Ye Shu locked her door under the gaze of her mother’s uncanny eyes.

Something was wrong—very wrong! Just a few hours ago, Ye Mu had shown no such oddity.

She activated the light screen, hoping for useful information.

[Umeng Shan Lian Zhu Shan: Is this the game? It feels so real! I've never been on such a luxurious cruise ship before, and there's a free party, too! Not at all like folks said online!]

[Man Tian Xing Chen Jie Shi Ni: This place is amazing, I wish I could stay here forever! By the way, have you all noticed—the cruise’s restaurant keeps serving sashimi? It looks all crystal-clear, like lychee pulp. But honestly, I just can’t bring myself to eat it.]

[Paigu Chaodan: Same here. Gives me the creeps just looking at it.]

[Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi: Don’t eat it, whatever you do. I saw transparent threads in the fish—looks diseased.]

[Weida de Da Yinghua Diguo: Baka! Sashimi is the world’s finest delicacy. Can’t believe you’re all scared of it! In Zhōnghuā, we say... bao qian tian wu…]

[Tang Hulu Mei You Tang: It's... bao tian tian wu. If you like it so much, help yourself to more.]

Ye Shu sent a private message to the user named Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi.

Her own floor—the 80th—seemed undisturbed. All normal, except for outside her door... where her mother devoured fish, ravenously.

[Wo Shi Ni Die patted Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi]

[Wo Shi Ni Die: Hello, did you really see something on the sashimi?]

Ye Shu hadn’t expected a reply, but within seconds, a photo arrived.

[Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi: I ran into one of the real people from the ranks! Hi, hi! Swear I’m not lying.]

[Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi: I used the Fire-Eye Golden-Gaze item—lets you see things others can’t.]

The sender seemed desperate to be believed, almost swearing upon their ancestors.

So that was the root—it looked like survival only required you to avoid the strange sashimi.

But Ye Shu thought things were rarely so simple.

Exhausted from the day, she finished washing up and crawled into bed. After the last game, sleeping with the lights on had become her custom.

............

The second day in the game.

Ye Shu tucked her peach-wood sword by her bed and tore open a sandwich pack for a simple breakfast.

She went online, searching for any clues. Typing Royal Caribbean into Soumao brought up a torrent of articles—most praising the American-made mega-cruise. But one caught her eye: a stampede had occurred during a party aboard this ship, though the scandal was suppressed long ago.

Finding nothing further, Ye Shu closed the browser.

Outside, the sun shone brightly. On her way out, she found no trace of her mother, and her father’s room remained locked and silent, oblivious to her knocking.

A wander around the ship proved fruitless.

Fortunately, the Ye family had always given their daughter ample allowance. She summoned room service, stocking up on everything: food, daily needs, medicine—soon her bathroom could fit nothing else.

She stuffed any spare space in her Storage Ring, too.

[Ring space can be optimized. Optimize now?]

[Yes]

[Optimization complete. Space expanded by one square meter.]

[Storage Ring Item: Stores items, can bring objects out of the game world (level: unknown) (cannot be dropped)]

She’d thought optimization only fixed broken items, not that it could do this.

Ye Shu stared at the silvery mark on her finger, joy stirring in her chest.

The rings she’d bought from the in-game shop had heavy restrictions; much of what she’d hoped to smuggle in remained outside. But now—this was a different story.

............

Evening came.~

Still, nothing happened on the cruise. The player count held steady at a million. No change, no incident.

The anxious masses, finding everything so peaceful, slowly grew reckless.

[Eating Chestnut Squirrel: I think this dungeon game is lame, honestly. Two days in, I’ve eaten, slept, and lazed about—no trouble at all.]

[Wo Shi Yi Pao Shi: There’s eighteen days left—don’t let your guard down. If you can, avoid all raw foods.]

[Tou Tai Shi Men Jishu Huo: Dude, maybe you’re just too nervous. I tried a plate last night, totally fine.]

[Weida de Da Yinghua Diguo: Baka! Zhōnghuā cowards. Scared of a little raw food? I've eaten it every meal, feeling great!]

[Liu Ruyan Da Di: No hints this round, and nothing but open ocean—are we looking at a repeat of the Tanker tragedy?]

[Bieren Chao Wo Reng Niba: Could be. I’m a veteran player; this game’s heartless. First round, we were only warned not to make eye contact—not a word about supernatural things.]

[Wo Tang Xia E Ta Ba Wan Ba: Wait, how did we get on this topic? Weren’t we talking about sashimi? So—can we eat it or not?]

The player forum split into camps, and soon devolved into a shouting match.

Day three arrived.

Gone was the gentle weather; the sky pressed low and gray. Many speculated a sea storm was part of the game.

Yet the waves remained calm.

Few people paced the decks. Instinct taught the players danger lurked; better to stay hidden, band together, or simply keep to one’s quarters, far from the hustle of their first day.

With nearly one hundred thousand NPCs on board, players kept their heads down, and serious incidents were rare.

Ye Mu returned after being absent all night, listless and hollow-eyed, as if her spirit had left her body.

Ye Shu called out again and again before Ye Mu responded.

"Ah, Shu... Shū a ka... I... am tired... go back... sleep..."

Ye Mu’s words dragged out, childlike and slow. Goosebumps prickled over Ye Shu’s arms.

A heavy knock came at the door.

"Jie Jie Ye, open up—it’s Baozhu!"

Peering through the peephole, Ye Shu saw the little girl dressed in a frilly dress, black hair shining under a diamond headband. She recognized her immediately as Lin Baozhu, who had boarded the cruise with her family.

Ye Shu and the girl shared a warm bond in this game world.

She opened the door. The girl’s eyes brimmed with tears, golden drops rolling down her cheeks, nose red. "Jie Jie Ye, my brother, dad, and mom are all sick... I can’t wake them, no matter what... *hic*... Uncle said they were just ill, so Baozhu gave them medicine... but it’s no use."

The poor girl, sniffling and sobbing, looked just like a little red-eyed bunny.

Ye Shu pondered—the game might involve a virus. She hurried back to her room, disinfected herself with alcohol, suited up in protective gear and a mask, and outfitted the girl with a smaller-sized hazmat suit.

"Jie Jie Ye, are we playing a game?"

Though confused, Lin Baozhu obeyed, letting Ye Shu spritz her down with alcohol.

Inside the Lin family’s room, both parents lay unconscious.

At first glance, they only seemed asleep. But when Ye Shu measured their temperature, she found: 31 degrees.

That was not a temperature any living person should have!