163: Chapter 163 The Vanished Symbol, An Eerie Calm

"That symbol..."

The smile on Li Taiping's face slowly faded, and his brows furrowed once again.

He thought of that mysterious, strange symbol that would be branded deep into his mind every time he cleared a dungeon.

In the first dungeon, [World Origin], he had obtained it.

In the second dungeon, [Ice Island Ruins], he had obtained it again.

He had no idea what that thing was or what it was for.

But his intuition told him that the thing was definitely not simple; it was very likely related to the most core secret of this Survival World.

However, this time, in that damn dungeon, [Abandoned City], he had not seen that symbol again.

Why?

Was it because of the particularity of that dungeon?

Or was it because the appearance of the Imposter had disrupted some predetermined program?

Or perhaps... was it because of Su Jie's death?

Li Taiping's heart sank suddenly.

He always felt that the experience in that dungeon was fundamentally different from the two before it.

Everything there had been terrifyingly real, so real that even now, when he recalled it, he still felt lingering fear.

"black tide..."

He thought again of that eerie existence that was like a maggot on the bone, following him like a shadow in every dungeon.

What secret was this world hiding, after all?

Why were those survival players being chased by the black tide?

Question after question, like invisible shackles, wrapped around his heart, instantly causing the slight sense of ease he had just felt from his surge in strength to vanish completely.

He irritably scratched his hair.

"If I can't figure it out, I'll stop thinking about it for now."

He was not someone who liked to split hairs.

Since he couldn't find the answer now, he would just keep the problem in his heart; when his strength was greater in the future, there would always come a day when the truth would be revealed.

What he didn't know was that if he could calm down at this moment and carefully investigate Su Mei's Talent, [treasure basin], he would be shocked to discover,

that the mysterious symbol he had searched for everywhere was quietly branded on the inner wall of the [treasure basin], emitting a barely perceptible dark golden light.

...

The ship continued to sail slowly through the black and white world.

The fifth-rank "Many Children, Many Blessings" had a terrifying speed of up to 23 knots.

But on this endless sea, with its outrageously monotonous scenery, it felt as if it were standing still.

Days passed one by one in this eerie silence.

On the first day, The girls were still curious about this world that looked like an ink painting, chattering away as they took photos on the deck for keepsakes, although the photos they took were all in black and white.

On the second day, the novelty faded, and the atmosphere on the ship began to become somewhat dull.

Besides daily training, everyone spent most of their time in their own rooms, passing the time through the holographic entertainment system.

By the third day, an invisible sense of oppression began to permeate the ship.

"Captain brother, how much longer are we going to sail?"

On the deck, Lin Weiyu was boredly kicking a pebble at her feet, pouting as she asked Li Taiping in the cockpit.

"I don't know."

Li Taiping's voice came from inside, calm and waveless.

"But... there's nothing here! I can't even see a single fish, it's so boring!"

"Exactly, Captain," Chu Mengyao also came over, leaning against the door of the cockpit, "Didn't that intelligence say that here 'good grade are as common as dogs, and Excellent Grade are everywhere'?

Where are the dogs? I haven't even seen a single dog hair!"

"Don't rush," Li Taiping's voice remained steady, "It's just the calm before the storm."

His words made the hearts of The girls on the deck shiver.

They all trusted Li Taiping's judgment.

If he said there was danger, then there must be danger.

"Could our intelligence be wrong?" Su Mei walked over holding a cup of coffee, her willow eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Or perhaps, has something happened in this Mofeng Mountain and Sea recently that we don't know about?"

"It's possible."

Li Taiping walked out of the cockpit, took the coffee Su Mei handed him, drank a sip, and his gaze swept across the calm, mirror-like ink-colored sea in the distance.

"But it's more likely that we are being 'observed'."

"Observed?"

The girls looked at each other.

"That's right," Li Taiping's eyes became sharp, "The 'master' of this sea area might be in some place we can't see, observing us, these uninvited guests.

It is evaluating our strength and looking for our weaknesses."

"Hiss..."

Chu Mengyao gasped, "Now that you say that, why do I feel a chill down my back, as if countless eyes are hiding under this ink, staring at us?"

Her words made The girls present couldn't help but shiver.

"Then what do we do now? Just wait here?" Xia Zhi gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist, her cold, clear eyes full of vigilance.

"Wait."

Li Taiping spat out a single word.

"If the enemy doesn't move, we don't move. We are like having walked into a hunter's trap now; the more rashly we act, the easier it is to expose ourselves. The best way is to maintain the status quo and wait and see what happens."

He looked at The girls before him, each with their own unique qualities, and said in a deep voice: "Cheer up, everyone, don't let your guard down. From now on, everyone will take turns on night watch, ready to fight at any time."

"Yes!"

The girls replied in unison, the playful look on their faces swept away, replaced by unprecedented seriousness.

The atmosphere on the ship became completely tense.

And just as the crowd on the "Many Children, Many Blessings" was waiting in full battle array for the unknown danger to descend,

in a corner of this black and white world, a silent conversation was taking place.