Ambush

Lucas Hall shared the information about the fire fleece sweater and the island with Seraphina.

She agreed that it would be a good idea to check it out.

After all, the island had more resources, so if they came across anything, they shouldn't miss the opportunity—unless it was too dangerous.

The danger here included not only the unknown creatures on the island but also other players with ill intentions.

"If there are any unusual life forms on the island, I want a few as samples!" Seraphina requested.

This was probably the real reason she supported the idea of going to the island.

Two days later, Lucas had already arrived near the island.

Indeed, there was an island about five kilometers in diameter, visible on the sea chart.

Lucas could go there anytime if he wanted.

But before going, he needed to handle the potential dangers!

From observing over the past two days, he had figured out what Henry was doing.

He was fishing with bait, luring other players to the island.

And on the island, there seemed to be some very dangerous creatures or traps that would cause players to die quickly once they landed.

After a player died, Henry would come to claim the abandoned ship and get a large amount of supplies.

This was an unscrupulous but highly profitable practice, although it wasn't without risk.

No one knew who the arriving players were.

If they encountered someone tough, like Lucas with his spying ability, it could backfire, and Henry could even lose his life!

Henry would never guess that someone was watching him through the fog of war, seeing all his moves.

Through careful observation, Lucas had gathered a lot of information.

Before getting close to a player's ship, Henry would use binoculars to scan it, ensuring there was no one aboard. Then, he would slowly approach, fire a shot to confirm there were no people, and after he was sure, he would board the ship.

He never used cannons to directly damage the ship since a damaged ship would reduce the salvage value.

Over the past three days, Henry had used this method to salvage two ships.

Lucas watched the whole process and shared his plans with Seraphina.

"I'm sure there's some dangerous creature on the island!" Seraphina said confidently.

"Is that what I said? Did you even hear me?" Lucas scratched his head. "I meant, let's turn the tables and set a trap for him!"

"He won't expect us to be waiting for him! Once we lift the boarding restriction, he'll think we're dead!

Then, we'll hide in the ship's cabin, and as soon as he comes in, we'll take him out!"

"But what if he doesn't come in?"

"That's impossible! If it were me, I would go in!

Besides, once he's on the ship, do you think he can outrun a bullet?"

Lucas was confident.

Having disassembled a ship before, he knew the procedure for taking control.

Not only did the ship's owner have to be dead, but they had to hold the ship for a certain period of time, around 10 minutes, before the system would notify them that they could disassemble the ship.

But disassembling the ship didn't fully recover the items on board. The equipment and items would need to be searched for and collected.

Lucas judged that Henry wouldn't leave any corner of the ship untouched, including the cabin!

If it were Lucas himself, he would search the entire ship thoroughly and do it quickly!

Seraphina nodded in agreement, showing no objections.

The plan was set.

For safety, Lucas asked Seraphina to brew three extra bottles of pink potions with restorative effects, so each of them would have two bottles, just in case.

The next morning, Lucas took the helm and set sail for the island.

The journey was smooth, and they encountered no danger.

It was Lucas' first time seeing the island with his own eyes. It looked ordinary from the outside, with sturdy black-brown rocks along the shore, smoothed by the sea.

Barnacles were attached to the rocks, and many crabs lived in the crevices.

The island was covered in dense forests, and Lucas had no idea what lurked within.

He didn't find any signs of battle along the shore, not even bloodstains.

This suggested that the victims hadn't been killed near the shore; they must have been dragged deeper into the forest.

Regardless of the exact scenario, Lucas wasn't planning to land.

He checked his crystal ball and saw that Henry was heading toward the island, still several dozen nautical miles away.

Although it was still some distance, Lucas called Seraphina and they both hid in the cabin while Lucas lifted the ship's landing rights.

The Nightmare Star had a corridor that led to a staircase going down to the bottom of the ship.

It was dimly lit, and only a few small windows provided light. It was dark and damp.

The witch's laboratory was also here, in a separate room.

They positioned themselves according to the plan.

Seraphina hid in the shadows at the bottom of the cabin, holding a pirate longbow and focusing on the door.

She had a quiver on her back containing more than thirty steel-headed arrows, which were much sharper than simple wooden ones.

After Seraphina revealed her amazing archery skills, Lucas had switched her to better arrows, each coated with poison from the swollen porcupine fish. They would be deadly on contact.

Lucas stood at the top of the stairs, about four meters from the door, ready to act.

He would fire first, and if the flintlock didn't fire, then it would be Seraphina's turn to shoot.

Their goal was to ensure Henry couldn't react, making sure he wouldn't survive.

On the other side, Henry finally reached the island.

He pulled out his binoculars to scan the area.

Just as expected, he spotted the Nightmare Star!

"Special ship!"

Henry was so excited he almost jumped up.

What he didn't realize was that Lucas had seen everything through the crystal ball.

Henry waited for an hour, confirming there were no signs of life on board before slowly approaching.

He fired a symbolic shot—way off target—landing far in front of the Nightmare Star and splashing water everywhere.

It was all part of his routine, something Lucas had already seen in the vision.

After another 15 minutes, Henry confirmed there was no movement and then sped toward the ship.

"He's coming! He'll be here in 10 minutes!" Lucas reminded Seraphina, storing the crystal ball in his greedy bag and holding his breath, ready to ambush.

Seraphina was a little nervous since this was her first ambush, but her mental fortitude was strong, and she wasn't afraid.

Moments later, the sound of hooks clashing against the ship's hull echoed, followed by the noise of a plank being laid down.

The prey was about to bite.

Lucas raised his gun, aiming at the door.

It was dark inside, and by the time Henry saw him, it would likely be too late!

Time ticked away.

To make their plan more convincing, Lucas had casually tossed the fishing rod and net on the deck.

Henry probably thought he was collecting them, unaware that Lucas had already granted him access…

Lucas also retrieved the large insect's head to keep it from taking up too much time on the deck.

His goal was simple: lure Henry into the cabin as quickly as possible, as that was the safest move.

If the time reached 9 minutes, Lucas and Seraphina would have to take the initiative.

Luckily, within 5 minutes, the cabin door finally moved.

Creak! The door opened!

Henry swaggered in, carrying the barnacle fishing rod and red fishing net, looking very pleased with himself.

He was still gloating over his haul, but the next moment, a gunshot exploded to his left.

Bang!

Henry was shot in the abdomen, collapsing to the floor and clutching the wound with his hands.

He finally realized someone was standing to his left, holding a flintlock rifle, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"You… how…?" Henry stammered.

"I've been waiting here for a while!" Lucas smiled.

He hadn't aimed for Henry's head—one, because he didn't want to miss, and two, because he still had a few questions for him.