Time passed minute by minute.
Two hours felt like the blink of an eye for those waiting for prey.
The wine glass in Qin Yu's hand was already empty.
He didn't refill it, merely toying with the cool stem of the glass as his gaze pierced through the floor-to-ceiling window, fixed on the pitch-black sea.
They were here.
The yellow dot on the radar screen had completely overlapped with his coordinates.
Thud.
A faint, muffled sound came from below the hull.
It was the sound of wood striking steel.
Like an ant overestimating its strength, crashing against an elephant's foot.
Qin Yu set down his glass and stood up.
He wasn't in a hurry to move.
Instead, he tilted his head and glanced at the surveillance feed.
On the screen, a dilapidated, patched-together raft clung stubbornly to the starboard side of the President, like maggots burrowing into bone.
Three figures were scaling the outer edge of the hull, gripping the drainage grooves like geckos.
Their movements were stealthy.
Even their breathing was deliberately suppressed.
But under the surveillance of the S-Class Sky Eye, every fine hair on their faces and every twisted expression of greed were clearly visible.
"Boss… it's too high up…"
The man who looked like a skinny monkey trembled as he craned his neck to gaze at the towering hull that seemed to reach the clouds.
It wasn't fear.
It was excitement.
"Shut up."
The bald boss, clenching a rusted dagger between his teeth, cursed indistinctly.
One of his hands gripped a protruding weld tightly, while the other worked to untie a rope from his waist.
At the end of the rope was a makeshift grappling hook fashioned from sharpened rebar.
"See that light up there?"
The bald man spat out the dagger, his eyes gleaming with a wolfish green light.
"That's an electric lamp."
"Only big ships have electric lamps."
"There's bound to be food inside, fresh water, and maybe… even women."
At the word "women," the breathing of the other two noticeably grew heavier.
In this post-apocalyptic world,
women were scarcer than food.
Especially clean ones.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The other man, a pockmarked dwarf, urged impatiently.
The bald man swung his arm.
Whoosh—
The rebar hook traced an arc through the air.
Clank!
It caught precisely on the railing at the edge of the deck.
The sound was jarringly loud in the silent night.
All three froze simultaneously.
Holding their breath, they pressed themselves tightly against the hull, straining to listen for any movement above.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds passed.
There was no reaction from above.
Only the massive searchlight continued to cast its soft, bright glow, as if completely unaware.
Hah…
The bald man let out a sigh of relief, wiping seawater from his face.
"They're dead asleep."
"These fat sheep have terrible vigilance."
He bared a mouthful of broken, yellowed teeth in a sinister grin.
"Time for us to strike it rich."
He tugged on the rope to ensure it was secure, then braced his feet against the hull and began climbing upward like an oversized spider, using both hands and feet.
Skinny Monkey and Pockface followed closely behind.
Their eyes were bloodshot, minds already fantasizing about charging into the cabin—killing the men and pinning the women beneath them.
That was desire.
The most primitive, filthiest driving force.
...
Third-floor balcony.
Qin Yu stood high above, hands in his pockets, coldly watching the taut rope.
The sea wind whipped his clothes, flapping loudly.
He stood there.
Like an emotionless sculpture.
Watching these three clowns crawl, step by step, toward the abyss of death.
"Since you're here."
"Don't leave."
Qin Yu raised his right hand and lightly tapped the void.
[Deep Sea Guardian · Light Defense Mode · Activated]
[Targets Locked: 3]
[Weapon Switch: Kinetic Penetration Bullet (Silenced)]
[Execute.]
As the commands were issued.
From the shadows along the ship's sides, two black metal tubes silently extended.
These were the barrels of the S-Class Automatic Defense System.
Gleaming with a cold, ghostly light in the night.
No infrared targeting.
The S-Class system relied on computational power and prediction for locking.
"Almost there... almost..."
Skinny Monkey climbed the fastest.
His hand already touched the edge of the railing.
One more pull, and he could flip over, stepping onto this long-coveted giant ship.
He looked up.
Even catching a glimpse of what looked like an incredibly comfortable lounge chair on the deck.
"Heh heh..."
He couldn't help but chuckle.
However.
The next second.
"Thump."
An extremely faint, muffled sound.
Like a needle popping a balloon.
Skinny Monkey's laughter cut off abruptly.
