The dark clouds hung oppressively low.
The sea wind grew sharper.
Blowing against the face like fine grains of sand scraping the skin.
Qin Yu stood by the railing on the second-floor platform.
"It's coming," he murmured softly.
Not the rain.
But fate.
He opened the transparent panel.
A string of crimson numbers in the upper right corner was rapidly changing.
That was the current number of survivors in the region.
[Current Regional Survivors: 4218/33333]
"How could so many people have died..." a startled exclamation came from behind.
Yao Qian's face was deathly pale.
She still held half an uneaten grilled eggplant in her hand, but had completely lost her appetite.
"This is the selection process," Qin Yu flicked away cigarette ash, his tone indifferent.
"The Dark Tide Period is almost over."
"Those previous days were the system's mercy."
"Now begins the true survival."
He opened the [Regional Chat Channel].
It used to be lively here, with people boasting and flirting.
Now.
Only despair remained.
"Help!! Does anyone have wood? Give me two pieces of wood! My raft is falling apart!!"
"I don't want to die... I don't want to die! There's something in the water! Something's hitting my boat!"
"Who has food? I can trade with my body! Just half a piece of bread... no, even a mouthful of water will do!"
"That big wave just washed away all my supplies, I have nothing now, can anyone save me?"
The messages scrolled by at a dizzying speed.
Behind each message might be a fading human life.
No rescue.
No mercy.
In this damned place, everyone was an isolated island.
"Look at the leaderboard!" Yao Xue, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Qin Yu promptly opened it.
[First Place: Anonymous]
[Raft Level: Iron Fortress (Prototype)]
[Area: 800 square meters]
[Defense Rating: SSS-level (Iron armor coverage/Heavy firepower/S-level individual weapons)]
[Comprehensive Score: 9999]
[Second Place: Zhao Lei]
[Raft Level: Reinforced Raft]
[Area: 35 square meters]
[Defense Rating: D-level (Wooden spikes/Stone axe)]
[Comprehensive Score: 240]
[Third Place: Li Ruobing]
[Raft Level: Double-Layered Raft]
[Area: 24 square meters]
[Defense Rating: E-level (None)]
[Comprehensive Score: 175]
...
A chasm.
An absolute chasm.
A gap that bred despair.
While the second place was still struggling to expand their raft to forty square meters.
The first place was already sailing an "aircraft carrier."
The atmosphere in the chat channel instantly shifted.
"Holy shit?! Eight hundred square meters?!"
"Is this a bug? I worked my ass off just to get ten square meters, can't even stretch my legs, and this big shot has eight hundred?"
"Did they move an entire island onto their ship?"
"Big shot, are you there? Do you need a sidekick? I can warm your bed! I'm a flight attendant!"
"Eight hundred square meters... this isn't a raft anymore, this is a sea fortress, right?"
"Is this even human? We all crossed over together, why is he so exceptional?"
Envy.
Jealousy.
Resentment.
And a profound sense of powerlessness.
Watching these messages scroll by, Yao Qian instinctively glanced at the broad deck beneath her feet, then at the row of unfinished grilled vegetables in the distance.
She suddenly felt as if she were on vacation.
"Stop looking."
Qin Yu closed the panel. The lives of those people had nothing to do with him—as long as they didn't die on his ship.
His expression remained impassive as he walked to the corner and picked up the seemingly ordinary fishing rod.
The SSS-Grade All-Things Fishing Rod.
Pitch-black from tip to handle.
It bore no patterns, only an archaic simplicity in its texture.
"Qin Yu? You... you're still going fishing?" Yao Xue stared at him in disbelief.
At a time like this?
With storms raging outside and malevolent spirits knocking beneath the waves, while others desperately reinforced their ships or knelt praying on the decks—he actually intended to fish?
"Fishing in this weather will probably yield nothing, right?" Yao Qian couldn't help quipping.
Qin Yu ignored their doubts.
With practiced ease, he baited the hook with a piece of wolf meat still tinged with blood.
"The worse the conditions, the better the catch."
He walked to the edge of the deck, facing the gale-force winds as his gaze sharpened.
