Apocalypse Forecast

Baba Yaga, or Granny Baba Yaga.

If any one person could embody the term "witch," it would be her. Since her birth, countless terrifying legends have circulated in the fearful whispers of the Slavic people.

The demoness dwelling in a chicken-legged hut, the concocter of black Magic Potions... the eternal nightmare of the Eternal Frozen Wasteland and its forests.

Koshchey.

The Undead, Wizard, Transformers... an agent of evil worthy of inclusion in the Slavic Mythological Source Text. He inherited divine blood and rose to fame hundreds of years ago, a paragon of the "Demon King" archetype. Even now, a place in the Russian Federation bears the name Koshchey Kovo.

But more terrifying than his infamy was the sheer strength of his life force.

It is said that he hid his Soul within a needle. He then concealed that needle inside a duck egg, placed the egg inside a hare's belly, and so on. Finally, he sealed everything on an oak tree in an endless Sea. Thus, those who cannot find his Soul can never truly kill him.

Perhaps the rumors are exaggerated. Still, he became famous seven hundred years ago!

Seven hundred years!

More than twenty generations have passed; countless dynasties have risen and fallen; the world has undergone profound changes.

Today, countless contemporaries have long since decayed. Yet he remains alive and well, even capable of eating oatmeal, sailing on boats, and going for walks when he has nothing else to do.

As for the Pharaoh and the Sphinx, little more needed to be said. If the rumors were true, one was a true descendant of noble divine blood, while the other was a notoriously ferocious monster...

It was just unknown which Pharaoh it was, whether his title had been stripped, how much of his Power remained... and to which generation the Sphinx belonged.

But even the weakest Pharaoh was not someone Huai Shi could afford to provoke.

What was once thought to be a mud pond had suddenly transformed into a venomous swamp. Now, four great crocodiles had burst onto the scene, leaving Huai Shi, the newbie, completely clueless. Everyone else was dumbfounded, in sheer shock.

Only when all the big shots had departed did everyone breathe a collective sigh of relief.

How had such a small boat become so crowded with heavy hitters? Everyone immediately felt the immense pressure.

Huai Shi felt even more pressure. He knew there was a hidden boss on board capable of handcrafting the Philosopher's Stone—Paracelsus—and he had to figure out a way to kill him.

Jesus, is this game really meant for humans to play?

If he was lucky, Parasussell might not have the Philosopher's Stone on hand yet. But with a bit of bad luck... it was feared that in Paracelsus's plan, everyone might end up being turned into Philosopher's Stones.

Anyone could tell that for such a high-grade item to be artificially produced, the required materials must be incredibly valuable.

And since the Philosopher's Stone itself is a miracle incarnate, what could be more suitable as materials than these Stigmas, which are composed of countless miracles?

Old Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Lei Feizhou and Huai Shi. "It seems order can be maintained on the ship for the time being," he said. "Our priority now is to explore the entire ship."

Lei Feizhou asked, "What about Yin Yan?"

"Hasn't Yin Yan already made contact with Baba Yaga? Let him continue building rapport," Old Xiao suggested. "If possible, everyone should try to hang around Koshchey and the Pharaoh to see if we can find any clues."

Forget about it...

Huai Shi's face turned green.

Koshchey might seem simple-minded sitting in his wheelchair, but it was debatable whether he was actually senile. As for the one holding the cat... he didn't look like someone easy to talk to.

His indifferent gaze clearly showed he didn't take these people seriously. Recklessly striking up a conversation would, at best, result in a polite brush-off. At worst, if one upset him and he unleashed his cat, who could possibly withstand it!

Whoever wants to go can go, but he certainly won't!

Completely ignoring his apparently team-high charm value and Charm Skill, Huai Shi was in prime slacking mode today as well...

Seeing Huai Shi refuse to use his charm or take any risks, Lei Feizhou seemed to snort coldly, somewhat displeased.

"But you could actually try seducing that old woman," Ai Qing sincerely suggested. "I think it would definitely be a sure catch!"

Oh, please!

Huai Shi recalled the layers of fleshy folds on Baba Yaga's face and couldn't help but shiver.

In the end, their discussion came to nothing. They could only tentatively decide to explore separately and then reconvene in Old Xiao's room around dinnertime to see if they had any leads.

In the current chaos, it was hard to find any place to start.

As Huai Shi walked down the corridor, however, he noticed that the remains of the crew left on the ground seemed to have been tampered with.

The uniforms were still in place, but the Ashes had vanished. Someone had taken them.

Doesn't this prove Parasussell has made a move?

Huai Shi's headache immediately intensified.

A miscalculation.

Although manufacturing Artificial Humans consumed a certain amount of Source Substance, the materials were actually completely recyclable. This meant that after one batch died, their Ashes could be collected, poured into a culture dish, boiled, and soaked, and very soon, a new batch could be grown.

