(Traditional fast-pace style, ~3 k words)
1
Dawn creeps through the salt-stained porthole, painting the teak floor in pale crab-shell green.
I stand barefoot, blood dried brown on my collarbone.
The cut stings only when I remember it's there—adrenaline still surges like liquid mercury.
044's voice no longer pings; it purrs.
"Administrator privileges confirmed. View crew manifest?"
I smirk. "Not yet. I want to watch the show first."
2
The door swings open.
Three men file in like mismatched blades.
Shen Yan lays a black folder on the table—ship registry, offshore accounts, clean.
"Buy your life?"
"Buy your future."
Fei Ye slams his helmet on the table, foam beer slopping across the grain.
"I don't do contracts. I do rescues."
He unrolls the taped-up blank canvas. "Needs your signature."
Qi Si sets down a battered briefcase—handcuffs, ink, fountain pen.
"Truth for truth. Write your real name, I give you every file."
3
Red alert flashes across 044.
"Illegal negotiation detected. Liquidation in thirty minutes."
A metallic groan echoes—bulkheads sealing.
Shen Yan taps his watch. "Three thousand liters of fuel. We can torch the ocean."
Fei Ye kicks a chair. "Or we launch the lifeboat and vanish."
Qi Si spins the pen. "Third option—kill the system, claim the ship."
4
I drum my nails on the folder.
"Vote, but I set the rules."
I tear the seal, scatter share certificates like confetti.
"Shares—mine. Ship—mine. You—mine."
5
Final minute.
Heart-rate monitors on their wrists strobe crimson.
I hit confirm.
"Welcome to my game."
6
Lights die.
Only waves applaud.
I whisper: "Three… two… one…"
The door opens—not to the corridor but to a wall-sized screen.
Crimson text scrolls:
「Chapter 13 loading…」