On the third day, the Challengers ' skin peeled from being exposed to the scorching sun, but otherwise, nothing unexpected happened.
After dark, everyone left the boat at the spot to rest.
Because of the silent killer Hunter last night, the Challengers are on high alert tonight. Many chose to sleep in the afternoon and simply stayed up all night. Xiao Lou's team continued to take turns keeping watch as arranged last night.
Yu Hanjiang knew very well that the Hunter had been eliminated and wouldn't reappear. The real concern now was internal strife among the Challengers. But everyone had witnessed the strength of their team last night; no one should dare to touch them.
At 00:00, a notification simultaneously appeared in everyone's floating window—
[ Endless Sea, Day 4, 00:00]
[Number of Challengers remaining at sea: 454]
This data made Xiao Lou frown: "The numbers are wrong. The next day, a group of 10 people made a wrong judgment and followed the police back, so they were eliminated; the 10-person group from Luoying Pavilion and two groups of 15 people each, a total of 40 people went to the'Starry Sky'. At that time, the secret room hinted that we ' Caribbean ' had 450 people remaining."
Yu Hanjiang also recalled this incident and said, "That's right. Before the typhoon arrived, there were 450 people remaining on ' Caribbean ', 40 on'Starry Sky', and the total number of Challengers surviving in the entire secret chamber should be 490."
Xiao Lou nodded, seemingly lost in thought, and said, " The two teams wiped out by Hunter last night lost a total of 16 people. Along the way, we didn't see any other Challenger corpses. The remaining number of survivors should be 490-16=474, so why is it 454? Where did the other 20 go?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "It's very likely that something happened to the'Starry Sky'."
The elite female team from Luoying Pavilion transferred to the "Starry Sky" cruise ship. According to Yu Hanjiang's speculation, they would probably hijack the cruise ship and drift at sea for seven days to pass through customs.
Old Mo analyzed: "I remember that three elite teams went on that ship at the time. In addition to the 10 people from Luoying Pavilion, there was a team of 15 young men and women, and 15 teams wearing Invisibility Cloaks. The'Starry Sky' had a total of 40 Challengers. Either they encountered a typhoon or some other accident, resulting in more than half of them being killed or injured, or there was infighting between the teams, resulting in 20 deaths."
Xiao Lou said, "I'm more inclined to believe they encountered an accident. According to Lao Mo, Luoying Pavilion is very famous, and most guilds and player teams don't dare to mess with them. With Luoying Pavilion's elite team in charge, the other two teams won't start fighting for no reason. Elite teams fighting each other is not good for anyone. The smartest thing to do is for the three teams to join forces to clear the level. Half of the 40 people died, which is a much higher mortality rate than ours. It's very likely that it wasn't just a simple typhoon."
At most, a typhoon might capsize the "Starry Night" cruise ship. Those three teams are all quite capable; they shouldn't be unable to handle even a typhoon. Even if they fall into the sea, as long as they aren't sucked into a whirlpool, someone who can swim can rescue their teammates in time.
What kind of accident caused more than half of the 40-person elite team to be killed or injured?
Xiao Lou suddenly said, "Their'Starry Sky' is heading in the opposite direction from us. Maybe they've encountered a sea monster!"
Ye Qi was stunned for a moment, then said with a look of horror, "Could it be some kind of great white shark? It can eat people up without anyone noticing?"
Old Mo nodded seriously: "Possibly. Attacks by wild beasts are a common challenge in the Spade Secret Room."
Ye Qi immediately shrank his neck: "Then we should be careful. Can Professor Xiao's safety ring stop a shark?"
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, it can block any attack."
After saying that, he took out his Compass, drew a circle, and enclosed the lifeboat inside the circle.
After midnight, all the cards ' skills were refreshed. Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and whispered in his ear, " The Telepathic Connection is broken. Reconnect it. I have something to tell you."
Xiao Lou nodded and once again used Qin Guan's " Telepathic Connection " skill to establish a communication channel with Yu Hanjiang.