A finger-sized hole appeared without warning in the center of his forehead.
Not even a splatter of blood.
The bullet was too fast, too hot, instantly cauterizing the wound.
Skinny Monkey's eyes widened.
The greed in his pupils hadn't faded before the light of life extinguished completely.
His grip loosened.
His body stiffened and fell backward like a ragged sack.
"Splash!"
The corpse hit the sea, stirring a small wave.
Pockface, climbing vigorously below, felt something warm and wet drip onto his face.
He instinctively reached to wipe it.
Sticky.
Before he could process whether it was brain matter or blood.
"Thump."
A second muffled sound.
Pockface's chest exploded in a mist of blood.
The kinetic bullet pierced straight through his heart, shattering his spine along with it.
He didn't even have time to scream.
His eyes rolled back, limbs twitched once.
Then, following Skinny Monkey, he plunged into the deep sea.
It all happened too fast.
So fast that the bald leader, climbing at the front, had no time to react.
He only heard two splashes.
"Skinny Monkey? Pockface?"
"Stop fucking around! Keep it down!"
The bald man cursed under his breath, turning to look down.
The rope was empty.
On the dark sea below, only two expanding patches of dark red blood.
And two corpses slowly sinking.
"?!"
The bald man's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Where were they?
Two men, alive and kicking moments ago.
How could they vanish in the blink of an eye?
The terror of the unknown made every hair on his body stand on end.
He jerked his head up.
And met a pair of eyes.
A pair of eyes looked down at him as if observing an insignificant ant.
Qin Yu stood by the railing.
He wasn't holding a gun.
Yet the invisible pressure he radiated was more suffocating than any gun barrel.
Beside Qin Yu,
a pitch-black gun barrel was aimed squarely at the bald man's head.
A faint wisp of smoke still curled from the muzzle.
"Still climbing?"
Qin Yu's voice was soft,
but in the silence of the night, it pierced clearly into the bald man's ears.
The bald man froze mid-climb.
He didn't dare go up,
nor did he dare retreat.
His hands trembled, his calves cramped.
It was the instinctive reaction of prey encountering its predator.
"B-bro…"
The bald man forced out a smile uglier than tears, his voice shaking.
"A m-misunderstanding…"
"We… we were just passing by…"
"Wanted to ask for some water…"
"Ask for water?"
Qin Yu's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"With hooks and knives to ask for water?"
"Your way of asking is quite unique."
Cold sweat poured down the bald man's face.
He swallowed hard, eyes darting around, searching for an escape route.
But
that dark gun muzzle hung over his neck like a scythe of death.
He had a gut feeling—
if he dared let go or make a sudden move,
the next moment,
his head would burst open like those two unlucky souls before him.
"Climb up."
Qin Yu said flatly.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
His tone left no room for doubt.
The bald man shuddered.
He knew he had no choice.
Gritting his teeth, he scrambled over the railing with hands and feet.
The moment his feet touched the deck,
his knees gave way, and he collapsed with a thud.
It wasn't that he wanted to kneel—
his legs had truly gone weak.
This deck…
was too clean.
Not a speck of dust in sight.
Even the treated wooden floor emitted a faint woody fragrance.
Compared to their foul-smelling, urine-stained broken raft, this place was heaven.
"D-don't kill me…"
The bald man groveled on the floor, knocking his head repeatedly.
"I was wrong… I didn't know who you were…"
"I'm strong! I can work for you!"
"I can gut fish! I can row!"
"Please… don't kill me…"
Just then,
the sliding glass door behind them slid open with a whoosh.
"What's going on?"
"Was that… gunfire?"
Yao Xue's voice came through.
She held a scalpel and wore a white silk robe.
Though it was sleepwear, it couldn't conceal her striking curves.
Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her expression a mix of wariness and languid charm—
the unique allure of a mature woman.
Close behind her was Yao Qian.
The girl still clutched a game controller.
She wore an oversized men's T-shirt and shorts, her long, pale legs gleaming in the light.
Fuzzy slippers adorned her feet.
Her face was full of confusion and curiosity.
"Brother Qin Yu… was that thunder?"
Yao Qian rubbed her eyes and peered outside.
When they saw the bald man kneeling on the deck, they both froze.
And the bald man—
the moment he looked up, he was utterly stunned.
