Shi Ming moved through the groves deep within the island.
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence.
It was the exploration team captain from the drifting ship, Iron Tower. He was holding a short sword, exploring the island by himself. The team members who had been following him were nowhere to be found. It was unclear if they had stayed on the ship or had already fallen prey to the Bloodthirsty Moths' proboscises.
Iron Tower spotted Shi Ming as well.
"You're still alive?"
"Everyone else is dead, but you alone survived."
"How did you escape the siege of those strange insects?"
Iron Tower narrowed his eyes, a strange, unsmiling grin on his face as he sized up Shi Ming.
"Aren't you alive too, Captain?" Shi Ming retorted. "Why shouldn't I be?"
"That's true. But I'm less interested in how you escaped those insects and more interested in where you got that weapon."
The captain had noticed his longsword long ago.
The design of this blade was clearly not the product of the drifting ship's craftsmanship, nor was it from the ship's collection or a war trophy.
And every slave underwent the strictest of body searches before boarding; it was impossible to bring any weapons onto the ship.
'This kid is a huge problem!'
"You want to know? Then come and ask it!"
Shi Ming's speed and Endurance were now a world away from what they used to be. But even before he had Awakened, he was confident he could have beaten the captain!
He gripped the longsword in his hand and, with the explosive agility of a cheetah, instantly closed the distance to the tower-like exploration team captain, bringing his blade down in a brutal slash.
CRACK!
Iron Tower never expected Shi Ming to be so fast. In a flash, relying on instinct, he managed an incredibly difficult block. His right hand trembled, but the shock in his heart was even greater. 'This slave, who at first seemed to have only a few minor strengths, how can his power be so immense?'
Shi Ming followed up with a surprise attack from his right leg, kicking at Iron Tower's right hip.
Based on his previous observations and deductions, that was exactly where the exploration team captain kept his gun hidden.
THUD!
A standard-issue pistol flew out and hit a nearby tree.
Disarmed of his only lethal weapon, the captain's brow furrowed. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering if he should retreat and regroup with the captain first.
But Shi Ming didn't give him the chance.
After a few exchanges, Shi Ming had gained a clear understanding of the difference between an Awakened and an ordinary person. With his physical strength alone, he could now easily kill this paragon of humanity before him—the man known as the second-strongest fighter on the drifting ship, Captain Iron Tower.
Shi Ming didn't want to drag this out. The probing was over; he decided to finish the captain off.
This was despite the fact that the captain had previously shown goodwill in trying to recruit him, even giving Shi Ming enough food and a can of beef when he was still a slave.
But their positions were irreconcilable.
Not to mention, every crew member on the drifting ship had an uncountable number of blood debts to their name: plunder, torture, murder, slave trading...
In a post-apocalyptic age, such crimes went unpunished.
But when a killer kills, they should also expect that one day, the butcher's knife will be turned on them.
Shi Ming had come to terms with this as well.
"Arm of Power!"
Seizing an opening, Shi Ming used ten times his normal strength.
The longsword struck with ferocious, inescapable power. The captain, who was already struggling to defend himself and looking for a chance to escape, watched this explosive strike with disbelief.
He used both hands, putting every ounce of his strength into the block.
The moment the blades collided, his Fine Steel Short Sword snapped in two, the pieces flying off into the distance. His right hand, which had held the sword, went instantly numb, losing all feeling. The flesh between his thumb and forefinger tore open, and blood gushed out.
'The power of this one strike... it's terrifying!'
HISS—
Before he could even react, the blade, gleaming like the Milky Way and wreathed in sparks from the impact, slammed into his shoulder. The sound of rending steel accompanied the blow. The captain's right arm and shoulder were sheared clean off, taking a large chunk of his right chest with them, and hung down heavily.
"You're... an Awakened?"
the captain asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
With such a grievous wound, there was no chance for Iron Tower to survive.
"To die... at the hands of an Awakened... I guess... it's not a loss."
"But I haven't even used an Awakened's skill yet."
Shi Ming sheathed his sword.
The exploration team captain had indeed received excellent combat training, but unfortunately, it was nowhere near Shi Ming's level.
Even based on skill alone, he never stood a chance of winning.
"Did you... infiltrate the ship... as a slave... to also pursue... the captain's... secret...?"
Before he could finish, his tower-like body collapsed to the ground, scattering the fallen leaves.
"Oh? So the captain has a secret worth pursuing? Interesting. Were you a traitor too?"
...
After finishing off the drifting ship's second-strongest fighter and retrieving the discarded weapon, Shi Ming continued heading west across the island.
The attacking Bloodthirsty Moths were gradually becoming scarcer. He even spotted a few scattered exploration team members hiding in concealed spots. They had set foot on this island as predators, yet now they cowered in the shadows like the hunted.
Sometimes, the roles of Hunter and prey switched just that naturally.
Shi Ming didn't bother with them, instead picking up his pace.
If he wasted too much time and the captain made it back to his drifting ship, then the captain, with his home-field advantage, might not necessarily lose to Shi Ming.
Besides, it seemed this captain also had a secret?
Shi Ming had only heard that he had a formidable uncle, someone with power and influence.
Just as he arrived beneath the steep cliffs on the west side of the island, he saw a group of people, a dark mass of them, making their way down the cliff face.
The once-unstoppable first exploration team was now reduced to less than ten people, many of them injured. Furthermore, Shi Ming observed that the scar-faced man was gone.
Shi Ming had already switched the weapon in his hand.
A 92B-2037 model pistol!
The pistol still had 7 bullets left.
From the shadows, Shi Ming took aim at the captain's head and steadily squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
Blood splattered.
'A hit?'
Hmm?
'No!'
'I aimed for the captain, but the first mate is the one who died?!'
The poor first mate had been standing closest to the captain. At the last second, the captain had casually pulled him over to block the gleaming bullet. With his speed, dodging would have been simpler, of course. But the captain wasn't sure if another hidden attack would immediately follow. At that moment, a shield was the better choice.
The bullet passed through the first mate's forehead and exited the back of his skull. Having lost most of its force and been deflected, it powerlessly grazed the captain's scalp before clattering against the stone wall.
The captain's icy gaze turned toward the source of the gunshot.
"Shi Ming!!!"
"It really is you!"
The captain tossed the first mate aside like a broken shield.
"I never thought I'd be tripped up so badly by a lowly slave like you. And you actually dare to show your face to me."
"I told you before: Awakened and humans are not the same species. Who gave you the courage to face an Awakened?"