Chapter 39: New Captain

The captain died beside the helm, his face blackened, holding a roasted rat in his hand.

No matter what kind of creature it was, once roasted, it gave off a savory, charred aroma.

The enticing brown-yellow skin bore several bite marks — most likely left by the captain himself.

“Cause of death: poisoning.”

The ship doctor closed the captain’s eyelids. “The exact toxin is still unknown.”

And at the sight of the roasted rat, Wu Ma immediately recalled the scene from last night — when the first mate was carrying a bunch of dead rats.

“I saw the first mate last night — he was holding several dead rats and said he was going to treat himself to a little snack,” Wu Ma reported.

“Speaking of which, where is the first mate?”

Thanks to Wu Ma’s reminder, everyone realized the first mate had vanished.

They quickly began searching for the primary suspect.

But it was as if the first mate had evaporated into thin air.

The crew searched every room and every corner of the ship, but there was no sign of him.

In the end, they could only cast their gaze out over the endless ocean, watching the waves roll by.

It seemed he had fled.

“I’m a bit thirsty.”

Under the scorching sun, the deck sizzled with heat, drying out everyone’s throats.

Someone went into the midship cabin to get water.

“Ahhh—!”

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, sending a chill down the passengers’ spines.

“The first mate! He’s in the water tank!”

……

His swollen face floated upward, eyes wide open, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

That face, too, was dark and ominous — clearly, he’d died the same way as the captain.

The tank water had turned pale red, soaked with the blood seeping from the first mate’s body.

After a stifling hot night, it gave off a nauseating stench.

Wu Yi stood protectively in front of Kefulu and Xiao Qi.

“You two don’t need to see this.”

Kefulu brushed his shoulder aside with irritation. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

“But you’re drooling just like Xiao Qi.”

“You try putting a shaved goat in front of a starving tiger and see what it does.” Kefulu gave a nonchalant smile.

A few sailors hauled the first mate’s body out of the fresh water.

The ship doctor, holding his nose, performed a rough autopsy.

“Also poisoned — probably collapsed into the tank while drawing water, just as the poison kicked in…”

Whether it was an accident or someone pushed him in, the entire tank of fresh water was now ruined.

Only a few barrels remained. It was doubtful they’d even last a single day.

“Two unlucky fools, probably ate poisoned rats,” the doctor surmised briefly. “It’s a fairly common occurrence — not all that unusual.”

The ship employed all kinds of methods for rat extermination — sometimes cats, sometimes poison.

When exterminators failed to coordinate, tragedies like this were bound to happen.

So the doctor theorized that someone must’ve used rodent poison.

The rats had already ingested the poison, but the first mate, unaware, caught them, killed them, roasted them — and ultimately became the final victim of the poison.

“Our top priority now is to choose a new captain,” the doctor stood up, putting away his scalpel. “We must change course immediately, or once the fresh water runs out, we’ll all die of thirst.”

Seawater was undrinkable — on long voyages, fresh water was everything.

And now, all of it was completely contaminated.

So the passenger ship had to reach land for resupply as soon as possible.

“It’s a tragedy — the sudden loss of both the captain and the first mate,” the second mate stepped forward.

He was a young man with gray hair. “I never imagined I’d have to shoulder such responsibility… But with both the captain and the first mate gone, I’m the only one left who understands navigation.”

Wu Yi felt a laugh bubbling up inside.

“I’ll get us back to land as quickly as possible — it should only take about half a day,” the second mate bowed earnestly to the passengers. “In the meantime, please stay calm and orderly.”

Wu Yi glanced at the lazy black cat yawning by the ship’s railing and said nothing.

Wu Ma also noticed the black cat.

He remembered the bloody paw prints it left behind last night, the blood still on its lips, and the bits of rat meat caught in its fur. A sudden realization struck him like lightning.

This cat had clearly been part of last night’s rat hunt — at the very least, it had licked rat blood — yet it was perfectly fine.

It wasn’t poisoned.

That meant the rats hadn’t been poisoned to begin with!

The doctor’s reasoning was wrong — this wasn’t an accidental death. This was a premeditated murder. Poisoning!

“From here on, no one is to enter the freshwater hold. Water is scarce — we need to ration it carefully,” the new captain stood at the helm, speaking in a clear, steady voice. “Sailors guard the freshwater hold and maintain order. Barring any accidents, we should reach land by nightfall.”

If this was murder, then who was the killer?

Wu Ma stared intently at the new captain.

“General Wu Ma, do you have any concerns?” the captain noticed his gaze and asked.

“You know me?”

“Of course. Who in Bibo City hasn’t heard the name General Wu Ma?”

“Then tell me — what street do I live on?” Wu Ma asked suddenly.

“Uh…?”

“Never mind.” Wu Ma grinned. “Just messing with you. No need to get so nervous.”

He had a nagging feeling that something was off about this new captain, but as the man had said, there was no one else on board who knew how to navigate.

Navigation was a complex science — it required knowing how to use a sextant, how to read the stars for positioning, how to avoid those deadly rogue waves, and how to make the right decisions in the midst of a storm.

All of this tested a captain’s adaptability and judgment. It demanded not only skill but the mind of a leader.

So now, everyone on board had no choice but to follow his command.

The crew lifted their heads — clearly, Wu Ma wasn’t the only one who sensed something strange.

The tension on the deck was suffocating, but no one dared to voice any objection.

Because this man was already the captain. He didn’t just control the ship’s direction — he held the crew’s lives in his hands.

Anyone who dared to disrupt order could easily be tossed overboard.

And yet, someone chose this moment to speak up.

“So, where exactly are you taking us?”

Wu Yi cast a glance at the helm.

“Why, back to land, of course,” the new captain replied with a smile.

“To return to land, we’d need to head north — toward Borneo. But you’ve veered fifteen degrees to the southwest,” Wu Yi said, walking toward the helm with her pipe in hand. “Are you trying to take us to the Felija Plains to feed us to the lions?”

“Don’t presume to lecture me about navigation, amateur,” the captain’s smile faded. “You don’t even know how to read a sextant. If you keep spouting nonsense and trying to stir up trouble, I’ll have you restrained in my authority as captain.”

“I don’t need a sextant. The sun is to our rear-left — that’s enough to tell me your heading is off.”

As she spoke, Wu Yi had already closed the distance to the captain.

The captain gripped the curved blade at his waist.

“Guards! Seize this arrogant woman!”

“No need.”

Wu Yi swung her pipe sideways.

Thunk—

The metal of the pipe collided with the captain’s skull with a sharp crack, sending his body flying in a wide arc.

Beads of blood, like red agate, scattered across the deck.

And the new captain? He hit the water with a splash and was dead before he could even scream.

Wu Yi’s lips curled into a faint smile. Her high heel pressed down on the ship’s helm.

“From this moment on, I’m the captain.”

“No objections allowed.”