"Zzzz..."
The sound of the gun barrel cooling was particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the cabin.
The ghostly blue glow on the body of the [Kiss of Death] was rapidly fading, reverting to its original cold, black iron color.
Qin Yu tossed the gun onto the console.
His hand was still trembling.
Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
That last shot had drained not just his physical strength, but his mental energy as well.
It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer and smashed it hard inside his skull.
"Hah..."
Qin Yu slumped into his chair, fished out the crushed pack of cigarettes, shook one loose, and lit it.
He took a deep drag.
The smoke filled his lungs, the burning sensation making him feel alive again.
"Brother-in-law..."
Yao Qian's voice came from the corner.
It carried a slight tremble and an excitement she couldn't quite hide.
"The radar shows..."
"The energy reaction in that sea area has completely dropped to zero."
"Not even a speck remains."
"That old eyeball... it's really gone."
Qin Yu didn't speak, just nodded.
He looked out through the porthole at the turbid seawater slowly settling outside.
The once densely packed army of the dead was now nowhere to be seen.
Only a blanket of ash remained on the seabed.
"Don't just stand there watching."
Qin Yu exhaled a smoke ring, his voice hoarse.
"Get to work."
"If a boss of this level doesn't drop some decent loot..."
"Then I'm going to tear this damn system apart."
"Ruo Bing."
"Turn on the searchlights."
"Maximum power."
"Turn that pile of sludge upside down for me."
"Understood!"
Li Ruobing's face was also flushed with excitement.
She had just witnessed with her own eyes that arrogant SSS-class Titan turn into thin air under Qin Yu's shot.
This man.
Was too fierce.
"Hummm—"
All the searchlights on top of the [President] switched on.
Several blinding beams of light, like scalpels, sliced through the darkness of the seabed.
The beams swept back and forth across the ocean floor.
There was nothing there.
Only thick sludge and the bottomless, massive crater blasted out by that earlier shot.
"Nothing?"
Qi Chun's voice came through the headset.
"Bro, could it have been vaporized along with everything else by that shot?"
"Wouldn't that mean we took a huge loss?"
Qin Yu ignored this dead Fatty.
His gaze was fixed intently on the center of that crater.
There.
A faint glimmer of light.
Not green.
Nor blue.
It was a bizarre, almost light-devouring... purple.
"There."
Qin Yu pointed at the point of light.
"Yao Qian."
"The mechanical arm."
"Retrieve it."
"On it!"
Yao Qian's fingers flew across the controls, maneuvering a massive mechanical arm from the ship's underside, slowly extending it towards the point of light.
Closer.
The camera zoomed in.
Everyone held their breath.
It wasn't equipment.
Nor was it material.
It was a chest.
A chest that looked as if it had been stitched together from the flesh and skin of that giant octopus.
Its body was a purplish-black.
A few eyeballs, still blinking, grew on its surface.
It looked both disgusting and eerie.
But the golden halo emanating from the chest...
Was telling everyone one thing.
This thing...
Valuable.
Extremely valuable.
"Got it!"
The mechanical arm closed, firmly grasping the box.
"Retract!"
"Prepare for disinfection!"
"Don't bring any parasites into the cabin!"
Yao Xue immediately rushed toward the decompression chamber with a large bucket of disinfectant.
She was a doctor.
In her eyes, such biological products were massive sources of contamination.
...
Five minutes later.
In the center of the cabin.
That purplish-black fleshy box lay quietly on the floor.
It had already been sprayed three times with strong disinfectant by Yao Xue.
A pungent smell of chemicals mixed with the scent of the sea permeated the air.
But no one complained.
Several pairs of eyes were all fixed intently on the box.
[Item Name: Abyss's Gift (Unique)]
[Quality: SSS-grade]
[Source: Dropped from defeating the Abyss Watcher · Gaze of the Deep.]
[Description: This is the Abyss's acknowledgment of the strong, and also the private savings the Watcher had collected over centuries...]