Yu Hanjiang's voice quickly echoed in his mind: "The [ Absolute Domain ] skill card that my brother left me has also refreshed. I want to go in and take a look, but if I suddenly disappear, my teammates will get suspicious. Can you cover for me?"
Xiao Lou readily agreed: "No problem."
Yu Hanjiang said to his teammates, "I'll use the [ water ghost card ] to go underwater and scout around to see if there are any sea monsters nearby."
Long Sen immediately raised his hand enthusiastically: " Wanyue and I will go too. Our [ Chameleon ] can blend into the seawater, so even if there are sea monsters, they won't be able to find us."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, be careful."
The three used cards to go into the sea and scout the nearby waters.
Long Sen and Qu Wanyue even used a card to dive into the deep sea—the two discovered that the deep sea was teeming with colorful fish, as well as various beautiful corals and seaweed, a spectacular underwater world that was far more breathtaking than any underwater footage shown on television!
Countless small fish dart back and forth on the seabed, and the mysterious and magnificent deep sea is a place that people linger in.
The two swam around the seabed but did not find any dangerous species such as sharks; the largest fish was only a little over half a meter long.
Back in the lifeboat, Long Sen couldn't help but exclaim, "The fish in the ocean are so beautiful!"
Qu Wanyue smiled and said, "Everyone can rest assured that we have checked the sea area within a few kilometers and found no dangerous fish."
This statement relieved everyone.
Ye Qi couldn't help but exclaim, " The Chameleon Card is really useful! It blends in with the environment, so you don't even need to breathe while you're in the sea!"
Long Sen laughed and said, "Would you like to try it? Take it with you to the sea tomorrow when it's safe."
Ye Qi sensibly shook his head: "No, it's better not to. There's no need to look at the scenery here. Safety comes first. If anything happens, this card will be more useful for you, Brother Long."
Qu Wanyue looked around, puzzled, and asked, " Where's Captain Yu? Hasn't he come back yet?"
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Don't worry about him. I'm connected to him via Telepathic Connection, and he's checking on the Challenger over there."
In fact, Yu Hanjiang returned with Long Sen and Qu Wanyue after swimming around the area. However, he was wearing an invisibility cloak and was sitting next to Xiao Lou, so no one could see him.
Yu Hanjiang activated the [ Absolute Domain ] card and entered the space left behind by Lu Jiuchuan.
This time, the space is still the vast ocean.
As soon as he went in, just like yesterday, he stood directly on the sea.
Yu Hanjiang tried to take a few steps forward. Walking on the sea was as easy as walking on flat ground, which was obviously a scene effect set up by Lu Jiuchuan.
The bright moon hangs high, the stars twinkle, and the sea ripples. The enclosed space where the sea and sky meet is as beautiful as a dream.
A man stood in front of Yu Hanjiang, his back to him, his posture upright. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the starry sky, seemingly deep in thought.
Noticing Yu Hanjiang enter, he turned around and smiled slightly.
A faint smile graced his handsome face, his sharply defined eyebrows and deep eyes revealing a confidence and arrogance familiar to Yu Hanjiang. It was as if the two had returned to the real world, where Lu Jiuchuan was still the older brother who patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.
Yu Hanjiang called out softly, "Ninth Brother."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I thought you would come in right at midnight, why are you 10 minutes late?"
Yu Hanjiang explained, "My teammate noticed that the number of people on the Challenger was not right, and deduced that something might have happened to the 'Starry Sky'. He suspected that a sea monster might be attacking it, so a few of us just scouted the nearby waters and confirmed that it was safe."
Lu Jiuchuan raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Really? Your teammate is quite thoughtful."
Recalling Xiao Lou's quick wit and prudence, Yu Hanjiang's gaze softened, and he said admiringly, "He is indeed very clever. If he hadn't reminded me, I would have almost thought you had really fallen and joined the Hunter Organization."
