The World Cruise Liner faced a major crisis.
To be honest, Jian Jing hadn't expected things to turn out this way. On the evening of the sixth day, she returned to her room after finishing an interview, her mind still preoccupied with thoughts of revenge.
Yes, revenge.
Even though she had won, cheating was cheating. She couldn't let them get away with it, could she?
There was something she hadn't told Jiang BaiYan.
Some areas on the 8th floor had night vision cameras installed. Before 10 PM, the cruise ship was brightly lit, so what were these for? Obviously, they were prepared for after the lights went out at 10 PM.
The production team said they didn't know about it, which was true, but it had inadvertently created a fair playing field.
[Mission Name: A Detective Game with Undercurrents]
[Description: You've joined an international reality show game. It was supposed to be a fair duel, but some people are manipulating things behind the scenes, trying to influence the outcome. Please win this game.]
[Task Reward/Punishment: 10 Courage Points]
Well, the Courage Points weren't worth mentioning, but with the appearance of a task, Jian Jing could now use some props.
She used a see-through device to screen the cameras, and before taking action, she used her aiming skill to throw chewing gum at them, perfectly obscuring the lenses.
Tomorrow's intelligence quiz would teach those cheaters a lesson.
With these thoughts, Jian Jing drifted off to sleep.
For the past two days, she had appeared calm and collected, but she had been cautious at every turn. As her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, she inevitably fell into a deep sleep.
Her consciousness seemed to sink to the bottom of the sea, drifting and swimming in a blue world.
The dream was deep, the sleep was heavy.
Jian Jing thought she was sleeping well until an abrupt change occurred in her dream.
A shark intruded. Lacking relevant knowledge, she couldn't identify the species, but from its appearance, it looked exactly like the former horror movie star - the great white shark.
Its bloody maw opened and closed, swallowing her in an instant.
Jian Jing: "???"
The next moment, the great white shark disappeared.
Then, a transparent panel flashing with red light appeared in her mind.
[System: Special Dungeon Opened]
[System: Emergency Task Issued]
[Task Name: The Silent Cruise Ship (Special Dungeon)]
[Description: A spectacular performance has just ended, but a new crisis has already arrived. This time, it's no longer as simple as a game... Who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Who is planning this horrifying tragedy? Please try to survive and uncover the truth.]
[Task Reward/Punishment: Depends on completion status]
Jian Jing: ?
Jian Jing: Damn!
She woke up startled from her dream.
For the first second, she still held onto the beautiful wish that "it was just a nightmare," but the next second, she saw the highlighted task prompt.
It wasn't a dream.
It wasn't an illusion.
It was an emergency task, the kind you'd die if you didn't complete.
She tumbled out of bed, quickly put on the most comfortable and lightweight clothes, stuffed important items into her carry-on bag, and threw it into her storage space.
Carefully turning the doorknob, she found the corridor eerily quiet. Everyone was tired and surely asleep.
She decided not to wake anyone else yet, preferring to assess the situation first.
Her first stop was the bridge.
A crew member was on duty. With all the high-tech equipment nowadays, the crew didn't need to constantly man the steering wheel, they just needed to keep an eye on the instruments.
He was sipping coffee and flipping through a magazine. All the readings on the dashboard were normal, with no alarms.
Jian Jing glanced outside. The night sky was clear, without a drop of rain.
She pulled out her phone and checked the local weather forecast. It predicted partly cloudy turning to clear, with light winds.
It seemed there was no problem with the cruise ship itself. The route was also well-established, a tourist line between China, Japan, and Korea that ran several times a year.
So where was the crisis coming from?
Her high-tech watch showed it was 2:45 AM.
From the rest room next to the captain's cabin, she could hear a conversation between two people.
"Jenny, you've been so cold towards me lately. What's on your mind?" a man asked. "We've achieved great success, even greater than the European series. The Asian market will be completely open to us."
Jian Jing recognized him as Marlon, the executive producer of the production team, and the woman named Jenny was his girlfriend and also the overall director for this Asian series.
Jenny said, "But the result isn't what I wanted."
"We've done our best," Marlon shrugged, unconcerned. "Our agreement with the 3Q Group was just to help Liu Sau-chi, we never said we'd guarantee his victory."
But Jenny said, "That girl gives me an ominous feeling."
"Jian?" Marlon laughed loudly. "She might be a bit smarter than the average girl, but so what? Even if she discovers our deal, what can she say? She's won a million-dollar prize! If the show comes under scrutiny, she won't benefit either."
Jenny's gaze seemed to penetrate the wall, as if she could see Jian Jing hiding outside.
Or perhaps not.
"Darling, relax a bit, enjoy our success," Marlon said drunkenly. "And also, don't get too close to the 3Q people. Although they're generous with money, but..."
His bloodshot eyes showed a moment of clarity: "Rumor has it they're part of the Spirit Descending Cult. I don't like those folks who play with supernatural stuff."
Jenny glanced at him: "You don't believe in God."
"I believe in money, in dollars," Marlon's voice grew louder as the alcohol took effect. "I've even given up on God. No, God gave up on us first. Our poor Nina..."
Jenny's face immediately darkened. She ignored the drunken fool and left the rest room.
Marlon mumbled a few words and fell asleep with his head tilted.
Jenny walked down the empty corridor. In the dead of night, her footsteps were clearly audible.
Jian Jing cautiously followed.
However, Jenny didn't go to the captain's cabin. She went up the stairs, her high heels making no sound on the thick carpet.
One floor, then another.
She went to the 9th floor.
Entered the cinema.
Entered the witch's secret room.
