5: democracy?

Creak—!

The iron door slid open slowly, making a tooth-gritting sound of metal grinding.

"Holy crap, it even has iris scanning? This crappy ship is pretty cyberpunk!" Chen Du couldn't help but complain.

Behind the door was a pitch-black passage, with gusts of eerie wind.

"Ah!"

An Nuonuo let out a short scream of terror and shrank behind Chen Du.

Her small hands tightly gripped his beach shorts.

Several girls also instinctively crowded around Chen Du, as if he carried a natural aura that warded off evil.

"What's there to be afraid of? I already blew that one's head off. It's not like it can come back to life."

Although Chen Du sounded tough, he was also on edge.

He slowly stepped inside.

The passage was quiet, with only the sound of footsteps echoing.

The iron walls on both sides were covered in strange runes that glowed faintly red.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful despite the scares.

They found a crude toilet, but there was no bedroom or kitchen.

The layout of this ship was simply inhumane.

Finally, the group stopped in front of a door labeled [Captain's Quarters].

Scan, open door.

In the modest space, an oddly shaped control console sat in the center.

It was densely packed with buttons and screens, full of a retro-industrial style.

Chen Du didn't hesitate and plopped down into the captain's chair.

As he rested his hand on the console, the screens lit up.

A massive stream of data cascaded across them.

[Ferry Name: styx ferry No. 0819 - Bone-Skinned.]

[Dimensions: 20m Length, 7m Width]

[Maximum Passenger Capacity: 100 people]

[Current Fuel: 50%]

[Current Durability: 85%]

[Unlocked Modules: [Mall Trading Channel], [World Chat Channel], [Modification and Upgrade Module]...]

Chen Du's gaze swept over the options, finally landing on an inconspicuous icon.

[Skin]?

"This thing can change skins? Is this a mobile game?"

He clicked it out of curiosity.

A pop-up appeared:

[Bone Ferry] — Currently in use!

[Paid Skin: Ghost Ship], requires 10 units of Soul Essence to unlock!

[Paid Skin: Deep Sea Behemoth], requires 12 units of Soul Essence to unlock!

...Chen Du curled his lip; it was all pay-to-win.

His pockets were cleaner than his face right now; where would he get Soul Essence?

However, behind [Initial Skin] was a [Hull Initialization] button.

"Let's try it."

He pressed it.

Rumble—!!!

The entire ferry shook violently, as if a sleeping giant had rolled over!

"What's happening?!"

"An earthquake?! No, a seaquake?!"

The girls screamed and huddled together in fear.

The next second.

Blood-red runes lit up one after another like electrified neon lights!

Blood-red light engulfed the entire space!

Then, the deck beneath their feet and the surrounding walls began to writhe and transform frantically!

Crack! Crack!

The hideous bone decorations slowly retracted into the hull, and the black iron plating made a tooth-gritting sound of metal interlocking.

It continuously reorganized and extended.

This terrifying ferry was undergoing a hardcore mechanical transformation!

The rumbling sound of mechanical interlocking finally subsided.

The bone deck, covered in rotting flesh and emitting a foul stench, seemed to have been reclaimed by the system.

It vanished completely!

In its place was a special alloy floor shimmering with a cold silver light.

Half-meter-high railings rose on both sides of the gunwale, and streamlined blue fluorescent light strips flashed frantically, giving off a full cyberpunk vibe.

If one ignored the pitch-black, surging Sea of Despair outside, this place was practically a luxury ferry.

The stench was gone, and the bloodstains were gone.

As the environment improved, some people's thoughts began to wander.

"This is too cool! It's like a spaceship!"

"Holy crap, does it even have central air conditioning?"

Exclamations of wonder rose one after another.

The previously lifeless group erupted into a frenzy.

The girls felt like they had traveled from a primitive tribe to a future world.

Each of them stared wide-eyed, looking around at the brand-new ferry.

"Wow! Look at this!" a girl pointed at the glowing light strips on the gunwale, jumping with excitement. "This texture is amazing, even more advanced than what I've seen at sci-fi exhibitions!"

Xia Lai's eyes shone even brighter as she excitedly rushed to a metal wall.

She reached out and touched it repeatedly, muttering, "This material... this assembly craftsmanship... tsk tsk, if only I could take it apart and study it!"

"Second Sister, can you please button up first!"

Xia Mo blushed furiously, following behind to cover her up and pull at her clothes.

"Everyone is watching!"

"What's there to be afraid of? We're all girls anyway!"

An Nuonuo stepped on the alloy floor beneath her feet, her small face filled with disbelief.

"Sister Ran, it really doesn't smell anymore... and that disgusting slime is gone too."

Tang Ran remained vigilant, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "Yeah, at least we won't have to sleep on a pile of bones tonight."

In the center of the crowd.

Zhou Qian tugged at her ruined bikini strap, barely covering her ample, pale chest.

She looked at the brand-new surroundings, her eyes darting around.

The resentment from being thrown out like trash by Chen Du earlier instantly surged back.

Why?

Why should that loser in beach shorts get to sit in the obviously high-end captain's quarters?

Why should he take the lion's share of the water and biscuits?

She glanced at Zhao Mengmeng, who was still wiping away tears, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

This kind of naive, "Holy Mother" type was the perfect pawn.

Zhou Qian leaned in, deliberately raising her voice. "Mengmeng, don't cry. If Chen Du hadn't stood by and watched, Xiao Ai wouldn't have..."

"Sigh, give us your honest opinion. In a time like this, shouldn't the supplies be divided equally?"

Zhao Mengmeng was already feeling aggrieved, and this provocation sent her cheap sense of justice into overdrive.

"Exactly! We're all classmates; we should be helping each other at a time like this!"

Zhao Mengmeng stood up, wiped her face, and shouted toward the elevated captain's quarters, "Chen Du! Come out! We need to talk!"

With these two leading the charge, a few of Zhou Qian's cronies and several marginalized people dizzy with hunger also gathered around.

"Yeah, Chen Du, can you even finish all that water and biscuits by yourself? Aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?"

"Even if you're the captain, you can't be a dictator, right? What era is this? We need to talk about human rights and democracy!"

"Vote! I think we should vote for a supply manager! We need to keep power in check!"

Zhou Qian grew more energized as she spoke, hands on her hips, channeling her former aura of bullying classmates.

In her eyes, although Chen Du had killed a monster, he was still just that quiet, poor student.

As long as she leveraged the collective will and stood on the moral high ground, he would have to bow down!

Inside the captain's quarters.

Chen Du was slouched in the ergonomic metal chair, his feet resting casually on the console, watching the screen like he was watching a monkey show.

The huge holographic screen in front of him was broadcasting the farce on the deck in a 360-degree view without any blind spots.

Looking at Zhou Qian on the screen, spitting everywhere and talking about fairness and justice, Chen Du sneered.

"Democracy? Human rights?"

He pulled a pack of compressed biscuits from the pile of supplies.

Tore it open and took a bite.

It was crunchy.

"Since you want to play democracy so much, I'll give you a democratic chance to choose how you die."

Chen Du's finger tapped lightly on the touch screen.

[Captain's Order: Partial deck transparency.]

[Captain's Order: Regional expulsion countdown, initiated.]