บท 4: Chapter 3: Crack
Female?
Chen Qi turned his head, blinked, and showed a slight surprise.
Someone was actually taking the initiative to ask for him!
In front of him was a black-haired female wearing a half crow mask and dressed in a black apothecary's outfit.
The only ship's doctor on this vessel, and one of the few literate individuals onboard—most didn't even know her real name, calling her Little Crow instead.
From the half-exposed delicate and fair face, it was clear that she was a young woman—her image stood in stark contrast to this bloodthirsty band of pirates.
Chen Qi's gaze fell upon the ship's doctor, his pupils contracting!
He recognized her!
To be exact, he had seen her in popular videos.
As a transmigrator from another world into a game, he had finally encountered a character he recognized!
She was a game character who had gained massive popularity recently.
A mad pirate doctor passionate about studying deep-sea creatures, with a wild fascination for marine life, but with her madness came a second identity.
That was of an undercover agent planted within the Black Whale Group.
She had been secretly relaying information about the Black Whale Group, sabotaging many of their operations and saving numerous lives.
In the middle of the game, to stop the Black Whale Group's massacre, she injected herself with a fatal mutagenic potion and transformed into a banshee, defeating over a thousand pirates and nearly a hundred players who had joined the city's defense, all amidst her desperate cries.
With her stunning beauty in her final moments and her unique story, she became quite famous among players, inspiring numerous fan creations.
In the Witch Sea game, many players joined evil forces, and under the official videos, they spammed "Revive her!"—wanting to resurrect the deceased Miss Crow and change her destiny.
Of course, with Chen Qi's current strength, he couldn't even control his own fate, let alone change someone else's.
Although he could defeat the Black Bull, at the end of the day, he was still just an ordinary person who hadn't stepped onto the path of the Transcendent, leaving his fate to be controlled by others.
But this was also quite good news—if he could work under Little Crow, at the very least his life would be much safer than under other ferocious pirates.
The Black-eyed Captain stood up, exhaling a puff of thick smoke:
"You want this man? Did your last helper die, Little Crow? That's the seventh one already."
Dead... seven of them... Chen Qi instantly felt as if he had been slapped in the face; working under the ship's doctor might not be so safe after all.
Little Crow bent down, her face scented with medicinal herbs as she leaned in slightly, her red eyes sweeping across his face:
"Yes, I've repeatedly instructed him, but he still made an error in handling the herbs. I need a new assistant, one who can read and learn quickly," she said.
The Black-eyed Captain asked:
"Can you read, boy?"
"Hmm."
Chen Qi confidently nodded his head; he was literate, just like the ship's doctor.
The Black-eyed Captain pondered for a moment, then patted Chen Qi on the shoulder:
"Alright, kid, work well under Little Crow.
Here in the Black Whale Group, we never shortchange capable people. With us, you'll earn ten times more than you ever did with hard work!
After we return to port, you'll get ten Gold Coins. By then, everyone who looked down on you will kneel and lick your boots."
Ten Gold Coins! What a concept—that was enough to buy a decent small house in a big city!
This promise was enormous indeed, Captain. Chen Qi could only pretend to be delighted, nodding his head.
From now on, he was to be the assistant to a ship's doctor.
Black Crow turned around:
"Follow me to the medical room, you have a task today."
"Yes, Black… Crow… Big Sister."
Chen Qi followed her, and due to the forum, he almost called her Little Black Crow just now.
Although in the players' eyes she was the cute yet scheming Miss Black Crow, now she was his actual superior, the kind he had no choice but to comply with.
If she said one, he could absolutely not say two!
The medical room was located on the second level of the ship, in a rather large independent cabin.
His former 'residence' had been the slave quarters, where over fifty people were crammed together in a space filled with stifling and dirty air.
Yet the medical room before his eyes was large enough to be thrice the size of one slave quarter.
The air was suffused with a faint mix of herbal and disinfectant odors.
Light passed through frosted glass windows and brass chandeliers, casting mottled shadows on the wooden wall panels and brass medical instruments.
On a wooden table to the left, there were even seven glass jars containing sea creatures.
Chen Qi excitingly swept his gaze across the room before him, his start in the game being the ultimate blank slate, with only a very narrow house in his original owner's hometown of Maro Town.
If only he could have a room like this in another world, how wonderful that would be.
Black Crow entered the medical room and, after making sure the door was closed, said softly:
"Take off your clothes!"
"???"
Chen Qi blinked, somewhat disbelieving his own ears.
Take them off?
He had heard stories on the forum about the Witch Sea region of the game, where the people were upright and honest. He never expected it to be so overpowering!
He had never been ordered like this before and was momentarily stunned.
Without giving Chen Qi time to think, Black Crow commanded again:
"Take them off."
"Alright..."
Although he was very unwilling, he had no power to resist at the moment and had to survive for the time being.
Only when he became strong could he turn the tables!
Chen Qi immediately took off his blood-stained and sweaty shirt, revealing his upper body.
The body he had after transmigration was not strong; in this world, such ordinary bodies were not uncommon.
Except for the blue 'tattoo' on his back, because of the spine infection from the Sea Beast, one could clearly see the blue patterns on his back that resembled both a spider and tentacles.
Black Crow bent over, her gaze focused and sharp, staring at the pattern on Chen Qi's back.
