Evolution game, nothing more than that!

Page 22

"I think what this guy said makes a lot of sense. Ultimately, we're all independent players. What we do in this mission is up to us. There's no need to deliberately form any alliances. If it's truly necessary, wise people will naturally know what to do."

The pastor was speechless.

At this moment, the door of the room suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man in military uniform and a tricorn hat on his head walked in.

He looked at everyone in the room, frowned, and said:

"Why are you still here? It's time to weigh anchor, get out and get to work!"

Chapter 39: Setting Sail & Observation

At the command of this unknown person, the group looked at each other and finally walked out of the room obediently.

After coming out, Yi Shen discovered that he and his companions were now on a ship - but it was not a modern steel warship, but a wooden ship from the Age of Discovery, the "Lucky" mentioned in the mission description.

They were brought to the deck, and what came into view was a bustling scene. A dozen sailors were shouting, pulling ropes to raise the sails, or turning the capstan to lift the anchor, obviously preparing to set sail.

"What are you still looking at? Go do your job! I didn't pay you to stand around and watch!"

The middle-aged man shouted loudly.

Obviously, he is the captain who hired everyone in the game prompt.

The players were more or less dissatisfied with the captain's rude orders. After all, they were not really hired sailors, but just an identity arranged by the evolution game.

However, considering the upcoming tasks, they still patiently followed the example of other sailors and joined in to help with the work.

But as soon as he started, Yi Shen felt something was wrong——

He felt as if he knew what to do without any instruction. Which rope to pull, what kind of knot to tie, and what height and angle the sail should be adjusted to, all of which he knew the moment he started.

I looked at other people and they seemed to have the same problem.

He immediately opened his game panel and found an additional skill called [Sailor (Temporary)] under his status bar.

"Wow, just for a quest, they're giving away a skill for free? Is this evolution game that generous?"

Yi Shen couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Although it is temporary, Yi Shen feels that if he uses it a few more times, he should be able to master all the knowledge and techniques in this skill. By then, even without this [Sailor] skill, he will be a qualified sailor!

Even though this is just a skill that doesn't involve any supernatural powers and is even outdated in the real world, it is indeed a bit too generous.

"Of course, it's also possible that without this skill, you won't be able to truly participate in subsequent missions. In order to ensure that all players can truly enter the game, we have to take this remedial measure."

This also reminded him that there were two women in the team. Logically speaking, in this era, there should be no women on ships going out to sea, but both the captain and other sailors seemed to turn a blind eye to this, as if they didn't think there was anything wrong at all.

This is probably the interference given by the evolution game.

Thinking about this secretly, Yi Shen began to work with some awkwardness, helping to complete the preparations for departure.

Soon, all the preparations were completed.

Following the captain's order, the whistle sounded, thick black smoke emerged from the chimney at the stern, and the unfolded sails were adjusted to the appropriate angle. Driven by the sea breeze and the power of the steam engine, the ship was pushed away from the port and headed towards the sea.

Yes, this is an early steamship, equipped with both sails and steam power.

However, in most cases, the ship still relies mainly on wind power to sail. Only when there is no wind or when it has just set sail like now, the steam boiler at the rear of the hull will be activated.

The weather was very good that day. Setting sail in the warm sunshine and the sea breeze was indeed exciting at first glance, and it felt like a legendary adventure was about to begin.

Especially this time, the goal of the voyage is to explore a safe Arctic route. Once successful, fame and fortune will come naturally, which makes the old sailors on the ship more excited than usual.

Only the players seemed out of place.

Because they know that this journey will not be as smooth as others think, and they don’t know what kind of dangerous future is waiting for them!

Of course, Yi Shen may be the one who is least worried among them.

After all, he has the ability to control cells. Even if the ship capsizes and sinks into the sea, he can simulate underwater breathing organs like fish gills in his body. He will never be drowned. Coupled with the power of cellular force field and elemental force, he is much more confident than ordinary players!

However, he did not become complacent because of this, and still maintained a cautious and low-key style.

And the first thing he has to do is to gather intelligence!

Taking advantage of the opportunity to rest during his shift, he hid in a corner of the deck alone, quietly took out the Five Visions Universal Glove and put it on his forehead.

The skills of farsightedness, perspective, and clairvoyance were activated simultaneously, bringing the activities of most people on the ship into his field of vision.

By reading body movements and lip reading, he quickly determined the identities of some other important people on the ship besides the captain.

The first mate, a bald, tall and thin middle-aged man, is the highest-ranking person on the ship besides the captain. He is also responsible for the daily work arrangements of the deck sailors, including these players.

The navigator, a bronze-skinned man in his early thirties who always carries a telescope, is responsible for ensuring that everyone on the ship does not get lost at sea.

The chef, a short and fat middle-aged man with a very honest face, is responsible for the meals of everyone on board.

The engineer, a burly bald man, was responsible for repairing and maintaining all the machinery on board, including the steam engine. He was even responsible for damage control when the ship was damaged.

The doctor, a gentle man wearing glasses, looks to be in his early forties. He is one of the few crew members on the ship, except for the captain, who has a private room. There are many bottles and jars in the room, and he also has many books. I don’t know how good his medical skills are.

The boatswain, a burly man with a scar on his face, is directly under the command of the first mate. He is also the first-line commander responsible for leading all sailors to fight against the enemy in naval battles.

