The makeshift camp was extremely rudimentary. They had built a rough structure using wooden boards, creating a cramped area where people could barely squeeze in, having to lie almost sideways. Hanging outside the wooden boards were bed sheets that had drifted onto the beach. The pungent and salty smell left by the sun after drying them out made the place even more unbearable.
At this moment, Bai’er and Freud had already fallen into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.
Shen Lin walked towards the bonfire and sat down beside Yanxiu. It was Yanxiu’s turn to keep watch, but he couldn’t sleep.
Holding his bent legs, his chin resting on his knees, Yanxiu stared at the crackling flames of the bonfire. There was plenty of dry firewood in the woods, enough to burn all night, unless the waves unexpectedly extinguished it. However, their camp was set up quite close to the woods, and the tide shouldn’t reach this far.
Feeling the warmth on his cheeks, drowsiness welled up in Shen Lin, and his head nodded bit by bit.
A deep voice sounded beside him, “Not going to sleep? It’s cold outside.”
Shen Lin casually responded, half-heartedly refusing.
Yanxiu, seeing his tired look, asked in a low voice, “Uncomfortable in there?”
“Yeah,” Shen Lin swayed his body slightly back and forth, candidly admitting, “It’s cramped and smelly. I don’t want to sleep in there.”
“Let’s go to the cabin tomorrow,” Yanxiu suggested, “and maybe temporarily requisition it if possible.”
Shen Lin laughed and looked at Yanxiu, “Such an official tone.”
Yanxiu smiled and, looking at Shen Lin curled up, the sea breeze blowing over, even in the hottest summer, the nights by the sea were still cold enough to give you goosebumps. He handed Shen Lin a small piece of curtain fabric used by the night watch for warmth, “Use this to cover yourself.”
“You’re good at taking care of people,” recalling the experience on the train, Shen Lin added in his mind, “just a bit fierce and cold.”
Yanxiu said, “I was younger before, always taken care of by seniors in the army. At that time, I was young, stubborn, always causing trouble, fighting, sneaking out, peeing in other people’s thermos bottles.”
Shen Lin: “…”
“All sorts of nonsense, got into trouble, and at the peak of it, I broke my leg. I had to get up and train after lying down for less than a week, marching ten kilometers, and the last one had to wash everyone’s dishes.”
Shen Lin imagined, “That sounds tough.”
Yanxiu raised his eyes to look at Shen Lin. The young man, almost unable to keep his eyes open, with his eyelashes hanging down, his golden hair lit softly by the bonfire.
“Are you scared?” Yanxiu asked.
Shen Lin glanced at him, as if saying, “Are you joking?” He closed his eyes sleepily, “Fear is what normal people feel, right?”
“But you don’t seem scared. You look familiar with all of this.”
“You don’t seem scared either.”
“Used to it,” Yanxiu replied with an ambiguous statement.
“Sorry,” at this moment, KP’s voice sounded, “for disturbing your intimate moment. I think I must emphasize that I designed these characters for you in the hope that you will respect these character settings in the game. Don’t talk about things beyond the game. I’ll give you two a verbal warning this time. If it happens again, there will be specific punishment. Let’s talk about this world, your classmates, and the events you are experiencing now.”
“Oh,” suddenly Yanxiu said, “I think I like you.”
Shen Lin was shocked, “?????”
Yanxiu said, “According to Felton’s memory, that’s how it’s written. I went to see the play you starred in and fell in love with you at first sight.”
Shen Lin: “…”
KP corrected, “Felton has a secret crush on Olok! What you just did is practically a confession. Can’t you respect the character setting? That’s why I hate bringing in new players!”
Shen Lin muttered, thinking that KP was also a newcomer.
“Never mind,” after being irritable for a while, KP then mysteriously chuckled and said, “The time for emotional exchange is over. Now, please, you two night watchmen, have a listening session.”
Next, the sound of the sea tide grew louder, and he vaguely heard mysterious sounds from the sea floor. He couldn’t describe that sound, just felt a heavy sense of danger. His chest felt like the ground walked on by a giant, pounding heavily.
In the next moment, Shen Lin stood up abruptly, rushed to the side of the tent they had set up, pulled open the tent cloth, and shouted loudly, “Run! The waves are coming!”
Suddenly, huge waves, exceeding the strength they were familiar with, crashed onto the shore. The few people who were still half-asleep were unexpectedly soaked from head to toe by the icy seawater, and their eyes widened in terror. Subsequently, as if a flood had erupted, the coastline was engulfed by the tide, and the entire island shook violently. Yanxiu quickly grabbed Nana, who was almost swept away by the waves, pulled her up, and said to the rest, “Run! Head into the woods!”
