Though Armand's scheming was meticulous, he was unaware that Fang Senyan had been scrambling aboard ships since the age of fourteen. In terms of navigating the backstabbing, deceit, and purges common among veterans, Armand was still far too green compared to those old salts. Despite the terrifying Corpse Eater standing directly ahead, Fang Senyan suddenly turned back, seemingly casually asking Robben:

"In my hometown, there's an old story circulating. Care to hear it?"

Robben wasn't a fool; he knew that without Fang Senyan's staunch support this time, he’d never have climbed to the rank of Second Mate, even if he worked until he dropped. Thus, he fully understood that the only thing to do now was to cling tightly to the powerful figure before him. Fang Senyan suddenly pivoting to a "story" in such circumstances seemed wildly tangential, but the seasoned Robben played along dutifully:

"I’m very interested."

Fang Senyan said coolly:

"It was about three hundred years ago. My homeland was ruled by a vast empire. The King was old and ailing, yet he had three sons. The Eldest Prince was mediocre but already confirmed as the heir. The Third Prince was narrow-minded, greedy, and contemptuous, while the Second Prince was a renowned warrior, enjoying high prestige across the land, yet he was disliked by the old King. Under these circumstances, the Second Prince was viewed with mutual suspicion by both the Eldest and Third Princes."

"Faced with this situation, the Second Prince suddenly raised an army and, with lightning speed, killed both his elder and younger brothers. What do you suppose the old King’s reaction was?"

Robben was stunned:

"The old King already disliked the Second Prince, and after he committed the heinous act of killing his brothers, the King should have been furious and, feeling threatened, executed the Second Prince, right?"

Fang Senyan stated coldly:

"No! The old King’s final choice was to pass the throne to the Second Prince."

Robben froze. Fang Senyan continued, speaking to himself:

"The reason the old King chose the Second Prince was that the Second Prince had eliminated every single stumbling block that could replace him. If the old King didn't want his empire to collapse right then and there, his only option was to pretend nothing had happened and abdicate to the Second Prince!"

Having reached this point, Fang Senyan fell silent, casting a meaningful look at Robben. Robben's eyes immediately flashed with ruthless intent. He suddenly understood why Fang Senyan had brought up such a seemingly irrelevant story at this critical juncture. Furthermore, he was utterly unwilling to relinquish the power he had just gained, and for that, he would pay any price! He immediately turned to his trusted confidants standing nearby and snarled:

"Go fetch Sea Wolf Sari, Hermit Crab Zerl, and Lamarr!"

This was the brilliance of Fang Senyan. He was new here and didn't know the depths of these pirates, but Robben was the local snake, a veteran who had navigated the seas for over a decade. He knew every detail about Armand’s background, let alone the crew on this pirate ship! Armand refused to use him because his abilities were mediocre, but precisely because he had been suppressed for so many years, Robben never believed himself inadequate; the accumulated resentment now erupting within him made him all the more determined to defend his acquired authority at all costs!

The three men he summoned seemed unrelated, but if Armand replaced Robben as Second Mate, one of these three would inevitably take over! If something were to happen to these three, Armand would genuinely face a crisis of being shorthanded—not to mention the ambitious Shar still aboard! Forcibly replacing Robben might cause the crew’s morale to disintegrate, potentially leading to them being devoured by the other pirates. Meanwhile, Robben’s position, if not unshakable, was certainly immutable for the short term.

At this moment, Scar Henry’s fate was unknown. Robben, as the newly appointed Second Mate, was effectively performing the duties of the First Mate; otherwise, he truly couldn't have summoned the three—Sea Wolf Sari, Zerl, and Lamarr. However, when the three arrived, they stood crookedly, clearly showing their displeasure, especially Sea Wolf Sari. He leaned lazily against the bulkhead, sneering coldly:

"What does the acting Second Mate want with us?"

He deliberately stressed the word "acting" with exaggerated emphasis.

Robben was naturally narrow-minded. Hearing their sharp, barbed words, the last sliver of hesitation in his heart was instantly flung into the depths of the Caribbean Sea. He scoffed broadly:

"Nothing much. We just don't have enough hands right now, and you lot need to help us deal with that damned Corpse Eater on this merchant vessel."

A chill instantly ran through the three men, and they instinctively stepped back, their hands hovering over the hilts of their cutlasses. Sea Wolf Sari, who was closer to Zerl, exchanged a glance, let out a roar, and drew his blade, charging toward Robben. The three of them had previously followed Armand into battle and naturally knew the danger posed by the Corpse Eater. Moreover, they were already exhausted. If they faced that terrifying monster now, the chance of survival could only be described as minuscule—it would be better to fight to the death!

