When disaster struck, I became a big shot surviving in the ocean.
Chapter 113 Conflict Erupts

Chapter 113: Chapter 113 Conflict Erupts

Gao Yue and her friends truly had no idea how such wild rumors started circulating, nor how they spread with such detail that everyone discussed them with absolute certainty.

It was as if these people knew the situation better than the parties involved themselves, and they all wanted to go ask Chen Qing if it was actually true.

Gossip can really hurt people, huh.

However... Gao Yue yawned and glanced in the direction of Chen Qing’s boat, which still had its lights on.

She genuinely admired Chen Qing’s energy; it seemed like she never needed to sleep.

Was that the reason for the big difference between them?

"Do you think, Chen Qing has evolved into a creature that doesn’t need sleep?"

Qiao Zhiyu remarked, resting her shoulder on Gao Yue’s.

With so many Muscle Turtles, there’s no telling when Chen Qing will be done with her work.

How terrifying this woman is, doesn’t she need any rest at all?

"Maybe."

Gao Yue even suspected that Chen Qing’s Extraordinary Ability was related to sleep; the less she slept, the more vigorous her energy seemed.

"I’m going to bed."

"Good night."

The two looked at Chen Qing’s boat for a while longer before heading to their own quarters to sleep.

They had to take turns on duty tomorrow.

Soon, lights on the Deserted Island started going out one after another.

Only the light from Chen Qing’s boat remained brightly lit, where the Muscle Turtles, clutching their halved shells, chattered excitedly about what kind of turtle shell they wanted.

...

The turtle shell repair activity continued until dawn, and if it wasn’t for the help of Assistant Bee and Repair Ant, Chen Qing wouldn’t have been able to finish so quickly.

She had used up quite a bit of her material supplies.

Since the event began, Chen Qing had only seen expenditures, without any return on her investments.

At the moment, Chen Qing’s debts amounted to at least one to two hundred thousand goldfish; considering the cost of customizing ships, purchasing gemstones, and various other expenses.

While Chen Qing was rummaging through materials in the warehouse, Qiao Zhiyu, with her hair in disarray and unwashed face, rushed onto Chen Qing’s ship in her pajamas.

As she rushed over, she also shouted loudly.

"Chen Qing, there’s a big problem! A big issue!!"

Though she was shouting, the smile on Qiao Zhiyu’s face didn’t fade at all.

It was clear that the "problem" concerned their competition.

"What’s happened?"

Chen Qing emerged from the warehouse, and compared to Qiao Zhiyu, she appeared quite neat and put-together.

"So many, so many, so many things!!"

Qiao Zhiyu exclaimed excitedly, not even sure which news to share first.

"Take it easy, no rush."

Chen Qing poured a glass of water for Qiao Zhiyu to calm down.

After gulping down the water, Qiao Zhiyu wiped her mouth and had also calmed down. She then started to explain leisurely to Chen Qing.

"Listen, there’s been trouble between the survivors and the natives!"

Qiao Zhiyu lowered her voice, fearful of being overheard by the natives outside.

Chen Qing brewed a pot of strong tea for herself, not surprised by the news.

She was more surprised that it took until now for the incident to blow up.

"Some survivor from some country started buying points from the natives, paying them properly at first. Then they made a big move and ran off without paying!"

The specific process was somewhat akin to a Ponzi scheme; in any case, the result was that the survivors cheated the natives.

That group of survivors hadn’t escaped and were now listed on the bounty board, either in the hands of pirates or Bounty Hunters.

Not a single one got away.

Although the person was captured, the impact of this incident was considerable.

It’s known that there are more than one or two survivors who cooperate with the natives; basically, all those on the leaderboard have such dealings.

Now that this incident has broken out, aside from Chen Qing and Zhao Fuli, virtually all have been affected, with none able to escape the fallout.

The natives are just using this survivor incident as a pretext to stir things up intentionally, in order to secure greater benefits for themselves.

Of course, there are also natives who genuinely no longer wish to cooperate with survivors, their foundation is too weak.

Some national bases are even weaker than Chen Qing, that lone wolf.

"And it’s not just that, let me tell you, ever since the event started, haven’t there been many betting pools?"

"Now there’s a rumor that the natives are manipulating the betting pools, and the largest one is opened by them!"

Hearing this news, Chen Qing slightly raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

"Plus, Shang Jia, that Demon Dragon Pirate Group is being besieged by other forces on Diamond Island. Those who bet on Zhao Fuli’s survivors are almost going mad."

"It’s said they are organizing an attempt to rescue the Demon Dragon Pirates."

At this point, Qiao Zhiyu paused slightly, thinking about rescuing the Demon Dragon Pirates—they really dared to dream. A casual slash from the opposition and they’d all be wiped out.

Grumbling privately was one thing, but now they were actually preparing to go through with it.

"And there’s more, that White Immortal has also come to Gem Sea. She’s now targeting survivors on the leaderboard, conducting a bloodbath on anyone ranked ahead of the survivor under her control."

However, Chen Qing didn’t have to worry for the time being, her ranking... wasn’t noteworthy.

And even if Chen Qing’s ranking rose, Qiao Zhiyu believed that someone would protect her.

Moreover, the last time Chen Qing faced off against White Immortal, it was Chen Qing who had the upper hand.

"Who do you think will be number one this time?"

After gossiping for a while, Qiao Zhiyu, holding a cup of hot tea, couldn’t help but ask.

The temperature in Gem Sea wasn’t low now, and the toll on the bodies of Gem Hunters who dived for gemstones was significant.

"Until the last moment, no one knows what variables might emerge."

Chen Qing blew on her hot tea, sipped it gently, and she and Qiao Zhiyu held their cups, leaning on the table and looking out at the sky.

The azure sky was clean and clear, like a stunning oil painting that immersed one’s senses.

"By the way, I’m going down to the sea today; I’ll leave the matters up here to you all."

Chen Qing suddenly announced out of the blue.

"Huh????"

Qiao Zhiyu turned her head, wondering why it was so sudden; they hadn’t completely figured out the whereabouts of the Wind Shadow Jade yet!

"Hmm."

Chen Qing responded indifferently with a sound, acknowledging it was time. Any later and the Sea Clan would start harvesting the Wind Shadow Jade.

It was also a good opportunity to avoid the chaos above.

"Are you two here?"

Gao Yue and Huo Hou walked side by side from outside.

"Want some tea? It’s personally brewed by Chen Qing."

Qiao Zhiyu lifted her cup and asked.

"No thanks, when are you planning to set off, Chen Qing?"

Gao Yue shook her head, then turned to look at Chen Qing.

She, of course, was aware of the huge stir caused by the survivors and the natives.

But that wasn’t the point. The real issue was that there were survivors with ill intentions trying to drag Chen Qing into the mess, aiming to sink her along with the survivor community!

What audacity. They were the ones who insulted Chen Qing before, and now they wanted her to step in on their behalf.

What a joke—expecting Chen Qing to endorse them!

Chen Qing didn’t have that much influence; she had good relations with a few native powers, true, but getting involved in this would definitely not end well.

"Right now."

Chen Qing set down her cup. The Muscle Turtles and Mini Rabbits outside were already fully prepared, fully armed, and standing at the door waiting for Chen Qing!