Chapter 786: The Mask

Lu Mi immediately shrank into the nearby shadow, closely watching the slowly opening metal door of the captain's cabin.

As a cart laden with food was wheeled in, he saw the target of this operation: the "Deep Sea Admiral" named Hal Constantin.

Though he had heard many rumors and seen the wanted poster's portrait, nothing compared to seeing him in person for Lu Mi to truly grasp what it meant to have sea monster blood:

Hal Constantin's face appeared as if a half-transparent, palm-sized octopus had clung to it, with a dozen slimy tentacles, each stretching down to his chest, dangling from his chin; his hair was deep blue, nearly black, thick and round, cascading to his shoulders, while his body was entirely wrapped in a black cloak, even concealing his hands.

He clearly was not like a normal human.

Yet Lu Mi felt something was off:

If his face had already fused with an octopus, what was there left to hide about his body?

Even if the cloak concealed an actual octopus, no one around would find it strange!

Was the reason he tightly wrapped his body in the cloak because something even more unacceptable lay beneath?

Amid his confusion, Lu Mi carefully observed Hal Constantin's fate.

His shadow-being state did not hinder this, as shadow beings could still "see" the real world—just from a slightly different perspective.

As two pirates placed all the food from the cart onto the captain's cabin's long table, Lu Mi's eyes reflected the illusory river composed of complex mercury-colored symbols.

Considering the distance between them was under fifteen meters, Lu Mi extended his right palm, letting it rest at the edge of the shadow, reaching out to touch Hal Constantin's river of fate through the air.

Most of Hal Constantin's fate fragments instantly materialized, surging past him.

Lu Mi knew time was limited, so he only skimmed through them briefly:

He saw Hal Constantin gliding through the pitch-black, lightless seabed; saw him battling a half-giant over two and a half meters tall, wielding a massive sword; saw him passing through ruins filled with bizarre architecture; saw his future self removing the half-transparent octopus from his face…

Removing the small octopus clinging to his face? That wasn't Hal Constantin's real face—it was just a mask? He wasn't a sea monster's descendant? Lu Mi was stunned, and reflexively seized the moment, selecting the fate fragment he intended to swap.

It was the fragment of Hal Constantin injured beneath the sea.

In this fate fragment, Hal Constantin, then at Sequence 7 or 6, had failed to return to the surface in time, suffering crushing water pressure and the suffocating sensation of liquid flooding his lungs.

This differed in intensity from Morane Avini's lust explosion fragment—after all, Morane Avini's fate had been irrevocably altered by that explosion, forcing him toward an early death, whereas Hal Constantin's fragment merely influenced his later exploration style and brought him gains—but Lu Mi could not find a better option in such a short time.

At the instant fate began to exchange, Hal Constantin, who had just been watching the two pirates leave the cabin, suddenly turned his gaze toward Lu Mi's hiding spot.

His spirituality had warned him!

Almost simultaneously, a brilliant flash of lightning ignited in Hal Constantin's eyes.

With crackling sounds, a thick bolt of lightning struck Lu Mi's hiding place, shattered into countless thin electric serpents, writhing and spreading across the area, exploiting the metal door, walls, and floor to rampage through every corner of the cabin.

The two delivery pirates were hit first, their bodies trembling and convulsing as if performing a comical dance.

Their skin blackened rapidly.

With a crack, mirrors shattered within the shadows where Franca and Jenna hid—but neither witch's figure appeared.

…………

At the Carnival Bar, "Great Shark" Jorg and several companions, including "Ship Destroyer," had just entered the hall and were staring at the back of the unknown adventurer when the noisy outside world suddenly fell silent—every pirate's chatter and murmurs vanished as if silenced.

This… "Great Shark" Jorg instinctively turned his head toward the window and saw the dim sunlight piercing through the fog replaced by deep, oppressive darkness.

At that moment, Lu Mi, seated at the bar counter, spun around on his high stool. His expression was cold, his gaze indifferent, looking at the several great pirates as if they were already dead.

A massive crimson-white fireball shot out with a hiss.

Boom!

Amid the flame and windstorm raised by the fireball, the great pirates dodged in different directions—some with agile movements, others using their abilities.

Behind "Ship Destroyer," Lu Mi's figure swiftly materialized amid the chaos, letting out a low hum.

Two beams of white light shot from his nostrils, and "Ship Destroyer" collapsed unconscious.

Witnessing this, "Great Shark" Jorg's scalp chilled, and he involuntarily whispered under his breath:

"So strong…"

…………

On the "Neuins."

