Chapter 152: The Ship of Creation (Conclusion)

Chapter 152: The Ship of Creation (Conclusion)

The female voice on the broadcast ended quickly.

However, the alarming sound that made one's scalp tingle continued to echo persistently over the cruise ship.

The rabbit player widened his eyes and looked toward the "feather collection point" on the deck.

The black-haired teenage NPC had a cold demeanor.

He sat there, his figure somewhat slender, but his back straight. His blue eyes were devoid of any warmth, cool and deep.

He was like a cold blade waiting to be unsheathed, making people dare not approach him.

On the deck, curious yet cautious gazes from players went in that direction, only to quickly glance away upon meeting the NPC's gaze.

After a long while, the alarm on the broadcast finally ceased. Only then did a player dare to step forward.

The rabbit focused and saw that it was the two who had followed the black-haired NPC down from the second floor—the cat and the sheep.

"Captain," a slightly hoarse male voice came from the gray furry cat mask. The player's hands supported the table, the tension in his wrists revealing his urgency.

He pushed the scattered feathers on the table toward the NPC. "These feathers—"

The feathers on the table were almost blindingly numerous.

Just as some of the lower-deck players had predicted, these few who had been upstairs had more feathers than all the hundred or so people in their lower cabins combined, by at least twice.

But now, this wasn't the most concerning thing.

Around them, players who heard the cat's words flickered their gazes.

Captain?

This human teenager sitting in the center of the deck was still wearing the red staff uniform.

Logically speaking, NPCs dressed in such clothes should have a lower status than the animals on the ship in their fancy attire.

Yet the cat called him captain?

"Captain!" A somewhat familiar female voice sounded behind the players.

At the staircase connecting the lower deck to the deck, a figure flashed by. A hurried NPC in heeled leather shoes walked briskly to the bow of the ship.

Behind her were two blue-clad staff members, the type the players had seen many times over the past few days.

The players on the deck realized that this female NPC with a deer head, not wearing a human mask, was the one who had spoken on the broadcast just now.

Behind the Deer Girl, those two blue-clad staff members had also removed their human masks, revealing their original animal forms.

The Deer Girl stood behind the teenager referred to as the captain, bowed respectfully, and whispered something to him. He nodded, his posture casual.

In front of the marble table, the cat player spoke again.

"Miss Jasmine, Mr. Pigman Hadsay—"

Miss Jasmine glanced warningly at the cat, and he quickly closed his mouth.

"Remember, there is no Mr. Hadsay on this ship anymore."

She paused. "And there never will be."

Their conversation was brief, without much context, but perceptive players could deduce quite a bit from what they heard.

Players wore expressions of sudden realization.

Pigman Hadsay had been toppled.

Those NPCs who had bullied others under Hadsay's command now all submitted to this human teenager.

The animal NPCs on the ship had all worn human masks to disguise themselves, but now they had all returned to their original animal appearances.

The inverted relationship between animals and humans had been restored.

The players' expressions were complex. Without their knowledge, so much had happened behind their backs!

"Alright, I understand, Miss Jasmine."

The cat player seemed very compliant. He seemed to realize that the Deer Girl didn't want to discuss this topic, so he changed the subject and started talking about himself again.

"So, about these feathers I've turned in..."

The Deer Girl nodded. "Thank you for your support of the cruise ship's work. You can leave the feathers here. When the appropriate time comes, we will dispose of them together."

After hearing the NPC's words, the cat thanked her and then, along with the sheep player, turned around without any hesitation and walked back up the stairs through the crowd.

The monkey and duck followed them like accessories, leaving the scene.

For a moment, the deck was quiet, then suddenly, two players dashed to the marble platform from the back of the crowd!

It was a parrot and a horse. Due to the passage of time and the large number of people in the scenario, almost no one remembered that these two had originally been with the cat and the sheep.

Everyone treated them as unfamiliar players, and their overly enthusiastic attitude surprised others.

And humans always love to follow trends.

With these two players as examples, the remaining players on the deck soon swarmed over, surrounding the marble registration desk until it was completely blocked.

In fact, the number of players holding feathers wasn't very high. If they approached one by one, the process would end quickly.

