The Black Guy's offensive power at this moment was already quite formidable. The 1000 hit points of the algae bubble shield, frankly, meant nothing to him; it would take just a few shots. As the algae bubble shield was blasted apart in a loud crash, followed by an intense surge of bubbles, the true form of the Chupacabra monster was finally revealed.

It was a beast somewhat resembling a plesiosaur from the age of dinosaurs. Its body was covered in fine, dark green-black scales, giving its entire torso a smooth, fusiform shape. A thin layer of mucus coated the scales. Its four limbs extended forward like fins, though the forepart of each limb ended in incredibly sharp claws. A long, thick tail had also appeared behind it.

Suddenly ambushed, the Chupacabra began to roar furiously and then quickly swam toward them. As the distance between them closed, one could observe that the monster's neck was rather elongated, topped by a huge, crocodile-like head and a long snout.

However, perhaps due to its extreme anger, it would occasionally open its mouth to roar. At these times, one could clearly see that the structure of the Chupacabra's mouth resembled that of a snake, capable of opening into an exaggerated arc. The rows of sharp teeth lining its mouth were like sets of razor blades, capable of grinding anything—meat, vegetable, hard, or soft—into dust.

Because the monster’s masseter muscles were so well-developed, two thick ridges of muscle bulged beneath the skin beside its mouth, knotting and extending all the way to its neck. One could imagine the dire consequences of being caught in its bite.

Likely stung by Mo’gansha’s accurate and fierce bullets, the beast’s long neck suddenly shot out of the water and sprayed a stream of colorless, transparent venom at Mo’gansha! Facing this move, Jiao Shi immediately rushed forward to block in front of the Black Guy.

The venom splashed onto Mo’gansha’s shield, scattering outwards. The Alien Head Shield, however, was completely impervious to corrosion; the venom simply beaded up and rolled off like water off a lotus leaf. Where the spattered venom landed on the surrounding deck boards, thick smoke immediately rose, instantly charring the very hard and durable wood used for the decking.

A droplet of venom flew past Jiao Shi’s face, close enough that he felt an intense searing heat next to his cheek. A heavy smell of burning erupted, followed immediately by a stinging, burning pain! Even though nearly half the hair near his ear was burned away, had he been directly hit, he might have ended up needing reconstructive surgery in South Korea upon returning to the real world.

Despite Fang Senyan having issued a timely warning, the venom spat chaotically. One of Fang Senyan’s pirates, too slow to dodge, was unfortunately drenched by the venom. His entire right hand began to make a sizzling sound. Strangely, the man seemed completely unaware of the pain, staring blankly as the epidermis of his right hand boiled, bubbled, and then melted away. He looked like he hadn't even registered what was happening.

Just then, a figure strode out, drew the cutlass at his waist, and slashed straight down, severing the pirate's arm at the shoulder! The severed arm instantly corroded completely in a short time, looking as if it had been tossed into concentrated sulfuric acid. The pirate, tough as he was, knowing he had narrowly escaped death, quickly staunched the bleeding and then forced himself to give Old Bass a slight bow despite the agony of his severed limb.

The one who intervened to save the man was Old Bass, the former Naval Lieutenant Commander. This old man was Philip’s fencing instructor; he held high prestige but also had a foul and stubborn temper. Fang Senyan found him something of a hot potato—killing him might affect the morale of the original sailors, but keeping him alive felt like a waste of provisions, putting Fang Senyan in a difficult spot.

However, though Old Bass was quite strong, he wasn't someone Fang Senyan and his group took too seriously. At this point, Fang Senyan’s reputation aboard the ship had soared, and since all the sailors had no other viable option besides defecting to him, they weren't afraid that Old Bass could stir up any significant trouble.

More importantly, the old man was extremely rigid in his principles. He believed that since he was a prisoner of war, he must be treated strictly according to POW standards. He certainly wouldn't repay Fang Senyan's mercy like Philip’s previous colleagues did by igniting gunpowder barrels.

Old Bass's sudden action now, however, caught Fang Senyan by surprise. If the poisoned person had been one of the original British sailors, his intervention would have been unsurprising, but the one poisoned had always been a pirate, which made the matter rather intriguing.

Yet, facing the Tier Three Legendary creature before him, Fang Senyan simply had no time to ponder extraneous matters. He shook his head, pushing the issue aside. While maintaining a tight guard, he said to Jiao Shi:

"It's absolutely impossible for this thing to instantly kill us. So, if you find yourself struggling too much up front and feel something is wrong, you must immediately awaken as a formal Stalker. Because I was the owner of the Ecklue High-Energy Injector, a job transfer item, I can check its usage procedure."

