Chapter 109: The Seabird’s Worry

The seagulls flew down from the rocks and let out two cries.

Chen Qi looked into the distance. The top-tier player Seabird’s blue jacket was marked with several obvious tears, and there was a clear bloodstain on his chest.

Chen Qi had chatted with him briefly in the forum group earlier, pointing out some of his own movements and offering a few reminders for other players, but given the time constraints, they had not spoken in depth.

Chen Qi walked over. Seabird had sustained quite a few injuries.

According to the information in the group, these wounds were inflicted by the Man in the White Robe.

In the final moments, the Man in the White Robe had traded blows with Seabird, sacrificing one of his own hands to slip into the vast crowd and completely conceal his presence.

Seabird smiled slightly and greeted Nightwalker.

Two white seagulls perched on Seabird’s shoulders, and behind him were the chattering players.

Their surprise attack had been a complete victory.

Beyond the spoils of war collected at the Kin-Eater base, they had accomplished something even more significant: they had completed a Red-ranked mission.

Everyone would receive a decent reward! Moreover, compared to other Red-ranked missions, this one had not been particularly difficult.

Seabird looked toward the tunnel behind him.

The trio from earlier noticed Chen Qi and moved over from the crowd:
"Great master, hello!"

Chen Qi waved and asked, "Hello everyone, there shouldn't be anyone else escaping, right?"

Seabird thought for a moment and summarized the situation on the battlefield:
"Many players are currently looting; some have found the material warehouse and are dividing the spoils."

Some players had defeated enemies as a team, so some drops needed to be distributed.

Several players gathered around.

After confirming that Chen Qi was unharmed, Seabird asked curiously:
"Nightwalker, that tragic sight of the black tree deep in the base—was that your doing?"

His pet seagulls had already tracked the scent to the cavern where the Red Ant Moss Tree stood. Seeing the countless blade marks on the tree, Seabird was almost certain it was his work.

But out of a sense of rigorous caution, it was best to confirm with the person himself.

Chen Qi did not deny it and nodded.

The crowd began to discuss it animatedly.

Just then, a Book-Phase player behind Seabird looked startled. After hesitating for a moment, he asked Chen Qi:
"Mr. Nightwalker, did you investigate the blood of these Kin-Eaters, guess that these players were related to the red moss, and deduce the existence of the big tree..."

This bespectacled Book-Phase player was a bookstore owner in the New Day game, responsible for selling books. He had provided a significant amount of information during the raid.

In New Capital, being a bookstore owner was a rather decent profession.

Deducing the answer when you already know the result versus deducing it without knowing is a difference of two separate difficulty levels.

If one reflected carefully, the skin under these Kin-Eaters' clothes showed clear red blood clots, and the retreat they initially displayed did not at all fit the behavior of ruthless Kin-Eater members.

If one combined this with books regarding Kin-Eater calamities, it was not impossible to guess that there was a Red Ant Moss Tree calamity behind them.

Chen Qi thought for a moment and played along with the Book-Phase player:
"I beat up one of the Kin-Eater members; his mouth was rather soft, and I forced some information out of him. Then, relying on some investigation, I wasn't entirely sure... but eventually, I found that tree..."

After hearing Chen Qi’s account, the Book-Phase player couldn't help but admire him:
"Such careful observation. Their splashed blood was indeed unusual. Although I was suspicious at first, I never confirmed it and didn't dare to voice my speculation for fear of wasting everyone's time."

The Book-Phase player felt a wave of regret.

If he had calmed down, combined his knowledge, and cooperated with the intelligence they had gathered beforehand, it would not have been difficult to guess that they were related to a Calamity lifeform.

Hearing Chen Qi’s confirmation, many players cheered and began to discuss the event.

For this mission, everyone would receive a substantial reward!

Seabird told Chen Qi that he was the greatest contributor to this raid and could pick his rewards, though some procedures were still required.

Chen Qi rubbed his hands together, estimating that by tomorrow morning, he would be able to redeem his rewards!

Seabird let out a long breath and looked at the underground base.

They had won...

With various factors in their favor, they hadn't needed to call for reinforcements, and there were almost no casualties.

Seabird couldn't help but reflect. Just as the Angler had said, although the Nightwalker before him had joined at the end of the closed beta, he truly possessed the aptitude to become a top-tier player.

Chen Qi leaned against the wall to rest for a moment, waiting for the mission to officially conclude.

...

After the mission ended, the players finished organizing all the items from the Kin-Eater base and emerged.

A player had booked a chain hotpot restaurant in advance to celebrate the victory of their group of "avengers."

...

At the hotpot restaurant, the players raised their glasses to celebrate their victory tonight.

"Cheers!"
"I took down three enemies by myself; the reward is going to be quite something."

They were already prepared to brag extensively once they returned.

Chen Qi happened to be a bit hungry. While enjoying the free meal, he also planned to ask the top-tier player Seabird some questions, including some regarding beast taming.

Many players came to him to exchange friend requests.

After politely declining their requests, Chen Qi looked at Seabird across from him.

