“Did they start fighting?”
Sules immediately perked up upon hearing this.
“Tell me exactly what happened over there.”
Kadi said, “I was searching a room in the middle of the ship with a small team, but found nothing. When we came out and walked toward another room, the people inside that room all gave us these strange looks. There was some blood on the floor too.”
He shuddered as if recalling that terrifying scene.
“Before we could even ask what happened, one of them kindly said they had already found the treasure and told us to close the door.”
At this point, Sules could already guess what was coming next.
Those people definitely wanted to shut the door to trap them inside like sitting ducks.
Kadi continued, “I thought, if it’s the captain’s treasure, why would we close the door? So I refused to shut it. Then those guys got angry and kicked me out. Not long after, I heard fighting inside.”
“And then?”
Sules widened her eyes, incredulous.
“And then?”
Kadi blinked.
“I realized it wasn’t just that room—several rooms seemed to have erupted into fighting. I think they were brawling over the treasure. I figured there was no point in me going in, so I decided to look elsewhere for the treasure and came here.”
After he finished speaking, Sules and “Smith” exchanged complicated looks, remaining silent for a long while.
Sules didn’t know what to say.
Was this really just an instance of ‘fortune favors the foolish’?
She sighed, “We’re still not sure if the captain is safe. The ship’s hold has definitely fallen. The superstructure on the deck is safe for now, but the inside must already be infested with the undead.”
“Undead? What’s that?”
Kadi asked curiously.
Sules quickly explained.
She had wanted Kadi to understand just how lucky he had been earlier, but Kadi’s face fell as he said, “Ah? Is that so? Then if I had insisted on not leaving back then, maybe my whole squad wouldn’t have been…”
What a naive kid. “Smith” sneered, “You’re overthinking it. With your intelligence, you might have been the first one turned!”
Kadi shook his head seriously.
“No, that wouldn’t happen. With me around, we have the numbers advantage. At least they wouldn’t dare act rashly.”
Sules raised an eyebrow, surprised as she looked at him.
She had assumed he was a naive fool, but he turned out to be unexpectedly sharp.
Thinking for a moment, Sules asked, “By the way, Kadi, on this ship, have you seen anything… common? Like something that’s everywhere, but not quite noticeable…”
She struggled to put it into words, hoping Kadi might be able to identify the formation’s focal points.
It was clear there wasn’t just one; these must be scattered all over the ship.
With “Smith” next to her, she couldn’t be too obvious.
But this was already hard to describe, and Su Lesi found herself stuck.
Just then, Kadi tilted his head and suddenly said, “Bones? Are you talking about those bones?”
Bones!
Of course!
How had she not thought of that?
Those white bones were the original vessels for the undead on the ship, and with so many undead, there had to be a lot of bones.
They were the perfect material for the formation’s focal points.
Su Lesi’s eyes lit up.
Before “Smith” could react, she pulled out the Sea God’s Secret Treasure and dashed toward the pile of bones in the corner.
“1+1+…”
Before “Smith” could finish speaking, Sules touched the bone with the Sea God’s Secret Treasure in her hand.
“Smith” immediately froze, his entire body crackling with static.
His face twisted into a grimace of pain.
Two seconds later, blue smoke rose from his head, and his body went limp as he collapsed.
Sules exhaled deeply, knowing the undead possessing him had been eliminated.
Kadi’s mouth hung open, confused.
“What… what happened to him?”
Sules returned, looking at the boy’s innocent face with mixed emotions.
“The undead possessing him were wiped out.”
She now felt she didn’t quite understand Kadi.
He seemed like a naive fool but always managed to avoid danger and even warn her at crucial moments.
Was he really just a simple-minded fool?
But then again, some of his earlier behavior didn’t make sense if he wasn’t.
Kadi scratched his head shyly when he noticed Su Lesi looking at him.
“Captain, is something wrong?”
Sules shook her head.
“Never mind… Our next step is to collect those bones. We’ll split up. Once you finish gathering them, bring them to this room. I’ll purify them.”
Kadi asked worriedly, “But we can’t go down below the deck, right? That place is probably full of undead already. We can’t fight them.”
Sules lifted a finger and shook it with a faint smile.
“Who said we’re going down?”
Two minutes later, on the deck.
“Captain, are we really doing this?”
