25: Chapter 25 Tragic Protection and the Ascension of Wronged Souls

The heavy iron door was forced open by everyone's combined effort, accompanied by the tooth-aching sound of twisting metal. The scene behind the door made everyone's breath hitch.

This was a massive lower hold, more like a water dungeon. Murky, foul-smelling seawater flooded most of the space, and in the center was a cage built from thick timber. Inside the cage, a heartbreakingly beautiful figure was tightly bound by cold iron chains as thick as a child's arm—it was the Little Mermaid. She had moon-like long silver hair spread through the water like seaweed, and her lower body was a slender fishtail covered in pearlescent scales, hanging limply in the sewage. Her face was pale to the point of being translucent, and her azure eyes were filled with immense sorrow and long-term suffering. However, upon seeing everyone, especially the heart of the ocean in Zhang Hao's hand radiating a warm blue light, an unbelievable hope and plea suddenly burst forth from that sadness.

However, blocking the way between them and the Little Mermaid was a tall undead figure clad in tattered captain's attire. He held a rusty but still majestic captain's rapier. The ghost fire in his eye sockets was no longer a pure ghostly green but shifted constantly between green and a struggling blue, appearing extremely unstable. The undead aura emanating from him was powerful and chaotic, yet it also carried a sense of painful suppression of some impulse that was completely incongruous with his current identity.

"It's the Captain..." Li Mubai said in a heavy voice, identifying him from the undead's clothing and his lingering temperament. The Nautical Log mentioned that the Captain had tried to stop the First Mate; clearly, he had failed and was even twisted by the First Mate's black magic, turning into an undead guardian for the very person he had intended to save.

"Roar—!" The Undead Captain let out a Roar mixed with pain and fury, charging with his sword! His offensive was sharp and heavy, each strike accompanied by a whistle that tore through the air.

"He still has a sliver of consciousness! He's resisting the control!" Zhang Hao keenly caught the flickering blue light in the Undead Captain's eyes and the occasional deviations in his attacks that avoided their vital points. "Don't use lethal force! Try to suppress him!"

The battle erupted instantly. Everyone's strength had increased significantly after receiving the enhancement from the Song of the Mermaid, but they still felt immense pressure facing this Undead Captain, who was clearly an elite among elites and highly experienced in combat. Zhao Hu's fierce attacks were skillfully parried and deflected, Sun Yu's flames were neutralized by his dense death aura, and Zhou Mei's sonic interference seemed to be actively resisted by the sliver of conscious awareness within him, greatly reducing its effectiveness.

"His weakness might also be the ghost fire, but it's protected by some kind of power!" Zhang Hao analyzed quickly. Silver Star marked the flickering energy core inside the Undead Captain's skull, but its exterior was shrouded in a thick layer of black mist.

Right then, the Little Mermaid in the cage suddenly struggled to sit up. Looking at the Undead Captain who was struggling bitterly, tears fell silently from her eyes. She held back her cries and instead opened her mouth, letting out a silent chant. It was a melody that acted directly upon the Soul, filled with sorrow, understanding, and... forgiveness.

This silent song was like a clear spring flowing across the battlefield. The Undead Captain's violent movements suddenly froze, and the blue light in his eyes flickered violently, almost overwhelming the green! He let out an agonized howl, as if two Souls were tearing at each other within his body.

"Now! Lin Wan!" Zhang Hao shouted.

Lin Wan understood and, together with the spirit [Qingyu], transformed the accumulated natural and life energy—mixed with the vibrations of the Little Mermaid's forgiving song—into an incredibly pure and vibrant emerald-green halo that enveloped the Undead Captain!

"Sizzle—!"

Like a red-hot iron meeting ice, the black mist on the Undead Captain's body churned and dissolved violently! He let out a final long cry of liberation and apology, the blue light in his eyes blooming completely. Then, his tall skeletal frame collapsed to the ground as if it had lost all support, and the rapier clattered down as well. A wisp of a Soul, more solid than the other undead and tinged with an azure hue, rose from the broken bones. It bowed deeply toward the Little Mermaid and then toward Zhang Hao and the others before slowly dissipating.

Having dealt with the Undead Captain, the group immediately rushed toward the cage. Wang Jingjing's [Logic Core] quickly analyzed the chain structure, and with Zhao Hu and Sun Yu working together, they soon broke the heavy iron chains.

The moment the chains fell, the Little Mermaid slumped forward weakly and was caught by the prepared Lin Wan and Zhang Hao. She looked at everyone gratefully, her gaze finally landing on the heart of the ocean in Zhang Hao's hand, and she reached out a trembling hand.

However, at the very moment Zhang Hao handed the pearl back to her—

"Rumble!!!"

The entire Sirens Wail began to vibrate more violently than ever before! It was as if the ship itself were a living thing enduring immense pain! The cabin walls began to crack, and broken wood and dust fell continuously from above.

"Not good! The ship is breaking apart! Back to the deck, quickly!" Li Mubai roared.

At the same time, countless wisps of pale blue Wronged Souls began to drift from the scattered bones of the defeated Undead Captain and the shadows around the cabin! They were no longer filled with resentment but with liberation and relief. As if summoned, they ignored physical obstacles and drifted upward together, piercing through layers of decks!

"Follow them! They might be showing us the way out!" Zhang Hao immediately judged.

The situation was critical. Zhao Hu unhesitatingly carried the weak Little Mermaid on his back, and the group sprinted upward along the way they came through the violently shaking and collapsing cabins. Qian Xiaomin and Chen Rui scouted ahead to avoid collapse points; Zheng Gang held up a shield to block falling debris; Sun Yu and Zhou Mei brought up the rear, smashing falling objects that blocked the path.

The journey was fraught with danger, almost a race against death. When they finally burst onto the violently pitching deck, the scene before them made everyone gasp!

At the bow, the hideous Siren Figurehead seemed to have come to life, its eyes shooting out terrifying blood-red light! Countless pale blue Wronged Souls converging from all parts of the ship were letting out silent wails as they were forcibly devoured and absorbed by the figurehead! Distorted, pained human faces began to emerge on the surface of the figurehead, and its power was expanding rapidly!

And above this horrific scene, a phantom figure composed of thick black smoke and wearing a tricorne pirate hat—the undead true form of that crazed First Mate—was hovering there, letting out a Roar of extreme rage:

"You damn insects! How dare you ruin my ritual and release my 'collection'! I will pull out your Souls too and imprison them on this ship forever!!"

The final mastermind, the Undead First Mate, had finally appeared! And the figurehead he relied on, which was absorbing all the Wronged Souls to strengthen itself, had become the final and most terrifying obstacle between the Dream Society and the completion of their mission!