Cruise Ship Journey

"Awesome. That's a big shot for you."

"I wouldn't dare drink it either."

"Have you checked the trading area? Lin put up a batch of Tier 1 Creature remains. Each piece costs just 10 Red Coins."

"Looks like the big shot hauled in quite a lot this time."

"Speaking of which, didn't he give away a batch of Psionic Energy items before? How well did they work?"

"One word: badass! If it weren't for the Psionic Energy item he gave me, I wouldn't have made it back this time!"

"Tell us more."

"Some bastard ambushed me. He was probably from Blue Star too. He threw a grenade into my hiding place, and I was so startled I instinctively used the protective item the big shot gave me. I actually came out without a scratch. He thought I was dead, so he didn't come over to check. After an extremely complicated battle of wits, I finally killed him with a sneaky ambush."

"So you're a camper."

"Holy shit! It can even stop a grenade?!"

"Bro, that's Psionic Energy Protection. Ordinary gunpowder weapons can't penetrate it at all. The stuff the big shot gave away was high-end gear."

"I missed out last time. Could the big shot give away another batch?"

"Forget getting it for free. I'd be willing to pay!"

"Haha, snagged a piece of tier-one remains!"

"Isn't that stuff useless? It's not a mutation organ. You're not seriously going to eat it, are you?"

"You can use it as pet food and fertilizer, and some equipment needs mutated flesh rich in psionic energy too. At just 10 Red Coins, getting one is a bargain."

"Huh? I thought it wasn't much use, so I didn't grab any when I saw it..."

"Idiot. How could you pass up anything Lin puts out? You literally can't lose."

"I got a piece. Selling it for 20 Red Coins."

"Shit! It's already sold out!"

After breakfast, Lin Ye left the owl in charge of the shelter, lay down on his bed, and began his daily simulation.

[Simulated Class-D Personnel: Zed]

[Remaining simulations: 10]

Lin Ye woke up on a soft bed. A black formal outfit had been laid beside it.

Oh? Have they improved my treatment?

Remembering the first title he had earned, Lin Ye thought optimistically.

Before he could enjoy it for long, however, a fully armed Supervisory Personnel member rudely pushed open the door, entered the room, and said:

"Get dressed. Time to go."

Lin Ye didn't resist. Although he could now deal with these ordinary Supervisory Personnel members, considering that his mission was to resolve Anomalous Events, along with the powerful Captain and the unknown organization, he could forgive the man's rude behavior.

After getting dressed, Lin Ye followed the Supervisory Personnel member downstairs. Zed had a thin build, but he wasn't weak at all. Though he couldn't compare to Lin Ye's current physical capabilities, he was at least much stronger than the old man from last time.

They assembled in the hotel lobby with the same familiar four-person guard team. The Captain was an unkempt middle-aged man, and there were also a woman and a child.

Following the Captain out of the hotel, Lin Ye discovered that the harbor was right outside. A massive cruise ship was entering the harbor. It stood dozens of meters tall, and viewed from the side, its hull was covered in densely packed windows.

"The cruise ship will leave port in an hour. Before then, you need to retrieve a black briefcase from room 1904 aboard the ship, leave an identical black briefcase in its place, and get off in time."

"Of course, you can also choose to leave with the ship. I very much look forward to you making that choice."

The Captain gave them a smile full of malice.

"Is there anything we need to watch out for? Why three people? Does this child have to go?"

Lin Ye asked directly.

The Captain glanced at Lin Ye and answered:

"You don't have tickets, so you'll have to pose as a family of three to sneak aboard, then get off before the crew checks tickets. That's why this bastard who looks like a child has to go. As for what to watch out for, perhaps you can tell me when you come back, assuming you make it back alive."

Although this Captain didn't like them much either, he answered every question related to the mission.

Lin Ye took the black briefcase a Supervisory Personnel member handed him and walked toward the cruise ship with his two companions.

Neither companion showed any intention of speaking, so Lin Ye naturally stayed silent. Perhaps this was simply how Class-D Personnel got along.

Only when he noticed the woman's trembling arms did Lin Ye realize that they were simply too frightened to speak.

Lin Ye couldn't understand what was keeping them moving forward.

They boarded via the gangway. There were no security checks or staff. The three walked across the deserted deck, and the entire cruise ship was deathly silent.

Lin Ye walked at the front without a word, deliberately keeping his footsteps quiet to avoid causing an accident with the noise.

This simulation wasn't difficult for him. He only needed to find room 1904, swap the briefcases, and bring the briefcase back to finish.

Compared with the previous simulation missions, at least this one had a clear objective.

The three entered the ship's interior. The corridor was narrow, its lights dim and yellow, with rooms spaced neatly along both sides.

Just then, Lin Ye suddenly whipped his head around. The two people behind him had vanished.

Gone already? Good thing I've got the briefcase.

Lin Ye didn't try to find them, because in a sense, he was actually the one who had gone missing.

Each room's number was engraved on its door. Lin Ye checked them one by one, only to discover that the rooms weren't arranged in numerical order.

967, 1670, 876, 1453, 1964, 797, 470...

This is going to be a problem. I can't check every single room.

Lin Ye reached the end of the corridor, only to find that there was no passage to another area there. Instead, there was room 1346.

Seriously?

Lin Ye turned and ran toward the entrance. The passage he had come through had disappeared, replaced by another room. Its door number was 407.

Is this some kind of puzzle game?

Lin Ye recalled the room numbers he had passed and tried to find a pattern, but soon gave up. Although he was good at math, that only extended to high-school-level math. Besides, these room numbers might not have anything to do with math.

I'll have to try opening a door. Even if I open the wrong one and run into danger, I still have ten simulation attempts.

But what if opening the wrong door means death? Ten attempts would only let me open ten doors. Can I really try them at random?

Maybe I should wait an hour and see whether the ship changes once it's underway.

After thinking for a while, Lin Ye decided to try opening a door first. If it was too dangerous, he would wait until the cruise ship left port before taking action.

So which door should I choose?

There were 32 doors in this corridor. In the end, Lin Ye chose room 1346 at the far end.