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After searching the area continuously for about an hour, Tao Sai finally made a new discovery.
On a certain inconspicuous island, a temperature emanated that was completely different from the surrounding area. When Tao Sai flew over the island, he could clearly feel the temperature change.
But the strange thing was that she couldn't tell whether the temperature here had become higher or lower.
□□ can only sense temperature fluctuations, which is really strange. Because the human body is very sensitive to temperature changes, when suddenly entering a place with a different temperature, the brain can easily interpret any changes.
Unable to figure out the reason, Tao Sai temporarily put aside his doubts and landed on the island to continue searching for the mystery.
Under the effect of the skill [All-round Adaptation], Tao Sai's eyes adapted to the dark night. His naked eyes completely adapted to the intensity of light, and the scene he saw was no different from that in the daytime.
She used her "gravity slingshot" to speed along, leaping forward, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding area with the sharpness of a hawk. In her blanket search, she continually eliminated various areas of the small island, which covered only a few square kilometers.
Finally, in a dense forest, Tao Sai discovered a suspended green light. The light rippled outward in circles. In the dark environment, the light was extremely eye-catching.
The scenery around the light spot swayed with the ripples, like rippling waves or the heat radiation of a flame.
Tao Sai approached, and as a precaution, she flung her clone backward. If anything unexpected happened, she could react in a split second, switching between the clone and her original form to avoid fatal damage. The [Permanence] skill equipped in her skill slot could also lock her health and save her life if she wasn't able to react.
She left herself enough room for error before exploring the unknown.
Pushing aside the dense branches, he approached step by step, his dark sneakers rustling on the dead leaves. When Tao Sai was about five meters away from the light, he suddenly felt a refreshing feeling, as if he had been enlightened.
Because of this great battle, the loss of energy in the body, the injuries on the body, and the fatigue and exhaustion caused by excessive consumption all disappeared in an instant.
The brain is in an unprecedented state of emptiness.
After sleeping for more than ten hours using [Deep Sleep] and burying his face in cold water, Tao Sai felt as if a stuck web page was being refreshed.
As I continued to approach the light, the refreshing feeling became stronger. But that was all, nothing else felt unusual.
Tao Sai stood still before the point of light. Seeing no other changes, she reached out and tried to touch it. She prepared for the worst: the light would suddenly unleash a massive burst of energy, blasting her to pieces. The moment the energy touched her skin, she would switch her consciousness back to her clone, more than ten meters away, and then escape through a wormhole vortex using a [Space Warp]. Or perhaps the light would collapse, sucking her whole body into a zero-volume mass point. In that case, she would have ample time to react.
But contrary to Tao Sai's expectations, the light spot was completely harmless and had no collision volume.
Her outstretched fingers, palm, and arm could freely pass through the light spot, or even stop within it, keeping the light spot at the center of her palm, as if her hand were emitting light. Yes, the light spot had no source, and nothing could obscure it. It was as if it didn't exist in this world at all, having no effect on this world.
It was harmless, but it made Tao Sai smell an unprecedented sense of terror.
The dichroic foil dropped into the solar system was also harmless at first. Of course, dichroic foil is just a fictional product of science fiction and cannot be equated with reality.
After observing the light spot for ten minutes, Tao Sai still found nothing and had no choice but to turn back. That was the end of the exploration.
She marked the coordinates of the light spot, so that if there were any new discoveries or developments in the future, she could come back here through the space wormhole at any time.
Tao Sai had previously asked Feng about the special features of this area, but she was also unaware. Liu He had simply stationed all the Jiange personnel there. Beyond that, he hadn't said a single word.
The truth probably only lies in the hands of a few people in the upper echelons of Paradise Island.
After returning to the team, Tao Sai opened a space wormhole on the sea. Three level-four refuge ships including Feng's "Chengyun" and Guo Pei's level-three refuge ship "Li Bai" successively entered the twisted vortex and instantly jumped to another sea area hundreds of kilometers away.
Tao Sai went to a nearby island to pick up He Zhaonian, who was still in a daze, and used [Energy Steal] to suck away his newly recovered energy, allowing him to sleep for a while longer.
Afterward, Tao Sai used up nearly all of his energy to create a 1,000-kilometer wormhole, reaching the vicinity of Cricket Island in the South China Sea. Previously, to prevent accurate location and the theft of Paradise Island, Tao Sai had instructed Zhou Ning and his crew to pilot the Deep Sea Fish and four other refuge ships to randomly circle the sea, returning after ten days. It wasn't yet time for them to return.
At this time, the sea and sky were all gray, and it was impossible to contact them for the time being. But there was no rush, the grand reunion was only a matter of time.
The original four level four refuge ships, plus Jiange's three level four ships, and Guo Pei's smaller level three ship, totaling eight ships, this scale can definitely be called a fleet.
After the recent battle, the "Jian Ge" alliance had only one player member left: [Feng], who automatically became the leader of the "Jian Ge" alliance. The other two Jiange Level 4 ships, because the original players had been erased by the system, their identities were automatically inherited by the pre-assigned "First Mate." However, the First Mate was a tool, stripped of his soul, and the refuge ships naturally became ownerless.
This became Tao Sai's trophy. As long as the tool player survived and wasn't deleted by the system, the refuge ship could continue to be used. If more refugees were needed in the future, the new refuge ship would provide enough living space at sea.
Of course, although these large ships are rich in supplies, they are still relatively primitive as a whole and have hardly been modified by humans. Unlike Tao Sai's "Deep Sea Fish", it has developed into a mobile home at sea that can accommodate dozens of people.
There's another problem: the tool players on the two abandoned refugee ships are unable to issue commands. The other seventy or eighty tool players on board remain inactive, doing only instinctive tasks like eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, and using the restroom. Beyond that, they receive no commands and won't do anything else. This is somewhat unfortunate, as seventy or eighty strong laborers are now being kept in vain. There should be a way to restore them, but the truth also lies in the hands of Paradise Island and Liu He.
Paradise Island again, Paradise Island again. She is now more and more "longing" for this mysterious place.
After finding a room on the Chengyun, Tao Sai relaxed his body and lay down with his arms and legs spread out.
She was extremely exhausted and desperately needed [Deep Sleep] to replenish her depleted energy. The refuge ship was in cruising mode, and the gentle swaying of the hull in the waves gave her a sense of security. As long as she was in motion, she wouldn't be accurately located or teleported. If she encountered an emergency, she would have enough time to react.
Tao Sai equipped himself with [Deep Sleep], adjusted himself to a comfortable sleeping position, and closed his eyes.
Just before he lost consciousness, a thought suddenly flashed through Tao Sai's mind: Could that floating green light on the island be a server?
The whole world has become an unprecedented online game "Insect Tide Online", controlled by an invisible giant hand.
They are then divided into different zones based on their regions. For example, their location is called the East Asia zone, also known as the third zone. The world channels within a zone are relatively independent and cannot see player chats and system information from other zones.
Since it's a game, does online gaming require servers? If there are too many players online and they're far apart, do we need multiple servers to ensure smooth and stable gameplay?
That seemed to make sense. The green light on the island was a server node in East Asia, so when she approached the light, she felt refreshed.
The principle of online games is that players manipulate their characters to perform actions, and the data is uploaded to the server, processed by the server, and then fed back to the player. This is a kind of information flow. Therefore, the closer the player's PC is to the server and the faster the network speed, the more immediate the feedback. In the game "Insect Tide Online", she is both the player and the character, and also the PC that hosts the character.
If she can influence the information flow of the game, such as intercepting or modifying the data uploaded to the server, this is called cheating.
