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Chapter 292 - 289: "Player?

Chapter 292: Chapter 289: "Player?

Su Ming’an finished reading the line of introduction and put away the gem.

...So that was it.

The clues from before and after were now connected, and he had a general understanding of the "Netherworld Spot" for this instance.

Players probably couldn’t have guessed that this huge vessel, which seemed like it could capsize at any moment in the storm, was actually relatively safe.

Because, according to the information provided, the Soul Clan of the Yate Empire had become very rare, and the identities on the Yate Vessel had been strictly vetted—thus, there shouldn’t be any presence of this dangerous race.

Whereas the Maritime City that appeared beautiful and filled with blue skies and white sands... had become a paradise where these murderous races thrived.

Su Ming’an glanced outside the window; it was already night. The sea waves gently slapped against the hull, and beyond that, everything was deathly silent.

Who knows the condition of those players who were joyful during the day, saying they wanted to have a good vacation in Maritime City...

What were their circumstances now in the dark of night?

After nightfall, channel chats automatically shut off. The bottom left corner of the screen was eerily quiet; he had no idea how much those players in Maritime City had lost.

Suddenly, he heard a system notification:

"Ding Dong!"

[Due to teammates (Lv Shu) and (Lin Yin) being within one thousand meters of each other, squad channel chat is open.]

[Current squad channel members: Su Ming’an (Captain), Lv Shu, Noel, Lin Yin, Mo Wen]

A new interface appeared on the bottom right of his field of view, switchable with the instance chat channel.

However, even this squad channel was quiet at the moment. The night was a special time zone that seemed not to allow player interactions.

Moreover, Su Ming’an had tried to speak, but he had to count ten seconds to do so, and any action during this period would interrupt the count. This meant that players couldn’t send messages while fighting.

This rule might be limiting something.

He shifted his gaze away from the chat channel, closed the cupboard, and walked towards the last clue under the bed—

"Knock knock knock."

The knocking sound suddenly arose at the door without any prior sounds of footsteps.

Su Ming’an turned his head.

The storm raged outside the pitch-black window, and the sound of raindrops hitting the glass crackled.

The knocking continued, not hurriedly or slowly, maintaining a steady frequency, like the tolling of a bell.

"Knock knock."

"Knock knock."

Su Ming’an remembered that Saya had once cautioned him not to go out lightly at night, and especially not to open the door to anyone...

Although it was highly unlikely for there to be dangerous Soul Clan on the Yate Vessel, there might be people with malicious intent eyeing him, the downcast noble.

He held the Spatial Vibration in his hand, approached the door step by step, and softly asked:

"Who’s there?"

"Knock knock."

The steady knocking sound answered him, besides that, all was silent outside. This door didn’t even have a peephole, tightly shut so that he couldn’t see who stood there.

The audience was quite anxious, all urging him:

[Don’t open it! Ming’an, don’t open it, there must be something wrong!]

[Knocking at night without a response, a standard ghost story.]

[I had heard a horror story before, that if someone knocks at your door at night, you mustn’t open it, or your kindness might land you in trouble...]

[I’m gradually feeling that this instance has started to feel like the Underworld, with the storm arriving so suddenly...]

[Those coming from other streams, I apologize for my previous vacation instance remarks, damn it, what an Underworld instance, how could this be.]

"Thud, thud."

The knocking continued.

Su Ming’an’s right hand grasped the doorknob while his left hand had completed charging the Spatial Vibration.

No matter what demon or ghost was outside, he didn’t believe that, with his current strength, he could be killed by a trap set at the start just by opening the door.

He yanked the door open—

The corridor outside was silent, a vivid red carpet rolled out on the floor, with a rotating golden escalator coming into view.

No monstrous creatures, no death upon opening the door.

Before the escalator, a simply dressed but transcendent blonde girl, was smiling at him.

The very Saya who during the day had advised him not to go out at night, had slipped to his door at night.

"Rin, it’s time to go." She glanced at him, her tone very light, "Keep it down, don’t let the other guests discover us—oh right, how come you haven’t changed your clothes?"

"Change clothes?" Su Ming’an’s Spatial Vibration dissipated.

"Yesterday, didn’t you promise me you’d go down and check out the lower decks?" Saya adjusted her attire, the rough fabric of which was still chafing her delicate skin.

