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Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^
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Ruan Qing had initially planned exactly as the System suggested - to cut away the infected flesh or amputate the affected part immediately if parasitized.
But now that there was an alternative item available, he naturally wouldn't refuse it.
Ruan Qing didn't say anything more. After telling Qi Lintian to "wait a moment," he walked toward the Demon's Eye.
The Demon's Eye sat quietly on the office desk like an ordinary cruise ship decorative piece. Without someone pointing it out, no one would ever guess it was an S-class item - most people wouldn't even notice its existence.
Ruan Qing reached for the Demon's Eye, but just before touching it, an image of the eye he'd seen in his first dungeon suddenly flashed through his mind. His hand froze mid-air.
That eye had always given him an extremely uncomfortable feeling, as if it could see through everything.
Moreover, it was clearly just an enlarged version of the eyes on those monsters.
In the end, Ruan Qing didn't pick it up directly. Instead, he used a nearby handkerchief to wrap the Demon's Eye before placing it in his school uniform pocket.
Though Qi Lintian found this behavior somewhat puzzling, he asked no questions and simply left the sixteenth floor with Ruan Qing.
The cruise ship's permission control system could be on any floor - except the sixteenth floor that belonged to Qi Lintian.
They needed to locate the control system quickly. Once the monsters completely overran the cruise ship, it would be too late.
The ship was simply too massive, and those monsters were now roaming everywhere. Under these circumstances, finding the permission control system would be extremely difficult.
After searching fruitlessly for a while, Ruan Qing decided to regroup with the other players. With their help, the search would undoubtedly proceed much faster.
When Ran Jia spotted Ruan Qing's figure, her eyes lit up as if seeing a savior. She immediately went to meet him. "Boss! You're back?"
Nearby, Qi Yi - who had been shrouded in a dark, oppressive aura - immediately raised his head at Ran Jia's words, looking toward the approaching youth.
Upon seeing the familiar figure, all the gloom dissipated from Qi Yi, replaced by the demeanor of a quiet, reticent boy next door - not a trace of his previous dangerous aura remained.
Watching Qi Yi's unwavering gaze fixed on the young man, Ran Jia secretly heaved a huge sigh of relief, even discreetly wiping cold sweat from her forehead.
She and Qi Yi hadn't attended the party that night and were completely unaware of the major incident that had occurred there.
Since the monsters appeared, they'd been searching for people, but after several hours, they still hadn't found who they were looking for.
As time passed, Qi Yi had grown increasingly gloomy, his entire being radiating more and more terror. Ran Jia understood - Qi Yi was becoming very unhappy.
Every time Qi Yi was unhappy, the consequences would be extremely severe.
Thankfully, this big shot had appeared—otherwise, she was genuinely afraid Qi Yi might capsize the entire cruise ship.
However, Ran Jia's relief was cut short when the breath she had just sighed got stuck in her throat. The person beside her was once again radiating a chilling aura, even more terrifying than before.
Following Qi Yi's gaze, Ran Jia's eyes eventually landed on the man beside the youth.
Everyone has a personal space boundary—when someone unfamiliar crosses it, people instinctively recoil or distance themselves.
But the man and the boy were standing unusually close, far beyond what would be considered a normal personal distance. Yet, the boy didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable.
Their relationship was definitely not ordinary—at the very least, they were far from being strangers.
This is bad.
Ran Jia tensed up immediately and, without thinking, took a few steps back, no longer daring to stand near Qi Yi.
The other players had no idea what Ran Jia was thinking. When they saw Ruan Qing return, they did feel a sense of relief.
Having a top-tier player around was always better than being left to fend for themselves.
Ruan Qing retrieved Lin Zhiyan’s access card from the man in a suit and explained his plan to the group.
The players had no objections. It was only the second night of the dungeon, and the dangers would only escalate from here. Without a safe place to retreat to, surviving until the seventh day would be nearly impossible.
Right now, the monsters were mainly concentrated on the third floor, so the upper floors were relatively safer. Without hesitation, the players immediately set out to search for the permission control system.
However, after scouring every possible location, they found no trace of it—not even in the control room on the eighth floor, which seemed the most likely spot. There was simply no clue related to the permission control system.
It was almost as if the control panel they had destroyed earlier was the permission control system.
"Could it be that the destroyed console was the permission control system?" one player suggested.
Ruan Qing shook his head. "It still exists."
If the permission control system had been destroyed, the lead staff member wouldn’t have spoken the way he did. It had to be somewhere else on the ship.
The man in a suit thought for a moment before guessing, "Could it be in the manager’s room?"
The other players nodded. "That’s possible."
Ruan Qing had been inside Lin Zhiyan’s room before, but he hadn’t had time to search thoroughly—between his urgent escape and the monsters outside, he couldn’t confirm whether the permission control system was there or not.
This possibility was indeed very likely.
The problem was that Lin Zhiyan seemed to have already left the eighth floor and was most likely resting on the tenth floor right now. Going to the tenth floor would be practically delivering themselves to his doorstep.