But the server that looks like a light spot is untouchable and illusory, or it is in another dimension and has only left a small projection in this world.
She couldn't think of anything further, and the rolling sleepiness swallowed Tao Sai completely, and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
People do not dream in the most extreme deep sleep state, but at a certain moment in this long sleep, Tao Sai seemed to be dreaming.
Perhaps it wasn't a dream, for it was so brief, less than a thousandth of a second, perhaps just a sudden flash of inspiration. She dreamed of a towering creature. She used the word "towering" to describe it because it had a body like a mountain, looking down at her from a bird's-eye view. Its breath could form a storm, and its gaze was unbearable to look directly at.
This night was a sleepless night of excitement for the players in the third zone.
On the world channel, new information is refreshed every minute, every second, and every millisecond. The last time such a big event happened was probably when a certain celebrity cheated on his wife.
The players were discussing frantically, but because there were too many players speaking, too many things to discuss, and there was only one channel, the topics were mixed.
"Great satisfaction", "Justice executed", "The crime was deserved"...
The words on the screen are constantly changing. When you send a message, you often need to flip through several pages if you want to find other people's feedback.
The only one who can temporarily stop the players from speaking is the protagonist who experienced this major event.
The five nicknames [Cx330][三尺微命][枝枝][唐六喜][不才有山先生], belonging to the "Hailou" alliance, were the absolute top streamers in the world channel. However, He Zhaonian was in a coma, and the other three girls were resting. The only one still in the water channel was Guo Pei.
One of the topics discussed by players is: Why didn't "Hailou" completely annihilate "Jiang Ge"? Did the last remaining player [Feng] escape? Was she unable to be dealt with, so they showed mercy, or did she kneel down and beg for mercy? If she begged for mercy, she should not be let off easily. The people of Jiange should be killed completely and completely.
Guo Pei, who had the most say, immediately came out to clarify. When the text he typed appeared on the public screen, the other players consciously stopped bombarding him with messages, lest the comments they cared about most be pushed aside by new messages.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Everyone, stop guessing. Xiaofeng is our partner now! Xiaofeng was crucial this time. Let me tell you, without her, we wouldn't have won so easily. Xiaofeng is very righteous and kind.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Also, Xiaofeng is extremely strong. He made the people from Paradise Island run around in circles and even killed a very strong guy who came to support from Paradise Island in a one-on-one duel!
Before speaking, Guo Pei considered that Feng's defection from Paradise Island was already an established fact, and there was no need to hide this information and expose her to radical abuse and attacks from players who were unaware of the truth.
[Big Frozen Pear (Lv3)]: Tonight, oh no, it should be last night. I’m so curious about what happened over there. Brother Bucai, tell us about it. It was a team battle, and it felt more exciting than a movie!
[Corner (Lv3)]: On the top floor
[Xibu (Lv4)]: Squat
[Thank you Mr. Krabs (Lv3)]: Same request
[RC (Lv4)]: Details, we want details!
[Big Frozen Pear (Lv3)]: Ahhh, why is there no function to upload videos in the world channel? Brother Bucai, next time there is a team battle, can you take a camera and record it?
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: ...Do you think I'm a war correspondent? I'm not weak, okay?
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Let me say this in a unified way. I am very sorry, brothers and sisters, and forgive me for not being able to explain many details in detail, because in addition to Jiange, there are undercover agents from Paradise Island among our players!
[No Deep Affection (Lv4)]: Anything else?
[Flame Demon (Lv4)]: Who? How shameless!
Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3): For example, members of the "Daegu New Generation" and "Azure" alliances—I'm talking about you! You're Paradise Island's lackeys! If you encounter players from these two alliances, remember to be extremely cautious.
According to Guo Pei's previous investigation, the members of these two alliances, like Jiange, initially used code words to convey information on the world channel.
Guo Pei remembered their IDs. They used to mingle among the players and speak, but now they can only choose to remain silent.
[Cai Koujiao (Lv3)]: I'm late. Can anyone tell me what Paradise Island is?
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: You can understand them as an evil organization, an extreme terrorist organization. They have entangled a large number of players, not only in our East Asia region, but in the entire world server, specializing in slaughtering innocent players and characters, madly plundering resources, and arming themselves. They are the biggest and most deadly cancer among the players. Jiange is just a minion under Paradise Island.
[Cai Koujiao (Lv3)]: ...It's a tumor, so scary!
[Feng Yi (Lv3)]: The enemy is stronger than ever. I think we can't just sit there and wait for death. Should we gather together?
[Autonomous Player (Lv4)]: I agree. Players who advocate for justice should unite and form a united front. No matter what, we must perform this major surgery to remove the tumor!
[Coffee Cola (Lv3)]: Unite, unite, I'm coming to join you.
…
[Big Frozen Pear (Lv3)]: @(Cx330), Boss, please lead the brothers to charge once.
[Big Frozen Pear (Lv3)]: Chief Alliance Leader!
[Let Her Land (Lv3)]: I've always thought of this as a farming game, and it's developing very slowly. I haven't even joined an alliance yet. Does anyone have any alliances with vacancies? I can join Jiange as well... although it's unlucky.
[Thank you Mr. Krabs (Lv3)]: I'm dying of laughter, Chief Alliance Leader, you're so smart!
[The Pride of Winning Without Anything (Lv3)]: After watching for so long, 330 boss is the only person I can completely trust.
[Dora Harley (Lv3)]: I vote for the alliance! Why don't all the players in the third zone gather together and find a place to gather. There is strength in numbers, and we won't be defeated individually. We can also help each other in daily life.
[Warriors guard Chris Cannon (Lv4)]: I fully support! We fight monsters together and face difficulties together.
[Pretty Xiaoyu (Lv3)]: If I could follow Cx330, I would feel at ease. Even if she asked me to be cannon fodder, I would think my death was worth it.
[Ember (Lv4)]: No, I think the player's coordinates are very sensitive. After all, only teammates in one's own alliance are immune to damage, not to mention that there are bad elements among the players. If they leak the information, Paradise Island will come to encircle us and we will be wiped out.
[Bird's Singing Forest (Lv3)]: Do you really not trust the strength of Boss 330?
[Baby blue (Lv4)]: Paradise Island is just like your timid mentality. You are afraid of this and that. You find a place to hide. Do you think you are hiding well? If you are caught and stink, no one will notice.
…
As time went on, the topic on the World Channel naturally shifted from sanctions against Jiange to player unity. Although the discussion was intense, no concrete results would be reached in the short term because the person who had the final say on the World Channel in Zone 3 had not yet spoken.
However, it is foreseeable that players' unification is an inevitable trend, something Guo Pei is very happy to see.
He even felt that not only the third zone, but players from all zones and servers should form close alliances, and then the alliances should form a community that includes all players in the world, a community of shared destiny.
Although Hailou had secured a surprise victory, they were still far from strong enough to take on the entirety of Paradise Island. Hailou could desperately grow under Sister Sai's leadership, but Paradise Island wasn't necessarily slower than them. Killing players to steal their resources was an unforgivable and extremely sinful act, but it was undeniably the fastest and most dominant way to grow.
Players are non-renewable resources with limited numbers. The later they unite, the more disadvantageous it will be for the justice camp. This is a very simple truth.
As long as the crimes of Paradise Island are made public, the trend of all players in the world server uniting will be unstoppable. When the snowball rolls bigger and bigger, those bastards on Paradise Island will be crushed into ashes!
Guo Pei was very excited and looked forward to the final battle with Paradise Island. It would definitely be the most exciting and magnificent epic battle.
