Chapter 112: Digital Cruise (Twenty-Five)

Chapter 112: Digital Cruise (Twenty-Five)

The lobby on the first floor.

Ning Suisui and her group's plan to find other players was going remarkably smoothly. Xie Fangcheng's raid left single-digit scores extremely common among the remaining sixty-nine players. Over forty people scored less than ten points, with the highest score being just over fifty, clearly making it impossible to safely spend three days aboard the ship.

Initially, everyone was contemplating what to do and seeking ways to increase their scores, when Ning Suisui approached them with an idea.

Despite her miserable encounter with Xie Fangcheng, she is a well-known expert player. The majority of players, regardless of their personal opinions, gathered when they heard her propose a meeting to discuss strategies.

Over sixty individuals gathered to brainstorm a way to complete the level, and seemingly, everyone was genuinely interested. To be honest, even Ning Suisui had never experienced such a scene.

With so many people, it was clear that a leader was necessary, and there was no question about who it would be.

"Everyone, please quiet down!" Despite her prowess, Ning Suisui was somewhat short-statured. She stood on tiptoe in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by a wall of people, making it difficult for those at the perimeter to hear her, continuously asking questions.

"Is 'Gold-Hiding Rat' leading us through the instance? Where is she?"

"I don't know, but I think I heard her voice?"

"Hey bro, did you hear? You can join Ronghua now if you pay! A twenty-million-point item! You become a member of Ronghua instantly once you pay!"

"Really? You seem quite tempted, huh?"

"Nonsense! I'm just commenting on the drastic changes in Ronghua... by the way, where is Captain Ning? Wasn't she going to lead us to clear the instance and beat up whoever it was?"

Those on the outer edge of the crowd couldn't see her, and those who could see Ning Suisui were mostly guild and team leaders, now chattering and asking her various questions.

"Captain Ning, you mentioned cooperating with us. What kind of cooperation? Are we going against Ronghua?"

"Captain Ning, you mentioned a method to clear the level, what is it? Did you find any clues? Also, are we all collaborating?"

"Captain Ning, what happened to your hair?"

Ning Suisui had never led such a large group before, and the incessant buzzing of questions around her felt like it was vibrating her skull.

At that moment, another guild leader, who was also not very tall, noticed her predicament, pulled out a half-meter-high platform from his backpack, placed it beside her, and handed her a megaphone item.

Ning Suisui was very grateful: "Thank you!"

The guild leader who brought the platform showed a knowing expression, a shared understanding between those of similar height.

When Ning Suisui stood on the platform, the people on the outskirts finally saw her, causing an uproar.

"My God, it's no wonder she's at the top of the scoreboard, 'Gold-Hiding Rat'! She's very well-prepared with items!"

"Why does that megaphone look so familiar? It looks a lot like the one our one-and-a-half-meter-tall guild leader has..."

"What's up with Ning Suisui's hair? Why does it seem like she's losing some?"

Ning Suisui tested the volume of the megaphone, then shouted "Silence" a few times. The surrounding players finally began to quiet down.

Ning Suisui addressed them, “Hello everyone! I am Ning Suisui. To be frank, my current score is zero. I believe many of you might have also plummeted to a zero score. Our situation is extremely dire. To put it in perspective, our lunch— some players might not be aware, but Chairman Zhou Heqi and I have already checked in the dining room— the cheapest single-serving meal on the first floor now costs forty-six points."

A wave of gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Ning Suisui shouted twice. Although the players recognized her as a top-notch player from the leaderboard, it didn't mean that they would heed her words unquestioningly. Even after she shouted, the clamor persisted.

Ning Suisui pulled out her golden axe and slammed it onto the ground. The thunderous noise had a similar effect to a strike of a gavel, silencing the surrounding noise at once.

Ning Suisui continued, “The original one-point single-serving meal is now being sold at this steep price, and the reason is obvious to all. As time progresses, due to the same reason, our ship fees will continue to soar, as will the accommodation costs. I know there might be players here with relatively high scores, but I presume no one has more than three hundred points, correct?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Is it really possible to survive three days on this ship without over three hundred points? I believe we all know the answer deep down."

An impatient individual began to inquire, “Captain Ning, if you have any leads on how to clear the level, please share them now! We are all seasoned players here and we fully understand the current predicament. There's no need to elaborate further, right?"

However, Ning Suisui didn't respond to him, instead sweeping her gaze over the sixty-eight individuals before her.

"I am aware that since entering this dungeon, there have been unpleasant encounters between some groups." As she spoke, her gaze landed on the "Yan Xiaotong" group of five standing at the very edge.

Everyone was aware of the disbandment of the Golden Leopard squad, and their gazes followed suit, turning towards them.

Ning Suisui continued, “But I hope that from this moment on, regardless of old grievances or new, we can set them aside temporarily. We can settle scores after exiting this dungeon. At present, our strength is woefully inadequate. With the Ronghua guild menacingly looming at the forefront and NPCs harboring intentions to slaughter us, if we continue to fight amongst ourselves, depleting our strength, none of us will stand a chance to survive and clear this level alive."

The crowd fell silent.

None of those who could enter a level five dungeon were fools. Earlier, some of them might have contemplated 'eliminating' a portion of the players to lessen the competition.