[Note: This treasure chest is bound to the slayer, Qin Yu.]
"Private savings?"
Li Ruobing's lips twitched.
"The system's notes are getting cheekier these days."
Qin Yu tossed away his cigarette butt and walked over.
He crouched down, reaching out to touch the skin-like surface of the box.
It was still warm.
The texture felt like touching fine silk—smooth and slightly greasy.
The several eyeballs embedded on the box.
The moment Qin Yu's fingers made contact.
Snapped shut instantly.
As if terrified of him.
"Since it's the Abyss's gift."
"Let's see."
"Just how generous the Abyss can be."
Without any hesitation.
Qin Yu thrust his hand into the gap of the box.
And forcefully pried it open.
"Crack—"
No golden light erupted.
No celestial music drifted.
Only a plume of black smoke surged out from the box.
It was pure spiritual energy.
"Be careful!"
Yao Xue exclaimed, already clutching several silver needles in her hand.
But the black smoke did not attack anyone.
Instead, it swirled in the air for a moment.
Finally coalescing into two objects.
Floating before Qin Yu.
One.
Was an eyeball the size of a fist.
Crystal clear, as if made of crystal.
The other.
Was a stone.
A tattered, sharp-edged blue stone.
The moment he saw this stone.
Qin Yu's pupils.
Contracted sharply.
His breath halted for an instant.
He ignored the eyeball.
And instead grabbed the stone.
It felt icy cold to the touch.
That familiar, pulsating sensation, as if connecting to the entire ocean.
Flowed through his palm.
Straight to his mind.
[Item Name: Ocean Soul Crystal Mother (Fragment · Four)]
[Current Rating: ??? (World Foundation Stone)]
[Item Introduction: This is the anchor of the world, one of the foundation stones that uphold the rules of this apocalyptic sea.]
[Special Note: System database comparison confirms this is the fourth fragment.]
[Current Collection Progress: 3/5]
[Note: You are only two steps away from The Truth. But beware, when you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back. Or perhaps... the eyes behind the Abyss.]
"The fourth fragment..."
Qin Yu clenched the stone tightly.
Veins bulged on the back of his hand.
Adding to the first and second fragments he already possessed.
Out of the five fragments.
He now held three exclusively.
This wasn't just an increase in numbers.
It signified.
His control over this world's rules.
Had already exceeded 50%.
If before he was merely a robber holding a gun.
Now.
He was already half the "master" of this sea.
"Brother-in-law?"
Yao Qian watched Qin Yu staring blankly and couldn't help calling out to him.
"What is that?"
"Looks like a piece of broken glass."
"Broken glass?"
Qin Yu snapped back to reality, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"This piece of broken glass."
"Could buy the entire Earth."
After saying that.
He solemnly placed the fragment into that specially made lead box.
This thing had too much radiation.
Couldn't carry it on his person for too long.
Then.
His gaze finally fell on that crystal eyeball.
He reached out and grasped it.
[Item Name: Omniscient, Eye of Vanity]
[Quality: SSS-grade (Special Class Item)]
[Type: Vehicle Module / Personal Implant]
[Trait One: Absolute Vision.]
[Description: Can be installed on a vehicle's radar system, or directly implanted into the host's eye (requires enduring intense pain). Once activated, within a 50-kilometer radius, it ignores terrain, invisibility, and camouflage. All weaknesses will be marked with red dots.]
[Trait Two: Abyssal Gaze.]
[Description: Active skill. Locks onto a target, forcibly subjecting them to a "Spirit Judgment." If the target's spiritual power is lower than the host's, they will fall into a "Deep Fear" state, with duration depending on the gap between the two. If the judgment fails, the host will suffer backlash (high probability of becoming an idiot).]
[Trait Three: Rule Insight.]
[Description: You can see... the flow of data.]
"Good stuff."
Qin Yu toyed with the eyeball in his hand.
