Emily’s face lit up the moment she spotted Adam. She raised her hand and waved cheerfully. “Adam! You’re up already.”

Adam froze for half a second, caught off guard by her bright tone. She looked… normal. Too normal. There was no awkwardness, no tension, none of the signs he had been bracing himself for. A strange thought slipped into his mind. _Maybe nothing really happened last night.

But then the image of those black panties on his floor flashed through his head, stubborn and clear.

He walked closer, greeting Lin Fang and Lin Mei with a nod before turning back to Emily. “Uh… can we talk?” he asked, lowering his voice.

Emily blinked twice. “Hmm? Sure.”

She followed him a few steps away, stopping near the side railing where the wind was quieter. Lin Fang watched them go, his eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity. Lin Mei noticed too but said nothing, choosing to observe instead.

Adam rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words. “About last night,” he began. “Do you… remember what happened?”

Emily looked at him, surprised. For a moment, she seemed to think hard, her brows drawing together. Then she shook her head slowly. “Not really,” she said. “I drank too much. I only remember getting you to your room and helping you lie down.”

Adam’s heart skipped. “And then?”

“When I woke up,” Emily continued, hesitating, “I was already in my own bed.”

Adam swallowed. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said carefully, “but when you woke up… were you wearing your panties?”

Emily stared at him. “What?” Her eyes widened. “Why are you asking that?”

Adam exhaled slowly. “Because… I found black panties in my room.”

Emily gasped softly, covering her mouth. “Wait—so you think last night we…?”

Adam didn’t answer. His silence said enough.

Emily’s expression shifted quickly. She took a step back, then waved her hand in a flustered motion. “Regardless,” she said hurriedly, “let’s not overthink it. We were drunk. Alcohol messes with memory.”

She forced a small smile. “Neither of us is in a relationship. If anything happened, just think of it as a one-night thing. No pressure. Let’s forget it and move on.”

Adam looked at her, conflicted. He nodded slowly, though something in his chest felt unsettled.

From a distance, Lin Fang watched Adam return, his expression unreadable. Whatever had been said between them hadn’t brought clarity. It had only added another layer of uncertainty.

And sometimes, Lin Fang knew, uncertainty was far more dangerous than the truth.

Adam nodded quickly, as if eager to seal the matter before his thoughts could wander any further. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s do that.”

He turned and walked back toward Lin Fang and Lin Mei, forcing a casual smile onto his face. From behind him, Emily watched his retreating figure. Her lips curved upward, not bright and open like before, but slow and unreadable, a smile that never reached her eyes.

As Adam moved away, a memory surfaced in her mind, clear and vivid.

Last night, the corridor lights had blurred together as she half-supported him toward his room. She had laughed loudly on purpose, letting her steps stagger, her words slur, playing the role of someone far more drunk than she truly was. Adam had leaned heavily against her, his arm loose around her shoulders.

Inside the room, she guided him to the bed and eased him down. “You should rest,” she had said softly.

He had caught her wrist before she could pull away.

With unsteady strength, Adam tugged her closer, his face too near, his breath warm. He tried to kiss her, clumsy and unfocused.

Emily reacted instantly.

Her hand snapped up, striking a precise point at his neck. Adam’s body went slack almost at once, collapsing back onto the bed, unconscious.

She stood there for a moment, looking down at him.

Then a thought crossed her mind, sharp and calculating.

“The fastest way to get close to someone,” she murmured quietly, “is to make them believe something happened… and leave them curious.”

She bent down and quickly removed his outer clothes, tossing them onto the floor without care. Her gaze lingered briefly on his well-built frame, and she gave a low whistle.

“That’s a damn good physique,” she said under her breath. “And it’s… impressive.” She tilted her head, considering him. “But not my type.”

Her expression softened slightly as another image came to mind. “I prefer cute faces,” she added lightly, “and lean physiques… like the Young Master.”

She didn’t linger.

Emily slipped off her own panties and mixed them into the pile of Adam’s clothes, then straightened up. One last glance at the unconscious man on the bed, and she turned, leaving the room in a hurry, closing the door quietly behind her.

