Grand Voyage : Surviving on a Ghost Ship

Chapter 9 - Unlocking Trade and a Sneak Attack

?System Notification?

“Congratulations to all players for surviving the fifth day. The trading system is now officially open. Please refer to the log for details…”

A strange voice echoed in Yang Yi's mind as he slowly regained consciousness.

"Fifth?... Have I been unconscious for more than two days?"

Yang Yi felt as if his limbs were filled with lead. His entire body was cold, his lips were cracked, and his throat was on fire.

He immediately checked his status.

Status: Severe Injury/Corpse Poison Infection (Severe) (His entire body has turned red)

Sanity: 100/100

Energy: 23/100

Health: 14/100 (Below 100: Injured, Below 50: Moderately Injured, Below 30: Severely Injured, Below 10: Critical Condition, In Critical Condition, further attacks may lead to instant death)

Yang Yi was already on the brink of death.

Struggling to get up, he felt a dire need for water. He decided to eat something to replenish his fluids and then check the trading channel to see if he could buy any life-saving medicine.

But just as he rose, he noticed a ship docked alongside him.

It was a pirate ship, flying a skull flag, over twenty metres long, with two grappling hooks securing it to his ship, the Nightmare.

A narrow wooden plank had been placed between the two ships, forming a makeshift bridge.

"Not good!"

Yang Yi was instantly alert, but it was too late. An arrow flew towards him, striking his left arm with such force that it pierced straight through.

That one hit reduced Yang Yi's health by 9 points, pushing him into a critical state.

He immediately collapsed, hiding below the ship's railing.

Moments later, he heard movement on the wooden plank between the two ships.

Someone was crossing it.

They were likely coming to confirm whether Yang Yi was dead or alive. The arrow hadn't been fatal, as it missed all vital organs. But Yang Yi had fallen quickly, so the assailant might not have seen clearly.

Due to certain rules, the intruder couldn't directly board the Nightmare.

So, they had been waiting for Yang Yi, the ship's owner, to show up so they could kill him and claim the ship...

Yang Yi quickly pieced together what had happened, his eyes gleaming with resolve.

"If you want to kill me, then you must be prepared to be killed...without any complaints!"

He made up his mind.

Although his left arm was injured, it wasn't too painful. His right arm was still functional, allowing him to aim and pull the trigger.

So, he gripped the flintlock pistol, secretly disabling the landing restrictions.

He was quite certain the assailant didn't have powerful cannons; otherwise, they would have already blown the ship to pieces.

As the man boarded the ship, the first thing he noticed was a body lying on the deck.

The body looked ghastly, with bloodshot eyes and pale skin, exuding a nauseating stench of decay (caused by the corpse poison).

What was even more terrifying was that this "corpse" was holding a large-calibre flintlock pistol, its black barrel aimed directly at him...

"Don't move! If you try to draw your bow or make any aggressive moves, I'll blow your head off right now!" Yang Yi threatened, slowly sitting up from the ground.

The intruder, now staring down the barrel of the gun, dared not make a move.

In reality, Yang Yi was also hesitant to fire. After all, the gun was most threatening when it wasn't fired. If he pulled the trigger, two things could happen: a misfire or a gunshot.

If it misfired, Yang Yi would be as good as dead.

If the gun fired, the intruder would likely be blasted to pieces by the powerful flintlock.

"Drop your weapons on the ground, and don't make any sudden movements!" Yang Yi's voice was low and hoarse, yet full of authority.

The intruder hesitated, unsure whether to comply.

Yang Yi, seemingly unbothered, stood up, a strong stench of decay wafting from his body, making anyone around him nauseous.

His left arm still had an arrow lodged in it, but he acted as if nothing were wrong. Without blinking, he reached into his clothes with his left hand and pulled out a large eyeball, taking a bite.

The eyeball quivered, as if pleading for mercy.

But Yang Yi was too thirsty to care, devouring it in three bites.

Black, sticky liquid dripped from his mouth.

