Chapter 127: The Ark of Creation 01

Chapter 127: The Ark of Creation 01

The only thing that the source of corruption could possibly covet was probably the soul fragment.

Qin Fei didn't ask any more questions and announced his plan without hesitation in the courtyard: "I'm going to sign up for The Ark of Creation."

Mi Yang, who had been dozing in his recliner, jumped up like a carp leaping out of water. "You've finally decided... Wait, what did you say you're signing up for??"

According to Mi Yang's estimation, The Ark of Creation would be one of the two scenarios selected first, along with The Three Kings.

Qin Fei had been dilly-dallying in the yard all afternoon, and Mi Yang thought he had already given up on competing for a spot in these popular scenarios.

Mi Yang suddenly became anxious. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

To see if there was a chance to snatch up any last-minute openings, although Mi Yang didn't think it was very likely.

But Qin Fei remained calm.

Since the source of corruption had told him to sign up, he would definitely be able to.

As he walked out, he flipped through the registration booklet in his hand.

The entire booklet had 20 pages, and The Ark of Creation took up a quarter of them.

There were five illustrations in total, some double-page spreads and some single-sided, but all with a dark and gloomy tone.

On the sea surface, where dark clouds gathered, a large wooden ship sailed among them.

In the sky above, a giant eye hid behind the clouds, quietly watching the turbulent sea.

In a lavishly decorated hall, candles were lit, and the table was filled with exquisite towers of pastries and wine bottles at different heights. People dressed in suits clinked their wine glasses together, but upon closer inspection, strange, animal-like hair grew on their hands.

The illustration was accompanied by a line of text as an explanatory caption:

"Great deity, please send down divine punishment and save this sinful world!"

Qin Fei stared at the line of text.

The information provided was too little, making it difficult to dig out truly useful content, but he could still make some deductions based on the images and text.

"What can you think of when you see these?" Qin Fei asked Mi Yang.

Mi Yang said, "Ships, deities, divine punishment, creation... I might associate it with something like Noah's Ark?"

Noah's Ark, according to the Bible, was a massive ship built following instructions from a deity.

God punished the wicked people of the world by raining for forty days and nights, flooding the earth for 150 days. Birds, livestock, beasts, insects, and humans on the ground all died, but only the creatures inside the ark survived as seeds to continue life.

If this scenario really was based on Noah's Ark, it would most likely be survival-themed?

Qin Fei pondered.

He was still in his balloon form, with an oval head smooth and without edges. When he thought, rubber fingers rubbed against his round chin, producing a squeaking sound.

Mi Yang found the sound similar to nails scraping a chalkboard, secretly rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.

"Oh right." Qin Fei suddenly spoke. "Take off the Mickey Mouse headgear on your head."

Although the system's headgear looked heavy, it didn't actually strain the neck when worn.

Looking out from under the headgear, the field of vision wasn't obstructed either.

Over time, Mi Yang had forgotten that he still had this foreign part on top of his neck.

But after experiencing it for a day, he had become somewhat addicted to the feeling of being able to hide his true face - Mi Yang was someone who loved wearing masks, otherwise, he wouldn't have enjoyed causing chaos in various scenarios while donning all sorts of disguises.

"Do I need to change to a new one then?" Mi Yang was eager to try.

Qin Fei glanced at him. "Whatever, it's up to you."

Such a dismissive answer greatly displeased Mother Sheep. The two took a detour back to the entrance of the entertainment center again. This time, he chose a yellow, round smiling face headgear, with two dot eyes and a mouth that was a curved upward line. At first glance, it resembled Qin Fei's balloon head.

The registration location for the preliminary rounds was in the service hall. When they arrived, the hall was as crowded as usual.

The system had specially set aside a new area in the service hall for the exhibition match, with a total of five windows.

The number of players who obtained the qualification to participate in the preliminary rounds was still not as many as the low- to mid-level players. There were queues in front of the five windows, but none of them were long.

When Mi Yang entered the service hall, he scanned around and paused slightly.

"...," He opened his mouth, then closed it without making a sound, subtly tugging on the sleeve of Qin Fei's clothes.

Beside window number 5, the butterfly in a black robe stood silently in the corner, beside her were two puppets with bowed heads.

The butterfly's face showed no expression, her chin raised proudly, and her cold gaze swept over every player entering the service hall.

Qin Fei's balloon head and Mi Yang's smiling face headgear were undoubtedly extremely eye-catching in the hall. Their unique appearance attracted several gazes as soon as they entered.

The butterfly's gaze shot over like sharp arrows.

Qin Fei's balloon face showed no expression, and he continued walking calmly.

The queue in front of the registration window moved extremely fast. Every player here had already chosen their target scenario long ago, and the rotation was almost every few seconds.

