Lucas Hall dragged Seraphina into the captain's cabin of the Nightmare.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, his tone serious. "Where did these worms come from?"
"Around fifteen minutes ago, the sky suddenly went dark. I was still steering the ship at the time, and I noticed a lot of new black dots in the crystal ball's reflection. So I stopped the ship, walked to the bow, and tried to get a better look," Seraphina recalled. "The rest, you already know."
Lucas listened, then grabbed the crystal ball to examine it more closely.
Meanwhile, Seraphina began to speculate about the giant worms.
"They probably don't have eyes, no visual organs. Otherwise, they would have noticed the Nightmare by now. I think they've lived in total darkness for a long time, relying on hearing, smell, or other senses to hunt. Because of the storm, their perception range has been severely reduced, and they can't see the Nightmare right now."
Lucas frowned, still studying the map.
He then opened the global chat to see how other players were faring.
The chat was chaotic.
"How's it so dark? I'm completely lost, can someone tell me where the exit is?"
"There are so many giant worms out here! The closest one is less than 200 meters away! My god!"
"GOD, did you abandon me?!"
The storm zone had escalated, and players who had already escaped were mocking those still trapped.
"More monsters? Tough luck, told you to run faster!"
"Ever played battle royale? You ran slow, now the toxic circle's here. Who can you blame?"
"Baka, just wait to die inside!"
"Just you wait, your turn's coming soon!"
.....
Lucas closed the chat, his face grim.
Most players had already escaped the storm zone. The larger number of escapees was likely forcing the storm zone to expel and eliminate the remaining players.
Seraphina and Lucas, having left two days later, were now trapped.
Lucas paced back and forth, suddenly remembering an important piece of information: 200 meters.
He quickly opened the chat again, found the message, and sent a private message to the player.
"Still alive? Are you sure the giant worms are 200 meters away?"
The reply came quickly, the sender clearly anxious.
"Yes, absolutely! These worms are so huge, I'm talking tens of meters long, and three meters thick!"
"Calm down. Take another careful look. Are you certain it's only 200 meters?"
"No need to check! I'm a surveyor. I can tell distance like that in a glance!"
Lucas relaxed slightly. He quickly formed a plan.
He checked the map again, adjusting the scale to 1cm equals 200 meters. That way, every centimeter on the map represented a distance of 200 meters.
He compared a few points on the map.
"Got it!"
His spirits lifted. He turned to Seraphina.
"You were right. These worms can't see, and their senses are limited due to the storm. We can try to navigate through the gaps between them. The path is rough, but there's enough space between the worms. We can make it!"
Seraphina's eyes lit up at his words. She had been fascinated by the creatures, but Lucas was already thinking of a way to survive, no matter the cost.
"But do you know the safe distance? There might be variations between them," she cautioned.
"One player gave me a hint," Lucas replied. He set the lower bound distance to 200 meters, leaving the upper bound open, as the farther, the better, and planned to use this as the standard to head toward the exit.
"Now, I'll steer the ship. You stay on the deck, not in the cabin. That way, if the worms attack, you'll notice it right away. If the ship is destroyed, jumping into the water might still give us a chance…"
Lucas was efficient, putting his plan into action immediately. One hand held the crystal ball, the other on the helm. He adjusted the ship's speed as needed, slowing it when approaching two giant worms closely.
With each flash of lightning, he got a clearer view of the size of these creatures.
Their bodies ranged from two to five meters in diameter, and their exposed lengths were several dozen to over a hundred meters long.
If one of these beasts bit into the ship, Nightmare would likely be torn apart instantly.
Lucas carefully navigated, having changed into his sharkskin diving suit, which would be extremely useful if the ship went down.
Two hours passed. Lucas felt a little relief. They had found a way out, and though it was nerve-wracking, it was better than the certainty of death.
He opened the global chat and shared his discovery.
By doing this, he risked no real loss. On the contrary, he'd likely gain goodwill, and maybe even some unexpected rewards.
He typed:
"I've figured out the worms' perception range. It's quite limited. As long as we keep a distance of over 200 meters, they won't detect or attack us. We can slip through the gaps between them."
"Really?"
"Damn, bro, that's some serious bravery, finding that out!"
"But how do you measure the distance? It's too dark!"
"Wait for the lightning. When it strikes, you can briefly see!"
Yes, they didn't have the map, so executing the plan would be harder for them. But staying where they were meant certain death. People were never short of courage when survival was at stake.
"Thanks, man! I made it through, this method works!"
"You're my savior!"
Lucas quickly received numerous friend requests, some even sending him items, though mostly supplies he couldn't use at the moment.
He accepted a few selective requests.
Among the items, he received: Wood *3, Cloth *227, Stone *12, Steel *7, Crystal *13, Sulfur *4.
One player also sent him a rare item, from the captain of the Fisherman's Ship, He Qi. Lucas accepted the friend request.
He Qi's ship was slow, blocked by the giant worms and hesitant to advance, but he was very close to the exit.
"Thanks, man. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have dared to go through. Here's a gift to show my gratitude."
As the item was spat out from the octopus-head nozzle, Lucas's eyes nearly popped out.
No wonder He Qi was a veteran fisherman, his catches were always special!
Item: Low-grade Abyss Soul Stone
Type: Consumable
Quality: Rare
Description: Can enhance the quality of relics, upgrading relics of exquisite quality or lower by one level. Hold it to your ear, and you'll hear sounds from the deep sea…
Lucas couldn't believe it. The first rare item he got was from someone else.
"Didn't expect my first rare item to be a gift from someone…"
He laughed, immediately using the Soul Stone to enhance his Rusted Flintlock.
The stone shattered, and the glowing liquid inside flowed into the gun, altering its properties.
Item: Glowing Rusted Flintlock
Type: Relic
Quality: Rare
**Description: Once a masterpiece, it's gradually regaining its sharpness!
Unlocks dual modes:
Cannon Mode: Fires an extremely powerful shot, causing significant damage. After firing, there's a 12-hour cooldown, and during this time, it will 100% misfire.
Standard Mode: No need to reload, with a shooting speed of one shot every 10 seconds. It causes minimal damage, but beware… due to corrosion from seawater, it has a 50% chance of misfiring.**
Lucas stared at the newly-enhanced flintlock, feeling a surge of excitement.
One shot every ten seconds, while the damage was low, it was a straight-up improvement. And then there was the cannon mode.
His gaze turned fiery as he looked at the writhing worms…
"Perhaps…"
Lucas kept his focus on the giant worms. His sanity had dropped to 48, and he was on the verge of madness, itching to try out the gun.
But he held himself back, maintaining his composure.
"No… not yet. I can't use it unless it's absolutely necessary!"