead yet, but her limbs were gnawed bare, abdomen sliced open. She hurt too much to even groan, paralyzed on the ground.

Given her extent of injuries, a regular human would have perished long ago. The fact that she's still clinging to life is wholly due to her being a veteran player, having completed numerous rounds and having undergone numerous body enhancements.

However, if she refrains from taking the medicine indefinitely, Sun Ting's demise is only a matter of time.

At this moment, after dealing with the two guards, Zhang Min suddenly turned around to lock eyes with her briefly, before methodically chopping the two octopuses into segments and pushing them back into the pool.

Having completed all these actions, she then turned around once again.

Sun Ting spoke, her voice feeble, "I won't repay kindness with enmity, like they did..."

Zhang Min merely scoffed coldly, "Oh, really?"

"Truly," Sun Ting looked at her earnestly.

In that fleeting moment, Sun Ting had indeed harbored an ulterior motive.

Zhang Min's abilities were mediocre, yet it was unclear how many points she harbored at present.

If Sun Ting could vanquish Zhang Min and seize her points, not only could she afford the ship fare for tomorrow, but she might also have a chance to negotiate a deal with the affluent, thereby potentially resolving her current predicament.

But that was just a passing thought.

No one could resist the allure of a treasure that seemingly lay within arm's reach. Sun Ting wasn't a saint with an unwavering resolve against all temptations.

However, she considered herself far from malevolent.

Zhang Min had saved her; she could not possibly betray her benefactor after her own survival.

Despite this benefactor being a system-generated character, an NPC destined to reset with the commencement of the next instance.

But now... Sun Ting feared that Zhang Min might no longer be willing to save her.

She had heard the remarks uttered by Zhang Min earlier. This was someone who had been wronged by an ungrateful beast. Furthermore, during that very moment when temptation had seized Sun Ting, their eyes had met.

Zhang Min apparently didn't believe her words, casting only a fleeting glance before raising the dagger in her hand, hesitating momentarily but ultimately refraining from striking down.

"Forget it," Zhang Min uttered, stepping past Sun Ting with measured strides.

As expected.

Sun Ting closed her eyes in despair, realizing that words would be futile now.

Zhang Min's father had rescued two octopuses, only to be devoured by them in return.

Zhang Min had saved her, yet in that fleeting moment, she had harbored inappropriate intentions towards the points Zhang Min held.

If she were in Zhang Min's position, she would have eliminated her instantly to prevent future troubles.

As Zhang Min passed by her, Sun Ting found herself speaking nonetheless.

"...Thank you."

Regardless... before this, there must have been a moment when Zhang Min genuinely considered saving her, right?

Zhang Min paused in her stride, then continued walking without looking back.

Amidst the silent chaos and disarray strewn across the floor, only Sun Ting remained, reduced to a fraction of her former self, sighing inwardly as she braced herself for the impending death with closed eyes.

Perhaps the human body's instinctual mechanism of self-preservation had kicked in, as she no longer perceived any pain, only an engulfing sense of fatigue.

Perhaps it's better to die... In death, there would be no need to continue struggling for survival in this forsaken place.

But as she waited, seemingly for nearly half a minute, feeling her body grow cold, footsteps resounded from beyond the door once again.

Sun Ting was nearing her limit. With great effort, she managed to open her eyes, only to catch a glimpse of Zhang Min standing at the doorway with a grim expression, tossing something her way.

With a dull "thud", a vial of potion struck the floor beside Sun Ting's cheek.

"If you can reach it, drink it. If not, then resign yourself to fate!" Zhang Min exclaimed tersely.

Having hurled the potion, Zhang Min exited once more.

In her state of utter despair, a fervent glint suddenly ignited in Sun Ting's dilating pupils. Though previously unable to muster the strength to even lift her eyelids, she now strained to raise her upper body, clasping the vial between her teeth.

The system-crafted potion was sealed tightly. Despite her earnest attempts to uncap it using her mouth, it proved futile.

Grimacing in agony and emitting painful groans, she bit down fiercely, shattering the neck of the vial, cap and all, with her teeth.

