SWDnovel Chapter 8 A new ship!
Chapter 8 A new ship!
There was a brief silence in the channel; everyone seemed to have noticed the subtle tension.
Iced Coke (no sugar): "Maybe they really found something good and are busy counting it, too busy to bother with us!"
A person with a triangular body shape said, "That's right, you have to keep a low profile if you win the lottery."
Yu Wang peeked at the screen for a while, and then made his move.
You're in for a gamble: "Scroll up in the chat or search for 'Ma Dadan' by ID. His profile picture is already black."
A cool breeze blew on his butt: "Wow! It's a big shot!"
Celery DameDame: "Wow! It's a big shot!"
It's time for dinner again: "Wow! It's a big shot!"
……
Survivors who had received a server-wide announcement personally participated, drawing out a group of people who had been lurking and spying.
After echoing hundreds of useless messages, the echoers finally received a piece of valuable information.
Don't open your mouth to hit a cockroach: "I checked, and Ma Dadan's profile picture has turned black, white, and gray!"
……
A black and white avatar usually indicates that the player has logged off.
In real-life survival games, going offline obviously means death.
The 444-part chat interface functions similarly to a large real-time group chat.
It not only dynamically displays the number of online members and allows for precise location of members by ID, but also supports keyword search history and even has social functions such as "sending red envelopes".
However, given the shortage of supplies, no one knows how to use the red envelope function.
At Yu Wang's reminder, everyone suddenly realized what was happening and started checking, discovering that the number of people in the section had dropped to (99675/100000).
Before nightfall, the number was still very close to 100,000.
At this moment, less than an hour after the blood moon rose, the number of survivors had already decreased by 325 without anyone noticing.
More than three hundred of their kind, who had just been in the same sea area as them, talking, trading, fearing or pretending to be calm, died silently in that short time!
The brief sense of security vanished without a trace.
"How did they die?! What happened to them?!"
"Didn't you say there was no danger?! This is what you call no danger?!"
Why didn't anyone call for help? Was it too late?
"@Survivor007! Was that coffin you saw bright red? The character for 'offering' is even faded a bit? Damn it, it came here!! What did you do to make it leave! I've run out of chat slots, can we chat privately?"
"I don't want to die! Waaaaah, I want to go home!!"
"Fire! Is fire really useful? Does anyone know if any of the dead managed to start a fire? Say something!"
……
Having aroused everyone's vigilance, Yu Wang stopped paying attention to the subsequent chaos in the channel and kept his achievements hidden.
With the control panel closed, a harpoon lay across his face, a dagger gripped tightly in his hand, as he leaned back in the driver's seat, closing his eyes to rest.
The seven-day protection period for new players does not provide absolute safety, even with the protection offered by the game rules.
The game's protection is like a fishing net, keeping dangerous "big fish" out. However, there are always gaps in the net, allowing some "small fish" to slip through and get close to the survivors, baring their fangs in the darkness.
The more than three hundred people who just died silently are a bloody example.
Survival games are never child's play!
Yu Wang's breathing was steady and long, adjusting every aspect of his body's condition.
The effects of the lobster meat I just ate were already showing; a warm current spread from my stomach to my limbs and bones, dispelling the accumulated fatigue, and even my muscle fibers seemed to be filled with more abundant energy.
Although the numbers on the properties panel haven't changed yet.
However, Yu Wang could clearly perceive that his power had indeed increased subtly but in a real way.
The light of the blood moon seeped in through the simple window of the cockpit, staining the cabin with an ominous dark red, and also illuminating half of his face, making its contours distinct.
"Splash... splash"
An unusual sound broke the silence of the night.
This was not the regular sound of waves crashing against the hull. A strange sound came from the port side of the ship, as if something was clumsily trying to cling to the smooth plastic hull, but kept slipping off because it had nowhere to hold on, splashing up sticky water droplets.
Yu Wang gripped the crab claw and harpoon, slowly adjusting the angle.
He didn't rush out immediately, nor did he recklessly lean out to attack. Instead, he pressed his back slightly against the cold cabin wall, turned his head, and glanced down coldly out of the corner of his eye.
Under the dark red moonlight, a pale, swollen hand, with dark green seaweed hanging between its fingers, clung to the hull of the Little Yellow Duck.
To combat the slippage, the thick, black fingernails of that hand dug deeply into the hull, leaving several clear, filthy scratches.
Looking at the depth of the scratches, Yu Wang's mind raced: 'If the Little Yellow Duck hadn't been upgraded, it would probably be riddled with holes by now!'
As the monster's hand gripped the hull, another equally terrifying hand followed suit. It then struggled, attempting to drag its heavy body onto the ship.
[You have witnessed a gruesome corpse; its contorted form and rotting details have caused you psychological distress. Sanity -4]
[The "If you can't beat them, join them" talent effect is activated! A comprehensive judgment is made based on your "understanding" of the current target, your "acceptance" of them, and your physiological reactions...]
[Comprehensive Assessment: You did not experience the kind of fear or severe mental pollution associated with 'drowning corpses' that conforms to conventional understanding. On the contrary, you exhibit a high degree of adaptability to this scene and a tendency towards cognitive restructuring. The conditions for exemption from mental shock have been exceeded?! (ps: This assessment process only occurred once.)]
[Good heavens! Your heart rate is as steady as if you're admiring a landscape? You're completely unafraid of this thing?! Based on the core talent rules and this special immunity assessment—this mental shock is null and void!]
[(Wow, what a clueless guy. But well done! Keep up the good attitude, you might get some unexpected rewards! Cluck cluck!)]
The sanity value fluctuated several times, but remained firmly at 100/100.