Lin Zhiyan wasn't a merciful man. Trespassing into his territory would undoubtedly lead to terrifying consequences if discovered.
Although the players didn't know Lin Zhiyan well, just recalling his speech and smile during the ball was enough to make them shudder. The thought of confronting him directly...
The players instinctively turned their gazes towards Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing completely ignored their looks. Having barely managed to fake his death to escape Lin Zhiyan, there was no way he would willingly walk back into that situation.
However, there might still be a way to lure Lin Zhiyan away.
After all, Lin Zhiyan never actually witnessed Xia Qing "fall into the sea." If someone resembling Xia Qing were to appear on the cruise ship, it might be possible to draw Lin Zhiyan away from the tenth floor.
But this method carried its own risks—Lin Zhiyan might conduct another thorough search of the ship to look for him.
It had been difficult enough to evade the previous search. With monsters now roaming the ship, it would be even harder to hide.
After a few seconds of silence, Ruan Qing turned his thoughtful gaze toward Qi Yi beside him.
Qi Yi's build was somewhat similar to his own. If the person who appeared to be Xia Qing was actually Qi Yi, then the risk of exposure would be virtually zero.
Qi Yi didn't understand why Ruan Qing was looking at him, but under that gaze, he pursed his lips slightly, his hands fidgeting almost imperceptibly. He seemed even more reticent than usual, as if uncomfortable with being watched.
Ran Jia, noticing this, actually breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Having gone through many dungeons together, she could read Qi Yi's moods fairly well—and right now, he wasn't displeased.
She gave Ruan Qing a curious glance, her eyes carrying both admiration and a trace of barely perceptible pity.
Being noticed by Qi Yi... who could say whether it was a blessing or a curse?
Ruan Qing had always been sensitive to others' gazes, so he naturally noticed Ran Jia's look. But by the time he turned to meet her eyes, she had already averted hers.
Ruan Qing withdrew his attention as well. In a low voice, he said to the other players, "I previously found out that Lin Zhiyan had a lover... who supposedly fell into the sea by accident."
This incident caused quite a stir—nearly everyone on the cruise ship knew about it, including most of the players. Some had even gone down to spectate when it happened.
However, the players didn’t quite grasp Ruan Qing’s intention and instead turned their gazes toward him.
"Qi Yi’s silhouette bears some resemblance to that lover of his," Ruan Qing reminded the players before explaining his plan.
But he didn’t phrase it as an order or a demand. Instead, he left the choice to Qi Yi—and to the other players.
After all, luring Lin Zhiyan away would undoubtedly be dangerous. A single misstep could mean death at his hands.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yi agreed without hesitation. After changing into a shirt similar to Xia Qing’s, he deliberately let his figure be glimpsed by the staff before quickly disappearing.
Most of the ship’s crew were aware of Xia Qing’s existence. The moment they spotted someone who resembled him, they immediately headed for the tenth floor. Just as Ruan Qing had hoped, the news reached Lin Zhiyan, and the diversion proceeded smoothly.
Meanwhile, on the tenth floor, the players hiding in the corner watched as Lin Zhiyan left. Seizing the opportunity, they swiftly made their way to his room.
A male player in a suit gripped the door handle and tried to open it, only to find it locked. Instead, a soft beep sounded from the door.
The access panel lit up, displaying a message in glaring red text:
[Access Denied. Please obtain proper authorization.]
After the permission control system had supposedly failed, no area on the ship had required authorization—until now. This was the first place that still demanded it.
The players exchanged uneasy glances. It seemed the permission system hadn’t been destroyed after all. There was a real chance it was hidden inside Lin Zhiyan’s room.
Once again, they turned to Ruan Qing, waiting for him to use Lin Zhiyan’s access card to open the door.
But Ruan Qing hesitated, staring at the warning. Would using Lin Zhiyan’s card really not alert him and draw him back?
He lowered his gaze to the access card in his hand, fingers tightening slightly. In the end, he still swiped it.
To ensure Lin Zhiyan was lured far enough away, Qi Yi had revealed himself on the fourth floor. Even if Lin Zhiyan sensed someone entering his room, it would take time for him to return.
With nearly thirty people here, that brief window would be more than enough to search the room and escape the tenth floor before he could react.
Beep— The door unlocked.
The players entered cautiously, scanning the empty room before immediately spreading out to search for any clues related to the permission control system.
The access control system wasn't found, but the players did discover a detailed deck plan of the cruise ship—far more comprehensive than the one in Qi Lintian's room. It was likely the complete blueprint.
Not knowing when Lin Zhiyan might return, the players didn't stop to study the map immediately. After pocketing it, they continued searching the room.
But aside from that deck plan, no other clues could be found in Lin Zhiyan's quarters.
Just as the players were about to leave, footsteps echoed from outside the door—footsteps unmistakably belonging to... Lin Zhiyan.
