Taken by two security guards, Shi Ming emerged from the decaying darkroom.
Though the cabin remained dim, his visibility was significantly improved. Light streaming in through the small window gave Shi Ming the feeling of truly reborn.
He had a chance to examine his current body.
He bore no scars or injuries, his lower limbs coordinated, and he had no underlying illnesses. He wore linen slave overalls on the lower half, and coarse linen clothing on the upper half. Perhaps to save material, the sleeves were unsewn, like a sack with two openings cut out to create slave clothing.
After examining himself, Shi Ming took in his surroundings.
The cabin was heavily guarded, with patrols and personnel constantly operating.
Escape was impossible under these circumstances, especially with the ship sailing on the sea, leaving nowhere to escape. He could only meet the so-called captain and adapt accordingly.
Two explorers were dragging him around. One of them looked at his right arm. "Oh, I never noticed before. You have some tattoos on your arm. You look like a wealthy and sophisticated person. How did you end up being a slave here?"
Tattoos?
Shi Ming turned to look at his right arm, which was being controlled by the explorers.
Sure enough, in addition to the fresh blood, strange crimson lines spread from his palm to the end of his right arm, flowing like blood.
This? Shi Ming was stunned.
This wasn't a tattoo, but the blood of his previous life.
On an international mission, he was assigned to transfer the ancient artifact "God's Eye Pendant." It seemed like an ordinary task, but during the execution, Shi Ming encountered saturation hunting and ultimately failed.
Before his death, the pendant exploded in his right hand, and blood flowed back up his arm, as if it had a soul, all the way to his left chest.
Now, the bloodstains had turned into red lines?
Shi Ming, restrained by his restraint, suppressed his urge to investigate. He was escorted by two crew members up the stairs between the cabin decks. After a long walk, they finally reached an ornately decorated room.
"Bang, bang, bang."
"Enter."
"Captain, this is a slave guilty of murder."
"Oh? How many?"
The captain sat at the table, a transparent pen in hand, writing furiously on a piece of paper without looking up.
"One,"
the crew member explained briefly, following the procedure.
The captain snorted dispassionately after hearing the report.
"A slave is a slave. A murder for half a steamed bun is ridiculous." He glanced up at Shi Ming and continued writing.
"He's still in good shape, considered top quality among slaves. According to ship rules, execute him. Poke a few holes in the body and throw it into the sea to bait a nest. See if it attracts a few [bloodthirsty fish]."
"Yes."
As soon as the word "yes" rang out, Shi Ming deftly broke free from the not-so-subtle restraints!
He swerved sideways, effortlessly swerving behind one of the expedition members. He elbowed them in the throat and disarmed them, three moves executed in one go, effectively knocking one of the expedition members unconscious. He then used the wooden stick he'd obtained from disarming them to deliver a powerful blow to the other's neck!
In a flash, the two security guards were on the ground.
This was a skill honed over many years.
Then, he hurled the wooden stick at the captain's head.
He was always looking for an opportunity!
Guards were guarding the doorway; escaping now would be a recipe for death. His only chance was to control this so-called captain, offering a glimmer of hope.
His special forces career had endowed Shi Ming with the sharp judgment and adaptability of a cheetah. With absolute rationality, he could quickly and efficiently formulate the most appropriate response to the crisis.
Standing there waiting to die? No way!
With the wooden stick's accumulated force, coupled with his honed accuracy, a head-on impact was certain to stun the enemy, offering a chance of survival. But what he didn't expect was that the captain, sitting in his seat, simply turned his head slightly, dodging the high-speed wooden club.
"Interesting."
A playful look flashed in the captain's eyes.
"A slave without any awakening abilities possesses such exceptional physical fitness and reflexes, even surpassing these incompetent explorers. The Drifting Ship's talent recommendation system still has much room for improvement."
The captain stood up and, in just two steps, reached Shi Ming.
"It's a shame you met me, an Awakened One."
He gave Shi Ming a deep look, then with a single powerful punch, sent Shi Ming flying, slamming directly into the wall.
