Others try to survive on an island, I try to survive on a raft?

Chapter 156 A Choice Without a Choice

Upon seeing this strange light, Mu Qing immediately stood up, looking extremely nervous.

Chen Yao also stood up, looking at the direction of the ocean with a bit of fear.

Seeing the two of them like this, the others also stopped grabbing potatoes and stood up sparsely, looking towards the edge of the cliff.

However, compared to Mu Qing and her companion's tense demeanor, Zhao Dezhu and his group all had expressions of enjoying the spectacle.

"Wow, look over there! There's a red glow on the sea!"

Zhao Dezhu spat out a mouthful of scalding hot potato skin, squinted, and launched into a吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) mode: "Is this godforsaken place some kind of spectacle? Could it be an underwater volcano erupting and boiling us all, island and all, alive?"

The teammates next to him joined in the laughter: "Maybe some deity descended to earth, saw how hard our lives were, and came to deliver takeout to us. Team Leader Zhao, look at that light, doesn't it look like a lantern from a street food stall?"

"Maybe it really is that merchant ship?" Zhao Dezhu casually muttered, but before he could finish his sarcastic remark, he froze on the spot.

The next second, the massive Ark broke through the layers of mist and came into everyone's view.

The pale red glow emanating from the guiding star torches enveloped the Ark like a giant, semi-transparent protective shield.

Those eerie, dense fogs, enough to disorient anyone, were like fine snow meeting the blazing sun—completely impassable.

At this moment, the Ark was like a blazing iron ball, carving a path through the snow-covered ocean.

"Holy crap—"

Zhao Dezhu didn't even notice the potato he was eating falling onto his feet. He was staring intently at the twin-track sailboat that was faintly visible in the red light, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"How is this possible? It can even dispel the fog and sail at sea in the rain!"

One of the team members murmured in a trembling voice, "Is this the legendary master? A height we can never reach—"

But the next second, the entire camp erupted in excitement.

"We're saved! We're saved!"

Chen Yao excitedly grabbed Mu Qing's arm and pointed to the sea below, shouting, "Sister Mu, that captain has cannons!"

"If he opens fire and blasts those menacing frog-like sea monsters down below to smithereens, we won't have to die here!"

Mu Qing watched the approaching twin-track sailboat, but she didn't appear as optimistic as Chen Yao.

She remained clear-headed and was not swayed by others' emotions or disrupted her thinking.

"It won't be that simple."

Mu Qing shook her head, a faint sadness in her voice: "Yao Yao, you must remember, in this world, no one will be a free savior."

"They say that when cannons roar, gold flows in. Do you think those cannonballs were picked up from the sea by the enemy? Every single one represents resources and lives."

"He won't help us clear out those monsters down there for free."

Chen Yao froze, her ecstatic joy freezing halfway: "Then—what's he here for?"

"Come collect the debt." Mu Qing looked down at the steel and wood tree trunk lying quietly in the mud below the cliff.

Fortunately, Chen Yao and the others brought this thing back before it rained, otherwise they would have had no bargaining power at all.

"That's our bargaining chip."

"As agreed before, if we find the steel and wood, we can use it to exchange for more things. Now—it's time to use it to save our lives."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Ark slowly came to a stop on the sea, some distance from the shore.

Because of the slight distance, the frogs and sea monsters on the shore were completely unaware of the danger, even as Su Jin shouted through a large iron megaphone, "Is anyone still alive? If so, grab a torch and wave it!"

He could see what was happening below the cliff as he got closer.

Human bones, bloodstains, scattered tattered clothes, and numerous wandering sea creatures clearly indicate that something has happened.

Su Jin's voice pierced through the rain, and through the large tin loudspeaker, everyone could hear it clearly.

Hearing this noise, Zhao Dezhu seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline. He jumped up from beside the fire, grabbed a burning piece of firewood, and frantically waved it above his head.

He shouted and stomped his feet excitedly.

The desperate roar clearly startled the hungry predators below.

"Croak!"

Several strange croaking sounds rang out, and several pink afterimages shot towards the top of the cliff like lightning.

Zhao Dezhu was so frightened that he stumbled backward several steps, almost throwing the torch away.

But he quickly regained his composure and reassured his terrified crew, "It's alright, don't be afraid, our great captain is here, we're saved!"

"Look at the cannons on that ship. They're not just for show. If one shot goes off, all these kids will turn into giant frogs."

""

On the deck of the Ark, Su Jin squinted and observed the situation at the top of the cliff through binoculars.

Seeing the flickering flames, he raised an eyebrow; it seemed these people were tougher than he had thought.

"Brother Su, look!"

Lin Xuan, with her sharp eyes, pointed to the enormous creature in the mud below the cliff and said excitedly, "Steelwood, it really is Steelwood! They actually brought it back!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around the boat.

Most of the new sailors who had just boarded the ship huddled in the back, afraid to make a sound, because of their sensitive status. In contrast, the original girls were much more lively.

"Great, now we can finally expand the cabin space."

Shen Qiaoqiao counted on her fingers and said happily, "Otherwise, if the deck is crammed with wood and sheep, there won't even be a place to stretch. I don't think these uncles and aunts will have anywhere to stand."

"Yeah, I was worried I'd have to sleep in the kitchen tonight, but looks like I'll be able to snag a proper bed tonight."

Li Yuanyuan patted her chest to catch her breath, glanced at Lin Xuan, and teased, "Unlike our Xiao Xuan, she doesn't like to sleep in the lab every day and always wanders over to Brother Su's place. A bed or something like that probably doesn't matter to her."

Lin Xuan's face flushed bright red instantly, and she stammered a retort: ​​"Ru---Sister Ru Ying did it too, didn't she? Why don't you mention her?"

Shen Ruying hadn't expected the fire to spread to her, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

But with so many people around, she couldn't let the conversation veer into such a private way, so she quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject: "Alright, we haven't even gotten it yet, why are you arguing about the bed? Brother Su, now that they've found the steel and wood, let's stick to the original plan and rescue the people and get the goods."

"A third-tier common sea beast, the Long-tongued Frogfish, should be easy to deal with. Its attack range and defense are almost the same. A normal human could break through its defense and kill it with an axe."

Su Jin looked at the frog-like sea monsters lingering around the steel and wood, silently calculating the cost of ammunition.

His shells didn't come out of nowhere; each shell contained the equivalent of several kilograms of sea monster meat.

If you can take down one enemy with one shot, you can still make a small profit. But if you take down two enemies, you might not make any profit at all and it's a complete waste of time.

However, at least there's a steel and wood piece as a safety net, so it's not a complete loss.

He raised the megaphone again and shouted, "Listen up, you people on the cliff top! If you want me to clean up those things down there, the reward is that piece of steel."

"If you agree, wave the torch up and down; if you disagree, wave it left and right, and I'll turn around immediately and come back in two days to collect the debt that's due."

"I always do business on a voluntary basis. If you think you can handle it, I will never interfere."

Su Jin put down the horn, a playful smile playing on his lips.

On this rainy night surrounded by monsters, he wasn't worried that the other party would refuse.

This kind of voluntary choice is often the choice with no other options in the world.