Chapter 3

I stopped abruptly just as my toes had penetrated two inches into the boot shaft.

There was an extremely unnatural dark water stain on the rough edge of the sailor's leather.

"Once I secretly unearth that fortune... I'll buy the most potent poison." Ryan's drunken words from last night flashed through my mind.

He made his move.

Without hesitation, I raised my knee and kicked the heavy leather boot to the ground.

A tiny octopus covered in eerie blue spots rolled out limply from the wide boot shaft, and startled, it immediately opened its venomous beak.

I drew my large dagger with a backhand motion, and with a swift stroke, pinned it to the floor.

Just then, the hatch was suddenly pushed open.

"Captain! What's wrong?" Ryan rushed in first, followed by several sailors on duty.

When Ryan saw the nailed octopus, the excitement on his face froze instantly, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"Boss! How... how come there's a blue-ringed octopus in this boot?" He raised his voice, trying to hide the disappointment in his tone.

I drew my dagger and casually wiped the poisonous slime off the leather of my boot.

"The sea is too dangerous; all sorts of strange things can be found there. Notify the helmsman to set sail at full speed and return to the mainland immediately."

A flash of wild joy appeared in Raine's eyes.

He was worried about not having a suitable excuse to quickly return to the mainland to prepare supplies for the apocalypse.

"The boss is brilliant! I'll go and have the sails raised to full capacity right away!" he shouted in agreement, turning and running off impatiently.

I stared coldly at his retreating figure.

——

Three days later, the pirate ship successfully docked.

Standing on the deck of the mainland port, I raised my binoculars and scanned the bustling unloading area.

As expected, there were several laborers on the street ahead whose movements were extremely stiff. Their arms moved like rusty machines, and their necks were covered with abnormal purplish-black veins.

The apocalypse is real; we must not linger on the mainland.

Before I could speak, Ryan made an excuse to leave, and I took the opportunity to put down my binoculars and disembark with a few loyal former subordinates.

We headed straight for the city's largest underground black market.

Stepping into the office of the black market boss, I opened the entire box of genuine treasures I had brought back from the deep-sea cave.

The person in charge's eyes widened instantly.

"Load all the hard currency in the warehouse onto the trucks as quickly as possible." I didn't even glance at the gold bars.

I bought out all the post-apocalyptic supplies in the black market warehouse in one go, and had them procure even more for me.

Once these massive amounts of supplies have been gathered, I will immediately lead my troops to withdraw and retreat to that previously undiscovered island deep in the ocean.

That was a great place I stumbled upon during my wanderings, perfect for hiding from zombies.

——

As evening fell, a violent commotion of smashing and looting suddenly erupted outside the VIP trading room on the second floor of the black market.

"Open your dog eyes and see who I am!" Renn's roar pierced through the heavy soundproof door, filled with extreme madness. "How could all the defensive supplies be missing? I have plenty of money! Find out who stole my stuff!"

If he knew who had emptied the black market, he wouldn't dare shout outside the door even if he had ten times the courage.

"Bang!"

Two black market bodyguards failed to stop the crazed Renn, who kicked open the VIP door with a thud.

Raine stormed into the room like a raging wild dog, clutching a military dagger with a blood-stained groove in his hand.

"Who intercepted my goods?!" he roared angrily into the room, his eyes bloodshot.

Then, his mania abruptly stopped.

Because what he saw first was the pile of hundreds and thousands of dazzling gold coins on the table, and a golden statue of Neptune radiating a blinding light under the spotlight.

The treasure he had once considered his for the taking had vanished without a trace in a deep-sea cave.

Raine's pupils dilated suddenly, as if he had been hit on the head with a heavy hammer, and he abruptly raised his head.

On the large leather sofa, I crossed my legs and picked up a glass of whiskey with ice.

"Are you looking for these things, my first mate?"

I looked at him with a half-smile, raised my glass in a distant toast.