Nana stumbled, supported by Freud, and ran towards the woods.
Yanxiu stayed behind. Shen Lin looked towards the direction of the west coast, where the waves were even more violent. And just now, after leaving the group, Xiu Wen was walking towards that direction.
The surging waves took away the bright red flag that Xiu Wen had set up. Under the cold moonlight, it reflected a dazzling red for a moment before quickly disappearing from sight.
Squinting, Shen Lin heard KP’s voice, “Do a reconnaissance.”
Shen Lin rolled the dice, success.
He quickly found Xiu Wen’s figure by the moonlight. He was standing on top of a rock, bewildered and motionless. In Shen Lin’s memory, Xiu Wen was someone who couldn’t swim, so without much thought, Shen Lin swam against the tide towards Xiu Wen.
Seeing this, Yanxiu turned back and instructed Freud and the others to find high ground. He followed Shen Lin.
Shen Lin, a performing arts major, was tall, flexible, and even in the seawater, he moved like a mermaid. His golden hair became a prominent marker in the water, and Yanxiu quickly caught up with him.
When they approached Xiu Wen, he was clinging pale-faced to the rocks, lips turning purple, muttering something and shivering.
Noticing the situation, Shen Lin exchanged a glance with Yanxiu. Yanxiu nodded, and they approached Xiu Wen from both sides, intending to lift him and take him to safety.
KP’s voice echoed again, “Due to his extreme fear of water, his mental state is very unstable. Please roll for luck.”
Everything around them seemed to freeze, and Shen Lin rolled the dice, achieving a critical success.
KP exclaimed, “!!!”
Reluctantly, KP said, “Okay, you’re really, really lucky!”
The two of them flanked Xiu Wen in the water, who was still struggling. After a short while, the tide unexpectedly began to recede, leaving many fish corpses on the beach.
With the crisis averted, the night remained calm, and the stars sparkled.
Shen Lin and Yanxiu sat on the ground, panting. Shen Lin, like a flipped fish, disregarded all semblance of dignity and lay down. In front of them, KP, wearing a tailcoat, took off his hat, placed it over his chest, and politely bowed, “Well done.”
Bai’er was wet from head to toe, wringing out the water from the hem of his clothes. He cried out, “Where’s the promised newbie mode!?”
KP replied, “Compared to other modules, this is not much of a challenge. It’s just a bit of adventure.”
“A bit!”
“Yes, just a bit.”
They all rolled their eyes collectively.
Xiu Wen still hadn’t recovered, his face alternately green and white, like he was still submerged in water. After a while, he suddenly shouted like a madman, “Why! I can swim! Why am I so afraid of water?! What kind of psychological intervention have you done to me?! Who are you people?! Did I borrow high-interest loans?! I’m just an ordinary office worker!”
KP chuckled, “Do a sanity check.”
“What’s that?”
“A sanity check, to determine if he’s really going crazy.”
Everyone: “…”
Shen Lin pushed him away, “Give us a break, respect the newbie mode a bit.”
KP fell silent for a moment and then said, “Fine.”
Bai’er squatted next to Xiu Wen, patted his shoulder, and earnestly said, “People need to learn to recognize reality. I understood this when I was ten.”
Shen Lin: “?”
Freud: “Olok said that. Useless.”
Bai’er: “But it sounds cool, I use it to show off.”
“Stay away from me!” Xiu Wen angrily pushed his hand away.
“You see,” Freud gave a look of ‘as expected’, “the effect of showing off depends on appearance. You can’t pull it off.”
Bai’er: “…”
After a bit of mutual teasing and getting through the ordeal, their mood eased from the sudden disaster.
Resting for a while, Shen Lin stood up, pointing at the fish belly-up on the beach, “Fortunately, we have our food now.”
They went to pick up the fish on the beach and skewered them on sharpened tree branches. Cooking them over the fire, in this wilderness without oil, salt, or any seasoning, simply roasting the ingredients from raw to cooked over the fire gave them a great sense of satisfaction.
Whether it was the deliciousness of the ocean fish exceeding their expectations or Yanxiu’s exceptional grilling skills, they each ate three or four before stopping with satisfied burps.
The night was still low, and the long night was far from over.
Reflecting on what happened just now, if the two night watchmen hadn’t passed the listening test, they might have faced an even worse situation.
Shen Lin thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the cabin. We’ll go together and figure out a way to requisition that cabin.”
The cabin in the dense forest had clearly been standing for some time. For them, it was currently the most suitable temporary base.
