Chapter 57 The Course Has Changed

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Chi Sui's hand, reaching out to open the door, was a fraction too late.

The enraged captain's eyes turned bloodred, a terrifying sight to behold.

The lock on the door had already been shattered by the fragment the captain hurled. Its sharp edge faced Chi Sui; the moment she reached out again, her hand would be shredded and bleeding profusely.

By this time, the captain no longer looked normal.

As he advanced step by step, the cramped cabin began to shudder. The chandelier at the ceiling swayed violently, gradually showing signs of falling apart.

"Are you out of your mind? The cabin is going to collapse like this! Aren't you the captain of this vessel?"

The violent shaking of the cabin made it impossible for Chi Sui to stand steadily. The only available handhold left was the sharp fragment embedded in the door handle.

Terrified of sinking to her knees amidst the violent tremors, Chi Sui gritted her teeth and grabbed the jagged piece. In an instant, the piercing agony sharpened her senses. Warm blood slowly dripped from her palm; in her state of hyper-focus, she could even hear the sound of the droplets falling.

Yet the captain, with his bloodred eyes, seemed utterly deaf to the world. The distance between them continued to shrink, and the hull's vibrations grew increasingly violent.

The captain's eyes bulged with rage, and traces of Bestialization began to appear on his body. From Chi Sui's angle, she could clearly see the dense fur on him shifting from black to an eerie, unnatural white.

"Do you still remember that you are the captain?"

Feeling the wood shavings raining down, she heard startled cries echoing continuously throughout the ship.

The originally sturdy deck groaned loudly, and with every step the captain took, cracks began to web across the floorboards.

All of this transpired in a matter of mere seconds. The distance between Chi Sui and him was now reduced to a single step.

Watching the captain's arm descend swiftly, Chi Sui bit her lips and squeezed her eyes shut. The moment she opened them again, her irises had turned a vivid pink.

The captain's fast-descending arm seemed to encounter an invisible resistance, slowing down progressively until it stiffened right above Chi Sui's head.

"Fascinating, but still not enough."

As these words left his mouth, the captain's body was already engulfed in white fur. Some of the hairs had grown so coarse and rigid they pierced through his clothing. At this moment, he looked precisely like an upright-walking white wolf, even his speech accompanied by the low, guttural whimpers of a beast.

The downward pressure from the arm above intensified. The pink hue in Chi Sui's eyes began to blur, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

She... could not hold on much longer.

"My apologies, my reflexes were a bit slow just now."

With a resounding thud, a hand extended from behind the captain's bulky frame, catching his collapsing form as he pitched forward.

Having suffered a heavy blow to the back of the head, the captain's eyes were now closed. The violently proliferated white fur slowly receded, restoring him to his original appearance.

The wildly resisted force was abruptly withdrawn. Left with nowhere to go, the chaotic energy wreaked havoc in Chi Sui's mind, throwing her entire body completely off balance as she lunged forward.

Unwilling to show any weakness, Chi Sui risked further lacerating her already mangled palm and once again forced her hand to grip the razor-sharp fragment.

The searing pain brought a sliver of clarity back to her muddled brain. Only then did she finally have the energy to discern who her interlocutor truly was.

It was a youthful young man dressed in black. His uniform was identical to the captain's, save for the color.

A perfectly measured smile graced his handsome, refined face, yet the upward curve of his lips felt intensely hypocritical no matter how she looked at it.

Aside from the door behind Chi Sui, this cabin lacked even a single window. The sole exit had been sealed off, yet this young man had emerged from directly behind the captain. This implied that throughout their entire confrontation, the youth had been present the whole time.

He hadn't shown up when the captain crushed the projector, nor when the lamp fixtures were shattered, nor when the fist was about to smash down onto her head. He only appeared after she had managed to subdue the captain's onslaught. What on earth was this person's motive?

At this moment, Chi Sui was filled with hostility toward every single staff member aboard this ship.

She found it impossible to believe that any good could come from a vessel whose leader attempted to murder passengers merely over a slightly disagreeable remark.

She even began to doubt how this ship had ever cleared the Merchant Association's inspection, let alone secured its designation as a vital trade route between Purple Island and Green Island.

Unfazed by Chi Sui's guarded vigilance, the young man merely shrugged dismissively.

Casually tossing the rigid body aside like a ragdoll, the youth pulled over a chair and sat down calmly right in front of Chi Sui.

"Ms. Chi, don't worry. Our captain was just a bit emotionally agitated. I've put him to sleep for a moment; no one will overhear our conversation now."

This statement naturally carried zero persuasion. Chi Sui gritted her teeth and attempted to pull the fragment out of her hand, but it only widened the wound without yielding any progress.

Dropping her arm, Chi Sui stared in silence at her ruined, blood-soaked hands. From that single impact alone, the bones beneath the lacerations were already visible.

While she bowed her head in silence, a pair of distinct-jointed hands suddenly materialized and cupped her injured palms.

In an instant, alarm bells shrieked in Chi Sui's mind, and goosebumps erupted across her arms.

She tried to retreat, but her back was already pressed firmly against the door panel—there was nowhere left to run.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Pulling her hands free, Chi Sui glared at the young man with eyes blazing with fury.

Seeing her reaction, the youth flashed his impeccably practiced smile once more, raising both hands palms-out.

"No misunderstandings, please, no misunderstandings. I just wanted to take a look at your wound. If you keep bleeding like this, you'll die of blood loss, won't you?"

With that, he produced a small porcelain vial from his pocket, placed it in his palm, and held it out toward Chi Sui.

"Why don't you do it yourself? Rest assured, there's no poison in it. I have no reason to harm you right now—after all, you are still a passenger."

Chi Sui hesitated for a moment before finally taking the medicine bottle.

It wasn't because the young man's words had convinced her, but rather because the Book of Enlightenment had suddenly unspooled before her vision. To her, not a single crew member on this ship possessed an ounce of credibility.

Seeing her take the vial and obediently begin applying the medicine, the curve of the young man's lips widened perceptibly.

"Why didn't anyone come in despite such a massive commotion?"

This was Chi Sui's greatest puzzle. She had clearly heard the screams of other passengers; why hadn't a single person come to investigate?

Were the residents of the Sky Islands truly so devoid of curiosity?

"Them? They should be sitting nicely in their own seats right now."

Supporting his chin with one hand, the youth smiled with an air of absolute innocence.

"Are you ready? This ship is about to go to its true destination."

As his words faded, the ship's public announcement system chimed to life.

"Attention, esteemed passengers. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this vessel will make an emergency stop at the upcoming Jade Island before turning back. Please prepare to disembark. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding."

"Attention, esteemed passengers......"

The broadcast repeated a total of three times, and the panic in Chi Sui's eyes grew increasingly palpable.

Only now did she notice that the stud earring in the young man's ear was emitting a steady, flickering blue light. Throughout their entire conversation, he had been executing some sort of operation in the background.

"Rancher Chi, I am the first mate of this vessel. On behalf of the crew, I bid you welcome."

"Welcome... to Red Island as our guest."

As he finished speaking, the young man's eyes flashed with a chilling, blood-red light that made Chi Sui's blood run cold.

Everyone on this ship was entirely insane.