The thin sheet of ice that shattered with a touch yesterday had grown solid and thick.
Every boat on the Black Sea was frozen fast, immobile above the rigid expanse.
Fu Jingchuan could only guess what Ye Shu sought from the hidden treasure chests beneath the ice, yet he still dug one out ahead of her. To his surprise, the chest contained more than monsters: there were essential supplies—a brazier, fresh water, and food with nothing missing. What’s more, slaying the monsters that emerged would grant extra points.
A level-0 mutant fish was worth 0.1 points.
Level 1, 0.5 points.
Level 2, a full point.
The rewards seemed meager, but these points were rare treasures, nearly impossible to come by!
Even clearing a level, in comparison, only granted ten measly points.
The shop’s resurrection card, the withdrawal ticket... and those enticing items—every player craved them.
"Xiao Shu... I scouted the thick ice below. There really are treasure chests—it’s 0.1 points per level-0 sea monster. We shouldn’t wait. Let’s dig up the chests. Let Shiyi and Pangzi join in too."
All the nearby boats were trapped in the ice.
Even if someone had their eyes on them, they'd be wise to reconsider first.
Ye Shu didn't hesitate. She agreed immediately.
With Da Piaoliang watching over the icebreaker, she had nothing to worry about. No ordinary person could handle the paranormal.
The group picked their way cautiously across the ice. The black surface lost its strangeness after a while.
Beneath the massive, frozen sheet, something immense and fast swept by, unseen in the gloom.
No one noticed, not through meters upon meters of thick ice.
Crack – crack –
Ye Shu slammed her metal shovel against the ice. Luckily, these chests weren’t deeply buried; moments later, she unearthed a black-iron box.
[You have opened a Black Iron Treasure Chest. Reward: Fresh Taro ×10, Chengyang Lake Crab ×9, One box of nearly-expired Mooncakes.]
Ye Shu arched an eyebrow, her smile freezing on her lips.
A minor miracle—this time, there wasn't a monster lurking inside...
Food she had never seen in her inventory—still a pleasant change!
The crabs were alive and twitching. She hurriedly beckoned Xiao Bai to rinse them off and get them ready for steaming.
While she gave instructions, Pang Pangzi’s luck failed him miserably.
The ‘Lucky Star’ himself managed to summon... an advanced sea monster.
Before him, a three-meter-tall red crab, shell streaked with black markings, reared up. Ignore the clusters of human eyes blinking across its carapace, and it might pass for a regular (if overgrown) crab.
[Advanced Human-Eyed Red Demon Crab. Description: The shell is as tough as armor, and its twin pincers are the deadliest weapons in the Red Demon Crab’s arsenal—renowned throughout the ocean for brute strength. Beware the venomous barbs along its shell, and above all—resist staring into its countless eyes. Defense: 91 points.]
"Help!"
"Why am I the only one who finds advanced monsters? Wasn’t Ugly Duckling just saying I was blessed with luck? Shiyu, your predictions are trash this time... fraud!"
Before opening the chest, Pang Pangzi had wielded his watermelon knife with glee.
Once the monster appeared, he didn’t even glance at it before bringing the blade down—except this deep-sea fiend’s defenses were beyond imagination. Ordinary weapons couldn’t pierce even its outer shell.
The ice was slippery, and Pang Tongyi fell flat the next instant.
Fu Shiyi, being the closest, had gotten along well with Pangzi these past days. He whipped up his sniper rifle without hesitation.
Fu Jingchuan was going to act, but some shadow on the ice below kept his senses on edge—an icy prickle at his back.
CLANG CLANG—
Bullets only grazed black scratches into the red shell.
Out of ammo, Fu Shiyi yanked out a grenade. "What the hell, its defense is insane!"
A grenade, really... Was Fu Shiyi trying to wipe them all out?
Detonate the crab and drown themselves—excellent plan.
What if a greater beast lay below? How could she explain that to the universe?
Ye Shu steadied her nerves. "Shiyi, fall back, I’ll handle the crab."
She’d had her eye on this advanced sea monster’s points for a while.
Now she could claim them openly.
SCHING—
Her peachwood sword shrieked against the demon crab's armor.
Hurt, the crab opened all its human eyes in unison, making Ye Shu’s scalp tingle.
She leaped atop the monster, slashed down with a swift stroke, severing a leg—and with a wet squelch, split the crab in two, oozing black-green sludge.
[Ding! You have slain an advanced sea monster. Congratulations! 10 points awarded!]
"Sister Ye, that was awesome!"
Fu Shiyi’s praise was loud and sincere.
Pang Pangzi slumped on the ice, sweat freezing in rough shards all over his face.
"Of course, let’s keep digging."
Ye Shu, enthusiastic, chipped at a new patch of ice for the next chest.
Another black-iron box emerged in less than fifteen minutes.
[You have opened a Black Iron Treasure Chest. Reward: Sour Green Mandarin ×10, Red Heart Dragonfruit ×3, Thumb-sized Stuffed Cookies ×2.]
Ye Shu: “...?” Where were her monsters? Where were her precious points?
Supplies weren’t essential—points were.
She kept cracking the ice, opening chests, finding nothing but food.
Three chests in a row—all food.
Even with her supposed luck, something felt off.
She’d always trusted Ugly Duckling’s luck test.
Was the game suppressing her?
Weren’t the chests meant for points?
If she couldn’t earn points, to Ye Shu, it was almost a matter of life and death.
Meanwhile, Pang Pangzi drew another advanced sea monster.
This time, Fu Jingchuan dispatched it with ease.
"Ye Heroine... This isn’t just hard work; it’s not humanly possible! I really can’t handle any more chests, I’m heading back to rest before something worse arrives."
Pang Pangzi was terrified of finding another advanced monster.
He was just an ordinary guy—not like Ye Heroine, nor Boss Fu, who could clear monsters with a wave. Killing a level-0 was one thing, but fighting an advanced monster face-to-face? No points could convince him to risk his life!
"Wait. Help me open the chests; if there’s a monster, I’ll kill it. Supplies are yours."
Ye Shu, noticing Pang Pangzi’s retreat, offered her reassurance.
"Alright, boss! Everything you say goes."
Ye Shu went straight to work, oblivious to the shadowy presence below—a monster pressing its face right against the black ice under her feet.
Lin Qingyue watched, feeling increasingly unsettled.
That Fu guy—what was his problem, looking at Xiao Shu like that? Sappy and clinging, syrupy as honey. That foolish woman seemed oblivious, still obsessing over looting and stockpiling supplies.
Were her brains made of paste?
She’d kill with efficient precision when the time came.
Yet towards the others—gentle, tender. The difference was extreme.
This disparity left Lin Qingyue cold. She glowered at Fu Jingchuan and his brother, her eyes lantern-bright.
Fu Jingchuan seemed to sense the stare and glanced down at the black ice below.
"Run!"
"Something’s coming from below!"
Ye Shu’s sharpened senses picked up on the danger instantly, shouting for everyone to scatter.
Lin Qingyue burned with anger.
She swung her hand, shattering the hardened ice with one blow.
The frozen ships bobbed free again.
A thick, black tentacle swept across the iron hull. Just as Fu Jingchuan hit the ladder, the monstrous ship crashed down, dragging him into the cold depths.