Chapter 150: The Boat of Creation 24

Chapter 150: The Boat of Creation 24

After hearing Miss Jasmine's speech, the snake man, Gerard, looked at her with a complicated expression.

Though it was hard to believe, the snake man had to admit that this woman seemed much more capable than he had initially thought.

But,

Could someone really undergo such a drastic change in a short period?

Was her previous pure and innocent demeanor all an act?

Whether Miss Deerman Jasmine was acting or had suddenly gained enlightenment and a surge in intelligence overnight didn't matter to the snake man.

The snake man only cared about what directly affected his interests.

"Convincing me isn't enough, Miss Jasmine," said Gerard, a seasoned politician who quickly regained his composure. "After all, there are only two of us."

However, something even more unexpected happened.

Miss Jasmine seemed to have learned negotiation to its fullest extent.

Upon hearing the snake man's words, she looked at him with a cold detachment.

"That's your problem, Mr. Gerard," the deerman said.

"I've come up with the plan and arranged everything. If you want to join, you should show some sincerity by contributing something, shouldn't you?"

Deerman Jasmine continued slowly, "Everyone should do what they're best at to maximize benefits."

"Besides, not everyone is as wise as you, willing to listen to advice from just anyone."

The deerman began praising Gerard. "Your words carry more weight than mine."

Hearing Jasmine say this, Gerard felt somewhat elated.

Not just him, but the other two people in the golden box also found the deerman's words reasonable.

Indeed, there were many arrogant old men in the cabinet, full of themselves to the extreme.

Young and a herbivore, Miss Jasmine should be under house arrest right now.

If she hadn't approached the snake man Gerard first but instead Tiger Tyne or the crocodile, she probably wouldn't have even had the chance to finish her speech before being taken back to the third-floor bedroom.

"Alright, I admit you're right," said the snake man Gerard, raising his chin proudly.

Jasmine had given him ample face, acknowledging his unique position in the cabinet, which Gerard loved.

As a result, his attitude towards the deerman became somewhat warmer.

Eager to demonstrate his decisiveness, the snake man immediately asked the other two members in the golden box, "What do you think?"

What could the coyote and lion say?

These two NPCs had been Gerard's supporters during his many years in power.

When Gerard stepped down, the families of the coyote and lion suffered like those abandoned in countless political struggles throughout history.

Together with the former head of state, Gerard, the coyote and lion were kicked out of the center of power.

Pig-man Hadsay was very wary, and both knew that even if they chose to abandon the snake man Gerard and join Hadsay's side now, they wouldn't be truly accepted.

The three old fellows could only make the best of a bad situation, like three retired anglers hiding behind the crowd, cursing at the sky all day.

Their resentment towards Hadsay wasn't any less than the snake man Gerard's.

Now, having the opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Hadsay and bring the snake man back to the pinnacle of power, the coyote and lion were naturally eager for it.

"We will always support your decisions, Mr. Gerard," said the lion, immediately flattering him.

However, before the snake man could respond, a clear female voice spoke up:

"Since you all agree with the plan, hand over the keys to the secret room now."

The lion was taken aback and looked at Gerard.

Gerard also frowned. "The keys to the secret room? Isn't that too valuable? Jasmine, why don't we wait until we're all at the entrance of the secret room..."

Miss Jasmine interrupted him impatiently. "What's there to worry about? Are you afraid I'll keep the keys for myself?"

No one expected her to be so direct, and Gerard looked slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry."

As she spoke, Miss Jasmine held out her hand in front of Gerard.

"From now on, I'll stay with you and never leave your sight."

She was so assertive that it caught them off guard.

However, she wasn't being unreasonable but continued to explain logically:

"The composition of the cabinet is too complex, Mr. Gerard. Of course, I trust the three of you, but others... hmm."