Sharp shards of glass mixed with the potion and her blood as they flowed down her throat, the system-generated medicine rapidly taking effect within her.

Once her fingers started regenerating flesh, Sun Ting swiftly procured another vial of potion, uncapping it and guzzling its contents.

Accelerated by the potent effects of the double-dosed potion, her wounds healed at an impressive pace. Soon, what was once a dying individual teetering at death's door regained her initial appearance.

Seated amidst a pool of fresh blood and viscous fluid from the creatures, Sun Ting gasped for air, her body still resonating with intense pain.

Remaining seated in this state, tears mingled with sweat streamed down her face, her hands trembling as they covered her eyes.

—— She had survived.

Despite the grueling ordeal, she had, at last, persevered and lived!

Even though she had braced herself to possibly perish within this dungeon before entering — especially given that a level-five dungeon wasn't something someone of her caliber could easily clear —

But when given the choice, who would willingly embrace death?

Overwhelmed by an immense sense of euphoria stemming from her narrow escape from death, she found herself engulfed in happiness.

Zhang Min... This NPC truly came to her aid!

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the entrance once again, the brisk pace indicating someone other than Zhang Min.

Sun Ting immediately lifted her head, readying herself for potential combat.

The next second, a familiar and beautiful face appeared at the entrance.

"Yan Xiaotong" paused momentarily, her expression quickly shifting to one of immense joy.

"You're here! Are you alright? We've been looking for you for so long!"

As if to corroborate her statement, the remaining four members of the Golden Leopard group soon appeared at the entrance.

The other players, just like her, were all talking over each other, expressing their concern for Sun Ting.

"Sun Ting, are you alright? There's so much blood on the ground... did you fight with the guards?"

"Come here, don't stand there dazed, be careful in case other NPCs come by!"

"Can you walk?"

Yan Xiaotong looked somewhat worried and ashamed: "We didn't realize how strong the guards were at that time, we couldn't help you then. You left so suddenly, we didn't know you came here. If we had known, we would have come to help you earlier. Look at you now..."

Saying this, she looked at the bottle on the ground, her expression showing clear distress: "You've suffered a lot, haven't you?"

In the past, Sun Ting might have found this quite touching.

It's not that she didn't understand what Yan Xiaotong and the others were really thinking, but even knowing their true intentions, most players were like this, taking advantage of others to avoid danger themselves in this game.

At least the members of the Golden Panther squad were willing to put up a façade, maintaining decency on the surface. Many others, like her guild leader, would say anything to protect their own interests, regardless of others' lives or deaths, adopting all kinds of despicable methods to ensure their own benefits once inside the instance.

But now, Sun Ting just looked at her calmly, realizing that she didn't seem to need the sympathy from her fellow players anymore.

If they really wanted to help her, the members of the Golden Panther squad would have come earlier.

Their late arrival was simply to see what kind of fate awaited her, a lab rat who hadn't paid the entry fee.

Compared to this false sympathy, a vague new idea began to take shape in Sun Ting's mind.

What if her allies were not these deceitful and shameless players, but NPCs like Zhang Min instead?

But this was only a fleeting thought.

The unpredictability of NPCs was too great; these system data had no memory, and they would be reset with the instance restart. Of course, collaborating with an NPC wasn't impossible, but that usually involved key NPCs with significant power.

With Zhang Min's capabilities, how could she be a key NPC?

Under these circumstances, collaborating with players seemed to be the better option.

But a good collaboration didn't mean she couldn't choose her partners—

So, when Yan Xiaotong started probing to find out what had just happened, Sun Ting lied without hesitation.

"I don't know."

"You don't know??"

"Yes." She genuinely didn't know; she didn't know what she had consumed, nor where it came from. "I was left with half a life by the NPC. In my daze, it felt like someone threw a bottle of potion to me and then left."

Yan Xiaotong and the others exchanged bewildered looks.

In any other instance, they wouldn't have believed her. But this instance involved Ronghua's people, even though the present Ronghua seemed very different from before. They couldn't be sure if these well-known Samaritans might still harbor a sliver of goodwill.

In the midst of their conversation, the group retraced their steps from the cluttered area nearby back to the main hall.