Together with nearly a hundred sailors including the players, this is the total number of people on the ship.

Compared with the formal and complete staff system in modern ships, such a functional system is naturally a bit simple, but it has everything it needs, and at least it should not be a big problem to support a long-distance voyage.

"Werewolf, werewolf... Although the first reaction from the quest name is that the 'wolves' are among us gamers, we can't rule out the possibility that these NPCs are 'wolves'!"

Yi Shen muttered to himself and decided to pay more attention to these crew members.

"Oh, so you think so too?"

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded behind Yi Shen.

He was startled and turned around suddenly, only to find that it was the woman covered in the cloak.

She didn't know how she avoided Yi Shen's perception and appeared behind him silently!

Chapter 40: Assassin, Collaborator

“…Good trick!”

Yi Shen took a closer look at the person in front of him and gave this evaluation.

Although he is not able to project his mental power like psychics, nor does he have divine thoughts, but after being strengthened by the super soldier serum, his five senses are far stronger than those of ordinary people. Logically speaking, anyone who approaches within three to five meters behind him will be heard by him, and even the breathing and even the heartbeat will be heard by him. His nose can also smell even the slightest body odor, so he will not be completely unconscious.

But the woman in front of him did it. Before she spoke, Yi Shen really didn't notice anything.

It was obvious that the other party must have mastered some advanced stealth skills that could conceal his steps, breathing, even heartbeat and body odor.

"Is it a boost like an assassin or assassin?"

Yi Shen was guessing in his heart, and looking at the other person with caution.

"Don't worry, I have no hostility towards you. Or rather, even if I do, I can't do anything to you! At least, in my opinion, you are very strong, stronger than all of us. I can't kill you at all now!"

The woman said this while spreading her hands to show that she had no hostility.

"Oh?"

Yi Shen raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised by what the other party said.

It’s not that I’m surprised that she has no hostility, but that she can actually see that I’m stronger than all the other players?

Although Yi Shen is very confident in his own strength, he himself is not sure that he is the strongest in this mission. How did the other party know that?

However, this kind of question obviously involves the other party's ability. Yi Shen felt that even if he asked, the other party would not answer, so he simply did not ask. He only guessed in his heart that this should be some kind of mental or observation skill, but he didn't know what it was exactly.

The thought in his mind lasted only a moment. Yi Shen looked at the woman who took the initiative to talk to him and nodded:

"Well, I believe you have no hostility. So, what do you want from me?"

"It's simple, cooperation."

The woman spoke bluntly.

"cooperate?"

Yi Shen was stunned for a moment, then chuckled:

"But didn't you say before that we are all independent players and there's no need for any cooperation or alliance?"

"That's in response to the priest's claim of wanting everyone to form an alliance. In my opinion, that's clearly unrealistic and meaningless. However, I believe that private cooperation between individual players is extremely necessary. The key lies in finding the right partners!"

The woman said this in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"You mean to say that I am the right collaborator?"

Yi Shen smiled and asked:

"Would you mind explaining your reasons?"

"It's very simple..."

The woman nodded:

"First of all, it's my ability. I can sense other people's kindness or ill will towards me. I didn't sense any ill will towards you—except when I suddenly appeared behind you just now."

"Humph! In this dangerous environment, anyone who is touched from behind without a sound would be filled with murderous intent!"

Yi Shen snorted coldly and said this.

The other party nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, so I don't think you really have any ill will towards me. It was just a stress reaction."

"Just based on this, you decided to cooperate with me?"

Yi Shen was still a little confused.

"Of course there's more than just you. You're not the only one without ill intentions, but you're the only one as strong as you. Since we're looking for a collaborator, we naturally want the strongest one. Don't you think so?"

The woman said this with an expression that said, "You are strong, so I am attracted to you."

"..."

Yi Shen was speechless.

After a moment of silence, he did not immediately say whether he agreed or not, but instead asked the other party a question:

"What about you? What makes you my 'correct collaborator'?"

This statement actually has two meanings. First, why should Yi Shen trust her? What if she is actually a "wolf"? Second, even if she is not a "wolf", what qualifications does she have to cooperate with Yi Shen, whom she calls "the strongest"?

The woman naturally heard the two meanings.

She thought for a moment and replied:

"You just learned about my abilities. This should be a good bargaining chip! As for trust, I really can't prove anything, but you are stronger than me. If you find out that I have betrayed you, you can kill me at any time."

"The ability to sense good and evil... is indeed very useful. Coupled with your stealth ability that can hide from me, whether it's gathering intelligence or assassinating someone secretly, you are indeed qualified to cooperate with me. As for the issue of trust... well, even if you are a 'wolf', I have my own trump card. For the time being, there is no problem in cooperating."

Yi Shen finally nodded and agreed to cooperate with the other party.

But before officially reaching an agreement, he had one more question to ask:

"What should I call you?"

"...Just call me Assassin!"

The woman thought about it and replied.

"What about you? What should I call you?"

"Well, just call me Smith. I usually use this name in the Evolution game."

Yi Shen directly used the pseudonym he used on Yamasaki An during the novice trial.

The woman who called herself "Assassin" couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this:

"'Smith'? It's such a fake name, you can tell at a glance!"

"Humph, you, 'Assassin', are just as insincere, even more so than me. Let's just be the same!"

Yi Shen snorted coldly and retorted without any hesitation.