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This is the power of a Sequence 9 extraordinary being!
Even the most basic level, the pure destructive power it unleashed far exceeded the limits of humanity as he knew them! It made him instantly realize that in this world, even the lowest-ranking superhumans were not beings he could underestimate!
"Stay close to me! Don't fall behind! We'll be in the captain's cabin soon!" Kurokawa's low growl, panting, clearly reached Zhang Su's ears amidst the deafening howl.
He then delivered another heavy backhand punch, smashing half of the face and chin of a polluter who was trying to pounce from the side, wielding a broken oar!
Blood and shattered teeth splattered as the figure spun and crashed against the bulkhead, leaving a sticky residue.
"Understood!" Zhang Su's voice was hoarse but unusually calm. He moved almost against Kurokawa's back, his movements swift and precise, allowing Kurokawa's tall body to conceal his presence.
They kept a constant watchful eye on their surroundings, guarding against any possible sneak attacks.
However, something even more shocking happened to Zhang Su and Kurokawa!
Those polluters who were blasted away by Kurokawa's heavy punches, some even with their chests caved in and bones broken, only twitched and rolled a few times on the ground, making a "hoarse" sound like a broken bellows from their throats, before they actually stood up again, swaying!
Their bodies were twisted and deformed, some with ribs piercing their skin, the white broken bones stained with blood; some with arms hanging at bizarre angles; some with half their faces sunken, revealing pale cheekbones... but the mad flames burning in their crimson eyes did not diminish in the slightest!
A mere fatal wound is nothing to them!
"Damn it! You're not human after all!" Kurokawa's voice carried a hint of disbelief and anger for the first time!
He threw every punch with all his might, holding nothing back! He believed that these crew members had long been corrupted by the pollution, turning them into mindless monsters. Even if the source of the pollution was dealt with, they probably wouldn't be able to return to normal. Killing them would be a relief!
But the sight of this indestructible creature still sent chills down his spine! This was no ordinary creature's tenacity!
Another wave of polluters charged forward fearlessly! Kurokawa roared, his scale-covered arms becoming blurry shadows as he unleashed punches, elbows, and shoulder strikes! Each contact was accompanied by a dull thud and the cracking sound of bones breaking!
Blood and shredded tissue splattered everywhere, making the already dimly lit corridor even more horrifying!
But those figures that were knocked down, like puppets manipulated by invisible threads, rose again and again in more distorted ways, and continued to pounce!
Looking at those once vibrant, now unrecognizable "human figures" struggling in agony towards destruction, Zhang Su felt a violent spasm in his stomach, and a strong sense of pity and unease welled up in his heart.
These people were living, breathing crew members not long ago, but now they have become immortal monsters... Even though their bodies are beaten to pieces, they feel no pain and keep getting up.
It's both terrible and pathetic!
Although the scene was brutal, Zhang Su understood that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Kurokawa's actions were reasonable; at this moment, any pity or hesitation could have cost both of them and the entire ship their lives!
Kurokawa was like a bull stuck in the mud, every step forward was accompanied by fierce fighting and flying blood and flesh!
With the extraordinary power granted by Sequence 9 and the defensive capabilities of his scales, he carved a bloody path through the filthy turmoil!
Although those indestructible polluters were tenacious, they could not truly stop his advance; they could only slow him down, leaving white marks on his scale-covered body.
Zhang Su, like the most nimble shadow, clung tightly to Kurokawa's only "safe zone."
He held his breath and minimized his presence. Perhaps it was the overwhelming pressure from the deep sea emanating from Kurokawa, or perhaps it was the priority of the pollution itself, but the crimson eyes of those crazed polluters were almost all fixed on Kurokawa, completely ignoring Zhang Su's presence.
This bizarre "luck" allowed Zhang Su to survive the bloodshed.
The journey, which took just over a minute, felt like an eternity.
Finally, a heavy wooden door, also covered in iron, appeared ahead! It was the staircase leading to the second deck!