But people kept trying to force their way to the front with violence, forcing the two blue-clad staff members to intervene and restore order. No one noticed that the parrot and the horse, who had initially been at the forefront, had stealthily slipped out of the crowd and disappeared. The rabbit stood near the registration desk, arms folded as he watched the commotion with a puzzled expression. What was there to fight over? The rabbit player was clueless, pondering it over and over until a realization struck him. It was highly likely that the order in which they turned in their feathers would affect the points tally at the end of the scenario! Yes! It must be so! Those players must have thought of this too. Otherwise, why would that cat insist on being the first to turn in its feather, looking so eager? The rabbit stopped watching the spectacle, quietly rallied his teammates, pushed through the crowd, and dashed back to the second floor. ... On the third-floor observation deck: Qin Fei, Mi Yang, the monkey, and the duck. The four of them stood on the deserted observation deck, looking down at the hurried players on the deck below. They had stationed two black-clad NPC waiters at the entrance to the observation deck. Players could now freely move around the cruise ship except for this observation deck, which Qin Fei had reserved as his resting place. The NPCs had brought over drinks and fruit platters. The monkey sat down with Qin Fei, feeling like he was floating on a cloud. It was... utterly ridiculous! The monkey now wished he could jump directly from the third floor to the deck, find the rat who had tipped him off about the "cat possibly being an NPC," grasp his hands, and bow deeply in gratitude. Thanks to this guy, he wouldn't have gotten such a huge advantage otherwise! While all the other players were rushing around the cruise ship, the monkey not only got to sit comfortably in a place beyond their reach but could also claim the fruits of over a hundred players' labor in the near future. The monkey, who rarely cheated, wasn't as mentally resilient as Qin Fei or Ming Yang. He couldn't help but feel guilty now. But despite the guilt, the unparalleled thrill of the situation was something he would never tire of, even if he experienced it a hundred times. May the heavens bless me and let me encounter a selfless and great NPC like Mr. Cat in every scenario! The monkey began daydreaming. Not much time had passed since the system issued the feather collection task, and the number on the attribute panel remained unchanged. But there was strength in numbers. With players now free to roam the entire ship, it didn't take long for the number on the game panel to jump from 67 to 68 before the monkey could finish his first slice of Black Forest cake. Then it reached 69, 72, 75... The cruise ship sailed smoothly across the sea. Ever since the pollution source reclaimed control of the ship, the strange fish, once pigeons, hadn't attacked again. The ship cut through the azure waters, moving forward as seagulls occasionally cried overhead, and a slightly salty sea breeze brushed against their faces. Some people on the same ship were working hard and nervously for their points. Others were relaxed, enjoying life while waiting to reap the fruits of others' labor. Qin Fei stood at the front of the observation balcony, leaning on the railing and looking down. Due to the unique design of the ship, those standing on the third-floor observation deck could see everything happening on the deck below, but the people on the deck couldn't see what was happening on the observation deck. Especially since the pollution source was seated. Qin Fei had already tested this when he was on the deck; indeed, the view of the observation deck from the pollution source's position was unclear. Yet, for some reason, as he stared at the youth sitting behind the marble table, he felt that the other party's gaze never left him—even though he hadn't looked up! This constant attention didn't bring any sense of pressure. It was like how your pet dog might spend an entire lazy Sunday afternoon at home with its eyes fixed on you without moving. Qin Fei didn't feel uncomfortable; instead, he found it rather amusing. He stood there quietly, letting the sea breeze tousle his bangs. Time passed, and the number on the attribute panel kept changing, steadily climbing upward. When night fell over the sea and the sky transitioned from light blue to deep twilight, the progress on the attribute panel finally reached (101/101). Mi Yang whistled in amazement, "Wow, efficiency really does improve with more people."

Fortunately, Xiao Qin was cunning enough to come up with such an idea.

Otherwise, if they had competed with the other players for the feathers, there probably wouldn't have been many left in their hands by the end.

Qin Fei turned around and took a step towards the scenic balcony. "Let's go."

It was time to head downstairs.

...

On the deck of the Genesis cruise ship.

When the players noticed that the number of feathers on their attribute panels had become 101, some rejoiced secretly while others beat their chests in frustration.

After the afternoon, the danger level of this ship had decreased to almost zero.

