"You are a group of high-society figures on a trip around the Pacific. After receiving your invitations, you brought your companions aboard this luxury cruise ship~"
Xie Qi stood at the head of the table and passionately introduced the game's premise to everyone.
The seven people who had resumed their seats at the long table all looked grim. It wasn't just because one of them was missing, but also because Xie Qi was describing exactly what they had experienced not long ago.
"But things did not go as planned. Soon after the cruise ship set sail, it ran into a storm at sea. Although the captain's expert command saw the crew through it, the ship then struck an iceberg. Water flooded the cargo hold, and the braking system mysteriously failed. Now, everyone here may choose what to take aboard the lifeboat~"
When he finished, Xie Qi thoughtfully handed each person a small whiteboard so they could write down the things they wanted to prepare.
[The chef really loves a good show. He's kicking them while they're down! He knows they just survived a shipwreck, yet he's making them relive it in a game. (snickers)]
[I love a good show too. I want to watch.]
[Weren't there supposed to be ten people? Even counting the chef, there are only eight now, right? Are the servants going to join in too?]
Someone present also raised that question.
Although Song Nan was wary of Xie Qi, he had said he would tell them where Stock had gone after the game, so she would do as he said for now. After all, there wasn't much else they could do.
After Song Nan asked, Xie Qi pretended he had only just remembered. He struck one fist into his other palm and sighed.
"Right, where's my head? I'll play the missing guest, then. As for the other two, let's make them my wife and daughter."
At his words, every single person present looked at him in terror and disbelief.
"Hm? What's wrong, guests? Did this guest really have a wife and daughter?"
Xie Qi tilted his head and smiled at them.
No one answered him. They all kept their heads down and wrote.
Xie Qi had not added those two roles on a whim, of course.
He had learned about them yesterday while disposing of the wealthy businessman's body, from the ring on his left ring finger and a photograph in a pocket watch.
He hadn't been sure whether the wealthy businessman had brought his wife and child aboard the cruise ship, but judging from the reactions of the people present, he definitely had, and they were no strangers to the others either.
Once everyone had put down their pens, Xie Qi went around to each of them, stroking his chin as he checked the items they had written down.
"Hmm... three survival kits? No good~ Each person can only take one. Let me see, there's also a nautical chart and a compass. Given your role as captain, those are allowed~"
Song Nan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when Xie Qi moved away from her.
Annie was next. She had also chosen a survival kit, along with a dagger, which she said was for self-defense when she was away from home.
When it was Brussels's turn, he had expected Xie Qi to give his board a quick glance and approve it like the others, but instead, Xie Qi stood beside him, stroking his chin.
"What is it? Is there something wrong with what I wrote?"
Xie Qi pointed at the condom on his list and asked with some puzzlement, "What are you taking this for?"
Seeing what the issue was, Brussels said nonchalantly, "What else would a condom be for? The usual, obviously. Don't tell me you're still a virgin, kid?"
Only when he said it did the others learn that Brussels had actually written that down.
Perhaps noticing the strange looks everyone was giving him, Brussels finally caught on. He scratched his head and snapped in embarrassment, "What?! Condoms can hold water too. They've got plenty of uses, all right?"
"Mm, that makes sense too. Approved, then."
Xie Qi then looked at Saul's and Phil's boards. Both of them had written down a handgun.
"Only one of you can have a handgun, and it can only have one bullet in it."
Before either of them could answer, Bailey asked, "Why take a handgun? We're trying to survive at sea, not kill each other."
"Just in case," Phil said nonchalantly.
"I'm used to it. I don't feel safe without a gun," Saul said with an honest smile.
In the end, the two decided to let Saul take the gun, while Phil switched to a dagger like Annie's.
Last was Sofina. Her other choices were all fairly standard, but she had also taken a few plastic bags and a mirror.
The seven had finished making their choices. Almost everyone had a survival kit containing enough food and fresh water to keep one person alive for ten days, a medical kit, matches, rope, a multitool, and supplies to keep out the cold.
As for the other items, most had chosen things they were carrying on them. After all, they weren't inexperienced, and they knew perfectly well what they needed to survive adrift at sea.
When it was Xie Qi's turn to write down what he would take, he did nothing extra, simply listing the items the wealthy businessman had carried. For the mother and daughter, he based his choices on the others'.
With the preparations complete, Xie Qi enthusiastically and passionately explained the rules to everyone.
"This round is turn-based. You must survive at sea for fifteen days, and each person can take one action per day, either on themselves or on someone else.
"Everyone also starts with a base amount of health. A set base value is deducted each day. Eating and drinking increase it, while physical activity reduces it. After fifteen days, the person with the most health wins.
"Well? The rules are simple, aren't they?"
With that, he brought out the large board from yesterday and set it up at the front for everyone to see.
It already listed everyone's starting health and the base amount deducted each day.
Brussels and Saul had the most health, with 500 each. Next were Phil and Bailey with 400 each, then Song Nan with 350. The remaining three women and the wealthy businessman had 300 each, and the little girl came last with 200.
The base amounts deducted each day were:
Brussels, Saul: -10;
Phil, Bailey, Song Nan: -5;
Annie, Sofina, wife, Stock: -4;
Daughter: -4.
Xie Qi added another rule: anyone whose health fell below 250 would enter a weakened state and might be unable to act, so he asked the guests to use their strength carefully.
The health gained from consuming food and the health gained or lost through actions would be determined by each person rolling dice when it happened.
The whole setup was much like the tabletop role-playing games of Xie Qi's previous life. Each person had a character and was drawn into an event, during which they had to follow their character and the scenario and could not act outside it.
When Xie Qi announced, "Game start," the seven seemed to be dragged back to those difficult days of struggling to survive, the nauseating fishy smell of the sea still lingering in their nostrils.