"Ding! Congratulations, Player Ye Shu, on successfully upgrading your ship to a Level 5 Ironclad!"

"Kind reminder: At Level 5, the Ironclad can reach a speed of 50 knots. With the possession of the Dinghai Compass, an extra 2 knots is added, along with +100 defense. Ordinary sea monsters and fish cannot threaten your ship, and durability is included."

The Ironclad truly lived up to its name—its entire frame forged from jet-black iron. Man-legged, sardine-toothed piranhas couldn’t so much as scratch it; thus, not a fish haunted its shadow. Ye Shu, for once, didn’t have to spend her days patching up the hull.

The ship spanned a thousand square meters, divided into three decks: upper, mid, and lower. There were at least a dozen passenger cabins, not to mention a kitchen stocked with appliances, a recreation room for games and cards, an expanded hold, a larger helm, and even an open-air planting balcony.

The helm now boasted an electronic radar, and both flanks of the deck were armed with thought-controlled electronic cannons.

Ye Shu gazed at her iron vessel, delight flickering across her face.

She hadn't expected that assimilating other players’ ships would go so smoothly. Perhaps it was time to abandon the usual grind for materials and refit her approach?

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small fishing boat lingering at the edge of her field of view.

She was just about to aim the cannon at it when a message from Pang Pangzi arrived.

"Coastline888: Ye Heroine, wait, wait, don’t shoot! It’s me, Pangzi! We’d just come to rescue you when that creepy thing appeared…"

Pang Pangzi wiped sweat from his brow. Even after a couple encounters with the weird, beautiful cat, he still couldn’t shake the shock.

"ImYourDad: So it’s you!"

"ImYourDad: Pangzi, who’s with you?"

"Coastline888: Yeah! I used an item to gain the Fu family’s protection. Otherwise, I’d be long gone. Heroine, do you... are you willing—"

"ImYourDad: Not willing."

Pang Pangzi hadn’t even finished before being shut down. He stared at the screen, his mouth twitching—just once, could they let him finish?

Ye Shu spotted a few other figures aboard the fishing boat—some vaguely familiar. She peered closer, recalling Pangzi’s mention of the Fu family…

A memory flashed of the catastrophic flood that struck Yuhu City. She’d thought the Fu brothers had perished, buried beneath the mud. And yet, here they were, alive.

The fishing boat seemed utterly insignificant beneath the ironclad’s imposing shadow.

Fu Jingchuan eyed the woman across the water, his gaze faltering. He’d assumed she died in that torrential storm—never expecting to see her again. What he could hardly fathom was how much she'd grown.

Or perhaps, from the start, he’d underestimated Ye Xiaoshu.

In the Sweet Home sidequest, there had been no black cat—that had to be an oddity brought over from a previous game.

Fu Shiyi, honest and forthright, blurted out whatever crossed his mind: “Ye Zi-jie, you made it! I thought you’d gotten swallowed by the flood—right, Third Brother?”

"Mm, I’m not dead yet!" Ye Shu replied cheerfully. Seeing old friends brightened her mood, though Fu Shiyi’s words had a certain 'scourge survives for a thousand years' flavor to them.

Fu Jingchuan's gaze drifted from the black cat on her shoulder, brows drawing together. He chided, "Miss Ye, Shiyi meant nothing by it. Shiyi, apologize to Miss Ye."

It was the first time his third brother hadn’t pushed women away—surely a good omen!

Fu Shiyi darted a glance between them and immediately apologized: “Sorry, Ye Zi-jie! That was thoughtless of me!”

"I know," Ye Shu said frankly.

Fu Shiyi’s wide, innocent eyes held no malice at all—if he ever crossed her, Ye Shu could finish him off a hundred ways without anyone noticing.

"Miss Ye, the safe zones will keep shrinking as the survival game progresses. Let’s form an alliance. I know you have both resources and teammates to spare, but my ability is foresight. It might help us survive till the end."

Fu Shiyi was dumbfounded. For Third Brother to reveal his future sight… he must be truly smitten.

Fu Jingchuan avoided mentioning the earlier repairs to the steamship; the others followed his lead, silent as stone.

"Alright," Ye Shu agreed readily, "there’s Ye Xiaoshu, space powers, and my two spirit pets—Da Piaoliang and Xiaobai."

More friends were always better than more enemies. Besides, fighting day in and day out hardly fit her gentle style.

What surprised her most was that Fu Jingchuan would expose his power—just to form an alliance.

She gave a wave, and a merfolk with a human’s head and fish’s tail leapt from the fishing boat. The kitten on her shoulder—looking barely weaned—waved enthusiastically at the three men.

Fu Shiyi laid eyes on a legendary mermaid for the first time, his excitement slipping past his lips: "Damn! This game is too real! Merfolk exist—does that mean mermaids are close behind?"

The endless sea was hushed, save for the restless surf slapping against iron. Silence thickened around them.

Fu Shiyi scratched his head, trying to dispel the awkward silence. Fishing out a bowl of pickled seafood, he offered: "Ye Zi-jie, Pangzi’s a whiz in the kitchen—try his pickled seafood? He made a ton; I can't finish it all. If you like it, I’ll get more."

Ye Shu eyed the bowl, where a face-like starfish writhed in brine. She had a pretty good guess now who the notorious foodie was.

Before leaving, Ye Shu added the Fu brothers as friends.

Fu Jingchuan stared at the iron yacht beside him, his face unreadable. Ye Shu’s game ID hovered bright on the screen.

Fu Shiyi nibbled a pickled starfish, chubby face squinting at the interface. "This username feels familiar—have I seen it somewhere? 'ImYourDad'... Wait—that’s the top player in Survival Game! I just asked the boss if she wanted snacks… what kind of idiot am I?"

The bizarre seafood had, of course, come from Ye Shu. Now her earlier look made sense.

Sickly and weak in bed, the true clown was himself! The top-ranked player, it was her all along!

Compared to the other two’s shock, Pang Pangzi remained calm. He’d tagged along since the first round and survived thanks to Ye Shu—even if he wasn’t quite accepted, at least they knew each other.

That night, the temperature dropped again. Many players were roused from sleep by the cold; some curled up in their rafts and would never open their eyes again.

With Xiaobai and Da Piaoliang watching over the ship, Ye Shu bundled up and slept till dawn.

Day Five, Survival at Sea Log.

Weather: Cloudy. Temperature: 7°C.

Friendly Reminder: The sea is swimming with hungry fish and swells. Treasures will spawn from 8am to 6pm. Angling and sailing are mutually exclusive—choose one, don’t be greedy.

Within the safe zone, Ye Shu enjoyed a tranquil fishing session.

"You’ve caught a Queen Fish!"

"You’ve caught a Human-Face Starfish!"

"..."

"Congratulations, you’ve obtained a Bronze Chest!"

After hauling up a bucketful of monster fish, Ye Shu finally caught a lucky break. But her smile froze as she saw the fishing boat next over: it was stacked high with treasure chests—gleaming gold, shimmering silver, and at least a dozen bronze ones at the very bottom.