Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 57

The seawater violently compressed her chest, trying to squeeze out the last bit of air.

Immense water pressure attacked from all directions, as if to crush her bones and burst her internal organs.

Her vision was swallowed by absolute darkness, with only the ceaseless, muffled roar of the deep-sea undercurrents, like a giant beast’s low growl, in her ears.

She didn’t know how long her body had drifted in the sea.

The sense of suffocation and the terror of near-death gnawed at her nerves like cold, poisonous snakes, but what chilled her even more was the sensation of being entwined.

Those suckers adhered tightly to her skin, each wriggle bringing a strange illusion, as if draining her vitality. Simultaneously, a cold, viscous liquid was seeping through her skin, thread by thread, into her blood vessels, bringing a dull numbness and… a strange sense of connection.

To think that the tentacles could still keep up after running so far… What a miscalculation.

She didn’t know if Si Xiaoxiao was truly dead. Since the system hadn’t transported her back to the real world, it meant this script journey hadn’t failed yet.

So what was with Si Xiaoxiao’s corpse? Was the system planning a “ghost-and-human forbidden love” scenario this time?

In her mental haze, she heard a voice calling her.

“A-Man…”

A-Man? That was her childhood name. Who was calling her?

It sounded… so familiar. It sounded like… Si Xiaoxiao??

But Si Xiaoxiao would never call her A-Man.

Li Ting wanted to fight to grasp something; she struggled to open her eyes.

Darkness, excruciating pain, cold, suffocation…

The tentacles wrapped tighter and tighter around her body, as if trying to fuse with her completely.

She couldn’t collapse here, because… because of what?

It seemed someone was waiting for her.

Something was screaming in Li Ting’s mind.

The potential power contained within her body did indeed unleash an effect beyond imagination. Li Ting struggled fiercely and finally broke the surface of the water, her head emerging from the sea.

Fresh air finally flooded her lungs, which had been ravaged by seawater. She coughed violently, but at least she had pulled herself back from the gates of hell.

Li Ting immediately surveyed her surroundings. The pointed-roof church was long gone, and the sea surface was calm.

Then, she checked the state of her body.

The tentacles wrapped around her were gone!

What was going on? She had clearly felt the slimy grip of the suckers just moments ago…

Was it an illusion, or… had that thing hidden itself?

Li Ting didn’t dare to dwell on it, merely sighing inwardly.

Sure enough, it was something eerie.

Just as she quickly assessed the situation and pondered the most energy-efficient way to move toward the coastline, the dull “thump-thump” of a diesel engine approached from a distance.

It was an old, wooden fishing boat, rocking toward her like a dry leaf borne by the waves.

The hull was darkened and corroded by seawater, paint peeling, giving off a strong smell of fish and diesel.

Standing at the bow was a sturdy, dark-skinned middle-aged woman wearing a floral waterproof apron, anxiously looking in her direction.

“Hey—! You over there! Are you alive?! Hold on!” The woman, with a heavy local accent and a booming voice, waved her arm vigorously. Although the distance was too great to clearly see her expression, her emotion at this moment must have been excitement.

As the fishing boat drew closer, the woman nimbly threw a worn-out tire tied to a rope.

“Grab it! Quick, grab it!” she shouted.

Li Ting didn’t hesitate for a moment, using all her strength to grasp the slippery tire.

Whether the person on the other side was a savior or a calamity, getting out of the vast ocean was undoubtedly the best choice.

The cold touch of the tire sent a shiver down her spine, but at that moment, it was her only lifesaver.

The woman on the fishing boat and another quiet, equally dark-skinned middle-aged man worked together, hauling the soaking wet, bone-chilling Li Ting onto the rocking deck.

“Oh my God! Finally, we saved you! That scared me to death!” The woman patted her chest, looking relieved, and quickly pulled out a coarse cloth blanket from the cabin—it also smelled of fish but was relatively dry—and wrapped it around Li Ting without a word.

“Sister, how did you fall into the sea? The weather looks like it’s going to change; it’s so dangerous!”

Li Ting clutched the blanket, absorbing the tiny bit of warmth, and her severe trembling gradually subsided.

She lifted her pale face, wet hair sticking to her forehead, but her eyes had quickly regained their calmness and clarity. However, she did not immediately answer the woman’s question, but quickly observed the rescue boat.

The entire boat was extremely dilapidated. The deck was piled with wet fishing nets, a few empty plastic crates, and the nets held quite a few fish. It looked like a fishing boat returning from a successful trip.

The woman was about forty, her face weathered but her eyes showed the fisherman’s characteristic forthrightness and simple concern. The man, around fifty, perhaps to avoid suspicion, ran into the cabin after pulling Li Ting aboard, focusing on steering and turning the boat around.

Compared to the islanders she first saw, whose eyes were vacant and machine-like, these two were much more lively.

