Chapter 153: Section 154: Desperate Situation


    This was the new ship’s hold, planned for storing supplies, thus it was the largest space.


    In the cabin, rows of the Beastification People’s corpses were laid out.


    The autopsy had already ended.


    Zhenjin, Cang Xu, and the others all walked out from the cabin.


    “None of their bodies contained a Heart Core, why is that?” Zhenjin had been present the whole time, witnessing the entire autopsy process. The reality diverged from his expectations, deepening his confusion. sea??h thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Returning to the cabin used for discussions, Cang Xu couldn’t help but lament, “It’s unimaginable… this kind of Beastification isn’t some magic, yet it truly changes a person’s bloodline. It’s simply too miraculous!”


    ...


    “They all originally belonged to the Human Race, but now, they have become hybrids of humans and Beastmen. Just from the autopsy we’ve done so far, there’s no obvious flaw; it’s as if these people were born this way!”


    Zhenjin then asked, “So, how exactly did they get like this?”


    Cang Xu shook his head with a sigh, “I’m not sure. All I managed was a mere autopsy; not seeing deeper causes is normal. I am no Mage, after all.”


    “No, even Mages might not be able to perceive the underlying reasons,” Zi Di said seriously, “This Island Master is simply too unfathomable. Perhaps our previous speculations were wrong; those Transformed Magical Beasts weren’t cultivated in the Alchemy Room or the Mage Tower, but right here on this island. The entire island is his nurturing ground!”


    “What do you mean?” Zong Ge furrowed his brows.


    “Don’t you think these Beastification People, and those Transformed Magical Beasts seem similar?” Zi Di suggested.


    “Of course, whether they are Beastification People or Transformed Magical Beasts, they all seem to be a mishmash of parts taken from various life forms,” Sanda commented.


    Zhenjin understood what Zi Di meant, his face showing distress, “So the critical question is, what exactly caused our comrades to turn into this. Zi Di, did you discover anything?”


    Zi Di shook her head, “I have no evidence, just a speculation. The Island Master has laid out a colossal Magic Array on this island, or some other form of arrangement. Such arrangements forcibly teleported us randomly, created a Magic Ban environment, and even controlled the weather among other effects. In addition to that, perhaps it could subtly change the various life forms on the island. Our comrades’ Beastification, I fear, may be due to this reason.”


    “Then why haven’t we mutated?” someone raised an objection.


    “Is it individual strength?”


    “No, among ordinary people, there are those who have not mutated, and among the Bronze Level members, there are those who have died after Beastification.”


    “Is it because of consuming things here?”


    “Who among us hasn’t eaten the Beast Meat from this place, or drunk its water?”


    “Could it be because of injuries sustained?” someone speculated.


    “We’ve all been injured though.”


    “No, I mean serious injuries! Or somewhat special ones.”


    “That’s too hard to keep track of. Even recalling all the injuries I received on this island isn’t easy for me.”


    Listening to everyone’s discussion, Zhenjin’s heart skipped a beat.


    He suddenly remembered being stung by a Fire Poison Bee, an injury that was extremely serious at the time, and later, he was infused with the blood of a Monkey-tailed Brown Bear.


    Cang Xu spoke gravely, “Perhaps we’ve all started to mutate, just not to the extent of a qualitative change, so we haven’t undergone Beastification. Beastification may require a significant mental stimulus, otherwise, during our previous defensive position, there should have been one or two people who mutated.”


    Hearing Cang Xu’s speculation, everyone felt a heaviness in their hearts.


    Cang Xu continued, “And perhaps… these Transformed Magical Beasts were not originally just mere wild animals or Magic Beasts.”


    Hei Juan’s face turned pale, “What do you mean by that?”


    “Don’t you find the Blue Dog Fox Wolf to be too intelligent? If they were originally human…” Cang Xu’s eyes were calm behind his glasses, which felt frightening to others.


    A feeling of horror quickly spread throughout everyone’s hearts.


    Cang Xu went on, “We can speculate, are we really the only victims? The shipwreck happened too suddenly. After gathering with everyone, I inquired as many people as possible. The crew members all said that on the night the Pig Kiss met with disaster, it was in good condition, without the slightest sign of shipwreck.”


    “The Island Master need not personally take action against us; if he left any arrangements in the seas near the island. With his capabilities, destroying the Pig Kiss would be an incredibly easy task.”


    “If we were to speculate even further, the Pig Kiss may not be an isolated case; it’s very likely not the first ship to fall victim to this location. If there have been previous shipwrecks, then what happened to those victims?”


    “These individuals have varying degrees of Beastification; some are mild, some more severe. This might suggest that Beastification is not a fixed state but can continue to deepen. If it goes to completion, what would they become?”


    “Could they turn into Monkey-tailed Brown Bears, into Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boas, into Blue Dog Fox Wolves?”


    Everyone, including Zhenjin, looked troubled.


    Xi Suo blinked repeatedly after hearing this, “In recent centuries, ship technology has continuously developed, and travel between continents has become very frequent. Pirate activities have also become increasingly rampant along these routes. The course of the Pig Kiss was relatively safe. I always thought that those unfortunate ships that disappeared either perished in the waves or fell prey to pirates.”


