True Apocalypse Game

Though this was the first time Shen Feng had heard the name "Ghost Thief," their actions felt eerily familiar.

That was why he wasn’t in a hurry to kill all of this scum. Instead, he left one alive, planning to get some information out of him.

Shen Feng glanced down at the Floating Island Market and the two remaining Ghost Pirate Ships. He gave a whistle and called out to the people of the market:

"They’re all yours."

He then turned and walked toward the Ghost Pirate Captain.

At Shen Feng’s words, the eyes of the people from the Floating Island Market immediately turned murderous. Some drew their bows and nocked arrows, while others grabbed their javelins and attacked the two remaining Ghost Pirate Ships.

The outsider had displayed unimaginable power, completely awing them.

Only a few dozen Ghost Thieves were left. As the inhabitants of the Floating Island Market, they had to take care of them all. Otherwise, wouldn’t the outsider look down on them?

Besides, judging by Lady Witch Tower the Minstrel’s reaction, this outsider’s importance seemed to far exceed even her own.

’And look at that ship—they’d never seen anything like it!’

’To follow a man like this... they could die without regret.’

United by this thought, the people of the Floating Island Market threw themselves at the two remaining Ghost Pirate Ships.

The dozens of Ghost Thieves on these two ships, already demoralized by what they’d witnessed, had lost all will to fight. They could only put up a feeble defense, cowering in their cabins as they were overwhelmed.

Soon, a few pirates from the Beast King crew led the charge, storming the two Ghost Pirate Ships and engaging in close-quarters combat.

Discovering that their new captain possessed such incredible power, the Beast King pirates were completely amped up, as if on an adrenaline high.

’They were, after all, the first to follow the captain. If he made it big, surely a man with his generous nature wouldn’t forget them... right?’

Hundreds of people from the Floating Island Market swarmed onto the two Ghost Pirate Ships. It was only a matter of time before the pirates were completely subdued.

Meanwhile, on the deck of the Sail Warship, Shen Feng stood before the Ghost Pirate Captain. He planted his foot on the man’s neck and leaned down to get a good look at the bearded captain.

The man’s eyes showed a fascinating mixture of terror, anger, mania, and greed.

Shen Feng pressed down slightly with his foot. The captain’s breathing immediately grew ragged, his face flushing a deep red. What little mania and anger remained vanished instantly, replaced by pure, struggling terror.

Like a chicken with its neck pinned to the ground.

Shen Feng, however, showed not a flicker of pity. He pressed down again and leaned in, asking the Ghost Pirate Captain:

"Your name?"

The Ghost Pirate Captain, nearly crushed into unconsciousness, gasped out desperately:

"Ch... Cherry..."

Shen Feng nodded slightly and continued his questioning:

"Where do the Ghost Thieves come from? What is your relationship with the Purification Society? And are you followers of the Whisperer?"

His voice fell into a specific, rhythmic cadence. A nearly inaudible white noise hummed from the silicon-based framework in his chest as he began the Hypnosis.

’The philosophy of these Ghost Thieves is too damn similar to those scumbags from the Purification Society!’

That was why, when he heard Witch Tower the Minstrel speak of the Ghost Thieves, Shen Feng’s first thought had been of the Purification Society and the followers of the Whisperer.

Human civilization in this world had been almost completely destroyed, turning it into a Water World Apocalypse. But since humanity had survived, and the Salvation Army had evolved into the Minstrels, then perhaps the Purification Society had survived as well.

That group surely knew a great deal about the formation of Space Wormholes and the true nature of the World Beasts, which would undoubtedly help Shen Feng complete his mission.

Hearing Shen Feng’s questions, the Ghost Pirate Captain, Cherry, first froze. A look of shock then filled his eyes, and he said:

"I... I don’t know what you’re talking about... We only worship the World Beast... The World Beast will save us..."

’Not talking, huh?’

Shen Feng’s brow tightened. With a cold snort, he drew a dagger and slammed it through Ghost Pirate Captain Cherry’s shoulder, pinning him to the deck.

He let the blood flow freely. Only when Ghost Pirate Captain Cherry had grown weak from blood loss, on the verge of passing out, did Shen Feng stop the bleeding.

The white noise continued to hum. Taking advantage of the captain’s extremely weakened state, Shen Feng continued his questions:

"Does the Purification Society still exist? Where is the Whisperer? And what is its goal?"

Cherry’s eyes were now glazed over. He had entered a state of deep Hypnosis and answered mechanically:

"Purification Society... only... a legend... The legendary supreme governing body... It rules the world... For a Ghost Thief, joining the Purification Society... is an honor... The Whisperer... AHH—THE WHISPERER——"

At the mention of the Whisperer’s name, Cherry let out a frantic, agonized scream. He clutched his head and began to thrash wildly on the deck, violently snapping out of Shen Feng’s deep Hypnosis.

Shen Feng frowned. ’There’s definitely something strange about these Ghost Thieves.’

A soft thud sounded on the deck. Witch Tower the Minstrel, a longbow slung across her back, had vaulted over the ship’s rail like a seabird. She landed lightly and walked barefoot toward Shen Feng.

She had only taken a few steps before her brow furrowed and she asked:

"The Whisperer? The Ghost Thieves are the Whisperer’s lapdogs?!"

As she spoke, murderous intent flashed in her eyes. She drew her bow and nocked an arrow, ready to kill Cherry on the spot.

Shen Feng raised a hand to stop her and said:

"Not so fast. Let me question him some more, see if there’s any other valuable information to be had. It won’t be too late to kill him after that."

’He had to get to the bottom of this business with the Purification Society and the Whisperer.’

’What the hell are those bastards trying to do?’

Witch Tower hesitated for a moment, then lowered her longbow and nodded at Shen Feng.

"That was reckless of me... Who are you, exactly? What you just demonstrated... that was Science, wasn’t it? And this ship... while it’s a far cry from the Super Giant War Armors of the ancient civilization, it’s clearly a pinnacle of technology."

Shen Feng smiled faintly, kicked the still-wailing Cherry unconscious, and extended a hand to Witch Tower. "I’m Shen," he said. "And yes, this is all a product of Science. As for the principles behind it... trust me, you don’t want to hear the lengthy explanation."

Witch Tower didn’t seem to mind that Shen Feng wasn’t explaining his origins.

’The world was said to still hold many unknown, lost ruins, some of them inhabited. Perhaps this young man came from one of those places.’

’Judging by his attitude toward the Ghost Thieves, he wasn’t a bad person.’

’At least, he wouldn’t disrupt the current order of things.’

"Outsider... Shen... thank you for saving the AN-13 Floating Island Market. You will have the greatest possible aid of a Minstrel," Witch Tower said to Shen Feng, her expression solemn. "What are your plans now? You can ask for anything you require."

’Regardless of his origins, this Sail Warship alone was enough to dominate an entire region. Though she was a Minstrel, she too hoped to ally herself with such a powerful individual.’

"Anything I require?" Shen Feng asked with a slight smirk. "In that case, take me to the nearest Holy Corpse Floating Island."

’The remains of a Super Giant War Armor. He needed to see it with his own eyes.’

He then walked to the rail of the ship and called out to the people below:

"I’m looking for a crew!"