Refuse Death

"Su Na, we have to climb the mast! It's our only chance of survival!"

That was Yang Yi's assessment.

He had observed the Devil Sharks' movements and discovered that they could only hop on deck, and only had hind legs.

That meant the Devil Sharks couldn't climb. They only needed to get up the mast to put themselves beyond defeat!

They acted at once.

Yang Yi held the Flintlock in his left hand and the Sea Serpent's Fang in his right, ready for both ranged and close combat.

But Su Na had no suitable weapon.

Fighting sharks with that little dagger was far too dangerous.

"There's a bow in my room. Grab it when we run past. You can use it."

Su Na nodded, her hair whipping wildly in the wind.

There was no fear on her face. On the contrary, she looked a little excited, glancing at the Devil Sharks from time to time.

"I want a reasonably intact shark. Especially the eyeballs-they have to be intact!" Su Na suddenly said.

"Let's survive first!"

They immediately set off, running toward the starboard side.

The sharks were all gathered on the port side, making the starboard route relatively safer.

They crouched low and hurried forward into the fierce wind.

The captain's quarters had no door on the starboard side, but Yang Yi could make a temporary one with the Flintlock in his hand.

Its cooldown should have just finished.

Yang Yi fired, blasting a large hole just big enough for him to lean through and retrieve things.

He felt around and found the Pirate Longbow propped in the corner, bringing it out along with over twenty crude wooden arrows, all coated in poison.

He handed the bow and arrows to Su Na, and the two hurried toward the Atrium.

The wind was much weaker in the Atrium. Situated between the captain's quarters and the cabin, it was sheltered from most of the wind, reducing its effect on archery.

As soon as they stepped into the Atrium, a Devil Shark lunged from the shadows to one side.

Had Yang Yi not spotted it in time, it probably would have knocked him to the ground.

He drew the Sea Serpent's Fang and was about to attack when an arrow suddenly flew from behind him, striking the Devil Shark squarely in the eyeball.

The eyeballs seemed to be the Demon Hammerhead Sharks' weak point. Once struck, this one fell into complete confusion, rolling endlessly on the ground, unable to fight.

Yang Yi glanced back at Su Na.

"You're that good with a bow?"

They continued running toward the mast.

By then, seven or eight Demon Sharks were already on the central deck.

They were all on the port side. The moment they saw the pair, they hopped toward them like toads.

Su Na showed her prowess, drawing and firing repeatedly, striking every shark precisely in the eyeball.

Though the sharks' eyeballs were large, glowing, and conspicuous, hitting every single shot was still incredible!

"What did you do before this?" Yang Yi asked, swallowing.

"I studied medicine.

"But back in secondary school, I won the provincial archery championship. I was good enough for the national team."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Yang Yi said, speechless. "Why didn't you use a bow when you fought the Siren?"

"I was ambushed, and my bow fell into the sea..."

"Uh..."

Had he known Su Na was this good, he would have prepared plenty of arrows. There would have been no need to fear these hopping sharks.

But now their arrows were limited. They couldn't afford a prolonged fight.

Some Devil Sharks had even swum around to starboard, preparing to attack from both sides.

More sharks kept jumping onto the deck.

Fortunately, both of them had reached the foot of the mast.

While the newcomers were still far away, they had to hurry and climb the mast!

"You first! Cover me with arrows once you're up!" Yang Yi pressed his back against the mast, watching the sharks closing in from both sides.

This was the most sensible plan he had come up with.

If Yang Yi climbed first, the only weapon he could use would be the Flintlock.

Though powerful, in this situation it was nowhere near as useful as a bow that could fire repeatedly.

Su Na understood what Yang Yi meant. Without wasting time, she stuffed the bow and arrows into her Treasure Bag and began climbing.

Yang Yi held the Sea Serpent's Fang horizontally, his gun in his left hand, and took a fighting stance.

The sharks on the left arrived first, leaping at Yang Yi.

Yang Yi had been observing them for a long time and had noticed one particular trait: they could only jump forward.

Before jumping, they would choose a direction. Wherever their heads pointed was where they would jump.

Using this trait, Yang Yi successfully sidestepped a shark's lunge.

