The sixth day of the sea voyage.
Su Mo leaned against Sakurai Mii’s shoulder. Both wore serious expressions as they stared at the screen where a ghost in white robes floated, holding their breath intently.
Only when a scream echoed from the film did they both let out a long sigh of relief simultaneously, then break into excited smiles.
So thrilling!
“Chiba, little sister, I didn’t expect us to be birds of a feather, both liking this sort of thing.”
“Mii, big sister, we shouldn’t call it ‘birds of a feather’; it’s more like being ‘like-minded’.”
Sakurai Mii was puzzled. “What’s the difference?”
Su Mo explained with a flourish. “There are many differences. ‘Birds of a feather’ has a slightly derogatory connotation. Watching horror movies is such a noble activity; of course, we should use a more refined term like ‘like-minded’ to describe it.”
Sakurai Mii’s eyes lit up. “Yoshi!” (Excellent!)
Although they had mostly conversed in Japanese these past few days, hearing words like “yoshi” or “baka” (idiot) still made him unable to resist imagining—Sakurai Mii with a little mustache under her nose.
Ugh, utterly ridiculous, but I can’t help it. The portrayals in certain patriotic dramas are just too deeply ingrained, impossible to forget…
“Chiba, little sister, what are you laughing at?”
“I’m happy for our friendship,” Su Mo said with a perfectly straight face, talking nonsense.
Sakurai Mii looked at him with a suspicious gaze. “But I feel your smile isn’t pure; it’s a tiny bit lecherous.”
The corner of Su Mo’s mouth twitched. “You can call me cute, but not lecherous.”
Sakurai Mii didn’t respond to his comment. Instead, she suddenly said, “Your injuries are healing quite fast. I see you’ve returned to normal mobility.”
The probe came abruptly. Su Mo’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. “I’m already C-rank. My recovery ability is naturally strong. Moreover, the cultivation technique I practice in Xia has some minor healing effects after reaching the Snow Mountain realm, though they are minimal.”
Sakurai Mii wore an expression of sudden understanding. She placed her hand on Su Mo’s shoulder, leaning in slightly, an intimate gesture like between two close friends. “So that’s how it is. I thought maybe your injuries earlier were an act.”
Su Mo replied with a pained expression. “Big sister Mii, where did you get that idea? Even if I were acting, I wouldn’t go so far as to torture my own body, would I?”
“True.” She released Su Mo’s shoulder and stood up to leave the room. “It’s too stuffy in here. I’m going out for some fresh air.”
At this moment, Sakurai Mii’s voice was still sweet, but it sent chills down Su Mo’s spine.
Because just moments ago, she had “accidentally” picked off one of the scabs on Su Mo’s shoulder. Fresh blood gushed out, staining the pink garment crimson.
Su Mo lifted his clothes to look. The scab was a full three inches long, yet it had been completely peeled off, leaving no trace behind.
The technique was so skillful it was downright impressive.
“Aaaahhhh—” Sakurai Mii’s voice carried from outside, shouting into the wind, carrying a somewhat youthful, liberating feel.
But to Su Mo, the sound felt piercing, urging on one’s demise.
Over the past couple of days, their relationship seemed quite good, leaning together to watch horror movies, like-minded.
Yet just now, she had warned him not to get too familiar.
Su Mo pondered deeply: It seems they still suspect me. Probably, once we reach the island nation, I’ll have to endure a period of house arrest.
Too bad I can’t participate in the Heaven Ranking Tournament in half a month.
It’s not that I’m weak, but official duties come first, can’t be delayed…
Suddenly, the ship lurched violently. Su Mo, caught off guard, nearly lost his balance.
“Something big hit us!” someone shouted outside.
“Let’s steer around it. Don’t provoke it.”
“Can’t! It seems already angered and is attacking us!”
“Fire the cannons!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
With several cannon blasts, the battle officially began.
This was the first time Su Mo had seen humans using modern weapons against a giant sea beast. Driven by curiosity, he went to the window to watch and immediately felt unsettled.
A colossal octopus, towering like a skyscraper, was swinging its tentacles towards the large ship. Su Mo instinctively felt a single strike would shatter the vessel into pieces.
Sakurai Mii rushed into the room first. Seeing Su Mo by the window, she immediately yelled, “What are you doing?”
Su Mo looked innocent. “Watching the show.”
She covered the distance in two quick strides, grabbed his arm tightly. “What’s there to see? This ship is nine-tenths doomed. We need to find another way out.”
“Huh?” Su Mo feigned disbelief. “But we’re in the middle of the Pacific. Where can we escape to?”
Sakurai Mii didn’t answer his question, just dragged him outside.
Su Mo grimaced in pain. “Gently… my scab came off…”
For some reason, she always managed to grab precisely where his scabs were. If not for the fact that he couldn’t act now—and even if he did, he might not win—Su Mo would have fought back long ago.
The two made their way to the ship’s stern. There were small lifeboats for emergency evacuation, and people were scrambling for them.
One boat was already in the water, filled with ten people ready to depart. Suddenly, a few of the less attractive ones clutched their necks and tumbled into the sea.
Among all the people present, only Su Mo saw clearly that it was Sakurai Mii who had struck. The others stood stunned for a long moment, completely failing to react.
The two leaped lightly onto the boat. Sakurai Mii said in her sweet voice, but with a fierce tone, “Set sail!”
After a long pause, no one moved.
Su Mo remarked leisurely, “The person who knew how to sail was probably among those you just killed.”
Sakurai Mii’s words caught in her throat. She turned her gaze to the second and third boats, which weren’t full yet, and without a word, snatched the people responsible for sailing from those vessels.
Under her coercive pressure, the boat was soon started.
Because the speed was too slow, she threw a few more people overboard, saying with each toss, “So sorry!”
Su Mo felt a chill. This woman is too brutal. And here I thought we were getting along like sisters these past two days.
Such a stark contrast!
In the end, only five remained: besides the two men who could sail, only a pregnant woman was spared from being thrown overboard.
With the large ship serving as a distraction, the giant octopus paid no attention to their small boat, allowing them to escape.
Although they avoided being buried at sea, the sensation of seawater soaking his wounds was intensely painful. Su Mo’s lips were pressed tight, turning purple.
“Where are we now? How much longer until we can reach land?” Sakurai Mii asked.
One of the men, familiar with this route, replied, “The original plan was to arrive tomorrow morning. Now, it’ll probably be tomorrow afternoon or evening.”
Sakurai Mii pondered for a moment. “What’s the weather like along this stretch?”
The man furrowed his brow. “Not great. The forecast shows a typhoon for our route tomorrow afternoon, lasting until the day after. We might run right into it.”
Sakurai Mii covered her face, muttering to herself, “Should have taken a plane.”
Of course, she knew perfectly well planes weren’t always available. She was just venting to comfort herself.
At that moment, Su Mo, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “Isn’t there any faster method? Like catching a big fish or a bird and riding it to travel?”