It was morning, but the sky was still overcast. Mu Anqi couldn't read the weather, but she knew that sailing on the sea during a storm might not be good.
"The Ghost Ship… shouldn't capsize, right?" Mu Anqi felt uneasy. None of the five players could sail. If they encountered a storm, it would really be up to fate—wherever the waves pushed them, that's where they would drift.
No one could answer this question. Fang Yunjiu went to the galley to start making breakfast. There was plenty of flour there, so she could make some noodles. Wu Sansheng went along to help out, while Xia Yun patrolled the cabin to see if anything extra had appeared. Fang Xunjiu opened her diary to check the entries for today.
"Today the sun is so bright, I stayed on the deck with Mom for a while…" Fang Xunjiu glanced at the gloomy sky, skipping the weather and what she had eaten, focusing instead on the oddities revealed in the diary.
Always hearing strange footsteps? Shadows at the corners? The laughter of peers and… a ball suddenly rolling over?
In other words, the next day, the supernatural events on the ship would continue to increase. At this rate, these ghostly apparitions would soon start harming the players. Fang Xunjiu thought to himself— a ball? He seemed to have seen it somewhere before.
After sharing this information with his teammates, Wu Sansheng spoke up: "The ball in the resting cabin is gone. Some children's toys have also disappeared."
The first night had black shadow ghosts, but now it seemed more spirits had joined the ship.
"It's probably related to this ship's route," Wu Sansheng speculated.
"The deeper we go into a certain area, the more ghosts and strange phenomena appear on the ship?" The Spirit Ghost Voyage… it could also be called the Death Voyage. What could an ordinary ship possibly survive when entering a domain of ghosts and resentful spirits?
"Perhaps we can try changing the route." However, the way this ghost ship changes step by step in such a regular pattern was obviously predetermined. Even if they altered course, without a map or sense of direction, it seemed impossible to outmatch the spirits. Xia Yun sighed, "But it shouldn't be particularly dangerous. If we're worried about ghosts… I'm more concerned about encountering sea monsters."
"The song of the sea monster can lure people and make them lose themselves. This should be some kind of mental suggestion or 'charm'?" Xia Yun analyzed. She had never been immune to illusions, and if she were truly hypnotized by the sea monster… "If I get hypnotized, I might… have no ability to save myself."
A sea monster…
Mu Anqi touched her chin. With her experience of stepping into illusions multiple times—well, it was basically useless. The sea monster's song was clearly very different from an illusion. If she were to be bewitched by it, uh… Mu Anqi thought perhaps General Ji would be very angry? Maybe, just as she was being drawn by the song, before she even took a step toward the sea monster, General Ji would have already gone berserk, holding the sea monster's head?
Mu Anqi suddenly felt at ease.
Looking at the others, Fang Xunjiu frowned. Even if he had given himself a luck buff, he probably couldn't avoid the sea monster's song. His sister, however, could resist a little—after all, once possessed by an evil god… would the evil god be charmed by the sea monster?
As for Wu Sansheng—sorry, absolute rationality forever.
"At that time, we can tie up anyone who gets charmed and block their ears," Mu Anqi said. "As long as they don't jump into the sea, it's fine."
The five players reached an agreement. Fang Xunjiu found some rope and put it into Wu Sansheng's bag. In case they all unfortunately fell victim, Wu Sansheng could still rescue them in an emergency.
With precautions in place, Mu Anqi and the others sat together on the deck, listening to the sound of the waves and watching the sea and sky merge into one. The ship swayed slightly, giving a unique feeling.
"I never rode on a ship like this when I was alive, only ferries," Fang Xunjiu couldn't help but sigh. "But then again, I hardly ever traveled with my sister. After entering the Nirvana Space, we actually grew closer. At least we always went through the dungeon games together."
"You always end up together randomly?"
"Ah? We died together, and we're twins," Fang Xunjiu scratched his head. He didn't really know how it worked, anyway… "My Nirvana Space might be a bit different from Fang Yunjiu's. We live next to each other. Two spaces are connected—if one person enters the game, the other is pulled in too, and it's passive. My sister once pulled me into a game while I was taking a shower. Luckily, I had just finished… I only realized this later. Normally, players seem to have just one space."
I see… Mu Anqi, being an only child with no siblings, couldn't really understand Fang Xunjiu's feelings. Of course, she had seen plenty of examples of "siblings in novels" versus "siblings in real life," so she didn't have any special expectations.