At this moment, there wasn’t a single ornament on her head. Her golden hair was simply pulled back with a rubber band into a ponytail at the back of her head, giving her a nimble and refreshing look.

"Rin, go change into some ordinary clothes," Saya said. "Dressed like this, you’ll be noticed. I heard there’s a gathering for the commoners tonight, we’re in luck."

Su Ming’an realized.

...So the thing about not going out that Saya had said was a lie to deceive that old man.

In fact, this seemingly dignified lady, actually full of curiosity, also sneaks out at night, wanting to invite him to explore the lower decks of the ship with her.

She intended to blend in as a commoner to attend their gathering.

"Wait a moment."

Su Ming’an closed his door, indeed found a set of ordinary clothes in the closet. The fabric was so rough it was almost prickly—apparently, the disparity between rich and poor in this world was quite significant.

He changed his clothes, pushed the door open, and suddenly, Saya’s hands reached out, affixing a mask onto his face.

At this moment, Saya also wore a pink mask as bright as blood on her face.

"Tonight is their masked ball, this thing is necessary." Laughter came from beneath Saya’s mask, she seemed very happy, "Rin, let’s go."

She turned and dashed downstairs, her footsteps as free as a summer breeze, her golden ponytail swaying behind her head, like a golden bird darting toward freedom.

Su Ming’an quickly followed, while also observing the situation on the giant ship at night.

At night, the giant ship was very quiet, from the fourth floor down to the first, all doors were shut tight, no nobility active in the hallways, the whole space seemed like it was asleep.

Going downstairs, seeing the broad deck, he saw the torrential rainfall outside.

The heavy rain swept over the doorway, accumulating a layer on the deck, visibility was extremely low where he could see, as if darkness had swallowed the front half of the giant ship, leaving only a cabin swaying in the wind and rain.

The sound of waves sweeping in waves, rivaling the thunderous rain, before the grand forces of nature, this ship, hailed as the Empire’s hope—the Yate Vessel—seemed incredibly insignificant.

"..."

Su Ming’an paused where he stood, then was suddenly pulled aside by Saya.

"Over here, we can go down from here." Saya took his hand, pointing to a staircase that extended downward beside them, her expression brimming with excitement.

Through the obviously crude wooden staircase, Su Ming’an could vaguely see the intensely saturated lights inside, where figures surged like waves cast in the light.

Saya led the way down first, and Su Ming’an followed closely. He heard the music grow louder, like rock but infused with exotic flavors, accompanied by loud singing.

It was a large hall-like underground ship cabin.

People wore ragged clothes in shades of black and gray, donned masks of various colors, and danced energetically to the intense drum beats. Their hair was a messy tangle, and even the girls’ hair appeared wild as weeds, but their dance moves were skilled, their steps extremely light, twirling like birds flying in the hall.

The colorful lights struck their masks, making the place as lively and unrestrained as a bustling night scene.

...completely different from the dead silence of the corridor upstairs.

The people here, at night, seemed to suddenly come alive.

His and Saya’s arrival did not attract attention as the place was too chaotic; people also kept coming in from other entrances, joining in the revelry. They sang, joked, drank, danced, swore, and filthily teased the girls, their words unrestrained like a group of beasts set free, or birds soaring high into the sky.

"Bill—how many bottles today?"

"Seven, seven..."

"Seven? Are you a girl’s stomach? Lin Qi! Get him ten bottles to rinse his mouth!"

...

"Hey, Kas, see that girl? Can’t see her face, but what a figure!"

"That’s Valen’s daughter, although she lives in the lower cabins like us, her father isn’t someone to mess with easily, Barny, I’d suggest you give up."

"Hmph... Valen, that guy is too haughty, not even from a notable family, yet he tries to marry off his daughter high up, does not even consider his own status."

"The one who finds the treasure in the Maritime City will rise instantly. Valen thinks too highly of his treasure-hunting skills. You know, his family has a knack for identifying trash..."

"Wait till I reach that city, find that treasure, then I’ll marry his daughter and show that bastard for looking down on others just because of their background..."

...

"Lin Qi, when we get to that treasure city, everyone will depend on their own skills; if I become a noble of legend, don’t blame me for not helping you."

