Chapter 82: Self-Detonation

Watching Mathis clutch his head, wracked by inner turmoil, Wu Chang felt a strange illusion that he himself had become Chenglefan Sect.

It's impossible.

The man clutching his head before him was the infamous pirate, the demon who took pleasure in torture and torment, the elite monster who cruelly killed players.

And he was the town's beloved labor model, the town councilor personally appointed by the mayor and the sheriff, a top-tier player desperately saving his weak teammates.

No matter how you looked at it, he was on the side of justice.

Dammit, playing too many Abyss Games had started making him doubt himself.

Both Mathis and Wu Chang sank into self-reproach, but finally Mathis came to his senses—he lifted his head and agreed to Wu Chang's request.

"Speak. What do you want to know?"

Wu Chang grinned, flashing a brilliant smile—that's more like it.

You're a pirate. Why the hell are you so loyal?

He took a deep breath and chose to start with a less incisive topic.

"Including you, many people in town are pirates, still raiding merchant ships, right?"

Mathis fell silent for a moment, then answered: "Yes."

Having seen Mathis's dungeon, this question wasn't hard to guess.

In Briver Town, townsfolk must obey the rules—harming others is a grave offense.

Mathis would never lay a hand on a townsman; the bones in that dungeon must have come from beyond the island.

The method Mathis used to execute the former postman was called Blood Eagle—a pirate's standard execution technique.

After consuming Golden Flying Fish, townsfolk transform into fish-people, matching the fully armed fish-people who sail out to the Inner World.

With these clues stacked together, the answer was obvious.

But it made sense—after all, for this group of pure-blooded old white men on the island, burning, killing, and looting was a traditional art; they couldn't let their Laozu Sect's legacy die.

Wu Chang shrugged. "Next question: your religion doesn't seem right."

Mathis's eyes darted away; he regretted agreeing to cooperate with Wu Chang.

This kid's questions were too sharp—can't you ask something easier? Even asking where he hid the money he stole as a pirate would be better than this.

But it was too late now. Mathis sighed and said: "Yes."

"What do you worship?"

"Ganzhi Sect Sect. Its doctrine promotes indulging desires, returning to nature, fully perceiving the perception world, and merging with the ocean."

Wu Chang nodded. "Was Ganzhi Sect Sect brought by Count Jermain?"

Mathis felt numb. Wait, bro, you know all this—why are you even asking me? Why don't you just answer the questions for me?

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm just an ordinary passerby. Stop wasting time. Yes or no?" Wu Chang asked.

Mathis: "Yes."

"I knew it."

Ever since he saw the church's supreme mother lacking a face, and the bishop in the cathedral with sewn-shut eyes, he'd sensed something off about the town's religion.

From what he knew, the Kingdom of Orgre worshipped a highly orthodox faith—occasionally hunting witches or scalping heretics, but never turning believers into fish-headed monsters.

The miracles on Briver Island clearly came from something else.

Yet both the Golden Flying Fish and the Inner World were massive undertakings—impossible to hide from the iron-fisted control freak, Count Jermain.

So the answer was obvious: Ganzhi Sect Sect must have been brought by Count Jermain himself.

All the clues had been slowly linked together, leaving only two final questions.

Wu Chang looked at Mathis and asked again the same question he'd posed before taking action.

"Mathis, tell me—what exactly is that dock where you executed the former postman?"

Mathis's expression twisted, as if resisting the question.

Wu Chang pressed on: "Mathis, my questions are almost over. Just answer two or three more, and you'll regain your freedom. But if you refuse, all your previous answers will be wasted."

Mathis had grown up on this island—he'd never encountered sunk costs, and was instantly manipulated; his inner struggle intensified.

Wu Chang pressed further, pulling a Golden Flying Fish from his inventory. "If you tell me, it's yours. I know—once you've tasted divine grace, you can't resist its deliciousness."

The appearance of the Golden Flying Fish became the final straw—the fish craving in Mathis erupted instantly.

As a Ganzhi Sect disciple who embraced desire, Mathis faithfully followed his doctrine—and surrendered to his own cravings.

"That dock is our past—we refuse to face it, yet cannot escape it."

Wu Chang frowned, impatient. "Stop speaking in riddles. Translate into human language."

"It's our history as pirates."

"'Former'? Meaning you don't do it anymore?"

"Yeah."

Wu Chang rubbed his chin. "Why?"

Mathis's eyelid twitched. "No reason."

Wu Chang shrugged, unconcerned with Mathis's temporary resistance—they had plenty of time. Mathis would come around eventually.

"How do I get to that dock?"

Mathis: "After you fulfill your promise, I'll take you there."

Wu Chang patted Mathis's shoulder, then pulled out a grill from behind him. He roasted the Golden Flying Fish until it sizzled, fanning the maddening aroma toward Mathis with a cardboard sheet, and asked: "Last question. Answer this, and you can eat your fish, sing your song, and face your new life."

Mathis stared fixedly at the roasting fish. "Ask quickly!"

Wu Chang: "Where is the Holy Maiden?"

Mathis: "..."

Wu Chang: "?"

What's the point? You're pushing me to ask, but when I do, you won't answer—this is going too far.

He asked tentatively: "Did you do this?"

"No!" Mathis shouted loudly.

Wu Chang flinched, "Why scream so loud? Are you guilty?"

Mentioning the Holy Maiden, Mathis—who had just lost to desire—suddenly found reason reclaiming its high ground.

He turned his head, closed his eyes, and forced himself not to look at the grilled fish.

Wu Chang was certain that even if he had asked about Mathis's wife and children's secrets, in that state, Mathis would have revealed everything without reservation.

But when it came to the Holy Maiden, he held back.

What does that mean? Mathis suddenly turned his head and looked at Wu Chang again.

Just as Wu Chang thought Mathis had come to his senses, Mathis suddenly asked: "Didn't you just ask me how to get to that dock?"

"I'll take you there right now."

Before he could react, Wu Chang felt the floor beneath him tilt, like a spinning trash can lid—entirely flipping one hundred eighty degrees.

When the ground beneath their feet steadied again, the two stood on the Fishman Dock.

The rotting wooden dock, the blood-scented sea wind, and the bronze statue of Count Jemaine, steeped in the resentment of cold stone.

All elements present—this was precisely the Fishman Dock Wu Chang had seen in the resentment.

After entering the Fishman Dock, Mathis's flesh began to crumble; the shattered meat falling to the ground transformed into red sea fish, scattering in all directions, leaping from the dock into the sea.

"I can't attack you—but they can!"

With those words, Mathis's entire body collapsed completely.

The next moment, dense bubbles erupted across the surrounding waters; fish-headed monsters broke the surface, leaping onto the deck.

Watching the sudden change, Wu Chang's True Self scratched his head and muttered to himself: "Is this really necessary? I just asked you a question—do you have to blow yourself up?"

Saying this, he took the "Postman's Delivery Satchel" from his personal space and slung it over his shoulder, then activated the Ocean Kin transformation, becoming a five-meter-tall Sea Giant.

He twisted his neck left and right, producing a series of crisp pops from his joints.

"Nobody told me I'd have to eat this many fish tonight."

(End of Chapter)