Chapter 27 Maritime Peril 2

Chapter 27: Danger at Sea, Part 2

After the fight, Su Han quickly left the infirmary. Just as she turned the corner, a sudden gust of wind hit her.

Su Han was startled and instinctively swung her dagger. In an instant, her dagger was at Zhong Rui's neck, and his gun was at her temple. That's how the two friends found themselves face to face.

"Zhong Rui?" Su Han was momentarily stunned upon recognizing him.

"Oh, it's you," Zhong Rui's expression softened as he released his grip, but he was still puzzled. "What are you doing coming out of the infirmary?"

He had heard that someone was setting up an ambush in the infirmary, specifically targeting players, so he rushed over, only to find Su Han.

"You don't want to know," Su Han said with a complicated expression. "A bunch of crazies poisoned the water supply and are attacking passengers on the ship. I passed by the infirmary, saw someone committing violence, questioned him, and then took him out."

"Poisoning..." Zhong Rui was speechless, thinking to himself that there were quite a few lunatics these days.

"There are definitely more of them, but he wouldn't say how many or who they are," Su Han announced gravely. "The situation is really bad. They say two to three hundred people have already been taken out."

"It's more than that," Zhong Rui said expressionlessly.

"Was he lying?" Su Han thought to herself. Could it be? She hadn't noticed him lying.

Zhong Rui spoke word by word, "Maybe they only took out two to three hundred directly, but the fallout affects way more people."

"What do you mean?" Su Han vaguely sensed something.

Zhong Rui casually pointed behind him, his face wooden, "Over there, it's total chaos."

Su Han's eyes widened in alarm.

Zhong Rui continued, "A lot of people drank from the bottled water, at least over five hundred."

"Besides the few who died right away, most are poisoned. Although they can't move well, they're still conscious."

"Some are running low on supplies, others have plenty; some are afflicted with negative statuses, some can move freely. What do you think happens next?"

Su Han's face turned cold, "Looting and chaos?" That's why she hadn't had time to go to the buffet for dinner.

"That's about the size of it," Zhong Rui said with a complex expression, his tone indescribably bleak. "Even I, fully equipped, have been robbed five times. Those people are out of control, completely unreasonable."

Su Han felt heavy-hearted, "Let's find somewhere to crash and figure this out in the morning."

"That's all we can do," Zhong Rui agreed.

Then, the two went to rest in room 201.

It was a long, restless night. Throughout the night, there was constant noise outside, with occasional screams.

Zhong Rui closed his eyes to rest, seizing the time to recuperate.

Su Han couldn't sleep, staying awake until dawn.

At one point, someone violently kicked the door of room 201. Just as Su Han prepared for a fight, something happened outside, and hurried footsteps faded away, followed by silence.

In the morning, Su Han checked her attributes and suddenly realized something was wrong, "Satiety: 84%, Cleanliness: 85%, Stamina: 92%. Status: Good, Poisoned."

"You've inhaled some toxic gas, losing 1 stamina point every hour."

Su Han was about to lose it. How did toxic gas show up again without her realizing?

She quickly shook Zhong Rui awake.

"Toxic gas?" Zhong Rui casually pulled out a pill. "Here, take this antidote."

Su Han took it, studied the pill for a moment, then looked up. "You’re a doctor?"

"Yep," Zhong Rui said plainly. "What about you?"

Su Han replied bluntly, "Nutritionist."

"What’s your skill?" Zhong Rui asked.

Su Han displayed her profession: "Nutritionist, intermediate skill: In the dungeon, there’s a 45% daily chance to get a combo of one bottle of milk and a piece of rye bread. A 10% chance for a luxury combo: three bottles of milk, a Pork Floss Cream Bread, and a chocolate cake. And a 1% chance to score some rare food."

Then it was Zhong Rui's turn: "Doctor, intermediate skill: In the dungeon, there’s a 45% daily chance to get common meds, a 10% chance for rare meds, and a 1% chance for precious meds."

Both skills were pretty handy.

Antidote Pill: Restores 20 stamina and removes the 'Poisoned' effect.

Su Han swallowed the pill and instantly felt better.

"Let’s check it out," Zhong Rui said, heading out the door.

On the deck, someone was sprawled in a corner like a dead fish. Su Han glanced over and recognized the person. "Cai Cheng?" she muttered.

"Everyone’s gone nuts," Cai Cheng muttered, shaking his head. He looked awful, like he might drop dead any second.

"What’s going on?" Zhong Rui asked.

"Everyone’s treating each other like enemies, trying to take each other out," Cai Cheng explained. "I told them I was just passing through, but no one bought it. They dragged me into the fight anyway."

"Why not hide somewhere?" Zhong Rui was puzzled.

"No food, no supplies, no meds, no Portable Storage—what’s the point of hiding?" Cai Cheng laughed bitterly. "Since I’m doomed anyway, sooner or later doesn’t matter. Might as well face it head-on."

"What’s your skill?" Su Han asked, curious.

Cai Cheng didn’t bother hiding it and pulled up his stats.