As the Devil Shark passed him, he thrust his blade straight into its gill slit.

The Devil Shark's momentum carried it onward, opening a huge wound along its body.

After it landed, its innards spilled out. It clearly wasn't going to survive.

This can work!

Keeping watch in every direction, Yang Yi dodged another shark's lunge.

Then he repeated the maneuver, driving the Sea Serpent's Fang into its gill slit.

In this way, he killed three of the sharks surrounding him.

But Yang Yi was no battle-hardened warrior.

Not long ago, he had been a bedridden patient, unable even to stand.

He could only pull off this clumsy swordplay because he was observant and calm enough.

And it didn't work every time...

On the fourth attempt, he made a mistake. He dodged too late, and the shark bit down on his right shoulder.

The piercing agony nearly made him pass out.

Fortunately, Yang Yi's will was as tough as steel. He immediately pressed the Flintlock against the hammerhead's flattened head.

This shot has to fire!

Yang Yi pulled the trigger.

Click!

The damned gun had misfired again at the crucial moment.

"Damn it!"

Yang Yi didn't give up. He immediately changed tactics, releasing the Sea Serpent's Fang with his right hand, switching it to his left, and stabbing at the shark.

Just then, an arrow skimmed past Yang Yi's scalp and struck the shark squarely in the eyeball.

It released its jaws in pain, allowing Yang Yi to break free, though his right arm was already a bloody mess.

"Hurry up here!"

Su Na urged him.

She sat on the yardarm about five meters above the deck, safely beyond the sharks' reach.

Now she drew her bow and nocked arrows, providing powerful support as she covered Yang Yi's climb.

"I'm running low on arrows. You'd better hurry!"

Yang Yi tucked the Flintlock into his waistband and began climbing, enduring the excruciating pain.

Su Na shot every shark that came after him. Yang Yi was safe for the moment, but he climbed very slowly.

Pushing with his legs, he pressed his left arm and cheek against the mast and struggled upward.

"Hurry! I only have three arrows left!"

Yang Yi had only climbed two meters when he heard the terrible news.

Soon, the last three arrows were gone too.

Su Na could only cling to the mast with one hand and lean down as far as possible, trying to pull Yang Yi up.

But she couldn't reach him.

Just then, a shark gathered itself and leaped at Yang Yi, biting into his calf.

Its teeth struck bone with a chilling sound.

"Yang Yi!" Su Na cried out.

Yang Yi froze, his body shaking violently, the intense pain making him nauseous.

But he didn't dare let go. He gritted his teeth and held on.

Because he knew that if he let go and fell, he would surely die!

The shark hung from Yang Yi's leg, its sharp teeth tearing at his wound.

Yang Yi felt dizzy and tight-chested, his vision blurring with tears.

He glanced down at the shark and saw two huge scarlet eyeballs.

It seemed to be laughing...

Laughing at how, no matter how hard Yang Yi tried, he couldn't escape death!

Not a chance...

For no apparent reason, a searing fury exploded in Yang Yi's chest.

At the same time, a message appeared in the log.

[???? condition met. Face death 3/3. You have unlocked the talent-Refuse Death!]

[Refuse Death: Triggers when vitality falls below 10 or you suffer fatal damage. Vitality cannot fall below 1, refusing death for 5 minutes.

At the same time, all attributes except Spirit +2, Spirit -2, Sanity -50. Afterward, you enter a weakened state for 24 hours, with all attributes except Spirit -2. (Refuse Death cannot take effect while weakened.)]

PS: Refuse Death can exceed mortal attribute limits.

[Your Sanity is below 50. Entering Frenzy State. Immune to most negative mental effects. Strength +2, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Spirit -2. Ignore pain, feel no fatigue, and remain brave and fearless until Sanity recovers.]

With both bonuses, Yang Yi's Strength reached an astonishing 8 points, while his Spirit fell to 4.

His eyes reddened, filling with bloodshot veins. Somehow, his dangling right arm regained its strength and clamped tightly around the mast.

At the same time, he reached down with his left hand and grabbed the Devil Shark's eyeball. With a casual squeeze, he burst it, sending fluid splattering everywhere.