It was late at night.
The air was a little heavy, the purple moon was obscured by clouds tonight, and even the stars were nowhere to be seen.
The Pearl Bamogo was still sailing on the sea.
In the pitch-black environment, the searchlight seemed to be the only source of light.
In the cockpit, the captain and the first mate stood in front of the glass window.
The captain was wearing a hat, holding a cigarette in his mouth, and staring out the window with narrowed eyes. The crew-mate beside him whispered:
"Captain Hayden, the weather seems a little bad. There is a high possibility of a storm."
The first mate pulled out a nautical chart and pointed to a location.
"One hundred and twenty nautical miles to the northwest is the Port of Bello in the small town of Drette. Should we go there to dock and wait overnight?"
"no."
Captain Hayden took a long drag on his cigarette and glanced at the first mate.
"We have only just set sail and we are stopping for one night. How can we have so much time... The annual sea festival of the Hailing Group is coming soon. Priest Zamora is waiting for us to deliver this batch of sea treasures to him. Perhaps that lord wants to take advantage of the Empire Celebration Day to give these sea treasures as gifts to the prince."
He exhaled smoke, held the cigarette between his fingers, and then said in a deep voice:
"We can't let the big thing go wrong because of us, otherwise no one will be able to take the responsibility... Regardless of whether there is a storm next, we will sail according to the plan. I, Hayden, have encountered many storms in my life. Can I sink in a storm near the coast?"
"But… "
The first mate looked hesitant.
Captain Hayden patted his shoulder comfortingly and said confidently:
"Relax, the money you earn this time is dozens of times more than usual. You can retire and go home after this job... Didn't you meet a girl before? Get married after you return. I will personally host your wedding."
The first mate smiled embarrassedly after hearing this.
Just as he was about to say something, he heard a loud thunder.
Boom!
There were flashes of lightning in the sky outside the ship, and in the dark night in the distance, electric snakes crawled through it, and in an instant it was as bright as day!
Woo woo!
A strong wind came suddenly and swept past, shaking even the ship.
The hanging oil lamp in the cockpit clanged, and the first mate's expression changed drastically.
"Captain Hayden! The storm is coming!"
The captain's expression was also somewhat solemn. He threw the cigarette butt aside and stomped it out with his boot.
Then he said to the first mate:
"Go and notify the second and third mates to lower the sails and increase the coal supply to the boiler room... Also, send some people to take the passengers who are still wandering outside back to their cabins to avoid any accidents."
"Yes, Captain Hayden, I understand."
The first mate hastily opened the cabin door and rushed out.
At this moment, it had begun to rain, and the rain was carried by the strong wind and poured all over the deck... Many gentlemen and ladies were caught off guard by the sudden storm. They screamed, cursed, got soaked, and left in a hurry without any image.
Chen Lun was still standing on the edge of the deck, holding an umbrella at the guardrail, standing quietly.
He was the only passenger left on the deck at this time.
Chen Lun raised his head slightly and looked at the rain.
'It's a bit strange... This storm came so suddenly, is it my imagination?'
Then he turned his head and looked around, staring at the dead silent and dark sea.
His spiritual intuition told him that something was approaching.
"Sir! Sir! Please leave the deck and go back to the cabin for shelter. It's too dangerous here!"
A sailor hurried over and shouted to Chen Lun.
Because the rain was so heavy, the sailors' shouts were mostly drowned out.
Chen Lun nodded to the sailor, then walked slowly towards the hatch on the side.
The sailor looked at his back and thought that this gentleman was a little strange. He didn't seem to be panicked at all... Moreover, the rain didn't stain his clothes. Although he was holding an umbrella, it shouldn't be so rainy that he wouldn't get wet at all!
Chen Lun did not step into the cabin, but put on the black-patterned cufflinks and returned to the deck.
He wanted to see what was targeting the ship.
This time, under the cover of darkness, Chen Lun's movements did not attract the attention of the sailors.
Suddenly, there was a cry from the other side of the deck. Although the sound was drowned out by the storm, Chen Lun still keenly caught the slight movement. He frowned slightly and walked over there.
Pengpeng!
Then, several more gunshots were heard.
"Monster! There is a monster! God of the sea, what the hell is this thing?!"
Chen Lun approached the area where the battle was taking place and saw at a glance several sailors following a leader, holding flintlocks and harpoons, fighting with a "weird man" covered with fish scales.