More convenient than growing chives.

Moreover, night had fallen suddenly, enveloping the entire Sea. It was uncertain when dawn would break again. This meant the endurance of the Artificial Humans had been greatly enhanced.

I have a bad feeling about this situation.

Huai Shi sighed, his steps suddenly halting.

He smelled blood coming from the direction of the cargo hold entrance.

Vampires are congenitally sensitive to the smell of blood, even more so than a dog's nose... especially precious blood carrying the scent of an Alien Species.

It was right below the stairs.

So, did that guy Yue Jun break two of the ship's three prohibitions from last night in one go? No, perhaps he broke all three.

"The three prohibitions were only for last night until six this morning, the moment the sun set and darkness returned," Ai Qing said. "There shouldn't be any danger down there anymore. If you're still worried, I can certainly help you move stealthily."

Huai Shi stood in the shadows, instantly feeling as if his body had become transparent.

It was as if he had become a Yin Soul once more.

It seems Ai Qing's stealth Skill has taken effect.

After rechecking his equipment, he carefully stepped into the darkness of the cargo hold.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't some hideous Demon's nest below.

Even the usual sound of water at the base of a cruise ship was absent. It was silent, save for the deep rumble coming from the engine room. Right at the entrance, Huai Shi saw several dirty footprints. It looked as if someone had already been in and out. There was no blood, and no body parts seemed to be missing.

Huai Shi felt much more at ease.

As he passed the engine room, boiler room, and electrical control room, Huai Shi couldn't resist taking a quick look. It seemed the crew's disappearance hadn't affected the cruise ship's operation.

Everything was normal.

It was as if invisible hands were maintaining it all.

Walking through it felt like passing among countless unseen Souls, a palpable chill in the air.

Huai Shi closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the principle, as long as the ship can move, that's good enough... I'm naturally immune to this kind of Haunted House phenomenon. Seriously, growing up in the Stone Marrow Pavilion, what spectacle haven't I seen? This is nothing but a drizzle...

Before long, he followed the scent of blood and found a body—or rather, Yue Jun's body.

There was no attempt at hiding or concealment. It lay sprawled at the end of the corridor as if sunbathing on a beach, dark blood pooled around it, and a foul stench filled the air.

He had only been dead a night, yet he looked as if he had been discarded for many days, his rotting bones nearly exposed.

The swollen corpse was crawling with maggots.

Undoubtedly murdered.

The Headless Knight, a Stigma symbolizing death, had succumbed to it; the Knight without a head had also lost his own head in death.

The headless corpse, amid the foul smell, revealed white bones. There were faint signs that it had been searched. Huai Shi pinched his nose and moved closer, squatting down. He fought the nausea and dizziness rising within him and examined the body closely.

And then, predictably, he found absolutely nothing.

He wasn't a coroner, nor had he learned any autopsy Skills. Van Essen certainly wouldn't know how to gather forensic evidence from a body. If there was anything to be seen, it would merely confirm that Yue Jun was well and truly dead.

Almost completely decomposed.

"Can you make anything out?" Huai Shi asked.

"Wait a second, look around," Ai Qing instructed. Then came the distinct sound of dice rolling. The dim cargo hold seemed to light up all at once, every detail becoming clear as day, including the insects now swarming.

"He was murdered."

After brief contemplation, Ai Qing delivered a judgment as simple as it was meaningless, then added, "He was murdered twice, by different people."

"Huh?" Huai Shi uttered.

"Look behind you, and you'll understand," Ai Qing guided Huai Shi, directing his gaze to where the bloodstains began in the central corridor, extending all the way to Yue Jun's corpse.

"The Headless Knight's Stigma doesn't mean that Sublimators no longer have heads," Ai Qing explained. "It's just that after modifications and adjustments, their life systems have been transformed, transferring cognitive functions into the Soul, preserving it within the shell. This makes the brain and skull less important; even if lost, it's not fatal.

"That means, even without a head, he could have survived for quite some time. It wouldn't have been a big deal to just attach another one."

"When he reached the center of the corridor, he was attacked. Someone hiding around the corner chopped off his head—clean and swift... Yue Jun got scared and tried to run forward, not expecting another person ahead. This time, that person killed him outright," Ai Qing said.

Two people, two attacks.

Without even a sign of struggle.

Huai Shi felt a headache coming on. Then, Ai Qing offered an even more troubling theory: "Or perhaps, after being attacked, he ran forward because there was someone he recognized ahead."

Then, he died at the hands of an ally.

Huai Shi gasped sharply.

—There's a traitor, cease the transaction!

In that instant, Huai Shi heard the sound of dice rolling ceaselessly.