Chapter 230

Chapter 230 – Two Sides of a Balance Part 11

Today was overcast, and the storm at sea raged with great intensity.

However, the weather forecast had not predicted this huge storm. Fishing boats out at sea were racing back in full throttle, while cruise ships carrying tourists were swaying as they came back to the harbor.

The sea wind whipped up the sand on the beach, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen. The inn keeper, wearing flip-flops, rushed across the sand, collecting all the large beach umbrellas to prevent them from being blown away by the wind.

Heavy rain was imminent; suddenly, rain started pouring down. Raindrops grew larger, drenching the golden sands and intensifying the waves on the sea.

The inn keeper collected the last umbrella and was about to return to his residence when he happened to look back. At that moment, he noticed a small fishing boat drifting and rocking unstably through the storm. The small boat shook violently amidst surging waves and appeared to be on the verge of sinking at any second.

The rain was so heavy it seemed as if the skies and earth were shrouded in a gray curtain.

Amidst the gray sky, the fishing boat appeared intermittently. Although thunder was rolling in and the sound of continuous rainfall and crashing waves filled his ears, the inn keeper shivered, sensing an oppressive stillness — where everything was hidden behind layers of gray curtains, only that solitary ship moved forward like a ghost ship hovering over the sea.

“Standing in the rain like that? Come inside!” His wife’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Oh, right! Coming in!” the inn keeper’s head dipped, arms raised to block the rain, then he hurriedly returned indoors.

The distance between him and the boat was too great; he didn’t see that someone stood on the bow, dressed in black.

Despite how violently the boat pitched and rolled, the man in black stood steadily on its prow.

Behind him, the sailors in the cabin looked like mute guardians, their self-awareness gone, mechanically handling the boat toward the coast.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from beneath the boat—it had crashed into a reef. The cabin was instantly in chaos.

The man staggered, returning into the vessel, giving mental commands. The sailors immediately got up, attempting to steer the boat, but water quickly flooded its bottom.

“Unlucky, just a bit more and we’d have made it…” The man calculated the distance to the coast, “It seems I’ll have to swim.”

He walked several steps into the cabin, picked up an unconscious victim by the collar, dragged him outside onto the boat deck.

The victim’s appearance was pitiful, already unconscious. Blood stained his clothes sporadically, tied tightly with hemp ropes. More horrifying, countless fleshy growths subtly wriggled beneath his skin, sending shivers down anyone’s spine.

During the struggle, the captive regained a little consciousness, eyes dazed as he muttered, “Who… are you?”

The man chuckled, “Didn’t I already tell you? My name is Augus.”

Augus held a sharp blade, plunging it into the throat of the prisoner to drain blood, who then lost consciousness again. The wound slowly healed.

Augus grabbed some rope and a lifebuoy with buoyant capacity. He fastened the prisoner and the lifebuoy together, then lifted him single-handedly, throwing both into the sea. A hint of blood tinged the dark blue waters before disappearing completely.

Augus glanced back at the crew, pondering for a brief moment, “Forget about it… direct intervention would attract attention. Leave it to the sea…”

Stepping to the edge of the boat, he jumped into the sea, grabbing the lifebuoy, and paddling against the storm towards the coast, pulling along the prisoner.

—

A week later, Kui Xin finally obtained her leave of absence.

Her application was met with many challenges. Her counselor inquired about her family situation, repeatedly stating that the school would support her in any difficulties, but Kui Xin handled the matter appropriately, securing her leave.

Standing outside the department office, she examined the “On Leave” stamp on her student ID, exhaling deeply, feeling unusually relaxed.

She could now squeeze time out of her busy academic schedule to handle urgent affairs.

Her advisor offered two options: one-year leave followed by retaking classes with first-year students, or half-year leave, continuing with her class but needing to make up missed credits later by taking exams with new students.

After some thought, Kui Xin chose the latter.

Six months passed swiftly. The game’s impact on the real world continued, bringing drastic changes. If there was truly an apocalypse, it wouldn’t probably take half a year to arrive; perhaps it would come sooner.

Only two weeks after the first beta test, the next phase opened, and it was possible that a third phase would follow soon. If the number of players in the second beta phase increased tenfold compared to the first, and the third phase had the same tenfold increase, the player count would directly jump to one million.

At that moment, the order of the First World would be severely disrupted, causing a clearer picture of the dynamics between the First and Second Worlds.

Kui Xin tucked her student ID, stepping out of the administration building. She wondered if there was a way to halt the game’s progression?

If the third phase began, would more “Anchor Points” emerge amongst players? It would be difficult to clear so many points.

Is there a way to stop this? Is there a method to stop this? Kui Xin fell into deep contemplation.

“Senior,” someone called her name.

“It’s Xi Liang?” Kui Xin turned around.

“You’re here for something at the university? I saw you coming out of the administrative building just now,” Xi Liang said.

Nothing was to be hidden regarding her leave; a quick inquiry would reveal all.

Kui Xin said plainly, “I’m on leave.”

Xi Liang sympathetically replied, “I see… were my circumstances different, I might consider taking a leave too… attending hellish universities in two worlds, this is no joke!”

“Speaking of which, have you arranged your tuition fees?” Kui Xin asked.

“I got another loan, very high interest… I’ll likely pay it off till old age.” Xi Liang frowned, “But having an education is better than having none, for now I’ll start paying it back. Who knows what might change in the future?”

Kui Xin nonchalantly hummed.

“I’ve submitted my