189: Chapter 189 Talent Evolution Card

On the pitch-black sea...

Wild winds whipped ink-like waves, slamming them violently against the metal hull of Ferry No. 819.

Rumble—!

Purple lightning exploded!

In that instant of pale electric light, the pyramid in the distance, hanging upside down and rotating in the void, appeared exceptionally hideous.

Chen Du stood at the bow.

His white shirt, with half a sleeve torn off, clung tightly to his body, snapping in the wind.

He narrowed his eyes, the molten gold color deep within his pupils slowly fading away.

"Good thing I ran fast. If that thing had completely gone berserk, this entire sea area would probably have become a forbidden zone."

Chen Du complained and casually snapped his fingers.

The pitch-black shadows that had been clawing the air behind him began to recede, shrinking back into the shadow beneath his feet.

At that moment, a strong sense of dizziness struck his brain.

It felt like running a marathon after pulling three consecutive all-nighters; the physical weakness nearly made him lose his footing.

Chen Du's body swayed, his knees so weak he almost knelt down to the sea on the spot.

"Shit... It looks cool, but the recovery lag is way too much..."

He gritted his teeth, quietly gripping the railing.

His other hand quickly reached into his pocket, unwrapped a piece of chocolate, and stuffed it into his mouth.

As a qualified captain, he had to keep his 'cool factor' online at all times.

If people saw Chen Du, who had just been tearing apart Evil God Guards with his bare hands, unable to even stand straight, how could he lead the team?

"Don't... don't kill me... please..."

In a corner, a fit of trembling wails broke the deathly silence.

Wang Ce was tied up like a hog and slumped on the deck, desperately trying to shrink into the shadows.

This guy had seen with his own eyes how Chen Du killed others and how they were devoured completely.

"Chen, Brother Chen! No, Master Du! Ancestor!"

Wang Ce's face was a mess of snot and tears, his head thumping against the deck as he kowtowed.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong! Don't kill me... I have money! black gold coins, women, fuel, arms... just say the word, and I'll have my dad bring everything we own!"

"Don't kill me, I don't want to die, waaaaah..."

Chen Du turned around.

He walked toward Wang Ce with elegant steps.

Looking down from above.

His gaze was as cold and indifferent as if he were looking at a bag of trash.

Bang!

He raised his foot.

The sole of his shoe unceremoniously stamped onto Wang Ce's face, kicking him right over.

The crying stopped abruptly.

"Shut up. You're disturbing my view of the sea."

Chen Du disgustedly wiped the dust from his shoe on Wang Ce's high-end suit.

He sneered, "Kill you? You wish."

He bent down, grabbed Wang Ce by the collar, and dragged him across the deck, leaving a long trail of water.

"Since you're on my ship, you're my private property. Even if you're a piece of trash, you have to contribute some residual value here."

"Where... where are you taking me?!" Wang Ce kicked his legs in terror.

"Taking you to a nice place—a VIP private room. Not only is room and board included, but you'll also have a dedicated caretaker."

A devilish smile appeared at the corners of Chen Du's mouth.

A few minutes later.

In the deepest part of the bottom hold.

This place was originally a storage room for moldy ropes.

The air was cold and damp, with a lingering, rotten, fishy smell.

Click.

The iron door was kicked open.

"In you go!"

Chen Du casually tossed Wang Ce into the dark, windowless room.

Wang Ce fell, dizzy and disoriented.

Before he could even crawl up, he heard a scalp-numbing chewing sound from the corner.

"Crunch... crunch..."

It was the sound of teeth crushing bone.

Wang Ce stiffly turned his neck.

By the dim yellow emergency light in the hallway, he saw a large mass of something squatting there.

It was two and a half meters tall, with grayish-white skin and a spine that protruded through the flesh.

It was holding a femur with bits of meat still attached, chewing with great relish.

The Ghoul, Mao Mao.

It seemed to have caught the scent of fresh human flesh.

Mao Mao paused.

It slowly turned its massive, ugly head, its dead-gray eyes rolling around before locking onto Wang Ce.

Drip.

A drop of thick saliva dripped from its fangs.

"Mommy!! A ghost!!"

Wang Ce's eyes rolled back, and his crotch immediately became wet with a large patch.

"Let me introduce you. This is Mao Mao, your roommate."

