Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1838: Sea of Ten Thousand Islands

The second small cycle of the trial officially commenced, accompanied by a multitude of varying thoughts from the participants.

Having gained experience from the previous round, everyone understood their intended destinations. Unlike the hesitation and anxiety that defined the first selection of the teleportation array, the vast majority moved with great speed this time.

In a very short span of time, more than half of the lives had vanished into the teleportation arrays, arriving at the hunting grounds where they would spend the next three days.

Ye Zhongming was part of the initial wave to reach his destination via the array, which was Area Twenty-Eight, known as the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

He had deliberate reasons for choosing this location.

First, based on his prior observations, Ye Zhongming was aware that few evolved individuals chose this place; during his previous ten-hour stay, he hadn't encountered a single one.

The absence of other evolved meant there would be no competition for resources.

Secondly, it was highly probable that Hawkins and Aimusi would persist in their attempt to hunt him down. Should they follow, the vast ocean would serve as Ye Zhongming's primary stage, allowing him to play to his strengths while effectively exploiting his enemies' weaknesses.

Furthermore, several materials required by that mysterious female life form were located within the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, some of which were exclusive to this region. Ye Zhongming even suspected he might cross paths with her here. If he managed to perform a heroic rescue, his squad might just recruit a truly exceptional member.

The Sea King's Crown had undergone an upgrade, resulting in an increased number of Sea King's Marks. Ye Zhongming bestowed this ability upon both Jie Kui and Shi Kangbu, providing them with the necessary means to navigate the deep waters.

Unsurprisingly, the two men looked at Ye Zhongming with expressions of pure awe.

The power to grant specific abilities to others was a feat beyond human capability. To them, such a thing was only possible through the gods or the wheel itself.

Upon arriving at the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, the trio sprinted toward the shore at maximum speed and plunged into the waves. Only a few seconds later, Hawkins and his team arrived at the same spot.

After unleashing a frantic barrage of attacks at the water for a time, they eventually ceased their pursuit of Ye Zhongming, ignoring Aimusi's enraged screams for the moment.

There was no alternative. The teleportation array functioned by transporting one individual or a single team based on their intent, and every activation was followed by a cooldown period. The length of this delay fluctuated depending on the distance of the region, ranging from a few seconds to nearly ten.

For the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, the interval was five seconds. This brief window allowed Ye Zhongming and his two companions enough time to dive into the ocean's depths.

Roughly half a minute passed before one of the two new recruits in Hawkins’ squad suddenly declared, "Done."

The fury and resentment on Aimusi’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, knowing smirk.

"What's the status?"

She questioned the new member who had just spoken.

"They are already a great distance away." The new recruit opened his eyes, which lacked pupils or any standard structure; instead, they appeared as two glowing screens flickering with cryptic patterns and digits.

"In that direction, currently one thousand meters out, and he is moving further away at a rate of approximately fifty meters per second."

"He swims quite rapidly."

Aimusi let out a cold laugh, her previous sense of loss from the end of the last cycle completely gone. Her face was once again filled with confidence.

"I spent fifty points to purchase a comprehensive information map of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. I expect it to prove its worth."

Hawkins produced an animal skin map and passed it to the other new teammate.

The recruit took the map, studied it briefly, and nodded. "Rest easy. With this in our possession, their escape becomes even more impossible. Shall we begin the hunt?"

Aimusi shook her head. "No. Since he definitely cannot escape, we should let him gather some points for us first. We will move in for the kill on the final day."

"For now, let us decide where our own hunting shall begin."

…………………………………………

"They haven't followed us." Shi Kangbu wiped his brow, unable to tell if it was drenched in seawater or sweat.

Ye Zhongming hadn't discussed these details with him previously. Faced with six pursuers, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

However, both the Cloud Peak King and Jie Kui could see that while Shi Kangbu was anxious, he was not a coward.

In that regard, he was proving to be a reliable comrade.

"In the ocean, they are powerless against Ye and us. Let them trail behind while we secure our points."

"There is less than an hour before the red names refresh. I hope we don't see too many killers heading our way." Jie Kui spoke while treading water, his eyes scanning the horizon intently.

Ye Zhongming remained silent, staring into the distance. A sense of unease lingered in his mind. Aimusi and her group hadn't even attempted to enter the water to track them. Was it possible they had given up that easily? Furthermore, the two new additions to the enemy team were surely there to assist. What were their specific powers? Were they trackers, or were they simply there to boost the team's raw combat strength?

"Ye, take this."

Jie Kui suddenly produced an item and offered it to Ye Zhongming, catching the Cloud Peak King off guard.

"Don't act like you didn't notice my point total drop. You're far too clever not to have guessed."

Jie Kui was holding out a bottle of Negative Status Cleanser.

Today marked the fourth day, the time for a new debuff from Naka's Curse to manifest. This time, Ye Zhongming had lost his sight. He had quickly utilized the cleanser he had saved to restore his vision, though he still lacked his senses of taste and smell.

"Tomorrow is the final day of Naka's Curse. It doesn't matter if you lose your sight, hearing, or touch—use this bottle to recover immediately. It will ensure you stay combat-ready."

Jie Kui pressed the potion into Ye Zhongming’s hand, faking a look of annoyance. "I expected you to ask me to spend my extra points on a bottle for you. Who would have thought you’d stay silent? Were you worried I’d make you pay me back the points later?"

Ye Zhongming chuckled and patted Jie Kui on the shoulder. If his people from Cloud Top were present, they would recognize this as their King’s highest form of personal approval.

Out of the more than one hundred thousand soldiers at the Cloud Top Mountain Stronghold, very few had ever received such a gesture.

"I won't be paying those points back; you gave this to me of your own free will."

At Ye Zhongming's words, Jie Kui rolled his eyes, wearing a look of mock despair as if his life was a tragedy.

"However, I will guide you to earn so many points that even ten more Naka's Curses wouldn't be able to touch us!"

Shi Kangbu watched the two of them, beginning to realize why they were able to not only survive but dominate the rankings.

"Now, let us claim our first points of this cycle. I believe the three of us can look forward to a grand fish banquet in about two hours."

With that, Ye Zhongming took the lead, swimming out toward the open sea.

………………………………………………

Shortly after the squads of Ye Zhongming and Hawkins had departed, that female life form also emerged from the teleportation gate. She spent a few seconds surveying the area before her body shifted, dissolving into a spray of water droplets that rained down upon the nearby plants, moving away with incredible speed.

Moments later, a group of bizarre entities fully encased in black armor appeared behind her. One of the smaller figures knelt on the ground, sniffing the air before pointing toward the direction where the female life form had vanished.