National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

The ship fell silent for a moment.

Morrison leaned against the comical elephant-headed god statue; this was his watch post, where he would take over with Elijah in the latter half of the night.

He hated the ship.

Everything about this ship goes against the principles he believes in.

It is noisy, flashy, and completely undisciplined.

But it can float on water, carry supplies, and provide a safe place to rest...

So he endured it.

He took off his hat, but instead of looking, he silently stroked the lining.

Nobody knew that there was a photograph sealed in plastic film inside.

A blonde woman is holding a little girl who is also blonde.

The little girl was missing a front tooth, but she smiled like a silly little sun.

Morrison gently stroked the little girl's smiling face through the plastic film with his rough thumb, and the cold, hard lines on his face seemed to soften a lot at that moment.

Only the victors can enjoy resources and respect.

Only then can my family live a stable life.

This was a truth he understood from the first day he entered the military camp, and here, it was the only truth.

He put on his hat, and his gaze hardened again.

Purge all land-related sequence beings, such as the [Children of the Forest], [Druids], etc.

This is an order from superiors.

Especially Ren Yi, the 100th contestant from the Dragon Kingdom, is also on this land at this moment.

Find him and kill him by any means necessary.

Morrison also pondered why.

The game is called "Ocean Era," so everything related to land is naturally heretical and the enemy?

That makes sense.

Most importantly, he is a soldier, and obeying orders is his duty. He doesn't need to worry about the deeper meaning behind the orders, as long as he executes them efficiently.

His gaze swept across the cabin.

Ethan and Situ were curled up at a great distance, seemingly fast asleep.

Great, as long as they separate, they won't be able to cause any trouble.

Morrison closed his eyes, preparing to take a short break.

But the nights in the swamp were destined to be anything but peaceful.

But at the very moment he closed his eyes,

Beneath the water's surface, above the treetops, in the muddy shadows, several pairs of cold, vertical pupils quietly opened...

......

"!"

Perhaps I had a dream in a hazy state?

Morrison was startled awake from a light sleep.

The surroundings were still pitch black, and the smell of rotting plants and the damp heat were still nauseating.

But something seems off.

Morrison gripped his bayonet and stood up silently.

"Chirp—"

He imitated birdsong, which was his secret signal to Elijah.

But apart from the distant hissing of unknown insects, he received no response.

Morrison frowned.

"Chirp chirp!"

Above the tree canopy, all remained deathly still.

problem occurs.

Morrison turned around abruptly, his gaze sweeping sharply over the corner where Ethan and Siddo had been resting.

It was completely empty there.

Only two palm leaves, wrinkled from being pressed, remained in place.

The two men were also gone, with no signs of a struggle.

"Damn it!"

Morrison muttered a curse under his breath.

Indeed, those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts.

Those two escaped under cover of night and even managed to turn Elijah against them?!

The veins on the back of his hand, gripping the bayonet, bulged.

He believed he had given the two prisoners enough "respect"—

Let them live and share food.

But what I got in return was betrayal!

Just then, a slight tremor came from the bushes on the bank.

"rustle......"

found it.

Morrison's eyes turned icy instantly, and he leaped silently ashore in one stride.

He wanted to personally capture those two traitors and show them what rules and despair were.

He kept a low profile and moved quickly through the woods, making almost no sound under his feet.

The bushes ahead swayed again, as if trying to lure him in.

Hmph, an amateur trap.

Morrison sneered.

Even the newbies in the recruit camp wouldn't fall for such a simple trick.

He walked around the swaying bushes,

Just as he was about to pounce on the bushes, he felt something strange in his ankle.

He looked down,

A tripwire made of vines was stretched a few centimeters off the ground, clumsily covered with dead branches.

He was too lazy to dismantle it; he simply lifted his foot and stepped over it lightly.

However, the moment his right foot touched the ground, a strong sense of crisis rose from the bottom of his heart!

This is not a trap...

This is bait!

His body twisted violently in mid-air, and at the same time, he thrust the military dagger backward with his other hand!

"Pfft!"

The bayonet seemed to pierce through some kind of tough leather.

"hiss--!"

Morrison used the recoil to roll forward, quickly creating distance between himself and the object behind him. He crouched down and warily looked back at the spot where he had just been.

It was a monster that walked upright.

It is nearly three meters tall, with a human-shaped body, but its head from the neck up is a snake's head.