It is said that heroes emerge in troubled times. Living in a peaceful era, he is an internet-addicted teenager with poor self-discipline. He is ordinary and will never achieve anything great in his life. It is very likely that he will live a mediocre life, turn into ashes and sleep in an urn. He will not be remembered by anyone after a hundred years or even decades.
But now, in the face of this global crisis, he was chosen from among hundreds of players. He has become a trendsetter. In this case, he must try his best to contribute, dedicate himself, burn himself, and heroes are made by the times!
Even if he had to sacrifice himself in the end, if he could add his own colorful contribution to this epic battle, if the ordinary name "Guo Pei" could be recorded in the history books of future generations, he would die without regrets.
Of course, it would be even better if his name appeared next to Sister Sai in this impassioned epic poem. He even thought of a line that could be used directly as historical material: Facing an unprecedented crisis, Tao Sai joined forces with Guo Pei and others to turn the tide and defeat the "Paradise Island" extremist organization.
Just like drinking black coffee, the cerebral cortex was abnormally excited and Guo Pei couldn't sleep. He had developed the bad habit of staying up late a long time ago.
Forcing yourself to sleep even when you can't, and then tossing and turning in bed for hours and still can't fall asleep is the biggest waste of time. Guo Pei simply gave up sleeping.
It would be nice to get up now, turn on the computer, and start a stand-alone war strategy game, but his body is actually very tired. He gave up the idea and chose to continue lurking in the world channel.
He chose to lurk in and peek because if he showed his face, he'd be bombarded with questions and tagged, and not replying would seem rude. He now had a glimpse into the troubles of being a big star.
Moreover, fans, no, other players would also "taunt" him and ask him a lot of embarrassing questions.
For example: Brother Bucai, why have they all reached level four, but you are still at level three? Don’t you like leveling up?
For example: When the refuge ships of Hailou are close together, is your ship the smallest?
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: ...
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: I'm just talking about something irrelevant.
But in fact, Guo Pei also knew that these were basically friendly ridicules, and he didn't mind them too much.
Genius is often accompanied by controversy.
During his lurking period, Guo Pei collected a lot of valuable information from the players' chaotic and disorderly speeches.
One player claimed that while sailing on his refuge ship about 20 kilometers from land, he suddenly spotted a swarm of flying insects flying overhead. He was certain they were flying insects, not birds or any other insect-like creatures. The presence of such a large number of flying insects was no coincidence, and it also meant that the insect swarm was extending deeper into the waters, further squeezing human living space.
Another player said that when he was deep in destroying a second-level insect academy, he encountered invisible flying insects: he was inexplicably attacked without any contact. He heard the sound of flying insects flapping their wings, but could not find any shadow. Then the insects slowly appeared.
Looking back, reviewing the news he'd missed, Guo Peit discovered that a few days ago, some players had been comparing the sizes of the bugs they'd encountered in the world channel. The largest figures kept rising, from 50 centimeters, 65 centimeters, to 80 centimeters... The most outrageous was one player who firmly claimed to have killed a 107-centimeter flying insect, its flapping elytra like an industrial fan. He even took a photo of the insect's corpse with a camera and used an extended tape measure to accurately record its length, excluding the antennae.
The strengthening of insects and the expansion of the insect swarm are another irresistible trend and tide.
Since their first appearance, these insects, emerging from the earth, have been constantly evolving, their numbers multiplying exponentially. To date, the total number of insects eliminated by players is likely a mere drop in the ocean. As long as the insects are not completely eradicated, they will persist, like a wildfire that cannot be extinguished, but spring breezes will bring them back to life. Players may rest due to stamina waning, but the Queen will continue to breed new larvae without stopping for even a second. The longer the time, the greater the gap.
As the insects continue to evolve and their numbers increase dramatically, the vast rivers, lakes, and canals of the continent will no longer be safe. The confined waters will not provide a safe depth. Only the ocean, or even the center of the ocean, can temporarily block the engulfing insect tide.
The current flying distance of the flying insects has exceeded 20 kilometers. Perhaps in the near future, it will exceed 100 kilometers, 1,000 kilometers, until it completely covers the surface of the planet. However, that day is still a long way off, and they still have plenty of time to come up with a way to deal with it.
Before that, the more urgent task is to perform surgery to remove the most harmful tumor in the player community - Paradise Island.
…
Tao Sai woke up to the sharp sound of the alarm clock. It was 6:12 in the morning.
After more than six hours of deep sleep, her mental state returned to its optimal state. In deep sleep, her high resistance value accelerated the repair of her body tissues, largely repairing the damage caused by the skill [High-Energy Infrasound] during the battle with Christie last night.
There are exactly three days left until the end of [S2 Season].
Tao Sai opened the system and clicked to view the real-time leaderboard for mission points. As the gap in total mission completion widened, the rankings of players became more or less stable. Hailou had wasted a considerable amount of time throughout the season, spending at least half of it battling Jiange. Currently, her overall ranking was somewhere in the middle. She fared slightly better, ranking 472nd, a full 2,179 mission points shy of the top spot.
If Tao Sai wanted to reach the top before the season ended, she would need to complete at least 800 quest points per day, including the progress of the top player, to have a chance of surpassing them. This was a nearly impossible task. Midway through the season, they had only completed 80 quest points per day. This was about ten times the amount.
It is not Tao Sai's character to retreat when faced with difficulties. At this moment, her excellent physical and mental condition gave her enough firm confidence and belief.
She must get the S-level magical skill rewarded by "The Overlooker" again, and she must get it, which is crucial for the subsequent battle with Paradise Island.
Considering the current situation, Tao Sai had a clear plan in mind. He wouldn't have enough time to rush to the lobby to grab low-star quests or wait for personal quests to refresh. In the final moments of the season, all players were racing against time to complete quests and climb the rankings. Reaching a certain ranking not only guaranteed rewards at the end of the season, but also the tempting [Blind Box] for each quest.
Although players were constantly complaining on the World Channel at the beginning of the season about the mediocre contents of the [Blind Boxes]—a few dozen experience points, a dozen gold coins, and a liter of [Pure Water]—they were simply disgusting—as the season progressed, players' views on the [Blind Boxes] gradually changed.
The items in the [Reward Blind Box] are completely random and include nearly every item in the [Mall]. The value is inversely proportional to the probability of winning, ranging from hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of gold coins to items worth hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of gold coins. This also includes the precious, limited-edition [Skill Blind Box]. It's important to note that players are limited to a certain number of [Skill Blind Boxes] each month. Even with a large number of gold coins, they can't purchase additional items in the [Mall]. However, there's no limit on the number of skills that can be obtained from the [Reward Blind Box], although the probability is ridiculously low. However, as the base number increases, the probability of obtaining a skill naturally increases. The probability of winning the lottery is also low, yet some people still flock to buy them, hoping to gamble on their dreams.
In order to become stronger, players are working hard to complete tasks and frantically brush [reward blind boxes].
As for the number of [reward blind boxes] corresponding to completing each star-level task, it has always been the same standard: 1 for one-star tasks, 4 for two-star tasks, 16 for three-star tasks, 256 for four-star tasks, and five-star tasks are relatively independent, and the reward is a [gold reward blind box].
However, up to now, no player in the third zone has dared to take on a five-star mission. According to high-level players who have taken on four-star missions, they are in danger of death just doing four-star missions, and the difficulty of five-star missions is absolutely fatal.
Therefore, after the five-star missions are refreshed in the mission hall, they are often directly discarded. No one will think of it and take the initiative to gamble their lives. Even if they want to get the legendary [Golden Reward Blind Box].
