Yang Yi scrolled to the latest page of the world chat channel—and saw the message that had shaken the entire community.“I’m Shen Guanquan, leader of the New World Fleet!I’ve found a way to safely cross this sea!”“I’ll be staying at coordinates XXXXX:XXXXX for 48 hours.You can come here and follow behind our fleet to pass through this sea together!”“But take note—you ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ must maintain a safe distance of at least 20 nautical miles.Otherwise, you’ll face lethal counterattacks...”Yang Yi rapidly skimmed the message, then scrolled down to see the players’ reactions.“Seriously?!”“I’m heading there right now!”“The New World Fleet is trustworthy—I know someone in their ranks!”“Damn, I’m too far away!”…………“Shen Guanquan, huh…” Yang Yi was a bit surprised.When Shen Guanquan had sold intel about the Ice Nest Worm, Yang Yi had already suspected this would be his next move.He’d been waiting—for the moment when all players realized how terrifying the creature was,so he could step forward and declare himself the savior who could lead them out of this frozen nightmare.A brilliant publicity stunt.Even though Shen Guanquan never once mentioned “recruitment,”right now, players desperate to join the New World Fleet were probably scrambling over one another to get in.And if he truly could—as he claimed—lead a mass of players out of the Extreme Winter Sea,then the New World Fleet’s fame would reach its peak, unshakable by anyone.Messages flew by so quickly that even with the system’s “quantum reading” ability, players struggled to keep up.Suddenly, an inconspicuous line of text flashed past and was instantly buried beneath the flood of chat.“The Lost Ones Fleet… eats people…”Yang Yi caught a glimpse of it.But most players likely didn’t—even if they did, it was drowned out in seconds.———A dozen minutes earlier,the Lost Ones Fleet had just welcomed two new guests—a man and a woman, lovers who had met at sea.They’d been invited aboard by the fleet’s crew.“Welcome to the Lost Ones Fleet,”said Veil, the vice-captain in charge of reception—a graceful blonde woman in an elegant dress, dignified and charming.Her refined speech and gentle demeanor immediately eased the couple’s nerves.“Our captain has prepared a feast in your honor,” Veil said with a polite curtsey.“Please, follow me.”The couple followed her through a corridor to a peculiar ship called Banquet.It had a dining hall, kitchen, and an enormous refrigerated storage area for food.“Looks like we found the right place!”the man said, excited. “There are only a dozen or so ships in this fleet—maybe we can even become core members later!”But his girlfriend looked uneasy.They had joined because they were running out of supplies.When they saw the Lost Ones Fleet’s recruitment notice—offering food, timber, and hot water—they immediately reached out.After a short exchange, they learned that they were quite close to the fleet and met all the entry requirements.They were thrilled to receive an invitation.It wasn’t an open invitation, though.The fleet had strict screening requirements—applicants had to submit photos (without clothes), as well as personal data like age, gender, weight, height… even measurements.Once approved, the couple received a welcome package:a little timber, some black bread, and the promise of more gifts upon arrival—including a rare and mysterious item.So they set sail for the coordinates, with barely two days’ worth of food left.After two days of following the fleet, they were finally received and brought aboard the Banquet.———Now, the two newcomers entered the dining hall.A long table stretched across the room, lined with chairs.All were occupied—except for two empty seats clearly reserved for them.The table was filled with empty plates, though no dishes had yet been served.“Welcome!”“Welcome, friends!”“Welcome!”“Slurp—welcome!”Everyone stood and clapped, celebrating their arrival in grand fashion.At the far end of the table rose Weissman, the fleet’s captain.His tone was calm and amiable as he spoke through a golden mask:“Welcome, my delicious friends.”The man started to introduce himself.“My name is—”But Weissman gently interrupted.“No need—we already know who you are.”“Before dining, please make sure to wash yourselves thoroughly.That is one of the Lost Ones Fleet’s rules.”The couple froze.They’d never heard of such a rule.Washing your hands before eating—sure.But bathing before dinner?Who would go that far?Still, as they looked around—the fleet members’ clothes were immaculate, their faces tidy and refined—then looked at their own ragged, filthy appearance, realization dawned.“Oh, I see—they think we’re dirty,” the man whispered to his girlfriend.At that moment, Veil spoke again behind them.“The hot water is ready, just next door.Please wash up quickly and return—the dishes are almost ready.”She guided them into the adjacent bath chamber.As promised, two large wooden tubs steamed with hot water.The man tested the water temperature and almost burned his fingers.“Is there any cold water? This is way too hot.”Veil politely shook her head.She collected their clothes, told them clean garments awaited outside,and reminded them to hurry—“otherwise the food will get cold.”Then she left.The couple was alone.“…Do you smell that?” the woman suddenly asked.“What smell?”“Something… fishy.”……Fifteen minutes later, freshly bathed and wrapped in robes, they returned to the dining hall.Everyone was seated.The two seats that had been empty—now only one remained.Veil sat in the other.Each person was holding a knife and fork, a napkin neatly tucked at their chest.Only plates sat on the table—no food.All eyes turned toward the couple.A chill of terror crawled up their spines.Suddenly—Veil’s nose fell off, landing on her plate.She gave an apologetic smile and carefully picked it up—but then half her face sloughed off, revealing rotted flesh beneath.And on that one remaining empty seat before themlay a book—a rare item titled “Introduction to the Cult of Flesh-Eaters.”

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