84 Chapter 83: The hunt for Void Whale (2/2)

As the bus came to a stop, I immediately sprang to my feet and hauled my haversack to my shoulders. Joining the flow of passengers off the bus, I made my way to the bustling harbor where countless ships teemed, bobbing gently in the morning waves. Even at this hour, there were already a lot of people gathered on the docks. Many of them were embarking or disembarking from their respective boats, talking with the captain and exchanging pleasantries.

Now, where is the boat I'm supposed to go to…?

Consulting my tablet, I followed the directions and looked for a relatively massive ship that was named Mo Bi Di Ke. Pushing up my glasses, I gaped at the size of the ship, its red, rusted hull gleaming under the early morning sun.

”What are you gaping for, brat?”

One of the elderly sailors leaned over the rusty railings and spat into the sea. He then fixed a glare onto me, his grizzled face half-covered in the huge shadow of the boat housing. I met his gaze evenly, refusing to back down.

The sailor couldn't intimidate me. Not after all I had been through. I had survived torture and abuse, I had prevailed over psychotic enemies in plenty of life-to-death battles. If the sailor thought he could scare me away, he was dead wrong.

The scarred sailor's lip curled. ”If you have no business here, get lost! We're busy!”

I cocked my head to the side. ”Anything I can help with?”

”Huh?!” the sailor snarled, taken aback. ”Well, for starters, you can help by getting lost and not taking up space in the docks! We're busy here, and the place is going to be bustling with people in a few minutes.”

I nodded and began to board the ship. The sailor did a double take.

”Where do you think you're going, brat?!”

”This is the Mo Bi Di Ke, isn't it?”

”It is, but…” the sailor glared at me. ”This is no place for you, brat. Get off my ship or I'll send you crying and screaming back to your mama.”

Sighing, I shook my head and suppressed the annoyance that was rippling just beneath my calm façade.

”If I'm not mistaken, your ship has been chartered for the mission to hunt a Void Whale, correct?”

”…yeah, so what?”

”I'm one of the members who volunteered for that mission.”

The sailor burst out laughing. ”Get out of here! Do you honestly expect me to believe that a puny, skinny kid like you can help with hunting a Void Whale? This isn't some kiddy expedition, you know? Go home before you get yourself killed.”

I held up my tablet and displayed the screen that proved that I had been accepted for the mission. The sailor gawked at the unrecognizable signature of his captain (or so I presumed).

”You've got to be kidding me!”

The sailor was shaking his head in disbelief as he approached my position, crossing the broad deck with wide strides. He glowered at me, unable to contain his fury. Apparently he still certain there was some sort of mistake.

”Are they desperate enough to recruit kids now? I know hunting a Void Whale is one of the most dangerous and riskiest missions, but even so, they've sunk to a new low and resorted to deceiving brats into throwing their lives away now?”

”If it's that bad, why did you agree to sail on a ship that's heading out on such a dangerous mission?” I countered.

The sailor sneered at me with derisive laughter. ”Firstly, I'm not a greenhorn brat who's still wet behind the ears. Secondly, I'm strong enough to take care of myself. That said, I don't have the time or energy to spare to babysit amateur children like you!”

”Uh huh.” I nodded wearily, not wanting to argue too much with the supposedly hardened sailor. ”Even so, I've already signed up for the mission, so the higher-ups evidently think I can do the job.”

”Did those higher-ups actually see you in person?” the sailor snarled. I shrugged.

”They should have all my information and track record, so I don't think there should be a problem.”

”Hmph.” The sailor began rolling up his sleeves. ”Fine. I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. Let's have a bout. If you can even land a single hit on me, you can come aboard and I'll kowtow to you and apologize.”

”Uh, that's…”

”What, are you scard or something?” the sailor scoffed. ”If you dare not fight against me, then how do you expect me to believe that you've the courage to confront something as dangerous and powerful as a Void Whale?”

This guy…was there a screw loose in his head or something?

”No, that's not the point.” I sighed. ”I just don't think we should be injuring each other even before the mission begins.”

”Injured?” The sailor burst out laughing. ”Don't worry, I'll make sure to hold back, so you won't run back to your mama, crying about being bullied by adults.”

”I'm more worried about you, actually,” I muttered. A vein twitched in the sailor's brow and he glared at me.

”Huh?! What did you say?!”

”…never mind. Let's begin then.”