Tao Sai saw this point and planned to clear out the five-star tasks in the task hall. Completing one would earn her five task points, which would allow her to catch up very quickly.
Of course, five-star tasks are extremely difficult and take longer to complete. Doing five one-star tasks is not necessarily slower than completing a five-star task, but the problem is that low-level tasks in the task hall will be snatched away by other players in seconds. Whether she can snatch them away from others depends purely on luck.
Five-star missions are often related to insect swarms. The combat effectiveness of mutated flying insects has recently increased, which has cast a shadow on the five-star missions, and players are trying to avoid them.
Once she made up her mind, she executed it immediately. In the past few months since the apocalypse, having experienced countless life-or-death moments, Tao Sai had evolved from a procrastinator to a giant of action. She couldn't delay any longer; Paradise Island wouldn't give her even a moment's respite.
Opening a small space vortex, Tao Sai leaned forward and jumped out of the deck railing of the "Chengfeng" and disappeared into the void.
This time, Tao Sai didn't plan to bring Shi Jiahui and the others along, as the missions were counted individually. They didn't have the ability to independently complete five-star or even four-star missions, so their scores would definitely fall behind. So, it would be better to let them let nature take its course, stay home, and recuperate. If possible, they could take on some lower-risk missions.
During these three days, Tao Sai will devote herself to it, making good use of every second of these three days. If necessary, she doesn't mind overdrawing her life.
The Chengyun and four other refugee ships remained in formation in the waters near Cricket Island, maintaining cruising speed. After waking up, Tang Yingxue and the others had no intention of wasting the three days. In their spare time, when they weren't on missions, they continued their combat training. Tao Sai had specifically gifted them with a magical skill, equipped on a tool, to hone their combat skills and fighting spirit in preparation for the coming battle.
Tao Sai specifically selected a tool character with the strongest combat attributes to equip him with illusionary skills. Within this illusion, where all abilities were comprehensively enhanced, the tool character, receiving commands, focused solely on killing, displaying terrifying combat power. Tang Yingxue and the other two fought bloody battles, facing near-death experiences. But whenever they withdrew from the battle and donned their masks of pain, they would check the [Season 2] player leaderboards. Seeing Sister Sai's tasks increasing exponentially and her ranking climbing steadily, they found renewed motivation. On the other side of this world, Sister Sai continued to fight alone. She couldn't shoulder everything alone; they were partners, and they had to move forward together. Now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.
Seeing the huge gap in mission points between Sister Sai and the top player, Guo Pei actually considered a less ethical approach: @ the top player on the world channel, asking him to step aside and rest for three days. If his mission points remained the same, it would slightly reduce Sister Sai's burden.
But after careful consideration, this approach wasn't feasible. While the gap between the top 100 players was significant, it wasn't drastic. If the top player remained static for three days, they could be overtaken by the next player. Unless the top 100 players collectively gave up [Season 2] and remained static, that was even more impossible. While players in Zone 3 were showing signs of solidarity, they were far from truly united. Furthermore, the top 100 players included members of the "Daegu New Generation" and "Azure" alliances. The righteous players had collectively stopped playing for Sister Sai, only to be exploited by Paradise Island's lackeys, resulting in a self-defeating outcome. This was unacceptable.
There's nothing we can do to help, so Sister Sai has to rely on herself to get points. The only thing the people in Hailou can do is to pray silently for Sister Sai in their hearts, and then take good care of themselves and the unconscious He Zhaonian, so as not to distract Sister Sai.
[Season 2] Tao Sai's continued rise in the mission point rankings quickly attracted the attention of players and once again sparked large-scale discussions in the world channel.
This ranking increase wasn't a temporary blip; it was constant, changing with almost every refresh. Gradually, not just the Hailou members, but more and more players began to believe that, even though 330 was still lagging behind, she would definitely make a comeback before the end of the season. Because she was the player who always managed to create miracles.
[Duanpo (Lv4)]: Damn, I thought I was sure to be first this season, but the big guys rushed so fast, I panicked instantly
[HFF (Lv4)]: It's not that you're panicking, there's still so much to go. Although I admit that the big guys are rushing to score quickly, it's definitely too late in terms of time. There may be a chance in two or three days.
[The Pride of Winning Without Anything (Lv3)]: Then you are underestimating the big guys.
[Canglang (Lv4)]: @(Duanpo), buddy, why don't you stop for a while? The top spot should be left to the big guy. Let the big guy get the S-level magic skill, which is much more useful than in your hands.
[Little Bear Snail Noodles (Lv3)]: I think it makes sense, @(Duanpo), you have a bit of a big picture perspective.
[Countercurrent Light (Lv4)]: Brother, you are tired, it is time to have a good rest [dog head.jpg] [funny.jpg]
[Severed Soul (Lv4)]: ...
[Cang Lang (Lv4)]: @(Duan Po), what do you mean, brother? You don't have other ideas, do you? Is it difficult to have a sense of teamwork?
[Zi Fei Yu (Lv3)]: Don't use moral kidnapping. It's his freedom whether he wants to or not.
[Cai Koujiao (Lv3)]: You are the one who is blackmailing me, okay? It's time now, and we must be thinking about maximizing resource utilization.
[Warriors guard Chris Cannon (Lv4)]: Actually, no problem. Special cases require special treatment. Don't talk to me about freedom. Ask those bastards on Paradise Island if they will give you freedom.
[Against the Current (Lv4)]: Got it. All of our players' resources should be poured into Hailou. Don't even bother forming an alliance. If we unite, we'll just send them to Hailou's people to kill. This will maximize the utilization of resources.
[Cang Lang (Lv4)]: That's right, @(Warriors guard Chris Pao), why don't you give way first? You're ranked 58th anyway, so set an example for everyone.
[Thank you Mr. Krabs (Lv3)]: Calm down, don't get excited.
…
Guo Pei understood the heated debate that had suddenly erupted on the World Channel. He didn't think the players at the top of the leaderboard were selfish; it was just human nature. S-rank skills were simply too alluring for players. S-rank skills were beyond imagination; possessing one embodied absolute power. After toiling away for an entire season, only to have them abandoned simply wouldn't sit well with anyone. While players hated Paradise Island, they'd mostly heard about it on the World Channel. Having yet to experience an attack from Paradise Island, they felt somewhat detached and distanced.
In the half hour that Guo Pei allowed this topic to ferment, the debate on the world channel gradually evolved into a quarrel between players, and even mutual abuse.
Guo Pei realized something was wrong and checked the message records briefly. He immediately discovered that several IDs were members of the alliance "Blue" and "Daegu New Generation". They made inconsistent remarks and fanned the flames among the players.
He was on pins and needles and spoke quickly.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Everyone, stop for a moment and listen to me. Don't be led astray! Someone is fanning the flames!
As a member of Hailou, his celebrity ID still worked, and the players were very happy and stopped spamming the screen, so that he could explain the whole story all at once.
Soon, realizing that they had been used, the players turned back and looked through the documents, and indeed found clues that confirmed what Guo Pei said.
After their true colors were exposed, those players started cursing on the world channel.
[Against the Current (Lv4)]: @(Mr. Bucai Youshan), you are so cute, fuck
[Heterochromia (Lv4)]: Who do you think you are? A level 3 noob.
[Cang Lang (Lv4)]: I will kill you sooner or later!
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: I'm waiting, don't be late.
Guo Pei typed with a sneer.
He is least afraid of this. The keyboard warriors on the Internet are nothing but clowns.