"The creatures in this sea usually hide in the Abyss. Only when dark tides surge do they grow restless and rise to the surface."
He hefted the fishing rod in his hand.
"And... this rod of mine doesn't just catch fish."
An SSS-grade equipment would be wasted if used only for catching groupers. Its description was clear:
[All-Things Angling: Chance to hook treasures from the Myriad Realms. The fiercer the storm, the rarer the catch.]
"Whoosh—"
With a flick of his wrist, the black fishing line sliced through the air with a sharp whistle. The wolf meat-baited hook plunged like a bullet into the churning waves.
"Splash!"
A towering wave crashed over the deck, drenching Qin Yu completely.
Yet he stood unwavering, like an iron statue.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Ten minutes.
The surrounding roars grew increasingly frequent—the sound of Deep Sea Specters savagely attacking other survivors. Screams in the Chat Channel had merged into a continuous chorus, with some even posting final words.
But Qin Yu's location remained eerily silent, with only the howling wind and crashing waves.
Yao Xue and Yao Qian didn't dare speak, huddling together as they watched the buoy bobbing violently in the waves.
Suddenly—
The black fishing rod bent downward at an extreme angle, forming a dramatic U-shape! The line instantly tautened, vibrating with a loud hum.
"It's here!"
Qin Yu's eyes flashed with intensity as he gripped the rod with both hands. An immense pulling force erupted from the depths—far beyond any ordinary fish, even more terrifying than the quasi-S-grade giant bear they'd encountered before.
"Screech—!"
The reel spun wildly, emitting piercing friction sounds as if ready to explode at any moment.
"Qin Yu! Be careful!" Yao Xue cried out, moving to assist.
"Stay back!"
Qin Yu shouted, veins bulging on his forehead. The muscles in his arms swelled with blood, straining against his sleeves.
"This thing's strong! Must be something valuable!"
He anchored his feet firmly on the deck, leaning back to counter the colossal force from below with his full body weight.
[Ding! High-energy lifeform detected on hook!]
[Strength check in progress...]
[Host strength check passed!]
[Endurance check in progress...]
The system's prompts echoed in his mind.
Qin Yu gritted his teeth.
Yet the corners of his mouth twisted into a frenzied curve.
"Get the hell up here!!!"
He yanked the fishing rod violently.
"BOOM——!!!"
The water surface exploded.
A massive black shadow burst forth from the depths.
Not a fish.
Nor a chest.
It was a metallic sphere wrapped in seaweed and barnacles.
As large as a millstone.
Around the sphere, several tentacle-like mechanical arms flailed wildly, trying to sever the fishing line.
"A mechanical species?"
Qin Yu was momentarily stunned.
But his hands never stopped moving.
Taking advantage of the thing's brief aerial rigidity,
he swung with all his might.
"BAM!"
The heavy metal sphere crashed onto the second-level deck.
Wood splinters flew.
The solid wooden floor was dented deeply upon impact.
After landing, the thing didn't settle down.
It continued thrashing violently.
Red lights on its surface flashed frantically.
Qin Yu dropped the fishing rod.
He rushed forward immediately.
Stomping on one of its mechanical arms with his foot,
he gripped the machete in his hand.
"Stay still!"
Qin Yu raised the blade and brought it down.
"CRACK!"
He drove it straight into a gap in the metal sphere and pried hard.
The red light flickered twice.
Finally, it went dark.
The mechanical arms drooped limply.
"Hah..."
Qin Yu let out a long breath.
Wiping the seawater from his face.
"What is this thing?"
Yao Qian cautiously approached.
She nudged the metal lump with the tip of her foot.
"Looks like a bomb."
"Not a bomb."
Qin Yu pressed his hand against the object.
The system prompt sounded.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on a successful catch!]
[Acquired: Deep-sea Guardian (S-class · Damaged)]
[Description: A defensive mechanical guard from the Atlantis civilization. Though its core is damaged from age, it still possesses formidable firepower.]
[Function: Auto-targeting, Plasma Cannon attacks.]
[Note: With a little repair, it can still function—it's the best watchdog for your raft.]
S-class!
Another defensive weapon!
Qin Yu's eyes lit up.
This was like a dream come true.