Jasmine sneered. "Aren't you worried? Worried that they might renege? Only by keeping all the keys in our hands can we ensure everything is most secure." The snake man, Gerald, was finally persuaded. He shot Jasmine a deep look and handed her the key. He didn’t say something stupid like, "In that case, let me keep it then." After all, this was a dangerous collaboration. Jasmine had already revealed her biggest card, the plan itself. She must be uneasy now, worrying if they would kick her out of the plan, which was why she was so eager to grab something... Gerald felt he had seen through everything. If so, he would grant her wish. After all, as she said, as long as she stayed under their watchful eyes, there would be no chance for any mishaps. The three keys successfully landed in Miss Jasmine’s pocket. Now, Jasmine felt as if she were floating on clouds. Everything was progressing too smoothly. It all seemed so unreal. Yet, it was indeed real. Every word and sentence the Deerman spoke in this room, every expression and reaction, Mr. Griffith had almost entirely predicted in advance. Mr. Griffith was like someone who could foresee the future, taking every step with precise accuracy. Deerman Jasmine's heart swelled with intense emotion, almost uncontrollable. That growing premonition surged within her chest: They could succeed; they must! As long as Mr. Griffith was there, they could surely accomplish everything they wanted. ... "Damn! The streamer is really amazing?!" In the Grade A live streaming hall, the audience stood before the light screens with clenched fists, their eyes shining. When the Deerman Jasmine underwent such a drastic change, the snake man Gerald didn’t understand the reason, but the audience saw clearly. It wasn’t because she had an epiphany overnight. It was all because her teacher, Mr. Griffith, taught her well! "The streamer is truly divine. Every point he considered has come true." The conversation between Qin Fei and the Deerman Jasmine wasn’t fully heard by the audience. But perhaps due to his successful teaching, when Jasmine first entered the golden private room, she was slightly nervous, but over time, her tone, demeanor, and overall aura became more and more like Qin Fei’s. Watching the NPC talk confidently on the live stream, the audience felt as if the streamer himself was standing there vividly. Some even began to suspect that the streamer might have precognition and could see future events. More and more viewers gathered before Qin Fei’s group’s light screen, and those who were already there couldn’t bear to leave. Each light screen was divided into two halves. One half showed the streamers themselves, while the other displayed Jasmine and Gerald negotiating with other NPCs. There were ten members in the cabinet. Before setting out to find the others, Miss Jasmine’s pocket already held five keys. The remaining workload wasn’t too large. Gerald, accustomed to wielding power, acted boldly. He didn’t resort to secret negotiations but directly had the waitstaff call the five NPCs to the golden private room. "We need to hurry, Mr. Gerald." The Deerman Jasmine pretended to check the time. "I have an appointment with Mr. Hadsay in half an hour." In reality, Qin Fei and the others had already secretly lurked near the secret room door, ready whenever they chose to go. However, they needed to create a sense of urgency to prevent the old cabinet members from delaying. "No problem. I don’t need half an hour. Once they’re all here, give me just 10 minutes." Gerald, after being flattered by Jasmine, was now brimming with confidence. Like the pig man Hadsay, Gerald enjoyed showcasing himself in various situations. And he kept his word. A few minutes later, when the remaining five cabinet members assembled, Gerald got straight to the point.

In terms of negotiation skills, Mr. Gerard was no less adept than the novice Miss Molly.

He successfully instilled in all the animals the fear of being punished by the gods, then proposed Miss Molly's conclusion.

"We need to find a scapegoat."

In fact, it didn't matter who this scapegoat was.

Mr. Hadsay would naturally be the most reasonable choice, but it certainly wasn't exclusive to him.

All the animals present were well aware that the reason Gerard proposed this plan was mainly due to the conflict between him and Hadsay.

But everyone saw through it without pointing it out.

Since there had to be a scapegoat, as long as it wasn't themselves, it was fine.

The snake man, Gerard, gave a solemn promise that once he returned to the pinnacle of power, everything in the cabinet would remain the same.

He wouldn't take his anger out on anyone because of this.

In the golden enclosure, the animals sat around the round table, making vague affirmations for a while, and finally tacitly handed over the keys to Deerman Molly, just as Qin Fei had promised before.

He really succeeded.

He successfully made the animals holding the keys willingly hand them over.

"Now let's go!" Gerard was already impatient.

He couldn't wait to see that pig and receive the punishment he deserved.

...

The secret room quietly awaited their arrival.

The nine cabinet ministers silently ascended to the third floor, passing through corridors and the western passageway, heading deeper inside.

At the end of the western corridor, where there should have been a wall, there was a narrow, dark red door.

This was a place ordinary passengers on the cruise ship could never reach. The animals stopped in front of the door, none of them speaking, only exchanging glances.