Name: Cai Cheng (Verified Real Name)

Level: 2 (Experience 4/30)

Profession: Jewelry Merchant (Intermediate Talent, Experience 4/30)

Satiety: 152/200

Cleanliness: 143/200

Stamina: 32/200

Profession: Jewelry Merchant. Intermediate Skill: In the dungeon, there’s a 45% daily chance to get a common gemstone, a 10% chance for a rare gemstone, and a 1% chance for a precious gemstone.

"A common gem’s worth 80,000 to 120,000—I’m not broke. But the system won’t let me buy anything!" Cai Cheng closed his eyes in pain.

"Where did the 5g gold ingot come from earlier?" Zhong Rui inquired.

"I exchanged it using points in the mall," Cai Cheng replied.

Su Han then asked, "In the second round of the game, did the bamboo house, inn, and villa really belong to you?"

"Yes, they were mine," Cai Cheng said expressionlessly. "If you had the money, you could do it too."

"When we first met, the players had just started the game, and you had already completed all the procedures?" Su Han was suspicious.

Cai Cheng calmly explained, "At first, I was just an intermediary. Buying the house came later. To get the job, I disguised myself as an NPC. Not only did I forgo asking for a salary, but I also offered to pay the employer. He had no reason to refuse me."

In other words, he paid for a job...

Su Han sighed, "Being so poor that all you have left is money is a kind of state."

Cai Cheng's eyelids twitched, and he felt the urge to lash out. Although he knew that everyone's combat power was not on the same level, those who were about to be eliminated were fearless and willing to take on high challenges.

At that moment, Zhong Rui suddenly asked, "How many gems do you have on you?"

Cai Cheng was slightly stunned and looked up in surprise, "What do you mean? Why are you asking?"

Zhong Rui said casually, "It's not out of the question to get you to the 10th day. The question is, can you afford it?"

"Take me? How?" Cai Cheng's expression was blank.

"Provide you with food and drink, and make sure you don't die," Zhong Rui said confidently. "By the 10th day, you can exit the instance via teleportation, and your three attributes will be restored to full."

Cai Cheng questioned, "Why should I believe you will keep your promise?"

Zhong Rui glanced at him indifferently, "Without sufficient compensation, I won't bother."

Cai Cheng, "..."

It seemed like he was more eager to strike a deal, while the other party appeared indifferent.

Zhong Rui pondered for a moment and proposed a new plan, "How about this, the reward is divided into two parts. One part is paid upfront, and the other part is paid later."

"The longer you stay in the instance, the more gems you can earn through your talent skills. As long as you agree to surrender all the gems earned in this game, I will do my best to keep you safe."

"However, considering the possibility of hiding some later, the upfront reward must be attractive enough for me to agree to take you."

Cai Cheng quickly thought about it. Trading the gems that were useless in this instance for a chance to survive wasn't an unreasonable demand. As long as the next instance was in normal mode, he could quickly become rich again with his talent. Additionally, after surviving the third level, he could also replenish supplies in the mall.

After a moment of thought, Cai Cheng turned to Su Han and asked, "What about you? What's your price?"

If both of them were competing to cooperate with him, then he would be in a relatively advantageous position, and the price could be negotiated.

Unexpectedly, Su Han looked back indifferently, "No matter how much you offer, I won't take you. It's too much hassle."

She was a solo player with no interest in teaming up. Besides, she had stocked up a lot of gold and jewelry in her warehouse, which could be sold to complete the replenishment, so she was not tempted at all.

Cai Cheng had no choice but to turn back to Zhong Rui and continue negotiating, "Name your terms."

Zhong Rui looked indifferent, "What do you have on you? Show me. If you can't meet the price, there's no point in continuing."

When under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Now he was the one pleading for help to get through. After realizing this, Cai Cheng was extremely helpless and had to take off all his cufflinks and shirt buttons, "Ten in total, all rare gems, each valued between two hundred thousand and five hundred thousand."

The blue, black, and red cufflinks gleamed with a dazzling brilliance.

Su Han was somewhat surprised, "Polishing gems into buttons and sewing them onto clothes? I can't believe you came up with that."

Cai Cheng complained with a bitter face, "I had no choice; I entered the game too late and missed out on getting a Portable Storage." Living in chaotic times with a fortune on him, he was constantly on edge.

Zhong Rui picked up a black gem button and rubbed it carefully, nodding after a while, "Ten rare gems? That's acceptable. What about the follow-up conditions? Are you willing to agree?"

"No problem," Cai Cheng thought. If he dies now, there's no future. Every extra day is a win.

Zhong Rui pulled out antidote pills, bandages, shower gel, and biscuits, instantly boosting Cai Cheng's three attributes above 180.

Cai Cheng really felt like he had hit the jackpot.

"Do you know what's going on with the others on the ship?" Su Han asked.

"At least seventy percent are dead," Cai Cheng estimated. "With drinking water on the ship, who would drink their own? Plenty got poisoned. After that, people turned on each other, dragging each other down."

At that moment, the system's mechanical voice abruptly sounded, "A massive brawl has broken out on the C23 Cruise Ship. Current survivors: 117, including 108 players and 9 NPCs."

Su Han, "..."

Zhong Rui, "..."

Just one day in, and already only a little over a hundred people are left?!