This was practically a miniaturized version of the core ability of that [Deep-Gazing Eye].
Especially that "Rule Insight."
Seeing the flow of data?
Wasn't that basically like having a wallhack?
"Yao Qian."
Qin Yu casually tossed the eyeball over.
"Catch."
"Huh?"
Yao Qian fumbled to catch the slippery eyeball, almost throwing it away in disgust.
"Brother-in-law! This is an eyeball!"
"Don't throw it."
Qin Yu lit a cigarette.
"This thing can be installed on our radar."
"Once it's installed."
"Within fifty kilometers."
"Even if a shrimp is mating."
"You'll be able to see it clearly."
"Really?!"
Yao Qian's eyes instantly lit up.
Disgust?
Nonexistent.
As a tech geek.
This kind of top-tier radar module was her lifeblood.
"I'll go install it right now!"
"With this."
"We'll basically have a Full Map hack from now on!"
"We'll never have to worry about being ambushed again!"
Hugging the eyeball, Yao Qian excitedly ran toward the control panel.
While running, she even pulled out a screwdriver.
Muttering to herself: "Just need to modify the interface, then parallel two processors..."
Watching everyone busy at work.
Qin Yu leaned back in his chair.
And closed his eyes.
But he wasn't resting.
His mind.
Was filled entirely with the note on that fragment from earlier.
[The Eyes Behind the Abyss].
"It seems."
"Someone's getting anxious."
Qin Yu sneered coldly.
He knew.
That shot he fired earlier.
Didn't just kill a monster.
It also pierced through this layer of window paper.
That guy hiding behind the system.
Setting the rules.
Playing with humanity.
He should be getting restless by now, right?
...
At the same time.
In a dimension not of this world.
Or rather.
In some Space above this world.
Here, there was no seawater.
No sky.
Only endless streams of data.
Cascading like waterfalls against the silvery-white walls all around.
This was a massive control room.
Filled with a sense of sci-fi.
Dozens of massive holographic screens hung suspended in the air.
They monitored every corner of the "Wasteland Era."
And on the central main screen,
what was being replayed
was precisely the moment Qin Yu fired his gun.
The image froze at the instant the blue ripple swept over the monster.
"This is impossible..."
A man in a black uniform
stood before the screen,
staring fixedly at that scene.
On his chest
was pinned a golden badge
engraved with two characters: [Execute].
He was the Executive Officer of this region,
responsible for maintaining the rules,
responsible for cleaning up bugs,
responsible for... watching these humans struggle to survive like insects.
But now,
his hands were trembling.
These were hands that should have been devoid of emotion, only meant for typing code,
yet now they were drenched in cold sweat.
"Replay it."
"Replay that data segment for me!"
His voice
carried a trace of hysteria.
The image on the screen rewound
and played again.
It was the blue ripple erupting from the muzzle of [Kiss of Death].
"Stop!"
The Executive Officer shouted,
pointing at the ripple.
"Analyze the data!"
"I want to know what code this is!"
[Ding!]
[System analyzing...]
[Error!]
[Unable to parse!]
[Warning: This data stream does not belong to the current version's permissions!]
[Warning: This data stream possesses "Core Overwrite" capability!]
[Warning: Core rule deficiency detected!]
A series of red warning pop-ups
illuminated his originally indifferent face
with a bloody red glow.
"Core Overwrite..."
The Executive Officer slumped into the uncomfortable metal chair,
muttering to himself.
What these four words meant,
he understood better than anyone.
It meant
that the human holding the gun,
that player codenamed "Qin Yu,"
was no longer holding
an in-game item,
but rather a...
"Administrator Key" capable of modifying the game's code.
"How did he do it?"
"That gun..."
"And that stone..."
The Executive Officer pulled up Qin Yu's file.
[Player: Qin Yu]
[Threat Level: SSS+ (Extremely Dangerous)]
[Possessed Items: Ocean Soul Crystal Mother (Fragments 1, 2, 4)]
[Current Status: Heading to... Location of Fragment 3.]
