A Fateful Meeting on the Island

The deep, dark sea churned up wave after wave of raging waves.

Strange gray clouds hung over the sea, making it seem as if there was no horizon in this area. Above the sea was the oppressive sky, with terrifying thunder rumbling from time to time, but no flash of lightning.

An island lies silently in the raging sea, its outline indistinct, yet it is enveloped by an extremely oppressive force.

A fierce wind howled, and a tentacle tip quietly emerged from the water not far from the island. The back of the tentacle was covered with countless eyeballs, their gray-black pupils moving with the ripples in the water. The muscles contracted and twisted, causing the tentacle to writhe erratically.

The suction cups on the other side seemed to sense something, curling up slightly and leaving a pool of dark green slime on the sea surface.

Immediately afterwards, an enormous octopus head burst through the ripples and suddenly extended. The water flowing down from the octopus head was powerful, no less than a waterfall on land. The water collided with a deafening roar, and more than a dozen thick, fat tentacles spread around the octopus head, slapping the water surface in a chaotic manner, and huge waves rippled outwards.

The sound was deafening.

The octopus swam nimbly toward the island. If anyone were there, they would notice that the octopus was no smaller than the island itself. The giant waves it created stretched as far as the eye could see, triggering a tsunami in the distant sea.

Calling it an octopus might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Its enormous head has no eyes; it's bald like a ball of flesh, with only a crack on its "face" that extends all the way to the back, as if splitting its body in two.

The tentacles were all eyeballs, but because they lacked eyelids and were submerged in the sea, it was unclear whether they still possessed the ability to see. They were dim and eerie. At the base of each tentacle grew a grayish-white mass, mostly covered by skin, with only a small portion exposed, revealing what resembled a human brain.

Each of this thing's tentacles has a brain-like mass growing on it.

Finally, the first bolt of lightning ripped through the clouds, followed by a retro-styled and ornate pirate ship. At its bow stood a woman with only one enormous eye on her entire face. The mast was raised high, with a pirate flag, only a third of which remained, tied to it, billowing wildly in the fierce sea wind. Long steel barrels protruded from the cannons, appearing even more menacing and menacing against the backdrop of the blood-stained hull.

The tentacle monster saw the pirate ship and let out a distant and eerie cry, like the roar of an ancient whale, before its head suddenly split open along the crack.

Pieces of skin were torn apart, some of which had grown together. The tendons broke during the tearing, and dark green mucus oozed out. The head looked like it had blossomed, revealing rows of sharp teeth, deep red oral cavity walls, and a long red tongue.

The fleshy tongue extended and, together with the giant body of the tentacle monster, swept towards the pirate ship. The pirate ship, which should have been magnificent, looked as small as a human under a lighthouse compared to the tentacle monster.

The pirate ship continued its leisurely journey toward the island, but just as the fleshy tentacles and tongues were about to touch it, the entire ship suddenly became ethereal, weaving past the giant monster in the sea, changing course, and steadily sailing into the distance.

This is a ghost ship.

The tentacle monster missed its target, and seemed to laugh. A hungry growl came from its empty abdomen. It seemed to find the ship more attractive than the island, and it twisted its body to chase after the ghost ship in the direction it had gone.

The enormous body sank beneath the surface of the sea, and the waves churned again until they finally calmed down several minutes later.

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, briefly illuminating the sea, and the tentacle monster transformed into an indescribable, bizarre Black Shadow, silently swimming beneath the surface.

As you swim past some reefs, the rocks break off quietly from the seabed, and the floating islands, each the size of a basketball court, appear like mayflies against the backdrop of the underwater Black Shadow.

The island that initially became the target of the tentacle monsters and the ghost ships, however, remained intact and unchanged under the gray clouds, thanks to some kind of mysterious destiny.

Dead Silent Island, dead for many years.

Until, a few floating planks carrying several humans drifted to the vicinity of the island.

After a loud bang, Yu Xing realized that the conference room they were in had been successfully transformed into one of the rooms on a ship, and what followed was the capsizing.

After the boat capsized, he grabbed Carlos and was swept into the sea with the waves, only to be thrown back to the surface by a shockwave.

The ship was quickly swallowed by the giant wave, leaving only the Broken Mirror Squad still drifting around in the impact.

There appeared to be no one else around.

