Yang Yi pulled Suna into the captain’s cabin of the Nightmare.“What exactly happened?” he demanded, voice grave. “Where did those bugs come from?”“About a quarter of an hour ago, the sky suddenly went dark.I was still steering at the time when I noticed a bunch of new black dots appearing on the crystal orb’s display. I stopped the ship and went to the bow to get a better look.”Suna recalled the moment. “After that… well, you know the rest.”Yang Yi immediately took the crystal orb from her and examined it closely.Meanwhile, Suna began sharing her thoughts about the creatures.“These giant insects probably don’t have eyes—or any visual organs. Otherwise, they’d have noticed the Nightmare already.They must be creatures that live in darkness for long periods, hunting by sound, smell, or other sensory organs.Because of the storm interference, their sensory range has been drastically reduced. They can’t even perceive the Nightmare in front of them.”Suna finished her analysis.Yang Yi frowned deeply as he studied the sea chart.After a moment, he opened the global chat channel to check what was happening to other players.The moment he entered, the place was in chaos.“Why is it so dark? I’m completely lost! Can someone tell me where the exit is!?”“There are tons of giant bugs out here! One’s less than two hundred meters from me—oh my god!”“GOD, have you forsaken me!?”The players who had escaped the storm zone were now gloating, mocking those still trapped inside.“More mobs spawned again? Nice! Serves you right for being slow!”“Ever played Battle Royale? You were too slow and got caught in the poison zone—your fault!”“Baka! Stay in there and die!”“Don’t you dare die yet! Who’s gonna buy the fish I just caught if you’re all gone? Hahaha!”“Buying weapons and items at high prices!”“Screw you all!”“Even if I get eaten by bugs, I won’t leave a single coin for you!”“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don’t celebrate too soon!”(TL note: Chinese idiom that describes how the river (and by extension, fate) doesn’t stay the same forever.)...Yang Yi shut off the chat channel, face grim.Most players had already escaped the storm sea.Perhaps because too many had fled, the storm zone was now actively purging the remaining ones.Since Yang Yi and Suna had departed two days late, they were among those trapped inside.He paced for a moment, then suddenly recalled a crucial detail—two hundred meters!Yang Yi reopened the chat, found the player who’d mentioned it, and sent a private message.“You still alive? Are you sure that giant bug was only two hundred meters away?”The reply came quickly, the player clearly panicked.“Yes! Scared the hell out of me! That thing’s, like, dozens of meters long and three meters thick!”“Calm down. Look again carefully—are you sure it’s two hundred meters?”“No need to look. I work in cartography—trust me, I can eyeball distance!”Yang Yi’s eyebrows eased. He had an idea.He studied the sea map, adjusted the scale to 1 cm = 200 m—so each centimeter represented the safe distance.After measuring twice on the map, he suddenly straightened.“Got it!”A spark of determination lit his eyes as he turned to Suna.“You were right—these bugs have no sight, and their senses are limited ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) by the storm.We might be able to slip through the gaps between them. The route’s tricky, but there’s plenty of space between each one. It’s doable!”Suna’s eyes lit up at once.She had been so fascinated by the strange creatures that she hadn’t even thought about escaping.But Yang Yi had only one thought: survive, no matter the cost.“But do you know what the safe distance actually is? There might be individual differences,” she warned.“Someone already gave me a hint.”Yang Yi explained. He set the lower limit of safety at 200 meters—no upper limit—and prepared to head for the exit using that standard.“I’ll take the helm from here. Just in case, don’t stay inside—stand on deck.If they attack, you’ll notice first.And if the ship goes down… jumping into the sea might still give you a chance.”Once Yang Yi decided on a plan, he wasted no time.Holding the crystal orb in one hand and the rudder in the other, he adjusted speed as needed. Whenever they passed between two nearby worms, he slowed down.When the lightning flashed across the sky, he finally saw how enormous they truly were.Each one was two to three meters thick, with bodies stretching tens—sometimes hundreds—of meters above the waves.If one of them bit the ship, the Nightmare would disintegrate on the spot.Yang Yi navigated cautiously, now dressed in a sharkskin wetsuit.If the ship sank, the suit could save his life.After two tense hours of slow sailing, Yang Yi finally felt a bit of relief.They had found a way out. Risky, yes—but far better than certain death.He decided to share his discovery in the world chat.It cost him nothing, and might even earn goodwill—or unexpected rewards.“I found that these bugs have very limited perception. As long as you stay more than 200 meters away, they won’t detect or attack you!You can pass through the gaps between them.”“Really?”“Damn, you’re brave! How’d you even figure that out?”“But how do we judge distance? It’s pitch black!”“Wait for lightning—you can see for a second when it strikes!”Indeed, without a sea chart, it was much harder for others.But staying put meant certain death. And when there’s even a sliver of hope, humans never lack courage.“Thanks, brother! I made it through—your method works!”“You’re my savior, man!”Yang Yi suddenly received a flood of friend requests—some even sent him small gifts: spare resources they didn’t need.He selectively accepted a few.Loot received:Wood ×3Cloth ×227Stone ×12Steel ×7Crystal ×13Sulfur ×4One player, the captain of the Fisherman, He Qi, even sent him a rare item—and Yang Yi accepted his request.He Qi’s ship was slower and blocked by the worms. He had hesitated to move forward, even though the exit was already close.“Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to go on.This item is my gift in return.You can always fish again—but you only get one life. Good luck.”When the octopus-headed courier spat out the item, Yang Yi’s eyes nearly popped out.No wonder the Fisherman lived up to its name—a true veteran angler![Item: Low-grade Abyssal Soulstone]Type: ConsumableRarity: RareDescription: Enhances relic quality. Upgrades a Fine or lower relic by one tier.Hold it to your ear, and you will hear whispers from the depths of the sea…The stone was wrapped in a half-transparent black shell, glowing with faint phosphorescence as liquid light swirled inside.“Didn’t think my first rare item would be something gifted to me…”Yang Yi chuckled.He immediately used the Soulstone to upgrade his Rusty Flintlock.The stone shattered, and glowing liquid flowed into the gun, changing its nature.[Item: Faintly Glowing Rusted Flintlock]Type: RelicRarity: RareDescription: Once crafted by a master, it is slowly regaining its former glory.Unlocked Dual Modes:Cannon Mode: Fires a powerful shot dealing massive damage. Tremendous recoil—aim carefully. After use, the weapon enters a 12-hour cooldown during which all shots will misfire.Standard Mode: No need to reload. Fire rate increased to one shot per 10 seconds, dealing light damage. However, due to sea corrosion, there’s a small chance the gun won’t fire.Yang Yi stared at the reborn flintlock, heart pounding.A shot every ten seconds—less power, but a huge improvement.And now, it even had Cannon Mode.His eyes burned as he gazed at the massive worms drifting in the dark sea.“Maybe…”Reason was slipping—his sanity had dropped to 48. The madness itched at him, whispering to test the gun.But he clenched his jaw and restrained himself.“No… not yet. Not unless there’s no other choice.”

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