His jaw dropped, drool trickling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
Women.
Real women.
And…
they were stunning!
The one on the left was cold and elegant, like a queen.
The one on the right was pure and adorable, with legs... those dazzlingly white legs...
The bald man had never in his life seen women so clean and beautiful.
Even before the apocalypse, goddesses of this caliber were something he could only see on television.
But now.
They stood less than five meters away from him.
The air even seemed to carry the pleasant scent of their body wash.
Gulp.
The bald man swallowed hard.
The greed and desire etched into his bones momentarily overpowered his fear.
His gaze turned lecherous, vulgar.
It roamed over those two pairs of legs.
As if he wanted to strip them naked.
"Is this... is this heaven?"
He muttered to himself.
He even instinctively tried to crawl forward a couple of steps.
"Seeking death."
A cold snort exploded in his ears like thunder.
Qin Yu's expression instantly darkened.
That look in the man's eyes.
It disgusted him.
Deeply disgusted him.
They were his women.
How dare this toad look at them with such eyes?
"Thump!"
Without warning, Qin Yu lifted his foot.
He kicked the bald man hard in the face.
This kick used only thirty percent of his strength.
But with his system-enhanced physique, even that was enough to shatter stone and break monuments.
"Ahhh!!!"
A piercing scream tore through the night sky.
The bald man flew backward, slammed heavily against the railing, and bounced back onto the deck.
Clutching his face, he writhed in agony on the deck.
Blood gushed from between his fingers.
His nose bridge was completely collapsed, half of his yellowed teeth shattered, mixed with blood and spit all over the ground.
"If you don't want your eyes, I can help gouge them out."
Qin Yu walked over and stepped on the man's chest.
Looking down from above.
His eyes filled with brutality.
"If you dare glance at them improperly again."
"I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the fish."
The killing intent was palpable.
The bald man convulsed in pain, but his mind instantly cleared.
A bone-chilling cold seized him.
He quickly shut his eyes, pressing his head firmly against the deck, not daring to lift it again.
"I won't look... I don't dare..."
"Spare me... have mercy..."
Yao Xue frowned.
As a doctor, she was accustomed to life and death, but this scene still made her uncomfortable.
Yet she said nothing.
She simply walked over and stood behind Qin Yu, coldly watching the man on the ground.
She understood perfectly.
If these men had won tonight.
The fate awaiting her and her sister would be ten thousand times worse than death.
Such was the law of the apocalypse.
Mercy toward enemies was cruelty toward oneself.
Yao Qian, however, was startled. Hiding behind her sister, she peeked out with wide eyes, both curious and fearful as she studied the intruder.
"Brother Qin Yu... is he a bad person?"
"Yes."
Qin Yu didn't turn around, grinding his foot harder into the bald man's chest.
"He's a wealth delivery boy."
"Wealth?"
Yao Qian was puzzled.
The man was dressed like a beggar—where was the wealth?
Qin Yu crouched down.
He reached out and grabbed the black metal cylinder at the bald man's waist.
It was what he had seen in the surveillance footage.
"Ah! Don't touch that! It's mine..."
The bald man instinctively tried to protect it.
But upon seeing Qin Yu's icy gaze, he instantly withdrew his hand.
Qin Yu yanked the object free.
He weighed it in his hand.
It was heavy.
Although the casing was somewhat damaged and wrapped with several layers of tape,
The distinctive mechanical structure and the broken wiring connector at the tail confirmed it.
No mistake.
[System Detection: Obtained Damaged Ship Propeller Component (Grade C)]
[Description: This is the core nozzle component of an old-fashioned diesel propeller. While not particularly useful on its own, it proves that a complete propeller must exist nearby.]
A satisfied curve lifted the corner of Qin Yu's lips.
Just as expected.
He had guessed right.
Although this thing was junk,
it was a clue.
"Talk."
Qin Yu tossed the metal lump in front of the bald man.
It landed with a sharp clang.
"Where did this come from?"
The bald man trembled all over.
He cautiously opened one eye, swollen to a slit, and glanced at the component.
This was his final lifeline.
He knew.
If he talked, he would lose his value.
If he didn't...
"I... I found it..."
The bald man's eyes darted around as he attempted to lie.
"It was just... floating on the sea over there..."
Crack!
A sound of grinding bones echoed.