"We've reached the second level!" Kurokawa's spirits lifted, his face, covered in scales and splattered with blood, but his eyes were sharp as knives.
He exerted his strength suddenly, his arm muscles bulging, the scales rubbing together and making a piercing metallic scraping sound, like a raging bulldozer, smashing away the last few polluters blocking his way, and clearing a small clearing in the chaos in front of the door!
"Charge forward!" Kurokawa shouted without turning his head, his voice filled with an undeniable urgency!
Without hesitation, Zhang Su immediately ran forward and passed through the stairwell door.
Immediately afterward, Kurokawa's massive, scale-covered hand gripped the edge of the heavy wooden door, veins bulging on his arm, and a deep, guttural growl escaped his throat: "Close it!!!"
"Boom——!!!"
The heavy wooden door, carrying immense force, was dragged along and slammed against the doorframe! The tremendous impact shook the entire stairwell! The door hinges creaked under the strain!
The door is closed!
But then even more frantic banging and screaming came from behind the door!
Countless twisted hands and bodies slammed heavily against the door, producing a series of thunderous thuds like the beating of drums! The door shook violently, the sheet metal twisted and deformed, as if it could be smashed open again at any moment!
Kurokawa moved with lightning speed! He ripped off a thick iron chain that was wrapped around his waist—the chain was as thick as a baby's arm and covered with rust from sea salt corrosion—and like the most skilled bondage master, he swiftly wrapped and tightened the chain around the doorknob and the protruding iron ring on a thick ship hull keel next to it!
Finally, with a sudden pull, he used all his strength to fasten the lock with a "click"!
After doing all this, he leaned against the violently shaking door, panting heavily. Sweat and blood mingled on his scaly face, dripping down his chin.
He looked at the wooden door, which was tightly bound by iron chains and was shaking violently under the frantic impact, yet could not be broken open for the time being. For the first time, a look of almost exhausting relief appeared in his eyes.
"Damn it... For the first time in my life, I'm so glad I didn't listen to that stingy dock owner..." Kurokawa gasped, his voice hoarse with relief. "Saving a few damn coins... If I hadn't installed these doors... I wouldn't even be able to stop them! I would have been worked to death by them sooner or later."
He wiped the filth from his face, looked at Zhang Su with a complex expression, a mixture of relief, lingering fear, and an indescribable sense of awe.
The way this "sir" acted was so calm and composed that he actually walked here unharmed. He was indeed no ordinary person.
"Sir, we're safe for now. But we can't hold out much longer; we need to get to the captain's cabin as soon as possible!"
At this moment, Zhang Su's gaze was fixed on his face, and a very subtle hint of surprise flashed across his calm black eyes.
Because he saw that the other person's eyes were slightly red, with a faint dark red ring around them!
The color had a strange resemblance to the greedy flames burning in the eyes of those crazed polluters in the corridor!
Zhang Su couldn't help but feel nervous again, even though he was already very nervous.
Is it a side effect of using supernatural powers? Or has the corruption already begun to erode this Sequence 9 captain?
He wasn't sure, much less dared to point it out rashly.
If it's the former, that's fine, but if it's the latter... revealing it under such dire circumstances could instantly shatter Kurokawa's psychological defenses and accelerate his downfall! We can't say it! At least not now!
He forcefully suppressed the surging, turbulent emotions within him, maintaining his unfathomable calm on his face, only with an added, almost imperceptible solemnity.
Kurokawa seemed oblivious to Zhang Su's unusual behavior, and said happily, "Sir, the road ahead should be easier. Those madmen are all stuck down below, and the upper levels... no one should be able to stop us..."
Before he could finish speaking, an alarm from a mysterious force suddenly sounded in Zhang Su's mind:
[WARNING! High-energy contaminant detected approaching!]
【quantity: 2】
[Pollution intensity assessment: Approaching sequence 10 (human limit, pollution aberration variant)]
[Location: Directly above the deck! Approaching at high speed! Please prepare!]