Previously, after Guo Pei exposed their secrets on the World Channel, they remained silent, refusing to speak out and even shutting down the World Channel. The pressure from public opinion was immense, and they were the target of widespread criticism. Of course, they wouldn't be foolish enough to play in a teamfight against their odds. They finally found an opportunity to turn things around, to discredit the World Channel and divide the player base. If they succeeded, Boss Liu would definitely credit them with a major accomplishment.
But when it was exposed again, they became angry and embarrassed, and decided to throw in the towel and start shouting directly on the public screen.
[Cang Lang (Lv4)]: Trash, even if you unite, you will still be killed by Ku Ku.
[Cang Lang (Lv4)]: "Ahhh, the players have united, so exciting and passionate", "Exploding", "Exploding", Boss Liu can crush you as easily as stepping on an ant.
[Heterochromia (Lv4)]: You think you're so awesome? In the face of absolute strength, you're nothing but worms.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: How does it feel to be a dog? How many bones did Lao Liu give you to chew on?
Under the leadership of the number one troll Guo Pei, the players in the third zone showed unprecedented unity and collectively started to troll back.
The isolated counterattack seemed pale and powerless, and was quickly swallowed up by the ocean of backlash. In the end, the members of the two alliances could only turn off the world channel in shame.
After the bad guys completely disappeared, friendly players started asking questions.
[Honghong (Lv4)]: Brother Bucai, is there anything we can do to help you now?
[Big Frozen Pear (Lv3)]: I'd also like to ask. If Hailou needs anything, please feel free to ask. As long as it's within our capabilities, our "Cyclone" Alliance will do its best... Although we're not that strong...
[Coffee Coke (Lv3)]: Hailou is the backbone of the players in the third zone. We need Hailou to lead us!
…
Guo Pei felt full of goodwill, his emotions fluctuated slightly, and then he spoke sincerely.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: No need to do anything special, just do your quests and farm as usual. Stay safe and alert to your surroundings. If possible, keep your evacuation ship moving to avoid being accurately located. Players in the same alliance can group up and sail in formation. After the season ends, if you find any purification skills, let us know; we have a teammate who needs purification. Thank you.
After typing and sending it out, Guo Pei sighed softly.
After recovering his energy through sleep, Xiao He woke up, but was still controlled by the virus. They did not have Tao Sai's [Energy Stealing] skill to make him sleep again, and the ropes would break him. They had no other choice but to temporarily lock him up in a safe house made of "super cobalt-chromium-tungsten alloy".
Inside the safe house, Xiao He frantically banged his body against the walls. Outside, Guo Pei's heart ached at the noise, hoping the virus could be cleared quickly and his brother rescued.
On the afternoon of Day 28 of Season 2, Tao Sai began to frequently appear on the public screen of the world channel.
Of course, she didn't just chat. Every time she showed up, she only spoke a few concise sentences.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: Where are the five-star quests? Just tell me a general area.
Most players have wondered how the big guys managed to gain points so quickly, and how they were so quick at grabbing quests. Now they understand everything: they do five-star quests.
You should know that four-star tasks are often directly eliminated in the task hall because they are too difficult. Even if it is a five-star task assigned by the system, players will definitely reject it immediately.
And the big guy actually took the initiative to grab the five-star mission to do, this is too cruel! Such a thief!
The ID Cx330 means a lot in the world channel of Zone 3 and has unprecedented influence. It is no exaggeration to say that it shines like a star in the night sky, giving direction and hope to confused players.
And Cx330 happens to be the number of a star.
This star, discovered by NASA, is far from any other known celestial body, lacking any other stars or planets. It is so lonely and rare that it has been called the "loneliest planet in the universe." Across all of Tao Sai's social media platforms, her two favorite nicknames are "Cx330" and "Deep Sea Fish," both of which evoke images of loneliness, a true reflection of Tao Sai's inner life as a teenager.
Because Cx330 is loud enough, every time Tao Sai speaks on the world channel, players will respond continuously, and even if there are other topics, they will take the initiative to give way to him.
[HFF (Lv4)]: Boss, I finished three five-star missions today! In Zhoushan.
…
[Pretty Xiaoyu (Lv3)]: There are two five-star quests at the Qinjiang River estuary, and three four-star quests that are not too difficult.
…
[Li Wu (Lv4)]: @(Cx330), Boss, I got another one! Come quickly!
Tao Sai received information one by one, opened one space vortex after another, and traveled back and forth between various places in the third district.
Based on the location of the information, she used the cached map to search for approximate coordinates. The quests refreshed in the quest hall were regional and scoped, and could be accepted within a slightly larger area. Therefore, Tao Sai didn't need precise coordinates, just a general direction. She could teleport there and grab the quest.
The word "grab" may not be appropriate, because from the beginning to the end, she was the only one who dared to accept the five-star mission.
On the world channel, players enthusiastically reported locations, and were thrilled when a quest they had reported to their area was snatched away by a boss. Having a quest snatched away meant that the boss had been to this space, giving them an inexplicable sense of security and protection. If they encountered a threat, reporting their location might just lead to rescue from the boss.
Tao Sai wasn't worried about Paradise Island's lackeys misreporting information on the world channel, luring her into a trap. The discerning players would immediately identify those allied with the "Daegu New Generation" and "Azure" factions. Even if there were other bad actors among the players, accepting missions on the edge of the reporting area would be enough to mitigate any potential risks.
With the help of players, Tao Sai frantically accepted and completed tasks.
Of course, she chose to accept five-star missions selectively, not blindly. In fact, simply completing five-star missions was time-consuming and difficult, and the overall speed was not much faster than that of low-star missions.
However, Tao Sai figured out some tricks during his exploration, which was considered a small bug, or a hidden trick.
The vast majority of five-star missions are related to bugs. After all, this game is called "Bug Tide", and fighting against bugs is the most important main line.
While five-star bug-related quests can be grabbed in different areas, they can be completed together in one place. Four, five, or even eight quests can be carried out simultaneously, and upon completion, dozens of quest points can be earned at once, greatly improving efficiency.
Correspondingly, the difficulty of the task also increases.
The scale of insects that Tao Sai had to face broke through the order of tens of millions and began to be measured in hundreds of millions.
After equipping the [Eternity] skill, she became bolder and went deeper into the high-level insect acupoints, even diving to the Moho discontinuity and mantle layer tens of kilometers below the ground.
It was a sea of magma, so intensely hot that the very clothes Tao Sai wore could have spontaneously combusted. But after equipping the [Omni-Adaptive] skill, she completely adapted to the environment. The scorching magma seemed like her natural habitat, requiring no oxygen to breathe. This was her paradise, her body able to withstand temperatures exceeding thousands of degrees Celsius without injury, swimming through the magma. Of course, her clothes weren't so lucky; they would have been reduced to ash in a fraction of the time. She chose to temporarily store her belongings in the system's [Warehouse], changing into new clothes once she left the harsh environment.
Facing the insect swarm, Tao Sai made full use of her various skills and skill combinations, switching frequently and freely. The skills have been integrated into her brain and become an extension of her body.
The one that caused the greatest damage to the insect swarm was naturally the S-level magical skill [Collapse]. Tao Sai almost never let it rest, and the singularity was always in an open state.
Last time, because it swallowed too many insects and may have suffered from indigestion, [Collapse] fell into a brief coma, but since then, its appetite seems to have further increased, and its digestive ability has also been improved accordingly.
In the insect blood environment, Tao Sai arranged the [collapse] singularity and moved it, causing it to continuously devour the queen insects and the surging tide of insects.