Li Ting mused inwardly.

The system has upgraded again. These two people are clearly living, breathing individuals, not at all like fakes.

And before, she could quickly meet her partner, but now, the partner is dead. It seems the traversable area has been expanded.

Evolved from a Box Garden World to an Open World?

She really didn’t know what the conditions were for completing the script this time.

“Thank you, Sister and Brother,” Li Ting’s voice was hoarse, but her words were clear, carrying a composed calm despite her near-death experience. “I… I hit my head on a reef, and I can’t remember many things… Where is this, please?”

The best way to get information was, of course, to feign amnesia, and in fact, she genuinely knew nothing about this script.

“This is the sea near Aoming Island!” The woman, Lin Xiu, spoke quickly. She helped Li Ting dry her wet hair as she talked. “I’m Lin Xiu, and this is my husband, Wang Hai. We’re fishermen from the island. You’re so lucky to be alive, Sister! The undercurrents are strong near this Black Water Bay; most people who fall in…”

She realized it was bad luck and quickly spat twice. “You’re fine, that’s what matters! We’re heading back to the island now. Let’s get you to the clinic first!”

“Aoming Island…” Li Ting silently noted the name, her gaze sweeping over the few strands of dark purple, dried filamentous material on the boat, instantly making her scalp tingle.

This looked like a dark purple sea anemone. She seemed to have seen it at Si Xiaoxiao’s funeral. Was it a common creature in this area?

She subtly tightened the blanket around her and continued to probe for information: “Sister Lin, I vaguely remember having a companion. Have you encountered anyone else nearby?”

Lin Xiu paused, then shook her head, her tone certain. “No! We only saw you! This Black Water Bay is spooky; usually, no one dares to come near it except for us who make a living here! Let alone a girl from outside! Your friend… is probably in grave danger…”

Genuine sympathy showed on her face.

Li Ting, however, sharply noted Lin Xiu’s choice of words.

Outsider… Why was she so certain of their identity?

Li Ting had originally speculated that her identity might be a resident of the island.

After all, the whole island came to the funeral of her and her blood relative, so they should at least know each other.

Yet the other party firmly defined her friend as an outsider.

Was it because everyone on the island knew each other and hadn’t seen strangers?

But that didn’t make sense. The funeral was attended by almost the entire small island—was it for an insignificant outsider?

It seemed she must go to the island to figure out… the truth of Si Xiaoxiao’s death.

So, Li Ting began a second round of probing: “By the way, Sister, is there a church on this island?”

“A church? That foreign stuff? Our poor little island doesn’t have one!” Lin Xiu answered. Her expression and tone didn’t suggest she was lying.

Li Ting frowned, then changed the subject: “Sister, are there any… legends about sacrifices or rituals on our little island?”

In a bizarre world, obtaining information is the most important thing.

“Sacrifices? We are honest fishermen; we don’t engage in that feudal superstition!” When Lin Xiu heard the word “sacrifice,” her expression suddenly changed as if a keyword had been triggered. Her face immediately tensed, and she subconsciously glanced at her husband.

Such a strong reaction? It seemed there was an issue.

Li Ting pretended not to notice the woman’s nervousness, smiled, and played it off: “Oh, I just heard. I heard fishermen have taboos and things like ancestor worship to pray for protection when they go out to sea…”

“Oh, that. We’ve never worshipped ancestors here… we worship the Sea Goddess .” Hearing Li Ting say this, Lin Xiu relaxed slightly and answered with a smile.

Sea Goddess?

Li Ting keenly realized that this might be very important information.

But seeing that Lin Xiu had become wary, she merely memorized the term and did not continue to ask.

Soon, the fishing boat docked.

Aoming Island’s pier was small, with a few equally dilapidated fishing boats moored. The air was filled with a strong smell of fish and decaying seaweed.

However, the sky was becoming gloomier, and the sea breeze carried cold rain.

Li Ting’s gaze swept over the pier. A few fishermen were sorting nets. They looked curiously at them but quickly returned to their work, seeming quite ordinary.

Everything looked so… normal.

It was as if this was just a poor, isolated, fish-smelling island pier, completely different from the gloomy, eerie small island with residents like walking corpses she remembered.

However, the more normal it was, the more bizarre it was.

Lin Xiu enthusiastically helped the still somewhat weak Li Ting off the boat: “Come on, Sister, let’s go to the clinic first! Let Dr. Chen take a look at you!”

Dr. Chen? It seemed there was a new NPC.

“Sister Lin, thank you for your trouble.” Li Ting said in a low voice, her tone appropriately weak and grateful, but her eyes were sharp as an eagle, subtly observing the low-slung houses along the stone path leading to the clinic and the occasional passing villager.

She had to recover her strength and find a way to uncover the truth about this small island.

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