Chapter 23 The Kidnapped Child
"..."
With a clatter, a survivor's chopsticks fell to the ground.
"Aww—!! My family—!!!"
The survivor suddenly let out a howl, rushed towards Chen Qing, hugged her, and cried out in pain.
"Waaaaah—you have no idea how we've gotten through these past few days—waaaaah—"
The girl was crying her eyes out; she looked utterly miserable.
When she first entered the game, she thought she could easily defeat the pirates of Nanshan and kick the fish beasts of Beihai, but...
Waaaaah—this is so inhuman.
"It's alright, it's alright."
Chen Qing gently patted the girl's back, patiently comforting her.
"You are safe now."
"..."
Dahlia, who was in the kitchen, clung to the doorway, her body radiating resentment that seemed almost tangible, staring intently at the girl.
"Boss, I can do laundry, cook, and clean. I can even sing a little tune. Please take me in, waaaah—I don't want to be a homeless person anymore."
The girl cried while asking Chen Qing expectantly.
She really didn't want to wander at sea anymore; it was too miserable.
If they are captured by pirates again, who knows if there will be another Chen Qing to rescue them!
Upon hearing this, the other survivors also looked at Chen Qing expectantly; they didn't want to wander anymore either.
They knew this expert; he had been helping other survivors in the help channel since the very beginning of the game.
Now that she has such a big ship, she can easily kill a whole ship of pirates. It would be so safe to stay under her command!
Even if there's no salary at all, as long as they provide two meals a day and a place to stay, that's enough!
They can work 12 hours straight!
A few survivors scoffed at the girl's words; if it weren't for the pirates' numerical advantage...
"Sorry, this won't work."
Chen Qing shook her head; this was her bottom line, and she would not agree to it.
The girl looked at Chen Qing with teary eyes.
"However, you can choose to go to Reef Island, and I will take you there."
"Javis".
Chen Qing turned to look at the kitchen, raising her voice slightly.
Jarvis quickly fled the suffocating kitchen and explained what she had just told Chen Qing to the other survivors.
"If you don't want to go to the reef island, I will give you new rafts and fishing nets, as well as some basic survival supplies."
The raft and fishing net that Chen Qing made by hand were definitely better than those provided by the system.
"Or you can land on Sapphire Island if you wish."
Chen Qing kindly gave the survivors three choices, whichever they wanted to choose.
Of course, Chen Qing wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of anyone who tried to push their luck.
"That sounds nice, but why don't you just give us that ship?"
Someone in the crowd muttered something under their own breath.
"Exactly, what a big shot."
"Such a big ship, surely it can fit a few people? Is it so easy to be a good person?"
Perhaps they said it on purpose for Chen Qing to hear, but when everyone's eyes were on them, they couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
Chen Qing, in particular, had a calm gaze that still instilled fear in people.
"How dare you! Do you think the big boss deserves to owe you anything? Bah!"
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, pointing her finger at them and cursing, "I've never seen anyone so shameless."
"Tell me...tell me about it."
The survivor who spoke first shrank back and immediately begged for mercy.
"We disembarked at Sapphire Island... Thank you."
They were in cahoots.
Everyone looked at the group with disdain; their scheme was so elaborate that even the sea creatures could hear it.
Chen Qing glanced at them and gave a soft reply.
And you?
Chen Qing looked at the other group of survivors.
"Let's go to Reef Island."
The girl quickly replied, "Boss, you're a kind person. If there were any problems with Reef Island, you definitely wouldn't have just dumped them there."
Anyway, she was scared, and living a good life was better than anything else.
"Yes, yes, we're going to Reef Island."
It's just starting over, farming is something they're good at!
"That's right!"
The group of survivors who had just tried to take advantage of the situation suddenly spoke up, their faces showing anxiety.
"I just remembered something, those pirates also kidnapped a lot of children!"
"But then the boat stopped somewhere, and not long after they were taken aboard, all the children were gone."
The survivor pointed at Jarvis and his group.
They just wanted to take advantage, they weren't bad people.
"Those children must be... just like us."
A hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes. This cruel game harms even children.
How could those children possibly survive on their own?
Chen Qing frowned slightly, and Jiaweisi immediately spoke up.
“We were captured by them near a small, deserted island, and the merchant ship may have been left there as well.”
"Those pirates probably wanted to sell those children to slave islands."
Jarvis described the deserted island they passed by; the conditions there were harsh, and the pirates wouldn't stay there for long.
Children are very expensive on Slave Island. Although there is also slave trading on Sapphire Island, most of the slaves are adults.
"Okay, I understand."
Chen Qing quickly opened the chat channel and explained the situation in the regional chat channel and private chat.
See if anyone has noticed, or if survivors in private channels can help.
On the deserted island, Chen Qing and the others could still be saved, but if they were on slave island, even Chen Qing would be powerless to save them.
Those children may not live to see the day when Chen Qing has the ability to save them.
Most of the survivors in the channel are scattered in one area, and the survivors on Chen Qing's boat are from the same channel as her.
There were no distress messages from children on the channel, so they were most likely drugged.
The survivors on the ship also saw Chen Qing's message, and they didn't expect the big shot to act so quickly.
Holy crap, those pirates even sell children! That's incredibly immoral!
Those are pirates, real pirates who commit arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of atrocities! Do you think they're the main characters from One Piece?!
No wonder those kids on the channel haven't said a word these past two days, oh my god!
Has anyone seen that deserted island? Please tell the experts!
The chat channel suddenly became lively. Even the survivors who had been arguing fiercely before were now trying their best to provide clues and analyze the situation.
People are complex, with both good and bad sides; there aren't that many absolutely good or bad people.
After all, they are a group of children without their parents around, and they are not unruly kids. They were well-behaved in the chat channel before.
Soon, a survivor named Shu Yin approached Chen Qing and provided crucial clues.
I should be near that deserted island. I've seen it before. Is there anything I can do for you?
Meanwhile, Chen Qing also received a message from Zhao Fuli in the private channel.
The survivors in Zhao Fuli's chat channel with Chen Qing were not far apart in the sea.
A rescue operation for the nation's future generations is about to begin!
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