The intruder was paralysed with fear.

?Due to the shock, your Sanity has decreased by 10 points?

Looking down, he noticed some rotten, long-legged sardines on the deck, along with a bloated, rotting pufferfish, and several decapitated sardine heads.

?You have encountered some unidentified creatures with signs of consumption; your Sanity has decreased by 7 points?

Realising this was a ghost ship, the intruder nearly lost his mind. With a scream, he threw down his weapon and fled.

Yang Yi aimed carefully, waiting until the man had taken a few steps before pulling the trigger.

Click!

The gun misfired, making only a small sound.

The intruder, with his back to Yang Yi, didn't even notice.

Yang Yi quickly picked up the bow and arrows the intruder had dropped.

?Name: Pirate Longbow?

?Type: Treasure?

?Quality: Fine?

?Description: Slightly increases archery accuracy and reduces the strength needed to draw the string. A pirate's good companion!?

Without hesitation, Yang Yi dipped an arrowhead into the bloated pufferfish and then drew the bow.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew.

Yang Yi was too weak to fully draw the bowstring, and his aim was poor.

But the ships were only three or four metres apart, so he still managed to hit the target, striking the intruder in the thigh, though the wound was shallow.

In truth, Yang Yi had aimed for his chest… But hitting something was good enough!

The intruder pulled out the arrow and continued to flee towards the ship's bow, trying to escape.

Yang Yi had no intention of giving chase; instead, he lay back down.

He was in terrible shape. If the intruder had counterattacked, things could have gone very badly.

Fortunately, the intruder was too terrified, and he quickly boarded his ship and sailed away.

Only when the sound of the departing ship faded did Yang Yi force himself to get up. He now looked like a zombie, and in fact, he was indeed at risk of turning into one. He didn't feel any pain, his wounds weren't bleeding, but he was dizzy, and his body felt sluggish.

He entered the cabin, drank some water, and simply consumed all the eyeball fruit he had, regaining a bit of strength before looking out at the sea.

The other ship was already a black dot on the horizon.

Yang Yi steered the Nightmare to follow from a distance. He was waiting for the poison to take effect. After all, the bloated puffer fish was highly toxic, likely contaminated by the Abyss. Pufferfish toxin was notoriously lethal.

After about fifteen minutes, he caught up with the ship.

Then, he used grappling hooks to secure the other ship, and after approaching, he laid down the wooden plank again.

It must be said that Yang Yi was in such poor condition that just moving the plank required several rests.

Once aboard the pirate ship, Yang Yi, holding his flintlock pistol, cautiously approached the deck.

The intruder appeared dead, lying motionless on the ground.

However, it could’ve been a trick, meant to lower Yang Yi's guard!

He might have had an antidote!

Yang Yi remained vigilant, keeping a safe distance of four or five metres before aiming at the man's head and pulling the trigger.

Click!

Another misfire, the weapon was truly unreliable!

But Yang Yi was patient.

A minute later,

Bang!

The intruder's head exploded into a mess.

Only then did Yang Yi cautiously approach. Once bitten, twice shy. After being deceived by the Drowned, Yang Yi had become much more cautious.

He searched the intruder's body and found a glowing orb.

?You have obtained Sea Shell Coins 400?

This was probably the intruder's money. The pirate outfit he wore was also a valuable item.

?Name: Bloodstained Luxurious Pirate Outfit?

?Type: Relic?

?Quality: Fine?

?Description: This outfit belonged to a self-important fool. Agility +1, wearing it will cause a gradual decrease in Sanity, though those with a Spirit of 8 or higher can resist this effect.?

The intruder likely had low Sanity, and may have even gone mad.

Yang Yi kept the outfit, intending to loot the pirate ship. But then he noticed...the conditions to unlock his mysterious skill had changed from 0/3 to 1/3.

"Could it be that killing people is the key to unlocking it?"

He wasn't sure, as he didn't know exactly when the progress had changed.