During the process of collecting feathers, no player was lost, and a large crowd gathered on the deck, forming a dense mass.

"Attention, animal friends."

The soft and clear voice of the Deerman lady sounded again from the ship's speakers.

"The scattered feathers within the cruise ship have been collected. Please gather at the front of the deck as soon as possible. The feather destruction ceremony will officially begin in 30 minutes."

In each player's panel, the feather collection task had turned gray, indicating it could not be continued.

However, the exploration progress of the instance remained at 93%.

The feathers were collected, but the instance wasn't over yet.

Players naturally assumed that this "collect feathers - concentrate and destroy" ritual was part of the instance itself.

The spirits watching the live stream through the light screen were shocked several times throughout the afternoon.

After the Deerman lady's announcement, the spirits' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"...Wait, did I see that right? Why are they calling all the players to the deck?"

Since Xiao Qin and his group knew how to handle the feathers and had gathered them all into their own hands,

couldn't they just scatter them into the sea after collecting them all to end the instance?

To go through all this trouble and call all the players over... Could it be...

A terrifying thought emerged in the viewers' minds.

"Could it be that they really plan to hold a grand destruction ceremony in front of these 100 plus people?"

They fabricated a fake mission, luring all the players in the instance to work for them.

Then, they intended to deceive everyone until the end, making them genuinely believe they were participating in this activity.

That they could truly earn points as rewards.

This was too unethical!

It was unethical to the extreme.

Some of the other players' fans among the observing spirits had already started pinching their foreheads.

Soon, the remaining few players also hurriedly arrived on the deck.

Although most still couldn't get their hands on any feathers, since it involved the progress of the instance, no one wanted to miss this important moment.

The pollution source still sat behind the marble table.

He was like a beautifully carved ice sculpture, exuding a chill with every move he made.

Those who went to hand in feathers barely dared to look at him.

Although the pollution source, who played a specific NPC role in the instance, wouldn't contaminate the players, the subtle aura emanating from him still made the players nervous.

In contrast, the Deerman lady beside him was much more amiable.

The player closest to the bow of the ship asked hesitantly, "Miss Jasmine, when will the destruction ceremony start?"

Everyone was concerned about this question.

After all, once the feathers were destroyed, the instance would likely end.

Even if they hadn't deeply explored the plot of the instance, being able to survive until the end and participate in the feather search was still pretty good.

The players had different thoughts, and many looked sourly at Qin Fei and his group.

No one noticed that the pollution source had raised his gaze at some point.

His long, raven-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and his blue eyes seemed like a pool of water rippling with waves.

He looked at Qin Fei with a questioning gaze, and the player wearing the gray cat-head mask nodded slightly as if casually.

The black-haired youth then stood up.

As night fell, the wind on the deck grew stronger.

The feathers the players had collected were laid flat on the table. They were light and should have been scattered by the night breeze.

But each feather remained motionless, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.

The pollution source collected all the feathers into his palm without showing any expression, and stepped forward, walking the last bit of distance to the very top of the ship.

