Chapter 9 Cover

```

Staring down Chen Qi was no ordinary deep sea toad.

By its size, as well as its distinctly greyer and harder skin, plus those deep red teeth, it was clearly a more powerful alien species.

At this moment, the little crow also noticed the unusual situation with this alien species.

With so many injured crew yet to recover, their current state was outright unsuitable for escape!

If she was to run now, it would mean abandoning more than a dozen injured on site.

Diverting a sliver of her attention, she spoke to Chen Qi:

"Take out the Sea Beast oil and sprinkle it on us, it has an auxiliary hypnotic effect, and can also, in front of Sea Beasts, mask our human scent."

Auxiliary hypnotic? Your strange medicines sure are plenty... Chen Qi took out the Sea Beast oil, applying it skillfully over them.

Hopefully it works... the little crow prayed inwardly.

Boom! Boom!

The alien species advanced another five meters toward them, then suddenly stopped.

After scattering the medicine, Chen Qi turned back to watch the alien species' movements intently.

The deep sea toad's massive blue eyes stared at him, and Chen Qi's eyes met its gaze.

A stare-off ensued.

This little thing looks quite unique? Can my Deep Sea Affinity take effect? Chen Qi wondered.

This deep sea toad should be a creature of the deep sea attribute.

"Roar!"

All of a sudden, the deep sea toad opened its giant maw and roared in their direction.

Its voice seemed to carry an ancient power, awakening everyone's instincts and fears!

The roar almost stopped the injured on the ground from their hearts beating.

Everyone, except for Chen Qi, was in a state of shock.

The little crow, too, was severely scared, even ready to cease the surgery at the next second.

If it really came to it, she would have to let this blue toad taste the fury of a medic!

However, the instant after it roared, the deep sea toad turned around and leaped into the darkness.

"???"

Everyone was baffled, but still, they exhaled in relief.

Chen Qi alone understood what had happened.

Because the target of that roar was him...

Guided by intuition, Chen Qi understood the deep sea toad's piercing cry.

The rough meaning was:

"You eat."

The monster hadn't failed to see them, nor was it uninterested in them.

But in its eyes, Chen Qi was also a monster, and these injured were his 'meals'.

I have no interest in eating humans... Chen Qi thought, feeling slightly elated.

He was now certain that Deep Sea Affinity worked on these deep sea toads!

These deep sea toads that induced fear in everyone would not attack him and even showed a certain kindness.

This place was his home ground!

Most pirates were busy fighting...

Meaning, he could now move freely among the group of deep sea toads.

This was an excellent opportunity to escape.

The only concern was the ship's medic behind him.

Though she was a healer, it didn't mean her combat abilities were weak.

He could very well be caught halfway by the medic, snatched back like an eagle catching a chicken.

Should I really run?

Chen Qi lowered his head, calmly contemplating.

With the help of Deep Sea Affinity, he should be able to find a better chance to escape.

"Moreover..."

The enlightenment that had sparked upon entering the crack surfaced again in Chen Qi's mind.

At the end of the cave, below those crimson eyes—

There lay the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!

The Black-eyed Captain hadn't been wrong; it was indeed a rarity of this world.

That was why these pirates, at the risk of their lives, set foot in this Sea Beast cavern.

With Deep Sea Affinity, this treasure could be a tremendous opportunity for Chen Qi.

Under normal circumstances, it would require a long time of growth before he'd be eligible to step into this crack.

Unafraid of deep-sea creatures in the crack...

This Deep Sea Hunter's treasure, perhaps...

```

Chen Qi's mind conceived a bold idea, and he lifted his head.

Another monster had fixed its gaze on him!

At this moment, above the ceiling, a human-sized bat flapped its wings, its dark red eyes staring in the direction where Chen Qi stood.

It was larger and more menacing than the bats before!

The Blood Eye Bat, an advanced variant of the ordinary bats, now belonged to the elite class of monsters.

The scent of blood had attracted this creature of the skies.

The Sea Beast had left due to Chen Qi's Deep Sea Affinity, but this bloodthirsty monster would not.

"Trouble…"

Chen Qi took a deep breath, preparing to slaughter this bloodthirsty bat.

Fortunately, unlike the Deep Sea Toads, this was a very common monster in the game, and as a dedicated player, he was very familiar with it.

Normally, as long as one had the strength of a First Order Transcendent, they could defeat early-stage monsters like this one.

Although Chen Qi was not a First Order, he had taken the Yellow Needle, and also had the Collector's Rifle. In terms of weapons and attributes, he already tentatively possessed the strength of a First Order Transcendent.

"Hiss!"

The Blood Eye Bat dived down!

Chen Qi did not immediately shoot; instead, he held his curved knife, quietly waiting for the right moment.

In the instant it swooped down, he swung the curved knife violently, stabbing into the Blood Eye Bat's body!

This kind of monster didn't fear pain—

As the curved knife stabbed into it, just as Chen Qi anticipated, the Blood Eye Bat continued to move forward, trying to bite his neck off directly!

The Blood Eye Bat's head was its core and also the hardest part.

At this moment, Chen Qi's left hand pulled out the Collector's Rifle and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Three shots in a row! The head of the Blood Eye Bat burst open instantly like a water bag!

[Killed Blood Eye Bat, obtained 51 Spiritual Points.]

51 Spiritual Points! This was already a considerable amount!

Exhilarating! Chen Qi felt the scalding sensation transmitted to his hand from the Collector.

That should be it… Chen Qi looked around, and aside from this bat, there were no other creatures daring to compete with the Deep Sea Toads for food.

Lying on the ground, the First Mate looked at Chen Qi, sincerely thanking him:

"Thank you, thanks to the Sea Goddess, thank you, ship's surgeon..."

"Well done! My assistant!"

Crow thought to herself; she had completed the First Mate's bloodletting surgery, successfully removing the deep-sea toxin from his body.

Her assistant was more competent than she had imagined.

With the bloodletting surgery complete, the First Mate stood up, flexed his limbs, and picked up his weapon again!

The Black-eyed Captain was still fighting at the forefront!

A piece of cake… Chen Qi clapped his hands and turned his gaze to where the Black-eyed Captain was.

As the captain of the Sawshark, the Black-eyed Captain was formidable, possessing a black blade specialized for hunting monsters.

Under immense pressure, he had successfully carved a path of blood through the crowd of Deep Sea Toads.

However, their stamina was ultimately limited, while the Deep Sea Toads were endless.

And moreover, many more terrifying sea monsters lurked in the shadows, yet to emerge.

If they didn't have a target, they would sooner or later be depleted in this cave.

"If this continues…"

Crow bit her teeth tightly, her small fists clenched.

Under the dual influence of Chen Qi and the Black-eyed Captain, the offensive of the Deep Sea Toads weakened.

But the key point was that there was still no news about their target, the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!

And just at that moment, a pirate responsible for scouting appeared before the Black-eyed Captain.

The scouting pirate came closer, and with a joyful face, he shared the intelligence he had just gathered with the captain.

"Hahaha! Fantastic, this is just fantastic!"

Upon hearing this, the frown on the Black-eyed Captain's forehead unfurled, and he laughed loudly.

The captain's laughter was like a battle drum, igniting the emotions of everyone present.

Did they discover something… Chen Qi's eyes closely followed the captain, gripping the Collector's Rifle tightly.

Then, the Black-eyed Captain, drenched in blood, pulled his long knife from the flesh of the toads and roared violently:

"Crewmen! The Sea Goddess watches over us!

We've found it! The location of the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!

Everyone, cast aside your fears and follow me with all your might!"