The warning hit Zhang Su like a bucket of ice water. His pupils contracted sharply, and without time to think, he instinctively shouted, "Kurokawa! Watch out above us! Something's coming! It's strong!"
Upon hearing this, the feigned ease on Kurokawa's face instantly froze and shattered! He abruptly raised his head, his scaled body tensing like a bowstring!
At the very instant Zhang Su finished speaking—
"Boom! Crack! Sizzle—!!!"
Above their heads, the not-so-thick wooden ceiling connecting the second and upper decks was suddenly torn apart and smashed apart from the outside by two violent forces!
Wood chips rained down like a storm! Accompanied by ear-piercing cracking sounds and teeth-grinding tearing sounds, two dark figures, carrying a strong, sweet, fishy smell and sticky moisture, crashed heavily onto the narrow staircase platform in front of the two people, like sea monsters leaping out of the abyss!
The heavy impact transmitted through the floor vibrations to the two men's feet, instantly causing their soles to go numb!
Smoke and broken wood chips filled the air.
Zhang Su and Kurokawa immediately assumed a defensive stance, staring intently at the two terrifying silhouettes that slowly straightened up in the smoke and dust.
As the smoke and dust dissipated, their true forms were revealed.
Those were two... things that barely retained their human-like outlines.
One of them was unusually large, with its limbs, which were originally human, extremely swollen and twisted, and its skin was torn open, revealing dark red muscle fibers that writhed like living things underneath.
Even more terrifying, the ends of its arms were no longer hands, but had transformed into two thick, slippery, giant octopus tentacles covered with dark green suckers!
The tips of its arms and legs continued to drip foul-smelling mucus, and each wriggle made a disgusting "gurgling" sound.
Its head was also deformed, with an abnormally protruding lower jawbone, a mouth split open to the base of its ears, revealing a mouthful of fine, sharp, shark-like teeth, and a low, hissing sound rolling in its throat, like bubbles bursting.
Its dark red compound eyes were densely distributed across its swollen and deformed face, flashing with a mad light.
The other one appeared more "hardened." Its torso and some limbs were covered with a layer of grayish-white keratin, like a mixture of rough rock and carapace, with sharp bone spurs extending from its joints.
The most striking feature is its right arm, which has been completely transformed from the elbow down into a huge pincer that gleams with a dark metallic luster! The pincer makes a crisp "click-clack" sound when it opens and closes, and its edges are as sharp as knives! Its left arm is relatively "normal", but its five fingers have also turned into sharp bone claws.
Its head was as if it had been forcibly stuffed into a twisted, lobster-like helmet, leaving only two holes that shimmered with an eerie light as eyes. The mouth part was a round mouth covered with fine serrations that opened and closed constantly, emitting a sharp "hissing" sound.
A strong, nauseating stench, a mixture of sweet, rotting seaweed and pungent rust, emanated from these two aberrations like a tangible shockwave, far more powerful than the pollutants below!
"This...this is..." Kurokawa's face, covered in scales, instantly lost all color, and his pupils, which were originally tinged with a dark red, suddenly contracted due to extreme shock!
He stared intently at the massive monster with octopus tentacles, his voice hoarse and dry from the impact, filled with disbelief and horror:
"First...first mate?!...And...helmsman Gerald?!"
He recognized them! Despite their unrecognizable appearances, the distinctive brass buckle on the tattered uniform of the burly deformed one, signifying its status as the first mate, and the familiar, deformed brass steering wheel emblem hanging from the waist of the other deformed one... all cruelly revealed the identities of these two terrifying monsters!
"How could it be them? Even they... have turned into monsters!" Kurokawa's voice trembled slightly.
He had thought that these two men, being the second best fighters on the ship after him, might be able to find a place to hide, or even organize some resistance!
But to everyone's surprise, they had already been corrupted and transformed into this hideous creature, comparable to a sea monster! Moreover, the aura they emitted was faintly approaching the strength of Sequence 10!
Those two once most capable subordinates have now become terrifying minions of the greedy treasure chest!
