Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The afternoon was a rare moment of tranquility for Su Zhisu, who had just transmigrated and experienced battles and intrigues.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Su Zhisu looked at the two new special buildings on the Redemption and the resources needed for the Redemption's upgrade.

[A Guardian's Lamp]

【Special Effect 1】: The Night Watcher's Flame fuels its eeriness and madness; reason is a byproduct of its burning. It can purify the eeriness and madness of items. (Hidden Information: As long as there is a source of fuel, the Night Watcher's Flame will not go out.)

【Special Effect 2】: At night, it provides the owner and recognized crew members within the ship's range with a negative status resistance buff (refresh time 16h) and a certain degree of physical and mental buffs.

[Information]: The oil lamps hanging on the deck and cabin doors burn with the flame of a vigil, protecting the Redemption.

[The Ghostly Bone Arm]

【Special Effect 1】: The Ghostly Bone Arm can regenerate after being destroyed. Regeneration speed: 24h.

【Special Effect 2】: The eerie bone arm captures sea fish from the strange sea at irregular intervals, and the captured sea fish will be automatically stored in the warehouse.

[Special Effect 3]: When the Redemption is invaded, eerie skeletal arms will guard it. (Hidden information: These skeletal arms are your crew members)

【Special Effect 4】: The Night Watcher's Flame guards the Ghostly Bone Arm, and the Night Watcher's Flame burns on the Ghostly Bone Arm.

[Information]: The skeletal arms that were originally scattered along the edge of the ship's side have now spread all over both sides of the ship's walls, and the Night Watch Heart Flame is burning in their hands.

[Resources required for upgrade]: 800 wood, 200 iron, 100 aggregate, and 1 any special material.

Despite the huge shortage of upgrade resources for the Redemption, Su Zhisu was not discouraged. On the very first day of his struggle for survival, he felt that he had a clear direction to strive for.

He turned and went to the stern, his gaze falling on the pale sunfish that he had killed and left lying in the same spot.

"This fish looks really disgusting, but let's fill our stomachs first. Hopefully, its flesh will be as delicious as the description says."

Ordinary household items are very cheap on the online marketplace, but the marketplace has just undergone a version update, and everyone is short of stock. Su Zhisu spent a full 50 online marketplace coins to buy all the household items she could think of.

As the pale sunfish is broken down, the delicious flesh beneath its ugly exterior is thrown into the oil, filling the air with a mixture of smoky aroma and a strange, fishy smell.

During a break from eating, Su Zhixu glanced at the sea. The eerie skeletal arms were silently suspended on either side of the ship's walls. They were burning with a ghostly blue Night Watch Heart Flame as they ventured into the water, but the flames did not go out.

"Splash—"

With a sudden flick of its bony arm, a half-meter-long dark gray sunfish was flung onto the deck, its eyes wide open, clearly having just been forcibly pulled from deep water.

The sunfish disappeared. Su Zhixu glanced at the ship's panel. In the time it takes to eat a meal, the Ghostly Bone Arm had already contributed three sunfish to him. Although the quality was average, sunfish had many uses, so he didn't stop them.

After eating and drinking his fill, Su Zhisu didn't linger and continue fishing. Instead, he picked up the Coldlight Harpoon, opened the Comprehensive Network Forum, and found the option he had just discovered.

[Proficient Level Short Weapon Mastery]

Price: 150 Disaster Coins

【描述】：进入幻境，进行短柄武器熟练度教学，可达到lv3-lv5。注：幻境内时间流速比为10：1(h）。熟练度等级：基础（Lv1-Lv2）-熟练（Lv3-Lv5）-精通（Lv6-Lv8）-大师（Lv9）-出神入化（Lv10）。

In the illusion, the sun rose and set. He didn't know how much time had passed when he returned to reality. The sun was almost setting. His arms were already sore and numb, but his body's instincts were improving rapidly.

[Short-handled weapon mastery] lv4: Proficient level

[Network Notice]: Gain 15% of your current level's experience.

[lv1]: 47%/100%

A glance at his already depleted Disaster Coin balance reminded him that he had to earn more Disaster Coins from the Comprehensive Network as soon as possible.