"My sister is really a homebody. When I played basketball, she never came to watch my games. Everyone else had a good sister bringing towels and water, but she insisted on rushing home to watch anime." Fang Xunjiu recalled the past, his expression slowly turning resentful. He looked at Fang Yunjiu with a faint bitterness. "You probably can't tell now, but when we were in elementary school, she would run all the way home after school, looking back with a terrified face while running. She scared me so much that I ran with her, thinking she had seen something terrible."
"…In the end, back then it was completely her obsession with Ultraman, always thinking a giant monster was chasing her. And it was all in her imagination—ugh!" Fang Yunjiu suddenly pounced and grabbed Fang Xunjiu by the neck, pinning him to the ground, her face red as if she were going to kill him to keep him quiet. Fang Xunjiu struggled to reach out for help, but… Xia Yun leisurely lay on the railing, enjoying the sea breeze, with no intention of intervening. Wu Sansheng remained expressionless and unmoved, while Mu Anqi watched the scene with delight, only lacking a watermelon in hand.
"I've never been on a ship like this either," Xia Yun took a deep breath, completely relaxed and excited. "I've never even been out to sea!"
"By the way, I've always been curious—what did you do when you were alive? From an ancient martial arts family? Or some secluded sect?" Mu Anqi looked at Xia Yun. With her "Sword Heart" ability, Xia Yun seemed mysterious to Mu Anqi. In the trial dungeon, Xia Yun could gather the female players to cooperate and pass challenges, acting with a certain heroic maiden aura.
"…Just an ordinary martial arts enthusiast," Xia Yun said a little embarrassed. But with Fang Yunjiu having been ruthlessly embarrassed by her brother earlier, she didn't resist talking about it. "Essentially, I was just an ordinary office worker, only practicing sword techniques in my spare time."
When she met the gazes of the four others, Xia Yun sensed there might be some misunderstanding, so she had to clarify again: "It's just ordinary, health-improving sword techniques! Fancy, flashy moves without much offensive power!"
"But the Sword Heart ability should be more like a talent, right?" Mu Anqi said. After all, in novels, those so-called "innate Sword Hearts" were powerful talents—people with a Sword Heart were naturally suited to be sword cultivators. Xia Yun had only learned health-focused sword techniques… probably simply because there was no suitable way to learn more.
"Probably, yes. After all, my master recruited me because of this 'Sword Heart' ability," Xia Yun said, smiling a little embarrassedly.
They spent some time chatting on the deck while enjoying the sea breeze, until the sky seemed to grow increasingly overcast, and they began to worry about a storm.
"Hopefully we don't encounter a thunderstorm," Fang Xunjiu prayed for good fortune. Although he could swim, his skill level wasn't very high. Swimming in a small pool was one thing, but out in the open sea… he really couldn't and didn't dare to.
When Fang Yunjiu went to the galley to eat, Fang Xunjiu turned his head and once again encountered a black shadow silently watching him. Fang Xunjiu wondered in confusion: Why does this shadow look a bit different from last time? It seems… shorter?
A new ghost?
The shadow struck a pose, expecting an increase in emotional points. But then… confusion?! What is this male player thinking, producing this kind of emotion?! Just as the shadow couldn't understand, the male player finally reacted normally, showing a terrified expression and quickly reaching out: "No—"
"Smooth sailing!" A clear female voice rang out from behind the shadow. Instantly, his entire ghostly body lost control. He hadn't even realized his own agility—he flipped upside down and began spinning with his head on the floor, black ghostly hands assisting him continuously. He became like a black spinning top, performing at the entrance of the cabin—
"Ah, so this is the one I got." The devilish female voice carried heavy disappointment. Meanwhile, the male player looked nearly insane: "Why are you using the moves from the list again?! Last time you said it was an accident, you were going to fix it!"
"Repairs take time, you know. Didn't I already give you compensation?" Mu Anqi once again pulled out a smoke grenade and shook it. "Look, I've prepared plenty of compensation items for you."
Fang Xunjiu burst into tears: "Rich lady, please be human!"
Even the black shadow ghost spinning upside down seemed about to cry out: Please, be human! I'm going bald here!
Mu Anqi looked at the shadow ghost, pulled out her pistol, and when the shadow had spun enough, she fired a few steady shots, dissipating its yin energy and sending it off the stage.
"Isn't this the shadow from the game's background?" Fang Xunjiu watched as the shadow faded. "If we kill this one, there are still others, right?"
"There are," Mu Anqi said. "But what does it matter? Killing a few more ghosts might even raise my ranking another level." Last time, the shadow ghost and Fang Xunjiu's dance had been too explosive—this time she wasn't letting the chance slip! Using your brain to solve puzzles was just too troublesome. Clearing it by killing was simple and straightforward!
Mu Anqi thought: 'She still had to get an S rank to exchange for a hug'.