"Yan Xiaotong" couldn't shake off the feeling that the seemingly inconspicuous player before her was lying, so she offered with a smile, "It seems you managed to escape death this time. To show my apology, let me cover your expenses. You haven't opened your room yet, have you? I'll take care of your boat fee for tomorrow too."

Sun Ting simply shook her head.

"What's the matter? Are you blaming me for not assisting you earlier?"

"I wouldn't dare." She replied with a cold demeanor, her gaze shifting towards the corridor where she spotted a familiar, nonchalant figure.

Sun Ting immediately spoke up, "Thank you, Miss Yan, but I have some matters to attend to. I must take my leave now!"

Without further ado, Sun Ting turned and headed towards the figure in the corridor.

The members of the Golden Leopard Squad watched her leave, whispering amongst themselves, "She wasn't telling the truth, should we bring her back?"

Yan Xiaotong cast a glance at the person Sun Ting was approaching, muttering under her breath, "Are you stupid? She is going to meet Jie Fangcheng! There's no point in capturing her!"

Saying this, her brow furrowed, a trace of irritation and urgency flickering in her eyes.

"This is our last chance... we must acquire the rank skills," Yan Xiaotong murmured, her lips pursed tightly.

Her ears twitched, her expression changing once again.

"Sui Sui and her team have been robbed of their points!"

"What??"

Meanwhile, Sun Ting reached Jie Fangcheng and exchanged a few words with him. Jie Fangcheng was listening attentively until his gaze casually drifted to the Golden Leopard Squad standing at a distance.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he picked up his stick, ready to charge at them.

"Move!" Yan Xiaotong decided decisively, leading her team to quickly vanish from the hall in the blink of an eye.

Jie Fangcheng barely managed to chase them for a few steps before realizing that catching up with them was futile.

This won't do, he thought, planning to confront them only when they were confined in a closed space next time.

Just like earlier in the restaurant.

Despite the restaurant appearing old and cramped, its "system-created" feature meant that even when Ning Suisui was being chased and attacked, not even the tables were damaged, leaving only white marks.

Despite her speed, the crowded space limited her movements, resulting in her ultimately succumbing to a hit from Jie Fangcheng, subsequently losing her points.

At this moment, Jie Fangcheng's score had surged past 700 due to his relentless efforts, and he felt that breaking the thousand-point barrier wouldn't have been surprising if not for players like Liu Guangming who could fragment and escape through the skeleton hole created earlier.

"How come all these people run faster than rabbits?" Jie Fangcheng grumbled, before turning to Sun Ting, "You mentioned earlier that you have important information to share with Ronghua?"

"Yes," Sun Ting confirmed without hesitation.

She had come to realize that in this instance, other players were unreliable, and with the NPCs being highly unpredictable, only Ronghua could be depended upon.

Even with Ronghua beginning to charge fees, they are still considerably more trustworthy than the vast majority of players.

"Oh, in that case, come with me."

As they walked, Jie Fangcheng led the way, while Sun Ting contemplated how to articulate her message. She was considering how to reveal that NPCs too had points and that some of them might possess means to combat the monsters without exposing Zhang Min.

As for the possibility of NPCs earning points by killing the monsters... perhaps it’s best not to mention that to them.

Just as Sun Ting began to form an idea, Jie Fangcheng halted his steps up ahead.

"Have you all finished moving?" Jie Fangcheng asked.

Sun Ting glanced around to see people from Ronghua approaching them. They no longer displayed the signs of crumbling faith seen earlier in the corridor. Now, there was a sense of relief and relaxation etched on their faces.

"All done, all done!" the crowd responded in a cacophony of voices.

One person even joked, "What happened, Brother Jie? Weren't you off to snatch some points? How did you end up bringing back a lady instead?"

The innuendo in the remark was rather thick, and Zhang Daoan cast a glance at the speaker.

"Liu Yuansi?"

For reasons unknown, Liu Yuansi felt a chilling sensation crawling up his back.

Scratching his head, he inquired, "Ah, Brother Zhang, what's the matter?"

