The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar] Chapter 24

The backstory provided by Survivor was a semi-fictional Paleozoic era. Given the sheer distance in time, many things about it remain mysterious.

Players existed as mental projections, able to breathe underwater without equipment. Once outside the submarine, they found themselves among swaying algae, feet sinking slightly into the sandy ground. Transparent jellyfish floated gently above them, creating a disorienting sense of traveling across eons.

Lin Jing hung his camera around his neck, flipping through the codex, and lingered at the back of the group. After yesterday’s initial introductions, he’d lost hope for his teammates.

Once outside the submarine, the expansive, magnificent Cambrian seascape unfolded like a painting. This era lacked giant predators. The seawater shimmered in pale blue clarity, refracting sunlight into layered hues.

Oddly shaped, vibrantly colored soft-bodied creatures rested on the rocks, while an underwater garden of crinoids stretched in all directions. They bloomed on rocks or rooted in the sediment, their “arms” spreading like feathers, resembling lilies, algae, or even stars. Their kaleidoscopic hues—light yellows, deep reds, greens, and blues—turned the seafloor into a surreal dreamscape.

Ke Lingxuan gasped, “These plants are so beautiful.”

Karl smirked with smug pride. “Those are sea lilies, and they’re animals.”

Ke Lingxuan’s eyes widened. “Animals?!”

Others were equally shocked. “Aren’t they plants?”

Karl seized the opportunity to show off. “They’re classified as echinoderms, evolved from deuterostomes. You know, animals with their mouths and other openings reversed.”

Freshly arrived underwater, curiosity outweighed all else. A group soon clustered around Karl like tourists on a guided tour.

Lin Jing, however, wasn’t familiar with the Paleozoic era, so he opted for the simplest method: memorizing all the illustrations in the codex. Whenever he spotted something vaguely familiar, he’d compare it directly, and his accuracy was nearly perfect.

As the group chatted, Lin Jing crouched by a yellow, stalked crinoid, studying it intently. Up close, its differences from plants became clear—those feathery “leaves” were its arms, which retracted when touched.

With its stalk, leaves, and even flower-like appearance, this creature was a disgrace to the animal kingdom.

Lin Jing muttered to himself, “Where’s its mouth?”

Before he could figure it out, that nauseatingly familiar perfume wafted over again. Elena crouched beside him, holding up her camera to snap a picture of the same crinoid. Unlike her flirtatious demeanor yesterday, today she seemed more earnest. She developed the photo and glanced at Lin Jing with a sly smile. “Look, I accidentally caught you in the shot.”

It was just his hand.

Lin Jing chuckled dryly.

Elena’s gaze was openly intrigued. Her smile exuded a natural allure. “Are you afraid of me? Scared I’ll eat you?”

Seeing that Elena seemed eager to continue the conversation with him, Lin Jing quickly got up. “Not exactly,” he said, scanning the area until he spotted Xu Wanzhi standing not far away, fully absorbed in photographing jellyfish. Immediately, he smiled and said, “It’s just that right now, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to get too close to unfamiliar women. I’m sure you understand.”

Without waiting for Elena to respond, he turned and walked away, even putting on a smile as he waved and called out, “Xu Wanzhi.”

Elena remained standing there, holding the photo. She wasn’t as annoyed as she had been the day before. Her eyelashes cast a shadow over her eyes as she seemed lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the guy in the floral shirt had no interest in watching Karl show off. He strolled over to Elena and happened to catch the whole scene. Instantly, his tone turned teasing. “Struck out again? I mean, what were you expecting with those two? They’re obviously—”

Elena shot him a look, as if questioning his intelligence.

Floral Shirt Guy rubbed his nose awkwardly, but men were always gentle when it came to beautiful encounters. He quickly recovered with a playful grin. “Don’t be mad, honey. Life is short and precious—you should focus on the ones who actually love you.”

Elena ignored his nonsense entirely. Her gaze remained fixed on the two figures in the distance as she murmured, “Interesting.”

Floral Shirt Guy blinked, confused. “Huh? What’s interesting? Them?”

Elena only smiled without answering.

On the other side, Lin Jing had finally escaped from that terrifying woman and now stood beside Xu Wanzhi.

Xu Wanzhi snapped a photo of a jellyfish, glanced at him lightly, and said in an indifferent tone, “Weren’t we supposed to act separately?”

This was the first thing Lin Jing said seriously to Xu Wanzhi after leaving the submarine.

Lin Jing coughed lightly and laughed. “Never mind, we’re teammates—no need to be so formal.” Compared to the others, he felt more comfortable around Xu Wanzhi.

Xu Wanzhi lowered his gaze with a small smile, then handed him a photo.

Lin Jing took it and froze.

The photo showed a floating jellyfish, umbrella-shaped, its body translucent and faintly white, trailing long, numerous tentacles. In the depths of the ocean, it resembled a serene, ancient ghost adrift in silence.

After all, jellyfish were indeed among the most ancient creatures.

“I don’t remember seeing jellyfish in the codex,” Lin Jing remarked. A creature composed of 97% water, jellyfish leave no trace after death, making fossilization nearly impossible. Furthermore, they still exist in the modern era, so perhaps that’s why they weren’t listed.

Xu Wanzhi replied, “It’s there, just in a different form.”

Since it pertained to the codex—and thus the game’s progress—Lin Jing obediently followed him.