Behind Hal Constantin, the "Deep Sea Admiral," who had used his "Lightning Strike" ability and exploited the environment to create a wide-area attack, a figure suddenly materialized.

It was Franca, dressed in an assassin's suit.

Franca held a transparent, nearly invisible triangular dagger in her right hand, and raised her left palm, locking onto Hal Constantin with a black iron ring studded with spikes.

Two streaks of lightning flashed across her eyes.

As Franca used "Spirit Piercing" on Hal Constantin, Jenna's figure appeared beside the door, hurling a gold Louis at the "Deep Sea Admiral," as if to distract him and make him momentarily ignore Franca's assassination.

A golden brooch carved into a goldfinch had appeared on her chest—no one knew when.

Anthony, covered in gray-white scales, appeared in the corridor, with tiny electric serpents crawling over his body, leaving him partially paralyzed and unable to move quickly.

But this did not prevent him from using his ability.

He stared at the "Deep Sea Admiral," whose face bore the half-transparent octopus, his pupils narrowing into vertical slits, turning gold.

"Intimidate!"

It made the target feel as if they had encountered a true dragon—suddenly panicked, utterly helpless.

At the moment fate began to exchange and Hal Constantin sensed the anomaly, unleashing lightning, Lu Mi directly "teleported" to a wooden-backed chair near the window in the captain's cabin.

Immediately afterward, fine electric serpents covered the area, but due to the chair's wooden material, they did not last long.

This caused Lu Mi's body to show signs of numbness.

Yet he did not reveal himself, for he was now a true shadow being—no shadow being would detach from shadow due to minor electric shock.

Lu Mi chose to remain hidden within the shadow of the wooden chair, quietly observing the coming battle.

—During the fate exchange, he could no longer attack Hal Constantin, as it would interrupt the process.

So now, it depended on whether Franca, Jenna, and Anthony—three lesser-than-Sequence-5 adepts—could hold the "Deep Sea Admiral" for at least two minutes!

Of course, Anthony, who carried the revolver "Winter Is Coming," had a way to quickly kill Hal Constantin—but it would be impractical and contradict their original goal.

"Intimidate" and "Spirit Piercing" struck Hal Constantin one after the other, but the half-transparent octopus on his face glowed faintly, shielding his soul and spirit, leaving him only slightly affected.

As the octopus-like face dimmed slightly, Hal Constantin, confused by the unfamiliar assassins and suspecting some adventuring team sought fame and a huge bounty, endured his dizziness and grabbed a black obsidian trident from the nearby weapon rack, thrusting it violently at Franca.

The trident instantly crackled with violent silver-white lightning, its tip heavy, as if pulling Franca toward it to impale herself.

Crack!

Franca's assassin suit shattered into countless mirror shards, while on the other side, Jenna hurled a silent black flame at Hal Constantin and vanished back into shadow.

Anthony also drew his exquisite, art-piece-like revolver, "Winter Is Coming," aimed at the "Deep Sea Admiral," preparing for a standard shot.

The moment the "bang" began to sound, a piercing whistle of wind tore into every person's ears.

Hal Constantin was swept into the air by a gale, avoiding the golden bullet and the eerie silent black flame.

He immediately pointed his black obsidian trident at Anthony.

The silver-white currents coiled around the trident instantly converged into a thick bolt of lightning, shooting out with a flash.

Anthony, experienced, dove away from the door immediately after firing, changing his position and avoiding direct impact from the dazzling thunder—but countless fine electric serpents still reached him, leaving him trembling and paralyzed in place.

The two delivery pirates, just recovering from the previous shock, were hit again by this new wave of attacks and collapsed unconscious, convulsing on the floor.

Franca and Jenna were also affected by the indiscriminate electric serpents, both losing their invisibility and shadow concealment.

Seeing this, Hal Constantin showed no joy or bloodlust—only increased caution, a hint of suspicion appearing on his octopus-clad face:

There should be one more assassin!

Why hasn't he appeared?

What is he preparing?

At that moment, Hal Constantin caught a glimpse of a figure sitting casually in the wooden chair near the window.

The figure had black hair and blue eyes, handsome features, wore a thick dark jacket, leaned back against the chair, rested his right foot on his left knee, and wore a mocking smile.

ps: Recommended book: *Weird Cultivation: I Have a Five-Organ Temple*

Synopsis: Shang Lu transmigrated into a strange, eerie world of cultivation, becoming a lowly constable in the county magistrate's office.

He has an invisible wife and a dilapidated Five-Organ Temple, whose deities' faces are identical to his own.

(End of Chapter)