The night was profound, like undissolved thick ink.
Yet the deck of the "President" was as bright as day.
The S-Class "Artificial Sun" hovered atop the mast, emitting a constant, warm glow.
There was no blinding glare, only a soft warmth.
Like the lazy afternoon sunlight of spring, it spilled over every inch of the deck.
Li Ruobing sat on a deck lounger, hugging her knees, wearing only a thin sports tank top.
Her gaze was somewhat dazed as she looked up at the miraculous crystal sphere above.
"Can't sleep?"
Qin Yu's voice came from behind.
Li Ruobing turned her head and saw Qin Yu walking slowly toward her, holding two bottles of chilled beer.
"Boss."
Li Ruobing started to rise, but Qin Yu pressed her shoulder down.
"Stay seated. We're on our own ship here, no need for formalities."
Qin Yu handed her a bottle and sat in the adjacent chair.
"Can't sleep," Li Ruobing admitted, taking the beer. The cool sensation sharpened her senses slightly.
"I was thinking... where would I be now if I hadn't met you, Boss."
"Probably feeding the fish in the ocean, or captured by that Zhao Biao to be his mountain stronghold wife."
Qin Yu took a sip of beer, his tone matter-of-fact.
This wasn't just a joke.
It was the truth.
Li Ruobing let out a bitter laugh.
"Yeah."
"Even though I was ranked second before, even though I had some skills."
"In the face of absolute power like this, it all means nothing."
She glanced around.
Though adrift at sea, this place resembled a luxurious resort.
Warm, bright, safe.
Even the air carried a faint, fresh ozone scent—the result of the S-Class Power Core purifying the atmosphere.
"Tick."
The minute hand on the wall clock pointed to twelve.
A new day had begun.
And in that very second.
The previously calm sea suddenly changed.
"Crack—"
A sharp, clear splitting sound abruptly shattered the silent night.
Then.
"Crack, crack, crack, crack—"
The noise grew denser, louder.
As if countless invisible hands were violently crushing the sea surface.
The wind picked up.
But this wasn't the sea breeze from before.
It was white.
A visible white cold current swept in from the northern horizon.
Where it passed, the waves instantly solidified.
The still-rolling breakers froze mid-air, turning into grotesque ice sculptures.
The frigid air collided with the "President's" invisible shield.
Emitting a sizzling sound.
"It's here."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, watching the rapidly approaching white line of death in the distance.
"Extreme ice hell."
The protective umbrella had completely withdrawn.
The ocean was finally baring its ferocious fangs.
Li Ruobing instinctively shrank her neck.
Though protected by the "Artificial Sun," the temperature inside the ship remained around twenty-five degrees.
But the visual impact still sent a shudder from the depths of her soul.
It was too fast.
In less than a minute.
The vast expanse of azure sea vanished from sight.
Replaced by.
A deathly, stark white.
The ice thickened at an alarming rate, emitting a grating, crushing sound.
Simultaneously.
The survival system bracelets on everyone's wrists vibrated frantically.
Red lights flashed.
A piercing alarm blared in the minds of every survivor.
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Protection period has ended! "Extreme Ice Hell" mode is now active!]
[Current ambient temperature: -30°C (and dropping).]
[The sea surface has frozen over, all conventional navigation has been forced to halt.]
[Warning: Survivors must seek heat sources immediately. Body temperature dropping below 35°C will trigger "hypothermia," and remaining in this state for one hour will result in death.]
But that wasn't all.
Immediately after, an even more glaring red announcement followed.
[Version Update Notice: Detected malicious teaming by some survivors, causing severe imbalance in resource distribution.]
[To ensure the fairness and intensity of the survival game, the "Team Limit" mechanism is now activated.]
[Rules are as follows:]
[1. Each vessel (raft/boat) is considered an independent team.]
[2. The maximum number of members per team is locked at: 6 people.]
[3. Teams exceeding 6 members must reduce their numbers within ten minutes.]
[4. If the team remains over the limit after the countdown ends, the system will randomly eliminate excess members!]
[Countdown begins: 09:59…]
Silence.
After a brief silence.
The previously quiet World Chat exploded instantly.
Countless messages flooded in like a blizzard, refreshing so fast that it was impossible to read the IDs.
All were cries of despair.
All were expressions of hopelessness.
"Holy shit! It's so cold! My hand is stuck to the iron railing! The skin tore off!"
"This is -30°C? It's definitely -50°C! My water froze the moment I poured it out!"