Night finally fell completely, and it started raining outside the cabin again.

[Current Area]: Sea of ​​Mysteries

[Time]: 11:34 PM

[Environmental Conditions]: Rainy night, with lightning.

[World's Strangest Value]: 50↑

[Area Oddity Value]: 45↑

The strange sea became even more eerie and profound at night, resembling the maw of a gigantic, all-consuming beast. Su Zhisu ate a few bites of the remaining pale sunfish fried meat to replenish his strength.

As midnight approached, the weariness of the day washed over me like a tide, and my eyelids felt as heavy as if they were weighed down with lead.

He leaned against the cabin door, his consciousness struggling between lucidity and confusion. He thought that if he didn't wait any longer, he might as well just go to sleep. Maybe the Deep One (the larva) wouldn't come.

But whenever he closed his eyes, the image of the Deep One (juvenile)'s resentful gaze before leaving that morning would appear before him, and Su Zhisu would immediately perk up.

Just when he was most sleepy and his mental defenses were at their weakest, a sudden change occurred!

The once calm sea suddenly churned violently, and a stench filled with resentment and malice assaulted the senses. A dark shadow ripped through the water with astonishing speed, hurtling towards Su Zhisu on the deck with the force of a thunderbolt!

"roar--!"

It's that Deep One (juvenile)!

It didn't die! Or rather, with its tenacious vitality, it miraculously recovered from its injuries in just one afternoon and launched its revenge in the dead of night.

Due to mental pollution, the faint blue flames that had been floating around Su Zhisu disappeared.

The protective effect of the Night Watch Lamp has disappeared.

Su Zhisu's drowsiness vanished in an instant, but his body reacted a beat too slow. He rolled to the side in a disheveled manner, the gleaming harpoon held horizontally in front of his chest.

"Just as expected"

clang--!

Sparks flew everywhere!

The Deep One's fin-like claws slammed into the gleaming harpoon, the immense force causing Su Zhisu's hand to go numb. By the light of the Night Watch Heart Lamp, he could see his opponent clearly—this Deep One larva was even more ferocious than the previous one, its scales shimmering with a metallic sheen, and its eyes filled with a crazed killing intent.

Hidden information about this Deep One (juvenile) appeared before Su Zhixu's eyes.

[Hint: Hidden information discovered]:

【Deep Diver (Large)】

[Category]: Deep-sea alien species

【Body】：12

[Spirit]: -7

[Rationality]: -30/-100

[Talents and Skills]: ? ? ?

[Information]: Perhaps...they were once people?

(The Nighttime bonus of the Deep One (Large) has been canceled out by the effect of Sanity > 80)

Su Zhisu's heart sank as she glanced at her own attributes.

[Physical body]: 9+1

[Mental Strength]: 9+1

Even with stat boosts, his physical attributes only reached 10 points. In terms of pure strength, he was at a significant disadvantage!

In times like these, decisiveness is paramount!

"Get out of my way!" Su Zhisu roared, his harpoon flashing a cold light as it pierced the throat of the Deep One (juvenile).

However, the Deep One larva was incredibly fast. It nimbly twisted its body, avoiding a fatal wound, which oozed black pus and blood. But this injury only fueled its ferocity.

It opened its hideous maw and let out a piercing shriek. This time, the attack wasn't just its claws, but also a mental shockwave!

It looks like some kind of skill was used!

[Mental Pollution - Deep-Sea Whistle]

[Information]: The Deep One (Large) emits a violent shriek, inflicting a mental pollution check on all enemy units within a certain range. Failure to do so results in a -20 sanity penalty.

Su Zhisu felt a buzzing sound in her mind, and countless chaotic and blasphemous images flooded into her brain: twisted tentacles, upside-down cities, indescribable gods...

He tried to muster his strength to resist, but the day's exhaustion, coupled with the mental strain of the afternoon's illusion practice, created a gap in his willpower.

【判定中……1d100+30=63＜65】

[Resistance failed! Sanity -20]

A chilling sense of despair instantly gripped his heart, and his sanity plummeted, instantly dropping below 80.