With this thing, he'd dare to take on a destroyer.
"It's a turret."
Qin Yu patted the metal sphere.
He gazed into the distant darkness.
The waves still roared.
But half the weight in Qin Yu's heart had lifted.
"Can this thing be repaired?"
Yao Xue eyed the rust-and-seaweed-covered metal lump skeptically.
"Who do you think I am?"
Qin Yu stood up, sweeping his wet hair back.
Revealing a face brimming with arrogant confidence.
He checked his system backpack.
Among the pile of "junk" the T-X Harvester had dug up earlier,
there happened to be a batch of [Precision Electronic Components] and [High-Energy Crystals].
Byproducts from decomposing a certain rare ore.
He'd thought they were useless.
Now they'd come in handy.
"System, repair the Deep-sea Guardian."
"Consume the required materials."
[Ding! Sufficient materials detected.]
[Repair in progress...]
A soft blue light instantly enveloped the metal sphere.
The rust and seaweed on its surface peeled away at a visible pace.
Revealing the silvery-white metal shell beneath.
The severed mechanical arm reconnected.
The extinguished indicator light lit up once more.
But this time, it wasn't the dangerous red color.
Instead, it was the standby blue.
Clank-clank-clank—
A series of mechanical transformation sounds.
The iron sphere slowly unfolded.
From its center extended a cannon barrel as thick as an arm.
Electric arcs faintly danced around the muzzle.
Cool.
So damn cool.
This was the romance of men.
"Install it at the bow," Qin Yu ordered.
Although the thing was heavy, with the system's strength enhancement, it was just a larger dumbbell to Qin Yu.
He lifted the several-hundred-pound turret with one hand.
Walked to the very front of the second-level platform.
And forcefully pressed it into the reserved slot behind the railing.
"Secure."
The system automatically welded.
The Deep-sea Guardian and the raft perfectly merged into one.
"Activate automatic defense mode."
Qin Yu snapped his fingers.
Hum—
The turret rotated.
That blue electronic eye scanned the sea surface.
Like a dutiful guard.
Just then.
Splash!
Less than twenty meters from the raft.
A pale figure suddenly burst out from beneath the water.
It was a Deep-sea Corpse Mermaid!
Most adept at hiding.
Even the [Deep Sea Specter] failed to detect it.
It had a twisted human face, a fish tail for a body, and held a bone spike in its hand.
It was shrieking strangely, trying to pounce toward the raft.
"Ah!! A ghost!" Yao Qian screamed in terror, covering her eyes.
Qin Yu didn't even move.
Didn't even bat an eye.
Zap—BOOM!!
A dazzling blue beam shot out from the cannon muzzle beside him.
With perfect accuracy.
Instantly hitting the monster mid-air.
No scream.
No blood.
The Deep-sea Corpse Mermaid was directly vaporized by the high-temperature plasma.
Not even ashes remained.
Only a cloud of white steam.
Instant kill.
A complete and utter instant kill.
The world fell silent.
The cries and shouts in the Chat Channel seemed to grow distant.
Yao Qian cautiously moved her fingers aside.
Staring at the empty sea surface.
Her jaw dropped.
"It's... dead?"
"Mm."
Qin Yu touched the cannon barrel.
Still warm.
"Within this range."
"I call the shots."
He turned around.
Looking at the two sisters who were too shocked to speak.
Picked up the fishing rod again.
"Keep the music playing."
"Keep fishing."
The greater the storm.
The more valuable the fish.
This was just the beginning.
That Deep Sea Specter was merely an appetizer.
The real big one was still to come.
"Qin Yu..."
Yao Xue looked at his back.
Suddenly feeling.
That the raging storm outside didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
As long as she stood behind this man.
Even if it were the apocalypse.
It would just be another scene.
"Get me a bottle of water."
Qin Yu said without turning his head.
Yao Xue was taken aback.
Then smiled helplessly.
"Alright."
She turned and walked into the cabin.
Her steps noticeably lighter.
Qin Yu cast his line once more.
This time.
He aimed for deeper, darker waters.
That SSS-grade fishing rod seemed to sense its master's fighting spirit.
Trembling slightly.
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