Snake man Gerard took out the key and opened the door.

This wasn't the door to the secret room; behind it was a dimly lit, narrow corridor.

And the true secret room was at the end of the corridor.

The moment the corridor door was opened, the animals gathered in front of the door were startled in unison.

At the end of the dimly lit corridor, at the entrance to the secret room, Mr. Hadsay, head bowed, was sitting silently in a high-backed chair.

Gerard glanced at Molly in surprise, then called out softly, "Hadsay?"

A response came from the other end of the corridor: "Mm."

Hadsay looked listless. Gerard noticed that his clothes seemed creased, and he looked quite disheveled.

Hadsay understood Gerard's gaze.

He seemed somewhat impatient but still explained, "I just got back from the lower deck."

Everyone knew that the prisoner in the lower deck had escaped again.

When Gerard heard Hadsay say this, he immediately understood.

He must have made himself look like this during the pursuit.

"Did you catch him?" Gerard's tone contained excitement.

Soon, this ship and everything on it would return to his control, and now he cared about everything.

"I caught him." Hadsay responded casually. "Molly, why did you call me here? What do you want to talk about?"

"... And you brought so many people with you." He glanced warily at the animals behind her.

Live stream chat:

"Pfft!"

"Pffft! Streamer loves acting!"

"Welcome to watch my wife's latest play, 'One Con to Rule Them All'!"

...

Perhaps it was because the lighting in the corridor was not very bright, or perhaps it was because the animals' moods were too complex to describe.

In any case.

They didn't notice that this boar man, Hadsay, seemed different from usual.

He seemed a bit thinner, and his legs appeared longer.

But sitting in the chair, it wasn't as obvious. His voice was also a bit hoarse, very different from his usual tone. However, his weary and irritable appearance was too real, effectively covering up this discrepancy. "Let's go inside to talk." Deerman Molly strode to the door, displaying the ten keys in her hand. Hadsay's key was also in Molly's possession. The animals in the cabinet naturally assumed that she had already prepared everything in advance. Key after key was inserted into the locks. The mechanical gears rotated, causing the doorknob to turn with a creaking sound. No one noticed. Several shadows approached silently from around the corner at the end of the corridor. "Bang!" With the last key inserted into the lock, the pressure spring on the hinge automatically released. This chamber, which hadn't been opened since the official launch, was finally revealed before everyone. In the live-stream hall, the audience screamed excitedly! "Aaaaah, streamer, charge!!!" It was the third day since the instance began. Only one-third of the 15-day game limit had passed. Currently, there were still over a hundred players left in C1 instance, excluding these four present here. The rest were all huddled in the lower deck cabins. As for the players in C2 instance, they were all still within the game area, striving hard to avoid today's elimination. They were all confined within the framework defined by the game, like puppets being controlled, only able to step onto the pre-set procedures of the instance. No matter how thrilling or exciting the instance plot was, watching it for too long would make the audience feel tired. But Qin Fei was different. He tore through the established framework with an extremely dominant attitude, taking every step where the audience least expected. Watching his live-stream felt like savoring a mental feast that was always fresh and constantly surprising. "Come in, Mr. Hadsay." Miss Molly stepped into the room. Qin Fei stood up and walked towards the house. His movements were too fast, and he soon disappeared behind the door, leaving the animals outside unaware of any oddities. At this moment, their hearts were filled with passion, almost leaping out of their mouths and onto the ground. This collective murder, which concerned everyone's life and death, had finally begun as scheduled. The animals didn't realize. Although Molly and Pigman Hadsay were the first to enter the room, both of them remained by the door, not stepping further into the room. According to Qin Fei's original plan, the most crucial character in this phase had yet to appear. Qin Fei had arranged things in advance with the ghost infant. Once the secret chamber's door opened and the animals entered the room, the invisible ghost infant would take action, swiftly stealing the heart of the pollutant hidden in the secret chamber. Then, Qin Fei and Molly at the door would rush out. This secret chamber, due to its special function, was virtually indestructible once the door closed. Without those ten keys, there was no possibility of violent destruction, whether from the outside or the inside. As long as the door of the secret chamber closed, the remaining eight NPCs inside wouldn't be a threat. However, when the door opened and all the NPCs filed in, something unexpected happened. The heart was right in the center of the secret chamber, contained within a cylindrical glass vessel filled with transparent liquid. The ghost infant possessed the ability to pass through walls and had its own space. Whether stealing the heart from the container or taking the whole thing, it should have been effortless. Yet for some reason, the heart that should have immediately vanished was still there. "Ahem. Close the door," Snakeperson Gerald hinted to Molly. Molly glanced at Qin Fei, but his gaze was fixed on the other end of the corridor. A figure was walking towards the room against the light. It was the pollutant.