[Rationality 78/100]

"Oh no!" Alarm bells rang in Su Zhisu's mind.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

An unexpected scene unfolded. As his sanity waned, the Deep One (juvenile) roared, its aura becoming even more violent and powerful!

[Note: The suppression effect of sanity > 80 has disappeared. Deep One (Large) gains a 20% bonus to all attributes.]

【Body】：14.4

[Spirit]: -8.4

"Damn it!" Su Zhisu cursed under his breath, realizing he was in dire straits.

The Deep One larva lunged again, faster than before. Su Zhixu barely managed to raise his fork to block, but was sent flying by the immense force, his back slamming heavily against the ship's side, as if his internal organs had shifted.

Just one attack!

Health points dropped instantly, and the glaring numbers on the panel displayed:

[Health Points]: 41%/100%

The intense pain actually brought Su Zhixu to his senses. He knew that if he continued to passively endure the beatings, this very first day after his transmigration would be his death day.

"A ghostly bone arm!"

Even though his health was already as low as a candle flickering in the wind, Su Zhixu's voice remained as calm as ever.

On both sides of the ship's walls, the skeletal arms, which had been unable to restrain themselves for a long time, instantly awoke and shot out like arrows. Their five white skeletal fingers transformed into the sharpest weapons, stabbing fiercely into the back of the Deep One.

It is their dereliction of duty to cause their owner such serious injury.

The Deep One (juvenile) seemed to sense the threat as well, and it had to abandon its pursuit of Su Zhisu and turn around to parry with its claws.

The bony arms and claws collided violently in mid-air, producing a crisp "crackling" sound. With almost every swing, several bony arms shattered into pieces.

However, the Deep One (juvenile) could not stand alone, and there was always a skeletal arm burning with the flames of the Night Watch that broke through its defenses and pierced it.

The Night Watcher's Heartflame gnawed at its wound like a leech, trying to worsen the injury. The Deep One (juvenile) let out a scream of agony, unable to bear the searing flames.

The Night Watch Heartfire fuels madness and the bizarre; it is a noble special attack that the Deep Ones (larvae) simply cannot tolerate.

The Deep One (juvenile) was outnumbered and couldn't protect Su Zhisu for a while!

"Die now!"

Su Zhisu endured his injuries, raised the Cold Light Harpoon, and poured all his strength into it to stab the Deep One (juvenile). During this time, another bone arm touched the Cold Light Harpoon, causing the Night Watch Heart Flame to ignite on the harpoon as well.

"Pfft!"

Like a hot knife through butter, the cold-sharp harpoon pierced the body of the Deep One (juvenile) without any resistance.

However, the Deep One's formidable physical attributes were on full display at this moment. In the instant it was stabbed, it grabbed the harpoon with its backhand and, ignoring the attack from its bony arm, headbutted Su Zhisu hard in the face.

Su Zhisu felt dizzy, his nose was in excruciating pain, and blood was gushing out. But he didn't let go; instead, he twisted the harpoon hard.

"hiss--!"

The Deep One cried out in pain, letting out a piercing scream.

The eerie skeletal arms seized the opportunity, and one by one, they pierced the wounds of the Deep One (juvenile).

Under the combined attack, the Deep One (juvenile) finally collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then remained motionless.

Su Zhisu leaned on the harpoon, panting heavily. He was covered in wounds, and his health was a precarious 41%.

He glanced at the corpse of the Deep One (juvenile), then at the few remaining ghostly skeletal arms floating beside him, exhaled, and his tense nerves finally relaxed, a violent sense of exhaustion immediately washing over his eyelids.

"Thank you for your hard work. Also, guard the ship well..." These were Su Zhisu's last words on his first night of surviving in this strange sea.

The night was strange and very long. The sky, which was gloomy during the day, was surprisingly cloudless at night. Pale moonlight shone on the sea, and faint white particles floated in the air, which remained unchanged after being burned by the night-watching lamp.

The Redemption rocked gently in the dark red waves, guarding its sole master. The Deep One (larva), as a trophy, lay quietly on the deck, reflecting an eerie luster in the moonlight, awaiting Su Zhisu's awakening tomorrow.