110: Chapter 110: Use stillness to control movement, use commerce to stop killing!

The moment the wriggling mouthparts appeared.

The noisy crowd went silent instantly, their laughter caught in their throats, turning into raspy gasps.

The few male passengers who had been whistling just moments ago were scared limp; they probably wouldn't be able to get it up ever again!

Seeing this, Lin Xiao's brow furrowed even deeper.

Merfolk.

He had seen this thing before and had even fought one.

They were beautiful and deadly, their songs capable of bewitching the mind.

But they were nothing like the one before him.

Its features were as exquisite as a sculpture, yet they could split into five petals in an instant.

Mutated?

Or was this simply the natural form of the Merfolk in this sea area?

Before Lin Xiao could think too deeply, the Merfolk's mouthparts, lined with rows of circular teeth, began to vibrate violently.

He couldn't hear anything.

But Lin Xiao felt his eardrums vibrating; a low-frequency wave pierced the air and drilled into his skull.

It felt like someone was lightly scraping their fingernails against his scalp—an indescribably uncomfortable sensation.

At the same time, the expressions on the faces of the passengers in the distance, who had previously been watching, changed again.

They were no longer just watching or cautiously testing the waters.

Instead, they acted like lunatics, trampling over the shipwreck debris and rushing toward those silver treasure chests.

Their eyes held that familiar look of fanaticism.

Furthermore, someone tripped on the wooden planks beneath their feet and fell into the sea, where a mass of tentacles immediately surged up from beneath the surface, dragging them into the darkness.

Someone else, in a bid to seize a chest, swung their blade directly at the companion beside them.

Others stared blankly ahead, muttering something, walking step by step toward the direction of the Merfolk.

So, the passengers were diving into the sea to salvage the wreckage without fear of death because of these Merfolk!

This couldn't help but make Lin Xiao recall the scenes that had unfolded when he first went down into the sea not long ago.

Subsequently, his gaze swept over those frantic figures and landed back on that Merfolk.

It was still singing.

Its posture hadn't even changed.

It just sat there on the shipwreck debris, its mouthparts wriggling rapidly, causing the surrounding membrane to vibrate constantly.

At this moment, Wen Yiran squeezed up, "They're crazy, they're all crazy!" she muttered, shaking her head.

Jiang Wanwan and Tian Xiwei each grabbed one of Lin Xiao's arms.

The two of them hadn't made a sound the entire time, but their expressions were filled with worry.

"Brother Lin!" a voice shouted from behind.

Fan Sinian rushed over from behind with his group; Fang Yuan, Xu Shan, and Zhou Jun were all there.

They leaped across the debris and quickly gathered around Lin Xiao.

Judging by their condition, this group had not been affected.

Especially Fan Sinian, who was uncontrollably excited.

Because every time he fought alongside Lin Xiao, they always reaped a large amount of supplies.

Even if they handed over fifty percent—no, seventy percent—the remainder would still be enough for him and his teammates to eat until they were stuffed.

"It's a good thing we listened to Brother Lin and gnawed on a few bites of corn before setting out." Fang Yuan panted slightly, his gaze sweeping over the frantic passengers in the distance, and said with lingering fear, "Otherwise, we'd be the ones who were crazy right now!"

The scene grew increasingly chaotic.

Even quite a few Merfolk flew out from the sea, preying on those who had no ability to resist.

Just as mentioned before, behind one seemingly ordinary Merfolk, there might be an entire patrol team following.

"Is Xiao He not here?" Lin Xiao scanned the crowd, realizing one person was missing, and his expression immediately darkened.

"That kid is a landlubber," Xu Shan laughed from the side. "He just peeked at the ocean from the car window and his legs started shaking; he refused to come down no matter what!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao felt relieved.

As the crucial logistics captain, Xiao He absolutely could not afford to have anything happen to him.

Subsequently, he scanned everyone, his gaze quickly passing over each person's face, and said in a low voice, "After eating the corn, a persistent buff effect will appear."

"Remember, you must gnaw on the corn at regular intervals to maintain the buff duration!"

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.

Lin Xiao had already emphasized this point in private messages.

While responding, Fan Sinian kept patting his chest, "Don't worry, Brother Lin, even if they refuse to eat, I'll force the corn into their mouths!"

Watching the passengers in the distance controlled by the Merfolk's song, Zhou Jun couldn't help but sigh, "Thanks to Brother Lin's wise decision back then to have Xiao He plant corn, otherwise we would be no different from those lunatics right now!"

That was the truth.

The other passengers were all crazy, but they were still standing here safely, able to discuss what to do next.

Jiang Wanwan smiled very happily, her hand holding onto Lin Xiao's arm, intentionally or unintentionally, adding a bit of pressure.

Tian Xiwei hid behind Lin Xiao, and upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth also curved up.

Wen Yiran, on the other hand, put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin, "That's right, following Brother Lin guarantees you'll live in luxury!"

Hearing this, Fan Sinian suddenly gave a chuckle and couldn't help but sigh, "If only I were a girl, Brother Lin, if you don't mind..."

Before he could finish, a dark red light flashed.

The 【Calamity Bane - Debt Collector】 slammed heavily onto the shipwreck debris.

The wooden planks shattered, and debris sprayed everywhere.

Everyone's bodies swayed violently, nearly falling over due to the sudden tremor.

"Don't worry, I can help open your eyes first!" Lin Xiao smiled slightly.

Seeing this, Fan Sinian hurriedly covered his buttocks and hopped backward, quickly retreating behind the others.

"Brother Lin, Brother Lin, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was just saying it casually..."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Lin Xiao had no time for jokes.

He gripped his battle axe tightly, his gaze landing on the frantic crowd in the distance.

"I'm going to take care of those Calamity Creaturess; you all go salvage the shipwreck wreckage. If there are silver chests, take the silver ones, and don't come back with a bunch of trash!"

At this moment, Xu Shan quietly crept over, pointed at the passengers whose minds were affected, and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Then, he lowered his voice and asked, "Otherwise, should we just..."

Xu Shan's meaning was clear.

While they were out of their minds, kill them, and the dropped supplies would all be ownerless.

Lin Xiao shook his head, "Leave those affected people alone. They can't die yet. In a train survival game with limited seats, population is the real resource."

Hearing this, Jiang Wanwan's beautiful eyes shifted, and she looked over thoughtfully, "Xiao Lin, you aren't thinking of... selling corn to them, are you?"

"Selling corn?" Wen Yiran widened her eyes and blurted out, "Brother Lin, you are the true unscrupulous merchant!"

"Yes, and no."

Lin Xiao replied.

Then he scanned the group and continued, "Xiao He can brew corn wine. If nothing goes wrong, the wine brewed from this mutant corn will also have a similar calming effect, so..."

He didn't finish.

Fan Sinian, Fang Yuan, and the others exchanged glances, and then, in unison, they exclaimed in surprise.

"Awesome, Brother Lin, you can even play it like this?"

"Look, what is called professional? This, damn it, is what is called professional!"

Lin Xiao ignored these compliments.

He gripped his battle axe tightly, turned around, and looked toward the chaotic crowd in the distance.

At this moment, some passengers who had found their own ways to break through the mental influence began to launch counterattacks against the Merfolk.

But the rest of the Merfolk lurking nearby were constantly protecting their singing companion.

"Let's get started," Lin Xiao said.

As his voice fell, he exerted force with his feet, and his entire body shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The three women followed closely behind.