"Shopping stimulates dopamine release."
Nan Yue had things on her mind, so she didn't join the others in looking at clothes and jewelry. She remained silent for a long time before speaking.
"I thought more people would survive this mission."
Jiang Siyan glanced at her. He no longer felt any desire to protect life.
Not his own, nor anyone else's.
"Everyone ends up in the same place eventually, sooner or later."
The two said nothing more. Seeing that the packages in Gu Xiang Kai's hands were piling up, Nan Yue decided to join them.
Because of Steve's reward for the surviving explorers, they could buy anything on the ship as they pleased.
Especially since they knew the ship had met its end long ago and everyone on it was gone, these things didn't matter much anymore.
"This necklace would look great on you."
Nan Yue pointed to a pentagram necklace made of diamonds.
Wen Xiang Yuan took a look. She didn't seem particularly interested in these shiny, expensive jewels either.
"I think this copper necklace is fine."
Wen Xiang Yuan gently touched the necklace with a soft expression. Although she still didn't know the use of this necklace, she cherished it.
"Xi Ning, be careful tonight."
They couldn't change rooms on the ship, and no matter what happened, they wouldn't be able to help. Nan Yue could only offer a reminder.
Zhu Xi Ning nodded while trying on a bracelet. "Don't worry. Didn't you say it? This isn't an attack-type mission."
After dinner that evening, everyone went back to rest.
Nothing had happened all day, and most of the scavengers had begun to relax.
Once midnight passed today, they should be able to return.
Nan Yue and her roommate's door was knocked on ten minutes before midnight. It was John, carrying the oil lamp that always hung at the bow of the ship.
"Explorers, it's time to go home."
Tan Xiaonan didn't dare speak, following Nan Yue down the long corridor toward the deck.
As she walked, she smelled a very stale scent of blood.
A ridiculous thought occurred to her: the red of the hallway really did look like human blood.
But the mission was about to end, and she didn't want to think about anything else.
The corridor was silent, filled only with the sound of the scavengers who had been called up moving about.
The guests' rooms were as quiet as if they were empty. Even though the scavengers kept their footsteps light, such movement couldn't possibly fail to wake anyone.
The ship... felt empty.
Once all the scavengers gathered on the deck, they saw a small boat alongside the Devil's Bay.
This boat had appeared out of nowhere and looked large enough to hold all the scavengers.
"You don't belong to the Devil's Bay."
Steve and John stood on the deck, quietly watching the crowd before them.
"This is your way home."
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Everyone stood in the rain, with only the sound of waves hitting the ship filling the air.
The scavengers were overjoyed, but through the rain, Nan Yue saw faces in the dark cabins.
Was it an illusion?
She seemed to see the passengers of the Devil's Bay watching them from behind the glass.
Nan Yue saw Penny. Penny looked at her gently, but her gaze was somewhat sorrowful.
Nan Yue took a step forward. She moved her lips, but didn't know what to say.
Penny raised her hand and waved at her. Johnny stood beside her, his face devoid of any expression.
【Go on, go home.】
Nan Yue understood what Penny was saying.
She bit her lip and stepped back.
At this moment, all the lost memories returned. They remembered the fact that they had died long ago.
"Can we leave as soon as we get on the boat?"
"Of course. Let's go."
"Wait."
A cold female voice interrupted the others' enthusiastic discussion.
"Indeed, if we board like this, no one will leave alive."
Long Qinghe clenched his fists and gave a mirthless smile.
Swish!
A sharp blade cut through the air. Everyone watched in shock as Bi Danyuan, who had been standing quietly, suddenly moved. Her dagger sank into Zhou Meifei's heart.
"You... you killed her!"
Chen Shaofei stepped back in panic, unable to believe it.
"Just because she avoided one adventure, you killed her! You're a heartless woman!"
Bi Danyuan said nothing. She pulled out the dagger and flicked the blood off it.
"You said it yourself; she avoided the adventure. Do you think a mission would be so generous as to let you survive just by hiding behind others?"
Chen Shaofei now looked at her as if she were a demon and wouldn't listen to a word she said.
Nan Yue hadn't expected Bi Danyuan to be even more decisive and ruthless than before. She felt a bit helpless.
"Aren't you afraid my deduction was wrong?"
Bi Danyuan showed no concern. She shrugged. "Even if I killed the wrong person, it's on my head. I've already got plenty of blood on my hands; what's one more?"
Bi Danyuan smiled. "Besides, I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Most importantly..."
Bi Danyuan smiled. "You've never been wrong."
"What are you talking about! You made her kill her!"
Chen Shaofei looked at Nan Yue. If he weren't weaker than her, he would have wanted to strike first.
"The top rankings say you, Nan Yue, are a good person. I think you're a demon!"
Nan Yue ignored him, her gaze shifting elsewhere.
"This is the situation. Although I'm not a hundred percent certain, you few... cannot board the boat with us."
The people Nan Yue was staring at froze. Although they didn't know what Nan Yue was talking about, the people around them instinctively moved away.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Li Anjie looked at Chen Shaofei. "Do you believe her?"
"We sat together at the final banquet, at least. Do you also think something is wrong with me?"
There were two people Nan Yue was looking at: Li Anjie and Fan Jiayuan.
The remaining scavengers realized belatedly that these were the people Nan Yue previously thought had issues with their photos.
Zhao Linli said hesitantly, "Judging based only on photos... isn't that too arbitrary?"
These were human lives, after all. If Nan Yue's judgment was wrong and they died because of it, it would be a grave injustice.
However, his roommate, Jiang Yang, was more of a fan of Nan Yue. "But there can't be irrelevant details in a mission. And look at Fan Jiayuan, whom Nan Yue marked; he was also the one who ran into the cabin during the first mission."
"In a way, he also avoided the adventure that belonged to him."
Chen Shaofei also heard their discussion. "But Li Anjie didn't! He's been completing the adventures!"
The more he spoke, the more he believed his own judgment. He took two steps toward Li Anjie as if in a show of defiance. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with him. Why was he marked too?"
Jiang Yang was speechless. Cold sweat poured down Chen Shaofei's forehead, mixing with the rain. "She's clearly just talking nonsense! Trying to turn us against each other!"
Jiang Siyan leaned against the railing and sighed. "His psychological value has collapsed."
Rate on N.U.
