Chapter 100: Hopeless Sea (24) X – Unknown

【Name: Puppet Threads】

【Type: Skill】

【Effect: After parasitizing the pinky finger of another player, you can control their life and manipulate their actions (evolved to the complete state)】

【Notes: 1. In each instance, you can only newly parasitize one player, and the parasitized player will be able to learn all the information about this skill when the effect is activated;

2. The Puppeteer possesses an unlimited number of Puppet Threads, but each puppet has only one Puppet Thread on them;

3. The parasitized player will be temporarily judged as a “dead person,” and after leaving the instance while carrying the Puppet Threads, they will be “deeply parasitized,” and the “dead person” judgment is irreversible;

4. The Puppeteer can parasitize other players through a puppet, specifically by having the puppet’s right hand touch the target’s right hand;

5. A “deeply parasitized” puppet will truly die after leaving the Puppet Threads, and their existence in reality will be immediately erased.】

…

Among the coconut trees, Liu Yuhan carried Zhang Hongfeng on her back, stepping on the tracks left by the players dragging the wooden boat on the sand, and hurried toward the coast.

“Faster, I hope we can make it…” Liu Yuhan thought silently, her heart cold.

Reason told her that no one would wait for them, but until the very last moment, she was unwilling to give up no matter what…

Liu Yuhan’s stamina had always been poor; she would be panting just from carrying a backpack up a flight of stairs, let alone carrying an adult man.

After walking just a few steps, she felt so weighed down that she couldn’t catch her breath.

Zhang Hongfeng’s skin was already covered with a thick layer of feathers, but they were slippery like fish scales, making it impossible to get a grip. Liu Yuhan could only clutch his clothes tightly to stabilize him, all the weight pressing on her knuckles, twisting her fingers until they ached.

“Don’t move me, let me sleep…” Zhang Hongfeng mumbled unclearly. His consciousness was no longer clear, and he couldn’t even walk, let alone fly away from the island according to the original plan.

Liu Yuhan knew that the clearance plan was probably not as simple as it appeared on the surface, but since things had reached this point, she could only remain silent and forge ahead with her head down.

The sea breeze choked her trachea like a knife. She coughed softly, stepping into the sand step by step, her legs as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

The rich green and deep dark yellow twisted into a blur before her eyes. Only through the gaps in the forest leaves could she see the distant turquoise sea.

The expanse of blue looked so distant, yet it hung in that position, tempting and charming, as if as long as she kept walking, she would be able to reach out and touch it.

“Put me down, I’m so hungry now, I might want to eat you…” Liu Yuhan heard Zhang Hongfeng mutter from her back, and then a sticky liquid dripped onto her neck, which seemed to be saliva.

She gripped the corner of the man’s clothes tighter and whispered, “Just endure it a little longer, we are almost at clearance.”

The sea seemed to be just a few steps away, and the sea breeze carried the roaring sound of the tide, as if it were right beside her ears.

Liu Yuhan saw the coastline, white foam outlining the edge of the waves, lapping against the beach in a slow and rhythmic manner.

She thought of the thunderstorm from her childhood. She was reading a book next to the factory where her father worked, and when she suddenly looked up, she saw lightning striking the sky. She was terrified. Unable to find her father anywhere, she could only cry and run home alone.

In the evening, her father’s coworkers brought back his mangled corpse. They said he had fallen into a pile of steel bars behind the factory and didn’t die immediately, but died from blood loss over the entire afternoon.

She thought, if only she hadn’t left by herself, if only she could have walked a few more steps back then, and searched a few more places…

The coconut trees on both sides thinned out, and the open, light-white sandy beach spread out beneath her feet. Liu Yuhan saw a few dusty figures from afar, along with a long, thin wooden boat.

The weight on her back grew heavier and heavier, and she was hunched over even more by the pressure. She could only struggle to drag the man’s clothing and walk in the direction of the wooden boat.

Not far away, three clusters of shadows climbed into the boat one after another. Liu Yuhan watched helplessly as the boat, which had been docked in the shallow sea, wobbled away from the shore and slowly drifted toward the distant sea away from the island.

She opened her mouth to shout, but could only make a sound like air being drawn through a broken bellows.

Stumbling, she fell to the ground, and the person on her back rolled to the side like a corpse.

“Dong—” The bell rang, as if a pebble had been thrown into her mind, sending ripples spreading out.

Liu Yuhan felt a bit dizzy. She sat up with difficulty and turned her head to look beside her.

Where was there any sign of Zhang Hongfeng? There was only a giant fish monster with angel wings, its flat and wide fish head emerging from an orange jacket covered in wall dust, its huge, murky yellow eyes staring straight at her face!

…

“Dong— Dong—”

The wooden boat floated on the boundless sea, the lonely island gradually drifting away, leaving only a faint gray speck.

