Everything happened extremely fast. The substitute paper doll that Mu Anqi had just used was instantly struck—the lurking shadow under the deck burst out with all its strength and slammed straight into the heart of the paper doll, shattering it. Missing the target, it was shocked and terrified, unable to even retract its force before Fang Yunjiu unleashed one move, the Hand of the Evil God, and blasted it directly into the sea.
As for Mu Anqi, from entering the illusion to exiting it, only two minutes had passed. In just two short minutes, these ghosts had provoked the wrath of a little money tree.
She should have thought of it—these ghosts wouldn't give up so easily! Mu Anqi quickly threw out a few blessing words, clipped bullet cards onto her handgun, and began a new round of firepower, working together with Fang Yunjiu's younger sister to wipe out all the ghosts that appeared on the deck.
—Finally, peace.
After this attack, all the way until midnight, Mu Anqi and the others didn't encounter any more ghosts, not even the shadow that often wandered aimlessly around the ship. This made Mu Anqi suspect that they were holding back for a big move, and by the fifth day… there might be a deadly strike waiting for them.
After experiencing the killing trap of the sea monster working together with the ghosts, Mu Anqi and the others became even more vigilant. No matter where they went, they always moved in groups of two or three, with either Wu Sansheng or Fang Yunjiu always keeping someone by their side.
This gave the scheming ghost quite a headache.
They didn't eat the food in the illusion, fine—but even the mermaid had already been shot in the head twice. A whole imperial feast had been laid out, yet since they refused to eat anything from the illusion, naturally they wouldn't fall for it. The final day's killing strike was thus avoided… As for more coordinated attacks?
The scheming ghost silently sighed in its heart. Looking at the five players clinging together like conjoined twins, it felt a bit of despair.
The failure lay in the fact that these five players had entered as a team. Otherwise… no matter how powerful that money tree was, if her teammates ignored her and she was dragged into the illusion by the sea monster, even if she didn't die, being seriously injured would have been certain.
…
The fifth day.
Fang Yunjiu's younger sister made mashed potatoes for breakfast, and also fried over a dozen potato cakes—it could be said she put quite a lot of effort into it.
Still, no matter how many variations were made, there were only so many dishes. The taste was indeed good, but Mu Anqi had already started missing hotpot.
"If only we had some cola." Fang Xunjiu swallowed two potato cakes in a row and sighed. "Or, with such a vast sea, if we could fish up a few edible sea fish, that would work too."
Fang Yunjiu glanced at her brother once, not even bothering to respond, then turned to Mu Anqi and the others: "How about shredded potatoes with hot and sour sauce for lunch? I'll also make a ham and bread soup, adding a little cured meat for extra flavor. For dinner, let's have noodles—I'll roll some out this afternoon."
"What kind of fairy sister are you, wuwuwu…" The potato cakes were crispy on the outside and soft inside, their golden crust fragrant and delicious, with tiny grains of black pepper within that made them incredibly tasty. As for the mashed potatoes, whatever was mixed into the black pepper sauce sprinkled on top, when stirred together it was no worse than what was served in restaurants. Other than Mu Xiaobai, Fang Yunjiu was the second person Mu Anqi had met who could cook so deliciously! …Mm, though Mu Xiaobai probably couldn't really count as "human"? Anyway, that was the idea.
Thinking of how versatile Fang Yunjiu was, Mu Anqi couldn't help feeling deep contempt for Fang Xunjiu, this "useless" older brother who only knew how to eat: Truly the best at nothing except jamming food into his mouth!
"?" Perhaps understanding the meaning in Mu Anqi's gaze, Fang Xunjiu swallowed the last potato cake and couldn't help but argue, "Is it my fault my talent points didn't randomly land in this area? Back in school, I was still the top student and school heartthrob! During the basketball meet back then, you have no idea how many girls I handed good-person cards to after it was over!"
"Was it Nirvana Space that held basketball games, or the Shattered Mirror Continent that held basketball games?" Mu Anqi asked calmly.
Fang Xunjiu: "…"
Silently, Fang Xunjiu reached for another potato cake from the plate on the stove, shoved it into his mouth, and stopped talking.
Today was still blazing sunny. Thinking that the game would end in just two more days, Mu Anqi and the others laid their blankets out in the sun once again.
Another day of spacing out and going with the flow on the ghost ship.
Meanwhile, the scheming ghost and the overseeing ghost were organizing one last all-out strike. If this still failed… then they might as well serve themselves up as dishes to those players and film it as a comedy. Plot? Heh, what plot could there be now!
"The last time, this is the last time! Get the mermaid ready—whether she dies or not doesn't matter, just drag those three players who can't resist illusions inside!" With the illusion taking the first move, then the group of ghosts charging in—though it was only the fifth day, and the plot of ghost swarms had been arranged for the sixth day in the diary, so what? Even as ghosts, one had to know how to be flexible.
