Chapter 33: Setting Sail!

With the powerful adhesive of the Ancient Mossy Cyan-Saliva, the ultra-rigid reinforcement of the Deep-Dive Beetle shell, and the final energy solidification guided by Zhizhi, the massive breach was finally—

Temporarily sealed and reinforced!

[Countdown: 0:00:02...]

嗡!!!

A roar from deep beneath the island reached its peak almost simultaneously, sounding like the trumpet of the apocalypse!

The entire mossy slope heaved like the skin of a giant beast! The seawater at the edges of the island turned into boiling plasma!

[Repair complete! Symbiotic Boat core structural stability restored to minimum sailing standards.]

[Warning: Temporary sanctuary failure! Ultra-high-energy threat source detected waking! Immediate evacuation advised!]

The cold system prompt sounded like a heavenly melody!

"Set sail!!" Chen Wu’s voice seemed to shatter the final shackles.

Luke, who had been guarding the helm, had his shoulder-mounted analyzer flashing red as it instantly calculated the only viable escape route! He shoved the heavy wheel with all his might, and Mo Yu stepped in to assist.

Aya scrambled toward the kerosene lamp at the bow, using the last clean scrap of cloth on her person to carefully wipe the lens, ensuring it would function steadily.

Su Liu pulled the exhausted Lorin and Xiao Yue toward the relatively safe center of the boat.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

Giant waves stirred up by the island's power slammed violently against the hull, but the newly repaired breach, supported by the beetle shells and the cyan-saliva, held firm, emitting only a few dull thuds as it withstood the impact.

Amidst the torrential acid rain and the churning, blood-like uncanny sea, the Symbiotic Boat turned its bow—difficultly, yet with unwavering resolve—and pulled away from the island, which was now revealing its hideous silhouette like the pulsing vessels of countless giant vines!

Gale-force winds, laden with acid rain and a thicker, eerie blood mist, lashed at everyone’s faces and bodies, stinging with every strike.

The hull rocked violently as it broke into a sea of dark, blood-red, turbulent waves, temporarily leaving the awakening terror of the island and the boiling abyss behind.

The overwhelming exhaustion and collapse of surviving a brush with death washed over everyone instantly.

Chen Wu leaned against the gunwale, gasping for air; the phantom of the Black Tortoise had completely dissipated, and he looked as though he had just been fished out of the water. Aya held Zhizhi, who had fallen into a deep sleep, and slumped on the wet deck, staring blankly at the shrinking shadow of the island.

Lorin clutched her rabbit, weeping silently.

Su Liu, too, was nearly spent, leaning against the broken stump of the mast in the center of the boat, her heart still racing.

Fortunately, she had her spatial storage; otherwise, Su Liu would have had no idea how to carry all those ship-repair materials back with only a twenty-slot game backpack.

Moreover, the gains from this search mission were significant. Not only did she acquire rare repair materials, but during the search, she had also plucked many flowers and plants glowing with light. While she hadn’t had time to check their uses, they were certainly a good haul.

Furthermore, Su Liu had heard information about the Endless Seas and the Qiming Empire from the "Exiled."

Connecting this to her cookbook, Su Liu now had two hypotheses:

First, since they entered the Beast-Taming Survival Game, they were no longer in their original world, but had been transported to this so-called Qiming Empire.

Second, they were still in their original world, but the various "service" zones and dungeon backgrounds were based on the location of this Qiming Empire.

As for anything beyond that, Su Liu couldn't yet fathom it and decided to let it rest for now.

Holding the little furball in her arms, she secretly activated the Hourglass of Time to cast a deceleration effect on herself, allowing for a longer period of rest.

Su Liu thought quietly. It seemed her teammates in this dungeon were quite capable. She wondered which zones they were from.

Yes, dungeon matchmaking was random; they weren't necessarily from her own zone.

Chen Wu’s Black Tortoise, though it didn't look upgraded, clearly had high potential as a spirit beast. With his background as a veteran, his overall offense and defense were definitely well above average for the新手 (newbie) protection period.

Aya’s strength lay primarily in her own repair and assembly abilities, and her spirit beast, which often accompanied her, excelled in patching but was clearly not suited for combat.

Though Lorin was timid, her Moonlight Rabbit was their only source of purification in the dungeon so far. Su Liu believed that the dungeon wouldn't just consist of gale winds and one type of mist.

As for Luke, his analyzer was clearly at level two, capable of specific, level-based analysis of the unknown. Su Liu couldn't place his type; perhaps it was a special-ability spirit beast.

And Mo Yu...

Even having been through the game once, Su Liu couldn't see through him—or that crow.

He was mysterious. He would participate in solving common problems, but once a matter didn't concern him, he immediately became indifferent.

Moreover, for some reason, looking at Mo Yu, Su Liu always felt something was off, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

What could it be... She couldn't help but feel he didn't seem like a newcomer...

Just then, unnoticed by Su Liu, amidst the chaos and silence, a slightly intense gaze stole a look at her.

It was Luke.

He had just cooperated with Mo Yu to maneuver the helm to safety, so he was in relatively good shape.

He slowly pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses blurred by rain on the bridge of his nose. The gaze behind the lenses was no longer nervous or scrutinizing; instead, like a precision scanner, it landed accurately and covertly on Su Liu—

Especially on her game backpack and the little furball on her shoulder, which also appeared exhausted from immense spirit energy consumption.

In that look, there was no gratitude, no relaxation from surviving the crisis, only a kind of extremely repressed, silent gleam, like a greedy merchant discovering a priceless treasure.

During the chaos, he had clearly seen Su Liu quickly pull those large quantities of insect shells and cyan-saliva jars from her backpack.

More importantly, Luke had witnessed the little furball’s [Void Mark] ability cutting through steel as if it were tofu. With someone possessing a spirit beast capable of such powerful cutting, what other secrets might be hidden in her backpack?

Beneath the Abyssal Reef, how had she managed to obtain enough supplies to repair the Symbiotic Boat in such a short time?

The "Qiming Light-Bearer" scam?

Then how did she get those monsters to give up their materials?

Did she... possess some special ability or item?

Countless thoughts raced through Luke’s brain, which was accustomed to risk assessment and calculation.

In a game like the Beast-Taming Survival, powerful spirit beasts, hidden special abilities, and potential spatial storage equipment—each represented immense value, a survival advantage, and future power.

And Su Liu, this "fresh graduate" he had initially thought was just reasonably fast, was exuding an increasingly thick aura of secrets.

Mo Yu stood at the bow, the black crow perched on his raised arm, silently watching the churning Sea of Blood Mist in the distance. He seemed to have caught that brief, greedy glance from Luke.

He simply turned his face slightly, his bottomless eyes like whirlpools beneath a calm sea.

The Symbiotic Boat sailed into the deeper, unknown waters amidst the wailing wind and rain, while the undercurrents on board had only just begun to stir.