Although everyone had quickly accepted that Jie Fangcheng was a big shot from the underworld with the power to dictate their fate, his prominent personality stood out too much. Nie Shuangshuang, who initially intended to adhere closely to him, couldn't maintain her solemn demeanor for even half an hour before reverting back to her typical fiery state.

Despite Ronghua's serious and lofty ideals, once everyone became familiar with each other, their conversations became unrestrained, with Wei Yuan often cracking hellish jokes. At this moment, jokes flowed reflexively, without any filter.

However, while everyone enjoyed joking with Jie Fangcheng, feeling they had quickly warmed up to him, it was challenging to do the same with Zhang Daoan.

Now, with Zhang Daoan mentioning Liu Yuansi by name, the latter's smile faded. He shrank his neck and glanced around bewilderedly.

People around him instinctively distanced themselves a bit, while others consoled him, "No worries, Brother Jie already said, since you're completely dead, what's the harm in dying once more?"

Frustrated, Liu Yuansi stomped his foot, "Damn! What did I do, anyway?"

Zhang Daoan merely smiled, "Nothing, just that your name is quite distinctive, easy to remember."

Darn it!

Being remembered by Brother Jie could be a good thing, possibly opening doors to future opportunities.

But if it's Zhang Daoan saying this, it's only ominous!

The individuals at the center of the jokes seemed unbothered. Sun Ting had witnessed far worse; what was this in comparison? Speaking bluntly, anyone with a hint of attractiveness, be it male or female, had encountered far more unpleasant situations. Liu Yuansi, who made the remark, clearly bore no ill intent, it was simply a case of a loose tongue.

Jie Fangcheng cared even less. He hadn't even recognized the statement as a joke, and cheerfully introduced, "This is Sun Ting, she says she has significant discoveries to share."

Zong Dao'an shifted his gaze onto Sun Ting's face: "What significant discovery?"

Sun Ting hesitated for a moment: "Well... there are too many people around, is it appropriate to discuss it here?"

Zong Dao'an gestured dismissively.

The crowd looked at him with confused expressions.

Zong Dao'an turned to look at Wei Yuan.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Wei Yuan quickly stepped forward, pressing a hand to the ground, erecting earth walls on all sides, enclosing Zong Dao'an, Xie Fangcheng, and Sun Ting within.

The square earth walls were impenetrable, standing tall like an enlarged version of a long coffin.

Unusually, Zong Dao'an's expression turned cold in the darkness.

Xie Fangcheng also asked, "Why did you ask Wei Yuan to erect a coffin-like structure? Do you enjoy this kind of environment?"

Zong Dao'an replied with a cold tone, "I meant, let's take this conversation upstairs."

"Ah?" Xie Fangcheng was surprised, "Is that what you meant? Then why hint at it? You should have told them directly. Who would understand your gesture?"

"You didn't understand either?" Zong Dao'an suddenly asked.

"Understand what? The gesture?"

"..." Zong Dao'an gave him a steady look, then turned to Sun Ting, "What are you hoping to get in exchange for your information?"

Sun Ting paused, then quickly said, "I wish to join Ronghua."

"Join Ronghua?"

"Yes. My abilities are mediocre, I'm not on the score leaderboard, I've cleared the game seventy-two times, and I'm currently the vice president of the [Gentle Breeze under the Moon] guild. After we get out, I intend to apply to join Ronghua."

"This matter should be discussed with the president of Ronghua once you are out. However, it seems like the information you've acquired is quite significant, huh?"

Sun Ting nodded, "Yes."

Just as she was about to speak, Zong Dao'an stopped her.

"You are one of the players who didn't pay the ferry fee, yet managed to return alive. It seems the guards are already dead?" he analyzed. "Among the players, only the members of Ronghua and the Golden Leopard squad could possibly take down the guard NPCs. You have no leverage; Ning Huisui and their team wouldn't help you. Without anyone's aid, with your abilities, you wouldn't be able to kill the guards... It seems an NPC assisted you, didn't they?"

Sun Ting was taken aback, her expression changing abruptly.

Zong Dao'an understood.

"Killing an NPC isn't critical information. The most important thing on this cruise ship is the score. Did your score increase after killing the NPC? Is the information you want to share that killing NPCs yields score points? And that there are NPCs on the ship willing to help players? Who was the NPC who helped you? Did they gain any score points?"

