novelraw Chapter 144: Long Time No See
Chapter 144: Long Time No See
Siren lowered her head, looking at the black-haired girl in front of her, and tugged at the little stray hair sticking up from the girl's head.
Her friend, who usually enjoyed reading anatomy books and studying sea beasts, would suddenly say such forceful words without reason.
It made no sense...
A bold thought suddenly occurred to Siren—could it be that the black-haired girl in her arms had snatched her prey just to humiliate her!
Siren leaned down, whispering softly into the black-haired girl's ear:
"Do you want to dissect him~"
Captain Gold-Tooth felt chills down his spine and immediately stepped in to mediate:
"Esteemed guest, this is the renowned chef we invited aboard, the chef from the Water Spirits dining ship, not service staff, so he can't possibly..."
Chen Qi was the chef he had hired, not some professionally trained escort.
Captain Gold-Tooth struggled to speak up for Chen Qi, but his voice grew progressively quieter, as if he were shrinking into the ground.Though a somewhat famous small-time captain, he held no authority before two distinguished third-tier Transcendents.
"This can't be..."
Chen Qi sensed something ominous from the black-haired girl's gaze.
At that moment, the black-haired girl suppressed her excitement and said to Chen Qi:
"You're a Lamp Shadow affinity Transcendent, aren't you? I mean no harm—I just want you to come to my room to complete some Skill Card transactions."
She tucked away the Skill Card in her hand, stood up, and straightened her skirt.
A Skill Card transaction that required going to her room?
The scent of deception... Chen Qi glanced around.
On this ship, aside from Siren, the cloaked old man from earlier was likely one of them too.
Three third-tier Transcendents—forcing a refusal would only complicate matters further.
Moreover, if things really went south, escaping along the way might be the wiser choice.
To persuade Chen Qi, the black-haired girl added:
"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. Compared to market prices, the Skill Cards I offer will be thirty percent cheaper."
Thirty percent cheaper? Why? Chen Qi shook his head.
He had no choice but to follow the black-haired girl, leaving the banquet hall and traversing the narrow corridor.
Even through the thick hull, the howling wind and torrential rain were audible.
Yet at this moment, Chen Qi's attention was entirely focused on the sound of the girl's footsteps ahead.
Tap, tap, tap—
Most people were still in the banquet hall, leaving the corridor eerily quiet despite the storm outside.
Chen Qi discreetly retrieved his hunting pistol from the Backpack Card, hiding it beneath his clothes, ready for a fight.
"Miss, may I ask what you intend to do?"
"Trade cards... and confirm something."
Confirm something? This can't be... Chen Qi studied the person before him, struck by an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The black-haired girl ahead stopped walking.
They had reached her room.
"Come with me."
She unlocked the door with her key, revealing a small single space—just a simple bed and a work desk.
Chen Qi took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Bang!
The door shut behind them.
Then, the moment the black-haired girl entered the room and bent down to remove her shoes—
Swish!
She suddenly twisted her body, spinning around with a dual-handed grappling technique aimed at seizing Chen Qi's head!
An ambush!
Her move wasn't a killing technique but a restraining maneuver.
Given her short stature, using this method meant she had absolute confidence in her strength.
Though not meant to injure, it was still blindingly fast!
Chen Qi instinctively dodged backward, evading the grapple.
Bang!
The black-haired girl's hands closed on empty air, her crimson eyes wide with shock.
Her surprise attack had been countered!
"So it's not you after all..."
She flexed her wrists and murmured softly:
"I just want to confirm something—and for that, I need to see your back. Cooperate, would you?"
The person before him, while agile and strong, moved recklessly—not yet at an insurmountable level.
Moreover, her voice now differed from the one in the banquet hall.
See my back?
His back bore the mark of Sea Beast Disease...
Chen Qi frowned. Few knew about the condition on his back.
And the voice from the banquet had clearly been a disguise.
This voice... it sounded like Little Crow's.
Little Crow!
Chen Qi's pupils constricted sharply, his mind reeling.
The person before him looked quite different from the Little Crow he remembered.
Moreover, encountering someone who knew his secret on a travel ship was beyond anything he'd anticipated.
But she gave him no time to think.
"A genuine second-tier Transcendent skilled in combat? That can't be..."
Little Crow shifted stances, delivering a vicious high kick—her straight right leg slicing through the air like a scalpel, aimed squarely at Chen Qi's chin.
Bang! Chen Qi channeled his energy, blocking with his forearm to neutralize the strike.
Third-tier Cup Shadow affinity, drug-test subject!
Though her frame appeared frail, as a Cup-affinity profession, her strength rivaled a bear's!
And this was merely her base strength, without any drug enhancements.
Unfortunately, her attack left too many openings—she wasn't adept at combat, nor did she harbor lethal intent...
The moment Chen Qi withstood the blow, he seized her ankle and twisted, using her momentum against her.
"!"
Little Crow immediately retracted her leg, steadying herself.
Chen Qi pressed his advantage, lashing out with a brutal whip kick aimed at her abdomen.
The speed was so fierce it tore through the air with a piercing sonic crack!
Bang!
The kick slammed into her stomach.
Little Crow, unable to defend in time, was sent crashing into the wall.
The entire room seemed to shudder violently, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface.
Despite taking a direct hit to the abdomen, she didn't utter a single cry—such was the defense of a third-tier Transcendent.
Though the strike couldn't deal substantial damage, it successfully created distance, securing Chen Qi a safer position.
At the same time, it might shock the frenzied Little Crow back to her senses.
Under normal circumstances, Little Crow would never act so rashly—suddenly resorting to restraining techniques just to inspect Chen Qi's back.
Staring at Chen Qi in disbelief, she couldn't fathom how her attack had been countered.
Without drugs, her combat prowess was still too weak.
A second-tier Transcendent with such reflexes...
"Could someone really change this much in such a short time? Maybe it's just a resemblance?"
Little Crow mused silently. At first glance, she'd thought she was seeing that assistant who'd vanished into the sea.
Over ten days ago, she'd assumed Chen Qi was dead—only Captain Blackeye had kept searching stubbornly.
For someone presumed dead to suddenly reappear under a different identity...
The impact was overwhelming!
That was why she'd acted so uncharacteristically impulsive.
But strong resemblances between people weren't uncommon.
Add Chen Qi's change of clothes, improved nutrition, and two Transcendent advancements...
His current state bore little resemblance to the frail newcomer who'd first ventured into the sea.
Not to mention, memories could deceive.
But the mark on his back wouldn't lie.
That was why she'd lured him here—to confirm the truth.
Yet contrary to her expectations, this Transcendent's reflexes and combat skills resembled those of someone trained from childhood.
Could it be? Was he truly a legitimate second-tier Transcendent, not her weak, sea-beast-parasitized assistant?
Had she mistaken him for someone else?
Little Crow felt dizzy, unable to tell.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to regain her composure.
Dragging someone to her room and attacking them just to verify their identity—how was that any different from that pervert Siren!
What was she even doing...
Now, she had to find a way to resolve this mess... Little Crow inhaled sharply, thinking rapidly.
Was knocking him out and performing physical memory erasure the only option?
Yet the next second, her pupils contracted violently, her entire body trembling.
Because from beneath his clothes, the barrel of a Collector was now aimed squarely at her chest.
Chen Qi took a deep breath:
"Long time no see, Sister Crow."