As [Collapse]'s appetite grew and its suction became stronger, Tao Sai basically gave up using explosive mines.
Killing bugs with explosives or other means will inevitably cause fatigue in the character, a feature of the game that cannot be avoided. However, using [Collapse] to devour bugs is independent of this feature and does not cause fatigue. The character only needs to consume energy to maintain the existence of the singularity.
This further increases the endurance of Taosai.
But even if killing the bugs does not speed up the process of physical fatigue, Tao Sai himself constantly uses skills such as [Space Fold], [Gravity Adaptation], and [Tempering], and the physical fatigue caused by energy damage is still unavoidable.
Whenever she had a free moment, she guzzled recovery potions and nutrient solution to restore her energy. While she knew that excessive use of recovery potions would have some side effects, she firmly believed her high resistance could offset the damage. No matter how severe the damage, it would only last for two or three days, and she had to endure it.
She worked day and night, and even in the middle of the night, her task points on the scoreboard were constantly changing.
She only closed her eyes and took a nap occasionally when she needed to [collapse] to devour a large number of insects for a long time. Such naps usually did not exceed ten minutes each time.
During a deep dive into the mantle to clear a level 6 insect cell, Tao Sai lay in the magma with her eyelids drooping. After just a few minutes of squinting, she was suddenly awakened by the sound of a strange laugh.
It was [collapse]. It was laughing, a mad laugh, piercing and eerie, terrifying. Tao Sai saw with his own eyes that the singularity's rate of engulfing surrounding matter had accelerated. Previously, it could collapse a room-sized spherical space into a zero-volume mass in a thousandth of a second. Now, the volume of this spherical space had reached the size of a three-story building. The change in suction was no longer a gradual increase; it was undoubtedly a qualitative leap, a quantitative change leading to a qualitative change.
Tao Sai was not delighted by the evolution of [collapse]. This crazy laughter made her somewhat uneasy. In the long run, she worried that the singularity of [collapse] might actually become a terrifying black hole in the universe, swallowing up all matter, including light.
[S2 Season] On the morning of Day 29, after a day and night of hard work, Tao Sai miraculously completed 904 mission points, ranking in the top 150, and was still 2087 mission points away from the top player.
It is not difficult to find that the top player has obviously slowed down the pace, intentionally or unintentionally, while maintaining a certain number of task points so as not to be overtaken by the second player.
When they woke up in the morning, the other members of Hailou began to worry about Tao Sai's current situation and expressed their concern in the alliance channel.
Tao Sai took a break from his busy schedule to reply.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: Don't worry, I know my limits and the margin for error. I feel fine.
Tao Sai felt like she was in the same state as someone who'd pulled an all-nighter to scribble down several math papers before the college entrance exam. It was exhausting, for sure, but also filled with hope. She had to persevere.
She suddenly remembered something and asked.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: By the way, how is Xiaofeng now?
Feng is not in their alliance channel, and she will not speak on the world channel. Tao Sai can only know about her through other people.
[Zhizhi (Lv4)]: I treated her twice yesterday. Her injuries are almost healed now and she can get out of bed and walk.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Yes, I saw her casting a net at the stern of the boat to catch fish this morning. I guess she wants to eat some fish.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: That's good
Tao Sai closed the system page and focused on the task at hand. She used her mind to control the [collapse] singularity to move deeper into the insect acupoint.
Within a spherical space with a radius of ten meters, centered at the singularity, the Queen and all the insects were instantly devoured. If this moment were frozen, the spherical space would be a complete vacuum, and only the next second would the remaining insect swarms flood in to fill it.
[Collapse] seemed to be used by Tao Sai as a brush, which, under the control of his mind, forcefully brushed away all filth.
In the following time, Tao Sai did similar or repetitive work, opening space wormholes to teleport to various places to take on tasks, going deep into the underground wormholes to clean up the queens, and devouring endless worm tides.
She'd learned her lesson. Sometimes, she'd receive several five-star quests back-to-back, often with the total number of insects to be cleared exceeding hundreds of millions. In these situations, she'd head to a level-7 Zerg Mound. Instead of manipulating the [Collapsing] singularity to clear the mound, she'd simply hold it in place, waiting for the endless stream of insects spawned from the level-7 mound to be devoured, creating a perpetual spawning machine. While waiting, she'd waste no time, asking on the world channel and then accepting similar quests. Once she'd exhausted all the quests in a short period, she'd clear the mound.
Tao Sai went deep into the insect acupoints of all sizes, and encountered almost all the mutated flying insects mentioned by players on the world channel, including giant flying insects, invisible flying insects, fireflies, poisonous insects, etc.
But [collapse] devours all insects within its range indiscriminately. In front of the singularity, all insects are equal.
This is a well-deserved S-level skill. Tao Sai feels more and more that she is so lucky to have been able to open this skill. This may be the joy of cultivation. She watched [collapse], her eldest son, evolve step by step from a skill that can only be used to clean up chicken shit and garbage to the handsome appearance he has today.
Unfortunately, Tao Sai can't compare to other S-level skills. [Collapse] is her only skill. If she can successfully reach the top of [Season 2], she will obtain a second skill.
…
In a seaside pavilion, Liu He reclined on a soft chair, leisurely sitting before a game. He held a white chess piece between the tip of his middle finger and the nail of his index finger, always ready for his next move.
Opposite him was a middle-aged man with graying hair. He was thin, with a stern look and wore a pair of amber-framed glasses. He took them off, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on, still lost in thought.
The game has reached the middle stage and the outcome is no longer in doubt.
Liu He was in a favorable position, so he relaxed and took the initiative to chat about something off-topic. "Mr. Fujii, I heard you're an athlete. In your youth, you were a vibrant athlete on the court. Later, you became Xiaofeng's coach, accompanying her in professional leagues and major international tournaments. This is quite different from your current refined image."
Fujii Token made a move and took over the Tianyuan position, which was a compromise that was not very effective.
He pinned his hopes on the endgame to determine the outcome of the game.
"People are always changing, just like flowing water," he said in a detached and calm tone. "Can you predict what form a drop of water will take in the next moment?"
Liu He nodded gently, acknowledging the answer. A drop of water is so tiny, its fate is unpredictable. In the next moment, it could evaporate into steam, freeze into ice, drip into the sea, or seep into an underground river.
Just like what he had read in a book, “You don’t know what fate is until you know what destiny is.” That’s the difference.
On the chessboard, Liu He gave up sticking and took a risky leap into the opponent's territory.
"I have a question for you, Mr. Fujii."
"Please speak." Fujii Dongjian tried to cut off his retreat, leaving the seed isolated and helpless, and becoming nutrients in his vast territory.
"Do I have a chance of winning?" Liu He continued to advance, even though he knew that doing so would be meaningless and would only solidify the other side's territory. If he didn't take a step forward and establish the sphere of influence of each other in this area in a more peaceful manner, he might gain greater benefits.
"You've already won." Fujii Token said calmly.
Liu He's facial expression relaxed for a moment.
He then asked, "Then what choice do you think Xiaofeng will make?"
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that. I don't know."
"You are like a father to her. You should know her very well."
"All I can say," Fujii Toujian paused for two seconds and said firmly, "no matter what choice she makes, I support her."
Liu He frowned, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "I'm a chess player, a strategist. I won't give up an inch of ground on the chessboard. I don't like the feeling of being taken advantage of by others."
He killed the dragon and the outcome was decided.
"Mr. Fujii, you lose. You are worthless."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu He clenched his fists. At the same time, at the other end of the chessboard, Fujii Token's head exploded instantly, and his remaining limbs fell dead on the broken chessboard.
