135: Pampering in front of everyone

Whoosh—

The sea wind, carrying a nauseating metallic scent of rust, howled and filled everyone's lungs.

As the engine of ferry no. 0819 let out a low, guttural roar,

the hull broke through the pitch-black waves, slowly leaving the pier that resembled a slaughterhouse behind.

Only when the frenzied, shrieking black figures on the coastline had shrunk to blurry dots did Chen Du raise his hand, signaling a halt.

"Stop the ship. Maintain silent drifting."

The engine idled at low speed.

Waves slapped against the ship's side, and blood dripped on the deck.

At this moment, the adrenaline faded.

Real fear surged up like a tide.

The deck was littered with mutilated limbs.

"Ugh—"

The girls with weaker mental fortitude leaned against the railing and began to retch.

Some even went weak in the knees, covering their faces as they broke down in tears.

The battle just now had been utterly despairing.

If Chen Du hadn't arrived in time, their fate would likely have been no better than these mangled remains.

"Stop crying."

Chen Du stood in the center of the deck, his golden pupils sweeping across the scene.

The crying ceased abruptly.

Everyone stared fearfully at this captain.

"Since you've survived, stop looking like the dead. Everyone, get moving! Clean up this deck!"

"On this ship, there's only strength, no tears."

This almost ruthless command now acted as a shot of adrenaline.

The girls wiped their tears and forced themselves to stand up, even as their hands trembled.

Even the usually most delicate girls gritted their teeth, suppressing their nausea as they began to clean.

Staying busy was the best antidote to dilute fear.

Chen Du turned around, no longer looking at them.

He walked over to the corpse of the stitched-together giant dog that occupied nearly half the deck.

This thing was a real behemoth.

"Sacrifice!"

Chen Du silently recited in his heart.

The sacrifice notebook flipped through pages in his mind.

A red light, visible only to him, swept across the deck.

Amidst swirling black mist, both the enormous Elite Monster and the mountain-like pile of Mutated Beast corpses instantly vanished into nothingness.

The deck became spotlessly clean, as if the earlier slaughter had been nothing but an illusion.

Only a line of crimson text flickering on Chen Du's retina indicated the substantial gains from this—

"Sacrifice successful! Obtained life essence x388!"

388 points!

The corner of Chen Du's mouth lifted imperceptibly.

Not a bad haul. Combined with what was obtained from the Meat Processing Plant, it should be enough to create cards again.

"C-captain..."

A few slightly calmer girls gathered around, tears still welling in their eyes.

The scene just now had been too shocking.

The captain fought monsters more ferociously than the monsters themselves.

"Thank goodness, Captain... you scared us to death earlier."

"It's all thanks to Sister Xia Mo and Sister Tang Ran. If they hadn't held the entrance, we would have already..."

"Yes, Sister Xia Mo lost so much blood..."

The girls chattered all at once.

Chen Du raised his hand, signaling the women to quiet down.

The previously noisy deck instantly fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Save the reminiscing for later."

Chen Du's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice steady and firm. "First, headcount. Is anyone missing? What are the casualties?"

A few girls exchanged glances and hurriedly began counting.

A moment later.

A girl with short hair timidly raised her hand. "R-report, Captain! Everyone's here! It's just... Xiao Ya and Chun Yue were scratched by monsters and lost a lot of blood..."

Hearing "everyone's here," the murderous aura between Chen Du's brows dissipated slightly.

Good, the crew members were mostly unharmed.

Hearing "no deaths," the sharp, murderous aura between Chen Du's brows finally dissipated a bit more.

His gaze passed through the crowd and settled on a corner.

There, Xia Mo was leaning against the railing.

Her face was deathly pale, her black leather bodysuit riddled with tears.

sword name was already sheathed, but the hand gripping the hilt still trembled slightly.

It was a physiological reaction after complete exhaustion.

Seeing Chen Du approach, Xia Mo instinctively tried to stand up straight.

As an S-rank assassin, she had her own pride.