    “But wait, if these Transformed Magical Beasts were once human, then they are also victims. Why don’t they come to help us, to overthrow the Island Master together?”


    Cang Xu shook his head, “Their nature has undergone drastic changes. Like the Beastification People, one moment they are our comrades, and the next, they can turn on us. Perhaps after becoming Magical Beasts, they know deep down that there’s no going back, and that’s why they hate us even more. This change in nature is likely also the Island Master’s handiwork.”


    Having struggled to survive on the island for so long, the truth of the island remained shrouded in layers of mist. Cang Xu’s words seemed to lift a corner of the fog for others.


    However, the truth was so harsh and terrifying that it made almost everyone shudder.


    Hei Juan grabbed his own curly hair, grinding his teeth, cursing, “I’ve had enough of this damned place! What’s the point of all this guessing? Let’s hurry up and fix the ship so we can get out of here as soon as possible.”


    “Yes, we must repair it with all our might. If we delay any further, it will be terrible when the Demon Beast Army sends new reinforcements,” Lan Zao echoed.


    Xi Suo shook his head and bitter-smiled, stating a fact in a very heavy tone, “The situation is worse than you all imagine. I fear this ship may be beyond repair.”


    “How could that be?!” Many people’s eyes widened in disbelief.


    “Ah…” Xi Suo sighed deeply, “Don’t glare at me. Like you, I too wished the ship was in better condition. But its state is terrible beyond belief. Trust me, although I’m not as skilled as the old shipwright, the ship’s condition is glaringly obvious. Any cashier, with even a little experience, would know that it can’t sail the seas.”


    “Don’t just look at the ship’s body still being here, the structure not too badly damaged, with only a few cabins seemingly destroyed. But all of that is useless! The dragon bone is nearly snapped! We could barely repair it to the point where it can struggle on the calm seas. But it can’t withstand the wind and waves. We still have half the journey to go, how could there not be wind and waves? In fact, the latter half of the journey will see even more and larger storms. Sailing with this ship is simply seeking death!”


    The cabin fell into a deadly silence.


    “What about building a new ship?” Someone broke the silence after a long while.


    “We’re out of shipwrights,” Xi Suo sighed deeply.


    “But we have blueprints, many of us have been involved and have experience,” Hei Juan objected.


    Xi Suo kept shaking his head, “It’s too difficult. Did you think building a seaship was easy?”


    “The shipwright designed the blueprints based on the materials available. We could revise the blueprints, but what about the timber, the iron nails? We have to collect the materials all over again. Most of the rainforest timber doesn’t meet the standards, we need wood from the forest. This ship has a lot of materials, but dismantling it would require a lot of labor, and time. Dismantling would inevitably damage many things due to destruction by force.”


    “We need iron ore, to rebuild the smelting furnaces. Our manpower is less than a quarter of what it was before; building a new ship would take even longer, and by the time it’s done, what if the Demon Beast Army comes to attack us?”


    “So, you’re saying there’s no hope?” Hei Juan’s eyes widened.


    “Maybe all we can do now is wait for rescue,” said Xi Suo, glancing at Zhenjin.


    It was clear from his words, with someone as important as Zhenjin in distress, the Hundred Needle Family would surely attempt rescue.


    Zhenjin shook his head with a bitter smile, “I can’t guarantee a rescue. Right now, we’re utterly incapable of sending out a distress signal.”


    Hei Juan also shook his head, his face filled with a bleak expression, “Several months have passed with no rescue. It’s so long already, it’s clearly not normal.”


    “I’m familiar with the sailing route of the Pig Kiss. This sea area has already been explored, and pirate activities are also less frequent. But so many ships have never discovered this island.”


    “This island can cut itself off from the outside world and hide!”


    After discussing for a while longer, no one came up with any good solutions.


    It seemed the only option was to wait for rescue.


    “Let’s rest for now; we can’t expect to find a solution in one night,” Zhenjin finally said.


    The new ship was unseaworthy, but it was still the best choice for a camp.


    The night sky was dotted with stars.


    On the deck, Big guy lay passed out. The forward superstructure was not built, Big guy did not have a proper room.


    Zhenjin sat in front of Big guy, watching his every breath, his chest weakly rising and falling with a series of bitter smiles.


    After such intense battles, Zhenjin was extremely tired, but the anxiety, confusion, loss, and helplessness in his heart prevented him from finding peaceful sleep.


    The old shipwright had entrusted him with a mission on his deathbed, but now he could hardly ensure his own survival.


    Wait for rescue?


    A gut feeling told Zhenjin that rescue was probably not coming.


    Looking up at the starry sky, the young knight’s heart was filled with bitter sorrow.


    He had worked so tirelessly, desperately fighting to survive, struggling over and over at the brink of death, getting back up after countless failures, only to end up in such a state.


    “We were so close to success.”


    “If only we’d known it would be like this, we should have sped up the work, shortened the time to build the new ship.”


    Alas, facts are just that, and is there a pill for regret in this world?


    At least Zhenjin didn’t have one.


    He couldn’t start over again.


    Lowering his head, he saw Big guy’s broken leg.


    He had to admit, they were like creatures with broken legs now, trapped on this island with no path ahead.


    They were truly in a dire situation.