Lu Jiuchuan said with a half-smile, "Yesterday, your attitude towards me suddenly changed. Was it because of him?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Yes. We have a card that allows us to connect mentally. He can sense what I'm saying and thinking. He calmed me down and believed that Ninth Brother's true nature wouldn't change so completely; there must be some reason."
Lu Jiuchuan was very interested in the teammate Yu Hanjiang mentioned and asked, "You're a cold guy who's rarely close to others, yet you're willing to share your inner world with him. It seems you trust him a lot?"
Yu Hanjiang said without hesitation, "That's right. I've worked with him a few times in the real world. He's a Forensic Doctor. We teamed up after we met in the Plum Blossom 2 escape room and have been together ever since. He's my most trusted friend in this world."
Lu Jiuchuan noticed that whenever his younger brother mentioned this person, a hint of tenderness would involuntarily appear on his usually serious and aloof face… His most trusted friend? Lu Jiuchuan chuckled teasingly, "Really just a friend?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded decisively: "Yes."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Let him in. I want to see him."
Yu Hanjiang asked in confusion, "See him? Why?"
Lu Jiuchuan laughed and said, "I need to assess whether the people around you are reliable before deciding on the next step of the plan."
Yu Hanjiang conveyed this message to Xiao Lou through his mental world: "My brother said he wants to see you."
Although Xiao Lou was puzzled, he also wanted to meet Yu Hanjiang's older brother because he speculated that Lu Jiuchuan's joining the Hunter Organization was very likely to be an undercover agent, and he had many questions he wanted to ask Lu Jiuchuan to verify.
Xiao Lou agreed and said, "Okay. How do I access your brother's Absolute Domain?"
Yu Hanjiang looked at his elder brother and asked, "How did he get in?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Tell me his location, and I'll go and bring him in."
Yu Hanjiang said, "He was on the lifeboat, sitting right next to me. Our lifeboat had a white sunshade, so it was easy to find."
Lu Jiuchuan nodded and suddenly disappeared. A moment later, he accurately located Xiao Lou and pulled Xiao Lou into the Absolute Domain.
Xiao Lou found himself in an unfamiliar sea area, with a bright moon and stars, and the sea and sky blending into one. He realized that he was standing on the sea. Xiao Lou was not surprised. He glanced around and calmly walked to Yu Hanjiang's side.
Not far away stood a tall man—the same height as Captain Yu, nearly 1.9 meters. The two bore a slight resemblance, though Yu Hanjiang's serious expression made him appear more aloof and composed. Lu Jiuchuan, on the other hand, exuded heroic spirit, his smile unrestrained and flamboyant.
Yu Hanjiang introduced, "This is Xiao Lou, from Jiangzhou Medical University. " The youngest associate professor in the Forensic Medicine Department. This is my uncle's son, my cousin who grew up with me, Major Lu Jiuchuan, the captain of the Navy's Arrow Commando Unit.
Xiao Lou greeted him politely with a smile: "Major Lu, hello."
Lu Jiuchuan narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing him up—the young man had a very handsome appearance, and smiled...
He was gentle and elegant, and remained calm and composed even in unfamiliar environments, demonstrating a strong mental fortitude.
He stood next to his younger brother, his head level with Yu Hanjiang's chin. He was much thinner than Yu Hanjiang and several centimeters shorter, but his presence was by no means weak.
Yu Hanjiang was too aloof, with sharp eyes and an imposing aura. Anyone standing next to him would feel overwhelmed by his presence, as if they were a head shorter than him. But Xiao Lou's gentleness seemed to complement Yu Hanjiang perfectly. The two of them standing together created a harmonious scene. Xiao Lou was not overwhelmed by Yu Hanjiang; on the contrary, she softened Yu Hanjiang's sharpness, making him appear much gentler as well.
It's strange, but the younger brother and Xiao Lou look oddly well-matched standing together.
Lu Jiuchuan smiled gently and said warmly, "No need to be polite. Xiao Jiang calls me Ninth Brother, so you should call me Ninth Brother too."
***