"Mommy!! A ghost!!"

Wang Ce's eyes rolled back, and a surge of warm liquid instantly soaked his crotch.

"Let me introduce you. This is Mao Mao, your roommate."

Chen Du leaned against the doorframe and pointed at a bright red painted line on the floor. "See that line? That's your range of activity."

He turned his head and patted the doorframe.

"Mao Mao, keep an eye on this little piece of fresh meat. Don't kill him; I'm counting on him for ransom."

At this point, Chen Du's voice suddenly dropped several degrees colder.

"But if he dares to step out of that circle... bite off his legs and have them for a midnight snack!"

"Roar—!"

Mao Mao let out an excited low growl, threw away the bone in its hand, and crawled toward Wang Ce on all fours.

It tilted its large head and stuck out its long, barbed tongue, giving Wang Ce a phantom lick on the face.

"Aaah! Help! I don't want to live here!"

"I want to go home! I want my dad! Chen Du, you're not human! You're a devil!"

Wang Ce's shrill screams echoed in the bottom hold, sounding worse than a dying pig.

Chen Du picked his ear and slammed the iron door shut behind him.

Click.

The soundproof lock snapped shut.

The world was quiet... He returned to the luxurious captain's cabin on the top floor.

As soon as he entered, Chen Du double-locked the door.

His entire body seemed to have its spine removed as he slumped into the large leather sofa.

"Whew..."

He pulled out a lighter, his hand trembling slightly.

Snap.

A flame flickered, lighting a cigarette.

The pungent smoke entered his lungs, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

Only here, where no one could see, did he dare to show a trace of fatigue.

He closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank.

Deep in his mind, that ancient and eerie sacrifice notebook was floating in the void.

The strange mouth formed by cracks on the cover was wriggling comfortably, even... [Burp~]

[Tastes good, a bit like stinky tofu that's been sitting out too long. Just that Reaper's soul was a bit tough on the teeth.]

A line of blood-red text appeared, carrying a cheeky tone.

Ever since this notebook swallowed the "evil god embers," it had become increasingly humanized.

Chen Du didn't bother with its nonsense and began to take stock of his gains.

Rustle!

The pages flipped on their own, as if the notebook were seeking credit from its master.

[This Harvest Statistics:]

[Obtained life essence: 1,582 portions!]

[Obtained Items: mechanical prosthetic eye Chip (C-rank), Source Crystals * 15, and...]

Chen Du's gaze skipped over the miscellaneous items and fixed firmly on the last column.

There, a fingernail-sized crystal emitting a dark red glow floated quietly—a godhead fragment.

"Finally got it."

Chen Du sat up straight, his fingertips lightly stroking his chin.

He did not hesitate to flip to the last page of the notebook—[divine workshop].

That was an advanced synthesis interface that could only be opened with divine materials.

In the center of the interface, an ancient-looking black furnace was slowly rotating.

With a thought from Chen Du...

The godhead fragment was tossed into the furnace.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a full 10 portions of life essence turned into streams of light and were injected into it!

Though it pained him slightly, this was the ticket that could help others break through their combat power ceiling.

The pages of the notebook flipped frantically, and a golden light erupted as if a sacred and ancient ritual were being performed.

Half an hour later.

The light receded.

A card shimmering with a noble purple-gold luster slowly emerged from the pages.

[Ding! Synthesis successful!]

[Obtained Item: talent evolution card!]

[Effect: Can target an existing talent of a designated target and force it to advance one level (maximum S-rank), with a high probability of awakening a Companion Skill.]

Chen Du reached out and pinched the card.

The card was slightly cool, yet it contained power fluctuations that made one's heart tremble.

"This is practically a key to breaking genetic shackles..."

Chen Du narrowed his eyes, the faces of the women on the ship quickly flashing through his mind.

Xia Mo was already S-rank; this card wouldn't be very useful for her.

Lin Keke was A-rank, and that girl had a lot of tricks; her abilities were very strong.

As for the others... Chen Du's gaze finally settled on a name.

Who to give this card to and how to use it would directly determine the combat power ceiling of No. 819 from here on.

Knock knock knock!

A gentle knocking came from outside the door.

Accompanied by an enticing aroma of food, it drifted in through the crack in the door.

"Captain~ dinner's ready~"