Chapter 20: The Genesis Ship 20

Chapter 20: The Genesis Ship 20

"Can you let me go first?"

The hoarse voice characteristic of the "gamer" character leaked through the gaps between his fingers.

The expression on the youth atop Qin Fei didn't change, but a hint of surprise clearly flashed in his eyes.

As if he was puzzled as to why the person beneath him could still speak despite having his mouth covered?

Qin Fei's hands were pressed behind him. He struggled to pull both hands out and raised them above his head:

"If you let me go, I promise I won't run."

As Qin Fei spoke, his gaze inadvertently flicked to the side, catching sight of a familiar red hue under the straw pile.

It was a person, a man whose age couldn't be discerned.

He wore red overalls similar to Mario's, and above his neck, a skull from an unknown animal was wrapped around.

A sign hung on the man's chest, with the words "Cohen" written on it. His body was stiff, his eyes tightly shut, clearly dead for some time now.

Mr. Cohen was dead.

Killed by the person before him.

Qin Fei lifted his eyelashes and deeply looked at the youth before him.

He hadn't expected that after losing his memory and becoming an NPC in the instance dungeon, the source of pollution would still be so ruthless.

In the short few seconds since Qin Fei had been dragged into the straw pile, the live stream's chat had exploded.

Since the start of the broadcast, the number of people in Qin Fei's live stream had been steadily increasing, and this morning, a new batch of viewers had joined when he went upstairs.

These later arrivals, spirits, knew nothing about the interaction between Qin Fei and the source of pollution in the bottom cabin prison last night.

They watched the scene on the light screen, anxious to the point they wished they could rush into the instance world and drag the broadcaster away.

"D*mn, run quickly, broadcaster! What are you standing there for???"

"Doesn't the broadcaster have a contract NPC? Take it out! Use it! Fight the boss! We're watching the live stream not to see the broadcaster beg on the spot, okay!"

"Help SOS, the broadcaster can't possibly think that if he just flaps his gums, someone will let him go..."

"Is that even possible? This NPC looks very hard to mess with."

Contrary to these new viewers, the old viewers who had been following Qin Fei's several broadcasts were completely different.

Even though Qin Fei was currently restrained by the boss, and the other party had shown obvious intentions to attack, the old viewers seemed to care nothing about whether the broadcaster's life was in danger. Instead, they stared at the light screen with shining eyes, mumbling strange words.

"Holy sh*t... It's happening again, starting to get sexy??"

"Young brother, stop pretending, I knew you had ulterior motives towards my wife!"

"Last time, you hugged her from behind and touched her, this time you're directly pressing her down, right?"

"To be honest, this NPC is quite good-looking, I can bear it if my wife is pressed by him, wailing (reaches out to adjust green hat)."

New viewers: "? ? ?"

New viewers stared in disbelief: "No, are you guys alright? How can you be in the mood for yellow jokes at a time like this?"

The broadcaster was about to die!

Very likely, in the next second, he would be like the staff member Cohen beside him, having his neck cruelly snapped by the young prisoner roaming the cruise ship.

Under normal circumstances, the audience would curse the broadcaster for being incompetent or look forward to the broadcaster dying soon to bring some sensory stimulation.

But for this broadcaster's fans to have their minds full of colors was indeed rare!!

The old fans paid no attention to the new viewers' ignorance.

"Forget it." An old fan hummed, "If this NPC kills the broadcaster, I'll take off my head and let you kick it like a ball!"

This was an NPC who had thrown himself into the broadcaster's arms on their first meeting!

An NPC who, despite not knowing who the broadcaster was, obediently handed over the key to Hadsay's office, such an important item, after being coaxed by the broadcaster!

Who was this person?

He was a love-struck fool.

The old fans firmly believed that even if the broadcaster now had several layers of appearance, the NPC wouldn't use heavy force against him.

The new viewers were left with question marks all over their heads. When they turned to look at the light screen, their pupils couldn't help but suddenly dilate.

In the live stream footage, the youth with a face full of viciousness actually slowly released his hand from Qin Fei's shoulder due to a few casual words from Qin Fei.

The right hand that was choking Qin Fei hesitated for a moment before moving away from the youth's slender and delicate neck. The slightly drooping fingertips brushed past the slightly protruding Adam's apple on the fair skin, carrying a hint of reluctance.

The new viewers fell silent.