Soon it was Qin Fei's turn, and the NPC behind the window spoke in a businesslike manner: "Which one are you signing up for?"

"The Ark of Creation." Qin Fei was concise.

The butterfly had somehow come to the side of window number 3 where Qin Fei was, staring intently at him. Qin Fei didn't seem to care at all, as if he was completely unaware of the three people standing beside him.

After Qin Fei uttered the four words "Ship of Creation," a fleeting flush of vexation flashed across Butterfly's eyes.

The voice that came from the throat of this balloon figure was filled with an odd plastic quality, clearly processed to alter its tone.

Butterfly's plan to identify the person before him through their voice had already become unfeasible.

The NPC in the window pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder, stamped it, and handed it to Qin Fei. "Here, sign it."

Qin Fei took it and swiftly put pen to paper.

However, he used his left hand to write.

His raised elbow precisely covered the name on the paper, and Butterfly's eyes darkened abruptly.

This familiar discomfort of having one's plans repeatedly disrupted reminded him accurately of a certain detestable individual.

Trusting his intuition, after Qin Fei submitted the form and left the queue, Butterfly quickly stepped in front of him.

"Hold on." The puppet spoke for Butterfly.

The tall man standing behind looked gloomy, his right hand slightly raised, and with a light flick of his fingers, the puppet mechanically opened its mouth. "Lord Butterfly has a question for you."

In the next instant, the puppet was startled to find that the crooked smile on the white balloon head in front of him suddenly turned downward.

...Was he seeing things?

The puppet blinked.

When he looked up again, the balloon face had returned to its original expression.

"Who is Butterfly," the balloon head responded, the voice grating and unpleasant as if squeezed through a rubber tube.

Butterfly was enraged!

For some reason, the other party's utterly ordinary sentence conveyed a sense of humiliation.

Butterfly clearly heard the implied message: What is Butterfly? How dare they block me and introduce themselves?

Behind Qin Fei, Mi Yang was also startled by his overly audacious response, but before she could step forward, a female NPC in a work uniform suddenly appeared from somewhere behind.

The NPC briskly walked to the center of the hall, blocking perfectly between the balloon figure and the puppet.

"No shouting in the service hall!" The NPC looked displeased.

Mi Yang's lips twitched.

Where did this NPC come from? She seemed to be conducting official business, yet she was blatantly taking sides.

Although Butterfly had stopped Little Qin, he hadn't done anything yet and hadn't spoken loudly either.

Butterfly wasn't a novice in the rule-bound world and wouldn't be intimidated by an unknown NPC. He chuckled derisively and said politely, but with a cold tone:

"We were just having a friendly discussion, dear staff member."

Unmoved, the NPC seemed determined to continue taking sides and stepped closer, saying,

"If you have no business to attend to, you can leave, sir."

It was the first time Butterfly had encountered such an unreasonable NPC!

The NPCs in Central City were different from those in the instances. Although they were indifferent, few actively provoked others.

Butterfly was amused by anger.

As a player, he knew that unless one reached S-rank and delved deeper into the secrets of the rule-bound world, neither A-rank players nor guild presidents could touch any official NPC in the rule-bound world.

"Fine." His gaze, like a venomous snake ready to strike, remained fixed on Qin Fei's balloon face.

After a moment, Butterfly regained his composure, waved his sleeve, and left the service hall with the two puppets in large strides.

Mi Yang didn't know what to say. Her black, round eyes were even more circular than usual as she gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"

Her son was indeed extraordinary. Was he expanding his social circle to include NPCs now?

...

Five days later.

The preliminary rounds were set to officially begin today.

The usually bustling streets of Central City were unusually empty today.

The phrase "empty streets" couldn't describe it better.

All players who weren't in instances remained in their respective living areas without exception.

Low-ranking F and E players huddled in the four corners of the living area, where there were open-air live broadcast squares set up by the system.

Higher-ranking players stayed at home, watching the system television.

In addition, in the entertainment center accessible only to high-ranking players, every bar or restaurant had live broadcast screens set up outside.

The level of excitement was comparable to the bar streets during the World Cup in the real world.

As the sound of the preliminary round invitations being torn echoed, in a distant dimension, the live broadcast halls lit up with brilliant screens of light.

The gates opened, and in an instant, tens of thousands of spirits flooded into the live broadcast hall, their clamor instantly drowning the space.

"There are so many participants this time!"

"I heard that the system issued over a hundred more regular invitations than usual, most of which were eventually bought by low-level players with connections."

High-level players capable enough to receive invitations naturally wouldn't resort to such roundabout methods for acquisition.