Liu He wiped the blood from his cheek and calmly stood up to leave. He walked towards the beach, where men and women were playing in the shallows. Someone who saw him from afar waved enthusiastically, calling him to join them.
He ignored it, took off his slippers, and stepped barefoot on the warm sand. The gravel adhered to his skin and felt very warm.
He walked endlessly along the coastline, his mind lost in endless meditation. Meditation is his favorite exercise. Some say meditation isn't exercise, but stillness. This is completely nonsense. During meditation, the brain operates at the speed of light at a quantum level.
He possesses the skill [Eternal Thinking], which is only an E-level skill. Using this skill, he can stop thinking and continue thinking. This allows him to think more clearly.
Before the apocalypse, Liu He was just an insignificant, third-rate Go player. Given his family's circumstances, he could easily have chosen a different path. He simply remained stubbornly devoted to his passion. From a young age, he understood that thinking is humanity's greatest weapon, and Go is a game that demands the most of both thought and brainpower. He often fantasized that if he had mastered the skill "Eternal Thinking" earlier, he might have achieved professional proficiency much sooner, thus avoiding missing out on the prime years of his career. But he was ultimately only human.
He changed his direction, waded through a patch of shallow water, and sat down on the reef. The sharp edges hurt his butt, and he endured the pain to make himself sit more steadily.
After a long, long time, when the pain in his butt had become numb, he looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, as if talking to someone: "I have a good idea."
…
Feng pushed open the hatch of the captain's room of the "Chengyun" and went outside to get some fresh air.
She had just finished watching twenty consecutive episodes of anime downloaded on her computer and needed to look into the distance to relax her eyes.
In stark contrast to the atmosphere where several members of Hailou were training for missions, Feng had a very relaxing time these past two days.
It felt like she was back to when she was on vacation after a competition. No, she was even more relaxed than before, because even back then, even though it was a vacation, she still had to strictly control her diet, but now she could let go completely.
The sunset over the sea was beautiful, the rays of light shimmering and the waves sparkling. She loved the view at that moment, so she moved her soft chair onto the platform, holding a cup of freshly brewed instant milk tea. Milk tea is a high-calorie drink, an absolute no-no for athletes, especially those like her, who strictly control their weight. Even a 0.01 gram overweight prevents them from competing at the same level. If the coach knew she was drinking milk tea at that moment, he would definitely criticize her harshly. Coach Fujii was a powder keg, easily ignited, and she didn't dare to contradict him. She always just lowered her head and listened quietly, obeying his orders.
Perhaps because she had been suppressed for too long, she showed her rebellious mentality. After drinking this cup, she retaliated by making herself another cup. But at this time, she burped and felt a little unable to drink it, so she took it back and put it in the refrigerator to drink it as a cold drink later.
Feng reclined in the soft chair and suddenly lifted her legs, placing them directly on the railing. This was the first time she had done something so unseemly; before this, she had always been polite and taciturn, and this was also a rebellious psychology at work.
The sea breeze blew over, lifting a strand of her hair, and her face was immersed in the rosy glow.
Feng is definitely the type who looks thin when dressed, but voluptuous when undressed. Her legs, arms, and back are all perfectly defined, like the armor that protects her from repeated blows from her opponents. Yet, when she dons loose-fitting clothing, like the dark green sweatshirt she's wearing today, with her hair tied in a ponytail, she becomes a gentle, girl-next-door type.
Three days had passed since that brutal battle, and her body had recovered quickly. There were still some scars on her skin, but the external injuries had basically healed.
These past few days have been a time of both physical recovery and spiritual healing. She's been having such a good time these days, she barely even wants to face reality. But reality has to be faced, and no matter how long she avoids it, it will eventually come. Coach Fujii's urging seems to echo in her ears again, "Xiaofeng, win this round."
She pushed the kettle away, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stood up from the bench beside the octagon. She was ready to move on.
As dusk turned to dusk, Feng stood up from her soft chair. The space in front of her suddenly became distorted, and a miniature wormhole vortex appeared. She jumped into it and disappeared into the space.
…
【Season 2 has ended.】
[Rank points are being calculated.]
As the time passed midnight, the subtitles appeared in front of Tao Sai's eyes. She felt relieved, like a deflated balloon.
One minute before the subtitles appeared, she completed the last five-star task she received.
As for whether she had surpassed the top player in the end, she was not sure and had not paid attention. She had to wait for the results.
Collapse fell into coma again around nine o'clock in the evening. For the past two or three days, Tao Sai had indeed overused it. It had endured a diet that was not suitable for its age.
At that moment, Tao Sai took a quick look at the leaderboard. She was only 50 mission points away from the top player. At this critical juncture, even though [Collapse] had failed, she had to grit her teeth and hold on for another two hours.
She frantically poured explosives into the insect blood. Killing insects in this way inevitably quickly depleted her energy. She relied on her tenacious will to persevere until the last moment.
Using the skill [Gravity Adaptation], Tao Sai struggled to emerge from the cleared insect blood.
At this point, let alone opening a wormhole to return to Cricket Island, she didn't even have the strength to prop herself up. She found a flat surface to lie down and closed her eyes. Without the [Deep Sleep] skill equipped, she naturally didn't fall asleep immediately.
I was extremely weak, and my mind was almost like a kaleidoscope.
Tao Sai's face was pale, and her dark circles were darker. If she looked in the mirror now, she would have clearly noticed she'd lost weight. This was because she hadn't replenished the energy she'd consumed over the previous three days. Her body was running low on energy, so she was burning more fat and muscle. If she'd measured her body fat percentage at this point, it would have been shockingly low.
Her backpack was overflowing with countless [Bonus Blind Boxes] and [Gold Blind Boxes], and she could have used them all at once, which would have been a real pleasure, but she didn't have the energy to do that right now. She just wanted a long, undisturbed sleep until she woke naturally.
She wanted to eat, too—hot pot or barbecue. Actually, she wasn't that hungry; her stomach was still full from the nutrient solution. But she just kept thinking about it, missing the taste.
Her brain went into a state of confusion for a moment, but she regained consciousness half an hour later. A subtitle popped up in front of her again, showing the settlement information.
[You have accumulated 3671 mission points in Season 2, ranking first in the standings.]
You have obtained the rank title: [Looker-down]
[You received a rank reward: [Specified Skill·S-Rank]]
Reaching the summit again, she was much calmer than she'd imagined, perhaps because her energy wasn't strong enough to sustain such a move. She had truly achieved a breakthrough, once again earning the title of "Overlooker." She had accomplished her goal, and she was genuinely pleased with herself.
His eyes fell on the words "Designated Skill - S-Rank," and ten cards instantly popped up in his field of vision, just like the last time he selected an S-Rank skill. However, the difference was that the third card in the first row of these ten cards, arranged in two 5x2 rows, was an open card, displaying "Collapse," while the remaining nine cards were still question marks.
[You used [Specified Skill·S Rank]. ]
[You selected the skill [Observation·S-level].]
Tao Sai breathed a sigh of relief.
Guo Pei and others asked about her physical condition in the alliance channel, and she gave five simple words: Don't worry, you won't die.
Also through the alliance channel, Tao Sai learned that the Deep Sea Fish and four other refugee ships had returned to the waters near Cricket Island, their triumphant reunion. Her "family" aboard the Deep Sea Fish missed her deeply. This struck Tao Sai as odd; even though they hadn't been apart for long, it felt like they hadn't been together for years.
It is conceivable that with eight refuge ships, and after absorbing some righteous players into the alliance and rebuilding the new Jiange, the Sea Tower will truly become a tower on the sea.
