Yang Yi was having a nightmare — a tormenting one at that.
In the dream, he was engulfed in flames, becoming a living inferno. He could even smell the acrid stench of his burning flesh...
BOOM!!!
A deafening crash shook the ship violently.
The hull of Nightmare Star lurched sharply to one side.
Yang Yi jolted awake, rolling off his bed in the process. But he was quick to recover.
The moment he hit the floor, he was alert. Sitting up swiftly, he grabbed the flintlock pistol from his bedside and aimed it at the captain’s cabin door.
The firelight from the hearth flickered warmly, casting an orange glow across the room.
There were no signs of any intruding creatures.
It seemed the Nightmare Star had collided with something — perhaps a massive iceberg or an unseen reef.BOOM! BOOM!
More impacts followed in quick succession. The ship's speed slowed noticeably before coming to a complete stop.
Yang Yi immediately checked the ship's interface.
The chain collisions had cost the Nightmare Star over 1,500 durability points.
Fortunately, the ship was sturdy, with a two-layered hull reinforced by bone armour and wooden planks.
The impact hadn’t caused severe damage or leaks.
After assessing the situation, Yang Yi attempted to contact Suna.
Her cabin was next door, separated by only a thin, broken wooden wall — communicating wouldn’t be difficult, even without shouting.
“Suna, what’s your status? It seems the Nightmare Star hit something!”
“I’m fine,” Suna replied quickly, her voice suggesting she was getting dressed.
“Good. I’ll go check it out. Stay alert and watch the door — there’s a chance something might have boarded!” Yang Yi instructed.
In no time, he was dressed, armed, and ready. He approached the captain’s cabin window.
Yang Yi had modified it, reinforcing it with steel bars to prevent unwanted intrusions.
Peering through the gaps between the bars, he scanned the deck.
A ghostly green flame floated by, but no other living beings were in sight.
He triple-checked using his spyglass before cautiously opening the captain’s cabin door and stepping out.
“Am I just being paranoid?”
Frowning, Yang Yi surveyed the area, but saw nothing unusual.
The entire deck was empty — save for him.
Still, he remained vigilant, gripping his trusty weapons: the Sea Serpent’s Fang and his flintlock pistol. He advanced towards the bow.
He wanted to see what exactly the Nightmare Star had struck.
“Hiss...”
Yang Yi sucked in a breath. A sudden chill crept over him.
Glancing at the thermometre, he noticed the temperature had dropped to a steep -11°C.
“Why is it getting so cold so quickly?”
Moving cautiously, Yang Yi kept low as he approached the bow, speculating about possible scenarios.
If it were just icebergs or reefs blocking the way, he could simply navigate the Nightmare Star around them.
But if they’d hit something alive...
That would be a much bigger problem.
As Yang Yi reached the bow, he suddenly halted.
He heard an odd noise, especially unsettling in these circumstances.
Slurp! Slurp!
It sounded like suction.
Like someone sucking hard on a surface with their mouth.
Pressing his ear to the deck, he listened for a few seconds, his brows knitting into a frown.
The sounds came from outside the hull, near the bow — a chaotic cacophony of sucking noises, as if numerous mouths were at work. (1)
It appeared the worst-case scenario was unfolding.
The Nightmare Star had collided with some kind of living creatures. Not just one, but many. They could even be surrounding the ship!
Yang Yi’s alertness spiked. He crouched low and crept towards the bow’s edge.
In his line of sight, he spotted several large icebergs drifting close to the Nightmare Star, blocking its path.
The suction noises came from below the bow, growing louder and more distinct.
Peering over the edge, Yang Yi gasped sharply.
Five icebergs were stacked together, separated by uneven gaps.
They had completely obstructed the Nightmare Star's path.
And from the base of these icebergs, countless fat, white worms emerged.
Their segmented bodies resembled stacked swimming rings, varying in thickness. The smallest had a diametre of about ten centimetres, while the largest ones were nearly a metre wide — easily big enough to swallow a person whole!
They swarmed together, piling on top of one another, their suction-cup-like mouths latched onto the head of a giant bobbit worm.
Slurp! Slurp!
The worms wriggled and squirmed as they fed, resembling a mass of fleshy, grotesque straws.
