Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 8

The deck was swarming with people. The players squeezed in behind the crowd to see a man hung upside down from the ship’s mast, suspended over the open sea.

He had already lost consciousness due to severe trauma. Hanging there like a piece of sun-dried meat, he swayed with the sea breeze, oblivious to the fate that awaited him.

All the players stood at the exit of the deck. Yu Jiayi was saying something with a look of dissatisfaction, but Zhu Ci was too far away to hear her clearly.

The NPC beside her sensed her thoughts and said softly, “I’m sorry, you probably can’t hear them from here.”

Zhu Ci shook her head. “It’s okay, it’s not important. I almost followed them down just now; thank you for stopping me.”

The NPC gave a small smile, her face round and soft. Then, she spoke: “Tana.”

“Is that your name?” Zhu Ci asked.

Tana nodded.

That familiar feeling rushed back. Zhu Ci asked again, “Before, in the Small Town instance… was that you too?”

Was she the RM who had helped her in the novice instance?

Tana nodded vigorously.

It really was her.

“Why have you been helping me?”

Tana blushed, a deep crimson spreading across her fair skin. She became flustered, her eyes darting around, not knowing where to look. “I… I…”

A long, low whistle reached Zhu Ci’s ears. The sound was muffled, like a whistle being choked.

It was a dog whistle.

The two of them looked toward the deck simultaneously.

At the sound of the whistle, the well-trained men with guns tilted the mast, raising the end near the water high above the sea while fixing the other end to the deck.

The surface of the sea began to churn. An anomaly was brewing beneath the waves as countless bubbles broke the surface like boiling water.

The night sea was dark and gloomy, an endless expanse where nothing could be seen. Gazing into the deep water gave one the feeling that something was silently peering back from the abyss.

The men moved efficiently. Once the mast was secured, they formed four rows and stood to the side, cradling their guns against their chests with the barrels pointing toward the sky, standing in silent wait.

Zhu Ci held her breath, waiting for a long time without seeing their next move.

The blood rushed to the face of the hanging man, his head turning a dark red. Because his frontal bone was shattered, blood dripped steadily into the sea. Drip. Drip.

The blood falling into the ocean seemed to make the thing below rejoice, as the bubbles rose even more frantically.

After another quarter of an hour, Zhu Ci grew impatient. The other players couldn’t sit still either—He Fanghui, in particular, looked irritable and suffocated, constantly stomping her feet.

One minute later, the men shifted the guns they were holding vertically against their chests, bringing them down into a level, horizontal position.

With a loud rumble, a large circular section in the middle of the deck sank, splitting into two semicircles that slid aside.

A stage slowly rose from the opening.

Isaac made his entrance as if performing a show, raising both hands high in a V-victory sign. Only after the stage had fully risen did he lower his hands and walk toward the mast with an air of immense authority.

“Holy Nereid, your loyal servant offers this sacrifice, seeking only your grace—to grant your servant the tears that melt into the sea.”

After finishing his soulful recitation, he gave a slight wave of his hand. The man at the very front raised his gun and aimed at the rope tied to the hanging man’s feet.

A gunshot rang out.

The man plummeted into the sea as if swallowed by a gargantuan monster hidden beneath the waves, disappearing without a sound.

The players gasped. Some covered their mouths, terrified that they might share the same fate, while others remained indifferent, the scene failing to affect them in the slightest.

Luo Yongcheng’s lips trembled as he gasped, “Dead? Is he dead? Did he just die like that?”

“Dead as a doornail,” He Fanghui answered him maliciously.

The man who had been standing beside Luo Yongcheng earlier was named Li Jiangong. Around thirty or forty years old, he patted Luo Yongcheng reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid. This is just the beginning. We’ll definitely find a way out soon.”

“There are still several NPCs left in the banquet hall. If we vote one out every day, we can delay for a few more days. We still have a chance. After all, this is just a Simple difficulty instance, right?” suggested a girl with a supple figure and a crisp voice.

“Heh, you’re all thinking too simply,” Yu Jiayi sneered. “There are distinctions even within Simple difficulty instances. A 100% completion rate for this instance rewards 2,000 points, which makes it upper-middle tier for Simple difficulty. That means besides the instance Boss, there is definitely a Roaming-type RM. Didn’t you guys do your research before coming in?”

“This…” The crowd began to murmur; clearly, they were unaware of this fact.

“Yu Jiayi, don’t be so hard on them. After all, we’ve been through an instance before, so naturally, we know a bit more.”

He Fanghui feigned a gentle and kind demeanor again, but she revealed a shocking piece of information.

The two of them had actually entered an instance before and made it out alive.

No wonder they seemed so composed.

The night sea was plagued by constant wind and waves. Standing on the deck was not only cold but also made it easy for clothes to get soaked by sea spray. Consequently, the players decided to head back to the banquet hall to plan their next move.

Seeing them start to move, Zhu Ci rushed back as well. She broke free from the hold on her wrist, turned around to grab Tana’s hand, and pulled her toward the lower deck.

They arrived just before the other players returned.