"Hmph... Do I need your help? Who knows where the treasure will end up, probably landed by those nobilities controlling the Yate Stone trade, they’ll definitely get a hint of where the treasure is first..."

...

Su Ming’an stood near the entrance, listening to people’s conversations.

The place was indeed chaotic, the music booming like thunder, and the drummers were right next to this entrance, filling his ears with a buzzing noise.

As soon as Saya entered the crowd, she disappeared from view, and he could not find her.

He stuck to the wall and walked slowly inside, suddenly hearing a few mask-wearing people sitting on the ground talking nearby.

"...Nighttime player interactions have been banned, surely, there must be something sinister happening at night."

"Feng Sheng, keep your ’tea leaves’ far away, I can’t stand the smell."

"Haha, don’t say that, these are my treasures..."

"Back to the point, what should we do next? This ship doesn’t seem very safe, and our status is the lowest, if the ship capsizes, the lifeboats definitely won’t come to us first, we must consider the worst-case scenario."

"The voyage still needs two days, meaning we will reach the Maritime City on the third day after the replica activation. Ideally, the difficulty shouldn’t be too high, at least giving us a chance to reach the city, I don’t think it will capsize..."

"We can’t put our hope on the replica’s mercy, we must think ahead for strategies in case the ship capsizes..."

"Isn’t it said there should be some top-ranked players on board? We should see if any big shots are taking measures early, just follow their lead..."

"Dear Jojo, stop thinking so much, would you like some tea?"

"Get lost, don’t bother me. If the ship capsizes, I hope you die first!"

Su Ming’an was leaning against the wall and moving when he overheard this conversation, which was clearly between Players.

However, perhaps because he hadn’t moved for too long, the group of Players seemed to have spotted him. They turned their heads toward him, their expressions hidden by masks.

Before Su Ming’an could move away, he heard one of them, wearing a blue mask, ask, "Player?"

Su Ming’an moved his steps, not intending to engage with them.

At this point, a girl named "Jojo" among the Players suddenly spoke up:

"...Although he is dressed in ordinary clothes, he is too clean, his hands as well—this is a noble! A noble arriving at such a place in the middle of the night... He must be a Player!"

Compared to the dusty Players, Su Ming’an’s clothes indeed seemed very clean.

Next to Jojo, a man with a gray mask stood up, apparently to communicate with him.

After all, since they had encountered a noble identity Player like him, it was natural to see if they could gain some benefits from him.

"This Player, we are a squad affiliated with the Checkerboard organization, and I am the Captain, Green." He said, "My team members are fortunate, all being performers of similar identity, holding some information, I wonder if we could share it with you..."

"Ah—!!!"

Green’s words were not yet finished when they were interrupted by an extremely high-pitched female scream.

The sound was so piercing that it momentarily drowned out the loud music, causing everyone’s actions to instantly halt.

However, the scream stopped abruptly, as if the woman had been silenced midway.

Green frowned, unaware of what sudden incident had occurred. The Players also stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.

Su Ming’an instantly rushed out, pushing through the crowded throng without hesitation towards the source of the sound.

He ran across the hall to a room with its door tightly shut.

The woman’s scream had come from inside just moments earlier.

At this moment, the doorway was also surrounded by some civilians, some trying to break down the door, but without success as it was locked from the inside.

It was unclear what had happened to the woman who had screamed inside.

Su Ming’an quickly surveyed the surroundings, and finally, in a corner, he spotted Saya.

She had a head of golden hair that was neither dry nor dull, making her easily recognizable in the crowd.

...Saya was unharmed.

Su Ming’an felt relieved.

He and others stood waiting in place until a crew member came down cursing from above.

"What a damn dance party in the middle of the night..." The crew member was irritable, seemingly very reluctant to deal with this matter, "Probably just another guy abducting a woman. You all are lawless waste, always causing trouble for the great Yate Vessel..."

While cursing, he began to unlock the door with a bunch of keys he held, and the berated individuals dared not speak back, no one daring to argue with him.

With a "click", the lock opened, and the crew member pushed the door open with a frown—

"Ah—!"

The high-pitched scream rang out again.

The frightened crew member sat down abruptly on the ground, his previous arrogance completely gone. He struggled to drag himself backward, as if fleeing from something terribly horrifying.

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