Apocalypse Forecast

Old Xiao was dead.

It was impossible to tell how long he had been dead. It seemed that as soon as one died on this ship, the rotting began immediately, to a frighteningly odorous extent.

At the moment the door opened, what burst into view was splattered blood—on the bed, on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling. The plasma, having lost its fresh color, was everywhere.

Dull and yellowed, it dripped viscously, eventually drying into ugly traces.

Old Xiao was enveloped by this scene, sitting in the center. He was in the chair he had prepared for his teammates, torn to pieces, as if hacked into seventeen or eighteen segments that weren't completely severed. Even his head had been smashed flat and was dangling from his neck, like a basketball hanging in a net.

Huai Shi, fighting back the urge to vomit, mustered his courage and stepped inside.

No signs of a struggle or damage from a fight could be seen, nor any trace of resistance.

He had died silently, to a disturbing degree.

Huai Shi stared blankly at it all, his mind suddenly unable to make sense of anything.

"What the hell is going on?" he couldn't help but rub his face. "Is this game killing people as if it's ordering takeout, and even delivering it to your door?"

He sat exhausted on the floor, looking at everything. It took him a long time to finally come to his senses.

Old Xiao was indeed dead.

Although losing a teammate in such a game seemed to be a common occurrence, not something to be shocked or fearful about, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of despondency.

The only teammate who seemed somewhat reliable had died so inexplicably.

Does it have to be like this?

It was foreseeable that this team of Players, already full of holes, was about to disband. More painful than the loss of morale was the fact that there was nobody left to lead the team.

Less than two days since the start, teammates were dying at a rate of almost one per day.

First, it was Yue Jun, and then Old Xiao. Who would be next?

What was worse, including Clement who had become an NPC, half of the six people were already dead. Yet, they hadn't found anything of note.

Forget about clues; the whole ship seemed to be perched on a boiling cauldron. Never mind reaching America and completing their own missions, even self-preservation was becoming difficult.

The newbies didn't even have the strength left to tremble in fear.

As he looked around, a rush of information suddenly flooded into his mind, as if Ai Qing had completed an Investigation.

Through the messy scene, he miraculously found quite a few remnants of evidence within that mutilated corpse.

First a stealthy entry, then a frenzied slashing—the throat, both legs, both arms, the heart...

He could almost imagine it: a shadow suddenly appearing before Old Xiao. A knife swept across, severing his throat and stifling his impending roar. Then, it precisely snapped the tendons in both legs, cutting off any chance of escape.

Old Xiao reached out to grapple, but his arms, sturdy as tree trunks, were continuously severed. Limbs flew off, landing on the floor, blood spurting... No, that's wrong; at that point, the weapon had changed, replaced by something much heavier and sharper.

The murderer stepped forward, treading on Old Xiao. The weapon in hand chopped down, breaking through forcefully, splitting open the chest, tearing apart the heart. Finally, with a sudden twist of the weapon, heavy steel smashed down on Old Xiao's head.

CRACK!

A sound like bursting bubbles echoed.

It was as if he had just killed a chicken, and that was that.

But in Huai Shi's speculation, when that shadow turned back, it saw an unbelievable face.

—His own.

Yes, that's right. First, attack with a Short Knife to gain the upper hand, then use an Axe to break through defenses and widen the advantage, and finally, finish with a blunt strike from the back of the Axe... A sequence as smooth as flowing water.

A small hammer for the fine work, a big hammer to get it done...

No matter how he looked at it, it was all too familiar.

He saw Old Xiao's face. At that last moment, the shattered countenance twisted into what seemed like a smile.

Mockingly gazing at Huai Shi, it made him feel deeply uncomfortable, a chill running down his spine.

"Don't veer off into any time-travel nonsense," Ai Qing said. "It wouldn't be the first time KP has played with ambiguity. Perhaps the killer wanted you to think that way. The methods of murder are finite; similarities are all too common."

She didn't say what followed.

—Instead of worrying about that, it would be better to worry if he, in his bloodthirsty, mindless stupor, had uncontrollably killed Old Xiao.

But what would that serve?

Even if Huai Shi was searching for a blood bag, he would have gone for that woman named Hela, who was closest to him, right?

Regardless of motive, opportunity, or reason, Huai Shi had no possibility of committing the crime.

So who else could have done it?

An enemy? Or a teammate?

Lei Feizhou?

Or Yin Yan?

As she was lost in thought, Huai Shi turned his head and saw the burly man standing at the doorway; he hadn't noticed when he'd arrived. Lei Feizhou looked at him expressionlessly, scrutinizing his panicked face, frowning.

Huai Shi was startled at first, then quickly raised his hands. "I didn't! It wasn't me!"

"I didn't say you did. He was already dead when I got here an hour ago," Lei Feizhou said expressionlessly. "I was the one who forced the door open. He was still warm then."

"Uh..." Huai Shi was at a loss for words.

"I searched the whole ship and couldn't find you. Yin Yan was still acting like a lapdog to Baba Yaga, so there was no chance to talk to him."