Beside her, Tana stared at their joined hands as if she were trying to ignite them with her gaze. Zhu Ci looked at her and suddenly remembered the photo she had taken on her phone.

Although the person in the photo was blurry, she didn’t look like the child she was now; she appeared more mature and taller.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Is this how you originally look?”

Hearing the question, Tana looked up at her, her mouth slightly agape. “Ah, this is how I look in this instance…”

After speaking, she shook her head. “I cannot say too much.”

“And the name too?”

Was the name “Tana” also specific to this instance?

Tana blinked her eyes and nodded frantically.

“So, I don’t know your real name or your real face.” As she said this, even Zhu Ci felt a hint of loneliness in her tone.

Tana felt her disappointment and was about to say something, but the players returned.

Once back in the banquet hall, Yu Jiayi suggested, “Let’s all return to our rooms for tonight. It’s already late. Even if we keep discussing, we won’t reach a conclusion.”

Though her voice was cold, she commanded respect, and she had clearly established herself as the leader among the players.

The girl with the crisp voice stepped forward, trying to grab Yu Jiayi’s sleeve. “Um, can I stay in the same room as you tonight? You said there’s a Roaming-type RM… I’m really scared.”

He Fanghui leaned in toward her. “Why not stay with me? Don’t you think I offer more of a sense of security than she does?”

The girl was clearly terrified of her and shrank toward Yu Jiayi’s side.

“Sorry, forget it. I’m not used to sleeping with others,” Yu Jiayi said, blocking He Fanghui.

“If you’re scared, why not stay with me? I can sleep on the floor, and you can have the bed,” Li Jiangong offered, seemingly out of kindness. However, a middle-aged man inviting a young girl to share a room felt strange no matter how one looked at it.

“Is that okay?” the girl asked.

“Of course. We’re all in the game together; we should help each other.” Li Jiangong reached out a hand. “Hello, I’m Li Jiangong. And you?”

The girl took his hand. “I’m Xiaodie.”

Yu Jiayi watched with cold eyes, having no intention of interfering.

The remaining few also planned to find partners to stay with. Since they knew very little and the game was fraught with danger, sticking together seemed better.

Except for Yu Jiayi and He Fanghui, everyone else found a companion.

Their conversation excluded the NPCs. Once they finished their discussion, they dispersed. The NPCs also followed the crowd back, leaving Zhu Ci and Tana together.

Zhu Ci let go of Tana’s hand. A trace of loneliness appeared in Tana’s eyes, only to vanish an instant later.

Zhu Ci said, “I have to head back too. What about you? Do you want to sleep with me?”

Tana pursed her lips and looked up at her without saying a word.

Zhu Ci didn’t push her. Instead, she reached out and patted Tana’s head. “Then I’m off.”

It was fluffy; the texture was quite nice.

Having taken her “prize,” she saw Tana covering her head and staring at her with wide eyes. Feeling much better, Zhu Ci waved goodbye and returned to her room.

The room was still cramped and slightly damp. Zhu Ci turned on the light and checked every corner to ensure nothing was hidden before bolting the door.

The “Roaming-type RM” they mentioned earlier—could it be a new, higher-level type of RM? Would it be harder to deal with than the giant insects she saw in her first world?

She removed her makeup and lay on the bed without changing her clothes. She would stay like this for the night so she could react instantly if danger arose.

In the dead of night, the ship sailed on as if sleeping within the ocean. The cabins were deathly silent, unaware that danger was coiled like a venomous snake, approaching stealthily.

A scream pierced the night sky.

Zhu Ci was jolted awake. she rushed out and ran toward the source of the sound.

At the end of the corridor, the door to Room 217 was wide open. Xiaodie had collapsed on the floor by the doorway, her hands covered in blood. She was trembling as she covered her face, staring into the room and muttering to herself.

Zhu Ci went over to help her up and looked inside the room.

Li Jiangong lay in a pool of blood. His head was tilted at a bizarre angle toward his left shoulder, his two hands were raised straight up toward the ceiling, his left pant leg was unnaturally twisted, and his facial features were a blurred mess.

He was dead.

A bloody, mangled leg lay on the floor—it likely belonged to him.

The smell of blood was overwhelming, hitting her like a physical blow. Her stomach churned violently. Zhu Ci secretly summoned her watermelon knife and activated the Senses-Eraser, losing her sense of smell, which allowed her to regain her composure.

Many others had heard the scream and rushed over, but they weren’t as fast as she was; they followed behind her.

He Fanghui was the second to arrive. When she saw Zhu Ci, she let out a small “Huh?”

More people reached the door of Room 217. Seeing the scene inside, some couldn’t handle it and ran off to vomit on the floor, while others nearly fainted.

Since she couldn’t smell anything now, Zhu Ci stepped into the room with indifference to examine the corpse. She knew her act of pretending to be an NPC might have been exposed, but she gritted her teeth and continued the performance.

He Fanghui stared at her back the entire time.

The late-arriving NPC… as expected, more than one person has been blurring the lines from the very beginning.

The corners of her mouth curled up into a silent smile.

This person actually managed to deceive my eyes. Not simple at all. This instance is getting more and more interesting.

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