Under John's guidance, they soon reached the captain's quarters without taking any detours.
"This is the place!"
"Yeah!"
Bang!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Qiang kicked the tightly shut door. It flew open, revealing a room that looked extremely luxurious.
The room was spacious, with all kinds of crystals embedded in the walls. A chandelier hung in the center, making the entire room glitter. Beneath it sat an ornate-looking sofa, and not far away stood a bed made entirely of gold.
"Where's the stuff?"
The room was huge, and finding a key in a place this big would take Chen Qiang a long time if he searched alone. So he simply turned to John beside him and asked.
"The captain usually keeps things beside his bed. That way, he can feel they're there even while he sleeps, which helps him feel more at ease!"
After bringing Chen Qiang here, John had planned to slip away while Chen Qiang was distracted by the room. But the moment he started to move, Chen Qiang turned to look at him. John hurriedly stopped, sweat appearing on his forehead as he quickly told Chen Qiang what he knew.
"Mm!" Chen Qiang didn't bother with John's little attempt to escape. After hearing the answer he wanted, he nodded in satisfaction, then punched John in the head, killing him instantly.
"When you do evil, sooner or later, you'll pay for it. Do too many bad things, and you'll get what's coming to you. And I'm what's coming for you!"
Looking at the headless corpse in front of him, Chen Qiang squatted beside it with a smile. He wiped the blood from his hands on John's clothes and spoke in a calm voice.
Then, without paying any further attention to the headless corpse lying on the floor, he headed for the place John had mentioned.
After dismantling the entire golden bed, Chen Qiang finally found a small box underneath it. Inside were some gold and jewelry, and in one of the little boxes, he found the key he wanted.
"I wonder if this is the right one! No matter—it'll be easy to find out when I try it!"
Chen Qiang put all the jewelry back in the box, leaving the key out. He examined the rather unusual key in his hand, picked up the box, and headed back to where he'd been held.
Little Jack had escaped, and John was dead, so there was practically no one left on the ship. Chen Qiang encountered no resistance along the way and soon returned to the place where he'd been held.
"Don't be scared, little girl! Big brother's here to save you!" Chen Qiang opened the door without trouble and smiled at Lin.
"Thank you! I'll repay you someday!"
As Chen Qiang used the key to unlock the Seastone Handcuffs on Lin, she didn't make a sound. She simply stared at him, as if trying to memorize his face. Only after she was completely free did she quietly thank him.
"Don't be scared! Next, we'll deal with the collar around your neck. Let's see if this key can open it. If it can't, we'll have to find that captain. But don't worry. I promised I'd save you, and I will!"
Chen Qiang just smiled at Lin's promise to repay him, not taking it to heart. Instead, he looked at the collar around her neck again and spoke to her soothingly, as if comforting a child.
"Aw, it looks like this isn't the key to the collar. I guess we'll have to find Captain Gill after all. But don't worry. Since they went to the Underground City, we'll be able to find them soon!" Chen Qiang tried the key several times, but it wouldn't open the collar around Lin's neck. Still, he smiled warmly and reassured her so she wouldn't be afraid.
"There's no need to go to all that trouble!"
After the Seastone Handcuffs were removed, Lin no longer spoke in a whisper. Maybe she was sure there was no danger left on the ship, or maybe she was confident in her own strength. As long as she wasn't restrained by Seastone, she had nothing to fear.
"Huh?" Chen Qiang looked at Lin in confusion, completely unsure why she'd said that.
But Lin didn't explain. She simply reached for her neck, grabbed the collar, and yanked it off with all her strength.
Bang!
An explosion rang out from Lin's neck.
"Holy crap! You're even tougher than me! You're a little girl—you shouldn't be so reckless. Come on, let me see if you're hurt!"
Lin's actions gave Chen Qiang quite a fright. He'd dared to cause such a stir in Impel Down because he had a powerful cheat. He hadn't expected the little girl in front of him to be even more ruthless, blowing up the collar without so much as blinking.
Still shocked, Chen Qiang pulled her into the corridor outside the room and used the light there to examine her neck. The room was far too dark to see clearly, and he wanted to check whether she was hurt.
Her small neck had been left with a few burn marks from the explosion, darkening her otherwise fair skin. But after examining it all over, Chen Qiang found no injuries. Just as he was wondering what her ability might be, Lin's face darkened.
"Hey, don't get carried away! I'm grateful you saved me, but that doesn't mean you can go touching me all over!"
With a dark look on her face, Lin pushed Chen Qiang's hand away from her neck and spoke to him in annoyance.
"Tch! You sure know a lot for a little kid!"
After she pushed his hand away and spoke, Chen Qiang laughed, then patted her head.
"What do you mean, 'little kid'? I'm already sixteen. I'm not a child!" Lin was even more annoyed by his words.
"Sixteen? No way!" Chen Qiang's hand, which had been ruffling her hair, froze. He quietly withdrew it and studied her in the light of the corridor.
Only under the light did Chen Qiang get a clear look at Lin. She was about 145 centimeters tall—barely reaching his stomach, since he was nearly two meters tall. Her face was smudged with dirt, but it was still obvious how young she looked. Aside from her chest being unusually developed, there was no way she looked sixteen. Anyone would believe she was only seven or eight.
"Why would I lie? I just look young!"
Lin didn't bother explaining further. She simply rolled her eyes at Chen Qiang in exasperation.
Before you continue