The fishman was shot twice in the chest and his arm was pierced by a harpoon, bleeding blue-green blood. But he did not run away. Instead, he became more ferocious and rushed forward quickly. He knocked down a sailor, tore open his face and abdomen with his two claws, and then opened his mouth to bite him.
The sailor screamed, but his companions were a beat too slow and could only watch him being bitten to death.
Peng!!
Another gunshot was heard.
A bloody hole exploded in the fishman's head, and dirty blue-green juice spurted out, and he fell to the ground immediately.
Captain Hayden, wearing a leather beret, strode over from the other end, holding a revolver in his hand, and shouted at the others with a serious expression:
"Don't be stunned! There are other fin people on board! Go to the lower level to patrol, and inform others immediately if you find anything unusual!"
"Yes…Yes! Captain Hayden!"
The sailors left one after another.
Their original leader was the third mate of the Pearl Bamogo. He walked up to the captain and said in a deep voice:
"Captain, this is extremely abnormal. We are just sailing near the coast. These extraordinary creatures should not target us..."
"You are right. I suspect they were led here by someone."
Captain Hayden nodded.
The third officer frowned, as if thinking of something, and whispered:
"Is it for us to secretly transport that batch of seafood?"
The captain looked thoughtful.
The Pearl Bamogo appears to be a passenger ship, but it is only used to deceive people... It is actually a ship specially used to transport secret goods for the Hailing Group.
They belong to the Moses Shipping Company, and behind this shipping group is the Hailing Group.
"It's not impossible... But ordinary people won't know this news. I suspect that someone from that organization is behind this... If that's the case, then it's troublesome!"
Captain Hayden said in a deep voice.
The third mate's expression changed slightly.
"You mean... 'Hand of the Belle'?"
Captain Hayden nodded.
He then added:
"Now is not the time to chat. Take some people to guard the door of the captain's room. If you encounter any fin man sneaking into the cabin, just shoot him to death... Even if it means accidentally injuring those guests, we must not let the cargo get lost!"
"Yes, Captain."
The third mate wiped the rain off his face, turned around and went down the side to the cabin door.
In fact, Captain Hayden has a secret in his heart that he has not told anyone.
That is, the transport of the sea treasures was actually accompanied by guards from the Moses Sailing Headquarters. They were all extraordinary people, but they hid their identities and hid in the cabin disguised as passengers.
If things continue to get worse, then they will take action.
So the captain was not too worried.
*
*
*
After eavesdropping on their conversation, Chen Lun became thoughtful.
"They use the passenger ship as a cover, but they are actually serving the Hailing Group... It seems that they would not care even if they sacrificed a whole ship of passengers... Is this the secular vassal of the Orthodox Church? It turns out that they are not good people."
Trigger B-level mission: Specialties from the Misty Sea!
Mission description: The Pearl Bamogo you are on secretly transported a batch of specialties from the Misty Sea to the Royal City, intending to deliver them to the High Priest Zamora of the Hailing Group. However, you encountered a strange storm on the way, and a supernatural being suspected to be from a hostile organization intercepted you.
You can choose a side to help. (Note: the mission reward is affected by the choice!)
Mission objective: Help Captain Hayden's side repel the enemy, or help the enemy capture the Pearl Bamogo.
Mission rewards: 70,000 experience points, 500 gold pounds and favorability (the party being helped).
"Interesting... Hand of Bailiye? This organization seems to be a supernatural force that is hostile to the Hailing Group, but it didn't appear many times in the previous life."
Chen Lun had roughly figured out the situation and accepted the task.
Then, he did not stay on the deck any longer, but went down to the lower level through the hatch.
The captain's room was at the end of the corridor, and along the way were the first-class cabins where the gentlemen and ladies were. Chen Lun shuttled back and forth all the way, and thanks to the help of the black-patterned cufflinks, some passing sailors and passengers did not notice his presence.
In this way, Chen Lun came directly to the door of the captain's room.
The third mate was guarding here with four or five crew members. Chen Lun did not pay attention to them. Instead, he stopped and looked at the shadows on both sides.
"Four Sequence 7-Shark Fighters, they should be the guards of Moses' voyage..."
Chen Lun said secretly.