As he spoke, he seemed to have lost all hope, merely lifting the huge black plastic bag in his hand. "Let's take care of Old Xiao first. If there's anything to discuss, we can talk at dinner tonight."

Seeing the bag in Lei Feizhou's hand, Huai Shi felt a wave of guilt.

It seemed Yue Jun's body was still discarded in the cargo hold, untouched.

The two silently went about their work. Estimating that it was time for dinner, they got up and headed toward the dining hall.

「Later.」

Compared to last night's oppressive atmosphere, today's dining hall was a true vision of gloom and despondency.

Most people sat in their seats, sipping at a strangely concocted, strong-smelling stew that honestly made one want to vomit just from the smell of it.

Since the disappearance of the crew also included the ship's cook, the one currently in charge of cooking was a small Green spirit, reportedly from some backwater hamlet.

It was the kind of little creature from fairy tales that cooks for people and then plays pranks on them. Though often unwelcome, one could say it had a naturally warm heart. Unfortunately, its cooking skills weren't up to par.

Besides, no one had any appetite.

Today, it wasn't just Old Xiao who had died; four others were dead as well. One perished in a fight, two died mysteriously, and one had a complete breakdown, attempting to jump into the sea and swim back to Rome.

His Stigma was probably some kind of aquatic species.

Then everyone saw it: the person who fell into the sea seemed as though they had fallen into some enormous beast's gastric acid, dissolving bit by bit.

Amid the screams.

Huai Shi even saw a Rainmaker curled up in a corner, a tiny dark cloud floating above its head, flashing with lightning and roaring with thunder, looking utterly desolate.

At a nearby table, someone was smoking, while another person nervously asked their companion, "Have you seen my Magical Insole anywhere?"

Goddamn Magical Insole...

As he passed through the middle of the room, he saw Hela once again.

Unexpectedly, someone was sitting beside her. It was the woman from last night who had tried to boost morale. What was her name? I don't remember anymore.

Though her face was world-weary, she was trying hard to make an impression and stand out. Unfortunately, she was always treated as part of the background, lacking presence.

Now she was speaking intimately with Hela, her smile gentle as she tried to get closer.

But Hela's expression remained indifferent, as if she didn't hear what the woman was saying at all, just frowning at the soup in front of her.

The atmosphere in the dining hall really couldn't be called good.

The two of them had no appetite either. Plus, the soup's taste was so bizarre that it was impossible to stomach, leaving them to stare blankly at their bowls.

After a long while, Yin Yan finally arrived.

He arrived, the very picture of confidence. Following behind Baba Yaga carrying her bag, and after attending to the old lady's seating, he swaggered over, sat down, and looked at them. "What's up?"

Huai Shi took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with this sycophantic character. He simply said, "Old Xiao is dead."

"I heard." Yin Yan crossed his arms. "Dead is dead."

Lei Feizhou frowned unhappily. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said!" Yin Yan retorted coldly. "Isn't KP's hint clear enough? We're supposed to cling to strong allies if we want to make it to America successfully. Relying on ourselves clearly won't work. If I were you, I wouldn't waste time. I'd hurry to curry favor with that idiotic old man and that cat-cuddling Little Brag. And just a heads-up: don't compete with me."

Dude, you think big.

Even being a Cowherd makes you proud.

Huai Shi sneered, bluntly asking, "The five essentials for pleasing a rich woman: ball, fire, spike, pliers, hammer... How many can you provide? Daring to act like a Cowherd without any skills?"

Yin Yan was taken aback.

Was he shocked by these five items, or did he feel an overwhelming pressure emanating from Huai Shi, akin to a master's authority? He seemed too embarrassed to speak. Soon, however, he stiffly said, "That's none of your business. I suggest you also stop wandering around carelessly, lest you die an early death."

"Don't be alarmist," Lei Feizhou said coldly.

"Don't you get it yet?"

Yin Yan was amused. Scanning the expressions of Huai Shi and Lei Feizhou, his face twisted as he said, "First Yue Jun, then Old Xiao... dying so quickly. I wouldn't believe there isn't a saboteur if you told me."

He said, "There's a traitor among us!"

In the deadly silence, several people exchanged glances, speechless.

It was as if, before the child spoke, the King's public nudity was just a secret everyone held. But once the child spoke up, everyone had to deal with the consequences of the King's indecent exposure.

"See? Even you guys have nothing to say, right?" Yin Yan sneered. "I'm not interested in who did it. But if anyone's plotting against me, forget it! If you want to start infighting, you two can play by yourselves."

Huai Shi furrowed his brows and didn't speak.

Although he never had any expectations for his teammates from the start, this clamoring to split up really infuriated him. But what could he do? Once the seed of doubt is sown, it's not easy to uproot.

Besides, from the beginning, this team was riddled with holes.

Soon, however, he heard the sharp clatter of shattering dishes from a nearby table.

And a hoarse scream.

"There's poison... in the soup..."