"Huh? Why do it like that? It's all noobs, isn't that boring?"

"You're dumb. The system has its reasons, of course. It's because the high-level players have been too cautious in the previous rounds, keeping tight-lipped during the first half of the broadcasts, making them unbearably dull."

"Damn, so the system wants to send the noobs as cannon fodder? That's pretty heartless, but I like it."

In the A-grade live broadcast hall, nearly a hundred light screens lit up simultaneously—a grand spectacle never seen before in the usual A-grade hall.

When there were no special events, twenty light screens lighting up at once was considered a large number.

Even among A-grade players, there was a distinction between popularity levels, and Qin Fei's screen clearly belonged to the high-popularity category.

The spirits waiting eagerly cheered, some even bringing bouquets, streamers, and confetti cannons.

The moment the light screen transitioned from dark to bright, the confetti cannons went off with a bang, colorful ribbons fluttering everywhere, drawing curious glances from other spirits around.

"What's the background of that player? He seems popular, but I've never heard his name."

"Don't you know him? He's a recent active newcomer, climbing the rankings at an incredible speed!"

"Heard them calling him 'wife', is the streamer a beauty?"

"...Uh, he's a man, but a male wife is still a wife!"

"? Then I'm definitely going to check it out."

After the light screen lit up, before the image appeared, several lines of black text floated against the pure white background.

"Rule World Individual Showcase Preliminary - C1 Session: The Genesis Ship"

Total Participants: 200

Historical Exploration Rate: 0.00%

The zero historical exploration rate didn't catch the audience's attention.

For the Rule World's annual special broadcasts, whether R-grade combat matches, showcase matches, or guild matches, new dungeons were used to avoid unfair competition.

But 200 total participants!

"Holy sh*t, so many people??"

"No wonder they issued more invitations this time. The Genesis Ship has two instances, C1 and C2, eliminating 400 people right away."

"The death rates on these two ships must be sky-high!"

"Drunken, it's just a sea of heads. I can't find the streamer I'm following. Can the system give us a close-up??"

...

"Player consciousness loading—"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"

"Loading complete!"

"The current broadcast is the special dungeon of the preliminary match, 'The Genesis Ship'. Clearing condition: The Genesis Ship is heading to the mysterious island across the ocean, designated by the gods as the place of inheritance. Players who successfully survive within 15 days of the live broadcast and reach the island will clear the dungeon!"

...

Shaking space.

Pungent smell.

The cacophony of noise in his ears.

After Qin Fei opened his eyes from the darkness, what he saw first was a pile of dry straw.

He sat up next to the straw.

The familiar female voice of the system echoed in his ear, and from a further distance, the sounds of mechanical braking and rushing water could be heard continuously.

The overly complex noise made Qin Fei's temples throb.

A subtle yet sharp pain came from his neck, and Qin Fei raised his hand, feeling a strange protrusion where his neck met his collarbone.

What was it?

Qin Fei paused his fingertips and continued to feel around.

The protrusion undulated in a V-shape up and down, encircling his neck, as if a thread had been sewn around it.

The skin above the line was higher than below, and when his touch reached the skin above, Qin Fei distinctly felt a barrier.

Frowning, Qin Fei touched his face again.

This time, he was sure.

His face wasn't his face.

—Someone had sewn something, something that felt furry, onto Qin Fei's neck, covering his entire face and head.

But he could still see the outside world, still breathe, speak, and hear sounds, unhindered.

Qin Fei got up with the help of the short wall beside the straw.

What met his eyes was an extremely spacious area, generally square in shape.

Wooden floors, wooden walls, wooden fences; everything here was a light brown, the color of raw wood.

A wide road ran through the space from front to back, and on both sides of the road, torches burned at regular intervals of a few meters.

Behind the torches, the area was divided into variously shaped sections by the fences.

Hexagons, triangles, squares, all different sizes, layered one upon another. At first glance, there were dozens of them.

In each section lay players haphazardly, some still unconscious, others struggling to get up.

The moment Qin Fei saw what the players looked like, his eyelids twitched slightly.

All the players present had a non-human mask atop their heads, something that didn't belong to humans.

Pigs, cows, sheep, horses.

Various common livestock.

And giraffes, elephants, even chickens and ducks, poultry.

All sorts of different animal masks covered the human bodies, hiding the original appearances of these players.

The swaying of the cabin and the sound of water allowed Qin Fei to confirm that they were indeed on a ship. He touched his furry face, feeling a sense of absurdity welling up within him.

It really was Noah's Ark.

But the roles the players played weren't people on the ark, but animals.

More and more players woke up, and when they saw each other's faces, they burst out in exclamations of surprise.

To the left of Qin Fei was a spacious area where six pig-headed players lay, while to the right were two rabbits.

