Chapter 25 Volcanic Eruption and the Pirate King's Treasure
"Thief!"
The ghost pirate had completely gone mad. Will-o'-the-wisps flickered in its empty eye sockets, and it opened its blood-red maw, from which gray mist poured out, instantly engulfing the entire cabin.
The sea surged and split open like Moses parting the sea, and a large, green hand reached out from it, grabbing at the figure climbing upwards to escape.
Boom!
The massive hand slammed down, crushing the stairs into pieces, leaving them teetering on the verge of collapse. A cloud of gray mist swept through, the eardrums throbbing from the shrill sound, and temples throbbed as if someone were drilling into them with an electric drill.
[Stamina-10]
[Stamina-10]
[...]
The bright red numbers jumped around.
Out of the corner of Fang Zhiyi's eye, he saw clusters of will-o'-the-wisps floating in mid-air, reflecting the ghost pirate's gaunt and distorted face.
"Damn thief—" the pirate ghost shouted relentlessly, "Give me back my key!"
The rusty bronze key was painfully hard to hold in my palm.
It's still impossible to pay it back.
Ignoring the pirate ghost, Fang Zhiyi charged toward the portal in one go.
The waves rolled in, and the gray fog boiled.
The light at the very top flickered faintly, and the suspended staircase kept collapsing and shattering in mid-air, its fragments falling into the boundless darkness. A giant hand waved incessantly; once caught, one would be eternally enslaved by the ghost ship, with no escape.
The ghost captain's footsteps were heavy as he chased after them, his steps heavy, the will-o'-the-wisps in his eyes blazing instantly, his voice booming like thunder: "Stop—"
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
Only a fool would listen to you.
We were just a few steps away from getting out.
Just then, the gray mist transformed into tentacles, wrapping around Fang Zhiyi's ankle from below. He lost his balance, stumbled, and nearly fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Chu Zhao caught his shoulder in time, preventing him from falling to the ground. Even so, this delay meant that the ghostly hand behind him was already very close, and gusts of cold wind were blowing almost against his face.
Large beads of sweat slid down Fang Zhiyi's forehead as he turned and kicked the tentacle. The gray mist briefly dissipated, but before it could move forward, it condensed and coiled around again, deliberately avoiding the light source.
Fang's meaning: "It's afraid of light!"
Chu Zhao quickly realized what was happening and said in a low voice, "Get out of the way!"
Fang Zhiyi stepped to the side, his flashlight flashing past him, landing precisely on the area where the gray fog was thickest.
A bright beam of light shot into the sky, and the gray mist melted away like ice and snow upon seeing it, from which faint screams could be heard. Fang Zhiyi regained his freedom and immediately turned and continued running.
Closer, closer.
As they approached the door, Ghost Hand became even more frantic, desperately pounding on the stairs.
Fang Zhiyi ran erratically, eventually using both hands and feet. When he finally reached the door, a whooshing sound came from behind him, and a dark figure pounced on him.
It was the ghost captain, who had transformed into a shadowy figure, attempting to grab Fang Zhiyi from behind.
Fortunately, Chu Zhao reacted quickly, using all his strength to pull and push Fang Zhiyi out of the portal and onto the deck.
The staircase had collapsed down to just the doorway and two sections. Under the force of the impact, Chu Zhao lost control and fell backward, nearly tumbling down.
Just then, a hand reached out from a ball of white light, tightly grasped Chu Zhao's hand, and pulled him out.
They charged too fast and couldn't slow down in time, so the two rolled around on the deck.
The gray fog stopped at the door, and the pirate captain's unwilling roar could still be heard.
It's safe now.
Fang Zhiyi lay on the deck, her chest heaving, each breath bringing a burning sensation, too exhausted to utter a single word.
Chu Zhao lay beside him, also quietly digesting the information.
Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.
Having fled for their lives, the two looked disheveled. Blood, sweat, and dust were mixed together, and they were injured and dressed in rags, like beggars from somewhere.
Several negative effects, such as exhaustion, injury, and bleeding, appeared on my body at once.
But it was all worth it.
Fang Zhiyi regained some of her strength, turned over and sat up, a bronze key slipped from her palm and swayed silently.
[Captain's Cabin Key]
Insert the key into the jack, turn it gently, and you'll hear a "click" as the door opens.
A cloud of dust rushed towards them. Fang Zhiyi covered his mouth and nose with his hand, and only after the dust settled could he see the scene inside.
The captain's cabin was a complete mess. Wine glasses were overturned, tables and chairs were broken, and there were shattered porcelain and decorations everywhere, covered with a thick layer of dust, making one wonder if there were any useful props in the room at all.
Fang Zhiyi didn't stand on ceremony and went inside to search around.
[Obtain Pirate's Hook Right Hand x1]
[Receive half a bottle of rum x1]
[Obtain Treasure Map Fragment x1]
Congratulations! You have obtained the final piece of the puzzle. You have collected all the treasure map fragments. Would you like to combine them into a treasure map?
Fang Zhiyi chose "Yes".
The treasure map fragments in the backpack transformed into streaks of white light, which merged together, and then a mark representing a treasure chest appeared on the map.
