Splash!
The sea surface parted.
A silver silhouette traced an arc through the air, carrying the briny scent of the ocean before landing with a wet thud on the newly laid wooden deck.
It flapped desperately, its tail slapping against the planks in a frantic rhythm.
It was a mackerel.
About two pounds in weight, the blue-green patterns on its back shimmered under the sunlight.
Qin Yu frowned.
"Another fish?"
This was already his fifth catch since expanding the raft.
His previous four hauls consisted of two sea bass, an unidentified red crab, and a wooden barrel tangled with seaweed.
No treasure chests.
No supply packs.
Let alone any special items glowing with golden or purple light.
Staring at the fish on the deck, Qin Yu's brow furrowed deeply.
It seemed the "Never Miss" attribute of the [God-Tier Poseidon Fishing Rod] only guaranteed a catch—not necessarily a premium one.
It was just like those cheap gacha mechanics in online games.
A guaranteed pull, yes, but most likely you'd end up with common junk. Getting something legendary still depended entirely on luck.
"The law of conservation of luck?" Qin Yu muttered to himself.
Having drawn an S-grade [Water Purifier] and an [Expansion Card] back-to-back earlier, he'd probably exhausted all his good fortune for the week.
He sighed and reeled in the fishing rod.
Though a bit disappointed, at least these fish were a source of meat.
At a time when many were still fighting over moldy bread, he had already achieved seafood freedom.
If he posted this in the [Chat Channel], it would surely trigger another wave of envious spam.
"Qin Yu…"
A weak voice called from behind him.
It sounded faint, as if squeezed through clenched teeth.
Qin Yu turned around.
Yao Qian was slumped over the edge of the raft, her face as pale as paper. The once-vibrant twin tails of her hair now hung limply behind her.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yu walked over.
"I… I feel awful…"
Yao Qian clutched her chest, her throat making a gurgling sound as she dry-heaved.
"I feel like throwing up."
Qin Yu glanced at Yao Xue beside her.
The usually aloof and elegant doctor now wore a deeply troubled expression, her once-rosy lips completely drained of color.
One hand gripped the gaps between the wooden planks so tightly her knuckles were white.
The other pressed against her temple, eyes shut tight, her body trembling slightly with the raft's constant rocking.
"Seasick?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow.
It made sense.
One sister was a pampered homebody, the other a surgeon who spent all day in the operating room.
Under normal circumstances, even a roller coaster ride would leave them recovering for hours.
Even though the raft had been expanded to nine square meters, out on the vast ocean, it still felt like a drifting leaf.
Wave after wave rolled by.
The raft rose and fell, swaying side to side.
Earlier, everyone had been running on adrenaline, their excitement and tension overriding any physical discomfort.
Now that the expansion was complete and a sense of security had set in, that surge of energy faded, and the physical symptoms hit hard.
"I… I can't take it anymore…"
Yao Qian's body went limp, collapsing completely onto the wooden deck.
She was still wearing her JK uniform skirt, her long, slender legs stretched out weakly.
The white knee-high stockings were speckled with wood shavings and water stains, exuding a disheveled, tragic beauty.
The skirt hem lifted slightly with the sea breeze.
Yao Xue wasn't faring much better.
She struggled to sit upright, trying to maintain her last shred of dignity.
But a large wave surged, causing the raft to tilt abruptly.
"Mmph!"
Yao Xue grunted, losing her balance completely and collapsing beside her sister.
The black pantyhose tightly enveloped those remarkably voluptuous long legs, outlining breathtaking curves.
The two lay side by side like this.
One in black, one in white.
On the rough, yellowish-brown wooden floor, they created an intensely striking visual contrast.
The sea breeze tousled their hair.
Both exquisitely beautiful faces were filled with pain and weakness.
A man with weaker self-control might have lost his composure at this sight.
But Qin Yu merely swept a casual glance over them.
His heart remained completely unruffled.
He even felt somewhat amused.
His physical fitness, honed through years of training combined with stats far exceeding ordinary people, made this level of turbulence feel like walking on flat ground to him.
"This is the price of so-called 'everything else depends on fishing'."
Qin Yu kicked the mackerel by his feet back into the barrel, preventing it from being tossed into the sea by the rocking.
"At sea, besides hunger and thirst, seasickness is the first real trial."