Some words spoken too early were indeed destined to be slapped in the face.

And this strange emotion reached its peak when they saw Qin Fei slowly sit up and raise his hand to gently rub the youth's messy yet soft black hair.

"Good boy." Qin Fei's voice was still hoarse, but his tone was gentle.

The expression on the opposite youth gradually relaxed.

He rose to his feet in silence, his azure eyes as deep and tranquil as ever, but the scrutiny and wariness within them had vanished without a trace. New spectator: "…" Enough, that's enough! Don't we, these spectators, also form part of your play? "You're avoiding them," Qin Fei said, phrasing it as a question but with a tone of certainty, as if he already knew the answer he would receive from the person across from him. "Would you like to come with me?" Qin Fei extended his hand toward the person opposite him. The juvenile pollution source remained characteristically silent. No response was necessary; his body language spoke volumes. He didn't grasp Qin Fei's hand but instead gently touched the back of it with his fingertips. Then, he swiftly withdrew his hand as if he'd been electrocuted. He blinked, his thick, long eyelashes quivering slightly, before taking a step back and moving to Qin Fei's side. He didn't even ask Qin Fei where they were going. In fact, since Qin Fei had encountered him in this instance, the youth hadn't uttered a single word. Qin Fei even suspected that he might be mute. They moved through the countless toppled NPCs, one ahead of the other. The cruise ship continued to sway, as the freakish fish's assault had yet to conclude. All the crew members in the lower decks had gone up to the deck. It was the perfect opportunity to leave. When the two reached the entrance to the feed storage area, Qin Fei stopped and tossed something to the youth behind him. "Put it on," he instructed. It was a red work uniform, which Qin Fei had stripped off Coen before leaving. The poor NPC had his neck snapped by the pollution source and, after death, had his clothes taken by a player. Coen's human face mask was also removed by Qin Fei, while the ID badge that revealed his identity was stashed away in Qin Fei's personal space. Coen's true form was a large yellow dog. Among the countless NPCs in the feed area, Qin Fei found one that was similar, removed his headgear, and stuffed him into a pile of straw in a corner. If this NPC and Qin Fei were lucky enough, he wouldn't be discovered until the end of the instance. The pollution source, now repackaged, became a freshly minted red-clad staff member, following behind Mr. Hadsay in his formal attire, without appearing out of place at all. They no longer crept around furtively but strode confidently down the dark corridors of the lower deck. Before reaching the deck, several hurried blue-clad NPCs passed by them, but none noticed anything amiss. Instead, they always stopped from a distance, respectfully greeting Qin Fei. When Qin Fei arrived on the deck, the NPCs' battle against the sea monsters was nearing its conclusion. The gray shoal of fish still encircled the cruise ship, but their attention had been diverted by the floating chunks of minced meat. Those crimson clumps were the result of countless lives sacrificed in the meat grinders. The danger wasn't over yet, and there were no nobles on the deck. Only staff members could be seen bustling about. Qin Fei casually stopped a red-clad NPC and asked, seemingly nonchalantly, "How's the situation?" The NPC stood a meter away from Qin Fei and answered humbly, "Mr. Hadsay, the shoal will disperse soon, and the evening deck party can proceed as scheduled." Qin Fei waved his hand, signaling for him to leave. It must be acknowledged that after being suppressed by the NPCs for two days, the feeling of being able to move freely in the instance was truly delightful. Qin Fei cheerfully made his way to the staircase at the rear of the gaming area. This staircase, which had claimed four players' lives, no longer posed any threat to Qin Fei now. As for the pollution source... Qin Fei turned to ask, "Have you been upstairs?" Although the youth didn't wear an animal headgear, his position at the bottom of the food chain in the instance was evident. Qin Fei dared not take him upstairs before figuring out his exact identity. What if the pollution source dropped dead the moment he stepped onto the stairs? How would Qin Fei continue playing the instance then? Fortunately, the pollution source gave Qin Fei a satisfactory answer, nodding his head. Qin Fei: "You went up from here?" The pollution source nodded again. That would do. Since he had been upstairs and was still standing here unharmed, everything should be fine. Qin Fei half-closed his eyes and looked toward the staircase. The stairwell was pitch black, as if all sources of light had been blocked outside. Qin Fei had personally witnessed the pig-man Hadsay ascending these steps. According to Qin Fei's conjecture, this staircase led not only to the second floor but connected all the way to the third.

