Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

Gao Yao remained motionless.

He held the oar and stood still, looking at the chaos ahead.

Not right.

Logically speaking, after only an hour's journey, they were still more than forty nautical miles from Wangjing Reef.

The sharks shouldn't have appeared at this time, and even if they did, they shouldn't have caused such a huge panic.

unless......

Unless it's not a swarm of sharks.

are people.

Gao Yao squinted and observed carefully.

In the center of the chaos ahead, the bows of several ships suddenly turned, not forward, but to the side.

Immediately afterwards, more ships followed suit, as if their path had been blocked by something.

Someone is blocking the way.

Gao Yao saw that about two hundred feet ahead of the flow of ships, several fast boats were blocking the way with their bows facing the flow of ships.

The people standing on the boat were all wearing the same gray cloth short jackets; they were the group slightly to the left of the center, and there were forty or fifty of them on the pointed-bow speedboats.

They're not trying to run away, they're trying to stop us.

Gao Yao frowned.

What are they trying to do?

The fast boats ahead have already collided with the first boat.

They didn't physically attack, they just blocked the way.

The gray-clad man on the boat was shouting something, but it was too far away to hear clearly. However, judging from his gestures, it seemed to be telling people to go around to either side.

Go around to either side?

Gao Yao looked to his left and right.

To the left is a large fleet of boats from the northern fishing area, seventy or eighty boats crammed together, their dense black flags creating a sense of oppression. To the right is a fleet of blue-flagged boats from the southern fishing area, fifty or sixty boats, also crammed together as far as the eye can see.

The middle path was blocked by the gray-clad men. If you went left, you would bump into the people to the north; if you went right, you would bump into the people to the south.

later?

There were more people behind them.

Gao Yao glanced back and saw a dark mass behind him, with boats pushing each other and showing no sign of stopping.

Three hundred or so boats were stuck at the entrance to the Shark Sea, unable to move forward, backward, left, right, or right.

Like a turtle trapped in a jar.

Gao Yao's palms began to sweat; he realized something.

This autumn examination was never fair from the start.

The four major factions formed their own groups based on fishing areas, each with its own flag, boats, and personnel.

Just as big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp, when the balance of power is disrupted, the stronger party will naturally have the idea of ​​exploiting the weaker party.

Gao Yao twitched the corners of his mouth, his expression unreadable.

He hadn't originally planned to shamelessly try to get close to those powerful forces, but now it wasn't a question of whether to follow or not, but whether he could escape.

The front was blocked, but not completely blocked; the man in gray had left a gap.

The gap was narrow, just wide enough for one boat to pass through.

Anyone who wants to get there has to queue.

queue?

Hundreds of boats lined up in a single gap?

When will the queue end?

As Gao Yao was thinking, a shout suddenly came from ahead.

I heard you clearly this time.

"Get out of the way! Let me through!"

"What's the rush? Get in line!"

"Screw your line! I was here first!"

"So what if we got here first? We opened this road, and if you want to get through, you have to follow our rules!"

rule?

Gao Yao shook his head. This wasn't blocking the road; it was trying to extort money from the toll collector.

Sure enough, the shouts rang out again.

"Want to get through? Pay the toll! A spirit fish!"

A spirit fish?

The other party's actions were even worse than Gao Yao had anticipated; it was clear they didn't intend to let him pass.

They've only been at sea for an hour; who could possibly have a spirit fish?

Even if it exists, can giving it away guarantee that this scene won't happen again?

If we don't give it, we can't get through this.

If we can't get through, we'll just have to stay here.

If we stay here and wait for the sharks to arrive, won't we be doomed?

Gao Yao didn't expect that the first round of eliminations would start so soon.

It's not about eliminating the weak, it's about eliminating the unprepared.

Those who are unprepared will either be stuck in traffic, robbed of everything, or die at sea.

Prepared...

Gao Yao touched the talisman in his arms; he didn't want to linger here any longer.

But just then, another commotion arose ahead.

This time it wasn't just shouting, it was physical violence, and the conflict began to escalate.

The bow of the boat collided with the bow, the sound of breaking wood mixed with shouts and curses, and some people fell into the sea and struggled in the water.

Gao Yao looked up and saw several ships crowded together in front of the narrow gap, none of them giving way to the others.

The oars became weapons; you slap me, I slap you, water splashes everywhere.

Chaos spread like a plague.

The boats that were originally in line began to stir, with some pushing forward, some circling to the sides, and some turning back.

The three hundred or so boats were in complete chaos.

Gao Yao gripped the oar tightly, his eyes fixed on the chaos.

He suddenly realized something: the real danger of this autumn exam was not the sharks.

are people.

Sharks eat people openly and honestly, while humans eat each other without even spitting out the bones.

The chaos continues.

Gao Yao saw a boat that had been overturned, its bottom facing the sky, with people struggling in the water.

No one from the boats nearby stopped to rescue people; instead, they rowed even faster, as if afraid of being dragged down.

Another boat was hit and wrecked, planks floated on the sea, and the boatman was holding a piece of broken plank, screaming his heart out.

No one cares about him.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on that narrow slit.

Once you get past the crack, there's a way out.

If you can't get through, it's a dead end.

Gao Yao suddenly felt that it was absurd and foolish that three hundred or so people were crammed onto this sea, like a group of trapped beasts locked in a cage.

The cage door was closed, leaving only a crack.

Who goes first?

Who crawled in last?

Who is being trampled underfoot?

Gao Yao didn't know.

All he knew was that he didn't want to be trampled on.

All he knew was that the situation was likely to develop in an unimaginable direction.

Gao Yao glanced back at Ye Zi. The girl's face was pale and her lips were tightly pursed, but the boat still followed steadily.

Don't fall behind.

Ye Zi nodded.

Gao Yao turned back and gripped the oar tightly.

He neither pushed forward nor retreated.

He's still waiting, waiting for an opportunity.

The chaos continues.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the sea.

The cry was too shrill; it didn't sound like someone being pushed into the water, but rather like someone being bitten by something.

Gao Yao was startled and stood on tiptoe to look ahead.

Suddenly, the sea surface began to churn beside the narrow crevice.

It wasn't the splashing water from the oars; something was churning underwater.

Immediately afterwards, a red color surged up from underwater and spread across the surface of the sea, resembling a blooming red flower.

blood.

Gao Yao's throat tightened, and a tingling sensation ran through his scalp.

Soon, the sharks arrived, swarming in from all directions as if they had smelled something.

The dorsal fin of the silver shark sliced ​​through the sea surface; its greyish-white color shimmered coldly in the sunlight.

One, two, ten, dozens...

more and more.

They rushed towards the chaos, towards that red flower.

Screams rose and fell; some were dragged into the water, some had their legs bitten, and some struggled desperately in the bloody water.

Screams, cries for help, the sound of oars slapping the water, and the sound of sharks tearing at each other.

Ships collided, people jostled, oars slapped the water, and sharks bit people.

They're mixed together, like a pot of porridge that's been boiled.

The three hundred or so boats were in complete chaos.

Gao Yao took a deep breath.

He didn't run or panic; he simply gripped the oar tightly and gazed at the hellish sea.

Running away at this point is useless. The more panicked you are, the more trouble you'll cause. The shark swarm is already here, and no matter how fast you run, you can't outrun them.

We'll have to wait.

Wait until the sharks have eaten their fill and dispersed before leaving.

But when do sharks get full?

Gao Yao didn't know the answer.

......