Besides Yu Xing, Qu Xuanqing, Zhao Mou, and Zhao Yijiu all fainted from the impact of the catastrophic Natural Fury. Even Carlos, who was with Yu Xing, was not spared and had long since fallen into a coma.

Yu Xing knew that this must be part of the simulation. If he hadn't been able to breathe underwater and had a very strong resistance to pressure, he would be floating freely at sea like everyone else right now.

Several pieces of broken ship hull drifted to the side of the unconscious people by some "coincidence," lifting them up, including Yu Xing.

Yu Xing thought for a moment, then lay down, intending to do nothing and float with the plank. Judging from the ripples, the sunken ship had not caused any whirlpools. They successfully left the ship and drifted in a clear direction with the ripples.

Along the way, the dark sky and the sea were like a gaping maw of an abyss, seemingly ready to swallow people at any moment. Yu Xing felt countless times that his small wooden plank was about to break, but he miraculously survived.

At the same time, he always felt like he was being watched, and something seemed to be swimming past the seabed beneath his feet, bringing a faint... tremor from hundreds of meters underwater.

He felt a long-forgotten, inexplicable fear, perhaps because the unknown of the ocean was many times stronger than the unknown of the land.

But alongside fear comes a secret pleasure and excitement.

Anyone else experiencing this would probably go crazy, Yu Xing is different; he went crazy much earlier.

Twenty minutes later, he saw... Dead Silent Island.

There was no need for a system introduction, even though this thing wasn't originally in this simulation. He was able to determine that this was the Dead Silent Island the moment he saw it, from the strong sense of foreboding emanating from it.

It's as big as a city.

Just then, a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder gave Yu Xing a clear view of the sharp reefs surrounding the island. The island was uneven, with some long, sharp protruding rocks. His eyelids twitched; if their planks were to hit the island, they would instantly be smashed to pieces along with their bodies.

Or maybe I should just pass out.

Even without the system in charge, the rules will still protect them, allowing them to safely land and change into their "role" clothes. He's awake now, and he doesn't know if it will affect the operation of the rules.

Thinking of this, Yu Xing immediately closed his eyes and lay down like a corpse on his luxurious double burial plank.

Carlos had also suffered in the water; his brows were furrowed even while he was unconscious, his blue hair clung tightly to his cheeks, and he looked utterly exhausted.

Yu Xing couldn't hear Carlos breathing amidst the waves. He watched the Dead Silent Island getting closer and closer, tried to pass out, and then decided to skip the trouble and just go to sleep.

His breathing gradually calmed, and he fell asleep in this treacherous sea.

Whether asleep or unconscious, Yu Xing lost consciousness, successfully pulling himself and his group back under the control of the rules at the last moment.

I woke up again in pain.

The cold, hard ground pressed against Yu Xing's face, both hard and damp. Unbearable pain shot through her body, as if her skin was being torn apart and her bones were dislocated. Her clothes clung stickily to her body.

When he was awake, he didn't experience much of the feeling of waking from a deep sleep. Instead, he suddenly opened his eyes as if startled, and with each breath, a dull pain came from his chest.

When Yu Xing touched the black reef beneath him, he knew he had reached the shore. The chilling smell emanating from the ground made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He was lying on his back on the ground. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the gray-white clouds in the sky, the color of which was sticky and nauseating, like brain matter.

But the gray clouds shone with a moon-like light, obscuring his vision, so the entire sky was bright. This was his guarantee that he could guard his belongings once his physical condition returned to normal.

The next second, he sat up, clutching his aching arm. Before him stretched an uneven coastline, dotted with reefs. Right next to him was a giant reef, blocking his view to the right.

The sea was directly in front of him, with waves crashing against the higher shore. The endless black sea was oppressive; he really didn't know how he had been washed ashore—it didn't seem very scientific.

He looked to his left, and there were five people about twenty meters away, lying haphazardly, their faces obscured, their bodies covered in blood.

He himself was also covered in blood, especially on his arms, where the original color of his clothes had been completely obscured, leaving a dark red stain.

Upon entering a new space, the first thing to do is to assess one's own situation. After confirming that there were no immediate external threats, Yu Xing began to examine himself.

Anemia and physical weakness.

Weak and helpless.

He is now at the starting point of the Dead Silent Island instance. Just as Qu Xuanqing said before, the sacrifices, items, and even the physical attributes gained after entering the absurd system have all been taken back here. The Deducers Forum had already posted various speculation posts the day before the event started. Among them, the most affirmed was the theory shared by Qu Xuanqing in the team. They would have to find their own abilities and items during the deduction.