What could be hidden on the third floor? Could it hold the secrets of this cruise ship? What did the NPCs snatch from the pigeons, and what did they do that went against the will of the gods? The truth seemed to be on the verge of being revealed. Unfortunately, mere speculation couldn't conclude the instance dungeon before finding solid evidence. In the dimly lit wooden staircase, only two sets of footsteps echoed in succession. As Qin Fei expected, this staircase indeed led straight to the third floor. The exit on the second floor was located not far from the pig-man's office, disguised by a door identical to those of the guest rooms. No wonder the players hadn't noticed the stairwell when passing through the corridor. Qin Fei pushed the door open for a glance, then retreated back into the stairwell. This must have been a dedicated passage for staff members. The stairs intended for passengers were likely situated elsewhere. Qin Fei continued upward. Just as he turned the corner of the stairs, he suddenly halted. Three shadows lurked in the darkness ahead. The viewers in the live stream were startled. "Damn, who's so heartless to ambush here?" "Has someone discovered the wife's identity and is waiting to confront him here?" "The streamer wasn't scared, but you gave me a fright." Qin Fei indeed wasn't frightened. In the light screen, the impersonated Mr. Hadsay casually glanced at them, bent his fingers, and tapped the stair railing. "Come out already, there's no need to hide. I've seen you." The peculiar voice of the balloon man, with its rubbery texture, reverberated in the darkness, adding an oppressive atmosphere to the already pitch-black space. Rustling sounds came from behind the corner, accompanied by muffled murmurs. Moments later, three figures nudged each other, slowly rising to their feet. "How did you spot us?" asked the monkey in a hushed tone. The sheep and the duck stood beside the monkey. Qin Fei didn't answer but countered, "Why are you here?" The monkey rubbed the back of his head. "The game ended prematurely." The first day's game of the instance unexpectedly terminated in the afternoon, and the second day's game failed to proceed smoothly. The school of fish in the sea had gone berserk due to the corpse thrown overboard by Qin Fei and his companions, attacking the ship at an unexpected time. All the staff in the cabins became busy. Half of the NPCs in the lower deck were searching for the escaped source of contamination, while the other half were on the deck fighting off the strange fish. The few remaining ones had to go upstairs to search for the four escaped individuals alongside the black-clad waiters. The atmosphere on the ship was off, and even the NPCs could sense it. Before Hadsay was tossed into the water by Qin Fei, most of the VIPs in the viewing area had already left. Without an audience, there was no longer a need to maintain the animal games. The NPCs in the game zone, unable to find Hadsay, ended the game early after consulting with another high-ranking official, herding all the players back into the enclosure area. Returning to the enclosure area meant halting the progress of exploring the instance. Naturally, Mi Yang and the others were unwilling to go back, taking advantage of the chaos to sneak away. "He said you would definitely come here. Instead of searching for you in the lower deck, we decided to wait for you here," the monkey said, naturally betraying Mi Yang. Mi Yang chuckled and then turned serious. "By the way, when we were in the game zone, we met Parrot and Horse. They told me something." Parrot and Horse referred to Xiao Xiao from the Forestry Department. "They informed me that they encountered passengers touring the game zone in the leisure area. They overheard the passengers talking about a disagreement among the higher-ups of the cruise ship, and someone had confined Miss Jasmine." Qin Fei had mentioned the issue regarding the deer woman, Jasmine, during the information sync last night. However, it was only today that Qin Fei accidentally learned that Jasmine was actually one of the ten highest-ranking cabinet ministers on the cruise ship. "I think, since Jasmine has opposing political views from the other high-ups, we might have a chance to uncover deeper secrets of the cruise ship from her mouth," Mi Yang reasoned. He believed that what he could think of, Qin Fei should also consider. This was one of the reasons he had come to the stairwell to wait; he felt that Qin Fei would surely seize the opportunity to visit the third floor. Qin Fei nodded. "Did they say where Jasmine is being kept under house arrest?"

Mi Yang shook his head.

"No, but I think no matter how isolated Jasmine is, she's still part of the upper echelons. If the others want to do something to her, they wouldn't dare be too brazen about it."

It was unlikely that they would treat her like an ordinary player and casually bind her up, throwing her into the lower decks' cargo hold.

Most likely, she was still being held captive on the third floor.

Perhaps even in her own bedroom.

Qin Fei thought so too.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go now."