Kadi struggled, lugging a huge crate as he asked.
Sules stood beside him, elegant as if supervising a bodyguard’s work.
“Of course. Isn’t this the best solution?”
“Clang!”
Kadi slammed the crate down at the shipyard entrance, successfully blocking the passage.
He took several deep breaths.
“Phew—Captain, this should keep them from coming up. But how do we get rid of the people below?”
Sules had already told him.
The only way to leave this ship was to eliminate all the undead aboard.
The method to destroy the undead was to touch the bones they possessed with the Sea God’s Secret Treasure.
But now, the bones and undead were locked down below, so they couldn’t eliminate each other.
Sules strategized, “The undead spread so quickly because they had the advantage of hiding in the dark. We didn’t know their attack method at first, so we got caught off guard. But now that we know, and outnumber them, do you think they can still handle us?”
Kadi pondered a moment before a surprised, enlightened expression crossed his face.
Sules smiled, “Figured it out?”
Kadi shook his head.
“No, but what you said must be right. I just need to follow orders!”
Su Lesi:
That’s true, but…
“Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue against her jaw in frustration.
This guy really is blessed with foolish luck.
There weren’t many people turned into undead on the deck since the source was below, and the worst-hit area was definitely down there.
So Sules and Kadi moved quickly.
In no time, they had relayed the situation to everyone and successfully, with their numbers advantage, purified all the bones above.
With that simple part done, naturally the hardest part was next.
When Su Lesi and the others reached the entrance, they heard the sound of crackling coming from below, clearly the people downstairs had discovered the blockage.
Sules snapped her fingers.
“Someone move this crate out of the way. We’re going down together to subdue those below. Bring me the bones immediately so I can purify them—no retreat.”
What followed was a relentless onslaught.
The undead had just taken over new bodies; they were unfamiliar and didn’t know the original owners’ strength.
Hesitant and cautious, they were no match for the normal crew.
Besides, their only goal was to grab the bones.
They didn’t engage in prolonged fights, just grabbed the target and ran.
After a few rounds, they finally reached the innermost room.
Sules hadn’t seen Captain Jam in any other room, so he was obviously here.
She pushed open the door and saw Jam and others inside, all smiling strangely at her.
Something was off! Alarm bells rang in Su Lesi’s mind as she immediately tried to retreat.
However, “Jam” suddenly said, “Don’t run. No matter how fast you are, can you outrun a Level 5 Martial Artist?”
It was over. Su Lesi’s heart sank.
Obviously, “Jam” and the Level 5 Martial Artist undead possessing the man beside him already knew the power of this body.
Though the undead were unfamiliar with their new vessels, they could still exert about 60-70% of their strength.
And that alone was enough to wipe out the ordinary crew.
“Jam” sneered at Sules’s hesitation, “I suggest you be sensible and stop struggling. You’re impressive for taking out the others so quickly, but this is as far as you go.”
Sules said calmly, “You don’t think I’m really out of options, do you? For one, I have a weapon that counters you. You’re few, and even with sheer numbers, we can suppress you.”
While bluffing to buy time, she scanned the room for the bones’ location.
“Jam” saw through her intent and said bluntly, “Don’t waste time. I’ll tell you now—the bones are hidden where you can’t find them. This game is already lost.”
“Lost? I don’t think so.”
Sules refused to give up and ordered her team, “Pin them down. Don’t be afraid. Except for those few, I’ve already purified all other bones. Even if you’re injured, you won’t be possessed.”
A martial artist next to “Jam” showed a savage grin.
“True, you won’t be possessed. But I’ll just kill you outright.”
At this, the people behind Sules immediately began to retreat.
Sules anxiously said, “Why are you running? If we don’t end this now, you’ll all die eventually.”
From somewhere in the corner, a voice called out, “There are so many of us here. I don’t have to be the first, right? Whoever’s closest can go!”
The person at the front immediately became displeased and retreated furiously.
“Hell no! If you’re so brave, go first! Why should I die first? Even if I’m going to die, I want to be the last!”
Human nature’s worst side was exposed at this moment.
With their retreat, Sules’s position was revealed.
The Level 5 Martial Artist dashed forward at a speed Sules couldn’t escape, aiming to eliminate the leader first.
Sules broke out in a cold sweat, feeling at a loss for the first time.