"Help! My blanket is useless! Who has fire? I'll trade all my wood for a fire starter!"
"Fire? In this damned weather, ordinary fires won't ignite! All the wood is wet!"
But this was only the beginning.
The panic over the "Team Limit" struck even harder than the cold.
"What does this mean? Only six people can stay?"
"We're doomed! There are over twenty people on our raft! We gathered together for safety before!"
"Boss! Don't kick me out! I'll do anything for you! Don't throw me overboard!"
"Get lost! The system says only six can stay! I'm the captain, what I say goes! Throw the useless women, the weak, and the sick overboard!"
"No! You can't do this! We're all classmates!"
"Classmates? Who cares about that now! I want to live!"
The ugliness of human nature was laid bare in that moment.
For those six survival slots.
Bloody internal conflicts erupted on countless rafts.
Comrades who were brothers just moments before.
Plunged knives into each other's hearts the next.
Or simply pushed others into the freezing seawater.
Qin Yu watched the horrifying messages in the Chat Channel.
His expression remained impassive.
He had long anticipated this day.
The system was never a charity.
It was breeding gu.
With more people, resources would be insufficient. Only by limiting numbers and forcing people to fight and compete could the strongest gu king be selected.
"Boss..."
Li Ruobing looked at the messages, her face pale.
She instinctively counted the people on the ship.
Qin Yu.
Yao Xue, Yao Qian.
Herself.
And those two tattooed laborers, Wang Long and Zhang Hu.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Exactly six people.
Li Ruobing let out a sharp sigh of relief, slumping into her chair.
Too close.
If there had been even one more person on the ship.
Just one more.
Given Qin Yu's temperament, he would undoubtedly have eliminated the extra person without hesitation.
And that person would most likely have been her, or one of the two laborers.
"Lucky for you."
Qin Yu shook the wine bottle in his hand, a playful curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
"Exactly six."
"No one has to die."
Meanwhile.
In the lower deck cabin.
Wang Long and Zhang Hu were huddled under their blankets, trembling.
Not from cold.
From fear.
They had also seen the system announcement.
"Brother Long... we... we have exactly six people, right?"
Zhang Hu's voice was tearful, his teeth chattering.
"We... we won't be thrown overboard by the boss, will we?"
Wang Long swallowed hard, gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.
"Probably... probably not."
"As long as we obey, as long as we work..."
"This ship is so big, someone has to do the dirty and heavy work, right?"
"Right, right, right! We can work! We're more useful than those women!"
Like clutching at a life-saving straw, they comforted each other in the darkness.
But neither dared to close their eyes.
Afraid that the next second, that demon-like man would appear at the door to pronounce their death sentence.
...
Outside, the snowstorm grew heavier.
The temperature continued to drop.
Many survivors' rafts began to crack from the expansion force of the ice.
"Bang!"
Someone posted a picture in the Chat Channel.
It showed a roughly thirty-square-meter raft split in two by the ice.
The person in the middle had fallen into the icy crevice and instantly frozen into an ice pop.
"So tragic..."
"My raft is about to give out too!"
"I'm so cold... can anyone save me..."
Amid the chorus of despair.
One message suddenly stood out.
[District 9527 - Liu Qiang: Hahahaha! I survived! Luckily, I got a 'C-grade Cast Iron Stove' from a treasure chest earlier! As long as I have coal, I can keep burning!]
[Liu Qiang: The temperature inside is zero degrees now! Still cold, but at least I won't freeze to death! Jealous? This is the mark of a true survivor!]
As soon as this message appeared.
It immediately attracted a flood of sycophants.
"Brother Qiang, you're amazing!"
"Brother Qiang, please take me in! I only have a torch, and it's about to go out!"
"I'll trade ten pounds of fish for ten minutes by your stove!"
"I got a stove too! But it's a simple version—have to keep adding wood. Exhausting."
Several "high-level players" began to emerge.
After a few days of development, some had indeed stockpiled resources.
Some had expanded their rafts to a hundred square meters and built simple wooden huts.
Others had acquired quilts or down jackets.
Some, like that Liu Qiang, had acquired rudimentary heating equipment.
Though it was a world of difference compared to before, in such desperate circumstances, having a shelter at zero degrees Celsius was already paradise.
Watching these people gloat over a shabby iron stove.
Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh.
"Zero degrees?"
"You call that living?"
He stood up and stretched.
His silk robe slipped off, revealing his toned upper body.
Even on this open deck.
He didn't feel the slightest chill.
