Survival at Sea (Playwright) Chapter Ninety-Six: Island of Beasts

By the time Wang Xiaodie woke, it was nearly noon. Wu Hui had shown very little consideration for her: he made sure he got enough sleep first, and only then did he give her whatever time remained.

It was about ten o’clock. Wang Xiaodie had slept only six hours, and her mind was still fogged over. “Wouldn’t it be better to keep watch some other way? I can’t keep this up. Don’t you have a riding wolf?”

“I do have one,” Wu Hui said, “but then what use would you be?”

Wang Xiaodie was struck dumb. Wu Hui refused to let her warm his bed, and all the items she carried now actually belonged to Wu Hui as well. In terms of combat strength, she couldn’t compare to him either. So apart from some trivial task like keeping watch, she really was of no use.

Damn it. I’m supposed to be no weakling among level-three players. Why does this rotten game have to seal my abilities?

Fine. Even if they weren’t sealed, she probably still wouldn’t be Wu Hui’s match. But surely she wouldn’t have been reduced to a slave.

All she could do was trail behind him, stifling yawns, and wash her rather pretty face with fresh water made by the purifier, making herself at least somewhat clean. Wu Hui studied her carefully and realized that after being washed up, Wang Xiaodie really was fairly pretty.

Perhaps he had thought she was no match for Ren Yin before simply because of his own aesthetic preferences.

Wang Xiaodie, still bleary-eyed, followed behind him. “I’m not in good shape like this, so my scouting probably won’t be very effective, right? What if I make a mistake and drag you down with me?”

“We’re on an island. If we capture any animals alive, you can make contracts with them.”

At once, Wang Xiaodie perked up. “All right, let’s go.”

As for her attitude, Wu Hui merely thought: I saw through your nature ages ago. Her performance was decent enough, but this girl was far more spirited than she looked.

After all, young people sometimes staying up late was no real issue. And Wang Xiaodie seemed to be the sort who liked afternoon naps; she probably slept very little at night anyway. Whether she looked that way because she wanted to be lazy, or because she wanted to preserve some shred of her standing in front of her master, only she knew.

A few petty tricks, but at least she understood the situation.

Wang Xiaodie leaned in toward him. “Tell me, do you really look down on me, or what? I’m glad I didn’t lose my virginity, but the way you act like you don’t even want me is infuriating.”

“First,” Wu Hui said with calm precision, “I had already had relations before coming here, so my desire isn’t very strong right now. Second, all of my partners are prettier than you.”

“Third, thinking about that sort of thing in a situation like this is simply foolish. If we’re ambushed, there won’t even be a place for you to cry.”

“Fourth, stop making those remarks that seem careless but are really just probing my personality. If you have something to ask, ask it directly.”

“Fine.” Wang Xiaodie raised both hands in surrender. “By the way, you’ve never actually told me your name.”

“Wu Hui,” he said. “But you can call me whatever you like.”

Wang Xiaodie was silent for a moment, then forced out a smile. “Master. I understand. I’ll scout properly.”

Wu Hui’s attitude toward Wang Xiaodie, who seemed obedient on the surface but spent all day complaining under her breath, was simply calm. He ignored her little maneuvers and tests, which left Wang Xiaodie feeling thoroughly frustrated. At this point she still didn’t know Wu Hui’s specific background, while her own details had been laid bare completely.

This man was too strong. I can’t play him at all. That was all Wang Xiaodie could think, and so she behaved herself.

In truth, Wu Hui found Wang Xiaodie somewhat troublesome too. The girl had too many crooked little ideas and was nowhere near as obedient as Li Xiaojing. Moreover, without his glasses he couldn’t judge her state of mind.

The two of them wandered around the island and gathered wild fruit and vegetables. Along the way, they also discovered many animals.

“Just the bosses alone make three. This island’s a little dangerous,” Wang Xiaodie said. “Can we beat them? Should we retreat first?”

“You and the riding wolf take the lead,” Wu Hui said. “I’ll give you this shell mark.”

Damn it, I knew it! Wang Xiaodie, this tool of a woman, burst into tears as she charged forward with a knife, following behind the riding wolf. There was no helping it: slaves could not disobey their master’s orders, so all she could do was rush ahead.

Of course, if they managed to maim the boss and then forge a contract or something, the benefits would be hers as well.

Wu Hui stood in the rear, gun raised and aimed.

Their target was a giant stag. It stood in the middle of the forest, antlers branching above its head like tree limbs. A single lapse in attention could leave one pierced clean through.

If Wang Xiaodie still had the fighting power she possessed outside, she might not have been afraid.

But now her attributes were sealed and her equipment incomplete. Facing such a great antlered beast, she was truly unnerved. She was going to die—

Yet it was Wu Hui who struck first.

The bullet cut through the air and struck the giant stag square in the head. It did not kill it, but it made the beast cry out in panic and thrash its antlers wildly.

Wang Xiaodie halted, focusing herself. The riding wolf leaped in from the side. The stag charged, swinging its antlers toward Wang Xiaodie.

Damn, damn, damn! Gritting her teeth, Wang Xiaodie met the antlers with her knife. After all, it was a transcendental weapon; in both sharpness and hardness it far surpassed the antlers. In two swift strokes, she cut off two prongs. At the same time, she retreated two nimble steps and kicked the giant stag in the head.

Amid the beast’s cries, the riding wolf clamped onto it and refused to let go, while Wu Hui kept firing, striking its vital points.

The same Wang Xiaodie who had been talking about how frightened she was finally steeled herself too. She ducked beneath the stag, and before the pair of massive hooves could come down on her, she thrust her blade upward and slit open its belly. Then she rolled away as blood and viscera spilled to the ground.

“I nearly scared myself to death!” Wang Xiaodie ran to a tree nearby and clutched her chest, gasping.

“Not bad.” Wu Hui stepped up and put a finishing shot into the still-struggling stag. “I originally thought you’d try to capture it alive. I didn’t expect you to take such a risk and go straight for the kill.”

Wang Xiaodie said, “I’m not stupid. Holding back in a situation like this would be suicide. Besides, these bosses are pretty strong. Shouldn’t we just stop here?”

“We have to test them. And this still doesn’t count as strong.” Wu Hui stepped forward and touched the boss’s glowing point.

Gigantic, Sharp, Regeneration, Jungle, Endurance.

Choose three out of five.

Wu Hui selected Gigantic, Regeneration, and Jungle. All three were boss-tier marks. After thinking for a moment, he said to Wang Xiaodie, “Pick one.”

“So generous?” Wang Xiaodie was surprised.

The effect of Jungle was to increase all attributes by five percent when used in jungle terrain. But this was ocean terrain. Regeneration restored health. Gigantic could increase body size.

Aside from Jungle, Wu Hui had seen the others in his previous game.

After some thought, Wang Xiaodie chose Gigantic. Wu Hui glanced at her, somewhat surprised, because he had expected her to choose Regeneration.

“When fighting, I’m definitely the one who’s going to be pushed to the front again. If I get pierced to death outright, regeneration won’t help much anyway. Better to use this to grow bigger and boost my combat power.” Wang Xiaodie was rather clear-eyed.

After the giant stag died, the place where it had stood revealed a glowing hollow in the tree.

Wu Hui stepped forward and received a system prompt.

By reaching into the tree hollow, one may choose a single item from the outside world.

P.S. I forgot to set this when planning, but I still have to ask for votes and bookmarks.