To his surprise, Seabird did not look overly joyous but instead seemed troubled, carrying a hint of melancholy. He was like a natural pessimist, and although many players were celebrating, that lively atmosphere failed to infect him.

However, Chen Qi was in a fairly good mood.

This shouldn't be a poker face; he was truly in a bad mood... Chen Qi maintained as neutral an expression as possible:
"Senior Seabird, what's wrong?"

"Am I that easy to read?..." Seabird stopped his chopsticks, his thoughts drifting:
"Just some minor troubles."

Seabird picked up a piece of pork belly and ate it. At that moment, he noticed Chen Qi’s curious eyes staring straight at him.

Chen Qi was very curious about what was bothering Seabird.

Seabird stroked the head of the little seagull in his pocket, deciding it was a good time to vent:
"It’s nothing much. When I saw that Red Ant Moss Tree, I was reminded of some past events."

Seabird downed a glass of liquor, preparing to tell his story.

Every player had different goals and ways of playing the game, which was why there were so many large guilds and various newly emerged small ones.

Among top-tier players, this was even more evident.

When Seabird first met the top-tier player White Puppeteer, both were shocked by each other’s playstyles, noting that they hadn't realized the game could be played that way.

Some craved greater strength, some hoped to build powerful bases on Earth, and others dedicated themselves to exploring the outside world...

As one of the first players to start the New Day game, he had seen his fair share of storms, both on Earth and in the New Day world.

Seabird fell into his memories:
"My hometown is by the sea. My father worked in the fishing industry, and I had many relatives who were sailors and wouldn't return home for a year, but I myself had never gone on a long voyage.

After I became a player and successfully tamed a large seagull and summoned it to Earth, the first thing I did was ride it, facing the sea breeze, to tour the ocean.

This was something I had fantasized about while watching anime as a child; I never expected it to actually come true.

At that time, I was already a top-ranked player. In this region, I was only weaker than the Angler, and it was the time when I was most spirited."

Seabird paused, and before his eyes, a stormy, roaring sea seemed to appear:
"However, my voyage did not bring the joy I had imagined; instead, it became a lifelong nightmare.

While I was touring the ocean on my seagull, I saw a terrifying sight. The ocean instantly turned black, and a massive creature resembling a manta ray rose from the sea like a mountain, devouring tens of millions of fish.

When it appeared, the entire bright sky changed drastically, as if trapped in an endless storm. The hurricane blew against me, and I nearly fell into that boundless sea.

It was shortly after the game launched, and my understanding of calamities was still limited to minor ones. But on Earth, it was the first time I felt the intimidation of a 'colossal entity' and realized my own insignificance.

And when I returned home, my sister..."

Seabird stopped there, downed a cup of white liquor, and shook his head.

A colossal entity that appeared in the ocean...

A mountain-like manta ray—thinking about it was still quite terrifying.

Chen Qi took a sip of fruit wine. He didn't have a high tolerance for alcohol and got drunk easily. To avoid making a fool of himself, he preferred fruit wine.

Seabird’s tolerance was much better; he took another sip of the strong liquor:
"At that time, according to the statistics from the Catastrophe Messengers, the calamities appearing on Earth were all minor, Wind-level ones.

But after that journey, I understood that we had neglected the growth potential of calamities. In certain environments, some calamities continue to grow, eventually surpassing their original grade.

That giant manta ray, capable of easily swallowing a cargo ship, was the best proof."

The world's mutation, huh? Chen Qi picked up a piece of beef:
"A growth-type Great Calamity? It's said that Downpour-level calamities have appeared all over the world now."

With the arrival of the public beta, some Downpour-level calamities had appeared on Earth.

However, most of these had been handled by players in time, causing little damage.

Seabird continued:
"Yes, but most calamities don't have high growth potential and cannot adapt to Earth's environment. But there are always a few exceptions.

By the way, to this day, I still haven't found any clues about that manta ray calamity. Perhaps it is still in the deep sea, continuously devouring shoals of fish."

In Seabird’s view, these growth-type calamities had to be dealt with promptly.

The storm brought by the manta ray still echoed in his heart.

Even after becoming a top-tier player and seeing his strength surge, Seabird had never been able to recover from the storm of that day.

He also believed that if those growth-type calamities appeared on Earth, no individual’s strength would be enough to defeat them.

Because of this, Seabird had always hoped for more powerful players to emerge and had actively sought out information on calamities.

The reason Seabird served as the vanguard for this operation was the name of the opposing organization: "Kin-Eater."

Kin-Eater was the name of a Great Calamity in the Land of No Light. That was why he had actively participated in this mission and even paid out his own White Day Coins to hire a Calamity Diviner who hadn't taken a job in a long time.

When he saw that fifty-meter-tall Red Ant Moss Tree, it had once again stirred up his bad memories.

Seabird finished his cup of liquor, only then realizing he had said a bit too much:
"Sorry, little brother Nightwalker, I’ve ruined the mood a bit at such a time."

Chen Qi clinked glasses with Seabird:
"Not at all."

Chen Qi drank a cup of fruit wine. He had a pretty good impression of this top-tier player and, after a moment's thought, asked some questions about beast taming.