"At that time, the Space told me that once you use that item, you will immediately enter an introspective state. At that point, you can patiently examine and weigh all options, taking your time to choose, because the flow of time is effectively slowed down. Only after you officially choose to become a Stalker will the passage of time return to normal."

Jiao Shi nodded seriously:

"I understand."

At that moment, Mo’gansha’s characteristic rapid-fire sound rang out. Because the creature before them was so massive, even with his shooting accuracy dropping significantly during continuous fire, there was no way he could miss. Under the Black Guy’s assault, the two Viper Wolf Souls were quickly summoned.

Even in the ocean, they dug their sharp claws fiercely into the flesh of the Legendary creature, the Chupacabra, and continuously bit and tore at it. The Chupacabra roared repeatedly and spat out several more streams of venom, but this time everyone was prepared and no one was caught in the crossfire.

Seeing the Chupacabra rapidly approaching, a ball of red light suddenly ignited at the bow of the ship. It was the one-armed Old Sea Dog, who had somehow managed to sneak to the front and install two two-pounder cannons—normally used for boarding actions—in the original position of the figurehead cannon. These weapons primarily fired grapeshot, capable of inflicting terrifying damage at close range within fifty meters.

With two loud booms, two ghastly wounds immediately appeared on the Chupacabra’s body, its bright red flesh writhing desperately as it tried to eject the lead pellets and iron shot lodged within.

In agony, it suddenly let out a piercing shriek, violently slamming its thick, powerful tail against the sea surface. Instantly, a massive wave five or six meters high surged toward them like a wall, crashing directly against the bow! With a sharp crack, the entire ship, weighing several thousand tons, was violently pitched up to nearly a 45-degree angle!

This impact was utterly sudden, causing more than a dozen men to scream in terror and tumble overboard. Fang Senyan’s pupils constricted sharply. Indeed, Legendary creatures in the water often displayed a full tier higher of strength when fighting in their home environment!

However, even when he was still an ordinary person, Fang Senyan had fiercely battled giant marine beasts like the Sperm Whale. He was very clear on the weaknesses of such creatures: once engaged in close combat, these things often found themselves in very awkward situations. For instance, the two Viper Wolf Souls summoned by the Black Guy were still thriving, greedily gnawing at the Chupacabra’s body, and the Chupacabra seemed powerless to stop them.

In an instant, the giant marine monster closed to within thirty meters of the ship. Jiao Shi stood at the bow, shield in his left hand, lightsaber in his right, steady as a mountain. Fang Senyan, in turn, drew Ambition with his left hand, raising it instantly to aim at the Chupacabra’s head.

The wind blew across Fang Senyan’s cheek, feeling uniquely cool, and the scent of the sea enveloped him like a mother. Yet, the hand holding the firearm remained as steady as bedrock!

It had to be admitted: the power of Ambition had waned from being undeniably supreme to taking a backseat. Fang Senyan's current positioning of the weapon was as an unexpected trump card. The primary pursuit was no longer raw damage, but rather the guaranteed hit effect and the mandatory two-second stun duration from Song of Rum.

Undoubtedly, landing a heavy blow on this Tier Three giant creature, stunning it for a couple of seconds, would make it much easier for Jiao Shi to charge in and occupy the creature’s attention.

However, the very moment Ambition was drawn out of Fang Senyan’s private inventory! As it encountered the cool, damp sea breeze, the familiar salty air, and the surging waves, set against the monstrous display before him, a powerful, mysterious connection resonated from very, very far away!

Immediately, an indescribable feeling emanated from the weapon. That feeling could only be described in two words: Deterrence!

Fierce Deterrence!

In the water, Fang Senyan sensed that the surrounding seawater seemed to have undergone some kind of change, becoming sluggish. But the most pronounced reaction came from the Legendary creature, the Chupacabra.

It had been enraged, wanting to attack the ants before it, but in that brief moment, an overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying aura swept over it—an aura it absolutely could not withstand. It was like a raging vortex filled with sharp teeth; once caught, certain death awaited!

So, something astonishing happened. After the Chupacabra preemptively struck out with its tail to create that giant wave, everyone had simultaneously prepared for the worst—that they might all die here with the ship destroyed today.

What no one could have anticipated was the incredibly bizarre scene that unfolded: when the huge sea beast was still over thirty meters from the hull, it suddenly let out a piercing scream, a sound that everyone recognized as filled with immense dread, much like a wild dog encountering a fierce tiger!

Hmph, it's been a while since I've interacted with you all. I’ll let you guess: why did the Chupacabra suddenly flee? Heh heh. RO