Chapter 116: The Digital Cruise (Twenty-Nine)

Chapter 116: The Digital Cruise (Twenty-Nine)

It was the last instance Ning Suisui and her team cleared before last year's national dungeon event, coincidentally encountering Ronghua’s members including Zhang Daowu in the same instance.

Zhang Daowu, as usual, exuded a warm and affectionate aura, resembling the sun. However, on the final day of the instance, he stood alone in a corner, muttering to himself.

"The players striving so hard to clear this instance, it seems somewhat futile, doesn't it?"

Ning Suisui, who happened to overhear, couldn't help but inquire, "What do you mean?"

Only then did Zhang Daowu snap back to reality.

He said nothing, just offered a smile.

In the final five minutes before exiting the instance, Zhang Daowu hinted vaguely, "I believe there is a king in this game, someone who stands above all players, having transcended the realm of players... What do you think, Captain Ning?"

At that time, Ning Suisui couldn't fathom the meaning behind his words, understanding only when Zhang Daowu met his untimely end in the national dungeon.

Zhang Daowu might have foreseen his own demise, even fearing to voice his suspicions aloud before his death.

Piecing together the words Zhang Dao'an spoke in the corridor that day, this 'being who reigns supreme over all players' might very well be Ji Chaoyang.

He might have already ceased to be a player, becoming a part of the game instead.

Therefore, Ning Suisui does hold substantial belief in his statement that possessing a ranking skill is necessary to clear the 'Reincarnation Trials'.

"In any case... this instance, which we've searched for so long, has the highest likelihood of dropping a ranking skill. No matter the means, we must acquire it!"

On the third floor, Zhang Dao'an was also gazing at the boundless sea.

"Ning Suisui has handed out all her frequently used items, coupled with her previous mention of the 'final instance' and so forth, it seems they plan to enter the 'Reincarnation Trials' during the national dungeon event. Given their team's strength, they stand a significant chance of triumphing in an instance with a fixed one percent clearance rate. Yet they insist on entering this instance before the 'Reincarnation Trials', placing utmost importance on acquiring a ranking skill, even willing to exhaust all their resources and wealth to secure it... Is possessing a ranking skill indeed a prerequisite for clearing the 'Reincarnation Trials' as mentioned in the rules?"

Listening to his analysis, Nie Shuangshuang was momentarily stunned before replying, "The rules don't state that..."

"They aren't mentioned, yet they firmly believe so. It seems... the information came from Ji Chaoyang? Were they aware that Ji Chaoyang isn't an ordinary player all along?" Zhang Dao'an pondered.

Nie Shuangshuang looked at him in astonishment, finally regaining her senses, "Ah... So, they intend to clear the 'Reincarnation Trials' to return to the real world? It's a lie, as Jie Ge mentioned! I need to find them!"

In her heart, she still considered Ning Suisui and her team as friends. But the members of Ronghua were also her friends. Caught in between, Nie Shuangshuang found it difficult to cope.

At this moment, she quickly vanished before Zhang Dao'an, who did not try to stop her, his expression unchanged.

Jie Fangcheng had already finished his shower, having washed away the glaring green filth that clung to him. Now dressed in the ordinary three-piece suit Zhang Dao'an provided, he looked considerably more pleasant to the eye.

With Nie Shuangshuang gone, only he and Zhang Dao'an remained by the deck railing, while behind them, several members of Ronghua were seated on the deck, engrossed in spirited games of mahjong and Dou Dizhu, the scene buzzing with liveliness.

"Is this all there is to the dungeon?" Jie Fangcheng felt that something was slightly amiss.

Zhong Daoan is certainly not a bad person, but he's known to be ruthless in his tactics. Seeing the members of Ronghua leisurely playing cards and mahjong here, it's hard to imagine that this is something Zhong Daoan would permit.

In response to Jie Fangcheng's question, Zhong Daoan merely smiled, "The dungeon is not originally difficult; it just depends on what kind of trouble Nie Shuangshuang and the others are going to stir up now."

As if deliberately proving him wrong, Nie Shuangshuang quickly returned, followed only by Ning Suisui.

The young lady appeared somewhat distraught, her expression grim upon reaching them, "Is it true that the 'Reincarnation Trial' is just a lie? That even after clearing the dungeon, we cannot return to the real world?"

Jie Fangcheng nodded slightly.

Pale-faced, Ning Suisui stepped back two paces and leaned against the railing, finally speaking after a while.

"To be honest, we were indeed preparing for the 'Reincarnation Trial'. But since it's just a gimmick, I think... we don't need to continue fighting, do we?" Ning Suisui gave a bitter smile, "Even though you might not need it... let's collaborate."

Nie Shuangshuang and Jie Fangcheng both turned their gazes to Zhong Daoan.

Nie Shuangshuang looked hopeful, while Jie Fangcheng seemed somewhat amused.

This youngster has always been scheming without fail, honestly speaking, Jie Fangcheng was quite interested to see him falter for once.

Zhong Daoan merely glanced at her, indeed nodding in agreement.

"Alright." He responded, seemingly very willing to cooperate, "Captain Ning is a rare force to be reckoned with in this dungeon, and quite skilled as well. I think our collaboration will be very pleasant."