On the dark yellow sky, yellow clouds were silent and motionless, like a carefully staged oil painting. The distance was immeasurable, and only the solemn and grave sound of the bell rang out melodiously, one after another.

We are already so far from the island, why can we still hear the bell? Bai Yanduan looked up at the sky in a daze, his gaze unfocused.

The moment the tenth bell rang, he widened his eyes in horror.

He saw a crack tear open in the center of the sky, with yellow clouds rolling and piling up to the sides, surrounding a giant eye like a festering pustule.

That eye stared unblinkingly at the living beings on the sea, their gazes meeting without obstruction. In an instant, Bai Yanduan heard countless sounds that defied logic.

Confusing gibberish, as if having a physical form, poured into his brain through his mouth, nose, and ear canals, mixing with his brain matter into a sticky sludge. He couldn’t think and subconsciously wanted to turn his head to ask Lu Li behind him for help, but his peripheral vision only caught a glimpse of a corner of faded, tattered clothing soaked in water.

On the wooden boat, he didn’t know when he had become the only person left.

In the spot where Lu Li should have been sitting, there was a tattered rag doll lying there.

【Name: Substitute Doll】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Swap positions with a player and become their substitute for a period of time】

【Notes: By the time you discover it, he has already gone far away, ha, ha, ha】

Bai Yanduan understood everything almost immediately.

Not long after boarding the boat, Lu Li used the Substitute Doll to leave, abandoning the three players, leaving them stunned on the boat to face the death point.

But… why did he do this? Why did he want to harm them?

【The boat must carry four people, and can only carry four people】

On the system interface, the words of the rule turned bright red like blood, and traces of blood flowed down like excess paint.

A “clucking” sound rolled in Bai Yanduan’s throat, but he couldn’t utter even a single word.

The wooden boat beneath him, along with the one person and one corpse on board, slowly sank like a mud ox…

…

Liu Yuhan ran wildly among the coconut trees, stepping heavily and lightly into the soft sand, stumbling and staggering.

Behind her, the rustling, snaking sounds were dense, and the statues with fish heads and human bodies shed their gray-white shells, regained life, and pursued her.

Her legs had already lost all sensation, as if they no longer belonged to her. Liu Yuhan could only rely on inertia, running forward mechanically.

After Zhang Hongfeng’s mutation, she activated the effect of 【Script Full of Corrections】, but unexpectedly, a string of error garbled code popped up.

A voice told her that her skill process had been blocked by a higher-level existence and could not be activated again in this instance.

Not only this item, but all the items that could let her leave had failed. She was effectively imprisoned in this instance, and could only wait for the arrival of death.

Liu Yuhan looked at the 【Evil God Believer】 tag on the system interface, vaguely feeling a few doubts, but nothing concrete.

She collected her scattered thoughts and ran wildly toward the hotel. At least there was a place to stay there, and she could use furniture to build a makeshift line of defense…

In the coconut forest ahead, shadows flickered, and a few more black shadows walked out from the gaps between the trees, all without exception covered in fish scales, with deformed wings dragging on their backs.

The fish-headed, human-bodied monsters surrounded Liu Yuhan from all sides. Caught in a dilemma, she stood frozen in place, gritting her teeth.

A sound of breaking air came from behind her ears, and a ghostly blue light flashed past the corner of her eye. Liu Yuhan saw a black playing card slant into the chest of the fish-man closest to her, piercing straight through.

Before she could react, two more playing cards flew past her cheeks, piercing through the two fish-men in front of her, opening a path wide enough for one person to pass.

Liu Yuhan did not hesitate, dragging her feet as she rushed toward the gap.

The moment she rushed out of the encirclement, a figure dressed in black from head to toe appeared beside her like a ghost, stuffing a handful of wet, feather-textured banknotes into her arms.

“I just tried it; as long as you carry enough money on you, you won’t be harmed by these Ghosts.” A cold voice explained calmly, like a splash of cool water, which was particularly soothing to the mind.

As if to verify his words, the fish-men who had been pursuing relentlessly in the coconut forest all slowed their pace. It was as if they had lost their target in an instant, showing little interest in the two people nearby, and dispersed to wander aimlessly.

“Thank you.” Liu Yuhan looked up at the person beside her, seeing a face half-hidden by a black hood, and the corresponding information immediately surfaced in her mind.

Chang Xu, a newcomer who had just become an official player, a talented combat-type player who had gained some fame in the game Forum, and although suspected of being parasitized by Puppet Threads, he had already successfully cleared his name.

Did he also not board the boat?

Seeming to notice Liu Yuhan’s doubt, Chang Xu said while walking forward, “That boat can only seat four people, and I am the fifth. We can only wait on the island for another three days.”

Liu Yuhan followed Chang Xu, maintaining a distance of half a step behind him, and stated the facts: “There was only one boat on the island, and they have already sailed it away. The clearance plan of growing wings to fly away from the island is a trap, we have to build a new boat. I don’t know carpentry, I don’t know if you do.”

