novelraw Chapter 65: Black Rabbit
Chapter 65: Black Rabbit
Under the gloomy sky, torrential rain relentlessly pounded against the Black Rabbit.
The Coastal Apex Predator's scaled body scraped across the deck, leaving fresh gashes with each pass.
Before boarding, under the guidance of Blackfin Crew members, the Black Rabbit Gang had learned to operate the boilers, how to weather storms, and how to deal with sharks and cannon fire.
Now, they faced a Coastal Apex Predator.
"We just learned how to sail this thing..."
"Stop whining! Get your weapons ready!"
"Where's the expert?! We need the expert!"
The gang members looked toward the bow where their expert had been stationed.
The Blackfin Crew specialist who'd been wielding a shotgun now lay in a bloody heap on the deck, victim of the predator's attack.
Amid the howling storm, fear turned to chaos, then chaos into raw survival instinct.Gang members raised their firearms, aiming at the colossal creature before them.
Black Rabbit, their leader, dodged the predator's charge with street-honed reflexes and bellowed:
"Hold your fire!"
Attacking a Coastal Apex Predator without overwhelming force was suicide!
But under the creature's terrifying presence, his order fell on deaf ears.
The gang opened fire, believing all fear stemmed from insufficient firepower.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire clashed against scales, sparking brilliant flashes.
Their ammunition ran dry within moments.
As the Black Rabbit Gang emptied their magazines, the Blackship Sea Dragon slowly turned its head.
Its saucer-sized intelligent blue eyes blinked as if asking, "Oh, were you shooting at me?"
Gang members reloaded while retreating.
BOOM!
The predator lunged with jaws agape toward those who'd fired upon it.
Amidst the chaos, only Black Rabbit remained calm—a veteran of countless gang wars.
"All mobile personnel, abandon ship! Follow me to the lifeboats!"
Bracing against the rain, the gang leader lit a cigarette with difficulty, straightened his suit, and quickened his pace across the tilting deck toward the lifeboats.
He muttered to steady his nerves:
"The Coastal Apex Predator is just a beast—and judging by its size, a juvenile. Its aggression has limits."
"Our real threat isn't the predator—it's that damned chef who led us into this trap, into its territory."
"A mere chef daring such treachery... Our lifeboats are too slow. The best escape would be his boat."
"Our best move is commandeering his vessel."
"Wait... No. He's too composed—shows no proper fear of the predator."
Black Rabbit edged toward the railing and peered seaward.
There, Chen Qi had disembarked from his cabin cruiser and now walked upon the waves.
His black blade left watery trails as he strode calmly forward, surrounded by Black Sludge creatures that swarmed like a dark tide answering the ocean's call.
"......"
"......"
Black Rabbit clenched his cigarette:
"How can a first-phase transcendent walk on water?!"
Aquatic mobility required exceptional spiritual energy control.
The gang leader called out:
"Chef! How are you doing this? Are you some new navy mage apprentice from Beiguo?"
Even with skill cards and state training, this surpassed first-phase capabilities.
Chen Qi glanced sideways:
"Navy? No. Just an unregistered hunter."
Black Rabbit kept moving toward the lifeboats while maintaining dialogue:
"Not navy? Really? I thought you were sent to eliminate us."
Energy surged through Chen Qi's body as he vaulted onto the deck, blocking Black Rabbit's path to the lifeboats.
The Coastal Apex Predator possessed bestial instincts with limited intellect—food baiting remained effective.
Currently, the creature charged toward the ship's galley like a gluttonous husky, giving the gang a lesson in "food motivation."
Standing on the rain-slick deck, Chen Qi faced Black Rabbit directly.
Some matters required personal handling.
But these waters held more than just the Coastal Apex Predator.
Black Sludge—less notorious but equally dangerous—now engulfed the ship.
The amorphous creatures coalesced beneath the hull, climbing the sides like a colossal black hand emerging from the depths to grasp the vessel.
Truthfully, the local Ghostfire Fish were also notoriously aggressive—had they not been recently depleted, the spectacle would've been grander.
Sludge oozed onto the deck, engulfing and consuming every human in sight.
Some tendrils inexplicably slithered up Chen Qi's anti-slip hunter boots, creeping beneath his clothes without attacking.
This unharmed coexistence made the ordinary-seeming hunter suddenly terrifying in Black Rabbit's eyes.
Gang members stared at the sludge-wreathed figure.
"Monster..."
"Why isn't the sludge attacking him?!"
"That's no man! It's the monster that lured us here!"
They recoiled, unable to meet Chen Qi's gaze even in the storm.
Only one man stepped forward.
THUD!
Black Rabbit advanced.
If their leader faltered, who among the fifty crew would dare confront this being? Who'd survive?
As gang leader, he'd mastered Breathing Techniques, Body Forging Methods, and possessed advanced micro-armor.
Chen Qi exhaled, circulating internal energy.
Battle lust drew him toward Black Rabbit—real combat honed skills best!
Time to test second-phase opponents!
Perhaps the Blade path suits me... Chen Qi's gaze sharpened as he ignited Ghostfire Oil coating his blade with a finger-swipe.
Blue flames erupted across the darkened seascape.
Black Rabbit's weariness vanished as he ripped open his shirt:
"Never thought I'd need this on my first voyage."
Beneath lay an intricate network of steam pipes grafted to his musculature like dark tribal tattoos—the cutting-edge Black Rabbit Micro-Armor Mark II, rare implant variant.
Chen Qi's eyes gleamed with interest.