Therefore, Yu Xing has returned to the state she was in before entering Qingyuan Pharmaceutical Factory, and even the churning curse... has returned because the system's suppression has disappeared.

Fortunately, the hidden benefits he received after coming into contact with the Ghost Tree remained. His physical condition was much better than before he entered the deduction, and his tolerance for the curse was stronger. He no longer experienced the chilling sensation and loss of life that he would feel upon encountering sacrifices or ghosts. He carefully assessed his condition, and considering the power of the curse, it should be like this:

His physical condition is relatively good, except for anemia and insufficient stamina, which slightly weakens his strength and speed. However, in these two aspects, he is still slightly better than Qu Xuanqing's physique, making him equivalent to an explosive combat talent.

It can be used for underwater breathing and Spiritual Sense.

The healing effect is still active, but it requires curse power to trigger, essentially turning a passive skill that doesn't consume mana into an active skill that does.

The negative effects have been reduced by about 50%. He would probably enter a weakened state after facing a monster of the Shadow Dean's caliber for a game of Dou Dizhu (a card Fight the landlord), and touching the offerings would be basically harmless.

After weakening, his physical condition deteriorates and he becomes mentally confused, but his mental strength increases, allowing him to use the power of curses to the extent that he unleashed curses and fought with the woman in red in the Haunted Bar.

Using the power of curses will accelerate the weakening process, unless you die and the game is rolled back.

The resurrection ability has also been weakened; it will now take approximately one day for him to resurrect after dying.

Yu Xing could sense all of this specific data himself. He had always paid close attention to his physical condition. Back in the research institute, every slight change in him would be recorded by the researchers outside the glass container. Those people never shied away from reading the data and conclusions in front of him, as if reading them aloud in front of him could achieve the purpose of humiliating the experimental subject.

Over time, Yu Xing memorized the data corresponding to every tiny sensation. Even after escaping, she never lost this ability, or rather, this habit.

In general, he gained very useful power from the Ghost Tree. The Ghost Tree did not belong to the Absurdity System. When the system withdrew all the help and restrictions, although Yu Xing looked weak again, in fact, his Combat Power was still very strong, or rather, he was stronger when facing ghosts because of the existence of the curse power.

Unlike the Blood Pool Middle School exam, that simulation also didn't have a system on the surface, but the system was omnipresent and the suppression it exerted was comprehensive. It's not as good as completely withdrawing now.

Not a bad result. At least on Dead Silent Island, he still has the confidence to roam around. Plus, he now has teammates he can trust. Even if he accidentally dies while recklessly wandering around, his teammates will help him clean up the mess and he can roam around again another day.

As long as Yu Xing didn't encounter anything that could break the curse of immortality, he guessed that there might be people or ghosts of that level on Dead Silent Island.

Yu Xing used his uninjured arm to touch the slightly long black hair stuck to his face, then swept the bangs back, revealing his forehead and giving him a more sharp and aggressive look. He glanced at his clothes. As an "A-level pollutant," he had expected to be some kind of experimental subject. He was familiar with that identity; either he had no clothes to wear, or he wore the laboratory's uniform white, loose-fitting clothes—loose for easy blood drawing and biopsy.

This kind of treatment is only available to research Research Institute that don't treat experimental subjects as human beings. Many Research Institute recruit volunteers when conducting scientific research projects and treat them very kindly. Unfortunately, Yu Xing felt that the contaminated subjects probably wouldn't receive this kind of treatment.

But now, looking at him, he was actually wearing a relatively intact long-sleeved shirt. The white long-sleeved shirt was of shirt size, with large gaps between the buttons. Underneath, he was wearing black trousers. Although the fabric was as poor as the shirt, and it seemed that he was only wearing the outer shell for the sake of appearances, so the trousers were hollow inside... But at least it didn't make him think of robbing someone else's clothes at the beginning.

Yu Xing was certain that his left arm had been scraped during the impact, but it was only a scrape. He was certain that this was not due to his physical abilities repairing it, but rather because his character had genuinely only suffered such a minor, bleeding injury. The pain in other areas was insignificant, just bruises. The most serious injury was on his chest, which appeared to have turned black due to the impact.

This doesn't quite match the full-body pain he felt the moment he woke up, and it's even less likely to be the kind of injury someone would have sustained sitting on a plank that hit a reef. It's more likely that the rules modified the inferrer's injuries, erasing fractures and head injuries.

