Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

To an outside observer, Hugh Finch appeared to be fast asleep. But in reality, hidden from view, a small blue star nestled in his palm was engaged in a silent conversation with him.

"That guard just planted a monitoring device on you," Moira Lynch said.

"Yeah, I felt it."

When the guard had helped him up, he’d felt a sharp sting in his arm, just like a mosquito bite.

"Well, who’s to blame for that? You were the one who insisted on being on him."

Indeed, the only reason Hugh Finch had feigned weakness and collapsed right after leaving his room was to retrieve Moira Lynch—the blue star—who had been attached to that guard.

"How is this all my fault? Believe me, even if I hadn’t been there, they would have planted a monitoring device on you. You haven’t earned their trust at all."

Hugh Finch wasn’t surprised by Moira Lynch’s words. He knew it was impossible to truly gain the pirates’ trust in such a short time—unless the pirates were complete idiots.

After all, if a mysterious and powerful stranger suddenly showed up wanting to join your crew, anyone would be suspicious of their motives.

"As long as they need my ability, I’m safe," Hugh Finch said. "But why are you here? According to the plan, weren’t you supposed to be with Kai York, raiding Seafury’s private treasury? And why are you... like this?"

Moira Lynch explained, "I’ve already got the stuff from the treasury. As for why I look like this, it’s because of that item from before, remember?"

"I was planning on causing a little more havoc, but then I showed up and saw you nearly get yourself killed. You almost gave me a heart attack."

Thinking back on the recent scene, Hugh Finch felt a pang of lingering fear.

He knew they could never fully trust him, but the pirates’ good treatment and courtesy over the past few days had made him let his guard down, nearly leading to disaster.

"Oh, right. Do you want me to take out that monitoring device and tracker for you?" Moira Lynch asked.

Hugh Finch thought for a moment before replying, "Not yet. They just planted them, so they’ll definitely be watching me closely. Let’s wait a while."

"I just got a message from command. They said the Federation has dispatched an S-rank adventurer for a decapitation strike, and I’m to provide support."

"Support? How? That pirate’s third-in-command is surrounded like he’s in a fortress. No ordinary person could get near him. Just from my own scan, I detected at least ten experts hidden around him, and he’s pretty strong himself. My spiritual power was almost discovered."

If Moira Lynch hadn’t reacted quickly and withdrawn her spiritual power then, she might have actually been caught.

’As far as Moira Lynch was concerned, if Hugh Finch left now, the mission could be considered complete. Why take such a risk?’

’No mission was more important than your own life, was it?’

As if sensing Moira Lynch’s thoughts, Hugh Finch explained, "We don’t have to charge headfirst into battle. We just need to create a small disturbance on the ship, enough for the S-rank adventurer to slip in."

"If that’s all it is, then you don’t need to do a thing," Moira Lynch said.

Catching the undertone in Moira Lynch’s voice, Hugh Finch asked, "What did you do?"

Moira Lynch gave a dry, slightly sheepish laugh. "Oh, nothing much. I told you I was here to cause some havoc, right? So on my way here, I planted bombs all over the place. And if I’ve timed it right, they should be going off right abou—"

Before she could even finish the word "about," a violent explosion roared from outside.

BOOM!!!

A continuous series of explosions thundered, making the very ground shake.

With such a huge commotion, Hugh Finch couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer. He got up and headed outside.

"This much chaos... just how many bombs did you plant?" Hugh Finch asked.

"I forget. It was basically... take a few steps, plant a bomb. See a good spot, plant another bomb. You should probably start running. I made sure to leave a safe escape route when I was planting them."

Hugh Finch didn’t need to be told twice; he was already running for it.

And he wasn’t alone; plenty of others were scrambling to get out.

He even spotted Seafury’s figure amidst the crowd.

Seafury usually covered his face with a large mask or a cloak whenever he appeared in public, but not now. It was a testament to his haste.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the base, Blackmoon, who had gone through hell and high water to finally infiltrate the Pirate Base, was preparing for his next move.

He had just received word that an ally, someone already deep inside the enemy’s ranks, would help him complete his mission by creating the perfect conditions for an assassination.

Accustomed to working alone, Blackmoon didn’t have high hopes for this supposed "ally."

’Even if they had managed to get inside, how deep could they possibly be? Still,’ he thought, ’it’s better than nothing.’

He never expected, however, that this helper would be so damn effective.

He had barely managed to sneak in when a problem erupted on the ship preparing the Ariel Crystal Stone, causing a significant amount of chaos.

While it hadn’t lured out Seafury, it had prevented the Ariel Crystal Stone from being shipped out, averting a major loss for the Federation. That alone was a great accomplishment.

Just when he thought that was the extent of his ally’s contribution, the inside of the Pirate Base itself erupted in violent explosions.

Listening to the ceaseless explosions, he realized several minutes had passed without a break. ’Just how many bombs did they use?’

After his initial shock, Blackmoon watched the endless stream of pirates pouring out of the base, recognizing more than a few familiar faces among them. He realized his opportunity had arrived.

At the same time, Hugh Finch shouted to Moira Lynch as he ran, "Quick, get the tracker and the monitoring device off me!"

Without hesitation, Moira Lynch swiftly, precisely, and decisively transferred the two devices hidden in Hugh Finch’s body.

Then she tossed them toward the explosions.

"Why doesn’t this path lead to an exit?" Hugh Finch asked, looking down the path Moira Lynch had indicated and realizing something was wrong.

The direction they were heading was a dead end.

"Because I put bombs at the exit, too. Just follow me, you’ll be fine, I promise."

Although he had his doubts, he still subconsciously chose to trust Moira Lynch.

After running for several minutes, a solid wall appeared before Hugh Finch.

Before Hugh Finch could even stop running, his vision flashed white. After a dizzying sensation of the world spinning, he was, to his utter surprise, outside.