The group moved the crossbows from the lower deck to the deck, studied how to use them, and then tried shooting. To avoid wasting arrows, they all aimed at a designated cabin door.
However, it turned out that there's a difference between seeing something and actually eating it; the group held their crossbows and aimed with great enthusiasm, but the arrows flew wildly.
The only two pleasant surprises came from Ke Xun and Mu Yiran, a couple who were both strong and athletic. Their arrows almost always landed within the door's edge. Ke Xun, in particular, was incredibly talented physically; after practicing a dozen or so arrows, his accuracy was already quite high, almost always hitting the same spot.
The group continued practicing diligently. Around four or five in the afternoon, Fang Fei and Chen Xin'ai came to call their boyfriends to the dining room for lunch.
The dining room was actually the largest room in the middle of the ship, furnished with low tables; in the Qin Dynasty, people ate sitting on the floor.
The group followed them into the dining room and saw Xuege already sitting there eating. Chen Xin'ai said, "We're not very good at using the cooking utensils of this era, so we didn't make much food, and it's quite simple. Please make do with what we have. The food is in the kitchen; help yourselves."
The three girls only served themselves and their boyfriends, but no one else objected, since they weren't obligated to serve everyone.
The rest of the group went to the kitchen next door and saw a bronze cauldron with firewood underneath, steaming from it. They peered closer and saw a pot of porridge made from rice and vegetables cooked together, the vegetables of which were unidentifiable and had been overcooked into a mushy mess, making it quite unappetizing…
"Waaah, I can't even get a bite of meat before I die. I feel so pathetic," Luo Jin wiped away non-existent tears.
"Be content, you whiny bastard. If you want to eat, cook it yourself," Wei Dong said to him.
"If I knew how to cook, my Aunt Liu would be out of a job," Luo Jin said.
Wei Dong: "Aunt Liu is...?"
Luo Jin: "She's my family's maid who cooks."
Wei Dong: "...Okay, I forgot you're the young master."
"If you're not too hungry yet, wait a bit," Ke Xun suddenly said, rolling up his sleeves and walking towards the cauldron. "I don't think this much is enough for all of us. I'll make some more. If you're hungry, have some porridge to tide you over."
"Huh? Brother, you can actually cook?!" Luo Jin looked at him in surprise. "You look like someone with a girlfriend!"
"Even when I'm almost dead, I can't stop you from talking so much." Ke Xun glanced at the firewood under the cauldron, saw that the fire had gone out, and looked up at Luo Jin, saying, "Go find me a flint."
"What do you need flint? I have a lighter here." Luo Jin pulled out his pocket, only to find two flints and a tuft of tinder. "--Holy crap! My Zippo! My 230,000 yuan lighter is now just two broken stones?!"
Wei Dong: "...May I ask if you need a servant to take care of your lighter, someone honest, upright, and with artistic talent?"
Ke Xun lit some firewood and began searching for ingredients in the kitchen. Everyone else left to continue practicing archery, except for Mu Yiran.
Ke Xun then moved a cooking pot over, threw firewood inside and let it burn brightly, then cut the meat he had found into small pieces, skewered them, and grilled them on the pot.
"It's a pity there's no cumin or chili," Ke Xun sighed, having searched the kitchen for seasonings but only found salt and Sichuan peppercorns. "Even a clever person can't cook without rice."
"You can use dogwood instead of chili," Mu Yiran pointed out.
Ke Xun went to get the dogwood, and as she passed Mu Yiran, she kissed him on the cheek.
"Do you think Shao Ling's method of shooting sea monsters with arrows is reliable?" Ke Xun asked her boyfriend while grilling skewers.
Mu Yiran leaned against the door, like a graceful bamboo stalk, his gaze fixed on Ke Xun's skillful hands handling the ingredients. His voice was gentle and calm: "So far, his thinking seems sound, but whether the method of shooting the sea monster with arrows will work can only be verified tonight."
"Indeed," Ke Xun said calmly, "The cruelty of the 'painting' is that we can only obtain more clues through continuous deaths. I wonder who will be chosen tonight... Let's eat more meat before we die."
When Ke Xun called everyone in to serve the food, Luo Cheng was shocked again: "I can't believe I've actually come to Qin Dynasty to eat skewers... Oh, it's so delicious! Bro, can I have a few more skewers? Bro, you're so awesome! Bro, can I marry you? I may be straight, but I don't mind becoming gay for you, bro!"
"Shut up and eat your food." Ke Xun said speechlessly, holding a large handful of skewers in one hand and pulling her boyfriend's hand to a corner with the other.
"This is... my brother's boyfriend?" Luo Cheng asked Wei Dong, looking at the two of them.
Wei Dong: "..."
This guy is really outgoing.
But... he does look a lot like Ke'er in his chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) phase...
"That's your brother-in-law," Wei Dong said.
"His aura is two meters and eighty centimeters." Luo Cheng lowered his head and ate his meat.
Wei Dong noticed that his hands were trembling slightly.
He was very scared, he was very scared of dying.
He just kept using talkativeness and nonchalance to cover up his inner fear and to keep his nerves from collapsing.
Wei Dong was silent and buried his head in his food, but a strong sour feeling welled up in his heart, eyes and nose.
In order to have the strength to kill monsters that night, everyone ate their fill. Ke Xun not only made kebabs, but also cooked a new pot of meat porridge, mashing fish into a paste, slicing mutton into thin slices and cooking them together in the porridge, sprinkling a little salt and scallions, and also made a cold wild vegetable salad and candied ginger.
"It's even better than my Aunt Liu's cooking." Luo Cheng covered his bloated stomach. He ate the most, as if using the feeling of fullness to fight his fear.
"It's getting dark." No one paid him any attention. Li Yi looked at the sky outside the door. "Shouldn't we take some defensive measures?"
he said, glancing at Shao Ling.
