Threat

Translator: Cinder Translations

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It was these creatures that attacked the old woman's ship.

On the dark sea, these ugly, grotesque beings attacked passing ships in swarms. Judging by their appearance, if they weren't eating humans, their appearance would be a disgrace to their form.

When an ordinary ship encounters them, it is nearly impossible to escape.

Although they appear clumsy on land, based on their evolutionary characteristics, they are mostly amphibious, or even aquatic creatures.

In the water, these beings rely on their strong physiques and bone structure, making them nearly invincible.

He even doubts whether regular caliber rifle bullets would be able to pose a deadly threat to them.

Imagine, on the pitch-black sea, these creatures silently climb up the sides of a ship, and when they suddenly appear in front of the crew, their reaction would likely be the same as that of the captain.

They would suspect that these grotesque, giant beings come from hell and scream, "The gates of hell have opened!"

Whether they are from hell or not, Jiang Cheng isn't sure, but he knows for sure that trouble is gonna come knocking.

In the next painting, they see the sun and moon reversing, the tides becoming irregular, and seawater flooding in, causing the entire Blackstone Town to sink into a vast ocean.

That altar wasn't some sacred place for resurrection, it was a cursed, ominous site!

Those poor invaders ultimately paid the price for their foolishness!

A trap!

It was all a trap!

Slowly, the things that didn't make sense before started to piece together. He still remembered the scene when he first met the people of Blackstone Town in front of the grand building's gate.

That strangely dressed man, who seemed to be a priest, had said the following:

"Stolen of light, fallen into eternal darkness, you will crawl in the winding, rugged ruins, surrounded by swarms of vipers gnawing at your broken body. You will feel the pain but not die. Your soul will remain trapped within your body, helplessly watching it decay. You can only crawl beneath its throne and beg for mercy from it, the betrayers of old, with blood."

Now, it seemed that this was a description from the victim's perspective.

They were sealed within the monster's body, living a filthy, sunless life, only able to appear at night, hoping for mercy to be released from their curse.

Also, the drunk blonde man in Blackstone Town had muttered, "Just like a group of ugly sea crawlers!"

Wasn't he referring to themselves?

The residents of Blackstone Town were once the invaders who killed the natives.

But because of the curse, they turned into inhuman, ghostly forms, and could only appear at night, their only wish was to lift the curse.

Squinting, Jiang Cheng speculated further, they might not even be able to commit suicide.

Meanwhile, the strange sculptures on the first floor of the building had a clear origin. Based on his observations, Jiang Cheng was now certain that these sculptures weren't just lifeless objects.

They were alive.

Liang Long had probably been attacked by those sculptures.

Ever since they arrived, those sculptures had started gradually coming to life. At first, it wasn't obvious, but now the situation had become dire.

As the mission neared its end, the sculptures started to awaken on a larger scale, and those sculptures were clearly the residents of Blackstone Town.

Why they turned into sculptures and appeared here was still unknown.

Every time Jiang Cheng passed the hall on the first floor, he felt an indescribable eerie feeling as if he was being watched. He had thought about it seriously, but at that time, there were too few clues, so it left him confused.

Only after Liang Long disappeared did the answer become clear.

The stone fragment he had picked up earlier carried a small amount of foul-smelling mucus—smelling like marine creatures.

"Brother Hao," Chen Ran's voice interrupted Jiang Cheng's thoughts. He turned his gaze to Chen Ran, who smiled, saying, "So… what do you think?"

Chen Ran spread his hands, looking completely disinterested, but his sharp eyes revealed his true intent.

He was looking for a flaw.

The previous call had merely been a test. If Jiang Cheng wasn't mistaken, Chen Ran had just broken free from the influence of some unknown force.

Otherwise, he would have acted against him long ago.

There would have been no waiting.

"What do you mean by 'what do I think?'" Jiang Cheng steadied his mind and retorted.

Chen Ran grinned, not hiding his intentions, and spoke directly, "Su Xiaoxiao is already dead, Su An is also in her hands, and now there are just the three of us left."

"But have you considered what the path to survival is in this mission?"

Jiang Cheng stared coldly at him, not responding, clearly waiting for him to continue.

Chen Ran shrugged casually, "In my opinion, there are two steps to survival in this mission. The first one is relatively simple. We…" 

He smiled, pointing at the old woman huddling in the corner, saying plainly, "We kill her. She is one of the threats in this mission, and we can be sure that Su An, even the first missing biker woman, all died at her hands."

"Based on past experience, eliminating the threat itself is often the key to breaking the situation."

After speaking, Chen Ran suddenly stopped, putting his hands in his pockets, tilting his head, and staring at Jiang Cheng with an exaggerated expression.

Jiang Cheng raised his chin, "Continue," he said, "I'd like to hear what Brother Chen Ran's second step is."

Chen Ran opened his mouth, his smile widening uncomfortably, "As for the second step…" He extended his tongue, greedily licking his lips. "It could be a bit troublesome."

"Just say it," Jiang Cheng nodded, "I'm listening."

"Because the clues are unclear, no one knows what effect killing the old woman will have on us. The mission might end, or it might not," he chuckled, "especially for the one who takes action."

"So, one of the three of us has to be chosen as the test subject, just like Su Xiaoxiao."

Jiang Cheng rubbed his chin, smacking his lips, then looked up, asking, "Is that the plan, Brother Chen Ran?"

"Brother Hao is clever," Chen Ran laughed.

"Then, who do you think is suitable for this task among the three of us?" Jiang Cheng asked seriously, intentionally lowering his voice, as if not wanting anyone else to hear.

Chen Ran squinted and raised a hand, pointing at the stone door.

It was clear that the Fatty was the perfect test subject. He was obedient and easy to control. Though timid, with a little brainwashing from the doctor, this task wouldn't be too difficult.

Jiang Cheng nodded approvingly, seemingly finding the suggestion quite reasonable. "That way, we won't have to fight each other."

(End of the Chapter)

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Read (NS) ahead on (pa treon . com / CinderTL) – Chapter 308.

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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.