Chapter 537

Encounter

Conquer Sea, Shining White Pearl.

On the dark sea under the night sky, the Shining White Pearl sailed with its lights shining brightly, heading towards the distant horizon of the endless sea.

This night was the fourth night since the Shining White Pearl had set sail from the port. According to the original voyage plan, the ship would soon reach its destination at Iwig in a short while. Most passengers on board were looking forward to that moment; however, none of them knew that the cruise ship was still very far from its destination.

In the sky, thick clouds covered both the moon and the stars. Amidst this pitch-black darkness, the cruise ship followed the compass’s guidance, heading towards the predetermined target designated by the captain, who was a high-ranking member of the Abyss Cult.

On this ship, one-third or more of the sailors below the rank of captain were cultists of the Abyss Cult. Their original intention was to deliver over two thousand passengers to the sea monster Haemohois for sacrifice. However, due to the actions of Thief K, they now had to divert to the cult’s nearby stronghold, White Tear Island. According to the planned route, the Shining White Pearl would arrive at White Tear Island the next afternoon.

To prevent Thief K from causing further disruptions, Captain Costa ordered his cultist subordinates to conduct strict patrols during the voyage.

In the lower deck of the cruise ship, far away from the passenger areas, First Officer Bins was patrolling the empty corridors with a subordinate. He had just finished inspecting the boiler room and was shaking off the coal dust from his shoes before heading to the next inspection point.

Compared to other parts of the ship, this lower corridor near the boiler room was extremely dirty and disorganized. Various items were scattered along the sides of the walkway, and the floor was filthy. As a Water Mage, Bins walked down this corridor with a serious expression, carefully checking every corner he could see, as if he feared that a thief might be hiding there.

After walking for a while, two uniformed sailors suddenly appeared around the corner ahead of him, walking towards him. Bins recognized them; they were not ordinary sailors but cultists disguised as sailors. Upon seeing Bins, they seemed surprised and then greeted him respectfully:

“Mr. Bins…”

“Jed… Hamma… What are you doing here? Didn’t I assign you to patrol Warehouse No. 3?” Bins frowned slightly and asked with confusion, and the others responded as they approached:

“Oh… Mr. Bins, we found something suspicious in Warehouse No. 3, so we came specially to inform you and see if we should tell Mr. Costa.”

As they spoke, the two sailors continued approaching Bins, and their pace quickened. Seeing this, Bins paused momentarily, then warned them in a stern voice:

“You two stop right there! If you have something to say, stand still…”

Before Bins could finish, the two sailors in front of him immediately quickened their pace. Their expressions hardened as they charged at Bins at full speed. Realizing the situation was wrong, Bins immediately raised his hand, ready to use his ability to attack.

At that moment, behind Bins, near the corridor he had just walked through, the door of a small storage cabinet suddenly burst open. Two large men, whose size far exceeded the capacity of the cabinet, rushed out and attacked Bins and his subordinate from behind. While Bins was focused on the front, the two men tightly clamped his arms and mouth shut from behind.

“What… How could someone be behind me! I checked everything clearly when I came through!” Bins thought in shock, having checked all possible hiding spots earlier and finding nothing. He didn’t understand how these two people suddenly appeared behind him.

“Clamped… But… With this level of strength, it’s too early to control me!”

Though shocked, Bins did not panic. As a Black Earth Tier “Cup” Extraordinary Being, he possessed unparalleled strength. Such a degree of restraint could be easily broken with a slight effort.

Just as Bins was about to break free, an intense pain unlike anything he had ever felt pierced his entire body.

“Mmm… Uuuu!!!”

Under the excruciating pain, Bins’ limbs began to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes widened, and despite wanting to shout, his cries were muffled by his captors. The pain immobilized Bins temporarily, and during this time, the two sailors who had been charging at him pulled out small knives from their pockets and stabbed them into Bins and his subordinate’s hearts. After a few moments of trembling, Bins lost consciousness.

Once they confirmed that Bins and his subordinate were dead, the two large men released them. The two bodies, which should have fallen directly to the ground, stumbled and stood up again.

The revived Bins rolled back his white eyes, then pulled out the kn*fe from his chest and returned it to the sailor who had stabbed him. He adjusted his hat and his slightly messy hair, then calmly examined the bloodstains on his chest before addressing the surrounding sailors:

“My clothes got some dirt on them; I need to go change. Keep patrolling.”

“Yes, Mr. Bins…”

With that, the group dispersed. The two large men who had emerged from the small storage cabinet went back inside. Once the two men disappeared into the cabinet, another sailor who had stabbed Bins retrieved a small stone box from the cabinet and quickly left. The bloodstains on the floor were cleaned up by another sailor who sprinkled some white powder on them and wiped them clean with a mop.

Soon, the scene returned to calm. Everyone had vanished, as if nothing had happened.

…

“Got rid of the Black Earth Tier First Officer… Phew… Now I have quite a number of Abyss Cult zombies under my control…” Dorothy said with relief after sensing the situation from her cabin. She was currently using her abilities to operate throughout the entire ship.

During these operations, Dorothy had assassinated several Abyss Cult members disguised as sailors, turning them into her zombies. She then had these zombie cultists eliminate their own comrades. In a short time, she already had seven Abyss Cult zombies, including a former Black Earth Water Mage First Officer.

Dorothy had been monitoring these people for nearly two days. She could clearly distinguish between the Abyss Cult members and ordinary sailors. Therefore, she acted swiftly and efficiently, creating a group of Abyss Cult zombies without accidentally killing any ordinary sailors.