As Mi Yang spoke, he took something out from behind him.

Qin Fei looked closely, and it turned out to be a human skin mask.

Not only Mi Yang, but also Monkey and Duck had one each.

"We stole them from behind the deck."

Mi Yang candidly revealed his crime.

"When we first hid in the stairwell, we saw three NPCs feeding fish alone behind the deck, and then, well—"

Then they had peeled off the NPCs' faces.

"What happened to those three NPCs?"

Qin Fei wasn't overly sympathetic to the point of pitying innocent NPCs who were victims.

He just wanted to know if Mi Yang and the others had cleaned up their tracks.

Monkey smiled. "We pushed them into the sea."

Like the pig people, these three staff members, originally animals, weren't favored by the strange fish either, sinking quickly to the bottom of the water and disappearing.

The cruise ship had already sailed far, far away.

"Even if the Dragon King of the Sea came, there's no way he could retrieve those three bodies from the water." Mi Yang was confident.

"Alright." Qin Fei stepped forward.

Regarding the general layout of the third floor of the cruise ship, Lin Ye and Xiao Xiao had also learned some information from the VIPs who visited the game area.

"You mentioned earlier that you saw NPC eyes appear on the ceiling in one of the rooms in the game area, right?" Mi Yang said.

"That place is called the Program Viewing Area, and its entrance is set on the third floor."

All guests on the cruise ship, as long as they were official passengers with guest rooms on the second floor, had the privilege to enter the viewing area to watch animal performances.

"The performance for today has already ended, so there shouldn't be many people on the third floor's viewing area right now, but there's still an observation deck on the third floor where there might be some NPCs."

From the exterior facade of the cruise ship building, the third floor was almost the same size as the second floor, so it was impossible that there were only these two areas.

Therefore, the remaining places were what they needed to focus on searching during this trip.

As they spoke, the four of them had already pushed open the door to the third floor.

The location of the stairwell on the third floor was right next to the program viewing area.

Just as Mi Yang had said, the viewing area had already lowered its gate, with a sign hanging above it that read, "Today's animal performance has ended."

Opposite the viewing area was the observation deck, which still had more than a dozen people on it.

Some leaned against the railing, enjoying the sea breeze, while others were in conversation. When they saw Qin Fei appear from afar, they raised their glasses in a nod of greeting to him.

Worried about being caught out, Qin Fei imitated Hadsay's signature move, waving both hands before walking briskly away.

Passing through the corridor lined with high-quality velvet carpets, the number of people around them gradually decreased.

The passengers on the cruise ship were mostly lingering on the southwest side of the third floor, and the further back they went, the quieter it became.

"We've come to the right place," Mi Yang whispered.

In front of them was another row of doors that looked like guest rooms.

Unlike the second floor, however, there were only ten rooms here in total.

It was clear that this was where the upper echelons of the cruise ship resided.

But which room was Jasmine, the deer person, being held in?

To find that out was a piece of cake for Qin Fei.

The ghost infant vanguard was dispatched again, while the four players walked into a pair of golden-red double doors opposite the luxury guest rooms.

This door was unlocked and could be pushed open directly. Inside was a layout similar to the private rooms in the banquet hall on the second floor, but decorated more formally.

If the gold room was akin to a high-end private dining room in a restaurant, this place was more like a conference room.

The marble table, wrapped in gold, was solemn and dignified, covered with a red velvet tablecloth that fell to the ground.

Ten high-backed chairs were arranged in sequence around the table.

The conference room was quite empty.

In accordance with common practice, important documents indeed wouldn't be stored in the meeting room.

As the players were about to leave after circling around, footsteps suddenly echoed down the corridor.

Someone was approaching in their direction.

"Did they say on the rooftop that they saw Hadsay return?"

A male voice spoke thus.

The voice was familiar, and Qin Fei searched his memory for its source.

Soon, he recalled hearing this voice in the golden private room.

Was it the snake?

Or the lion?

Going out now would inevitably lead to a face-to-face encounter with these two individuals.

Unlike the blue-clad NPCs in the lower deck cabins, the snake, as a noble aboard the cruise ship, would undoubtedly be well-acquainted with Hadsay.

Qin Fei's physique was worlds apart from Hadsay's, and once he appeared, his identity would be exposed at lightning speed.

Qin Fei made a swift decision, stuffing the three people behind him under the table with utmost haste.