Chang Xu’s footsteps faltered: “I don’t know either.”

A long silence fermented in the air, and the two walked one after another toward the hotel.

The future was uncertain, and they could only take it one step at a time. The only good news was that both of them still had enough money, and if they stayed together, they could live on the island for ten more days, giving them plenty of time to figure out a solution.

The most urgent task was to survive tonight’s parade of Ghosts.

The coconut forest in front opened up, and the shadow of the hotel could be seen from afar.

Countless pure white feathers emerged from the sand, circling the wooden building chaotically like birds. Yuna, dressed in a blue dress, stood at a high place, and the white light reflected by the feathers made her dress look faded.

Giant wings stretched out on her back, and feathers kept inserting into them, making the already thick wings even thicker. The trailing tail feathers dragged from the second floor down to the sand, spreading in all directions like thick clouds before rain.

Pale stone statues emerged from the sand, standing stiffly around the wooden building, just like the omen of a bizarre resurrection Ritual. Pain and wailing howled on the level of inspiration, causing the heads of passing humans to throb with pain.

The look of compassion on Yuna’s face grew stronger. For a moment, she looked exactly like that angel on the marble wall of the Clock Tower…

“It’s dangerous, don’t go over there.” Chang Xu raised his hand to block Liu Yuhan.

The feathers collected by the players were all kept in the hotel, apparently making a wedding dress for Yuna at this moment.

He made a simple estimate and was absolutely certain that with his strength, he could not defeat Yuna.

He must find a new clearance method; there was one place where clues had not been fully utilized…

Chang Xu changed direction and said indifferently, “Let’s go to the altar and see.”

The altar was located on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the Clock Tower and the hotel. Over the past two days, Chang Xu had figured out the terrain of the entire island, and even though thick sea fog was surging around, it was still not difficult for him to judge the direction.

He walked in front, leading Liu Yuhan toward their destination.

The fog on the island became thicker and thicker, and the cold water vapor shrouded the entire island like silk and nets, coating the sky, the coconut forest, and the beach in a layer of blurry milky white.

As if placed on the border of a dream, some things that hadn’t been there before began to pile up sporadically on the ground. Jagged, grayish-white human bones, scarlet and smelly fish viscera, and decaying, dilapidated flesh slowly swept past before their eyes one by one.

Chang Xu saw a white circular arc made of marble from afar, with huge fish bones surrounding it like flower petals, layered and overlapping, casting flickering shadows on the ground.

He walked over, but heard the girl’s fearful voice from behind: “Chang Xu, some Ghosts might not be affected by money…”

Chang Xu turned his head and looked in the direction of Liu Yuhan’s gaze, seeing countless strands of black smoke, as if having substance, drilling out from the edge of the stone platform, gathering into fish-headed, human-bodied Ghosts, and approaching his direction.

Blue light flickered at his fingertips, and he raised his hand to throw a few playing cards, striking the pitch-black fish monster closest to him.

The fish monster dispersed into black smoke, seeming to fade a little, but quickly became as thick as before, condensing again.

His intuition kept issuing danger warnings, and his actions reacted faster than his thoughts. Chang Xu grabbed Liu Yuhan’s elbow and dragged her backward.

“Run!” The moment the shout rang out, the bell also rang, the layered echoes tearing the voice apart.

Bursts of black smoke were blown by the wind, rolling toward the two of them extremely fast.

Chang Xu pushed Liu Yuhan to the side, then gripped the playing cards, meeting the thick black smoke.

The Ghosts that had just formed were scattered again and again, only to re-condense, as if they were endless.

The blue light at Chang Xu’s fingertips became brighter and brighter, shattering the darkness at a faster frequency.

For a short time, neither could do anything to the other; the only option was to hold on until dawn and wait for the Ghosts to dissipate naturally.

The bell rang twelve times; there were still eight hours before the sleep time was over.

As long as he could hold on for another eight hours…

Wrong! Chang Xu’s breathing skipped a beat.

He remembered that the last time the bell rang, it had rung ten times, corresponding to the time required to fall asleep.

The bell hadn’t rung in the meantime, and this time, it was already twelve times.

There’s a problem with the time!

Inspiration flashed, but there was no time to connect the dots and draw a conclusion. Chang Xu saw Liu Yuhan in the distance fall to the ground.

Countless black smoke wrapped around the girl, and terrified cries for help came from within.

Chang Xu’s movement paused, and in that split second of delay, countless claws of the Ghosts reached out to him, pressing him onto the sand.

He turned around and threw a punch, shattering the ghost that had become solid again, but in the chaos, he faintly heard soft, slow footsteps approaching unhurriedly.

The footsteps stopped behind him, and his head was once again pressed into the sand, unable to see anything.

In the stagnant silence, something cold touched the back of his neck, and a familiar voice sounded with a smile from behind his head: “Turn off the live stream, if you don’t want to die.”