But due to the interference of Ronghua, the more players they have now, the better. Ideally, no one would die, as more numbers equated to greater safety.

"Therefore, I propose that if you agree to join this group, for the next three days, until we witness the final ocean treasure, no one is allowed to harm one of our own... Of course, when it comes to the final treasure, it will be every man for himself, life or death. If anyone breaches this agreement within these three days—"

Ning Suisui swung her hand abruptly, and the giant axe in her grasp smashed onto the ground once more, creating a massive reverberation.

Ning Suisui looked at everyone present, “The violator will be the enemy of us all. Even after exiting the dungeon, I will personally hunt them down relentlessly!"

The crowd tensed up, exchanging wary glances.

Players scheming against each other was a common occurrence, making cooperation a rarity. Most of the time, despite the friendly facades, backstabbing was commonplace.

Now, Ning Suisui was clearly intending to form a genuine cooperative group, a departure from the norm... yet it seemed there were no other options left.

Quickly, Zhou Heqi was the first to raise his hand, “I agree! After all, without cooperation, let's not even talk about food; we won't even be able to survive the night safely."

Setting the trend, others around began raising their hands in agreement one after another.

The members of the Golden Leopard Squad stood silently at the fringe of the crowd, none of the five of them making a move to leave.

But at that moment, someone cautiously raised their hand, saying timidly, "Captain Ning, I... my abilities are too weak for this alliance... I think I will sit this one out."

"What do you think you're doing?" The person standing beside the one who raised their hand seemed to be their guild's leader, wearing a very disgruntled expression at this moment, "Liu, are you planning to betray us?"

Amidst the gathered crowd, the person who raised their hand seemed to want to say something, but in the end, could only bow their head and mutter, "I'm sorry," before turning and quickly ascending the stairs.

What was upstairs? People from Ronghua.

This departure suddenly reminded the players on the first floor that their choices were not limited to following Ning Suisui into dangerous territory. There was another path to take — to hand over twenty million points worth of items and join Ronghua.

Though parting with twenty million points was a painful thought, as many had begun to realize, joining Ronghua at this juncture was akin to investing with Warren Buffet in the stock market, a great opportunity indeed! Quite a few quickly caught on and changed their stance.

"I guess I won't be participating either. After all, my skills are indeed holding everyone back, I'm sorry!"

Some left with a few parting words, while others turned and left without a sound. Very quickly, about ten people had dispersed in ones and twos.

Liu Guangming, who had been itching for revenge against Ronghua since their defeat, was the first to burst out: "Damn it! A bunch of useless people! Captain Ning, aren't you going to do something?"

Ning Suisui had anticipated this. She knew some would succumb to the imposing force of Ronghua, but those who left were not particularly strong players.

This was expected, as the powerful players usually held some rank in their original guilds. Those who chose to leave were either individuals constantly marginalized within their teams, or lone wolf players without a team.

While being a lone wolf player sounded cool and formidable, the likes of Gu Zailai, who enjoyed being a solo powerhouse, were few. Humans are social creatures. Most lone wolf players once belonged to closely-knit teams, and with the death of other team members, the remaining individuals gradually lost their morale. These lone wolves generally weren't very strong and found it hard to cooperate with others again.

Ning Suisui did not stop those who wanted to leave.

"It's okay, let them go."

The exodus continued for a minute or two. When the surroundings quieted down again, Ning Suisui took a deep breath.

The number of people who left was fewer than she had anticipated, and even slightly powerful individuals like Liu Guangming didn't leave. They had already made a name for themselves in their guilds and naturally wouldn't easily defect to another.

"No one else is leaving, right? Well then, we are left with fifty-nine people."

Ning Suisui swept her gaze across the remaining individuals, her expression stern yet composed.

"I know many of you have questions, like what we should do now, how we should counter the powerful Ronghua... but those are not the main points. The focus now is how we can earn today's ship fees and safely get through the day... There's something you might not be aware of. The NPCs on this ship also have values."

As soon as she finished speaking, a wave of discussions erupted among the crowd.

Ning Suisui let them discuss while she continued to ponder on how to guide these players to find the NPC who had helped Sun Ting.

Yes, Sun Ting had survived. Ji Dao'an could tell at a glance that Sun Ting must have been assisted by an NPC. Although Ning Suisui didn't catch on as quickly, she could figure it out after some consideration.

It seems that there were some NPCs on the ship with high values. It remained to be seen where these NPCs were hiding and how powerful they were.

The deceased Eel Carp steward had a high value; she wondered how many points would be awarded for killing the captain.

And then there was Ronghua... although the ten who left were not formidable players, they were nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.

Ronghua's power has augmented once again. We cannot let them continue to swell at this pace; we need to devise a method to curb their growth...

At that moment, something caught the corner of Ning Suisu's eye. She froze for a second, then abruptly lifted her head.

At the staircase, the ten individuals who had left earlier reappeared, standing there with bewildered expressions, seemingly a bit embarrassed.

Noticing Ning Suisu's attention on them, the one leading cleared his throat, meekly descended the stairs, and rejoined the main group.

"Captain Ning, perhaps... I should stick with you guys after all?"

Ning Suisu was momentarily stunned before she smiled and said, "Of course, you're welcome. But may I ask what happened?"

"Ahem... well, the people from Ronghua said... they have reached their capacity and are not accepting any more members."