Chapter 48: Don't tell me, you're not Chang Zhou?

The door was slowly opened, the corridor had already been shrouded in mist, and that mist, as if conscious, surged into the room.

Lu Ming covered his nose and hid by the table, through the remaining light he saw Yan Cheng's figure already buried in the thick mist, then he heard the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Lu Ming felt a bit nervous; his shadow's ability had already been expended, so he called it back, and the original plan fell through.

【What the hell...】

【Again and again, it's starting to get creepy.】

【I've already figured it out, please fast-forward to the ending, thanks!】

【I heard that in the sea-killing mist, once ships get lost, they never...】

【Then, damn it, will it set the mood?】

As the thick mist drew ever closer, Lu Ming gritted his teeth and immediately recalled his shadow; compared to the mission, staying alive until the game ends is what matters most—if he gets eliminated now, he'll have nothing.

【Notice: Affected by the thick mist, the san value fluctuates slightly.】

【Heart rate range: 141–162】

【Composure -3】 (AX: 10)

【Attack Power 231】 (Attack Power: 542)

Suddenly, Lu Ming heard a lilting song, like a female voice singing; the feeling was wonderful, the whole world seemed to fall silent, leaving only that lilting voice.

Lu Ming shook his head, feeling his consciousness a bit hazy.

"Family Head..." Chang Qinglan's voice rang out again.

Chang Qinglan...

, it should be fine now...

Lu Ming's tense mind gradually relaxed; he didn't continue recalling his shadow, and a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Family Head... I really like you, can I kiss you?"

Lu Ming felt her approach; her breath like orchids, Chang Qinglan's voice and song blended perfectly, interfering with each other, as if some magic drew Lu Ming closer.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, accompanied by a sharp cry.

Lu Ming suddenly opened his eyes; in an instant, his heart felt as if tightly gripped, he could barely see Chang Qinglan— that face soon to be bloated by water, barely discernible features; at first glance it looked like a puddle of pale, rotting flesh.

【Select Skill: Kill·Strong Strike】

【Your second skill is: Kill·Strong Strike!】

Lu Ming fiercely swung his left fist, bringing forth a pale golden light, straight at that rotten face; with five times the attack power, he directly blasted that thing's head off, a puddle of black viscera spurted onto the ground and walls.

Coming to his senses, Lu Ming discovered the thick mist had vanished and the surroundings returned to normal.

"Family Head!" Chang Qinglan's voice came from the hallway.

Lu Ming turned his head, seeing the little girl running with a gun, while Yan Cheng lay beside the door, and nearby lay a pale, bloated corpse.

The barrage scrolled by quickly.

【Damn, that scared the hell out of me, what the hell is this…】

【The person next to him was scared stiff and still hasn't recovered.】

【Opening thunder strike…】

【The S Player's livestream is so explosive, even the streamer hasn't encountered anything yet.】

【………】

... Looks like we're temporarily safe.

Just as he relaxed, a sudden sharp pain struck his chest, accompanied by the urge to cough, and Lu Ming spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Because he exerted too much force, the old injury flared up; the pain so severe it hindered speech spread throughout his body again.

Chang Qinglan quickly took out medicine for Lu Ming to take; after a while, the pain gradually lessened.

【Survival Index: 34】

The survival index on the panel dropped again; it decreases when the illness acts up.

"Family Head, the officials have neglected their duty, letting such filthy things run into the cabin…" Chang Qinglan's bright eyes flashed.

Lu Ming gasped, panting: "What… what kind of thing is this…?"

Saying that, he glanced at the pale corpse on the ground and felt a wave of nausea.

"Fish…" Chang Qinglan said while helping Lu Ming back to his seat.

Fish…

Lu Ming stared for a moment: "Fish?!"

If fish looked like that, it would truly overturn one's worldview.

"Yes… fish." Chang Qinglan answered, her heart heavy, her words also revealing worry.

He gave a few orders into the collar's walkie-talkie, and soon it was being handled.

"Family Head, there's no need to worry; such situations basically never happen, and a second occurrence…" Chang Qinglan paused, then added: "Supposedly, fish are formed from the grudges of those who perished at sea; they're rarely encountered, and even the officials have never seen one before."

They're rarely encountered…

Lu Ming was speechless; the little girl hadn't encountered one in years at sea, yet on her first voyage she met one—what terrible E-rank luck.

When facing the fish, Lu Ming directly chose Strong Strike; besides Strong Strike, he had no other means of self-defense left.

Strong Strike isn't bad; at least the damage is within Lu Ming's tolerance, it can multiply attack power by five, but it consumes a lot of P points.

When those corpses were being moved, Chang Qinglan glanced at the fish that Lu Ming had blown apart with a punch.

In the meantime, the Family Head seemed to have changed a lot, in both actions and tone of speech.

【Just now, after seeing clearly that thing, how could it not be there?】

【Who would notice that? I was so frightened my mind went completely blank.】

【It seems... like the S Player directly blew away the brain?】

【Laughable... a punch blows the head away?】

【Not possible, only if attack power is high enough can it be done completely (see analysis by name).】

【Is the S Player also new? How can the attack power be that high?】

【...... just like using a cheat.】

【Probably a skill.】

The bullet comments clearly showed understanding of Lu Ming's one-punch blow to the fish brain; in such situations, Lu Ming usually chooses to ignore it, just let them keep guessing.

The thick fog dispersed, the star cluster still twinkling, like a dreamy gauze still hanging over the night sky.

"Aurora..."

On the deck, Chang Qinglan raised her head to gaze up; the sea breeze lifted the hair by her ears: "Family Head..."

Lu Ming hummed in response.

"If..., the official wants to boldly ask one, do you still remember..., you often the official say a sentence?" Chang Qinglan said.

After the division, Chang Qinglan first brought it up to the Family Head.

"When lost in navigation, looking up one can always see the aurora." Lu Ming said.

Hearing the answer, Chang Qinglan laughed, like a real child: "You must be the same..."

Lu Ming glanced sideways, seemingly discovering the loli's vibe, as if knowing something.

"Actually..."

Lu Ming had just opened his mouth when the loli tiptoed, her hand lightly touching her lips.

"Promise..." Chang Qinglan said: "If..., you must tell some things, but no matter what, please tell, Chang Zhou."