Charles, feeling somewhat disheveled, was darting around inside the giant ship, sensing that the vessel had come alive. Everything seemed to be working against him, and any object with an aggressive intent seemed to want him dead. He finally understood why there were no guards around.

  He could feel that there were things he couldn’t see, watching him indifferently from the shadows.

  In a moment of desperate flight, he thought to himself, “This isn’t going to work. No matter what those things are, I have to get rid of them.”

  After a sharp turn, he used the same trick again, leaping onto the wall and stabbing his knife into the surface, hanging like a fly in the corner. The floating shards below turned a corner and continued down the hallway.

  He waited until the fragments completely disappeared before jumping down, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Good grief, that fat bastard not only keeps bugs but ghosts as well?”

  Just as he turned around, his body suddenly stiffened. In front of him stood a little girl in a gothic black dress.

  With silver hair and plump, rosy skin, along with a teardrop mole above her eye, she looked exceptionally cute. But encountering such a little girl in this environment only sent shivers down Charles's spine.

  The eyes of the two, one big and one small, met. In an instant, Charles charged forward, pressing his black blade against her neck.

  When his hand covered the little girl’s mouth, he felt a slight relief; it was warm—she was alive.

  “Drip, drip.” Tears from the little girl fell onto Charles's hand, her long eyelashes drooping, looking pitiful.

  “Little sister, come here. Just tell me where your family’s sea chart is, and I’ll let you go.”

  Charles loosened his grip slightly, but the little girl remained silent, her expression sorrowful.

  After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to hold her and continue moving forward. Judging by the girl’s appearance, she was likely someone important to the “King.” If he encountered those ghosts again, he might use her to threaten them.

  Just after Charles took a couple of steps, the girl began to wiggle her little feet in her shoes, seemingly wanting to get down.

  As Charles loosened his grip, the little girl jumped down and skipped ahead like a little deer.

  After passing through two flights of stairs, the girl opened a door and rushed inside. Just as Charles was about to follow, he saw her come back out, her little dress holding some red fruits.

  Was she trying to bribe him with food to let her go?

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  When Charles got a good look at the fruits, his pupils shrank to tiny dots. They weren’t any fruits from the sea; they looked exactly like cherry tomatoes.

  He picked one up and asked the little girl, “Do you eat these often?”

  Seeing her nod adorably made Charles’s heart skip a beat.

  “Bang!” A loud crash and a human scream came from below.

  After listening for a moment, the little girl put her finger to her lips and grabbed Charles’s hand, pulling him forward quickly.

  Where is this girl taking me? Watching the back of her head, Charles slipped the cherry tomato into his pocket and bent slightly to follow her.

  The ship was enormous, with rooms stacked upon rooms, and Charles felt like he was getting dizzy from the twists and turns.

  “Boom!!” Suddenly, the wall in front of them shattered, and the blood-soaked “King” burst in, holding a human head—Gerald’s head!

  The moment Charles saw the head, his face turned ashen. It was clear that his ally’s plan had not only failed but had also taken too long.

  Just as Charles drew his weapon, ready to fight to the death, the “King” showed a look of fear on his pudgy face. He collapsed to the ground, covering his face and letting out a beast-like wail.

  The little girl let go of Charles’s hand and walked over. For the first time, her previously silent cherry-red lips slowly opened, revealing shark-like serrated teeth. “You worthless fool! What are you doing? Someone has already broken in!!”

  A chandelier from above fell onto the “King’s” head, followed by a rusty rebar that shot out from the wall, piercing him completely. His wails grew even louder.

  “I can’t believe this!” Charles turned and ran for his life. If he didn’t, they might both end up dead.

  The girl’s delicate fingers lifted slightly, and the rebar floated out of the “King,” hovering in the air before striking his head. With a “thud,” the “King’s” left eye was knocked out and fell to the ground.

  “Grab him! I want him alive! If he escapes, you won’t eat anything this month!!”

  Charles sprinted down the corridor, unable to believe that the little girl was even more ruthless than the “King.”

  But he didn’t have time to ponder this, as the “King’s” various bugs were already chasing after him from behind.

  Although Charles exerted all his strength, the insects were closing in rapidly. They were much faster than him, surpassing the limits of human speed.

  “Creepy crawly.” Charles could already hear the sound of their joints twisting and their mandibles extending.

  Just as the insects prepared to leap, Charles’s mind raced. He pulled a rivet from his chest, embedded in his flesh, and shot it toward the nearest light source.

  “Clink, clink, clink!” The bulbs in the corridor shattered, plunging everything into darkness. The insects immediately became disoriented, unsure of where to attack.

  They couldn’t see clearly, but Charles, with his night vision, could. He quickly drew his pistol and fired rapidly, blasting the grotesque heads of the insects, green ichor splattering everywhere.

  After temporarily escaping danger, Charles didn’t dare linger. The “King” was back, and the mission had failed. He needed to leave quickly.

  At every turn, Charles smashed the light bulbs, feeling safer in the darkness as he searched for an exit.

  Gradually, he heard a soft singing voice in his ear. The melody was beautiful, and Charles felt as if his bones had become lighter.

  But soon, the situation changed. He began to feel his hair growing longer, and the bones beneath his skin started to swell.

  Then, a more serious issue arose—his stomach suddenly twisted in pain. Charles shoved his fingers into his throat and gagged, vomiting.

  What came out wasn’t the food he had eaten that morning, but writhing brown plant tendrils and mushrooms that were both wilting and sprouting.

  “Damn it!” Charles stumbled to his feet, suddenly feeling an itch on the back of his hand. When he lifted it, dark green moss was growing rapidly.

  This singing seemed to have some kind of magical power, reviving everything around it. Charles knew that if he didn’t find a way to stop this, his body would be completely consumed by whatever was growing inside him.