Now, Tao Sai has accumulated a ridiculous amount of experience points in the system's experience slot, enough to upgrade her level 4 shelter ship directly to level 5.
Tao Sai had never seen the shape and scale of a Level 5 shelter ship in the game "Insect Tide", but it should undoubtedly be magnificent and able to accommodate more survivors. She was very much looking forward to it.
She had a hunch that a Level V ship wouldn't be the ultimate form of a refuge ship. Game vehicles are projections of the real world, often larger than, or at least equal to, real-world vessels. The current Level IV refuge ship has a full-load displacement of only 2,000 tons, while a Level V refuge ship could potentially reach tens of thousands of tons, roughly the size of a small or medium-sized aircraft carrier. However, this is far from the world's largest seagoing vessel; cruise ships displacing hundreds of thousands of tons represent the ceiling of human shipbuilding. Of course, if it weren't for the constraints of local canals and straits, ships could likely be even larger. In short, a Level V refuge ship could rise even higher, truly becoming a mobile castle at sea.
In Hailou's alliance channel, Guo Pei himself was temporarily requisitioned to become the communication tool between Tao Sai and the "Deep Sea Fish".
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Taotao, my mom asked what you want to eat
There is only one Tuantuan in the world who calls her Taotao. Tao Sai was in a good mood and replied to her.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: It's all fine. I'm not picky. I like all the dishes Auntie cooks.
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: Hmm... it would be even better if I had a bowl of fermented glutinous rice wine eggs as a snack ==
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Okay, I'll let her do it!
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Then when will you come back?
[Cx330 (Lv4)]: I'll be back after I've rested. It might be midnight or early tomorrow morning.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Then I want to see you sleeping next to me when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Tao Sai couldn't help but curl his lips at first, but then his eyes accidentally caught the nickname, and his image of Guo Pei's face instantly soured. Why did he have to deliver this kind of news? Couldn't Yingxue and the others have been the ones to do it? Tao Sai could only think of one plausible explanation: Tuantuan was probably too impatient.
Just as Tao Sai was about to close the alliance channel and equip himself with [Deep Sleep], new message popped up on the channel.
[Tang Sixi (Lv4)]: Sister Sai, check out the World Channel!
Before this, Tao Sai took a quick glance at the world channel. Players were basically expressing their feelings about the course of this season, or sharing their new skills with each other, and congratulating her on reaching the top for the second time in a row.
But the latest news at this time made her feel uneasy.
[Embers (Lv4)]: @(Cx330)@(Mr. Bucai Youshan), I have unlocked an A-level skill called [Purification], which is said to be able to purify debuffs. Is this what you want?
This skill should work, but even if it doesn't, they must try it immediately. Xiao He can't wait much longer. The virus is eroding his body. The later he waits, the larger the lesions left in his body will become, until they are so large that he can no longer maintain basic vital signs, and he will be completely beyond help.
Saving He Zhaonian is urgent, and Tao Sai doesn't want to delay for even a second, but her weak body makes it difficult for her to move forward.
She had to wait until her energy recovered, as now was her weakest.
Tao Sai instructed Guo Pei and the others to negotiate with the player and discuss a rendezvous location. Hailou held absolute credibility in District 3, and since the promise was simply asking him to use his skills to rescue a companion, the player naturally wouldn't be suspicious.
[Deep Sleep] After assembling the device, Tao Sai rested her arm on her head as a pillow, closed her eyes, and prepared to fall asleep. She set the alarm to go off in six hours, which was essential. If she hadn't set the alarm, Tao Sai estimated that with her current level of exhaustion, she could have easily slept for three days and three nights.
She closed her eyes, one second, two seconds, three seconds. Just when Tao Sai was about to count to the fourth second, she suddenly heard a slight movement in her ears.
She forced her eyes open and looked towards the source of the sound.
A twisted vortex appeared about five meters away from where she lay. Feng walked out of the vortex, his shoulders stained with a faint moonlight.
Even without the moonlight, Tao Sai could still see her face clearly because he had the skill [All-round Adaptability] equipped, and his naked eyes were like night vision goggles.
Feng was wearing a loose dark blue sweatshirt and had her hair tied in a high ponytail. She walked towards her slowly.
Tao Sai resisted his sleepiness and tried to stand up with his hands.
"Why are you here?" After asking this question, Tao Sai remembered that the other party could not understand her language.
…
Guo Pei excitedly threw a few punches in the air. He had already agreed with the other party to meet at Yanhua Island in the East China Sea tomorrow.
When Sister Sai comes back, she can use the conveyor belt to take Xiao He over for treatment. His brother can finally be saved. Watching him struggle in the safe house these past few days has been too much.
After the end of Season 2, discussions about a player union became a hot topic again. Guo Pei, representing Hailou, participated in the discussion, conveying Sister Sai's intentions.
According to what Tao Sai had told her before, in order to fight against Paradise Island, each player needs to distinguish between the refuge ships and combatants. The refuge ships are used to carry survivors and others who are unable to fight. After the players have placed the refuge ships, they can gather together to prepare for the upcoming war and appoint a first mate. In this way, even if the players die, the refuge ships will still exist and will not be erased by the system.
Guo Pei's remarks were met with overwhelming agreement from the majority of players. Their biggest concern was their respective refuge ships. They were their homes, their families aboard. However, they were also fragile and could be easily destroyed by players with ulterior motives. Therefore, they were reluctant to reveal their locations, unwilling to reunite with non-alliance players and put themselves in danger.
Tao Sai's concept could minimize this situation. This way, players would essentially have no worries. As for players and combatants, once they'd come together as a team, everyone knew that sacrifices would occur. Sacrifice was inevitable, but it was a shared responsibility they had to shoulder. Since they enjoyed the rights of being a player, they also had to fulfill their obligations as players.
Sacrifice is a heavy topic, and even if some players offer eloquent speeches, trying to encourage others who aren't brave enough, it's clear that it's not something that can be easily convinced. No one can truly wrap their heads around death.
The atmosphere on the world channel suddenly became depressing.
[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: Worry nothing! Look at us, Hailou! We've fought Jiange and Paradise Island so many times, and we've only lost a single member? Aren't they all fine? We don't fight unprepared. If we had to, we'd crush Paradise Island!
[Tang Sixi (Lv4)]: That's right, and our team also has a powerful nurse who can heal any injury.
[Zhizhi (Lv4)]: I think, after we gather, we can properly distribute the lineup. Those with life-saving skills can serve as the front row to output in the front, and the assistants and nurses can provide buff support in the back row. The casualties can be basically controlled.
[Warriors guard Chris Cannon (Lv4)]: Several of my skills are long-range output. Is there anyone like me? Let's form a shooter team.
[Blue Knight (Lv3)]: I have the skill to rush into the enemy and I want to apply to become an assassin!
[Wang Kun (Lv4)]: Wow, it feels like a national war.
[Flame Demon (Lv4)]: Just do it, no need to be afraid, brothers and sisters.
[Flame Demon (Lv4)]: If I'm caught on Paradise Island, I'll die. I want to die in a glorious way.
[Coffee Cola (Lv3)]: I'm coming! Even if it means being cannon fodder. I'm meeting my idol, 330 boss! Fucking!
Just as the players' emotions were aroused and the discussion was getting heated, a notification message suddenly flashed at the bottom of the world channel screen.
Guo Pei jumped up, and the pupils of thousands of players in the third area who were staring at their own light screens trembled at the same time.
[[Cx330] has been killed and the player information has been erased.]
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