Survival: The Ocean (Playwright) Chapter 114: The Moving Island, Part Four

“The climate here, and the star patterns… this is the trajectory of the moving island, so we should be right around here,” Wu Hui said by the window, reading as the afternoon sunlight streamed in. “The previous route was a bit off, but not by too much.”

At most, it was five more days until they reached land.

Finally, they could leave. That was good news. Wu Hui nodded with satisfaction and turned to head back. By now, Wang Xiaodie should have the raft ready and dinner prepared as well.

At this moment, Wang Xiaodie was in the middle of a fight.

She gripped her knife tightly, suppressing the anger burning inside her. The raft she had just finished assembling was struck by the enemy’s incendiary bullets. Although she managed to extinguish the flames in time, many supplies were still burned.

Damn it! I swear I’ll kill you and write your mother’s name backwards! Wang Xiaodie growled fiercely, commanding several insect-like printed beasts to swarm from all directions.

“Weak! So weak!” The opposing player was clearly unhinged, laughing madly. “Hahaha! I love crushing weaklings like you!”

Before he could finish, a flea-shaped bug knocked him to the ground, rolling away somewhere unknown. Wang Xiaodie charged forward with her knife, her expression cold and resolute. She would show no mercy to a madman who attacked without reason.

Many players actually suffered from mental issues, some severe, others mild. They vented their in-game stress in various ways. Those who resorted to killing and fighting at the slightest provocation were numerous, often ending up on the tribunal’s wanted list.

This man before her was already on that list, though his weak strength kept his bounty low. He was a serial killer—one of those who felt restless unless they killed regularly.

Being alone on the ocean must drive such a person insane.

He represented a severe type within the Anti-Serpent Society’s personality spectrum. Most serial killers fell into this category. Unlike their portrayal in movies, members of the Anti-Serpent Society were not necessarily highly intelligent. In fact, high intelligence was rare among them.

This personality type was not uncommon in real life, making up nearly five percent of the population. They were the common villains—callous, lacking empathy and morality.

They might be a neighbor who steals your food delivery and blames you, a boss who demands overtime even when a family member dies, or a thug collecting protection money on the street.

Though not numerous, they were as disgusting as chewing gum stuck to the sole of a shoe.

They were nothing like the “cool” villains often depicted in fiction.

Furthermore, they were not villains because of some disease; rather, this personality type was collectively termed the Anti-Serpent Society.

Wang Xiaodie was facing precisely such a person.

These individuals were especially dangerous once they gained supernatural powers. The man knocked down by the flea bug angrily drew a dagger and stabbed the insect several times before laughing triumphantly while standing on the lifeless bug.

But Wang Xiaodie’s blade was already upon him.

The blood-red edge sliced forward, forcing the man to retreat, though it left a bloody gash on his chest. Seeing the wounded man grin madly sent a chill down Wang Xiaodie’s spine.

She swung her knife again. The agility mark from the Hundred Insects Tome activated, and the blade flashed, severing the enemy’s arm.

Despite losing one hand, the player showed no reaction. His other hand gripped several flaming bullets, which he slapped toward Wang Xiaodie’s face. Thanks to her agility enhancement, she tilted her head and dodged. The bullets struck the ground behind her, igniting a fire.

Two giant ants charged in, seizing the enemy with their limbs. Their unmatched strength at that size forced the target to retreat.

The blade flickered again as Wang Xiaodie decapitated the foe.

Turning to the source of the flames, she let out a piercing scream.

The raft was burning once more. The various alchemical materials she had painstakingly collected, along with supplies Wu Hui had stored, were turning to ash.

Wang Xiaodie rushed to put out the fire—but a hand grabbed her.

With a loud explosion, the propane tank she had brought on board detonated. Had she charged forward moments earlier, she would have been severely burned.

She sprayed the fire extinguisher, turning to see who had pulled her back.

It was Wu Hui.

After a quick assessment, Wu Hui grasped the situation. He began helping Wang Xiaodie extinguish the flames, then calmly cleaned up the aftermath.

Wang Xiaodie’s spirits were crushed. All her hard work and the supplies they had gathered were destroyed. Wu Hui, however, was unfazed; such materials were abundant in the city, and the raft itself was not severely damaged.

Aside from losing some time, it wasn’t a big deal.

“Ahhh!” Wang Xiaodie couldn’t help but kick the corpse beside her. “Where do these lunatics come from?”

Wu Hui walked over and pressed her head gently. “Calm down. These sudden setbacks are unavoidable. Everything this guy had is yours.”

“But… but…” Wang Xiaodie felt a vague sense of grievance. She pouted, resting her head against Wu Hui’s chest, silent for a long while.

This was likely a psychological reaction to the disruption rather than the actual loss.

When one’s plans are broken, frustration is inevitable. All the effort she had poured into the afternoon, and many previous gains, had gone up in smoke. Naturally, she was upset. But truly valuable things could not be burned.

Like the Ocean’s Sail, and the Hundred Insects Tome.

After a while lying against Wu Hui’s chest, Wang Xiaodie finally stood up, her eyes a little red. “It’s nothing. Let’s keep working.”

“The good news is, I’ve confirmed the direction of the land. About five days away,” Wu Hui told her. “The bad news is, this world is full of dangers. Preliminary estimates suggest the people on the moving island were killed by a type of printed beast called the Devouring Mist.”

“Is that thing still here?” Wang Xiaodie asked, anxious.

“I don’t think so. By the way, this world most likely exists in reality. A demon god has come here before—or rather, everything here was triggered by a demon god.”

Hearing this, Wang Xiaodie finally shook off her gloom. “So, our world could end up like this too?”

“Yes,” Wu Hui said bluntly, ignoring her feelings. “Other demon gods might pose ordinary threats. But the Black Death could destroy the entire world at any moment.”

An entity high above, obsessed with witnessing death and slaughter.

Is Earth still unfallen because other demon gods protect it? Do they want to watch humans play their games a little longer and thus block the Black Death?

It was a possibility worth keeping as a hypothesis to verify over time.

P.S. When will we have a faction leader…?