"As I thought, you have been infected by a special Sea Beast. This sea beast didn't consume blood, didn't damage the subcutaneous tissue, and didn't have the unique Qi of a sea beast. It's incredibly mild..."
During Chen Qi's confrontation with the black ox earlier, Black Crow had noticed his back.
As a ship's medic who specialized in researching deep-sea biology, she had developed a terrifying obsession with deep-sea organisms!
Sea Beasts were usually highly aggressive towards humans, and even for her, someone well-traveled and knowledgeable, this was the first time she had encountered such a unique organism!
And the Sea Beast appeared so tranquil, as if it had become one with Chen Qi!
"Huff, huff… Truly wondrous, it's a pity this ship lacks machinery to safely examine the depths of your spine."
This Sea Beast might very well form the basis of a groundbreaking medical paper!
And it seemed quite cute too!
The little crow's body trembled slightly, her face flushed crimson, and even her tone became extremely excited as she unconsciously reached out her hand, slowly touching:
"Ah, ah~"
"Crow... big sister..."
Sister Crow, keep your cool!
Chen Qi cautioned, clearly feeling the intense heat of the little crow's breath on his back.
The other party's obsession and madness for the Sea Beast had somewhat exceeded his expectations!
Deep sea fanatics, truly terrifying!
If he did not intervene, he feared the next moment her hand would plunge into his body and yank out his spine alive!
Though she appeared frail, this person was a bona fide Transcendent!
"Cough, cough…"
Hearing the reminder, the little crow coughed twice, straightened her mask,
"You change out of your clothes later, then take a good bath. Oh, find somewhere concealed to change, it's best not to be seen by others. Among that bunch, there are those who fancy someone like you."
She immediately resumed the professional demeanor of a ship physician, retrieving a set of clean clothes from a cabinet.
Cotton jackets, shirts, trousers, and slip-resistant boots and gloves.
"Thank you, Sister Crow."
Chen Qi was covered in a strong smell of blood and sweat, and his tattered clothes indeed needed replacing.
He accepted the clothes, felt them, and concluded they were decently made.
Hmm?
There was something hard underneath the clothes!
Chen Qi pulled out the hard object, and blue ethereal text appeared before his eyes once more.
[Collector:
Description: A brass steampunk pistol, manufactured with a special technique, with twice the penetrating power of an ordinary pistol.]
A pistol? Why give this to me?
Chen Qi's mouth gaped slightly, startled by the sudden surprise.
This device certainly beats a curved sword any day!
In the Witch Sea, pistols were not rare, but this one, crafted with special techniques, had an elevated penetrating power that made it effective against monsters.
Although this weapon did not possess Transcendent elements, it was famous in player forums, produced by the Hammer Armory Corporation, and definitively a Divine Artifact for pioneering!
In a pay-to-win game, it would at least cost 648 Gold Coins to be gifted!
"Why, Sister Crow?"
Chen Qi, breaking out in a cold sweat, turned to look at the little crow.
He knew, the value of this pistol could possibly fetch five slaves like himself!
Seeing his panicked expression, the little crow revealed a hint of a pleased smile:
"You're my assistant; I definitely don't want to see another assistant die so easily. Plus, you possess significant medical value.
In short, this is for your protection; you'll need it soon."
The little crow picked up her notes and pen, drawing what she had seen on the back and smiling obsessively.
"Gonna need it soon… a gun?"
Chen Qi tilted his head, clueless.
The little crow placed a finger on her chin:
"Don't you know? I just remembered, you used to be a slave and are completely unaware of the Sawshark's destination this time."
"Isn't the Sawshark headed for a major city?"
The Sawshark was filled with slaves, so Chen Qi subconsciously thought their target would be a city.
As a male slave like himself, he could very well be sold to some perverted wealthy female merchant to experience a life of suppressed luxury and fame!
The little crow picked up a list of Potions from the table:
"No, the Sawshark's next destination is not a city, but a crack, a dangerous crack located above the deep sea."
She calmly stated a terrifying fact.
"A crack!"
That single word made Chen Qi's heart pound violently.
In the context of New Day, cracks were passages to other worlds. Within these cracks, one could find Transcendent power and technology, as well as Transcendent resources.
The core reason the world of New Day survived in a sunless environment was due to the power of these cracks.
The Transcendent items, powers, and technologies found within were coveted treasures sought after by countless individuals.
Of course, the rarer the Transcendent item, the greater the danger.
Risk and opportunity coexisted!
For most ordinary people, the cracks were places where fates could be changed.
And for players, the fastest way to become stronger in the early stages was to venture into a crack and acquire Transcendent resources!
Given the uniqueness of his talent, it seemed his crisis was not about to end so soon...
Chen Qi lowered his head, caressing the wonderful Collector in his hand.
His intuition told him that the crack the Sawshark was headed for was no mere novice crack.
The danger of the crack would bring fear and chaos, and within that fear and chaos lay the perfect opportunity for his escape.
A chance to flee from the Black Whale Group!
Chen Qi's heartbeat quickened even more as he glanced out of the ship's medical room window.
The black waves churned, and more fog began to swallow up the Sawshark.
Bringing so many slaves to a crack at sea...
The survival rate in the impending crack was not likely to be high.
A glint of light flashed in Chen Qi's eyes.
Transcendence, and the freedom that was rightfully his, might be right before him.
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