"Your physique is quite good. But you have to understand, humans and Awakened Ones are two different species."
Shi Ming climbed to his feet, panting heavily. After enduring that punch and then being slammed hard against the wall, he felt surprisingly unwell. He felt only a surge of energy and blood within him, and an inexplicable strength in his right arm.
The red lines now burned, as if burning his skin, imbuing him with a surge of strength.
[Awakening-level enemy detected, power recovering... 10%...]
[Arm of Strength, activated. Arm of Strength temporarily increases the host's strength by 10 times, lasting 3 minutes, cooldown 20 minutes.]
[■■■■, inactivated.]
[■■■■, inactivated.]
Shi Ming was delighted.
A cheat?
This much power after 10% recovery? 10 times? He felt incredibly powerful now.
He secretly gathered strength, ready to wait for the captain to approach so he could deliver a powerful punch, a chance of survival.
10 times the power! Even if you, a so-called "Awakener," are so formidable, I doubt you can withstand it unscathed!
Sadly, the captain didn't approach. Instead, he pulled a chair and sat down in front of Shi Ming with a relaxed expression.
His eyes gleamed with confidence, like a giant dragon looking down at the ants beneath its feet.
"Rules are made by people."
"You're lucky. Over a dozen members of the exploration team died in the storm, and the Drifting Ship is in need of personnel now. And I've always been flexible in my hiring."
"Compared to these useless exploration team members, your physical fitness, reflexes, and fighting skills are indeed superior. Even if you killed someone and attacked me, I can give you a chance to live. If you perform to my satisfaction, I can even raise your status, from slave to crew member, or even to an Awakened like me."
"As long as you can demonstrate your value."
Oh?
This captain is actually trying to win me over? And he's even making promises after promises? Even though I've attacked him before?
Is he confident in his own abilities?
Or does he have other hidden cards and means?
The system hasn't fully recovered yet, and he's not completely sure of taking action right now. No matter what the captain thinks, he can only play along and avoid a serious fight for the time being.
As long as he survives first, he can plan things slowly.
"Awakened?"
He took the opportunity to ask his question.
"Only those who have bathed in the blood of powerful beings can awaken superpowers. Awakened ones are rare in the world, and I am one of them."
"How can I demonstrate my value?"
Shi Ming raised his head, panting, feigning a blow that left him defenseless.
In this moment, playing the pig is the only way to catch the tiger.
"Haha, of course, to get me more resources."
The captain lit a cigarette and puffed on it with great pleasure, seemingly unfazed by the recent turmoil.
"The storm has just subsided, and the drifting ship is sailing at full speed toward a newly marked island to the southwest. I plan to assemble a slave team to search for possible resources on the island. You are agile and have good skills. If you can complete this mission, I will spare your life."
"However, if you fail to demonstrate your value, your sin of killing will still be punished."
The captain glanced at Shi Ming.
"Don't even think about escaping. Every member of the crew aboard the Drifting Ship, myself included, has had a virtual chip implanted in their bodies. The captain, with administrative authority, only needs to operate the control panel. Even if you're an Awakened, you won't be able to resist."
"This is the underlying logic programmed into every Drifting Ship in the world. It's all for the unity of the surviving human race,"
the captain said with a half-smile, though a hint of dissatisfaction lingered in his words.
"Virtual chip?"
Shi Ming felt a chill run down his spine. There was such a thing!
And everyone aboard the Drifting Ship had one implanted? Including the captain himself?
For unity? For control, surely?
Would the managers and explorers agree to it? Would those powerful individuals, those at the pinnacle of world power, also agree?
Before Shi Ming could even consider the truth of his words, he heard the captain's emotionless voice—
"Do you agree?"
A fleeting thought flashed through his mind, and the system prompt reappeared before his eyes.
[Ding.]
[Novice mission is starting. Complete the novice mission to obtain novice rewards and help remove the Skynet chip in the host's body, making the host a rare "chip-free person" in the world. ]
[The system is planning tasks for the host...]
[It is expected to take 3 hours...]
(End of this chapter)