Without wasting words,
Qin Yu directly stomped and broke the bald man's left index finger.
"Ahhh!!!"
Screams erupted once more.
Tears and snot streamed down the bald man's face as he curled up like a shrimp.
"I don't like nonsense."
Qin Yu's voice remained calm.
A calm that bred despair.
"You have ten fingers."
"That means ten chances."
"You can keep making up stories."
"Let's see if you can lie faster than I can stomp."
After speaking,
Qin Yu lifted his foot, hovering it above the bald man's middle finger.
It was a countdown to death.
"Stop! Don't stomp! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
The bald man completely broke down.
This man was a devil!
He didn't play by any rules!
No negotiations, no conditions—none of that existed with him.
Only absolute violence.
"East... to the east! About twenty nautical miles east!"
The bald man shouted, terrified that any delay would cost him another finger.
"There's a... a Sunken Ship Island there!"
"Sunken Ship Island?"
Qin Yu's eyes flickered.
"Yes! It's a stranded cargo ship! A huge one!"
Gasping for breath, the bald man spilled everything like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
"Half of that cargo ship is above water, forming a place like an island."
"This thing... I pried it from the engine room of that ship..."
"But there... there are monsters there!"
"Lots of monsters!"
At the mention of monsters, genuine fear flashed in the bald man's eyes.
More fear than when facing Qin Yu.
"There are many more machines like this there... even complete engines..."
"But I really don't dare go back..."
"I've told you everything I know... really everything..."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.
He stared into the bald man's eyes for a few seconds.
The system didn't indicate he was lying.
And that micro-expression of fear couldn't be faked.
A stranded cargo ship.
Engine room.
Complete engines.
Wasn't this exactly what he was looking for?
"Good."
Qin Yu withdrew his foot.
The ferocity on his face eased slightly.
"It seems you still have some value."
He turned and looked toward the eastern sea.
Pitch black.
But in his eyes, it now shimmered with golden light.
The glow of power.
The hope of making this 800-square-meter maritime fortress move.
"Should we throw him overboard too?"
Yao Xue walked over, glanced at the bald man collapsed on the ground, and asked softly.
Her tone was flat.
As if asking whether to throw away a bag of trash.
Hearing this, the bald man was scared out of his wits.
"No! Don't kill me!"
"I'm useful! I've been there! I know the way!"
"The engine room is complicated! Like a maze! You can't get in without a guide!"
"Keep me! I can lead the way! I can be cannon fodder!"
To survive, he would stop at nothing.
Even if it meant being a dog.
Even if it meant being cannon fodder.
As long as he could live one more second.
Qin Yu stopped walking.
He looked back at this man whose face was covered in tears and snot.
A guide?
Indeed.
The internal structure of a giant cargo ship was extremely complex. Having a human navigation system would save a lot of trouble.
Moreover.
Since there were monsters there.
Having an extra scout to take the fall would reduce his own risk.
"Tie him up."
Qin Yu ordered calmly.
"Throw him into the empty storage room on the bottom level."
"Throw him a piece of bread so he doesn't starve to death."
"Tomorrow morning."
"We set out."
Hearing this, the bald man went limp like a puddle of mud on the ground.
Gasping for breath heavily.
He had survived.
Though only temporarily.
But he had survived after all.
Yao Qian looked at the dirty man with some disgust.
"I'll get the rope."
She ran back to the room and brought back a bundle of nylon rope normally used to tie boxes.
Under Qin Yu's guidance, the two sisters worked together to tie the bald man up like a zongzi.
They stuffed a ragged cloth into his mouth.
To prevent him from shouting.
"Drag him down."
Qin Yu waved his hand.
As if dealing with a piece of loot.
Night deepened.
The deck returned to calm.
Only the blood-stained corner spoke of the slaughter that had just occurred.
Qin Yu stood at the bow.
The sea breeze scattered the scent of blood on him.
"Sunken Ship Island..."
He murmured to himself.
His eyes flashed with ambition.
Three days.
The system had given him three days.
These three days weren't just for gathering supplies.
But also to prepare for the coming "Extreme Ice Hell."
If they didn't get that engine.
Once the sea froze over, they would be sitting ducks in this vast ocean.
"Just wait."
Qin Yu clenched his fist.
"Whether you're monsters or hell itself."
"That engine."
"I will have it."
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