145: Chapter 145 Don't Have Too Much Hope

Xia Ran: "...!!!"

Li! She! She actually! Right in front of my face! Deeply kissed a member of the opposite sex?!

When did she become so bold!

And, she actually provoked me?! Asking if I dared?!

Even though I'm in the Land of Beginning, my reputation and popularity might not be as high as yours, Li, and people gossip behind my back that I'm not as pretty or as strong as you...

But I, Xia Ran, am also an existence that many look up to and pursue!

You actually called me narcissistic?!!

She glared deathly at Li, wanting to say "What is there that I wouldn't dare!"

But in the end, she was different from Li.

After a long time, under Li's calm yet oppressive gaze, Xia Ran said with extreme difficulty:

"...I don't dare."

After saying that, she abruptly lowered her head.

Li looked at her like this; no matter when it was, Xia Ran always wanted to compete with her to see who would win.

However, seeing her look frustrated always made Li feel a bit happier.

"Follow us, let's go," Li said indifferently, taking Qi Yun's hand, turning around, and walking towards the direction where the cruise ship was docked at the seaside.

When they reached the spot where the cruise ship was docked, Xia Ran was dumbfounded once again.

Xia Ran looked up at the Luxury Cruise Ship before her, her mouth slightly hanging open, unable to close for a long while.

Th-this is their ship?!

She remembered clearly that when their Tribe arrived at sea years ago, they had used almost all their strength just to get a somewhat dilapidated Steel Vessel.

But the one before her, how was this a survival vessel?

This was clearly a top-tier tycoon's Private Yacht!

Silver-white paint, a streamlined hull, multiple decks, and a massive glass curtain wall?!

She had thought it looked grand from a distance, but now that she was close, the overwhelming aura of wealth was practically blinding her.

Back then, we worked ourselves to death, gnawing on compressed biscuits and drinking filtered seawater, just to barely scrape together enough resources to upgrade to a basic Iron-hulled Boat...

They have a Luxury Cruise Ship right off the bat???

Are we really still playing the same sea survival game???

Xia Ran felt her worldview suffer a violent impact.

A sense of absurdity arose spontaneously—the feeling that others were on vacation while she was risking her life.

"Come up, don't just stand there like an idiot."

Qi Yun's voice came from above the gangway, while Li had gone somewhere unknown.

Xia Ran took a deep breath, suppressed the stormy waves in her heart, and stepped onto the gangway.

Stepping onto the main deck, the sight on the ship left her in a daze again.

Through the open cabin door, she saw a fully equipped kitchen and comfortable double rooms?!

How was this a ship's cabin? This was clearly a five-star hotel suite!

What shocked her even more was yet to come.

As she followed Qi Yun for a brief tour of the Luxury Cruise Ship, her perception abilities also captured powerful and unique energy fluctuations on the ship one by one.

One, two, three... nine!

A total of nine fluctuations emitting the unique aura of a Unique Class!

Xia Ran's heart twitched violently.

Nine Unique Classs?! What kind of divine Tribe is this?!

In the Land of Beginning, a power that possesses two or three Sole-Class professionals would already be considered a regional powerhouse!

Possessing more than five makes you an absolute top-tier power, the kind that can walk sideways without anyone daring to stop you!

This 01 Tribe actually gathered nine of them during the sea stage?!

And that doesn't even count that unfathomable Li!

No wonder he dared to give up three Sole Profession Class Change Scrolls!

Xia Ran suddenly felt that her previous bit of joy and superiority from thinking "I'm more important than the scrolls" was simply laughable.

The Unique Classs in their Tribe could almost form a football team.

A deep sense of powerlessness and the confusion of "just what kind of monster's den have I joined" overwhelmed her.

"By the way," Qi Yun, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned to look at the dazed Xia Ran, asking the doubt in his heart.

"How did you end up staying on Flower Island? Logically, hadn't you already reached the Land of Beginning?"

He remembered that Xia Ran and Li were "old acquaintances" and both came from the Land of Beginning.

Li was trapped on that island for certain reasons, so what about Xia Ran?

At the mention of this, the daze on Xia Ran's face from the shock instantly vanished, replaced by a trace of deep-seated sadness and self-mockery.

She was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, her voice much lower than usual:

"Yeah, it was to cover the Tribe's retreat."

"That time, we were ambushed by several Tribes. I volunteered to stay behind, holding off the enemies alone to buy time for the others to escape."

"They said they would come back for me."

"I waited for a long time."

"food, water, hope... everything was exhausted bit by bit."

"They never came back."

"I don't know if they died, if they were wiped out on the road, or..."

"If they felt I was no longer useful, or that bringing me along was a burden, so they simply abandoned me."

"Or maybe this was all a scheme they set up, a trade they made, using my death to exchange for something."

When she recalled that not a single one of her companions stopped her when she proposed to stay behind for the rearguard, nor did anyone suggest staying with her to hold those people off...

This thought became inescapable. She didn't want to think of those companions who had gone through life and death with her like that, but that day was too abnormal.

"Later, a Blue Screen appeared before my eyes, and a rabbit found me and offered me a deal."

Xia Ran looked at Qi Yun, her expression calm, but the sorrow in the depths of her eyes was hard to hide.

"Stay on Flower Island, become the final trial, and filter and handle the others. In exchange, I could survive for the sake of one day knowing the truth of back then, or seeing them again to ask for a clear answer. I agreed."

"The previous Guardian of Flower Island couldn't stand the loneliness, so they committed suicide. That's everything."

In an apocalypse where resources are scarce and crises are everywhere, the betrayal and abandonment of companions often makes one's heart colder than monsters do.

After Qi Yun finished listening, he was silent for a moment and then patted Xia Ran's shoulder.

"I will take you to the Land of Beginning," Qi Yun's voice was very calm, yet it carried a reassuring power.

"See the truth you want to know with your own eyes."

Xia Ran was slightly stunned and looked up at Qi Yun.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice much more sincere this time.

"By the way," Qi Yun changed the subject to business.

"In this sea area, besides Flower Island, are there other islands where one can quickly level up or obtain rewards?"

His current goal was very clear: to frantically increase the Tribe's strength before arriving at the Land of Beginning.

Xia Ran thought for a moment and replied:

"Yes. There is a large island known as Quan Island. It's said that the monsters on it are extremely powerful and diverse."

"But correspondingly, the rewards for defeating monsters and completing the challenges on the island are also exceptionally generous; many are related to direct level increases or rare equipment."

She paused and added, "Survivors who were fortunate enough to reach Quan Island and successfully obtain rewards in the past had astonishing leveling speeds. However..."