Their inhuman compound eyes and hole-like pupils were fixed emotionlessly on the two "intruders" on the stair landing, while murderous, inhuman roars rolled from their throats! Thick mucus and foul-smelling saliva dripped continuously from their deformed mouthparts.
Volume 1: Chapter 5: Successful Containment
The foul-smelling slime splattered onto the cracked wooden planks. The first mate, the sea monster, roared and launched an attack on Kurokawa, its deformed limbs covering the octopus's tentacles already lashing out at him.
The helmsman's pincers then slashed down in turn.
Kurokawa immediately raised his right hand to block the octopus's tentacle slash with his scales, and used his other hand to block the crab claws, before taking two steps back with a muffled thud.
"Mysterious power, why have these two corrupted beings mutated to be so powerful? Can you help me analyze the reason?" Zhang Su asked the mysterious power as he retreated.
Almost instantly, the mysterious force responded:
[Analysis Results: The targets, 'First Mate' and 'Gerald,' had contact with the 'Greed Chest' treasure, which was absorbed into their bodies, further catalyzing their mutation and increasing the intensity of their contamination. Other contaminated individuals were only affected by the aura surrounding the chest, with a lower level of contamination.]
Zhang Su then asked, "Is there a quick way to deal with them? For example, to remove the 'seed of greed' from their bodies?"
[Solution: 'Containment Protocol' can forcibly remove the contaminated core that has fused with the host, but conditions must be met:]
1. The contaminant core must be in an 'exposed state' (i.e., detached from the host's body tissues);
2. The target is less than 3 meters away from you in a straight line, and there are no physical obstacles in between;
3. Analysis has located the position of 'Greedy Treasure' within the aberration:
First Mate: Located deep within the chest cavity, fused with the heart;
- Gerald: The metallized skeletal core embedded in his right arm's pincers.
Zhang Su understood what it meant. To expose the core of the pollution, it meant that a "hole" had to be made in the mutant to directly confront the source of pollution that was fused with flesh and blood!
So he immediately said to Kurokawa, "Kurokawa, the reason your first mate and helmsman are like this is because they took the treasure from the Chest of Greed and their bodies were invaded by it. There is only one way to quickly get rid of them: I need you to create an opportunity for me to access the 'treasure' inside their bodies, which is the contaminated core that caused them to become like this!"
Kurokawa was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean? I'm not quite sure. Please explain in more detail!"
"In other words, the core of contamination within them must be exposed!" Zhang Su pointed to the first mate's constantly writhing chest. "For example, by creating openings in their bodies so I can directly touch those damned things!"
Gerald's pincers slashed down again, this time with a golden-red halo of pollution, clearly indicating that he had used his core power.
Kurokawa lunged forward, his scale-covered arms blocking the attack, but he was forced to retreat repeatedly, the scales showing signs of charring corrosion.
"Can you guarantee success?" Kurokawa's voice was hoarse from the pain. He looked at Zhang Su, a struggle flashing in his eyes—letting a "superhuman" who couldn't fully use his abilities get close to the corrupted monster was undoubtedly gambling with his life.
“My abilities can directly eliminate the source of pollution,” Zhang Su said resolutely. “Just give me the opportunity!”
At this moment, the first mate's other tentacle had already wrapped around the waist and abdomen of the groin of the groin, and the viscous strong acid made the scales sizzle.
Kurokawa roared, clenching his left fist so that the scales on his body thickened instantly, and smashed down on the first mate's head like a warhammer!
"Bang!" The deformed head caved in, but still clung to him tightly.
"Alright, I'll try my best!" Kurokawa roared through gritted teeth. "Take care of Gerald first! That octopus-like hand is more troublesome!"
He exerted his strength suddenly, and his deep blue scales burst forth with a water-like luster. He was actually burning his own extraordinary power to push the "water affinity" to its extreme!
The entangled tentacles were instantly shattered by an invisible force, and the first mate's massive body flew backward, crashing into the bulkhead.