One of the pig-headed players staggered to his feet.

He opened his dazed eyes, and the moment he locked gazes with Qin Fei, he couldn't hold back a scream.

"What the hell!" Of the other five pigs besides the screaming one, one clearly had a bad temper.

That irritable pig stood up, towering over the rest.

He strode to the fence and kicked the screaming pig's butt hard:

"Which damn bastard did you buy your invitation letter from? Screaming so loudly, do you want to die?"

The screaming pig was knocked flat to the ground, landing face-first.

His performance indeed seemed very inexperienced, not like a player with rich experience in instances. Even after being hit by another player, he didn't dare show any dissatisfaction, instead shrinking to the side with a mumble.

The irritable pig glanced at Qin Fei and snorted: "Just a cat, and it can scare you like this?"

Oh.

Qin Fei finally knew that he was originally a cat.

And as he said this, the irritable pig lifted his eyelids and gave Qin Fei a serious look.

Qin Fei was also observing him.

This player had a sturdy build, and the pig head on his shoulders was larger than those around him.

The pig head was pink with a grayish tinge, with two huge ears drooping down. As he walked, the pig nose he had pushed out trembled lightly up and down.

The eyes of the pig were hollowed out, with two fist-sized holes, the only place where the true appearance of the player behind could be seen.

Qin Fei raised his hand to touch his eye sockets.

Sure enough, when he inserted his fingers into the gaps at the edges of the eye sockets, he touched his own skin.

But Qin Fei's action sent a shock through the pig-headed player!

Qin Fei hadn't expected this instance to conceal the players' appearances, and when entering the instance, he chose to activate the "Game Player" skin.

Therefore, now, through those furry gray cat eyes, behind the empty eye sockets, the pig-headed player saw an unusually pale and smooth face, along with two crimson streaks of blood!

The player's heart suddenly tightened, and his breath caught.

His seasoned reaction made him suppress his voice, but he couldn't stop the instinctive step backward.

On the ground, the screaming pig who had just been kicked over had barely turned over before a thick-soled military boot stomped heavily on his stomach!

With nearly 200 pounds of weight suddenly pressing down, the player on the ground let out a scream ten times more miserable than before!

"Ahh—!!"

He almost heard the sound of his ribs cracking!

Fortunately, the person above reacted quickly enough and reined in his strength quickly; otherwise, the screaming player would have probably been finished off right here in the first five minutes.

"Hah—hah!" He crawled to the corner with his butt sticking up, panting heavily as he held his abdomen.

At the same time, a voice full of enthusiasm and excitement suddenly came from the end of the cabin:

"Now, now, dear animal friends, please don't make loud noises in the pens."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried with it layer upon layer of echoes, distinctly different from the chatter of the players.

The players in the cabin fell silent instantly, and hundreds of eyes turned to look in the same direction.

The newcomer was an obese man.

His high-quality tailcoat, cut to fit snugly, outlined his bloated beer belly. With every step he took, his leather shoes clicked crisply against the wooden floor.

Tap.

Tap tap.

It was rhythmically resonant.

He walked down the center of the path as if standing under the spotlight at the center of a stage, raising his hands and relishing the attention from all around him.

"Dear animal friends, good evening! The Genesis has officially set sail tonight. As those chosen to board this cruise ship, each one of you is the cream of your respective species."

As the man spoke, the smile on his face deepened, his skin folding into peculiar wrinkles.

In the heat of his speech, he even lifted one foot and spun around on one leg, the red boutonniere adorning his suit jacket swaying and fluttering with his movements.

"The entertainment games on the cruise will officially begin tomorrow morning. You can all rest well tonight; meals will be delivered to your pens shortly."

"I believe that on the Genesis, all human beings and animal friends will have a pleasant 15 days. Here, please remember one principle: animals must listen to humans!"

The man stood in the very center of the pen cabin, right in front of Qin Fei.

Qin Fei took the opportunity to observe him closely.

Without a doubt, this was an NPC, short and stocky, with particularly thick limbs and body.

From Qin Fei's perspective, a line of text floated above his head.

"Genesis Cruise Ship - Basement Level - Pen Management Supervisor: Affinity 5% (The supervisor treats all animals equally! As long as they obey, animals will always be man's best friend.)"

Bathed in the flickering light of the torches, Qin Fei was surprised to discover that there were also needlework stitching marks on this NPC's neck.

That middle-aged male human skin was draped over his original skull, the skin in front of his mouth and nose stretched into a strange curve, and there was something bulging beneath his hair, as if hiding something not found in human skull structures.

"Harrumph—"

Qin Fei heard a strange sound emanating from the depths of the NPC's throat.