"Hadsay! Hadsay!" The two figures in the corridor pounded on one of the doors opposite them, causing a loud racket.

After discovering no response from the bedroom, they quickly set their sights on the meeting room.

"Is he here? It seems Hadsay brought someone along."

With that, the door to the meeting room swung open.

Indeed, the snake and the lion stood at the entrance.

Both now wore human skin masks, but their body shapes and attire remained unchanged.

Qin Fei sat upright at the head of the conference table facing the door, staring at them expressionlessly.

"Huh." The snake emitted a muffled laugh from deep within his throat. "Mr. Hadsay, we've been looking for you for quite some time."

A malicious glint flickered in the snake's eyes. "I came to ask you, what do you intend to do about the prisoner escaping again and again? Are you still planning to hold the banquet tonight?"

In response to the snake's questioning, Qin Fei remained composed.

"Everything will proceed as usual, there's no need to worry. All you need to know is that this is a ship sailing on the sea."

It was a ship, and there was no way the prisoner could jump into the sea and swim away.

If he really did jump overboard, it would save them the trouble.

For it would be akin to suicide.

The snake was momentarily taken aback by Qin Fei's response.

Apparently, the conflicts among the upper echelons of the cruise ship extended beyond just Jasmine and the others.

The snake held significant grievances against the pig, Hadsay, but due to Hadsay's status, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction.

However, he could still make veiled remarks without outright confrontation.

The snake's gaze matched his cold-blooded nature, icy and devoid of warmth:

"Mr. Hadsay's grandeur seems to be growing by the day."

"Although you're currently in charge of the cruise ship, we are all cabinet ministers, and our statuses are equal. Don't you think you should stand up when you see us?"

The snake struggled to contain his anger.

One seated, the other standing.

This contrast made it seem as if they had come not to confront him, but rather to report work matters.

This pushed the snake's fury to near boiling point.

Moreover,

A hint of suspicion suddenly clouded the snake's eyes: "Your voice..."

Why does it sound so peculiar?

Qin Fei had already made an effort to mimic the low and resonant tone of the pig.

But it was difficult to mask the inherent hoarseness that came with being a gamer.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man!"

The audience in the live stream broke out in a cold sweat from the tension.

Yet, Qin Fei remained seated, not moving an inch.

He lifted his eyelids to look at the two men at the door, his voice laced with a hint of mockery: "Are you sure you want to discuss this with me now?"

The snake found the pig's behavior utterly incomprehensible.

In the past, although he had always acted superior, he had maintained a veneer of politeness.

Never before had he behaved like this.

He was no longer sparing anyone's feelings.

"Although the Hadsay family is the next ruling party, once we reach the island, all policies and regulations still have to be signed off by the Cabinet before they can be passed!"

The snake warned sinisterly, "Mr. Governor, don't get too carried away."

"And, I heard you brought people to the northern rest area?"

Finally, the lion could not hold back his questioning.

"Only members of the Cabinet are allowed here, this is an arrangement you yourself set up, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Compared to having his territory invaded, the lion was more concerned about what Hadsay was thinking.

Could it be that he had other intentions?

Did he want to replace the Cabinet members?

The lion was terrified.

The impersonating governor sat upright in his high-backed chair, his spine straight, his hands folded on the table.

He seemed quite annoyed by the aggressive attitude of the two people opposite him.

He lifted his eyes and gazed at them silently.

"If you must know, why I brought someone here,"

His voice was as if tainted with ice.

"I'm not saying I can't tell you."

With that, Hadsay swept aside the tablecloth beside his legs.

Through the half-draped tablecloth, the snake saw a slender, pale hand resting on Hadsay's thigh.

Under the table was the silhouette of someone dressed in a red uniform.

The snake didn't recognize who it was; there were so many staff members on the ship, he couldn't possibly know them all.

But he knew,

Red uniforms represented the foremen of the lower deck and the first floor.

That unknown foreman, whom Hadsay had somehow found, was now kneeling on the ground, his head bowed between the legs of the person in front of him.

Hadsay's hand, which had been on the table, moved down and gripped the wrist of the person on the floor.

The air, filled with gunpowder tension, froze instantly, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became strangely awkward.

Unabated anger.

Suddenly rising embarrassment.

And an indescribable ambiguity.

And...

Vulgarity.

Hadsay looked at the snake, sneered, and asked slowly, "Well, did you understand?"