Jian Jing's scalp began to tingle, goosebumps rising all over her body. She wanted to rush out and stop Jenny, but worried about alerting her, so she suppressed the urge and continued to follow stealthily.
Fortunately, her fame value had skyrocketed recently, and before joining the show, she had drawn a very useful limited card.
[Name: Status Card - Concealment]
[Description: Using this card can weaken your presence, hide your aura, and reduce the probability of being discovered. Basic time of 1 hour per day, can be extended using Courage Points.]
[Note: Although being stalked by paparazzi is pitiful, it cannot be used outside of tasks]
From the note, it was clear she had drawn this when escaping from entertainment reporters - at that time, the guest list for "King of Reasoning" had just been announced, and many reporters had camped out to catch her, which was annoying.
Who would have thought that it wasn't needed then, but would come in handy now?
Jian Jing tiptoed to the door, observing Jenny's every move.
The witch's room had been ransacked, with dolls and paper charms scattered everywhere. Jenny ignored this, simply sat down cross-legged, and placed a strange root carving she had been hiding in her bosom into the shrine.
She muttered to herself, as if chanting.
After a while, she took out a fruit knife and began to draw patterns on her arm.
Jian Jing tensed for a moment, but quickly realized nothing was happening.
No ominous wind, no ghostly wails, just a foreign woman neurotically self-harming.
Had she followed the wrong person? Was the crisis unrelated to her? Should she switch to tailing someone else?
Several thoughts flashed through Jian Jing's mind.
The next moment, she heard a rolling thunder, and the room tilted dramatically. The scattered objects rolled across the floor as the ground heaved and fell.
A massive wave.
Jian Jing barely managed to steady herself against the wall when the corridor lights flickered and suddenly went out completely.
A power outage.
Below, the emergency exits opened, emitting an eerie green glow.
She rushed to the window. A thick bolt of lightning cut across the sky, looking like a descending thunder dragon with its claws outstretched.
The waves surged, one after another crashing against the ship.
The luxury cruise liner, which seemed no less impressive than a building when docked, now appeared small and fragile in the endless ocean, passively enduring the pushing and shoving of the waves.
Rocking left and right, the world tilted.
Jian Jing didn't linger to watch. She quickly went downstairs, found Jiang BaiYan's cabin, and knocked on the door.
Jiang BaiYan opened the door, rubbing his eyes. The moment he saw her, his eyes widened: "Jing Jing? In the middle of the night... Come in quickly."
He was extremely enthusiastic.
"The wind and waves are strong, don't fall asleep," Jian Jing ignored his flirtatious remark and said in a low voice, "Be alert, pack your things. If anything happens, go to the stern. The lifeboats are there."
Jiang BaiYan drew in a sharp breath: "It's just strong wind, surely it's not that serious."
Jian Jing said: "Bring enough water and food."
He nodded quickly and asked: "Should we call others?"
"Let's not alarm everyone just yet," Jian Jing said. "If the situation worsens, we can always call them later."
Jiang BaiYan had his merits. In urgent situations, he didn't ask for details or try to dissuade her. He simply accepted: "Understood."
Jian Jing decided to look around elsewhere.
The mission prompt mentioned planning a tragedy, indicating there was a mastermind behind this. It wasn't just about surviving a natural disaster. But she still couldn't figure out what might happen.
A serial killer's indiscriminate massacre?
Impossible.
Such scenes only appear in American blockbusters.
Pirate hijacking?
Impossible. Where would pirates come from in the Yellow Sea? Did they think cruise ships were toys?
Terrorist attack?
Impossible. The passengers on this cruise ship were of various nationalities, including Chinese, American, and Russian. Even if they were in a rush to go to hell, there was no need to be this hasty.
Jian Jing pondered while moving through different floors of the ship.
As she eliminated one guess after another, the cruise staff gradually woke up and started their work - controlling the ship, checking equipment, and communicating with the maritime bureau.
According to the plan, they wouldn't reach China until tomorrow night. The closest land tonight was South Korea.
Jian Jing overheard the captain making a phone call.
No one answered.
She knocked and entered, getting straight to the point: "The ship is shaking violently. What's happening?"
"I don't know." The captain hung up the phone irritably, forcing a smile. "Miss, please return to your cabin. We'll handle this."
Jian Jing: "I can't sleep. Is there anything I can help with?"
The first mate, possibly her fan, answered: "The situation is unclear. The weather forecast didn't predict a storm tonight. Strangely, we've been trying to call the police, but no one's answering."
Jian Jing's eyelid twitched.
She asked: "Can we ask 3Q for help?"
The captain, restraining his anger: "I'll try."
He dialed the satellite phone.
Someone answered but said: "The CEO has retired for the night. Any matters can be discussed tomorrow."
"It's an emergency," the captain said. "Please help us contact..."
Before he could finish, the other party hung up.
When he called again, the line was busy.
Only emergency lights cast a faint glow in the captain's cabin.
[Beep--]
A sharp alarm sounded.
An English warning flashed on the screen, translating to: "Power propulsion system malfunction, problem diagnosis in progress."
The engine was having issues.
Soon after, another alarm sounded.
The hull was damaged, and water was entering the bottom of the cruise ship.
"What is it?" The captain's face turned ashen. "Can you see it?"
After some operations, the technician obtained a blurry thermal image. After struggling to identify its shape, everyone agreed that the thing looked like... a squid.
It had many tentacles.
The captain's emotions stabilized somewhat: "First, let's fix the engine room problem."
The system automatically detected faults.
However, the nightmare was far from over.
A few minutes later, all instruments gradually went dark, with only one device still lit.
Jian Jing was confused, but heard the first mate say: "The emergency power source is also having issues. This is trouble."
