Chapter 139: The Tsunami Arrives

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: The Tsunami Arrives

The seawater washed over his ankles as Jiang Jing blew the whistle in his hand.

The sound of the whistle reached every player’s ears, and the once-quiet area instantly erupted in noise.

Dozens of players rushed to the shore, all of them scrutinizing the surface of the sea.

"Is a tsunami coming? Is the danger really here?"

"Something strange happened on the North Coast this morning. Aren’t there still players stationed there? Everyone, start a video call! Ask them what’s going on!"

"Pay attention to the water at your feet! It’s receding and rising with extreme speed. A normal tide would never retreat so violently.

More of the beach is exposed with every fluctuation. The water from the shallows is rushing violently into the deep. When enough water gathers out there, the tsunami will hit. These are the warning signs."

"What do we do? What do we do?! Oh, right, the instance’s clear conditions..."

The sounds of video calls being initiated rose one after another.

"What’s happening on the North Coast? Is the water receding and surging quickly there?"

A jumble of voices came from the other end of the call. "Isn’t a high tide at night normal? What’s all the fuss about?"

"What fuss?! Are you blind? These are the goddamn signs of a tsunami! I’ve been through a sinking island before, dammit. I never should have listened to you bullshitting. I’m going to find Wei Zhan and his group. If I stick with them, I might actually survive."

Shi Zhile heard the exchange clearly. "Has Uncle Wei arrived yet?" she asked.

Jiang Jing shook his head. "Not so soon. The North Coast is a long way from here. It’ll take them at least half an hour to run over."

Shi Zhile grunted in acknowledgment. Just then, Wen Bai and the others reached Shi Zhiyi’s side. With a raise of her hand, Shi Zhile pulled them all into her Planting Space, then told Jiang Jing to start a video call with Wei Zhan.

While he did that, Shi Zhile used her will to move all the animals from the Breeding Space into the Planting Space. Then, she lit some incapacitating incense inside the now-empty Breeding Space.

As smoke began to fill the air, Shi Zhile casually grabbed a nearby player and tossed him into the Breeding Space.

[Breeding Space Notification: Player x1 detected. Devour??]

Shi Zhile ignored the notification and carefully observed the player’s reaction.

The man looked around in a panic, but before he could even take two steps, he was overcome by the smoke and collapsed, unconscious.

’This dose is enough for one person,’ she thought, ’but a lot of people will be coming in later. I’d better light a few more sticks of incense.’

The sound of frantic footsteps arose from behind her. She turned to see Wei Zhan arriving with the players from the North Coast.

Fifty players had been sent there, but fewer than twenty had followed him back.

A deep rumbling emanated from the seabed. At some unknown point, the water washing ashore had turned murky and foul.

As the tide receded with terrifying speed, the entire beach was exposed. Under the moonlight, a sheet of absolute darkness began to spread rapidly toward the shore.

"The tsunami is here!"

Wei Zhan looked at Shi Zhile, his eyes filled with urgency. "Can you take them in now?"

"I can. Now we’ll just see if they cooperate."

Wei Zhan snatched the whistle from Jiang Jing, blew a sharp blast, and bellowed, "Don’t panic! Everyone, gather around! Hold each other’s hands! We’re leaving this instance together!"

He yelled this over and over until his voice grew hoarse.

Fear and anxiety spread through the crowd. The players who had started to scatter halted.

Many players gritted their teeth and ran back toward Wei Zhan’s group. The first was followed by a second, and gradually, more and more players chose to obey.

Of course, many others still ran for the hills.

The rumbling grew louder. Shi Zhile sent Jiang Jing into the Planting Space first, then with a wave of her hand, she stuffed everyone else into the Breeding Space.

Just before the wall of water hit, Shi Zhile entered the Planting Space herself.

A system notification immediately followed.

[Breeding Space Notification: 89 players detected. Devour?]

Shi Zhile ignored the voice, but the notification persisted.

Shi Zhiyi and the others had been dragged off by Mr. Wen to till the land, leaving only Jiang Jing behind.

She focused her consciousness on the Breeding Space. As the dense smoke thinned, more and more players collapsed. Among the few still on their feet, Shi Zhile saw a frosty-faced Jiang Yuxing, along with Wei Zhan and Wang Peng, who were still standing, albeit with gritted teeth.

She mentally slapped herself and quickly pulled the three men into the Planting Space.

Upon seeing familiar faces, both Wei Zhan and Wang Peng’s heads lolled to the side as they finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

Shi Zhile looked at Jiang Yuxing, a hint of regret in her eyes. "How come you didn’t pass out?"

"I took an antidote."

’He had guessed Shi Zhile would use this as an opportunity to cause trouble for him, so he had taken an antidote beforehand.’

’And Shi Zhile hadn’t disappointed him. Under the guise of "forgetting," she had tossed both him and Wang Peng in with the drugged smoke.’

’If they had both been knocked out, knowing Shi Zhile’s personality, she would have likely kept them unconscious until she found a way to completely control them.’

’As for Wei Zhan... he was just bait she had laid out. If Jiang Yuxing had tried to make an issue of it, she would have just claimed she was too busy and forgot. After all, why else would she have "accidentally" let her own ally, Uncle Wei, get caught in the smoke?’

Jiang Jing laid Wei Zhan and Wang Peng down flat and splashed a bowl of water on their faces, but the usually foolproof method had no effect.

"They’re both drugged. Any idea how long until they wake up?"

The corner of Jiang Yuxing’s mouth curled into a smirk. "Zhile lit far too much of that incense. They won’t wake up until tomorrow evening at the earliest."

Jiang Jing asked, "Can’t the antidote help them? All that smoke didn’t knock you out, so the antidote must be pretty effective."

He held out his hand expectantly, but Jiang Yuxing simply turned his gaze to Shi Zhile.

"The antidote is useless after you’ve already been exposed to the smoke," Jiang Yuxing said. Then, looking at Shi Zhile, he added, "You’re the culprit here. You’re the one who knocked them out. I’m a victim, too."

Shi Zhile shot back, "There were too many players, I was busy and I forgot. Jiang Yuxing, don’t be so passive-aggressive. You’re just trying to say you think I targeted you on purpose.

I swear, Uncle Wei was running around helping me—he’s one of my own. It makes no sense for me to target him just to get to you."

Jiang Yuxing just smiled without a word, produced a lounge chair, and lazily stretched out on it.

’See?’ he thought. ’The little fox is so cunning. She at least puts on a good show, never giving him a real opening to call her out.’

Shi Zhile took a sip of water, pulled out a diving suit, and put it on before leaving the space.

The moment she left the space, she was submerged in seawater. The night water was cool and filled with a chaotic mix of branches and stones.

As far as she could see, the Primitive Forest was completely gone.

A residual wave struck, knocking her back several meters. A sharp rock tore through her diving suit. Feeling the dampness on her shoulder, Shi Zhile instantly retreated back into the Planting Space.

She described the scene outside, adding at the end, "The water won’t recede anytime soon. I’m going to get some rest. I’ll check again in the morning."

The night passed quietly. The next day, Shi Zhile first checked on the players in the Breeding Space. After confirming that none had died and none showed any signs of waking, she put on a looted diving suit and exited the space once more.

Sunlight pierced the water, which was now clear and blue, its sparkling surface a beautiful sight.

In the distance, the peaks of the small mountains that had been part of the Primitive Forest breached the surface of the sea.