The "Eye of Helios" above his head continuously radiated heat.
The surrounding air was as warm as spring.
A potted plant nearby had even sprouted new buds.
"Let's go, back to the room to sleep."
Qin Yu patted Li Ruobing's head.
"Need to wake up early tomorrow."
"Such perfect ice—it'd be a shame not to go drifting on it."
Li Ruobing watched Qin Yu's relaxed back.
Then glanced at the people on her wristband going crazy over a single stove.
An indescribable sense of absurdity welled up in her heart.
This was the gap.
While others were desperately struggling not to freeze to death.
Her boss was already planning how to drift on the ice tomorrow.
...
This night.
Was destined to be sleepless.
When the ten-minute countdown ended.
Many IDs disappeared from the world channel.
Those who were forcibly eliminated or pushed into the sea would never speak again.
The remaining survivors shivered in the cold wind, guarding weak flames and praying for sunrise.
Finally.
The long night passed.
A pale glimmer appeared on the eastern horizon.
The sun had risen.
But it seemed veiled in white gauze—pale and weak, without a trace of warmth.
"Wake up!"
Qin Yu's voice echoed through the loudspeaker.
Vigorous and clear, without any grogginess of someone just awakened.
The first-floor cabin door opened.
Wang Long and Zhang Hu rushed out, dark circles under their eyes.
They hadn't slept all night.
Afraid they'd be thrown overboard if they fell asleep.
Hearing Qin Yu's call, they moved faster than rabbits.
"Boss! Good morning!"
"Boss! Just give the orders!"
They bowed and scraped, faces full of obsequious smiles.
Qin Yu glanced at them.
He could see the fear in their eyes.
"Go serve food in the dining hall."
"Today it's pork noodles."
"Extra spicy."
At the words "pork noodles."
Their Adam's apples bobbed violently.
Last night's stew had already been delicious.
Who would have thought there'd be meat noodles in the morning?
"Yes, yes! Right away!"
They scurried toward the kitchen.
By now, Yao Xue was already busy in the kitchen.
Steam filled the air.
A large pot boiled hand-pulled noodles, while a clay pot nearby stewed with large chunks of braised pork.
The aroma.
Rich meaty fragrance, mixed with the scent of chili oil, drifted through the ventilation ducts filling the entire ship.
Even spreading outside.
If any other survivors were nearby, just smelling this would probably make them drool uncontrollably.
Ten minutes later.
In the dining hall.
Six people sat around the table.
Each had a large bowl of steaming red braised pork noodles.
Topped with a thick layer of pork and bright green blanched vegetables.
"Slurp—"
Yao Qian abandoned all ladylike pretenses, grabbing a bundle of noodles and shoveling them into her mouth.
The spicy oil stimulated her taste buds.
The hot soup warmed her stomach.
That warmth radiating from within made one want to hum with contentment.
"So delicious..."
Yao Qian ate until her nose beaded with sweat, her cheeks flushed pink.
"Brother Qin Yu, this is even better than what I've had at five-star hotels!"
Qin Yu ate his noodles unhurriedly.
He casually opened the Chat Channel.
The atmosphere in the Chat Channel seemed rather peculiar at the moment.
[District 9527 - Fatty Wang: Bros, the sun's out, but it doesn't seem to help at all! Still freezing to death!]
[Zhao Si: Don't even mention it. My water's frozen solid. I'm stuck chewing ice chunks, nearly breaking my teeth.]
[Sun Erniang: Anyone got food? I'm starving! Even moldy bread would do!]
[Liu Qiang: Hehe, I just boiled some snow water and made instant noodles. Tasteless, but at least it's warm!]
Liu Qiang was showing off again.
At a time when everyone else could only gnaw on cold, hard rations,
having a sip of hot soup—even if it was just instant noodle broth—was the ultimate luxury.
"Brother Qiang's living the high life!"
"Is this what a pro looks like? I want some soup too..."
A crowd began showering him with praise below.
Qin Yu shook his head as he read these messages.
After a moment's thought,
he casually snapped a photo.
The picture showed a table laden with food,
featuring a close-up of the bowl of braised pork noodles before him—glossy with red oil and piled high with pork—
alongside a steaming cup of freshly ground soy milk.
In the background, the Yao sisters could be seen wearing only light clothing, enjoying their noodles with evident pleasure.
He clicked send.
And added a caption.
[Anonymous: It's a bit chilly today, everyone remember to drink hot water. Breakfast was a little greasy—I'll have to remind the chef to tone it down next time.]