Sun Ting's mouth opened in astonishment, unable to comprehend how he could deduce all that.

A remark from Xie Fangcheng plunged Sun Ting further into an abyss of ice and cold.

"Killing NPCs gives points? Wasn't that your earlier speculation?"

Not long after entering the game, Zong Dao'an had said this — the history of this game shows no one has successfully cleared it, indicating that it's not as simple as players slaughtering each other, vying to be among the top three to clear the game.

At that time, Zong Dao'an had mentioned that it was highly possible that the NPCs carried points.

After finishing his statement, Zong Dao'an looked at Sun Ting: "Aside from this, do you have anything else to offer us in exchange for rewards?"

Sun Ting remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

Zong Dao'an eyed her: "However... if you could lead us to the NPC who assisted you, I believe we might still have potential for collaboration."

Sun Ting suddenly looked up: "You intend to collaborate with the NPC?"

Zong Dao'an neither affirmed nor denied: "That would depend on the circumstances."

Almost instantly, Sun Ting grasped the underlying message in his words.

If the NPC is powerful, it could mean collaboration.

If weak, it might imply killing the NPC for points, or perhaps using her as a weapon.

Clearly, this was not an outcome Sun Ting wished to witness, and she rejected the idea without any hesitation.

"I can't find her anyway."

Sun Ting was aware of Zhang Min's abilities; this NPC was evidently not a high-level one. If she ended up being controlled or killed, wouldn't Sun Ting be causing her death? How would this act differ from what happened to the two deceased octopus guards?

She absolutely couldn't reveal this information easily, especially considering Zhang Min's limited abilities, certainly no match for Xie Fangcheng — or to put it another way, Xie Fangcheng was an unparalleled powerhouse in this instance.

...An unparalleled powerhouse.

With such a powerful player around, why not just eliminate all NPCs directly? Wouldn't that make things more convenient?

Sun Ting seemed to have realized something and froze in her tracks.

Zong Dao'an pulled out a wand from his system backpack, tapping it against the wall.

Quickly, Wei Yuan withdrew his skill, asking curiously, "What's happening?"

Zong Dao'an glanced at him: "If you're so curious, why didn't you come in earlier?"

Nie Shuangshuang chimed in from the side: "Wei Yuan said this structure looks like a coffin, which he finds inauspicious."

Xie Fangcheng was speechless: "Considering auspiciousness or not even when people have died? You are quite superstitious, aren't you?"

Wei Yuan was frustrated.

Even in the face of hell breaking loose, there's still talk of superstition?

As everyone clamored to return to their tasks, Xie Fangcheng glanced back slightly before leaving, eyeing Sun Ting who was still standing stunned behind him.

He couldn't help but nudged Zong Dao'an beside him: "Really not intervening?"

Despite Zong Dao'an's harsh methods, he fundamentally had a good heart.

Sun Ting was reluctant to divulge the details of the NPC that assisted her; Zong Dao'an only probed briefly, clearly satisfied with her stance.

By now, many players had already noticed the scene unfolding here, pairs of eyes lurking in the shadows, waiting to swoop in for information as soon as the Ronghua members left.

Zong Dao'an and his group wouldn't make things difficult for Sun Ting, but the same couldn't be said for the others.

When Xie Fangcheng asked this, Zong Dao'an merely turned his head back as well.

Sun Ting's expression fluctuated, clearly realizing the current predicament.

Not being a fool, she hesitated for a moment before resolutely following them.

This time, she scanned the area and directly approached Wei Yuan.

"President Wei, I would like to join Ronghua, is that possible?"

Sun Ting said so.

Zong Dao'an turned his head, quietly explaining something to Xie Fangcheng.

"Manager Xie, didn't you not want to be the president?"

"Yeah."

"Then let Ronghua develop on its own for a while," Zong Dao'an said with a smile. "This player is smart; she will find a way to survive."

Having said this, Zong Dao'an turned to survey the surroundings.

Countless prying eyes were scrutinizing the Ronghua members, resembling leeches lurking in crevices.

"But where there are smart people, there will also be fools."