Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

To be honest, facing something like this every day was a real test of one’s composure.

Right now, Hugh Finch was constantly trying to hypnotize himself into believing he was blind and couldn’t see a thing.

Just then, the sound of an explosion rang out, followed by a violent tremor.

The tremor knocked the divination tools on the table in front of Hugh Finch out of place.

Seeing this, Hugh Finch immediately sighed, shook his head in regret, and said flatly, "It’s ruined."

Then, before the third-in-command, Seafury, could fly into a rage, Hugh Finch beat him to it, roaring, "What the hell is going on! Don’t you know I’m performing a divination? It can’t be disturbed in the slightest! If this delays the boss’s important business, can you bear the consequences?"

Seeing Hugh Finch act so furiously, Seafury was taken aback for a moment. After a long, deep look at Hugh Finch, his gaze fell upon the figure that had just burst in.

"What happened!"

As he spoke, Seafury leaned forward, his massive facial features drawing close, his surrounding tentacles writhing in unison.

The junior pirate was already terrified by Hugh Finch’s outburst. Now, seeing Seafury’s face, he nearly fainted on the spot.

However, anyone who could follow Seafury and was permitted to enter this place had a will that was tempered like steel.

So, even though the junior pirate desperately wanted to pass out, he suppressed the physical instinct and said with a trembling voice, "Sir, something happened to the ship transporting the Ariel Crystal Stones. It was flash-frozen."

"Flash-frozen?" Seafury snorted contemptuously. "You didn’t let some mole slip in, did you? What’s the ship’s status now?"

The junior pirate kept his head down and reported truthfully, "According to the inspection, the ship is severely damaged. The cockpit is destroyed. It will take at least half a month to repair."

As the third-in-command of a notorious pirate crew, Seafury was no mere fool who only knew how to kill. On the contrary, octopuses are very intelligent creatures.

From the junior pirate’s words, Seafury sensed that something was amiss.

"Have your men transport the Ariel Crystal Stones to the ship I’m currently on," Seafury said.

"But..." The junior pirate hesitated. "There isn’t enough space for all of it."

"Load as much as you can. I’ll contact the boss and number two to send more people for the rest."

"Yes, sir!"

After the junior pirate left, Seafury immediately summoned his confidant.

A man with blue skin, a shark fin on his head, and a vicious scar across his face strode in.

The man wasn’t wearing a mask. His eyes were fierce, like daggers, making one’s skin crawl.

Seeing this, Hugh Finch tactfully rose, preparing to turn and leave.

"You gentlemen have important business to discuss. I’ll take my leave now."

Just as he was about to go, Seafury stopped him. "You’re one of us now. Stay and listen. It’s not a big secret anyway."

"Seashark, go find those little rats who’ve snuck in here. Don’t let them get anywhere near the ship’s interior, especially not *that* place. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. I guarantee the mission will be completed." After a respectful bow, Seashark rose and left. Throughout the entire exchange, he didn’t spare Hugh Finch a single glance, as if he didn’t exist.

Of course, Hugh Finch didn’t mind. He was hoping Seashark wouldn’t notice him.

However, his interest was piqued by Seafury’s mention of "that place."

’In the time I’ve been infiltrating the Pirate Base, I thought I’d already mapped out the entire structure, but I have no memory of the place Seafury just mentioned.’

’Could there be a secret here that I don’t know about?’

Just as Hugh Finch was about to discreetly probe for information, Moira Lynch’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Don’t ask. He’s testing you!"

Hugh Finch’s expression changed instantly. Fortunately, his mask concealed it, preventing him from giving himself away.

After regaining his composure, Hugh Finch cupped his hands toward Seafury and said, "Sir, today’s divination was ruined, and we’ve missed the optimal time. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to continue."

Seafury stared at Hugh Finch for a long moment before finally nodding. "Alright. You can go back for now. Come back tomorrow."

Hugh Finch turned to leave, but Seafury’s voice came from behind him again. "By the way, I don’t think we’ll be staying here much longer. Go back and pack your things. We need to be ready to leave this place at a moment’s notice."

"Understood."

And so, Hugh Finch left the room just as he always did.

Outside the room stood two heavily armed guards. As he passed one of them, Hugh Finch pretended to lose his footing and stumbled.

Seeing this, the guard instinctively reached out to steady him.

"Thank you."

Hugh Finch thanked him softly. After regaining his balance, he started walking away, rubbing his head with one hand and muttering to himself, "It seems the interruption to the divination affected me more than I thought."

After Hugh Finch’s figure had completely disappeared, the guard turned and entered Seafury’s room.

Seeing him, Seafury showed no surprise and simply asked in a low voice, "Well?"

The guard replied respectfully, "I’ve planted the tracker and bug on him."

Hearing this, Seafury nodded. "Good."

Noticing the guard hadn’t left, he asked, "Is there something else?"

The guard recounted the scene he had just witnessed at the door and what he had heard.

"Backlash from an interrupted divination... I have indeed heard of such things. Alright, you may go."

Because of this, Seafury’s suspicion of Hugh Finch lessened considerably, but it wasn’t completely gone.

The timing of Hugh Finch’s appearance was simply too coincidental for him not to be suspicious.

If it weren’t for the fact that Hugh Finch’s ability was divination—something he needed—Seafury would never have allowed such an uncertain person to remain by his side, based on the principle that it was better to kill a thousand innocents than let a single guilty party escape.

Just a moment ago, although he didn’t know what had happened, he had clearly felt Hugh Finch freeze for an instant.

Hugh Finch had covered it up well, but he was still too young, his acting not quite perfect.

’But now that he’s bugged and tagged, I don’t have to worry about him betraying me.’

’If he really is a spy, I will make him regret ever being born.’

「Meanwhile.」

After returning to his temporary quarters in the Pirate Base, Hugh Finch immediately took off his shoes and flopped onto the bed, looking utterly exhausted and eager to rest.

A short while later, the sound of steady, even breathing came from the bed.