When the enemy charged forward, 2B stepped out without hesitation.
She moved in front of Ethan Chen, raising her greatsword Oath of the White and with a single slash, unleashed a crescent-shaped wave of sword energy that swept cleanly across the attackers' path.
Ethan instinctively reached out to cover Mona's eyes.
A second later, blood burst forth like crashing waves against jagged rocks, painting a grisly canvas across the deck.
Limbs flew. Guts spilled. Agonized screams tore through the air.
Those who were lucky died instantly. The unlucky those sliced in half or crippled could only writhe in unbearable pain.
Realizing what was happening, Mona trembled, her slender frame quivering uncontrollably.
Tifa didn't fare much better. Her face went pale, nearly retching on the spot at the carnage brought by 2B's merciless blow.
The scene was hellish, shocking the remaining pirates into complete stillness. Gripping their weapons, none dared step forward.
This woman was far more terrifying than Krieg could ever be.
"Move," Ethan ordered. He had no intention of wasting time on these small fry. Cut the roots, or the weeds would just grow back.
No one dared disobey. The path cleared instantly.
But Krieg was nowhere to be found on the bow.
The group rushed to the railing, only to spot a small rowboat gliding swiftly toward the open sea.
"All the other lifeboats were destroyed," Tifa said after glancing at the battered, cannon-blasted remains of the dinghies hanging on the ship's side.
From the fleeing boat, Krieg's voice carried faintly over the waves. "You bastard pretty boy! Remember this! Once I rebuild my fleet, I'll hunt you to the ends of the world and carve you up myself!"
After the earlier skirmish, Krieg had fully grasped the terrifying strength of his enemies. They were clearly after his head.
Even his trump card poison gas had failed to kill them. His elites had been defeated one by one.
So Krieg made the only decision that had ever kept him alive this long: retreat.
Cowardly? Perhaps. But that same cowardice was exactly what had allowed him to rise this far.
"Big words," Ethan sneered. "Everyone knows how that story ends. You think I'll just let you get away after all this?"
That man was a walking reward letting him escape would be like burning experience points.
"Mona, can you manipulate the sea? Like whip up a wave or a whirlpool to capsize his boat?" Ethan asked.
"Not from this distance," Mona said. She raised her palm, and water element swirled in her hand like a coiling stream. It rapidly expanded into a sphere nearly five meters wide and launched with explosive force.
The water ball struck the ocean like a high-caliber shell, sending up a towering column of spray. The surface churned violently from the impact.
As the water fell back to the sea, the rowboat remained intact but it had been stripped of one oar. Krieg and his remaining men floundered amid the waves, soaked and sputtering like drowned rats.
Though not destroyed, the boat had lost most of its momentum, now drifting sluggishly under what little wind the sails could catch.
And yet Krieg, having once again narrowly escaped death, only laughed more maniacally.
So what if his plans were ruined? Luck was still on his side. Even in the storm, he floated.
After all, no one stays unlucky forever.
"Sorry," Mona murmured, a little embarrassed. "It was too far. I missed."
"It's fine," Ethan reassured her. "This is a few hundred meters out. Hitting a target at that range is tough for anyone unless you're a professional sniper."
A sniper...
That gave Ethan an idea.
He hadn't used his summoning token yet.
The 3D Realm had no shortage of snipers Widowmaker from Overwatch, elite operatives from Resident Evil, or even legends long gone like Quiet from Metal Gear.
He decided to roll the dice.
"System," he commanded, "use the summoning token."
"Summoning in progress... Congratulations, Host. You have obtained character: Ada Wong."
. . .
As a perfectly trained covert agent, Ada Wong knew better than to ask questions.
Follow the mission. Complete the objective. Everything else was irrelevant.
Still, when she decrypted the floppy disk and saw her first assignment, she blinked.
Protect Ethan Chen.
Besides his name, a photograph, and a vague mission location, there were no further details.
Handsome, poised definitely her type.
And if the mission was to protect him? Not the worst gig.
After confirming the objective and destroying the disk, Ada packed her gear into a silver suitcase and departed.
She piloted a speedboat alone, heading toward an island somewhere in the Pacific.
After a full day at sea, thick fog began to blanket her path.
Then her engine died. All instruments failed.
Directionless, powerless, she floated adrift in an endless sea.
The unexpected breakdown rattled her, but there was nothing she could do. All she could do was pray the fog would lift.
Then a massive silhouette emerged from the mist.
As she drew closer, Ada saw it was a weather-worn wooden warship.
And just as the fog began to clear, golden sunlight broke through the clouds and lit up her face.
She looked up and saw him.
The man she was sent to protect.
. . .
A sudden grappling hook clattered against the railing, drawing 2B's attention.
She turned to see a flash of red vault onto the deck.
"Who goes there?"
"Just a lost tourist," Ada replied with a wry smile, scanning the bloodied deck before her gaze settled on Ethan Chen.
Even better-looking than the photo.
"I'm Ada Wong," she said. "I'm here to protect you."
"Protect?" Tifa raised an eyebrow. "When did you hire a bodyguard?"
"I didn't," Ethan replied, shaking his head. But he had a pretty good guess.
Another feature of the system, probably assigning her the role of protector.
In her original world, Ada Wong was a seductive and deadly secret agent, known for her ambiguous alliance with the villain Wesker. Her name itself was likely a pseudonym an enigma cloaked in lipstick and smoke.
This Ada, though, was far younger.
Despite her East Asian heritage that resisted aging, she couldn't be more than her early twenties. A flawless face framed by a heart-shaped jawline, a body brimming with youthful energy.
Nothing like the thirty- or forty-something version from some 3D games voluptuous, seasoned, exuding the depth of aged wine.
But Ethan had no complaints. He liked his wine young.
Ada, naturally, wasn't fazed by the fact her target didn't recognize her. That was normal.
She knew her mission. That was enough.
Leaning over the railing in a short red dress, her sculpted hips arched provocatively as she adjusted her balance in high heels, giving just a glimpse of the agile sensuality that made her dangerous.
She might be young, but Ada Wong was already a woman who knew how to wield seduction like a weapon.
"Trouble?" she asked casually, eyeing the distant waters. "Let me guess. Some shiny bastard escaped?"
"Yeah," Ethan's eyes flicked toward the silver case in her hand. "Think you can kill him?"
Ada grinned, sultry and calm. "Of course. But what's the reward?"
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