Chapter 493: The Ship That Changed State
Xu Huo finished reading and immediately replied, asking if she had found the target.
After a while, Bai Kou responded, only saying, "Come to the tenth floor when you're done."
Xu Huo didn't know the situation on her end, but since there was no movement upstairs at the moment, it should be fine for now.
He turned the gas valve to the minimum, then left the kitchen and headed for the elevator.
The White Bracelet players by the pool were no match for that noble player, and the time they could buy was limited. By now, the Black Bracelet and the other two Red Bracelet players had probably already met up.
Avoiding the eyes and ears of others, he found a distant elevator. Before he even got close, a strong smell of blood hit him. At first, he thought the Red Bracelet player had gone on a killing spree here, but then he saw Serin, whom he had encountered before, holding a Red Bracelet player by the throat with one hand, lifting him into the air. A smile was plastered on his blood-splattered face. "I ask you, will you truly repent? If you truly repent, I'll spare your life."
The Red Bracelet player showed a bit of backbone, but it quickly vanished as the grip on his throat tightened, crushing his resolve. He struggled to say, "I... know... I was... wrong..."
However, Serin shook his head and snapped his neck. "Unfortunately, you're not sincerely repentant."
The Red Bracelet player fell at his feet with a twisted neck, and two other players lay dead in the same manner. Clearly, more than just the Red Bracelet player had been interrogated and executed so cleanly.
Switching his own bracelet to black, Xu Huo walked out. "Fancy meeting you again."
Serin pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face, smiling broadly. "What a coincidence. I'm heading upstairs. Are you coming?"
Xu Huo nodded, glancing briefly at the few White Bracelet players hiding behind him.
Among them was the female player who had been dragged into the pool earlier.
She glanced at him and then looked away, her expression tinged with fear and wariness.
Three of the five White Bracelet players were soaking wet, likely also from the pool.
Once inside the elevator, Xu Huo asked Serin, "These people?"
"Followers seeking help," Serin said with a smile. "They've voluntarily joined my religion. As a senior, of course, I have to protect the younger generation."
Xu Huo smiled but said nothing.
The elevator stopped at the fifth floor. It wasn't because someone had pressed the button outside, but because the elevator had been jolted by a sudden tremor and then got stuck.
Serin stepped forward and pried the doors open. The elevator floor was slightly higher than the fifth floor, so he stepped out first.
Xu Huo pressed the button repeatedly to no avail and had no choice but to follow. He noticed that the metal surface outside the elevator was covered in fresh seaweed.
In fact, it wasn't just the elevator area—the floor and walls were all covered in damp, fishy-smelling seaweed!
Under the dim light, the wet seaweed crawled over the entire ship, making the hull look mottled and old, like a sunken vessel that had been soaking in the sea for years. There was no trace of the day's luxury.
"This isn't an instance, is it?" the female player said nervously as she stepped out.
"It should be a prop," Serin said, surveying the corridor with admiration. "This is the first time I've seen such a large prop."
"Then we can't possibly escape from inside a prop, can we?" the female player said, her voice choked with tears. "Did those nobles bring us on board just to kill us all?"
"Isn't it obvious?" another player said impatiently. "Whether it's a prop or an instance, we're not getting out. Who knows how long this ship will drift on the sea?"
"This sea area isn't even within the game's jurisdiction, so we can't use tickets. If this ship were an instance, maybe we could leave by clearing it," another male player said with a hint of hope.
Compared to an instance, the absolute inability to use a ticket was far more despairing.
"Whether it's an instance or a prop, we'll find out soon enough," Xu Huo said, pointing with his chin toward the outside.
The glass on the outer side of the corridor was now completely covered in seaweed. He used his sword to cut an opening and leaned out to look. "The outside is completely tangled in seaweed too. The ship has stopped moving."
There was no instance notification, so it was a prop. The ship was now in a completely different state from during the day. The elevator was unusable, so going up or down would require either dismantling the ship or going outside. Dismantling the ship was unlikely, and if the outside was impassable, everyone would be trapped on their current floor.
"I'll go check outside..." the male player said, walking to the window. But before he could even stick his head out, the severed seaweed at the opening suddenly lashed out like a snake, wrapping around his neck and dragging him out!
Serin, who was closest, reached out to save him, but the thing was surprisingly strong and pulled Serin out as well.
Xu Huo raised his sword and cut a larger square around the opening, slicing a bigger hole in the glass. As the seaweed branches and leaves fell, Serin jumped back in after a moment, carrying the player's corpse. He shook his head. "Going outside is a bit tricky."
The corpse was placed on the ground, revealing a bloody, mangled back of the head—in that short time, the seaweed had crushed the player's skull!
A rustling sound crept closer. The severed seaweed quickly grew back, covering the window again, and even crawled into the corridor like tentacles!
"Run! Hurry!" the female player and the others quickly retreated.
Xu Huo slashed as he backed away. The corridor was no longer safe; they had to hide in the guest rooms.
But the guest rooms weren't much better. Seaweed was slowly creeping everywhere, and it looked like it wouldn't be long before it swallowed the entire ship.
"Haha!" A strange laugh came from afar.
"It's those cannibal players again!" the female player gritted her teeth. "They're all monsters!"
"Someone help me!" Accompanied by frantic knocking, a young girl's plea for help reached the room where Xu Huo and his group were hiding.
The urgent knocking and the turning of the doorknob made everyone inside tense up. As they all remained silent, Serin stepped forward and opened the door, pulling the girl inside.
"What are you doing! That'll expose us!" one of the players in the group angrily assumed a combat stance.
But Serin ignored him and asked the girl, "Are you willing to become a follower of my faith?"
"If I become a follower, will I be saved?" the girl asked, head lowered.
"God will not abandon any follower, and neither will I," Serin said with a gentle smile.
The girl looked up with gratitude. "You're such good people!"
"He said he'd save you, but I didn't," Xu Huo said from a few meters away. "At your age, playing this game—kids who don't learn properly will get a beating sooner or later."
The girl looked at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You'll understand this," Xu Huo said, turning his sword and pointing the blade at her.
The girl didn't hesitate. She leaped forward, but Serin grabbed her ankle mid-air. She twisted in mid-air to break free and landed, smiling at him. "As expected, bad uncles can't be trusted."
(Chapter End)