10. Lin Fan Awakens

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At the front of the ship stood a tall, slender, eerie mast. It was called eerie because it was so strange—its shaft was carved with pitch-black, ink-like patterns and totemic designs. The sail resembled a slanted triangle, gloomy and somber, swaying even though there was no wind.

If not for the sea of blood beneath them, everyone would have thought the ship was sailing in midair.

Qiling Shan gazed down into the bottomless sea of blood, lost in thought. Unlike her usual attire, she wore sporty casual clothes this time. Her long hair flowed down her back, her legs straight and poised. Her face was expressionless, exuding an aloof coldness that kept others at a distance. Viewed from behind, her solitary figure evoked an involuntary pang of sympathy.

Qiling Shan didn’t know what she was thinking, just staring blankly at the blood sea.

No one had expected that with only three days left until the mission’s end, an unexpected incident would occur!

They had left Earth far behind, entering unfamiliar territory.

The bow of this ship was fraught with danger. All the knowledge they had learned before was useless in this region.

“Sigh! Lingshan, what do you think we should do?”

Standing beside her was a woman in a white coat, her fair arms exposed. She was short, with lightly made-up features, her beauty completely different from Qiling Shan’s—equally stunning but delicate and lively.

This was Fan Yijun, twenty-six years old, a former university classmate of Qiling Shan’s. After graduation, she was also chosen for this mission.

Both were surprised, though the initial excitement of meeting had long faded.

“Studying medicine made you dumb? What do you mean, what should we do?”

“Oh, haven’t you realized? We’re sailing on the sea, but this is a different region, a different world. No Earth laws apply here. And the two of us are so beautiful—I can feel humanity eroding bit by bit. When humanity completely disappears, what else can we do? Without legal barriers, being beautiful is a curse!”

Fan Yijun lightly tapped her and continued, “Haven’t you noticed the way Huang Qiushan looks at you? It’s possessive, predatory. Maybe he wants you as his concubine.”

“And don’t waste any more care on Lin Fan. His injuries are too severe. Even if he wakes up, he’ll be a cripple. Wasting time on him is pointless; you’d better think about how to survive yourself.”

“Should we submit or resist? Ma Kaihong is an example—Huang Qiushan is making an example of us!”

“And Huang Dongshan directly attacked Dr. Yang. Dr. Yang is over seventy—I doubt he’ll last long.”

“Huang Qiushan will definitely discard those who are useless to reduce numbers.”

“Yijun, how can you say that?” Qiling Shan glared at her. “Lin Fan saved all of us. Without him, we’d have been devoured by the Purple Spirit King and the He Luo fish. Whether he’s alive or dead now is uncertain, but asking me to abandon him is impossible!”

Qiling Shan clearly remembered how Lin Fan had singly drawn away the He Luo fish for everyone’s sake, with that forced smile, fearless expression. Was he not afraid of death? Without family, was he destined to sacrifice himself?

Among them, who else could do such a thing? Before Huang Qiushan became dangerous, they had all compromised and become his henchmen.

Are these people even human anymore?

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“In times of crisis, we should unite against the enemy and face the troubles ahead together. As for letting me give up on my junior brother, only if he dies.”

“Even if he becomes useless, I’d still give him my food.”

Qiling Shan blurted this out instinctively.

“Oh! The once icy beauty has changed! Saying such mushy things—have you really fallen in love? So you like the handsome junior brother after all!”

“I never expected the top goddess of the university to make the first move.”

Fan Yijun’s eyes curved like crescent moons as she teased.

“Yijun, if you keep this up, I’ll get mad.”

Qiling Shan shot her a glare.

“That look you just gave—I have to tell Lin Fan about it. Haha! What a pity. If we weren’t in another world, you two would be a perfect match.”

“Enough joking. Let’s get serious. You said you had a solution? What is it?”

“There is a way, but it depends on whether you can accept it.” Fan Yijun paused.

“Spit it out!”

“You could submit to Huang Qiushan. That way, no one will covet you for a while. The whole ship obeys Huang Qiushan and Huang Dongshan. Compromising with him isn’t a big deal.”

“You seriously think that?” Qiling Shan looked at her.

“What else can I do? I don’t want to die prematurely!”

Fan Yijun shrugged.

“Alas! Let’s go study the corpse of the divine beast. Maybe analyzing it can replenish our energy. Ancient humans survived that way, didn’t they?” Qiling Shan sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

Even in this otherworldly realm, she was still using her expertise.

...

“Lin Fan, you’re awake?”

At that moment, almost everyone on the ship had gathered. They looked at the half-reclined Lin Fan with admiration. After five days in a coma, he had not died. It was truly unexpected.

“Good to know you’re okay. Rest and heal well. Join us soon to face the crisis together.”

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“That’s right. You don’t know where we are—the Nine-Layer Ancient Ship, as big as four or five football fields.”

“And the corpse of the Golden Crow, orange-yellow blood, a phoenix burning with flames, collapsing worldviews.”

“The stele forest... thousands of graves...”

“Brother Fan, thank you for saving us.”

A dozen voices described the world they inhabited, the ship’s eerie rumors, and expressed their gratitude to Lin Fan.

If not for Lin Fan’s rescue, they would have been completely devoured by the Purple Spirit King and the He Luo fish.

“Thank you all for your concern.”

Lin Fan smiled and responded to them one by one.

“Brother Lin, surviving such a calamity!”

Huang Qiushan and Huang Dongshan entered. Their arrival silenced the crowd, who clearly feared the two brothers.

Huang Qiushan gave Lin Fan a meaningful smile.

“Survived a calamity? Do you want me dead or not? From the looks of it, you want me dead!” Lin Fan thought silently but showed no emotion outwardly.

He wanted them to think he was grateful.

Having seen Huang Qiushan’s cruelty toward Senior Sister Qi, Lin Fan had already seen through him.

But now was not the time to break ties.

“Captain Huang, I didn’t expect our situation to be so dangerous.”

“Yes, yes. First problem is food. With so many sick people to feed, we’ll starve to death,” Huang Qiushan nodded seriously. “Also, Dr. Qi, you must study the Golden Crow’s blood phoenix corpse. It’s a mythical divine beast.”

“The danger level is like walking a tightrope on a cliff.”

“By the way, Dr. Qi, you should thank her properly. Ah, I’m so envious.”

Huang Qiushan’s tone was sour. He knew Qiling Shan fed him porridge five times a day. He was jealous and displeased.

“Captain Huang, I’ll recover soon and won’t cause you any trouble.”