Yu Wang was not surprised by this result at all; it was just a small drowned corpse, and he didn't know how many he had killed in his previous life.
No longer paying attention to anything else, Yu Wang's gaze was fixed on the humanoid monster on the side of the ship.
Its entire body was soaked, and its swollen body was naked, with exposed skin displaying the deathly pale and bluish-purple marks characteristic of a drowned person. Its hair, like tangled seaweed, clung to its swollen and deformed cheeks.
Drowned corpse.
A low-level monster commonly found in water at night, formed from the corrupting influence of abyssal forces upon the drowned. They possess considerable strength and are extremely sensitive to the presence of the living, but are slow, clumsy, and vulnerable to fire damage.
Logically speaking, it shouldn't have targeted a ship engulfed in flames.
Perhaps it's the taste of the giant lobster, or maybe it's the wound on Yu Wang's body, or even the game's methods targeting the top player in the entire server...
Regardless of the reason.
It's up now.
Then, we can only ask it to... sink further!
The drowned corpse seemed to sense the even stronger presence of living beings on the ship, letting out a series of cheerful, strange gurgling sounds from its throat.
With a sudden burst of strength, the arms gripping the gunwale pushed upwards, and the wet body finally rolled over the edge of death!
thump!
A heavy thud. Half of the drowned corpse's bloated, festering body slammed solidly onto the floor of the "Little Yellow Duck's" only cockpit! The entire ship lurched violently to the left and began to rock violently!
The thick, black "seawater" and rotting algae debris scattered and splashed everywhere with its movements, emitting a pungent stench.
Almost at the same instant the drowned body crashed down and the ship tilted violently!
He acted rashly!
His body, which had been accumulating strength for so long, was suddenly released like a bowstring stretched to its limit! The carefully selected non-slip boots made a short, sharp screech on the wet deck, and he used the momentum of the boat tilting to...
Holding the weapon flat, he stabbed one of the forks of the crab claw harpoon into the drowned corpse's empty eye socket with perfect precision!
The timing was perfect, and the angle was tricky!
"Pfft!"
The sensation of poking into the drowned corpse's eye socket was peculiar; it wasn't hard bone, but rather a soft, rotten feel, similar to that of decaying fruit.
Yu Wang could even feel the moment the fork tip pierced through some kind of gelatinous substance and touched the hard object behind him. Without the slightest hesitation, his mind and muscles worked in unison!
Then, with a thought, the giant crab claws that had been opened automatically closed, crushing the drowned corpse's head!
The giant crab claw, with its biomimetic structure at the tip of the harpoon, suddenly and automatically closed under Yu Wang's control!
Click!
A dull thud echoed as the skull shattered, like the crushing of a sack filled with sewage. The sharp serrations on the inside of the crab claws mercilessly destroyed the already rotten and decaying internal structure of the skull!
"puff!"
A foul-smelling, viscous liquid and fragments of an indescribable color gushed out from the shattered eye sockets and the gaps in the crab claws!
Some of it splashed onto the plastic pillars of the cockpit, some soaked the makeshift seats, and most of it smeared onto the drowned corpse's own mutilated head and Yu Wang's harpoon and arms, emitting a strong stench like rats rotting in a sewer for half a month.
[The "Join If You Can't Beat It" talent assessment failed! You smelled deep-seated putrid fluids, abyssal filth, charred proteins, and various complex volatile toxins, causing a devastating impact on your senses! Sanity -8]
[You touched an unidentified putrid tissue fluid and semi-congealed putrefactive material with a thick, phlegm-like texture and a sticky, gritty quality. The sensation has successfully breached your psychological defenses, triggering intense discomfort. Reason -4]
[Additional Status: 'Smell Residue' (For a short period of time, you may feel a persistent odor on your hands. Ugh~~ (Disgusted))]
……
The continuous mental blows and intense physical aversion caused Yu Wang to frown and turn pale.
The distorted appearance of the drowned corpse failed to shake his sanity in the slightest; on the contrary, it was the horrifying stench emanating from its "inner" source that succeeded!
These days, even drowned corpses are obsessed with inner beauty! How inspiring!
He mentally grumbled, then suddenly turned his head and gagged, feeling his brain throbbing in rhythm with the stench.
He forced himself to endure the dizziness and nausea, quickly tearing a small, relatively clean piece of cloth from his waist to cover his mouth and nose. The effect was limited, but it was better than simply toughing it out.
However, the monsters eroded by the abyss possess a terrifyingly tenacious vitality.
Even with such a severe head injury, the headless, swollen body was still not completely dead!
Its remaining instincts drove its limbs to twitch and scratch wildly, its slippery body writhing as it continued to try to climb toward Yu Wang's location! It left disgusting drag marks in its wake!
"What a waste! This is a brand new boat I just bought today!"
Yu Wang's eyes flashed with sternness; disgusted as he was, his actions were swift.
His left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing a thick piece of firewood that was burning brightly and whose tip was charred red from the campfire at the stern of the boat!
Without the slightest hesitation, he bulged the muscles in his arm and slammed the burning firewood hard into the center of the drowned corpse's shattered face!
*Sizzle!*
The moment the blazing, hot firewood came into violent contact with the damp, filthy body, a reaction erupted that was far more intense than before! A pungent, acrid, bluish-black smoke billowed up and swirled, filling the cramped cabin!
Fortunately, the cockpit of the little yellow duck was well-ventilated, and the thick smoke quickly dissipated!
Yu Wang kept going, quickly replacing a fire poker with a new one as soon as it cooled down!
After a dozen or so attempts, the game notification sound finally came to my ears.
[Defeat 1 Drowned Corpse to obtain 1 Pearl Coin and 1 Water Arrow Cannon Blueprint]