What was he doing here at this time? Qin Fei's pupils suddenly constricted.

He always had an inexplicable trust in the Pollutant.

Even in this scenario, where the Pollutant had lost all his memories and special abilities and could only be driven like a mere beast by instinct, Qin Fei still subconsciously believed that the other party would never sabotage him.

Qin Fei himself was quite surprised by this blind trust.

But just as he often trusted his sixth sense in many life-and-death situations, Qin Fei's heart quickly calmed down.

He stood at the door, quietly waiting for the Pollutant to approach.

In the dim corridor, the youth who seemed to have been abandoned by light met Qin Fei's gaze through the air.

Qin Fei thought he saw the youth smile.

Inside the secret room, the other NPCs also noticed the Pollutant's presence.

The animals were instantly thrown into panic!

"Who is it?!"

"Why is there someone here?!"

Snake-man Gerald froze, as if realizing something, his eyes instantly turned bloodshot: "… You!!!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the earth shook.

The entire secret room, including the corridor connected to it, was shaken violently as if grabbed by a giant hand!

Like an earthquake, the NPCs frantically tried to grab anything they could for support.

To no avail, they fell to the ground, swaying from side to side.

At the center of the secret room, the large glass container began to crack inch by inch.

Crack.

Crack.

Under the horrified gazes of the NPCs, the glass cylinder shattered like a spider web.

Then, with another impact from nowhere, it finally exploded!

The liquid in the container splashed everywhere, and the heart that should have fallen to the ground disappeared right before everyone's eyes.

Everything that followed was terrifying for the animal NPCs, like a nightmare they couldn't escape.

The Chosen One, having regained his heart, once again ascended to his supreme position on this ship.

He was the owner of the ship chosen by the gods.

Every piece of wood used to build this ship was cut down by his own hands.

This ship was his world.

The shaking of the ship finally stopped. Snake-man Gerald struggled to stand up, but the Pollutant's cold glance alone made him feel as if he was being crushed by a thousand-pound hammer, unable to move!

This damned slave! After regaining his heart, he could control everyone on the ship!

Snake-man Gerald's eyes widened in fury, but he could only watch helplessly as the youth approached.

"Let's go."

This was the first time Qin Fei heard the Pollutant speak in this scenario.

His voice wasn't entirely the same as what Qin Fei had heard before. It lacked some of the depth and richness, instead carrying a slightly hoarse quality unique to a young man.

Miyang and the others, who were supposed to cover the escape of the Pollutant and Qin Fei according to the plan, now found themselves useless.

They watched from the doorway for a while, then cautiously approached, whistling at the sight of the NPCs rolling around on the floor.

"… Damn," the monkey muttered after a long pause, uttering two unhelpful words.

Even now, he firmly believed that Qin Fei was an NPC and sincerely marveled at how NPCs handled tasks differently from players.

This was too impressive!

The monkey originally thought that the red-clad staff member accompanying Qin Fei might be his subordinate, but he never expected that it was actually the Chosen One in disguise.

Carrying the most crucial character in the scenario around!

This kind of operation, dancing crazily on the edge of death, was something a human could do?

The monkey was thoroughly convinced. "Bro, we've already done the 'return the ship to the ship,' so do we just need to return the dove's feathers to the fish in the sea to complete our atonement to the gods?"

It felt like the scenario could end at any moment!

However, the system seemed determined not to make things easy for these players.

Just as the monkey finished speaking, a voice audible to all the players echoed throughout the cabin.

"Congratulations to the player for triggering a key clue in the scenario! Current exploration progress: 93.03%!"

"The hidden mission has been activated: Find the Lost Sacred Feather. Mission Progress (67/101)"