"....System Announcement..."
"...Congratulations to all players for surviving the fifth day. The Trading System is now officially open. Please check the Logbook for details..."
A strange voice echoed in Yang Yi's mind as he slowly regained consciousness.
"The fifth day... Have I been unconscious for more than two days?"
Yang Yi felt as if his limbs were filled with lead, his whole body was cold, his lips were cracked, and his throat was on fire.
He immediately checked his status.
Status: Severely Wounded/Corpse Poison Infection (Severe) [His entire body turned red]
Sanity: 100/100
Stamina: 23/100
Health: 14/100 (Below 100 is Injured, below 50 is Moderately Wounded, below 30 is Severely Wounded, below 10 is Dying. In a Dying state, any attack may result in instant death.)
Yang Yi's condition was dangerously close to death.
He struggled to get up, his thirst unbearable, planning to eat something to replenish his fluids before checking the Trade Channel to see if he could buy life-saving medicine.
But as he stood up, he suddenly noticed a ship docked beside him.
It was a pirate ship flying a skull flag, over twenty meters long, with two grappling hooks latching onto the Nightmare.
Moreover, a wooden plank connected the two ships, forming a narrow bridge.
"Not good!"
Yang Yi instantly became alert, but it was too late.
An arrow flew towards him, striking his left arm with great force, piercing through it.
This arrow drained Yang Yi's health down to 9 points, putting him in a Dying state.
He immediately fell down, hiding below the ship's railing.
Soon, there was movement on the plank between the two ships.
Someone was crossing the bridge.
They were likely coming to confirm Yang Yi's life or death.
The arrow wasn't fatal, as it didn't hit a vital spot.
But Yang Yi fell quickly, and the opponent might not have seen clearly, needing to come closer to confirm.
Due to the rules, they couldn't board the Nightmare directly.
So they had been following, waiting for the ship owner, Yang Yi, to appear, planning to kill him to board the ship....
Yang Yi quickly pieced together the situation, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.
"If you want to kill me, then surely being killed... you won't have any complaints!"
He thought to himself, his heart set on killing.
Yang Yi's left arm was injured, but it didn't hurt. His right arm was fine, allowing him to aim and pull the trigger.
So he gripped the Flintlock Pistol, discreetly lifting the Boarding Restriction.
He was certain the opponent didn't have any powerful firearms, or they would have fired long ago.
When the man boarded the ship, the first thing he noticed was a person lying on the deck.
His face was pale, eyes bloodshot, like a zombie, emitting a nauseating stench of decay. (Caused by Corpse Poison)
More terrifying was that this "zombie" held a large-caliber Flintlock Pistol, its dark muzzle aimed directly at him...
"Don't move. If you dare draw your bow or make any aggressive move, I'll blow your head off immediately!" Yang Yi threatened, slowly sitting up from the ground.
The opponent, with a gun pointed at him, dared not act rashly.
But in truth, Yang Yi also hesitated to fire easily. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
After all, the gun was most threatening when not fired.
Once he fired, two outcomes were possible: a misfire or a gunshot.
If it misfired, Yang Yi would be doomed.
If it fired, the opponent would likely be blown apart by the powerful Flintlock Pistol.
"Drop your weapon, and don't make any unnecessary moves!" Yang Yi's voice was low and hoarse, full of authority.
The opponent hesitated, frozen in place, unsure whether to drop his weapon.
Yang Yi, however, stood up nonchalantly, a strong sea stench wafting from him, making one want to vomit.
An arrow still hung from his left arm, yet he acted as if nothing was wrong, not blinking as he pulled out a large eyeball from his clothes with his left hand and took a bite.
The Eyeball Fruit trembled, seemingly pleading for mercy.
But Yang Yi was too thirsty to resist, devouring it in three bites.
The black, sticky juice smeared his mouth.
The opponent was dumbfounded with fear.
[Stimulated, your Sanity decreases by 10]
He glanced down, seeing a few rotten Long-Legged Sardines on the deck, a stinking Cyst Porcupinefish, and a pile of bitten-off sardine heads.
[You see some unknown creatures with signs of gnawing, Sanity decreases by 7]
Realizing this was a Ghost Ship, he was scared out of his wits.
With a scream, he threw down his weapon and turned to flee.
Yang Yi seized the opportunity to aim, waiting for him to take two steps before pulling the trigger.
Click!
The gun misfired, the sound barely audible.
The opponent, with his back to Yang Yi, didn't notice at all.
Yang Yi immediately picked up his bow and arrow.
[Name: Pirate Longbow]
[Type: Treasure]
[Grade: Fine]
[Description: Slightly increases archery accuracy and reduces the strength needed to draw the string.
A pirate's good companion!]
Without hesitation, Yang Yi decisively pricked the Cyst Porcupinefish with the arrowhead, then drew the bow to aim.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew.
Yang Yi, physically weak, couldn't fully draw the bowstring, and his aim was poor.
But with only three or four meters between the ships, he still hit, striking the opponent's thigh, though the wound wasn't deep.
But in truth... Yang Yi had aimed for his chest...
Hitting was enough!
The opponent pulled out the arrow without stopping, running straight for the bow of the ship, seemingly trying to escape.
Yang Yi had no intention of pursuing, instead lying back down.
His current condition was terrible.
If the opponent counterattacked, it would be hard to say.
Fortunately, the opponent was scared out of his wits and sailed away.
Only when the sounds faded did Yang Yi muster the strength to get up.
He couldn't feel pain, his wounds didn't bleed, only dizziness and a slight sluggishness in his body.
He went into the cabin, replenished some water, ate all the Eyeball Fruits, and after recovering a bit, looked out at the sea.
The opponent had already fled quite far, the ship becoming a black silhouette.
Yang Yi maneuvered the Nightmare, following from a distance.
He was waiting for the opponent to succumb to the poison.
After all, the Cyst Porcupinefish, just by its name, was known to be highly toxic, likely an Abyssal Corruption-tainted pufferfish.
And pufferfish toxins were famous for their potency.
After about fifteen minutes of pursuit, he caught up.
Then, using the same method, he grappled the opponent's ship, approached, and used planks to build a bridge.
It must be said, Yang Yi's condition was so poor that he had to rest three or four times just to move the planks.
Boarding the opponent's ship, Yang Yi held the Flintlock Pistol, staying alert as he slowly approached the bow deck.
The opponent appeared dead, lying motionless on the ground.
But it could be a ruse, to make Yang Yi lower his guard!
He might have an antidote!
Yang Yi was highly cautious, maintaining a safe distance of four or five meters, and fired a shot at his head.
Click!
The gun misfired again, a truly frustrating situation!
But Yang Yi was patient.
A minute later.
Bang!
The opponent's head exploded into a pulp.
Only then did Yang Yi approach with confidence.
Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of ropes.
After being tricked by the Drowned One, Yang Yi was a hundred times more cautious.
He checked the opponent's body, discovering a glowing orb.
[You obtained Conch Coin*400]
This was likely the opponent's money.
And his pirate outfit was also a good item.
[Bloodstained Elegant Pirate Outfit]
[Type: Relic]
[Quality: Fine]
[Description: This outfit belonged to a self-proclaimed fool.
Agility +1, wearing it will cause continuous Sanity loss, immune to Sanity loss if Spirit is 8 or above.]
Wearing this outfit, the opponent's Sanity probably wasn't high, possibly already insane.
Yang Yi took the outfit, preparing to loot the pirate ship.
But he suddenly noticed... his question mark skill's unlock condition changed from 0/3 to 1/3.
"Could it be that the unlock condition is killing people?"
Yang Yi wasn't sure, as he didn't know exactly when it increased.