Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

As he passed through an even narrower alley, he suddenly heard a muffled groan and the sound of something heavy falling to the ground, followed by the sound of footsteps frantically searching and fleeing.

Su Zhisu did not pause in the slightest, nor did she even glance into the alley. She simply tightened her grip on the knife hilt and maintained an even pace as she left the area.

Curiosity and meddling are luxuries here.

He needs more information for cross-validation.

He bought two skewers from a mobile vendor selling grilled skewers.

While paying, I casually asked, "Master, you've been around this area for a while, have you heard anything about the legends surrounding the Old Port cliffs?"

"I'm looking for some special 'seafood'."

The vendor, a gaunt old man missing a front tooth, took the money, grinned, revealing his dark yellow gums: "Cliff? That's eerie! Fishing for seafood? Are you crazy?"

"There are a lot of ominous things sinking at the bottom of that water, and will-o'-the-wisps float by at night, so nobody goes there."

"Young man, listen to my advice. If you want good stuff, head east, past the stinky fish market..."

Although no direct information was obtained, the descriptions of the area as "evil," "inauspicious," and "nobody goes there" indirectly confirmed that the area was unusual.

When he finally decided to leave the reef area and head back, he paused almost imperceptibly at a relatively "bustling" intersection.

The road ahead was blocked by three figures, intentionally or unintentionally.

These are not the listless homeless people from the alleyway before, who only dared to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Although the three men's clothes were also old, they were washed fairly clean, and their leather armor and weapons were well maintained. Their stance seemed casual, but in fact, it blocked the angles to the left, right, and front.

A man leaned against the peeling wall on the right, arms crossed over his chest, with a pair of short sticks tucked into his waistband.

Another person was blocking the left side of an abandoned wooden crate, fiddling with a dagger in his hand, his eyes darting around.

The one in the lead, standing in the middle of the road, was a bald man with a hideous scar on his face and the most robust in build.

Carrying a small, round, leather-covered shield on his back, his right hand seemed to hang casually at his side, but Su Zhisu's senses could clearly detect that a faint, stagnant energy fluctuation was gathering in his palm.

All three men exuded an aura far stronger than that of ordinary thugs, carrying the bloody scent of those who had experienced real combat.

Su Zhisu's gaze swept quickly across the area. His talent, "Yearning for True Freedom," allowed him to vaguely assess the other party's energy level.

"Approximately between level 6 and level 7..."

"At this level, you can really do whatever you want on the outskirts of the reef area. No wonder they dared to set up a checkpoint near the exit."

The bald man with the scar crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Su Zhisu's neat clothes, the curved sword at his waist, and the conspicuous conch shell badge on his chest, before finally settling on his face and forcing a twisted smile with his scars.

"Friend, you look unfamiliar."

His voice was rough and harsh, carrying a deliberately created sense of oppression.

"You've spent most of the day wandering around our reef area, looking here and there. You must have found something good, right?"

"We're a bit strapped for cash lately, so borrowing this to take a look and broaden our horizons isn't too much to ask, is it?"

As he spoke, the two men on either side subtly adjusted their positions. The one holding the dagger quietly took a half step back, seemingly disappearing into the darker part of the intersection, his presence becoming almost imperceptible.

The man with the short stick moved forward half a step, creating a more obvious pincer movement with the bald man.

A standard three-person team consists of a frontal deterrent, a flanking maneuver, and a hidden attacker.

Su Zhisu stopped and looked calmly at the bald man. She didn't speak or make any defensive or offensive stance; she just stood there quietly.

"Oh, are you deaf or mute?"

The tall, thin man blocking the left side, playing with a dagger, laughed.

He was clearly retreating just now, but suddenly he made an extremely fast slide!

Approaching Su Zhisu's left side like a ghost, a glint of cold light flashed in his right hand, not aimed at a vital spot, but rather at the necklace around Su Zhisu's neck—the one that had been transformed from the "Redemption" he had put away.

This attack was extremely fast and from a tricky angle, clearly indicating that the survivor was primarily a physical agility-based fighter.

His move was clearly intended to "test the waters and steal something along the way."

At the same time, a glint flashed in the eyes of the bald man in front of him, and his right hand, which was hanging by his side, suddenly pressed forward!

"Buzz!"

An invisible, faint force field, carrying the weight of earth and rocks, spread out from him, enveloping a small area around Su Zhisu.

Gravity Slowing!

【Gravity Slowdown】: Causes all targets within range to sink, making their movements sluggish.

The burly man on the right, who had been holding the short stick, also moved the moment the bald man made his move.

He let out a low growl, crossed his two sticks, and with a vicious gust of wind, slammed them down on Su Zhisu's right shoulder and knee, sealing off his escape route.

The three worked together seamlessly, clearly having been used to this kind of shady business.

First, they probe with words. The fastest, tall and thin man launches a swift attack that seems like a robbery but is actually a probe. The bald man uses control skills to restrict the target's movement, while the strong man on the right takes advantage of the situation to launch a strong attack, forcing the target to withstand the attack or expose a greater weakness.

If it were an ordinary Lv.7 survivor, or even one who had just entered Lv.8, they would likely be caught off guard by this sudden coordinated attack and suffer a hidden loss.

However, Su Zhisu's movements were faster than the tall, thin man's dagger.

The moment the tall, thin man glided into the air and his shoulder moved slightly, Su Zhisu's left hand seemed to have been waiting there all along, striking first even though he was behind!

It wasn't a parry, but rather a precise cut through the cold, gleaming trail of the dagger, with five fingers gripping the wrist of the tall, thin man holding the knife like iron clamps.

The moment he grasped her wrist, Su Zhisu exerted a slight force with his fingertips, and a condensed, dark blue Night Watcher's Heart Flame pierced into her wrist joint like a fine needle.

"Well?!"

The tall, thin man felt a numbness in his wrist, as if he had been stabbed by a red-hot iron needle. The power he had gathered instantly dissipated, and he almost dropped the dagger.

Su Zhisu's movements were fluid and seamless, with wrist snaps, twists, and downward presses all done in one smooth motion!

"Snap!"

A clear sound of wrist bone dislocation rang out.

"ah--!"

The tall, thin man let out a short, shrill scream as he was lurched forward by an irresistible force, collapsing heavily to one knee. His twisted wrist was held by Su Zhisu's hand, and the dagger clattered to the ground.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Clearly, the bald man's [Gravity Slowing] not only affected Su Zhisu, but also the other two.

The moment Su Zhisu was affected, the strange power within his body easily neutralized the impact.

Even the hem of his clothes couldn't weigh him down by an inch.

"Heh, strange powers can only be mastered after advancing to a higher rank and changing jobs, so this skill is obviously useless to me."

The two clubs that the burly man on the right swung down met a pair of calm, unfathomable black eyes just as they were about to touch Su Zhisu's shoulders.

The short stick hurtling towards him was reflected in his eyes, but there was no panic, only a cold indifference, as if he were looking at a dead object.

The burly man felt a chill run down his spine, and his movements involuntarily slowed for a moment.