Ning Suisui couldn't shake the feeling that his words were akin to a massive pitfall lying in wait for her. She hurriedly demurred, "What are you saying? Among the players, who can match Manager Jie's strength? I am merely mediocre."

"Ah, don't be modest," Zhong Daoan told her, "Captain Ning, I think your previous strategies were quite good! Perhaps it's not necessary to give them up."

"What strategy?"

"Seeking out human NPCs to explore potential strategies for clearing the dungeon." Zhong Daoan smiled, "I find this approach very practical. Captain Ning, you can continue doing so."

Having said that, his next sentence revealed his true intention: "You can continue leading the other sixty-eight people to clear the dungeon in a conventional manner. Since it's a collaboration, some sincerity must be shown to constitute 'cooperation,' right?"

"…What kind of 'sincerity' do you want?"

Zhong Daoan's expression remained unchanged: "I am quite curious to know how many numerical values this dungeon can possibly have and what functions the highest level watch possesses."

"…" Ning Suisui understood immediately, "You want me to lead the sixty-eight of them to hunt for points on the NPCs, then hand them all over to you? You're asking us to work for nothing??"

Contribution is calculated when the dungeon is cleared, and evidently, in this dungeon, the amount of points to a certain extent represents the contribution made within it.

At this moment, Zhong Daoan was asking for the points from Ning Suisui's group, this guy...

Zhong Daoan corrected her: "You are aware of Manager Jie's capabilities. If he wishes, there would be no disputes over this dungeon from the start, and it would be perfectly justified for all the numerical values to accumulate on him."

Damn it! This is banditry!

Initially hoping to feign cooperation to reap some benefits, Ning Suisu could restrain herself no longer at this point. She gave him the middle finger and stormed off without looking back.

Nie Shuangshuang wore a face of disappointment, "Ah... so there's really no chance of cooperation?"

Zong Daoan shook his head, "No way to cooperate; there are too many people on her side."

The flaw in the Ronghua guild was glaringly evident - although they outnumbered the others, their hearts were not united.

One could tell from their casual games of Mahjong and Dou Dizhu that the new members preferred mingling with their own, feeling they could not compete with the demoted original members of the guild.

The original guild members, though now understanding and supporting Zong Daoan's new recruitment policy, could not fully accept the newcomers as one of their own, at least not immediately.

The relationship among everyone had indeed become more harmonious after the incident at the restaurant, but there was still a long way to go before becoming a cohesive group.

Zong Daoan did not expect them to become a family after a single dungeon run; his refusal to allow others to join Ronghua, stating it was "full", was genuine.

The number of new players could not exceed that of the original Ronghua members; the plan was to gradually integrate them into Ronghua and assimilate them before taking in more people.

For instance, stepping forward to lend a helping hand whenever injustice is witnessed.

Back at her base, Ning Suisu relayed the incident to her team, eliciting a flurry of curses.

After venting their anger, the only option left before them was the last path they had.

"It seems... we need to stick to the original plan," Ning Suisu said, her brows furrowed. "However, that NPC earlier gave us a clue. The original ship owner had a potent medicine pouch. I think we can start with that..."

Before she could finish her sentence, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Ning Suisu opened the door.

Liu Guangming spoke in hushed, yet excited tones, "Captain Ning, my people have found a very unique NPC, possibly the original ship captain's daughter!"

Ning Suisu was taken aback and quickly inquired, "Are you sure?"

"Ninety to ninety percent sure," Liu Guangming said, his expression suggesting complete certainty. "My team entered a seemingly abandoned room on the first floor while searching for clues. Just as they were about to leave, they stumbled upon this NPC entering and unlocking a secret door, which hid numerous items... After the NPC left, they found a photograph of the Abraham cruise ship captain with his daughter, and it's this NPC!"

With that, Liu Guangming rubbed his hands together with a sly grin, "The NPC doesn't seem to be powerful, why don't... we give it a try?"

His surreptitious approach to Ning Suisu, avoiding the main force, clearly revealed his intention of monopolizing this lead with just their two teams.

In the past, Ning Suisu might have hesitated, but now she decisively refused.

"President Liu, to be frank, I approached the Ronghua people earlier to explore the possibility of cooperation... but their implication was clear, they intend to monopolize all the numerical values on the ship. Relying on just our two teams, it would be very difficult to resist Ronghua," Ning Suisu paused momentarily as she spoke.

Could Zong Daoan have said those things earlier on purpose?

She had now completely abandoned the idea of keeping everything to herself. At least until the ownership of the ocean treasure was settled, Ning Suisu had astutely decided to unite this formidable team of sixty-nine people.

Upon hearing her, Liu Guangming was startled for a moment, but quickly agreed to Ning Suisu's decision to share the clue after swearing under his breath.

After all, no one wanted to face the brutal punishment from Boss Jie, and even without the punishment, they couldn't afford the items worth tens of millions of points!

"Let's go, let's find our teammates and seek out this NPC," Ning Suisui said, leading the way out of the room. "Do you remember the name of the NPC?"

"Oh, it's Zhang Min."