He stood up barefoot, his feet aching from the friction. A hint of suspicion appeared in Yu Xing's eyes.

Something's not right. This little injury should be like a drizzle to him; he could probably ignore it completely. Although his physical condition isn't what it used to be, his pain tolerance has always been this high.

But now, even the slightest friction on the soles of her feet caused Yu Xing's nerves to react with unusually strong pain, which can be summed up in one word: pain.

The bruises on his body were also causing him a dull ache that was almost unbearable. This pain was similar to the pain he felt when he was pierced, had his skull opened, or had his internal organs disturbed.

The arm, with its skin torn and a large pool of blood, was almost completely immobile, as if it were useless.

"The contaminant..." Yu Xing murmured to herself, "Could the side effect be that the pain is amplified exponentially?"

It hurt a lot, but it wasn't unbearable. It was just that until the injury healed, you felt like you were being slowly sliced to death all the time.

He planned to secretly use the power of the curse to heal his injuries after meeting the other divination masters, and then he would have to be careful to avoid getting hurt again.

After all, pain can affect one's combat performance, and he didn't want to waste his curse power in such a place, which would weaken his spirit.

Yu Xing didn't know if he was the first to wake up, but he certainly wasn't the last. As he walked towards the group of people in the distance, frowning with each step, they were just getting up.

They were dressed in various ways, men and women, and were all now covered in wet clothes, looking quite disheveled. Yu Xing mainly wanted to test whether he was the only one experiencing amplified pain, or if everyone was in the same boat.

His teammates weren't among these people, but the system said that the deducers' starting points were all together, so his teammates must also be on this coast; he just needed to search along the coast.

But Yu Xing still spotted someone she knew.

As he walked towards the five people who were keeping watch around, the others saw him too. One of them, a girl with a scorpion braid, shouted, "Watch out! I see it! A ghost is approaching!"

The distrustful roar made Yu Xing pause in his tracks. He almost looked into the sea to see if there was a terrible scar on his face. And yet, before saying a word, he had already turned into a ghost?

The others also became wary, until a brown-haired young man with tanned skin, about 1.8 meters tall, saw him and suddenly his eyes lit up. "Lucky!"

Zeng Lai was deeply moved to see a familiar face as soon as she opened her eyes.

"Xing?" The woman with the scorpion braid hesitated. "He is Yu Xing, not a ghost?"

"That's my friend, how could he be a ghost?" Zeng Lai knew all four of them, and immediately put his hands on his hips to make his stance clear.

"I'd also like to know, where do I look like a ghost?" Yu Xing had already come up to them, a perfect and gentle smile on her face.

The woman with the scorpion braid coughed lightly. "Ahem, I've heard so much about you... I've watched your live streams before, but you don't look like this in them."

"And you really do look like a ghost from legends that seduce people at night, and you're so pale..."

"Indeed," said a slightly plump middle-aged man beside her, "Pale as a ghost, not quite like a living person at first glance. My sister has rather special eyes; she can see ghosts that are hiding, so it was a misunderstanding. Sorry, friend."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man looked at Yu Xing with a slightly curious gaze.

Yu Xing has become quite popular on the forums again these past two days, with countless forces searching for his recordings to analyze his abilities. Unfortunately, there are only a few live stream recordings available, in which Yu Xing's performance is outstanding.

The important thing is that the rose mask makes him look different to all strangers. Many people have already analyzed that he must have a rule-level sacrifice that can change his appearance, which makes everyone even more curious about his true appearance.

"These two are from the Mysterious Eye," Zeng Lai interjected. "Bai Junrui and Bai Xiaobing, along with these two, are two quite capable members of the scattered group, Dai Yuefu and Cui Hui."

After the introductions, he happily moved closer to Yu Xing: "I've missed you so much since we last met. That kid Ren Yi got to hang out with you, I'm so envious! And now we've met again as soon as we arrived on the island, what a coincidence!"

A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Yu Xing's heart. Then, Zeng Lai casually patted him on the back. "Come on, let's go find the others!"

"Ugh..." Yu Xing's face was even paler than before.

His right hand trembled slightly as he swatted away Zeng Lai's arm, who looked completely bewildered.

Zeng Lai has a very strong grip.

His pain was amplified many times over. Now he was certain that he was the only one whose pain was amplified. It really hurt so much.