She didn't want to show weakness in front of him.

"I'm not..."

Xia Mo opened her mouth, but her voice came out hoarse.

Chen Du didn't give her a chance to speak.

He strode forward and, under the gaze of her slightly panicked beautiful eyes, directly bent down.

One hand slipped under her knees, the other wrapped around her slender waist.

With a slight exertion of force.

"Ah!"

Xia Mo let out a gasp as her entire body was lifted into the air.

It was an impeccably standard princess carry.

"Don't speak. Rest properly."

Chen Du domineeringly cut off her struggles.

Under the watchful eyes of over a dozen girls, he lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

It tasted of blood.

Yet it was exceptionally scorching.

"Mmm..."

Xia Mo's pupils dilated abruptly, her gaze becoming dazed.

She still wasn't quite used to such public displays and tried to push Chen Du away.

But Chen Du kissed her even more fervently, giving her no chance.

Xia Mo's small hands fell limply, and she resignedly closed her eyes.

Chen Du's kiss was intensely aggressive, as if trying to drain the air from her lungs.

And Xia Mo couldn't help but arch her neck, responding passionately.

A soft moan escaped from between their lips, so seductive it could make a saint break their vows.

At this moment, all sense of reserve went straight to hell!

She only knew one thing: Xia Mo was his, body and soul!

"Holy crap... is this something I can watch without paying?"

"Damn, this is like killing dogs in public! I want the captain to kiss me like that too..."

The onlooking girls watched, flushed and hearts racing, each feeling as sour as if they'd swallowed a whole lemon tree.

"Looks like the position of the main consort is firmly secured. No one can shake it now."

"I think the captain's favorite is still the third sister of the Xia family. Look at that gaze, tsk tsk, it could pull silk!"

"To be honest, Third Sister's figure is absolutely killer... look at that waist-to-hip ratio, and that fair, delicate skin."

"Is this the legendary pinnacle of pure desire? The contrast is off the charts!"

"Sigh, I really need to ask Sister Xia Mo for advice later on how to cultivate such innate, bone-deep charm."

"Even just a sliver of that affection would be enough..."

Watching the two figures almost merging into one, a few girls wished they could cling to Chen Du right then.

Just as it seemed certain scenes were about to unfold, Chen Du's peripheral vision suddenly sharpened.

Clang!

The Spiked Club clattered to the floor.

Tang Ran swayed and collapsed straight down.

Without a hint of panic, his right hand shot out and grabbed the back collar of Tang Ran's clothes.

"Tsk, so troublesome."

Tang Ran was covered in cold sweat, her wheat-colored skin now taking on a sickly grayish pallor.

She was still being stubborn, forcing a weak grin. "I-I'm fine... this lady is just a bit sleepy..."

"Sleepy, my ass."

Chen Du frowned slightly.

Only then did he notice the unnatural collapse of her left chest. "Your ribs are about to puncture your lung, and you're still acting tough?"

This woman was as hard as a rock.

Chen Du settled both women on a soft couch behind the wheelhouse.

With a flick of his wrist,

a glass vial filled with pale green liquid appeared in his hand.

This was the Concentrated Healing Potion transformed by Ye Qiu before they left.

It was the essence of an S-rank Medic.

"Open your mouth."

Chen Du pinched Tang Ran's chin and fed half of it to her.

Then he poured the remaining half into Xia Mo's mouth.

The effect was immediate.

A surge of intense vitality exploded within their bodies.

Color rapidly returned to Xia Mo's face, and her breathing steadied.

Over at Tang Ran's side, the commotion was significant as her broken ribs made cracking sounds as they realigned.

"Hiss—! That feels good!"

Tang Ran grimaced in pain, yet wore a perversely pleased expression.

Chen Du tossed a few bottles of diluted potion to the other injured girls.

"Share it. Everyone, heal up quickly."

After finishing all this, the wheelhouse door suddenly swung open.

That sacred, noble Celestial Maiden drifted in.

"Captain... I'm still outside..."