Shao Ling nodded. "Yes, we can't just attack without defending. The ladies can hide in the lower deck cabins; it should be safer there than up there."
"I want to stay up there," Xue Ge said. "I don't like being kept in the dark."
"I want to be with my boyfriend," Fang Fei added, walking over to the crossbows and bending down to pick one up.
"Me too," Chen Xin'ai followed, picking up a crossbow as well.
Wei Dong: "...This year's girls are really fierce, I admire them!"
"In that case," Shao Ling didn't interfere with the three's wishes, "let's use the central hall where we just ate as our base. If things get bad, everyone hide in the central hall, and we should reinforce the doors and windows."
"I don't think that's a good idea," surprisingly, Zhu Haowen objected, speaking calmly and rationally, "It's a closed space, the only exit is through the doors and windows. If we encounter danger, we'll all be wiped out."
"So you mean everyone should split up?" Liu Yanlei looked at him scrutinizingly.
"Yes." Zhu Haowen answered without hesitation.
"I don't know how many American horror or disaster movies you've seen," Liu Yanlei stared at Zhu Haowen's eyes with a slight sarcasm, "the supporting characters who get killed off are basically those who 'split up' and 'go their own way'."
Liu Yanlei, who probably works as a salesman in the real world, was quite eloquent: "Americans have too much of a personal hero complex, so in the end, most of the survivors are individuals, the protagonists. Doesn't that serve as a warning? The more dangerous and unpredictable the situation, the more we should unite and concentrate all our strength. What does it mean to be united? The best defense is not walls or weapons, but the concerted efforts of everyone!"
Zhu Haowen looked calmly at the slightly agitated Liu Yanlei, his tone still almost cold: "The power of painting is irresistible. Whether it's one person or a hundred people, when it's time to die, they will die. Here, the best defense is not manpower, but the most unreliable 'luck,' intellect, and seals."
"Then let me ask you," Liu Yanlei refused to back down, taking half a step forward and staring intently at Zhu Haowen, "have any of the paintings you've purchased before been completely wiped out?"
"No." Zhu Haowen looked at him expressionlessly.
"Isn't that it?" Liu Yanlei sneered. "That proves that the rules of the painting don't include wiping everyone outright. Otherwise, if everyone died as soon as they entered, what would be the point?! Since you say survival depends on luck, then whether we're all together or acting independently, those with good luck will live, and those with bad luck will die. So why not unite to increase our strength and seek more opportunities for survival or even a counterattack?"
"I think Liu Yanlei makes sense," Li Yi said in a deep voice.
"I agree," Yu Long nodded.
The newcomers' gazes all fell on Shao Ling, clearly taking his attitude as the benchmark.
Shao Ling's gaze swept over Mu Yiran, then landed on Zhu Haowen's face: "If we were on land right now, I also think hiding in a closed room wouldn't be a good choice.
But in reality, we're on a ship in a vast ocean. This ship itself is an open-ended closed space, because we can't go anywhere else except on this ship."
"Since we're already in an enclosed space, having some cover is better than having none. We don't know if those sea monsters have the ability to pass through walls, but even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, we should try to use it to protect ourselves, shouldn't we?
"Moreover, we don't know what the 'rules of death' you mentioned in this painting will be. Since anything is possible, what if this time the rules require us to help each other to survive?
"So, I agree with Liu Yanlei; many hands make light work. And three heads are better than one. Of course, we won't force anyone to have their own opinions; it's all voluntary."
As he spoke, he scanned those who hadn't yet expressed their opinions with a questioning gaze, while the newcomers standing beside or behind him all focused their attention on Zhu Haowen, as if he were a mindless character in a horror or disaster movie, causing division and cannon fodder consequences.
When Shao Ling's gaze met Ke Xun's, he saw the young man smile, stretch out his arm, and drape it over Zhu Haowen's shoulder, forming a subtle protective wall that blocked all unfriendly glances.
"You're right," Ke Xun said with a faint smile, looking at Shao Ling. "Working together with a shared vision and purpose is essential for every team's success, and I admire your cooperative spirit. However, having worked in teamwork for many years, I'd like to share some experience with you all." Zhu Haowen turned his head slightly
to look at him.
This guy, who always presented a carefree and nonchalant demeanor to strangers, revealed for the first time the control and imposing presence he once had as a team leader.
"Thinking in the same direction doesn't mean there are only one way to solve a problem; working together doesn't mean everyone has to be united." Ke Xun stood tall beside him, his imposing figure giving the newcomers a commanding presence. "In my view, thinking in the same direction doesn't mean having a unified approach to problem-solving, but rather ensuring that everyone has an unwavering belief in achieving a common goal, no matter what unexpected situations arise. As long as everyone can guarantee that they won't waver, back down, give up, or have ulterior motives, then there are many paths to Rome, so why worry about using different approaches and methods to achieve the goal?"
Zhu Haowen listened quietly, suddenly able to imagine how this guy had led his team to victory on the battlefield during his student days—he must have been an exceptionally good captain.
"As for working together towards a common goal, huddling together for warmth is just its most basic stage." Ke Xun's voice was firm and steady, as if he had said similar things many times before. "The best teamwork isn't about uniformly living and dying together, but about comprehensive, multi-faceted, layered, flexible, and wide-ranging seamless cooperation. Only this can trigger more possibilities and unleash the potential of each member, ultimately achieving our common goal."
Ke Xun smiled at this point: "Therefore, rather than a single collective action, I prefer to explore multiple coping strategies. I stand with Haowen."
Zhu Haowen lowered his eyes, staring at the deck beneath his feet, silently feeling the warm and powerful aura emanating from the person beside him.
Suddenly, he felt that even if he died in this painting, he wouldn't have any regrets.