Ripples spread across the sea surface, and the players near the ship's edge keenly discovered: "There's something in the water!!" They were peculiar fish, their entire bodies a deathly shade of gray, with sharp, long teeth filling their mouths. Behind these fish, strange-shaped bulges protruded, as if bird wings were enveloped within their skin, like tumors attached to their bones. "What are these..." The players felt a chill run down their spines. Whatever was in the water clearly wasn't friendly, looking as if they were ready to devour humans—how high could they jump? Would they suddenly surge onto the deck and bite them to death? It was almost the end of the instance; dying at this point would be a real waste! The players were filled with shock and uncertainty! However, at the bow of the ship, the black-haired youth gazed calmly at the terrifying scene unfolding in the water. His gaze fell on the surface, and the school of fish responded as if called forth. They no longer attacked or rammed the ship but instead swam toward the bow. One hundred and one gray saber-toothed fish gathered in front of the ship's railings, beneath the youth. The cold night wind caused the youth's clothes to flutter. Deerman Jasmine clasped her hands together in front of her chest the moment the fish appeared. She lowered her eyes slightly, appearing deeply devout. The players didn't understand why she did this. But NPCs' actions were usually correct. More and more players imitated Deerman Jasmine's gesture, even though their hearts were pounding wildly. Yet, the atmosphere on the deck gradually shifted towards tranquility and harmony without them realizing it. As if an invisible force of faith was binding everyone together, they became incredibly devout. The audience: "…" Their native language was speechlessness!! Unbelievable!! Being deceived to the point of losing everything, and still praying there! What were they praying for?! If there truly were deities in this world, may they take that despicable thing on the ship first!! In the live-stream hall, some spirits laughed heartily, while others were so angry they wished they could burst through the light screen and tear apart the culprit. "Look!" At the corner of the deck, a player pointed to the sky and exclaimed. After nightfall, the already overcast sky suddenly had a golden beam break through the layers of clouds, landing on the deck. The youth at the bow was bathed in the glow. His attire was neither flashy nor sacred, yet he undeniably exuded an aura of nobility that was hard to look away from. He raised his head and looked towards the sky. There seemed to be an invisible, massive eye up there. With a fair gaze that could see through everything, it watched over the flood-ravaged land. The youth reached out towards the sea, and the monkey stared intently at his hand. The thin, pale hand had its fingers slightly spread. The players on the railing nearly held their breaths, each one, like the monkey, unable to blink as they watched. Then, feathers fell like snowflakes onto the sea. The feathers drifted into the water, landing on the sea and the gray saber-toothed fish. What followed was a surreal scene, almost like a nightmare. From the top of the cruise ship, the pouring golden light expanded, gradually covering the entire vessel. Each fish illuminated by the light grew a pair of pure white wings upon touching a feather. They transformed from grotesque, ugly-faced fish in the seawater into pure white, flawless pigeons. The pigeons broke through the water's surface, flying towards the sky, towards the source of the golden light. When all the pigeons flew away, the Polluter retracted his hand. He stood on the higher part of the railing, while Qin Fei stood less than a meter away on the deck. Their gazes met in the air. The feathers thrown into the sea belonged to the Polluter, not Qin Fei or Muyang. But it didn't matter. The Rule World system's evaluation criteria weren't so rigid. This scene of collecting and destroying feathers was conceived by Qin Fei and completed through the combined efforts of four players and two NPCs.

The feathers that fell into the water by the hands of the Polluter would also turn into points on the four players' scoreboards during settlement.

—Those players who exerted themselves to collect feathers wouldn't come up entirely empty-handed, but the little they could share would be no bigger than the tip of a little finger.

"The exploration of this instance has been completed; current exploration rate: 100%!"

The system notification sounded simultaneously in each player's ears and mind.

"Individual showcase preliminaries - C1, The Ark of Creation. This instance has ended, and players will soon enter the settlement channel. Please prepare yourselves!"

This was a special instance scene with a vast number of players. When it ended, the familiar door did not appear as expected.

It was like a completed jigsaw puzzle suddenly being scattered. The complete world before Qin Fei shattered into pieces in the next instant.

Sound, light, and images vanished from his sight, replaced by a pure white that seemed capable of devouring everything.

Qin Fei was no stranger to this color.

The settlement space was coming.

The white invaded the gaps around the players, enveloping them tightly.

The world could no longer be called a world, but rather, a piece of a jigsaw puzzle occupied by the Polluter.

Qin Fei looked over.

But the Polluter had yet to disappear.

Before the pure white could consume everything, the youth standing motionlessly with downcast head suddenly lifted his gaze.

Then, Qin Fei felt an incredibly familiar aura, mixed with darkness, coldness, fear, yet intertwined with contradictory warmth and security, surge towards the white with a momentum that could break through anything!

Qin Fei's heart skipped a beat, and his usually steady breathing momentarily lost its rhythm.

As his breath became slightly unsteady, the figure of the youth on the deck began to change.

Its frame broadened, and its height increased.

The red robe belonging to the instance transformed into the black robe familiar to Qin Fei.

The air grew increasingly dark, with hints of golden light flickering within.

The white of the settlement space struggled for a moment amidst the growing darkness, then, with a sense of unwillingness, was strangled, devoured, and disappeared without a trace by the rose vines formed from the darkness.

The world sank into a sea of black.

A warm, wave-like presence surged around Qin Fei, and the ship, the sea, the settlement space—all vanished.

Only he and the Polluter remained.