Trouble Stirs Again (2)

"So what do you suggest?" the captain asked.

"The monster is dangerous, so we should send those newly recruited captives." The gunner jumped onto the table, turned to face the crowd, then pointed at the captives at the edge of the crowd. "They have to do this—it's the blood tax for joining us!"

At that, he suddenly changed his tune. "However, I propose that this captive take the lead."

As he spoke, he pointed at Xia Lun, who stood in the shadows. "He was able to hold his own against the monster before. With him leading them, the captives won't simply be going down there to die."

Following the gunner's pale but muscular arm, everyone turned toward Xia Lun. In less than a few seconds, all eyes were on him.

"Who's this unlucky bastard?" someone in the crowd asked quietly.

"He's the one who crippled the monster," someone whispered.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. I saw him kill the first mate and the others, one shot each!" someone murmured.

"What? He killed the first mate?"

The whispers among the crowd turned into a buzzing murmur, drifting into the shadows with the sea breeze and reaching Xia Lun's ears.

Though everyone was watching him, Xia Lun was not nervous. He slowly stepped out of the shadows and calmly looked over the crowd—some shocked, some wary, some pitying—taking in every reaction.

After deliberately remaining silent for several seconds, he looked at the gunner.

"I'm afraid you're not qualified to give me orders," he said softly.

Xia Lun's voice was quiet, as faint as a breeze brushing past one's ear, yet every word came through with striking clarity.

The gunner's throat bobbed as he swallowed.

His heartbeat quickened, his vision narrowed, and as he stared into Xia Lun's black eyes, memories of the horrific slaughter in the cabin resurfaced uncontrollably.

The smell of gunpowder, blood, the ruthless killing in the darkness—those blurred fragments of memory gradually fermented under the influence of fear and imagination, becoming ever thicker and bloodier hallucinations.

To be fair, he was somewhat afraid of this murderous madman.

But to conceal the fear rising within him, the gunner deliberately put on a carefree expression and shot Xia Lun a provocative glance.

Yet to his disappointment, Xia Lun was utterly unmoved. He did not even lift his eyelids, as though he had not seen the look at all.

Left with no choice, the gunner instinctively looked toward the old man who had given him the idea.

The old man rubbed the unhealed wound on his neck with his palm, then stepped out of the crowd.

"Kid, he may not be qualified to order you around," the old man said. "But by the rules of the ship, the most dangerous jobs are always done by newcomers."

Without waiting for Xia Lun's reply, he continued, "If you won't do it, then we'll have to draw lots and pick some unlucky bastard at random."

As he spoke, he casually repeated, "Anyone could be chosen."

With just one sentence, unease spread and fermented in everyone's hearts like a cold mist...

—That was the old man's plan.

If the gunner was telling the truth, then Xia Lun was undoubtedly a strong supporter of the captain. In that case, if the captain said nothing, he could get rid of this captive who supported her and posed a major threat with his strength, all without spilling blood. After all, they only needed one person who could sail the ship.

And if the captain spoke up and forcefully protected this captive, then such a decision that placed everyone equally at risk would greatly weaken her influence. He could then take the opportunity to propose deciding matters by "vote," thereby effectively abolishing the captain's sole authority.

Abolishing the captain's sole authority was extremely important, as it would minimize the possibility of reprisals. Once the captain intended to settle scores after reaching Perilous Earth Island, the voting would have already created a consensus among the others. She would find it difficult to rally them to take part in any purge, leaving her wary and unable to act.

In short, this was a strategy with no downside. And all it took was a few words.

That was the power of language. Sometimes, words were weaker than a breeze; but at other times, words were deadlier than a blade.

The old man narrowed his remaining eye and stared fixedly at the captain. He did not even glance at Xia Lun—in his eyes, Xia Lun was beneath notice. Once those words had been spoken, Xia Lun was already as good as dead.

Yet what the old man could not quite figure out was that the captain merely unhurriedly drew out her pipe. With a strange expression, she glanced at the captive, then slowly took a puff.

Against the dim, gloomy backdrop, tiny motes of smoke danced in the weak firelight, and the atmosphere on deck grew increasingly tense.

The gunner looked at the captain, then at the old man. His pale face was full of tension, and he could no longer maintain his carefree expression.

The tension tightened further. People gradually realized that another confrontation seemed to have erupted among the senior crew, and the fragile balance seemed about to shatter once again.

Just as the atmosphere stretched to its limit like a rubber band, Xia Lun, who had always acted like an outsider, suddenly spoke up.

"The monster in the cabin can communicate," he said in a low voice. "And I'm the only one who can talk to it."

"?" The gunner froze for a moment, then looked at Xia Lun as though he were an idiot.

That lie was simply too pathetic.

However, as Xia Lun spoke, the captain added in a grave voice, "I can testify that it's true—this was also the key to how he and I got out of the cabin."

The captain's words naturally carried weight. Although what she said sounded absurd, combined with her status and serious tone, it carried a strange sort of persuasiveness.

"What?"

The old man's remaining pupil suddenly shrank, and his mouth opened slightly.

That lump of flesh covered in barbs and tentacles could talk?

What kind of joke was that?!

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

Some questioned whether Xia Lun and the captain had both gone mad. Some were curious about what the monster had said. Others were too shocked to speak. The tense atmosphere instantly exploded, and the deck descended into chaos.

"Only the absurd can be believed..." the priest muttered to himself.

"You talked to that thing?" the gunner demanded incredulously. "You're lying!"

Xia Lun ignored the various voices. He waited for the information to ferment for a moment, then raised a hand and continued addressing the crowd. "Tomorrow morning, I'll tell everyone what the monster and I discussed—but for now, I need some time to organize the details."

—In truth, he had long since decided what he should say. The reason he told everyone he would reveal the contents of the conversation tomorrow morning was to leave enough time for the crowd to split into factions.

Besides that, Xia Lun also intended to use Memory Points to strengthen his abilities in his dreams.

It was time to level up and assign points!

"You all heard what Xia Lun said," the captain said. "All right, my friends. The only thing we need to do now is wait patiently—no one else will die, and this disaster will soon pass. I promise."