Back on the sundeck, Emily exhaled softly and let her smile fade. The pieces were already in motion. Adam’s confusion. His unspoken questions. His hesitation.

All of it was exactly as she intended.

By late morning, the hum of the engines changed.

At exactly eleven, the cruise ship slowed, and the endless blue horizon finally broke apart. An island rose from the sea ahead, barren and untouched, its jagged rocks carved by wind and time. There were no trees, no signs of life, only stone and salt. At the very edge of the island, something impossible hovered above the shoreline.

A giant portal.

It shimmered like liquid glass, its surface folding inward on itself, colors flowing and collapsing as if the sky had been torn open. Waves rolled beneath it, yet the portal never touched the water, floating calmly as though gravity had no claim over it.

Announcements echoed through every corridor of the ship.

“All hunters, please prepare. Rift entry in ten minutes.”

The mood shifted instantly. Conversations died down. Armor was checked. Weapons were secured. Diving suits were unpacked and sealed.

Lin Fang stood quietly on the deck, eyes fixed on the portal. Nebula floated close, unusually silent.

Ten minutes later, the ship moved forward.

The bow crossed the edge of the portal first. Light swallowed steel. Space twisted. For a brief moment, Lin Fang felt weightless, as if the world had forgotten how to hold him.

Then the notifications appeared.

Ding! You have entered an Unknown Beastworld.

Ding! Classification: Mid-Tier World.

The pressure in the air changed.

When the ship emerged, the sky was different.

There was no land in sight. No horizon line to hold onto. Only endless ocean stretching in every direction, dark blue and restless beneath a pale, unfamiliar sky. High above, massive floating islands drifted slowly, casting enormous shadows on the waters below.

Hunters crowded the sundeck, some leaning over the railings to stare into the depths, others already sealing themselves into diving suits, unwilling to waste even a second. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and tension.

Adam adjusted his gear and glanced at Lin Fang. “So,” he asked, “what’s the plan, bro?”

Lin Fang didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the floating islands above, following the slow movement of the landmasses as they drifted through the sky.

“There’s a saying,” Lin Fang said slowly. “When two neighboring houses are always at war, they usually know more about each other than anyone else.”

Lin Mei frowned slightly. “What are you trying to say?”

Lin Fang raised his hand and pointed upward. “The Sky Angels,” he said. “They hate the Aqua Angels more than anyone. And they treat marine creatures as true enemies, not just pests. If we want to understand this world quickly, they’re our best source of information.”

Emily’s brows knit together as she followed his gaze. “But Mr. Lin,” she said carefully, “didn’t Master Feng warn everyone to avoid the floating islands? Those Primal Angels attack on sight.”

She paused, then added, “And even if we ignore that… how do you plan on getting up there? We know you can fly, but you can’t carry all of us at once.”

Lin Fang finally looked away from the sky and met her eyes.

“That’s why,” he said calmly, “we won’t be flying.”

The ocean below reflected the floating islands like broken mirrors.

“We’ll make them come to us.”

Lin Fang let out a small chuckle, as if Emily’s concern amused him more than it worried him. He stepped forward and stretched his hand out toward the open sky, the gesture wide and dramatic, clearly meant for the many watching eyes around them.

“Wherever you are,” he called out loudly, his voice carrying across the deck, “come to me. Nyx. Tempest.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Some hunters exchanged looks. A few scoffed quietly, assuming it was just another bluff.

Lin Fang, however, remained calm. Beneath that casual stance, his mind reached inward. Through the familiar mental connection, he opened the Nursery Pen, halted the ongoing training, and issued a simple command.

Summon.

The air rippled.

A pulse of pressure rolled outward as two figures burst into existence before him. A black dragon fledgling emerged first, its scales dark as midnight, eyes sharp and alert. Beside it, a pterosaur fledgling materialized, wings folded tightly as it steadied itself above the deck.

Lin Fang didn’t waste time. He raised his voice again. “Transform.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep