Did Being Extraordinary Make You So Special?

The immediate problem of survival had been provisionally solved.

Qin Mao drew [Just Verdict] from his waist.

Next, it was time to fully subdue this epic Anomalous Object ranked in the two thousands!

Using [Just Verdict].

Cost 1: Become a leader.

He was already the leader aboard the Eerie Coconut.

Cost 2: Maintain fairness with one's subordinates.

He was the only person aboard the Eerie Coconut. Once he was fed, the whole ship was fed. Perfectly fair.

Cost 3: Complete three fair trials as the ownership ritual.

This requirement was rather troublesome.

Trials...

Did that mean he needed cases and injustices?

Why would anyone accept his verdicts?

Were there that many disputes aboard the ship that needed judging?

Qin Mao left the cabin and went aboard the [Yaximu]. Everyone straightened respectfully at the sight of him.

"It's the extraordinary gentleman!"

"Thank you for helping repair our ship, Mr. Qin!"

The atmosphere was entirely harmonious.

Qin Mao disliked this sort of occasion and immediately found it boring.

He was just about to leave when a woman suddenly blocked his path.

An oval face, alluring eyes, and a lightly bitten lower lip-she looked pitiful.

A mostly faded slap mark still lingered on her face.

Who else could it be but Su Miaomiao?

He had planned to find her after completing [Just Verdict]'s ownership ritual, yet here she was, popping up on her own again.

"Bitch, instead of hiding, you actually dared to come see me?"

Qin Mao was very surprised.

He gently flexed his wrist and flashed a vicious grin.

"Qin Mao, you might have misunderstood me."

Su Miaomiao retreated two steps in fright, tears welling in her eyes.

Although she looked pitiful and on the verge of tears, Qin Mao was not buying her act. He had already seen through this vicious woman.

"Misunderstood?! Ptooey!"

"Beyond the farewell pavilion, beside the ancient road, grass stretches to the sky-and who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Qin Mao, there really is a misunderstanding between us. Can you hear me out?"

"Oh? Then let's hear it."

Su Miaomiao bit her lip, hesitated, then looked toward the Eerie Coconut. "Is that your ship? Can we talk aboard it?"

He nodded indifferently, vaulted down, then turned to look back coldly.

The woman came to the bow and extended a hand, her alluring eyes fixed on Qin Mao. Her meaning could not have been clearer.

She wanted Qin Mao to help her down.

Qin Mao remained unmoved.

"Do... do you really not care about our friendship at all anymore?"

"Have you forgotten how we helped each other through so many hardships before finally reaching the sea?"

Her eyes grew faintly misty, and her cheeks twitched slightly. She looked utterly pitiful.

Back when they had traveled together through the apocalypse, she had discovered that Qin Mao was good-hearted and kind.

As long as she put on a pitiful look, this man would give her at least a little extra care.

Yet now, that man leaned back against the mast with his hands behind him and spat on her.

"You're one touching sight-a pathetic one. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"If your mouth needs something to do, go lick a toilet. Stop yapping here!"

"Once I've got my hands free, I'll settle this score with you properly!"

After being insulted repeatedly, Su Miaomiao finally could not take it anymore.

A concealed flicker of malice passed through her eyes. Then she stomped down the wooden ladder and onto the ship.

She looked around with an invasive gaze, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Tsk, tsk. Nice ship. Pretty big."

"Why is there a coconut hanging from the mast?"

"Is this ship an Anomalous Object?"

She fired off a string of questions without caring whether Qin Mao wanted to answer.

"Bitch, since you've come here today, you're not leaving. Let's settle every score, old and new."

Qin Mao spoke icily, drawing a Ram's Horn Hammer.

He stared at her as though she were already dead.

Seeing that playing pitiful did not work, Su Miaomiao knew there was no room left for reconciliation with Qin Mao and sighed helplessly to herself.

It took so much effort to get his affection up to 100%. Why did it suddenly drop to zero?!

"Qin Mao, are you trying to kill me? Team Leader Yang forbids survivors from killing one another aboard the ship, you know!"

Qin Mao gave her a disdainful glance.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm extraordinary. Who do you think matters more to Team Leader Yang-an insignificant woman or someone extraordinary?"

"So... being extraordinary is what gives you your confidence?"

Su Miaomiao stopped surveying the Eerie Coconut.

She turned back with a strange expression. "Does being extraordinary make you so special?"

"Qin Mao, have you considered the possibility... that I've been extraordinary for a long time?"

As her words fell-

Buzz-

A strange power swiftly rippled out from Su Miaomiao's eyes and stabbed fiercely into Qin Mao's mind.

Even though he had been on guard, his head still reeled.

"You worthless dog. Does being a newly minted Shipwright make you so special? You wouldn't do this the easy way, so we'll do it the hard way!"

There was no longer a trace of ingratiation or softness in the woman's voice. Instead, it was filled with cold ruthlessness.

Su Miaomiao rubbed her aching head and snorted.

Sure enough, using [Mind Control] on an extraordinary person who was hostile and on guard still consumed far too much mental power.

But the rewards of controlling an extraordinary person... would absolutely be immense!

"Come on. Let's talk in your room."

At the woman's command-

Like an obedient puppet, Qin Mao opened the door to the Captain's Quarters himself and invited Su Miaomiao inside.

Su Miaomiao looked around the interior, quite satisfied with the ship. It was a little small and bore scorch marks, but it was still a complete twenty-meter vehicle.

"Is this ship an Anomalous Object?"

She sat in a chair, crossed her legs, and asked casually.

"Yes." Qin Mao stood blankly, his eyes unfocused as he answered woodenly.

It really was an Anomalous Object Vehicle! She had thought so. That mast and those leaves had looked off.

"I heard Anomalous Objects have information. How do I view it?"

"Touch the mainmast with your hand and concentrate. Then you'll be able to see it."

Su Miaomiao nodded and was about to head out, but doubts lingered.

In the end, she had Qin Mao personally lead her to the mainmast and made him touch it first. Only after nothing went wrong did she press her own hand against it.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand, her eyes filled with excitement.

"[Eerie Coconut]! What a ship. What a wonderful ship!"

Not only could it grow, it could also assist with sailing!

"I can't see the costs section... Never mind. You tell me!" she asked Qin Mao directly.

Qin Mao answered woodenly, "The Anomalous Object's owner must water the mainmast with blood every day, but cannot use anyone else's blood. Otherwise, whoever provides the most blood through continuous watering over fifteen days will replace them as the Anomalous Object's new owner."

"The cost is that severe?"

Su Miaomiao's eyes shifted as she pondered in silence.

"Now tell me everything you've experienced these past few days, in detail!"

"Yes."

"This morning, I ate two Want Want snow rice crackers and..."

"Yesterday..."

"The day before yesterday..."

Su Miaomiao listened to every detail without showing the slightest impatience.

Only when Qin Mao reached his escape from the Eight-Eyed Ice Weird Spider did Su Miaomiao interrupt him.

She checked her watch. Fourteen minutes had passed since she used [Mind Control]. In one more minute, the skill would wear off.

[Mind Control]: Forcibly control a target's mind for fifteen minutes, making them obey your every command. Once the ability ends, their memories of this period are automatically erased. The skill's consumption varies according to the target's affection toward you. Limited to one use per day.

Does not work on high-level extraordinary individuals. Commands that violate the target's instincts, such as ordering them to commit suicide, cannot be issued unless the target has suicidal tendencies. The deeper the thoughts you touch, the more likely the target is to resist.

"Tell me, how did you escape the Eight-Eyed Ice Weird Spider's mouth?"

Su Miaomiao licked her lips and asked the question she was most curious about and cared about most.

She had clearly shoved him into that eerie creature's mouth like garbage. How could he still be alive? It was too strange.