Eldritch Horror Theatre

Really?

Was that why Li Min had reacted so strangely just now?

Standing in the nearly frozen air, Rachel processed the sudden shift. A moment later, a realization struck her.

From the moment they set out, Li Min had done everything in her power to conceal herself, not even reacting when the fishmen appeared.

Yet just now, when Lane angrily called for his men, a sudden layer of frost had crept over Rachel's own arm.

At the time, she assumed it was just a reaction to the ship nearly capsizing. But looking back, could Li Min have sensed Lane's ulterior motives?

During their last exchange, Li Min had explicitly warned her never to entertain the thought of teaming up with anyone against this Mister Fang.

Leaving aside the man's terrifying Combat Power, there was no way to clear their own names right now. If he died for any reason, she would undoubtedly be the next target.

"Lane, is this true?"

"Mister Fang might have misunderstood."

Her voice finally snapped Lane back to reality. Glancing at his crew's grim expressions, he issued a flat, decisive denial.

"I was just worried that fishmen might take the opportunity to rush us, so I called them over to stand guard."

"Is that so."

As the man at the center of the dispute, Fu Qian nodded, his tone almost disappointed.

"So Captain Lane doesn't believe I have the ability to go into the water and kill them? How regrettable."

What the hell was wrong with this guy's head?

Lane was momentarily stunned.

So not exploiting him meant looking down on him?

Even though the part about 'helping' him into the water was completely spot on.

...

When faced with someone unwilling to prove their worth, there were plenty of ways to force them to.

Lane had only just come up with the idea on the fly.

While he had definitely exaggerated how long the ship could maintain top speed, Mister Fang's utter indifference to the situation had infuriated him enough to hatch a new plan: having the crew strike together to force the man overboard.

The fishmen wouldn't care whether he wanted to fight or not. The moment he was off the ship, he would inevitably draw their attention, effectively serving as a rearguard for the rest of them.

Lane thought he had been subtle about it. Who could have guessed the man would actually notice?

"How could that be? I just feel it's too risky."

Lane's chaotic thoughts began to affect his steering, and the ship was nearly battered by another surging torrent.

Even so, he managed a quick denial and a brief explanation.

"It's not risky."

Unfortunately, Mister Fang's reaction defied expectations once more. After delivering that immodest reply, he simply leapt high into the air from the deck.

What the hell was this guy trying to do?

If he was going overboard, then fine. But jumping that high? Was he worried the fishmen wouldn't notice him?

He couldn't seriously be trying to draw their fire, could he? Lane completely refused to believe the man possessed that kind of self-sacrificing virtue.

Under the shocked stares of the entire crew, the midair figure plummeted into the water like a cannonball.

Boom!

A monstrous wave, far larger than anyone could have imagined, erupted from the surface.

An impact far more terrifying than any previous torrent slammed into them, nearly flipping the entire ship into the air.

Fuck!

This guy wasn't trying to act as a rearguard—he was trying to drag them all down with him!

Frightened out of their wits, more than a few crewmen had the exact same thought. Lane let out a furious roar, ordering everyone to help stabilize the hull.

Amidst a chorus of teeth-gritting creaks and groans, the ship, having nearly tumbled through the massive waves, stubbornly righted itself.

Even so, the hull was visibly twisted.

"Go!"

Roaring once more, a thoroughly infuriated Lane instantly decided to leave the madman behind to his own devices, even shooting Rachel a dark glare before turning away.

She hadn't been able to help much during the crisis, and after being battered by the seawater, she currently looked thoroughly disheveled.

That bastard!

Lane was barely hiding his intentions anymore, and Rachel could easily see the killing intent in his eyes. Cursing the captain in her heart, she frantically tried to figure out an escape route.

The roiling frost on her right arm was already on the verge of erupting.

"That isn't very nice, is it?"

However, the next moment, a voice sounded from right beside them.

"I'm down there bravely fighting the enemy, and you guys just run away?"

Huh?

The half-accelerated ship jolted as everyone stared at the figure who had just dropped back onto the deck—and at the half-human, half-fish body he was gripping tightly by the throat.

"I told you it was no big deal."

Fu Qian hoisted the fishman higher.

"We can go now."

...

What kind of monster was this guy?

Unfortunately, after enduring shock after shock, even someone as capable as Captain Lane found his brain short-circuiting.

Despite Fu Qian's prompt, he momentarily forgot to actually steer the ship.

Fortunately, the fishmen who had been fiercely pursuing them all the way seemed to have taken a halftime break of their own.

Several figures emerged to stand on the surface of the water, staring at the turbulent waves that had yet to fully settle.

Clearly, the spectacle from a moment ago had delivered a massive shock to them as well.

Of course, the one who suffered the heaviest shock was the captive dangling from Fu Qian's hand.

The shockwave from earlier seemed to have left her thoroughly dazed.

...

Yet, she looked different from the one Gerald had been holding.

Ignoring the stunned silence of the crew, Fu Qian casually tossed the fishman to his feet and studied her closely.

Although her eyes were half-closed, it was obvious that this fishman's features were far more striking and flamboyant than the specimen Gerald had possessed.

If an entire pack looked like this, yet still differed from a Demigod Realm fishman, that was truly intriguing!

Fu Qian looked thoughtful for a moment.

Furthermore, one could see that while her upper body took the standard form of a human female—even possessing certain specific features—her fundamental anatomy was completely different.

For example, the skin that appeared pale and delicate at a glance actually had the rough texture of sharkskin up close, making it far tougher than a human's.

The rest of her body was the same.

One piece of evidence was the fact that she hadn't suffered any severe injuries despite being caught in that explosive impact.

Swish—

Fu Qian tilted his head slightly, dodging a small arrow that looked as if it had been condensed from gray mist.

Amid a sudden scream, the small arrow struck a crew member standing far too close behind him.

Dropping his weapon, the man began clawing madly at his own head with both hands. It was clear the collateral victim was enduring horrific agony.

Yet the small gray arrow had already silently seeped inside, leaving not a single trace behind.

Subconsciously recoiling, the group exchanged horrified glances. Just as they hesitated over whether to step forward and help, a sound like tearing parchment echoed across the deck.

The man had physically torn his own bloody, mutilated face wide open, directly exposing his brain and oral cavity to the open air.

His originally solid skull had grown as soft as silk in the blink of an eye, and even the exposed tissue inside seemed to be squirming.

"I'm glad you're so energetic."

Withdrawing his gaze, Fu Qian looked down at the fishman glaring back at him in defensive readiness, and nodded approvingly.

"Considering you even know how to play dead for a sneak attack, can we exchange a few questions?"

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