Chapter Nineteen: The Ocean Cruise 18

Chapter 19

Zhao Jinchun paused briefly. "Our supervisor—can they still provide any clues?"

The three high school students looked at her with clear, innocent eyes. "Yes, they can."

Li Xiaoming, the male student, asked, "Can they help us take a look?"

Zhao Jinchun gathered all the clues and laid them out one by one.

Li Xiaohong kept glancing repeatedly in Qi Yan’s direction.

Qi Yan was leaning back on the sofa, chewing candy while scrolling through Zhao Jinchun’s phone.

Bored, he looked up briefly.

Li Xiaohong immediately snapped her gaze away as if stung by a scorpion, sitting up perfectly straight and silent.

Qin Chuan noticed this and adjusted his glasses without saying a word.

Zhao Jinchun flipped through all the clues again and said, "None of the clues mention anything about the mermaid mold. We’ll have to wait for the other team to find the soil."

Li Xiaoming asked, "And then?"

"And then?"

Zhao Jinchun pushed a clue toward them. "Survive first."

[When everything is ready and the clock strikes twelve, the mermaid will come ashore. Those who survive will receive a reward.]

It was likely to be a severe test.

In another room—

Li Juanjuan sat with Zhao Meila.

Zhao Meila looked unwell, dazed, with red veins visible in her eyes.

Li Juanjuan frowned, confused about how Zhao Meila’s condition had deteriorated so much after returning from the banquet hall.

Their team had already lost one member and hadn’t collected all the clues yet; now with a teammate in such poor shape, Li Juanjuan began to regret choosing these two as partners.

Just as she was anxious, the doorbell rang.

She stood up, opened the door, but no one was there—only a note stuck on the door that read: [Kitchen, mermaid meat.]

Li Juanjuan relaxed her brow, suddenly understanding exactly what the missing ingredient for the perfect soil mixture was.

Ninth day, 10 p.m.

On the second-floor deck, inside a certain room—

Zhao Jinchun, Qin Chuan, and the Li triplets were waiting inside.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Li Juanjuan appeared, disheveled, dragging Zhao Meila behind her.

She carried a bucket emitting a strong fishy stench. Every few steps, Li Juanjuan had to gag. She stood at the door, exhausted.

"We got it."

The system’s voice echoed in the workers’ minds: [Ding dong, congratulations to all workers—the perfect soil mixture is complete.]

[Task completion: two-thirds.]

From the corridor came the head chef’s foul-mouthed shouts: "Hey, you thieving rat! You took my mermaid meat—stop right there!"

The three high school students immediately rushed forward, dragging the person inside and hastily closing the door to block out the noise.

Zhao Meila leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, her hand severely cut by the chef’s knife.

She covered her hand and said nothing.

The redness in her eyes faded somewhat, but her gaze kept flickering toward Zhao Jinchun.

Li Juanjuan stepped past the others and looked at Zhao Jinchun and Qin Chuan. "You found the clues long ago, didn’t you?"

Her tone was calm but carried the weight of a team leader questioning her subordinates.

Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Are you blaming me?"

Li Juanjuan awkwardly looked away. "I didn’t mean that."

In truth, she had no right to blame anyone. She was just unwilling to be outdone by these newcomers.

Suddenly, the system voice rang out again:

[Ding dong, forced task activated—“The Mermaid’s Revenge.”]

[Time: Midnight to 2 a.m.]

[Description: Someone touched the mermaid's eggs; someone made the mermaid meat into clay. Mermaids are a united species—they always avenge their own. When the clock strikes twelve, the Little Mermaid will come ashore. Everyone, good luck.]