【You’ve encountered an unknown creature. Sanity -10.】
"What the hell are these things?"
It was Yang Yi's first time encountering such worms, and it sent shivers down his spine.
The floating icebergs might actually have been nests for the creatures.
From each iceberg, more than a dozen worms emerged.
Their sheer number had already covered the head of the giant bobbit worm.
Some that latched onto the bobbit worm's head began to suck on the hull of the Nightmare Star.
As Yang Yi contemplated his next move, he noticed a change: the petal-like tentacles surrounding their mouths began to move!
They weren’t simply decorative appendages; each ended with a glowing white orb, likely sensory organs akin to eyes.
The orbs shifted collectively, turning towards Yang Yi.
“Damn, I’ve been spotted!”
Yang Yi reacted instantly, removing the eyepatch from his left eye and retreating.
In the next moment, the sucking sounds abruptly ceased one after another — it seemed the worms were coming aboard!
Thinking fast, Yang Yi manned the helm and manipulated the giant bobbit worm's head to snap its four sharp mandibles shut.
Crunch!
The sound of slicing and splattering fluids filled the air.
Several pursuing worms were severed, their remains falling onto the deck.
But they weren’t dead yet, writhing and squirming as they spilled white slime across the planks.
Yang Yi tried to manoeuvre the Nightmare Star to retreat, but it wouldn’t budge — something was holding it in place.
It didn’t take much thought to figure it out: the worms were suctioning the hull, anchoring the ship to the icebergs and preventing it from moving.
“Suna! The Nightmare Star has collided with giant worms! They’re huge — watch your cabin door!”
Yang Yi shouted as he attempted to command the bobbit worm's head to cut through the worms again.
But this time, the mandibles wouldn’t move. It seemed they were tangled up, rendered useless.
More worms began climbing onto the bow, wriggling towards Yang Yi.
With no other option, he abandoned the helm and turned to flee.
Facing such overwhelming numbers, he had two choices:
- Use the Sea Serpent’s Fang’s skill to unleash flames and burn the worms.
- Use the flintlock pistol’s cannon mode.
Initially, Yang Yi wanted to use the Sea Serpent’s Fang for its wider attack range.
However, the vivid memory of his earlier nightmare made him abandon the idea of using fire. He opted for the flintlock pistol instead.
Turning his back to the approaching swarm, he aimed at the cluster of worms.
Leading the charge was a massive worm, a metre thick. Its suction-cup-like mouth opened to reveal sharp, inward-facing teeth designed to ensure anything it sucked in couldn’t escape.
The sight reminded Yang Yi of a lamprey — but this one was far larger and more terrifying.
Moreover, its suction power was immense, giving Yang Yi the unsettling illusion of being pulled backwards.
Bang!
At the critical moment, Yang Yi pulled the trigger, blasting the lead worm’s head apart and severing the bodies of several others nearby.
Using the recoil, Yang Yi quickly rolled forwards, landing near the captain’s cabin door. He pushed the door open, rushed inside, and locked it behind him.
The pursuing worms reached the door moments later.
As Yang Yi considered escaping to Suna’s cabin, he noticed the worms hesitating briefly before retreating.
“Are they not long enough?”
Yang Yi speculated, concluding that the worms might have reached their maximum length and given up the chase.
Just then, he was surprised to find Suna already in his cabin.
“Did you crawl in here?” Yang Yi asked.
Suna didn’t reply; her expression was grave.
Fully armed, she carried a bow and arrows on her back, a small round shield strapped to her left arm, and a longsword in her right hand. She stared intently at Yang Yi.
“What? Why are you staring at me?” Yang Yi asked. “This slime on me — it’s just worm blood…”
“Do you feel any pain?”
Suna interrupted him abruptly.
“Pain? No, I’m not hurt,” Yang Yi replied nonchalantly.
“But there’s a worm biting your butt!”
“What?!” Yang Yi’s attention shifted immediately. He turned to find a worm’s severed head clinging to his backside, suctioning vigorously. (2)
Furious, Yang Yi grabbed the half-dead worm and yanked it off.
“Damn it! No wonder I felt something weird!”
After inspecting himself, he confirmed he wasn’t injured — his chainmail had blocked the attack, sparing him from a nasty wound.
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