Lin Chuqing found it strange that her grandfather had suddenly called her.
She casually replied:
"Uncle Wang from the fruit stand next door. Other than him, I can't think of anyone else."
After all, she really had no idea who else might be in her old man's social circle.
Hearing such an unreliable answer from his granddaughter, Old Man Lin stopped keeping her in suspense and said with a smile:
"The young man who came to do community service around here before was also the university student Su Wen, who gave a lecture with Little Jiang a couple of days ago."
"!"
At those words, her tone immediately shifted into that of a sweet, obedient granddaughter:
"Grandpa, what does Su Wen want with you?"
It was the first time he had heard his granddaughter speak in that tone.
Even an old fox like Lin Yunwen was left speechless.
He truly wanted to feed Su Wen some false information about ruins and make young people these days suffer a little more.
"He's an extraordinary individual. He's preparing to enter a ruin, so he came to report it to me before leaving."
Hearing that, Lin Chuqing finally made up her mind:
"Aseia Life Technology's 'Aurora' serum—I remember there's a quota at home. I'm going to awaken."
Old Man Lin's voice grew more serious.
"You little girl, ever since the Westminster Equality Act was enacted, extraordinary individuals no longer enjoy special privileges. Instead, they may face even more danger.
This could affect every possibility in your future.
And weren't you never particularly interested in advancing as an extraordinary individual?"
"But after watching Azure's film and learning about Night Watcher Rhine's actions, I've changed my view of extraordinary individuals."
"Rhine, huh? Forget you young people—even this old man wants to see him in person.
I wonder which district cultivated such an outstanding talent."
In the end, Old Man Lin put the matter aside.
"Wait a little longer. Young people are prone to impulsiveness, and the future situation is still unclear.
If you can still hold onto that idea six months from now, I won't stop you anymore."
Elsewhere, Su Wen returned home.
He had completed the reporting procedures and received Lin Yunwen's official seal of approval.
In fifteen days, he would be able to take a direct flight to the Samoa Islands.
And the round-trip travel, including the ruin exploration, could all be reimbursed at public expense.
Three days later, while Caroline continued revealing more insider details about the 'Detroit Leis Angton Building Collapse' incident, Su Wen was having a great time scrolling through trending topics.
Then, without warning, the countdown before his eyes began ticking down.
A new game had arrived.
15 natural days remained until the Player's scheduled death time. Countdown started. Begin the game?
Su Wen looked at the countdown.
Come to think of it, this "crappy game" was probably more likely to get him killed than any ruin exploration.
But he had no choice.
Besides, since these events truly had a massive impact on the Future Timeline, there was no reason to refuse.
Su Wen pressed confirm.
As expected, the content of this game appeared on his computer screen:
Gravekeeper of the Sea Isle Game Type: Action Adventure Real-Time Duration: Thirteen Days Game Difficulty: Medium Game Background: Time: Early Origin Era Location: Polynesia, Pacific Ocean—Samoa Islands—Savai'i Main Island. To please the Deep Abyss's forty-first demon god, Focalor, the Tidal Sect chose the moment when the Storm Cliff Relic opened and the Order Keepers had left the Savai'i Island region. They performed a Sacrifice Ritual. Because of the special nature of the sacrifice target, the Abyssal God—Storm Griffin Focalor—bestowed its "blessing" according to the sacrificial terms. The Abyss Border solidified. The waters of the First Island Chain became impassable after being torn apart by the storm ring. Furthermore, due to the spread of Mental Pollution from the Abyss Border, the Storm Cliff Relic in the Polynesian region transformed from a low-tier ruin into a crimson high-risk zone. It was not until Origin Year 6, when Lorenz Riel Academy of the Pacific Islands dispatched extraordinary individuals, that the Doomsday Great Wall successfully closed the Border Gate connected to the Deep Abyss. This came at the enormous cost of thirty-two Tier 3 Navigators and one Tier 4 Storm Anchor giving their lives. This incident was a follow-up to the large event chain 'Deep Sea Ruins—Return Voyage—Hurricane Ewiniar.' It might severely interfere with the future exploration of Song of Atlantisti. It could trigger the large-scale dangerous event 'Storm Extinction.' Game Objectives: One Star: Eliminate Tidal Sect members and protect the sacrifice. Two Stars: Completely stop the 'Deep Sea' Sacrifice Ritual. Three Stars: Hidden objective. Note: Completing the minimum rating will prevent the Player from dying in reality. Trial Ability: 'Lantern Bearer': 1. You may speak with the dead. 2. By consuming spiritual energy, you may project the epic relic: 'Branlyte's Lantern.' You may gain the willpower of a mourner for three minutes. (Hint: To obtain a mourner's power, you need their recognition.) (Note: Some people have never truly left after their will was inherited. Perhaps, after the trial ends, you may obtain a few clues regarding the real Branlit Lantern.)
The next second, he discovered that his screen had already shifted to a slightly swaying cruise ship lounge.
Warm sunlight streamed into the cabin through circular windows framed in oak.
It made the image seem somewhat warm.
A notification sounded over the ship's broadcast.
"Dear passengers, at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, the Colin will arrive at the destination of this voyage: Apia, the capital of Upolu Island in the Samoa Islands.
You may choose whether to participate at your own discretion.
At the same time,
the Colin's announcer wishes all esteemed guests a night of gentle Pacific sea breezes."
After listening to the ship's announcement, Su Wen's computer screen entered interactive mode.
He looked around and could tell that he was in a lounge with an excellent environment.
But this game contained a great deal of information.
He did not continue playing.
Instead, he calmly spent five minutes thinking.
"This is the follow-up to the Ewiniar incident. It seems that after leaving the Deep Sea Ruins and beginning its return voyage, the disaster encountered by the Globetrotter had not been an accident."
As for the fact that both the game's destination and his real-life destination happened to be the Samoa Islands, he did not know whether to consider himself unlucky or fortunate.
Still,
after building Lighthouse 43 and saving Professor Jiang, Jiang Menghan's father,
Su Wen chose to regard it as a kind of luck.
He smiled gently.
He leisurely opened a can of soda, preparing to clear this game with an attitude of enjoyment.
Just like before, the first thing Su Wen did in the game was appraise the ship.
Appraisal: The giant cruise ship 'Colin,' owned by the multinational chamber of commerce Fals. The vessel is currently in good sailing condition and is not off course. Hint: Due to a crew member aboard possessing the 'Enlightenment-type Extraordinary Characteristic: Scan Shielding,' the Chief Player's rank is too low, and the effect of the 'Appraisal Skill' has been reduced.
A dark blue ticket with gilded edges lay on the table.
Voyage Information: Vladivostok—Samoa Islands Passenger Cabin Information: B17_Substandard Cabin Friendly Reminder: This ticket grants access to the ferry dinner.
After checking the time on the clock hanging in the cabin, Su Wen analyzed:
"It's 4:03 in the afternoon. There's still some time before the dinner.
So the allotted time should be for gathering information about the ferry passengers."
He put on the black trench coat hanging by the entrance to the lounge and calmly said:
"Time to head out and take a look."
Before you continue