The little mermaid's song once again drifted softly through the air. Mu Anqi and the others on the deck immediately grew alert. Fang Yunjiu quickly used "Possession of the Evil God," while Wu Sansheng silently drew out a rope, tying up Fang Xunjiu first. The players moved with great speed. Mu Anqi and the others' consciousness wavered for an instant, and they once again stepped into the familiar scene—the mermaid lady sat on the reef once more. Just as Mu Anqi was about to utter her blessing words—
The illusion… shattered?
What happened?
Somewhat dazed, Mu Anqi found herself back on the deck, and when she turned her head, she saw dozens of black shadows suddenly darting out from every cabin, every shadow of mast and deck, baring fangs and claws as they lunged toward them.
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Though they didn't know what had happened to the mermaid lady, Mu Anqi and the others quickly reacted. Fang Xunjiu waved his hand and scattered a huge handful of good-person cards, while Xia Yun swung out her natal sword, the sword formation rampaging wildly across the deck.
"Bang bang bang—"
"Hand of the Evil God!"
The ghosts, who had gone all out and prepared for the final battle: "???"
What about the promised distraction? Weren't those three players supposed to be dragged into the illusion? Did that illusion even last a single second?!
The ghosts broke down. At this point, the chance of slipping away invisibly was slim. With a resigned sigh of "might as well be good people to the end," they lay peacefully on the deck, transcended into Buddhahood by bullets.
Scheming Ghost: "What the hell is going on?! What's wrong with that mermaid?!"
"…No, the mermaid, she seems to have… disappeared?" The overseeing ghost sat upright, adjusting the view to the patch of sea where the mermaid was always released. After all, the mermaid only influenced the players through her singing, so they never placed her directly on the ship or too close by. But the mermaid had vanished into thin air?
"And the ghosts protecting her?"
"Can't contact them either!"
"?" The overseeing ghost's mouth fell open. Could it be… "Kidnapped?"
"No, not kidnapped… that is…"
Thick black fog spread out beneath those reefs, and a massive skull made entirely of black mist appeared above the ocean. Centered on this skull, endless black fog began to overflow outward…
"The Black Mirror Vortex has appeared!" The overseeing ghost shot to his feet. "Quick, contact the nearest officer—where's the ghost king in this area! Players, evacuate… fortunately we're at the seaside, hurry and pull those players out first, pause the game…"
"What game can be paused at this point? Just end it directly, give them their rewards early. Luckily these players were all recruited and know the situation, no need to come up with excuses. Just raise their score a little, hand out some compensation, and be done with it."
While the scheming ghost and overseeing ghost were thrown into chaos by the sudden event, Mu Anqi and the others also saw the enormous skull rising in the distance…
[Ding! Black Mirror Vortex detected!]
"That is… the Black Mirror Vortex?" Fang Xunjiu stared blankly at the enormous skull above the distant sea. He too had cleared trial dungeons, but he had never actually been to a Black Mirror Vortex dungeon. Recruited players all knew that Black Mirror Vortexes were sudden disasters; if they appeared in the wilderness, it was manageable, but if one appeared in a densely populated area, it had to be cleared immediately! Because the Black Mirror Vortex was very likely to be polluting, affecting ghosts or demons. Knowing it in theory was one thing, but seeing one appear with his own eyes—this was his first time.
The sight was overwhelming.
Even for Mu Anqi, who had once cleared a Black Mirror Vortex, this was the first time she had seen what it looked like from the outside—before, she had always been teleported directly inside.
[Ding! Special situation! Special situation! The game is temporarily suspended, the game is temporarily suspended!]
[End game early?]
End it early? Mu Anqi looked at the distant Black Mirror Vortex, silently taking out the token and holding it in her palm. She turned to her teammates: "Do you want to end the game early, or… give it a try?"
What "try" meant was self-evident. The Black Mirror Vortex was right before their eyes.
Wu Sansheng adjusted the items on her body. She didn't have many offensive means, and her ability to protect herself was really limited. If they entered the Black Mirror Vortex, she might very well drag the others down. But this team had only just completed one dungeon together, and Wu Sansheng felt that refusing now wasn't a good choice. Anyway… she also had one free resurrection. "I have a spiritual mark skill—after marking, I can lock onto a target for twenty minutes, and the position can be shared with teammates."
"My abilities are still the same—boosting favorability and crowd control." Fang Xunjiu shrugged. "The Black Mirror Vortex should be even more dangerous, right? If we're going, you'll have to protect me and Wu Sansheng. Uh, if the situation gets tricky… Miss Mu can also feel free to use the actions from the list."
That was said with the full awareness of being the only male player present.
"I'm fine with anything," Fang Yunjiu said. "I can protect my brother."
"Going into the Black Mirror Vortex isn't really the problem. The real question is… we're on a ship, so how do we even get into that far-off vortex?" Xia Yun scratched her head, feeling like everyone was missing the point. "Unless one of you can sail?"
Uh…
Mu Anqi fell silent for a moment and quietly turned to look at Wu Sansheng.
The Fang siblings fell into silence as well. They first looked at Mu Anqi, then, seeing her gaze shift to Wu Sansheng, also directed their eyes that way.
Seeing everyone looking at Wu Sansheng, Xia Yun couldn't help but follow suit.
Wu Sansheng: "…I'll try."