"Just throw up and you'll feel better.Qin Yu's tone was flat, without any trace of tenderness toward women.
"Throwing up... will cause dehydration...Yao Xue closed her eyes, weakly retorting out of medical instinct.
"And... there's nothing in my stomach..."
True enough.
They had only eaten one dry bread and drunk half a bottle of water earlier.
That meager sustenance had long been digested.
Now they could only retch dryly.
The agony of stomach acid reflux burning the esophagus was ten times worse than actually vomiting.
Qin Yu didn't respond.
He turned to look at the S-grade Water Purifier in the corner.
The indicator light on the machine had turned red.
"Beep!"
"Storage tank full. Please retrieve water promptly."
This thing's efficiency was ridiculously high.
In less than half an hour, the built-in 2-liter storage tank was already full.
Qin Yu walked over and gazed at the crystal-clear liquid.
Here came the problem.
No bottles.
During the last trading round, although they'd obtained plenty of basic materials, they'd also used several water bottles.
Now they only had 3 empty bottles left from previous drinks, plus 4 full water bottles.
Altogether, they could barely hold about 3.5 liters.
If the remaining water wasn't retrieved, the machine would stop working, wasting all this precious solar energy.
"This damned game doesn't even provide a bucket."
Qin Yu cursed.
He picked up an empty bottle and filled it from the outlet.
A cool sensation transmitted through the plastic bottle wall to his palm.
The water was clear, without any impurities, with even extremely fine bubbles visible rising within.
Qin Yu tilted his head back and took a gulp.
Gulp.
Cool, sweet.
The water slid down his esophagus as if carrying a strange energy that instantly spread to his limbs.
The stamina consumed by fishing and expansion actually recovered slightly after this mouthful of water.
Even his head, somewhat swollen from the sea wind, felt clearer.
"Hmm?"
Qin Yu's eyes narrowed.
He took another sip, carefully sensing.
Yes.
This wasn't just about quenching thirst.
This water contained something that could soothe the nerves and replenish energy.
The "rich in trace elements" mentioned in the system description was clearly not an empty claim.
Or perhaps... it was a hidden attribute inherent to S-grade items?
Qin Yu took the remaining half bottle of water and walked over to the two sisters.
"Get up."
He gently nudged Yao Qian's calf with the tip of his foot.
"Drink some water."
Yao Qian was already so uncomfortable that her consciousness was blurred, with tears of physical distress hanging at the corners of her eyes.
"No... I don't want to drink..."
"I'll throw up if I drink..."
Those suffering from seasickness fear putting anything in their stomachs the most. Even water, once ingested, can intensify that overwhelming nausea with the rocking motion.
"Be good."
Qin Yu crouched down, his voice cold and firm.
"Open your mouth if you don't want to die."
He grabbed her chin, forcing her mouth open.
Then he pressed the bottle opening against her lips.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Yao Qian instinctively resisted, flailing her hands wildly as she tried to push Qin Yu away.
But her strength was like a kitten scratching an itch compared to Qin Yu's.
Gulp!
A large mouthful of water was forcibly poured down her throat.
Yao Qian choked and began coughing violently.
"Cough! Cough! Qin Yu, you bastard... Are you trying to choke me to death..."
She cursed between coughs, her voice tearful.
However.
The cursing only lasted for two seconds.
Yao Qian suddenly stopped.
She blinked her large, tear-filled eyes, her expression turning somewhat dazed.
"Huh?"
That persistent, bone-deep nausea had actually subsided significantly in that instant.
The burning sensation in her stomach was also replaced by a cooling comfort.
The previously spinning world seemed... to have stabilized somewhat?
"What's wrong?"
Yao Xue, lying beside her, noticed her sister's unusual reaction and forced her eyes open.
"Sis..."
Yao Qian licked her lips, her face full of disbelief.
"This water... it's like it's made of anti-nausea medicine!"
"I'm actually not feeling sick anymore!"
Yao Xue was stunned for a moment.
As a doctor, her first reaction was to think of the placebo effect.
Or that her sister was hallucinating.
Seasickness is caused by dysfunction of the inner ear's vestibular system. How could drinking water relieve dizziness? Unless it contained specialized anti-vertigo medication.
Qin Yu offered no explanation.
Holding the remaining water, he turned to Yao Xue.