But since Robben had set this trap, he had planned for it all along. Several pirates who usually favored him stood watching menacingly nearby, and behind them were the musketeers Fang Senyan had quickly assembled. Trapped in the narrow confines of the hold, there was truly no escape route! After a volley of gunfire followed by a chaotic melee, the two already wounded men immediately fell dead, their eyes wide open in disbelief.

Lamarr, however, cooperated by standing still, looking at Robben and forcing a bitter smile:

"Robben, can you let me live? I just need a small boat. Old Jack on the Black Pearl owes me a favor, and I was planning to go there anyway."

Robben actually owed Lamarr a favor in the past, and their relationship wasn't as strained. He didn't necessarily have to kill him, so he gave Lamarr a small boat and only left after personally watching him board and row toward the Black Pearl. When Robben returned, he found Fang Senyan had vanished. Upon questioning his subordinates, he learned that Fang Senyan had ordered them not to follow but had taken the bloodied corpses of Sea Wolf Sari and Zerl and walked alone deeper into the hold.

At this point, Fang Senyan had already seen the terrifying Corpse Eater. He activated his Insight ability and instantly gathered most of its data:

"Chewing Ear" (Moderate Injury) Race: Voodoo Corpse Eater Lifespan: Seven Days (Remaining: Three Days and Eight Hours) Height: Seven Feet Two Inches Weight: 203G Strength: 13 Points Agility: 4 Points Stamina: 3 Points Perception: 3 Points Charisma: 0 Points Intelligence: 3 Points Spirit: 2 Points Remaining Health Points: 736 Points Basic Melee: LV4 Basic Melee Advancement: Heavy Cold Weapon Proficiency LV3 Undead Creature Trait: Immune to Fear, Disease, Polymorph, Pain, and Bleeding effects. Undead Creature Trait: Holy abilities and items will inflict double damage; Fire-based attacks cause 1.5 times damage. Corpse Eater Trait: Monstrous Strength—Has a 70% chance to knock back opponents with lower Strength during melee attacks, a 50% chance to knock back opponents with equal Strength, and a 10% chance to repel opponents with higher Strength. Corpse Eater Trait: Accumulation—Since the Corpse Eater is a monster assembled from the organs of multiple corpses, even the loss of limbs will not affect its combat capability. Corpse Eater Trait: Tenacity LV4—Provides an additional 1200 Maximum Health Points, and there is a 10% chance to absorb 100 damage when struck by physical attacks. Corpse Eater Trait: Weak Will—This creature, lacking any true intelligence, is easily enslaved—if your black magic is stronger than the opposing caster's.

The Corpse Eater's head was missing half of it. The cross-section of its head revealed no human skull or brain, replaced instead by black, putrid matter. Its entire body, having been burned by fire, had its leather clothing completely incinerated, exposing its ghastly visage. There were clear suture marks across its body, allegedly sewn with thread twisted from human skin and the hair of women who died past the age of sixty. The metal spikes protruding from its body gleamed a blood-red, appearing as if they were engorged with blood from the inside out.

Fang Senyan stopped moving when he was twenty meters from the monster, as it had begun to turn its head, its large, black nostrils twitching incessantly. Visually impaired, it was clearly relying on scent to locate its prey. Fang Senyan gave a cold smile, took the knife from his mouth, stepped back a few paces, and slashed the veins of the corpse he was holding.

The two unfortunate souls, Sea Wolf and Zerl, had not been dead long, and their blood naturally surged out, forming thick pools on the deck. Fang Senyan dragged their bodies slowly, circling to the side. A clear trail of blood was left on the ground, and as the stench of blood grew stronger in the air, the terrifying Corpse Eater followed the path of blood at Fang Senyan's command, dragging its massive axe along.

The trap Armand had set for Fang Senyan was effortlessly dissolved by Fang Senyan himself. The current problem was simply that the Corpse Eater was blocking the entrance to the hold, preventing the pirates from moving the valuable cargo. Armand, in his haste, fell into the misconception that he must defeat the Corpse Eater to clear the unloading passage, failing to consider that Fang Senyan could lure the creature away, even when it was driven mad and beyond the control of its summoner! This was a perfect solution: on one hand, Robben could successfully direct the pirates to complete the loading; on the other, Fang Senyan would have ample time to attempt to take down the monster.

........... The answer is now revealed: The prototype for that Corpse Eater is from Resident Evil 5, Level B in the first stage, and it also appeared in Resident Evil 4. Haha, how many friends guessed correctly? (To be continued, please visit: for the latest chapters.)

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