The moment this message went out,
the previously bustling world channel
froze for a moment.
After a full three seconds,
it exploded like a volcano!
"Holy shit!!!"
"What is this? What is this?!"
"Pork noodles?! Are those actual chunks of pork? Am I seeing things?!"
"And it's hot! I can see the steam!"
"Here I am chewing on leather belts, and this guy's eating braised pork noodles?!"
"Those two girls are in short sleeves?! How is that possible! I'm bundled up like a snowman and still shivering!"
"Photoshopped! This has to be photoshopped! No one lives like this out at sea!"
Liu Qiang, who had been boasting about his instant noodles just moments before, instantly fell silent.
His bowl of snow-water noodles
paled in comparison to Qin Yu's meaty feast.
It wasn't even fit for pig slop.
No.
Not even that.
"Is... is this that anonymous pro?"
"The one who was selling water before?"
"How on earth did he manage this? Does his ship have heating?"
Countless people burned with envy.
In this frozen wasteland,
warmth and food were the deadliest temptations.
"Pro! Please! Let me on your ship!"
"I can warm your bed! I'm skilled in all kinds of martial arts!"
"Do you need a dog, pro? I want to be your dog!"
Private message notifications chimed incessantly, but Qin Yu couldn't be bothered to look, setting them all to block.
He set down his chopsticks.
Pulled out a tissue and wiped his mouth.
"Everyone full?"
They all nodded hurriedly.
Even Wang Long, who had downed two large bowls of noodles, let out a satisfied burp.
"Now that we're full, it's time to get to work."
Qin Yu stood up.
Walked to the window and gazed out at the vast, white expanse of ice beyond.
A flicker of fanaticism flashed in his eyes.
"S-Class nuclear power."
"Ice-breaking ram."
"And this S-Class artificial sun."
"Everything is ready."
He turned and looked at Li Ruobing.
"To the bridge."
"Start the reactor."
"Target, due north."
"Today, we're going to smash through this path."
"And incidentally..."
Qin Yu paused, his tone grim.
"...let's visit the neighbors around here."
"Since the system limits the number of people, there shouldn't be so many sharing the resources in these waters anymore."
"My rules are simple."
"Those who comply will prosper, those who resist will perish."
"Anyone who doesn't want to die should get far away."
Li Ruobing felt a chill in her heart.
She understood Qin Yu's meaning.
This was a clearing operation.
In this extreme ice hell, supplies meant life.
Since this was no longer just about survival, but about domination.
Then starting today.
They would make this "President" become the true nightmare of this ice field.
"Yes! Boss!"
Li Ruobing responded loudly, turning and rushing toward the bridge.
"Vrrrmmm—!!!"
The familiar low-frequency vibration sounded once more.
The S-Class Deep Sea Cold Fusion Reactor began to roar.
Massive energy flowed through pipelines to every corner of the ship's hull.
At the bow.
The heavily reinforced black ram.
Suddenly glowed with a crimson light.
This was the sign of the High-Frequency Thermal Oscillation Blade activating.
Hard ice?
Before absolute high temperature and oscillation.
It was nothing but fragile thin paper.
"Rumble—"
The massive steel beast moved.
The bow cut deeply into the ice surface.
Accompanied by the screech of friction and the tremendous sound of shattering ice.
A broad water channel slowly extended behind the "President."
Shattered ice flew.
White mist rose.
Qin Yu stood in the bridge, gripping the control stick.
Watching the endless ice field ahead.
A wild, arrogant smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Ice Age?"
"Then I'll smash this ice age to pieces!"
...
Meanwhile, a dozen nautical miles away from the "President."
On several rafts frozen together.
A group of people huddled shivering around a "low-grade cast iron stove."
This was none other than Liu Qiang, who had been boasting in the channel.
Wrapped in a tattered military coat, he held a piece of hardened bread.
Suddenly.
He felt the ice beneath his feet vibrating.
"What's happening? An earthquake?"
A subordinate nearby looked up in terror.
"Brother Qiang... look over there..."
Liu Qiang followed where his subordinate pointed.
On the distant horizon.
A dazzling golden light was tearing through the endless snowstorm.
Rushing rapidly toward them.
Within that golden light.
A massive steel warship, like a chariot from mythology.
Crushing everything in its path.
That was...
Qin Yu's ship.
Liu Qiang's bread fell from his hand.
His lips trembling.
"What... what kind of monster is this..."
In this frozen world of despair.
The true overlord.
Had arrived.