"Your turn."
Yao Xue looked at the bottle opening that her sister had drunk from, then at Qin Yu's uncompromising gaze.
She gritted her teeth.
Pushing herself up, she took the water bottle.
"I'll do it myself."
She didn't want to be held by the chin and forced to drink like her sister - it was too humiliating.
Yao Xue tilted back her slender neck and took a small sip.
Coolness entered her mouth.
Immediately after.
That strange, soothing sensation rushed straight to her head.
It was like eating mint candy on a hot summer day, or like gentle hands smoothing out tense nerves.
Yao Xue's pupils contracted sharply.
She could clearly feel her previously erratic heartbeat beginning to stabilize, the dizziness in her brain fading at an astonishing rate.
Although she could still feel the raft's rocking, her body no longer produced that intense rejection response.
"This..."
Yao Xue stared incredulously at the water bottle in her hand.
"What's in this water?"
She looked up sharply at Qin Yu, her eyes filled with a doctor's thirst for knowledge.
"Is this medication? Or a stimulant?"
"No medication could take effect this quickly!"
Qin Yu took back the empty bottle, stood up, and looked down at them.
"This is water produced by an S-grade Water Purifier."
"You can understand this as specially processed 'Water of Life'."
Qin Yu toyed with the empty bottle in his hand, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"It seems this machine's value exceeds what I initially imagined."
If it merely quenched thirst,
it would just be precious.
But if it could alleviate seasickness, restore physical strength, and soothe nerves...
then it was nothing short of miraculous!
During this initial phase of universal seafaring and widespread seasickness,
such anti-nausea water was even more crucial than food!
After all, those severely affected by seasickness completely lost their ability to work.
Just like the Yao sisters earlier.
If danger arose, they'd be nothing but lambs waiting for slaughter.
But this water could rapidly restore combat effectiveness!
"Feeling better?" Qin Yu asked.
Yao Qian was already able to sit up now. Though her face remained somewhat pale, her energy had clearly returned.
Rubbing her stomach in surprise, she exclaimed:
"I'm better! Truly better!"
"Qin Yu, this water is amazing! Can I have some more?"
"Wishful thinking."
Qin Yu refused without hesitation.
"Although the current production rate is high, we have nowhere to store it."
"Since you've recovered, stop lying around like corpses."
"Get to work."
Qin Yu pointed at the fish still flopping in the bucket.
"Gut and clean the fish."
"Keep the fish entrails - I have use for them."
"Also, figure out a solution for containers."
"Since this water is so precious, we can't afford to waste a single drop."
Yao Xue took a deep breath and stood up from the ground.
She straightened her somewhat disheveled white coat and adjusted the Black Silk Stockings on her legs, trying to regain her previous elite demeanor.
But her slightly flushed cheeks still betrayed her recent distress.
"Containers..."
Yao Xue looked at the vast ocean surrounding them, pushed up her glasses, and regained her composure.
"We have no plastic, no glass."
"But..."
Her gaze fell upon the freshly caught mackerel.
"Fish bladders."
"And fish skin."
Yao Xue turned to look at Qin Yu, wisdom sparkling in her eyes.
"If we get larger fish, their intact skins can be treated and sewn into water bags."
"Fish bladders can also be cleaned and used to store water."
"Though the capacity is limited and there's some fishy odor, it's our only option currently."
Qin Yu's eyes lit up.
Truly worthy of being a surgeon.
This was what you called professional expertise.
"Can you sew?" Qin Yu asked.
"I'm the chief of surgery."
Yao Xue waved the surgical knife that never left her hand, a hint of pride in her tone.
"I'm skilled at suturing blood vessels and nerves. Sewing a fish skin bag would be overkill."
"As for thread..."
She looked toward the pile of rope Qin Yu had placed in the corner.
"If we unravel the hemp rope and extract the fine threads inside, they should serve passably."
"For needles, we can sharpen fish bones as substitutes."
Qin Yu smiled.
This was the kind of teammate he wanted.
Not just decorative accessories who only knew how to cheer, but actual helpers who could solve problems.
"Good." Qin Yu nodded.
"Let's proceed accordingly."
"Yao Qian, you're responsible for unraveling rope and sharpening fish bones."
"Yao Xue, you handle the dissection and sewing."
"I'll continue fishing."