He used instant teleportation to pass by the people guarding the scene and appeared inside the captain's room.
It was pitch black inside, but Chen Lun used his five senses to take in everything in the scene. He was too lazy to search everywhere, so he took out a playing card and threw it.
Wow…
Three cards popped out, guiding the direction.
Chen Lun quickly found a secret compartment under the bed. After opening it, he revealed the safe door.
He chuckled, grabbed the knob with his five fingers, and pulled hard, pulling out the entire lock core.
With a slight clang, the safe door opened, revealing a palm-sized wooden box inside.
"Is this the seafood they are transporting? Specialties from the Misty Sea... Let me see what it is."
Chen Lun took it out.
But I found that this small wooden box was actually a space package.
After activating it, one could see hundreds of longan-sized grey pearls stored inside, which were extremely round and crystal clear.
Extraordinary Item: Misty Pearl
Item description: A supernatural creature called "Deep Shell" that lives at the bottom of the foggy sea. This creature usually coexists with super-giant marine creatures and is difficult to capture by conventional means, so the foggy pearls inside it are extremely valuable.
Item Effect: Direct consumption can increase charm by 5 points and significantly slow down the aging of appearance. (Use up to three times)
Wearing it as a decoration can increase your charm by 2 points and slightly slow down the aging of your appearance.
It can also be used as a supernatural material for potion preparation, forging of strange objects and ritual arrangement.
'nice one… '
Chen Lun's eyes lit up slightly.
'Even if you take it directly, it can increase your charm by 15 points after three times. This is a top-grade item... and it also has the effect of keeping your face young? If you put it in the royal city and give it to those nobles, I'm afraid it will bring you a lot of benefits. No wonder Moses secretly transported it.'
He put the small wooden box away and grinned.
'But now, it all belongs to me.'
boom!!
At this moment, the ship suddenly shook violently and there was a clanging sound in the captain's room.
There were bursts of screams and shouts coming from outside the door, accompanied by intensive gunfire.
Chen Lun seemed to have sensed something and instantly moved away.
Through the "Pale Mark" left on the bodies of the circus cadres, he learned about the situation in other areas. Dozens or even hundreds of Fin People had sneaked into the cabins. A few were shot dead by sailors while wandering in the upper-class cabins, but most of them fled to the lower-class cabins and began to be slaughtered.
Countless passengers on the lower floor were knocked down and bitten to death by the sudden attack of the monster. In that cramped and crowded space, there was no chance of escape. They could only watch as the fin-men tore the people around them to pieces until they were the ones torn to pieces.
In addition to the fin men, there were also two giant crabs, about five or six meters wide and three meters high, that jumped directly onto the deck. Their thick black-brown crab shells were covered with dense barnacles, which was very scary.
The huge claws on the right arm were as tall as a man, and they clamped the two sailors in half with one move.
The sailors gritted their teeth and shot at the giant crab, but the bullets had no way of penetrating the crab's defense and made clanging sounds when they hit it. The heavy rain soaked the flintlocks and they even fired two shots before the rifles went misfired.
Suddenly, a beautiful song sung by a young woman was heard.
Judging from the sounds, there seems to be more than one, and they are distributed around the ship.
Anyone who heard the singing, whether they were sailors or passengers, all had dull eyes and smiled in ecstasy as if they were in a trance.
Many sailors who were fighting against fin men and crabs died because of being distracted.
"Fin people, giant crabs, and sirens... The Hand of Boliye has used quite a few extraordinary creatures, but there seem to be a few extraordinary people mixed in with the sirens?"
Chen Lun stood in the corner of the deck, watching everything silently.
Through the "Pale Seal", he instructed the circus cadres to try their best to maintain order in the cabin, and if they encountered any supernatural creatures that intended to kill people, they could just kill them directly.
The passengers were just victims of this journey. The Pearl Bamogo used them as a cover, while the Hand of Perry did not care about their lives at all and slaughtered them wantonly.
Neither side is good.
Out of humanity, Chen Lun asked the team leaders to protect as many ordinary people as possible and save them from disasters within their capabilities.
'After all, I am now a high-ranking member of the True God Church. I must express my opinion on such a terrible mysterious incident... Well, let's wait for them to fight for a while. Both sides have not yet revealed all their trump cards... Now, the extraordinary guards of Moses' voyage should be unable to sit still.'