Its entire body was covered in fine scales of indistinguishable colors, and it held a bone spear in its hand. Morrison's thrust had hit its left shoulder just now, but it seemed to have caused no damage.

"Hiss..."

"Hiss... hiss hiss hiss..."

From within the bushes, pairs of yellow, vertical pupils lit up one after another.

Morrison's heart sank.

Elijah is likely dead, and as for Ethan and Situ...

They might have already been torn to pieces by these monsters!

More than a dozen snake-men emerged from the darkness and surrounded Morrison, flicking their tongues and making unintelligible hissing sounds.

This is troublesome.

Morrison lowered his center of gravity, gripped the bayonet in reverse, and pointed the tip outward.

"hiss--!"

The most recent snake-man thrust his spear directly at Morrison's face.

Morrison ignored it and turned his head to avoid it, bumping into the snake man's arms.

"Bang!"

The snake-man staggered from the impact, its arms spread wide, leaving it defenseless.

Morrison gripped the military knife in reverse and thrust it upwards, plunging it viciously into the ribs of another snake-man who lunged from the side.

"puff!"

The bayonet went in without its hilt and stirred.

The snake-man let out a short, mournful cry, and the spear fell to the ground with a clang.

[You have defeated a Lv4 Snakeman and gained 50 Evolution Points.]

These monsters were stronger than he had anticipated.

The brief encounter allowed him to understand the monsters' strength, speed, and scales, which provided some defense, but their abdomens were a weak point.

But before he could even catch his breath,

"Hiss hiss hiss—!"

The sound of tongues flicking rose and fell as the snake-men attacked from all sides.

Morrison rolled to the feet of a snake-man.

He braced himself with one hand on the ground, his military dagger flashing like lightning—

"hiss--!"

The snake-man's Achilles tendon was severed instantly, and he fell to the ground screaming in agony.

A gap has appeared in the encirclement.

Morrison rushed out through the gap without hesitation and ran towards the ship.

"call out!"

A very faint whooshing sound rang out.

Morrison had no time to react; he only felt a sharp pain on his neck, like being bitten by a mosquito.

He instinctively reached out and touched it, only to find it was a blowgun no longer than a finger.

Oops!

Morrison stiffened and immediately drew his blowgun.

But a numbing sensation had already spread from the wound to the rest of the body.

He wanted to pick up a weapon...

But his arm felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The scenery before my eyes began to sway and overlap, and the figures of the snake people became blurry.

Before he completely lost consciousness

He only felt several pairs of cold, rough hands grab his limbs, drag him out of the mud, and walk deeper into the swamp.

......

Blue Star.

"FUCK!"

Everyone inside deliberately held their breath, afraid of getting themselves into trouble.

Michael stared intently at Morrison, who was being dragged away by the snake-man.

A few seconds later, he abruptly pushed aside the chair behind him and strode out of the command room.

Soon, a low-profile gray sedan drove toward the edge of the city.

The car eventually stopped in a dilapidated neighborhood.

The place is littered with garbage, and the air is thick with the sour smell of alcohol and rotting food, creating a stark contrast with the brightly lit city center, forming two completely different worlds.

After getting out of the car, Michael turned into a deserted, dark alley.

At the end of the alley,

A ragged homeless man is huddled in a pile of cardboard boxes.

Michael stepped forward without hesitation, and the cold switchblade instantly slit his throat.

He then took out a matte black glass ball from his pocket and brought it closer.

The black ball, like a living sponge, absorbed every last drop of blood until the corpse became a dried-up mummy.

"Morrison has been captured by the snake people."

Michael whispered urgently to the black ball.

"His current location isn't far from that Ren Yi from the Dragon Kingdom. If he can get 'help,' his chances of killing the Dragon Kingdom's 100th contestant are very high."

"As long as either one dies,"

"You'll immediately receive billions of souls!"

The black ball remained silent for a while.

Just when Michael thought the deal had fallen through, a child's arrogant and indifferent voice echoed from the sphere.

"I am the fair 'Gaia,' how can I make it too obvious?"

The black ball flickered slightly, showing a hint of interest:

"However... your offering is quite fresh, and your suggestion is also very interesting."

"If this happens again... the price will be ten times higher."

Michael's undershirt was soaked with cold sweat. He gripped the sphere tightly and strode away, leaving the corpse and darkness behind him.

Perhaps it was due to excessive tension or excitement.

He didn't even notice the figure quickly putting away the miniature recording device around the corner.