”Hmph. Don't overestimate your own strength. You aren't strong enough to leave even a scratch on me. I'm already at the Qi Fusion Stage! You're probably only at the Qi Essence Stage…or Flowing Qi Stage at most. You can't…”

I kicked him before he could finish his sentence. Even though he brought up his guard on reflex, my foot snaked beneath his elbows and slammed into his midriff, causing him to stagger. Straightening up, I shrugged.

”There you go. I landed a single hit on you. So do you acknowledge me now?”

”You…you…!” the sailor spluttered, and then he shook his head furiously. ”That didn't count! That was just a lucky hit! You started even before I was ready! Who the fuck attacks while their opponent is talking?! How dare you use a sneak attack?!”

Sighing, I cocked my head to the side and beckoned for him to make his move. ”All right, then begin. What are you waiting for?”

The sailor growled, and then lunged at me. I stepped to the side, using Shadow Step, and allowed him to barrel forward. As the sailor skidded to a stop and spun around to clutch at me with his claws, I ducked under his fingers and kicked him in the midriff.

”There…”

I had barely finished my sentence when the sailor countered with a vicious hook, forcing me to dodge and withdraw to a safe distance.

”Hey! What are you playing at?” I demanded, annoyed. ”I landed another hit on you. You started the attack first this time, so you should have no complaints about me launching a sneak attack or whatever, right?”

”Not counted! You got lucky!”

The sailor wasted no time arguing and launched himself at me again. Feeling incredibly irritated, I jumped above him right when he pounced on the deck, and landed on top of his head. I resisted the urge to use Seismic Step, and instead jumped away when he swiped at his scalp with a huge paw. Spinning in midair, I lashed out with a roundhouse kick.

My foot connected with the sailor's face and a thunderous crack echoed throughout the air. The sailor's eyes widened in shock, but that was the last thing I saw of his face before he was lifted off his feet and flung off the deck. The sailor gave a short cry before he sailed over the railing and crashed into the waters below.

”Bleah! Ugh! Argh!”

Coughing and spitting out the salty seawater, the sailor fumbled around and forced himself to remain afloat. He gaped at me, his eyes still mired in disbelief.

”How…how…?!”

”Hai Yuan, with this, you should be convinced, right?”

Both of us turned in surprise, only to see an elderly man stride out of the ship's cabin. His hair was a white mess, complete with a long beard that trailed to his collar. A smoking pipe stuck out of his wizened lips, and he watched both of us, mirth evident in his wrinkled eyes. Dressed in a white naval uniform with black lapels and golden buttons, and even complete with a navy cap, the elderly man stood rimrod straight with a forceful presence that belied his advanced age.

”Captain Chuan Zhang,” the sailor named Hai Yuan muttered, his face red from humiliation. He silently swam toward a ladder at the side of the ship and climbed up, drenched and dripping wet after his tumble into the sea.

Chuan Zhang merely chuckled before he drew a deep breath from his pipe. ”You should know that the Martial Arts Alliance don't just simply send anyone on dangerous expeditions like this. If they allowed this kid to go, then it means that the kid definitely has some sort of ability.” He then turned to me and bowed slightly. ”I apologize for any offense that my subordinate has caused you. And I would like to welcome you aboard my ship, Mo Bi Di Ke.”

”None taken,” I assured him. Glancing at Hai Yuan, I expected resentment, but the big man was viewing me with respect now. Cupping my hands, I bowed respectfully. ”This humble person is Fei Wu, and I am one of the volunteers for this expedition.”

”Ah…Fei Wu, was it?” Captain Chuan Zhang stroked his beard as he studied me. ”I believe I've heard of you. You've quite the interesting…record.”

I smiled. ”I doubt it's as interesting as the others', though.”

This wasn't me being humble. I actually meant it. Anyone crazy enough to participate in an expedition to hunt a Void Whale had to be a seasoned veteran with decades of combat experience, a super-powerful expert, or a former top mercenary with nothing to lose. I was looking forward to meeting them and learning some pointers from them. This would turn out to be a very fruitful journey, not just in terms of getting the spirit material I needed for a spatial storage device, but also to learn from the very best of the jianghu.

”Eh? Isn't that Brother Wu?”

My jaw dropped when I heard the familiar voice. Turning around with a small amount of dread, as well as no small amount of resignation, my shoulders drooped and I gazed down on the newcomers who had just boarded the Mo Bi Di Ke.

The familiar figures of Zi Xiao Ji, Zhao Shi and Da Ge came into view. Da Ge was waving affably and Zi Xiao Ji was skipping excitedly toward my position.

I should have known…

I sighed and wondered if we would really be all right.