Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 4: Landing on the Island - Three Beginner Missions!
The drifting boat sailed for about an hour and a half before finally arriving near the verdant new island.

From the deck, the crew could already clearly see the trees and rocks on the island.

"It appears to be an uninhabited island; no traces of other humans have been found so far!"

"We've struck it rich!!! This time we're really going to be rich, hahaha! A deserted island, the resources on it are unimaginable, it's all ours!"

The captain and first mate stood one after the other at the bow of the ship, looking at the new island not far away with burning eyes.

Especially the first mate, whose round eyes were filled with greed.

It's important to understand that while untouched islands may be home to powerful sea monsters, they also mean a rare opportunity to awaken supernatural abilities. The captain is already an awakened being and no longer needs such an opportunity. As the second-in-command of this drifting ship, he will be the second person to awaken his abilities!
He couldn't wait any longer.

"Are the slaves ready? Take them to the island in small boats!"

……

Shi Ming and eight slaves were brought up from the bottom of the ship's hold. These slaves had not seen sunlight for a long time, and their eyes were too heavy to open. They had to shield their eyes with their hands for a while before they could barely see the outside world.

From here, he could clearly see what the drifting ship looked like.

Its shape is similar to the cruiser in Shi Ming's previous life, but the material looks extremely special. In addition to the four-layer internal structure, there are two cabins and platforms above the deck. The hull material is not ordinary steel, and the dark gray paint exudes a solemn and majestic aura.

Cold, hard, and angular.

It's like a mobile fortress at sea, or a man-made steel behemoth.

Before he could examine it closely, the first mate shouted and urged him on.

"Move quickly! Don't just stand there. Everyone take a supply pack and get on that small boat down there!"

"Once we get ashore, you'll split up to explore. Keep your eyes peeled and memorize the island's layout, the types of minerals and flora and fauna. Whoever draws the clearest map and resource distribution diagram will get the biggest reward!"

"You, keep a close eye on them!"

"The exploration period is a full day!"

"Don't panic if you encounter any danger, especially powerful sea monsters. Adapt to the situation and wait for rescue!"

Shi Ming chuckled to himself.

Waiting for rescue?

Does anyone believe this nonsense?
If any danger were to arise, these slaves would be abandoned. This drifting ship, far from intending to dock, would turn tail and flee faster than anyone else should it be, should any particularly dangerous sea creature inhabit the island.

After receiving their supply packages, the nine slaves, including Shi Ming, boarded a small boat and set off towards the island under the captain's remote control. During this exploration, Shi Ming not only had to complete his own tasks but was also given the responsibility of supervision to prevent the slaves from merely going through the motions and failing to conduct thorough investigations.

As the small boat sailed, he checked the supplies in the supply pack.

A not-so-sharp dagger, a pack of compressed biscuits, a small bottle of water—that's all there was.

Is this all the food they're giving us? And we're supposed to spend a whole day exploring?
Haha, it looks like an exploration mission, but it's actually a survival mission. Surviving means you can handle the dangers on the island!
The people on the adrift ship weren't worried about escaping—if there was no danger on the island, they would conduct a thorough search for resources; if there was danger, they had already fulfilled their purpose as cannon fodder, and it didn't matter whether they went back or not.

Driven remotely, the small boat sped toward the untouched island.

The slaves on the ship were all filled with unease.

Most of them had never been to an unexplored island, and from the account of the only person who had experienced it, they all knew that exploring a new island was an extremely dangerous undertaking. The island was indeed rich in resources, but as a rare landmass, it was bound to be inhabited by dangerous sea beasts, even mutated ones. These sea beasts were generally not weak—those that were too weak could not possibly control such a rare territory.

Many slaves looked at Shi Ming, hoping that he could set an example.

"Why are you all looking at me? The captain said I'm just in charge of supervision. Once we reach the island, we'll all spread out and explore separately to avoid attracting too much attention and being attacked by sea monsters."

"Why are we splitting up to explore? Wouldn't it be better to stay together because there's strength in numbers?" a slave asked, puzzled. "You're not planning to abandon us, are you?"

"stupid."

Shi Ming scoffed. "In the face of powerful sea beasts, is there any difference between one person and a group of people?"

Shi Ming stood at the bow of the ship, looking at this motley crew. "The captain sent us here to explore and gather intelligence, not to gather together and become targets for sea monsters. This trip is only for covert operations and intelligence gathering. Even if we do encounter powerful sea monsters, we must carefully detour and leave them to the strong exploration team to handle."

"That's right, our mission is to survive and bring the intelligence back."

"Yes. We don't have any powerful weapons."

"Anyone who tries to show off their skills and foolishly provokes the sea monsters on the island can die alone, but don't drag everyone else down with them."

Many slaves echoed this sentiment, including the bald slave.

The boat sailed with the wind and soon docked.

Shi Ming left the ship and set foot on the land of this new island.

Islands are extremely rare in this world. Many people may not even have the chance to set foot on land once a year, let alone on an undeveloped new island like this. The vast majority of people spend long periods of their time in the endless ocean, in dark cabins, and on the salty decks.

Feeling the solid sand, Shi Ming felt a strange sense of security.

This is the genetic classification of terrestrial organisms.

Just then, the system notification reappeared before his eyes.

[Upon setting foot on land, system loading has significantly increased; system is now 70% loaded...]

[Arm of Power, activated]

[The Eye of Intelligence has been activated, providing the host with intelligence on one surrounding sea area daily.]

【■■■■，Not activated】

The beginner quests have been planned.

[Mission 1: Kill 3 hostile creatures.]

[Mission 2: Become an Awakened One and master a special ability.]

[Mission 3: Own a drifting boat capable of surviving on the endless ocean.]

[Reward 1:]

Each completed task will reward you with a random "mystery package".

[Reward 2:]

[Once all tasks are completed, the system loading rate will increase significantly, and without triggering Skynet's reaction, it will help the host release the Skynet chip control from their mind.]

Shi Ming blinked.

The mission has finally arrived.

Three tasks, each with a different "mysterious package" as a reward upon completion. The ultimate reward, which he desperately needs now, is the release of the chip controlling his mind! He doesn't want to live a single day under someone else's control.

This damn chip needs to be removed!

Besides the tasks and rewards, the reward given by the system when it was 70% loaded—the Eye of Intelligence—also shocked Shi Ming.

He clearly remembered that in his last mission in his previous life, the ancient pendant he escorted was called the Eye of God.

Ultimately, the treasure exploded in his hand, creating the crimson tattoo on his right arm.

What is the connection between the Eye of Intelligence and the Eye of God?

Could it be that the reason I was able to travel through time and be reborn in this world is ultimately due to the ancient pendant, the Eye of God?
(End of this chapter)