Chapter 38: Its Life Is Worth Fighting For

[Page 1/3]

【Player Luke has died】
【"Fellow Travelers" effect extinguished; a portion of the symbiotic vessel is randomly destroyed】
【Destruction in progress—】
【Lamp oil reduced by sixty percent】
【Have a pleasant game, players!】

Pleasant my foot!
Su Liu was rendered speechless.
Luke had tried to seize her supplies, not to mention the harm he brought upon Little Moon.
She had initially thought that karma had come full circle and Luke had died on his own.
Although players do not truly die during the novice protection period, at least they wouldn't have to live in fear within the dungeon.
But before she could even feel happy, the system had inexplicably reclaimed more than half of their lamp oil. How were they supposed to play like this!
However, admitting defeat was not Su Liu's style.
Her consciousness sank into her spatial storage, beginning to rummage through the supplies she had casually scavenged from the Abyss Reef.
Don't ask—if you did, the answer would be that the supplies she had swindled and cheated for earlier were almost entirely depleted.
For this reason, Su Liu felt a twinge of guilt toward the exiles on the Abyss Reef.
*I am truly sorry; I did it to survive. If I have the chance, I will repay you,* Su Liu whispered to herself.

As she searched, Su Liu found a large, gel-like object. The system description read:
【"Abyssal Grease": A flammable substance, but extremely unstable; may cause damage to the carrier itself.】
Given the situation, she didn't care about the consequences; she would use it first. If she were lucky, maybe it wouldn't cause damage.
Suddenly, Su Liu caught sight of a few herbs and thought of Little Moon, who had suffered such undeserved disaster.
Moreover, for the final day and a half, the severe weather would certainly become even more perilous. With that insidious, inescapable fog, the symbiotic vessel needed purification capabilities.
Su Liu picked out two medicinal herbs known for their heart and lung-protecting properties and pulled them out through her consciousness.

At this moment, the stern was filled with red mist.
The cold system prompt struck everyone's heart like a funeral bell. The fleeting sense of relief they had felt at Luke "reaping what he sowed" vanished instantly.
The already faint light of the kerosene lamp at the stern flickered, visibly dimming like a candle in the wind.
The surging red mist, which had been struggling against the pale blue halo, now surged forward like a school of sharks smelling blood, stopping only inches from the gunwale!
The "hissing" sound of acid rain hitting the metal deck grew increasingly harsh, and the speed of the rust spreading seemed to have been maliciously accelerated by the system.

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"Stop crying!" Su Liu's voice cut sharply through the oppressive panic.
Without a moment's hesitation, she reached into her [Game Backpack]—or rather, her spatial storage—and pulled out a large, dark green, gel-like object that emitted a peculiar, fishy sweetness and a faint fluorescence, displaying it before everyone.
"Abyssal Grease, a specialty of the Abyss Reef."
She spoke rapidly, every word clear: "It is flammable, but extremely unstable. The system warns that it may damage the carrier itself."
Chen Wu frowned, staring at the substance:
"Damage the carrier? Do you mean..."
His gaze drifted toward the violently shaking kerosene lamp base at the bow.
"There is a risk, but it's better than the ship being destroyed and all of us dying right now."
Su Liu’s voice was resolute. Her sharp gaze swept over the group before landing on Aya.
"Aya, stabilize the base, prepare for emergency reinforcement! There is no time to discuss; it’s either try this or die!"
She did not look at Lorraine, nor did she offer any further comfort.
Luke’s greed and betrayal had just occurred, and any hesitation regarding uncertain supplies could cost them their final chance—her trust in her teammates was now shrouded in the shadow of reality.
Without hesitation, Su Liu shoved the Abyssal Grease into the open oil reservoir of the kerosene lamp!

*Sizzle—!*
A violent sound, like boiling oil being poured onto cold water, exploded forth!
In an instant, the light of the kerosene lamp, which sustained everyone’s lives, shifted from its steady pale blue to an eerie, pulsing deep green!
The light flickered wildly, and each pulse was accompanied by a faint but heart-stopping "clack" sound from the metal lamp base!
*Hum!*
The pale blue force field sustained by the lamp—the protective barrier that once covered ten meters—was suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand, shrinking instantly to cover only a radius of about three meters around the helm!
The edges of the light circle were blurred and unstable; the energy was highly volatile!
*Poof!*
The force field at the stern vanished completely!
The thick, blood-red mist, as if finding an outlet, surged onto the deck!
"Wuwu—!"
Little Moon, who had been nestled against Lorraine’s chest with a weak breath, seemed to be directly stimulated by this evil aura; its tiny body gave a sharp, violent convulsion!
Its heart, covered in spiderweb-like cracks and slowly leaking silver life-light, seemed to have been forcibly injected with scalding corrosive acid. With a faint "crack" sound, the fissures visibly widened!
More silver light particles poured and dissipated from the cracks like a bursting river of stars!
"No—! Little Moon! Don't!!"

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Lorraine’s weeping instantly turned from sorrow into a heart-wrenching, desperate scream. She futilely pressed her hands against the cracks on Little Moon’s chest as if she could hold back the fading life. The dissipating silver energy filled the gaps between her fingers.
The acid rain intensified, mixing with the red mist invading the stern, filling the deck with a blend of chill, strange fragrance, and the scent of death.
The ship’s groans grew louder, and the shrunken force field swayed in the wind and rain, glowing with an eerie, ominous green light.
Su Liu stepped over to Lorraine. She did not reach out to hold her, nor did she look at the dying rabbit.
She crouched down, her gaze locking directly into Lorraine’s tear-filled eyes, which were drowned in fear and despair:
"Hold back your tears! Your fear and weeping only accelerate its death, consuming its final strength used to heal you!"
Her voice ruthlessly pierced through Lorraine’s helplessness. "Is the protection for which it paid the price of its life worth you repaying it with such weakness?"
Su Liu thought to herself that she didn't mean to yell at Lorraine like this, but if she kept crying, not only would Little Moon die in vain, but it would also exacerbate everyone’s feeling of despair.
Lorraine trembled at the shout, and her crying ceased abruptly, leaving only violent sobs and a dazed look.
"Look at it!" Su Liu pointed to Little Moon in Lorraine’s arms, whose silver light was dissipating even faster.
"Focus all your spirit! Remember the feeling when it purified the mist! Every pulse of its core! It is fighting for your survival until the very last moment! Its life deserves a fight, not to be buried alongside your meaningless tears!"
These words were like a quenched heavy hammer, striking hard at Lorraine’s heart.
The image of Little Moon blocking the deadly red mist for her, its body shattering, merged with the pure and warm moonlight power in her chaotic mind.
Shame and a deeper grief welled up, but this time, it was mixed with a hint of resolve born from responsibility.
She could not let Little Moon’s sacrifice be in vain!
Just then, Su Liu quickly took out the two shimmering, emerald-blue herbs she had selected, closed her palms, and squeezed out a few crystalline droplets of juice with force.
Without hesitation, she smeared the essence of the herbs, which carried a cool and pure aura, directly onto the edges of the rapidly widening cracks on Little Moon’s chest!

*Sizzle...*
The herbal juice touched the dissipating silver light and the corrosive residue of the red mist, emitting a delicate sound of purification.
The frantically dissipating silver light seemed to freeze for a moment, and the speed of its dissipation slowed down visibly to the naked eye!
The trend of the cracks widening was temporarily checked!
Little Moon’s extremely weak aura seemed to... stabilize just a fraction?
Although it was still on the verge of death, it was no longer in a cliff-like collapse!
"See that?" Su Liu’s voice was steady and powerful, grasping this fleeting hope.