True Apocalypse Game

The young minstrel abruptly shot up from the floor. She went to the window, pushed open the shutter woven from seaweed and shells, and looked out.

Shen Feng followed her to the window, his gaze trailing hers.

He saw seven large ships appear before the main entrance of the Floating Island Market, each carrying nearly a hundred people.

Most of them held Crossbow Mechanisms and Javelins, and they were shouting into the Floating Island Market.

A black Pirate Flag hung from each ship!

Depicted on these Pirate Flags were white Ghosts and Evil Ghosts!

What was most astonishing was the lead Ghost Pirate Ship. A small Mortar was mounted on its bow. The captain at the helm held a Double-Barreled Shotgun, a smoke rolled from dried seaweed dangling from his lips.

Smoke still drifted from the Mortar's muzzle. A sentry post at the entrance to the Floating Island Market had been completely destroyed. The guard who had been inside, now covered in blood, was falling into the sea below. It was clear he wouldn't survive.

The entire Floating Island Market had already descended into chaos. People who had just been trading were now scrambling for their lives.

Some guards from the Floating Island Market tried to row over and shut the main gate, but they were peppered with Crossbow Arrows and turned into pincushions the moment they drew near.

These Crossbow Arrows were made entirely from the sharp bone spikes of giant fish—incredibly sharp, fast, and accurate, making them a standard deadly weapon for combat at sea.

Seeing them, the young minstrel frowned.

"The Ghost Thief Group… To think this trash would show up here today…"

As she spoke, she strode to a nearby wall. She took down a Longbow as tall as herself and a quiver of twelve bone-tipped Arrows, then opened the door and charged out.

Her movements were nimble and incredibly fast, clear evidence of frequent training.

Outside the winch tower room, she took a running leap, jumping straight off the platform several meters high. She casually grabbed onto the rungs of a ladder as she fell, swinging a few times to break her momentum before landing lightly on the ground.

Two burly men guarding the base of the winch tower saw the young minstrel appear. They immediately bowed and said:

"Master Witch Tower!"

Their expressions were utterly reverent, showing how highly they regarded her status as a minstrel.

The young minstrel nodded. Holding her Longbow, she set off barefoot toward the docks without a backward glance.

The two guards immediately followed her.

Just then, a dull THUD echoed from behind them, making the floorboards tremble.

The three of them turned to look. The outsider who had been asking questions had just jumped straight down from the winch tower—a drop of more than ten meters—landing solidly on the floor.

The minstrel couldn't help but frown. 'Now is the time to prepare for battle,' she thought. 'If this outsider recklessly gets himself seriously injured, I can't just ignore him. What a nuisance.'

But to the astonishment of all three, the outsider was standing there completely unscathed. It was as if he hadn't jumped from a height of over ten meters, but from a platform barely a meter high.

"So your name is Witch Tower," Shen Feng said, nodding to the young minstrel. "What are Ghost Pirate Ships? What's happening outside? Are these people trying to rob your Floating Island Market? Why is no one fighting back?"

Witch Tower had already turned and started running toward the docks again. She answered over her shoulder as she ran:

"Human civilization is in decline. While most survivors still cling to their pride and former glory, there are always some who completely abandon what it means to be human. They choose to wallow in depravity, even feeding on their own kind and taking pride in it. Those people are the Ghost Thieves."

Just then, Shen Feng's voice suddenly sounded right beside her, startling her. She turned her head and saw that the young man was keeping pace with her effortlessly, showing no signs of exertion.

"From the sound of it, they're no different from regular pirates, just more brutal," Shen Feng said slowly.

'What they do is enough to outrage both gods and men,' Shen Feng thought, 'but in the apocalypse, things like this are all too common.'

Witch Tower continued speaking, her eyes fixed forward.

"They worship the World Beast, treating it as their god, and they offer living humans as sacrifices."

Hearing this, Shen Feng's eyebrows shot up. He now understood why the Ghost Pirate Ships were irreconcilably opposed to ordinary people.

'These people have betrayed their own kind to worship their oppressors.'

'Then again, faced with an unknown terror, it's a pretty common response to start worshiping it as a Divine Spirit.'

'But to the rest of human civilization, these guys are just scum that everyone wants to see dead.'

Witch Tower kept moving, continuing her explanation:

"The Ghost Pirate Ships usually possess powerful ancient weapons. Once they conquer a Floating Island Market, they celebrate by carrying out a massacre. When they've exhausted all the resources, they move on to a new target. It's no exaggeration to call them a swarm of locusts."

Talking as they went, the group quickly crossed the entire Floating Island Market and arrived at the docks.

BOOM! With another deafening blast, the newly-shut main gate of the Floating Island Market was blown to smithereens. The Mortar on the Ghost Pirate Ship had fired again, blasting it open.

Three of the seven Ghost Pirate Ships sailed swiftly into the Floating Island Market, while the other four patrolled near the exit, clearly intending to block any escape routes.

Volleys of Crossbow Arrows shot toward the Ghost Pirate Ships as the market's guards began their counterattack.

But their counterattack was useless. With a few sharp CRACKS, several guards clutched at the holes torn through their chests and collapsed.

The pirates on these Ghost Pirate Ships had guns—and not just one!

Seven or eight guns were aimed from the decks at the people in the Floating Island Market, warning them not to make a move.

Although most of the people had never seen a real gun, they understood that this was an incredible weapon capable of using a type of Magic called Science!

By now, the men on the Ghost Pirate Ships had spotted the "minerals" from the Beast King Pirate Group. They immediately let out a chorus of shouts and maniacal laughter.

The one in the lead roared:

"Hahaha! We're rich! Excellent, excellent, this trip wasn't a waste! The informant wasn't lying!"

Hearing this, everyone instantly understood: the Ghost Pirate Ships were here for the Beast King Pirate Group!

Someone had told the Ghost Pirate Ships about their discovery of the vast quantities of minerals!

SWISH! The man had barely finished speaking when the hiss of a feathered arrow cut through the air, followed by a solid THWACK.

Witch Tower had drawn her Longbow, piercing the man's neck with an Arrow!

"I am the Minstrel, Witch Tower! Get off this Floating Island!"

She had barely spoken before she rolled behind a barrel, nocked another arrow, and fired a backhanded shot that pierced an enemy's eye!