Looking at that "3/5" progress bar,
the Executive Officer felt a chill shoot straight from his spine to the crown of his head.
Five fragments.
That was the "master switch" of this sea region.
Once gathered,
all the rules would be rewritten.
At that point,
who was the player,
and who was the GM,
would no longer be certain.
"No."
"He can't be allowed to search any further."
"The guardian of the next fragment..."
"won't be able to withstand that kind of attack either."
The Executive Officer abruptly stood up.
He paced back and forth in the room.
The sound of his leather shoes tapping rapidly on the metal floor echoed,
much like his frantic heartbeat at that moment.
He wanted to directly eliminate Qin Yu.
But he couldn't.
The system had rules.
As long as the player hadn't violated the rules, the Executive Officer could not directly interfere with the game's progress.
This was the so-called "fairness."
Even though this world was already rotten to the core,
this fig leaf still had to remain.
"Unless..."
"Unless I cheat too."
The Executive Officer stopped in his tracks,
his gaze sinister.
But then,
he shook his head again.
No.
The risk was too great.
If discovered by those above, his fate would be worse than death.
"This matter..."
"It's beyond my authority."
The Executive Officer took a deep breath.
He walked to the control console.
Pressed a red button sealed under a protective cover.
That was...
The dedicated line to the "higher-ups."
"Beep... beep... beep..."
After several dial tones.
A mechanical, synthesized voice devoid of any emotion.
Echoed in the empty room.
"This is the Arbitration Tribunal."
"Executive Officer number 9527."
"State your request."
The Executive Officer swallowed.
Straightened his collar.
Even though the other party couldn't see him.
He instinctively bowed.
Displaying utmost humility.
"Sir."
"I request..."
"Activation of the Level One Purge Protocol."
"Reason?"
The voice remained icy.
"Zone 9527."
"There is a player..."
"Who may overturn the entire version's order."
"In his hands."
"He has a gun."
"A real gun."
Silence.
Dead silence.
After a full ten seconds.
The voice spoke again.
This time.
It seemed to carry a hint of... interest.
"A real gun?"
"That's interesting."
"Transmit the data."
"Additionally."
"Do not alert him for now."
"These pieces that try to jump off the chessboard."
"Usually."
"Bring some unexpected... entertainment."
"Beep."
The communication ended.
The Executive Officer looked at the darkened screen.
Wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Entertainment?
He laughed bitterly in his heart.
The higher-ups treat this as entertainment.
But for him.
It's like holding a knife to his throat.
He looked back at the surveillance feed.
On the screen.
Qin Yu was tossing the eyeball to Yao Qian.
Wearing that arrogant, disdainful smile he hated.
"Laugh."
The Executive Officer gritted his teeth.
Cursing under his breath.
"Laugh all you want."
"Since the higher-ups have spoken."
"The road ahead."
"Won't be so easy."
He reached out.
Quickly typed a line of code on the control console.
[Command issued: Comprehensively upgrade remaining Guardian levels.]
[Correction coefficient: 300%]
[New rule added: For players holding "Crystal Mother Fragments," monster aggro range expanded tenfold.]
After doing all this.
The Executive Officer finally let out a long breath.
He stared at Qin Yu on the screen.
His eyes venomous.
"Want to collect all five pieces?"
"Then you'll have to ask."
"If this ocean."
"Agrees."
...
Deep sea.
[President] cockpit.
Yao Qian, who was modifying the radar.
Suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo!"
She rubbed her nose.
Looking confused.
"Strange."
"I'm not sick."
"Why do I suddenly feel..."
"A chill down my back?"
Qin Yu opened his eyes.
Glanced upward.
The steel plate above was thick.
But he seemed to see through it.
A massive net.
Silently tightening.
"That chill is right."
Qin Yu lit another cigarette.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Because someone."
"Is adding drama for us."
.