Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Su Zhisu's pupils suddenly contracted.

"So fast!"

Almost at the instant the beam of light burst forth, he instinctively lunged to the side.

The flame of the night watchman ignites on the body's surface, forming a thin layer of protection.

A pale beam of light grazed his left shoulder.

A chilling coldness instantly pierced through the heart of the night watchman, and a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder, causing him to freeze in mid-air.

Just a graze was enough to almost numb his left arm.

"Never take it head-on, absolutely never!"

He rolled to his feet and glanced around.

The suspended platform meanders and twists, leading to the central furnace, while on either side lies a bottomless darkness.

[The Final Work] Raise your hand again.

This time, it wasn't a beam of light; its five fingers spread out, and five slender but faster pale rays intertwined into a net, enveloping everything.

Su Zhisu pushed off with his feet and rushed forward along the platform.

The platform behind them was struck by the ray, silently obliterating a gap in it, with rubble falling into the abyss below without even a sound.

"We must get close to it! We have no chance from a distance!"

"But what happens once you get closer?"

Tier 3, Level 39!

Without a doubt, its attributes completely outclass its opponent.

"Even if we get close, my attacks probably won't even be able to break through their defenses."

The final work seemed to have seen through his intentions.

It no longer stayed in place, but began to approach Su Zhisu at a leisurely pace along the platform.

Its movements are fluid and perfect, with every step exuding a strong sense of pressure.

At the same time, its left hand also rose.

Pale light continuously condensed and emitted from its palms, blocking Su Zhixu's escape route.

Faced with the intricate web of death, he could only push his speed to the limit, maneuvering and weaving on the narrow platform.

The light of the Night Watcher's Flame and the Alchemy Purification Array flickered on his body, barely resisting the corrosive and icy rays.

But the gap between the two sides is simply too large.

After only a few close calls, his right leg was grazed by a beam of light.

His movements immediately went awry, and he stumbled, nearly falling off the platform.

Looking at the [Health Points]: 55%/100%, Su Zhisu's face turned solemn.

"No, at this rate, I won't even last three minutes, let alone pass the trial."

"We have to find another way... communication? Negotiation?"

"I'm afraid that won't work right now, but let's buy some time for now."

While frantically dodging, he tried to send messages using the alchemical language of puppetry.

"This is the final piece; I have no intention of causing destruction! I am here only to fulfill Edgar Thorne's request: to find Liliana Thea!"

"I brought the eggs of the marine iguana; this may be related to Master Amadeus's unfinished plan!"

The message was sent, but it disappeared without a trace.

The final attack did not pause at all; on the contrary, it became even more precise and deadly.

"It seems that simple communication is indeed useless now..."

"Once the 'trial' begins, it can only perform the 'trial' that is programmed."

"Either pass, or..."

Su Zhisu's brain was working frantically.

In the skill bar, the icon for [Moon Avatar] remains dim.

The last time it was used was in Atlantis against the rebellious Dagon, with a cooldown period of 28.5 days, which is far from over now.

"But... I still have 1 point of lunar affinity."

"This was permanently obtained after I transformed into the Moon Giant last time."

"The affinity with the moon... represents my connection with the power of the 'moon'..."

"If I don't perform the complete [Avatar of the Moon], but merely try to communicate and evoke a trace of the 'Moon's' power through this connection..."

"Use the aura of a higher level to interfere with and intimidate the final work..."

Even if only for a moment...

This idea is extremely risky.

He had long noticed this affinity with the moon, but had never tried it.

Because he knew that with his current second-tier physical and mental attributes, if he forcibly tried to access powers that only fourth-tier beings could access, he would have to pay a heavy price, and the consequences would be dire.

"Right now, it seems there are no other options..."

"Either way, it's just failure, and there's no danger to our lives, so we might as well take this opportunity to try."

Having narrowly avoided another crossfire, Su Zhixu was now forced to the middle of the platform.

The final work is still approaching at a leisurely pace, and the distance between the two is constantly shrinking.

"We can't hesitate any longer."

Su Zhisu suddenly stopped in her tracks, no longer dodging.

He turned around and faced the final work that was slowly approaching.

With his right hand gripping the scimitar facing the storm, he placed his left hand lightly against his chest, feeling the faint, intimate sensation emanating from the moonlight.

He concentrated all his energy, recalling the vastness and coldness of being transformed into the giant moon, feeling as if he had merged with the bright moon in the night sky.

"The power of the 'Moon'..."

He silently recited in his heart, trying to amplify that sense of affinity, and directed his will along that ethereal connection towards the concept of "moon" that existed in the dark.

"Using the affinity of the 'moon' as a starting point..."

"Please grant me... a glance..."

There were no incantations, no rituals.

Only the purest spiritual call, accompanied by the rapid depletion of strange and powerful energy.

At first, nothing happened.

In the palm of the final work, an even more solid pale sphere of light began to gather, clearly preparing to end this "boring" trial.

But just as the light sphere was about to be launched...

Su Zhisu could feel that deep within his soul, a faint, almost nonexistent moon was shining.

Immediately afterwards, a faint yet incredibly vast, cold, and aloof "aura" descended upon him as if from the infinitely distant starry sky.

This is not power, but merely a trace of the power of the "Moon," a manifestation of a fourth-order "rank."

[Network Notice]: You have gained early access to the power "Moon" at the second level.

[Network Notice]: Your Moon Affinity is 1 point, and you can receive the power of the Moon: 1%, for a period of 30 minutes.

[Network Notice]: Be aware that your rank, physical, and mental attributes are severely deficient. After the event, you will experience a high-difficulty mental shock with a difficulty level of 90!

"Buzz—!"

The space around Su Zhisu rippled with silvery waves, cool and clear like moonlight.

The world in his eyes seemed to be veiled in silver.

When looking at the final work, one can even "see" the energy flowing within its circuits; see the trajectory of the soul's operation in its core.

At that moment, the final work paused noticeably for the first time.

The pale sphere of light that gathered in its palm flickered intermittently.

Within the single eye of the crystal, blue and white light flickered violently, as if undergoing a rapid reassessment.

"Detected... higher-order... fourth-order..."

"Detecting the aura of authority... Order... The Empress... Irrelevant..."

"Power...unknown...'Moon'...related..."

"Association determination: Related to 'Moon'... Rank: Fourth Rank (Pseudo)... Warning, approaching the limit of the inheritor's individual carrying capacity..."