Chapter 167: Island Royale (Finale)
「Day 28 of the game.」
I’d only ever heard people say how tenacious life was. Now, I was seeing it for myself.
The Plesiosaur had been poisoned, the effects had set in, yet it had held on until now, refusing to die. Its body had finally collapsed, but it was still hanging on by a thread, refusing to breathe its last.
Moreover, the Seed of Life could still continuously draw Life Energy from the Plesiosaur’s body, producing Life Essence.
As it was now, the Plesiosaur’s skin was a bruised purple, blood seeped from all over its body, and its flesh was rotting. It was a terrifying sight. Even its breathing was so faint you could barely notice it unless you looked closely.
The moment the Plesiosaur fell, someone immediately stepped out from hiding.
This person was none other than Ronan Dunn.
His goal was perfectly clear; he sprinted toward the spot where Veronica Beckett had died.
He was moving so quickly not out of any sense of camaraderie, of course. Clearly, he had his eyes on the cards she had dropped.
He was able to act one step ahead of the others. Seeing the Plesiosaur’s body crash down, he assumed it was almost certainly dead, and so he chose to make his move. After all, fortune favors the bold.
This time, however, he had clearly made the wrong bet.
The Plesiosaur’s body had collapsed, yes, but it wasn’t dead.
As a monster created by the Executor, this Plesiosaur knew its mission. It also understood that its current state was most likely the result of being set up by the remaining Croupiers.
It had barely any life left, but it refused to die just like that. If it was going to die, it would drag its tormentor down with it.
With this thought of mutual destruction, the Plesiosaur had kept holding on by a thread, even after collapsing.
It was certain that once it fell, that person would eagerly rush forward to inspect its body. After all, there was still something the Executor had left inside it.
Therefore, as Ronan Dunn passed by the Plesiosaur, the creature sensed the movement and snapped its eyes open. Its gaze instantly locked onto Ronan Dunn’s figure. Then, a beam stronger than any of the previous white rays shot from its mouth.
Ronan Dunn had no chance to resist or dodge. Just like the others the Plesiosaur had killed before, his very body was vaporized.
Seeing that it had hit its mark and believing it had finally gotten its revenge, the Plesiosaur closed its eyes for good as its consciousness faded away.
From her hiding spot, Perry Yates watched Ronan Dunn’s actions and sighed to herself. ’What a senseless death,’ she thought. She had already used the Any Door to move the cards Veronica Beckett and the others had left behind. So even if he hadn’t been attacked by the Plesiosaur, he wouldn’t have found anything anyway.
Still, the good news was that the Plesiosaur was finally dead. The three of them couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, their greatest threat in this game was finally gone.
However, to be on the safe side, they decided to wait a little longer, just in case the Plesiosaur decided to play dead again.
「Day 29 of the game.」
Seeing that the Plesiosaur hadn’t revived and that the Seed of Life could no longer produce Life Essence from it, Perry Yates and the others confirmed that the beast had been completely drained and finally prepared to leave their current shelter.
After leaving the shelter, Perry Yates looked at the island, which had been devastated by the Plesiosaur and was now unrecognizable.
Before she could even lament the destruction, she glanced around and suddenly noticed something terrifying.
’Did I remember wrong? I could’ve sworn the shelter we were just hiding in wasn’t this close to the sea. How is it now...’
Just then, a wave suddenly crashed ashore. The foam stopped just a few centimeters from Perry Yates’s feet before receding.
"Do you guys feel like the sea level has risen a lot more?" Perry Yates asked.
"Don’t tell me the island is sinking. I mean, that Plesiosaur was huge, and it spent a whole day and night running and jumping all over the place," Amber Sheridan said.
There were less than two days left in the game.
As things stood, the Plesiosaur—their biggest threat—was out of the picture, but she still couldn’t let her guard down.
So, whether the sea level was rising or the island was sinking, she didn’t want to stay on it any longer. After all, Perry Yates hadn’t forgotten about the Brine-Borers in the water.
Neither Evan Fuller nor Amber Sheridan objected to Perry Yates’s proposal to spend the rest of their time in the sky. They also agreed that the sky was safer than the ground.
With less than two days left, they absolutely could not afford to fail at the last minute.
Once they were in the sky, they could see things much more clearly. Whether the sea level was rising or the island was sinking, the fact was that the ocean was indeed swallowing the island bit by bit, and the speed was accelerating.
"At this rate, the entire island will be underwater in less than two days," said Evan Fuller.
The submersion itself wasn’t what was frightening. What was frightening were the Brine-Borers in the sea.
"This is right in line with the game’s usual style—it never leaves us an easy way out," Amber Sheridan said with a cold laugh.
After he finished speaking, he glanced over at Perry Yates.
’To be honest, if we hadn’t met Perry Yates this time, it wouldn’t have been this easy for Master Ford and me to pass this game. For one thing, we definitely wouldn’t have killed that Plesiosaur so easily,’ he reflected.
"What are you looking at me for?"
Feeling Amber Sheridan’s gaze on her, Perry Yates asked, confused.
Hearing this, Amber Sheridan smiled and said, "Nothing. I just think you’re a real treasure."
Perry Yates: "..."
「Day 30 of the game.」
It was now the final day of the game. Less than a tenth of the entire island remained above water.
And at a glance, that last tenth would be completely submerged in about an hour.
But even if it weren’t being submerged, the island was no longer habitable. A scan with an item revealed that the island’s interior had been hollowed out, making the whole thing incredibly fragile—even shoddier than a jerry-built project.
An hour later, just before the island was completely submerged, a small golden boat appeared on the surface of the sea. Onboard was Justin Shaw.
He was collecting Brine-Borers, seemingly conducting some kind of research.
As time ticked by, a familiar yet strange voice sounded in Perry Yates’s ear.
[Congratulations to player Perry Yates for clearing this game.
Identity: Croupier
ID: 001
Home Cerulea ID: 68656
Croupier Games Cleared: 1]
As the series of announcements sounded in her ear, a flash of blue light burst before her eyes. Then, for the first time, Perry Yates arrived in the so-called System Space.