138: Chapter 138 Pursuers

The river surface returned to an eerie calm.

It was as if the world-ending scene from a moment ago was nothing more than a surreal collective hallucination.

The survivors on the boat gasped for air, many collapsing onto the deck, their faces etched with the blankness and terror of having narrowly escaped death.

Everything that had just happened had completely exceeded the scope of their understanding.

That mountain-like giant shadow that had flashed by under the river... what was it?

That terrifying hum that could directly affect the soul... what was that?

【I... I really thought I was going to die just now.】

【What on earth was that? A submarine? There's no way a submarine could be that big!】

【Stop mentioning submarines, that thing was bigger than an aircraft carrier! There are monsters in this game!】

【This isn't a historical game, this is a freaking Cthulhu TRPG! Master Xi, check how much your SAN value dropped!】

After a brief silence, the bullet chat in the Livestream room exploded with a torrent of discussions and speculations.

Chen Xi's expression also became more solemn than ever before.

He looked at the glaring red notification on his retina.

【Unknown high-energy signal has disappeared.】

For the first time, he felt a deep suspicion and a trace of... wariness toward the truth of this "game" world.

Was this really just the 1937 Dragon Kingdom he knew?

What exactly was that thing that flashed by under the river?

Was it a "god" or "demon" that originally existed in this world?

Or... another "player" outside the system?

Endless mysteries, like the giant vortex from before, sucked his thoughts right in.

However.

Reality did not give him much time to think.

The sun rose from the horizon.

The morning light dispersed the thin mist on the river, and also stripped away their final cover.

A survivor on lookout duty suddenly reached out a trembling hand, pointing into the distance.

His voice carried a sob, filled with a new and more tangible round of despair.

"A boat..."

"It's... it's a Japanese gunboat!"

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

In the morning light on the river, a black silhouette flying the Rising Sun Flag was cutting through the waves, heading toward them at high speed like a shark scenting blood.

If the phantom beneath the river just now had brought an unknown, supernatural terror,

Then at this moment, this approaching gunboat brought a cold, tangible death.

"Quick!"

"Row faster!"

Survival instincts caused all the survivors to burst forth with their last bit of strength.

They rowed the oars desperately, the small sampan carving messy trails in the river water.

But in the face of the gunboat's steel engine, this seemed so laughable and powerless.

A piercing alarm sounded from the gunboat.

The distance was closing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

They could even see the hideous, mocking smiles of the Japanese Soldiers on the gunboat, playing like a cat with a mouse.

The heavy machine gun at the bow had already turned its muzzle, dark and hollow, aiming right at them.

Despair.

Absolute despair.

Having just escaped hell, they had run straight into the Grim Reaper.

"I'm not going back!"

A white-haired scholar suddenly stood up, his eyes full of determination.

"Even if I die, I will never suffer the humiliation of those beasts again!"

As he spoke, he prepared to throw himself into the cold river water.

"Don't!"

The family members beside him held onto him tightly.

The boat was a scene of crying and chaos.

【It's over... it's completely over this time.】

【Out of the frying pan and into the fire.】

【Master Xi! Think of something! Aren't you omnipotent!】

【What can be done? Ram them with our heads? The other side has a gunboat!】

In the midst of this chaotic, apocalyptic scene,

Chen Xi moved.

He pushed through the crowd blocking him and walked to the bow of the boat.

He didn't look at his despairing compatriots behind him.

He just stood there alone, quietly.

His figure appeared so small in front of the massive gunboat.

So small, like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.

But he stood very steadily.

Like a javelin nailed into the bow of the boat.

His calm, even slightly indifferent gaze met the eyes of the Japanese on the gunboat in mid-air.

The Japanese on the gunboat clearly hadn't expected that among this flock of lambs to be slaughtered, there would be someone who dared to look them in the eye so recklessly.

They were stunned for a moment, then erupted into even more arrogant laughter.

The leading Sergeant sneered and raised his hand, making a firing gesture toward the machine gunner.

The next second.

"Da da da da da—!"

The heavy machine gun spat out lethal tongues of fire.

A string of bullets grazed Chen Xi's body, strafing the river surface around him and kicking up pillars of water into the sky.

The cold river water, mixed with the breath of death, drenched him from head to toe.

Yet he didn't even blink.

He only slowly raised the slingshot in his hand.