The Pirate King's Treasure
Go forth, sail the seas! My treasure lies hidden somewhere in the ocean!
[You might even obtain priceless gems and jewelry!]
I have no choice but to go now.
Chu Zhao's voice came from the side: "I've found the ship's core."
Fang Zhiyi looked away from the treasure map, and seeing that there was nothing else of value in the captain's cabin, he said, "Let's go back to the raft."
As soon as I stepped onto the raft, I felt the ghost ship trembling violently. Sea fog surged towards the ship, eventually engulfing it. Moments later, the ghost ship and the fog vanished together, leaving only a deep whirlpool on the surface of the sea.
Fang Zhiyi withdrew his gaze and looked to his side.
[Chu Zhao's Level 4 Raft]
Having obtained the ship's core, Chu Zhao successfully upgraded his raft to level 4.
Fang Zhiyi said, "I'm going to find the Heart of the Ocean."
Along the way, he and Chu Zhao cooperated quite well, and nothing messy happened. Overall, he was a pretty suitable companion.
But he was still prepared to part ways.
After all, items like [Siren's Tears] and [Heart of the Ocean], which upgrade a level 5 raft, are unique and difficult to replicate. Under these circumstances, he didn't want to use them to test people's hearts.
Chu Zhao seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "The items needed to upgrade a level 5 raft are different for everyone. In addition to the basic materials, I need pigeon blood diamonds and the heart of a sea monster."
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head: "Is there any explanation for this?"
Chu Zhao guessed, "The materials needed may be related to each person's opportunities. Only by upgrading to level 5 can one truly survive to the last day."
The implication is that, under such demanding conditions, only a few players will be able to complete the game.
Fang Zhiyi didn't want to think about such cruel things.
What good will thinking about it do? Since you can't help others, you might as well focus on increasing your own chances of survival.
The raft set sail again.
The weather was perfect today; the waves were calm, and the sunlight wasn't too harsh. We sailed onward, cutting through the waves, closer to the location of the treasure.
Fang Zhiyi peered out the window and suddenly noticed a school of fish crashing into the raft.
Relying on the level 4 raft, Fang Zhiyi did not give way.
The school of fish swam in all at once, and one rather clumsy fish, instead of dodging the raft, flicked its tail and flew onto the deck.
Thank you for the bounty of nature!
Fang Zhiyi tossed the delivered takeout to Little Sea Monster Pupu.
Pupu was overjoyed and started gnawing on a fish that was bigger than its own body.
At first, Fang Zhiyi thought it was an accident, but after driving a short distance, he encountered several more schools of fish within a few minutes. They were panicking and swimming very fast with their tails between their legs, as if they were running for their lives.
Fang Zhiyi gazed into the distance, his eyes landing on the sea.
The sea was calm and still; there was nothing there.
But it was also like the calm before the storm.
After staring for a moment, he saw a series of bubbles rising continuously from the seabed, the air above slightly distorted, followed by a loud boom, and a three-story-high wave crashed in, pushing the raft several meters forward. There was a clanging and banging sound on the deck, and Fang Zhiyi, caught off guard, was left dizzy and disoriented.
After finally regaining my balance, I looked back at the source of the loud noise. A section of the sea there was boiling, like fireworks, with waves exploding and surging.
With the sound of bombing, lava on the seabed spewed and flowed, then solidified as it cooled in the seawater, turning the surrounding area black.
Today's weather: [Volcano].
Fang's meaning: ...
There really are volcanoes in the sea.
The volcano is not known how long it will continue to erupt. Even if it stops, the solidified lava floating on the sea will prevent rafts from crossing.
Fang Zhiyi: "Let's go around it."
Chu Zhao failed to respond in time.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at him strangely, just as Chu Zhao put away the light screen and explained, "I was reminding the other players."
[Area] [Raft Survival] [9743/36500]
[Chu Zhao: There will be unusual signs before a volcanic eruption, such as a large number of sea creatures fleeing. Take timely precautions.]
Fang Zhiyi was not surprised by this move.
If possible, he is willing to help other players within his capabilities.
[fzy: Boiling and bubbling sea surface, and shadows appearing on the seabed are also signs of an impending volcanic eruption.]
Fang Zhiyi met Chu Zhao's gaze, smiled, and said, "I'm leaving."
The aftershocks of the volcanic eruption have not yet subsided.
Fang Zhiyi took the lead and bypassed the still boiling sea.
They encountered two more volcanic eruptions along the way, but fortunately, they spotted them in time and avoided hitting the crater. Even so, the raft suffered considerable damage. After all, the power of a volcanic eruption is immense; if it were at the crater, any raft, regardless of its size, would have capsized.
We took a longer route and it took a third longer than planned to reach our destination.
Following the treasure map, Fang Zhiyi arrived at the place marked with the treasure. But no matter how he looked around, the area in front of him was completely bare, with nowhere to hide anything.
Fang Zhiyi was puzzled.
Where did the treasure go?
Has someone beaten us to it?
They circled the area several times, still finding nothing. Just when they thought they'd come to the wrong place, they heard a voice beside them: "Ma!"
Fang Zhiyi turned around, and the little sea monster wiggled its tentacles.
In the distance, an island slowly emerges from the sea.
A note from the author:
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