Under the assault of Black Sludge and the Coastal Apex Predator, the once-refurbished Black Rabbit had now become a derelict wreck.
Ten gang members huddled together in the torrential rain.
"Say that again! Take one more step and we'll let you taste the navy's wrath!"
"The navy's... wrath?"
Chen Qi gripped his black blade, momentarily questioning his own identity.
Weren't they the pirates here? Why were they threatening him with the navy's name?
By all logic, he should be the one saying those words.
In a sense, he was eliminating maritime criminal elements and contributing to peace on the high seas.
If left unchecked, the Black Rabbit Gang would inevitably follow traditional gang practices - expanding into more serious slave trading operations and becoming a full-fledged maritime mafia.
As a victim who'd been stalked, he'd merely contacted concerned sea citizens Black Sludge and the Coastal Apex Predator to nip their criminal ambitions in the bud.
That counted as a significant maritime achievement!
The navy should be awarding him a bonus and presenting him with a white cloak emblazoned with "JUSTICE."
But he couldn't let them transmit information about this incident ashore.
Since when did pirates have navy contacts... Chen Qi flicked blood from his blade and calmly advanced.
"Damn monster!"
A gang member squeezed the trigger, machine gun bullets raining down like the storm itself.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Ordinary bullets, and such obvious firing posture - they needed more practice... Chen Qi sidestepped the barrage and cleaved through the storm with a single slash, bisecting the shooter at the waist.
Then something unexpected happened.
The radio-like device surrounded by gang members began convulsing violently.
"Creeeak!"
The radio-shaped object twisted unnaturally, emitting metallic groans before extruding a slender tendril from its top.
A bloodshot mechanical eye blinked open along the writhing appendage, scanning its surroundings relentlessly.
A supernatural relic!
They actually had one of these... Chen Qi instantly activated Flash Step, repositioning to its blind spot.
He couldn't let this thing capture his features.
This was a Navigator's Eye - premium communication equipment used by high-end vessels.
Wealthy merchant ships invested heavily in such specialized devices to track pirate attackers across the oceans.
Priced at 500,000 Shell Coins, the Navigator's Eye could transmit both visual footage and approximate coordinates to its paired land-based receiver.
At least this way, shore personnel would have some clues if their ship met unknown assailants.
Simply put - a video transmission device.
Troublesome... Chen Qi kept dodging. Though currently engaged in righteous work, he'd prefer not to gain notoriety.
The crimson eye rotated mechanically, documenting the Black Rabbit's devastation:
Torrential rains pounded the deck as the Coastal Apex Predator stared with saucer-like eyes, massive jaws slightly agape in curiosity at the Navigator's Eye.
Numerous corpses lay in spreading pools of blood.
The ship listed dangerously while Black Sludge corroded everything aboard.
Had they not witnessed it themselves, these gang members preparing for grand ventures would never have imagined the Black Rabbit's horrific fate.
Even veteran fishermen with decades at sea might never encounter such a scene.
A gang member crouched beside the radio-shaped device and whispered:
"To those receiving this... brothers... though unbelievable... we face not men but monsters..."
"My name is Ben... a simple tailor... my first voyage... encountered sea demons..."
Mist Trail!
Activating his Hunter's Garb ability, Chen Qi shrouded himself in faint mist before charging.
Channeling qi into his arm, he swung the ghostfire-wreathed blade through the storm in a brilliant arc.
Horizontal Slash!
The strike parted the rain, cleaving both Navigator's Eye and nearby gang members in twain.
Black Sludge surged in response to his attack, a dark tidal wave sweeping from Chen Qi's feet to consume the remaining gangsters.
"Haa—"
Regulating his breath, Chen Qi turned to the two survivors praying to the Sea Goddess in the stern.
Prayers proved futile.
The battle had concluded... He approached and crouched before them.
Regarding the Black Rabbit Gang, he still had questions.
After some persuasion, he extracted intelligence from both.
Bang! With the last two bodies collapsing in the storm, the farce reached its finale.
"So that's how it is..."
Blood-drenched Chen Qi rose and walked to the prow, seating himself on the battered deck.
"Huuu..."
He exhaled deeply.
This justified counterattack had finally ended.
Those final gang members had looked at him like some containment-breached abomination from a supernatural prison.
As if he were the monster... Chen Qi peeled some clinging Black Sludge from his body and gazed at the leaden skies.
"No more enemies left."
He'd obtained two key pieces of intelligence.
One concerned the Black Whale Pirates' Sawshark vessel, the other about the Navigator's Eye.
The pirates coordinating with the Black Rabbit Gang weren't from the Sawshark.
As Chen Qi knew, Captain Blackeye had sought information about him from the gang.
But blinded by greed, the captain had suppressed most details.
Practically speaking, Blackeye wanted to keep this matter quiet, swallowing it whole.
He didn't want others finding Chen Qi first.
Combined with the Black Rabbit Gang's indifference toward slave origins,
this incident hadn't caused significant waves.
Had Chen Qi not specifically inquired, they wouldn't have connected the events at all.
Chen Qi lifted a Deepsea Water Spirit.
"Deepsea Water Spirit - your perfect stress-relief toy!"
He gazed across the churning waters.
The Sawshark should still be fruitlessly searching the vast ocean for him.
Good news.
As long as Captain Blackeye kept his silence, the Black Whale Pirates' threat would diminish considerably.
His real concern was the Navigator's Eye's transmission.
According to gathered intelligence:
The Black Rabbit's model couldn't record audio, only sending visual fragments.
This footage of the ship being attacked by sea creatures would reach the Black Rabbit Gang's Moonstone City headquarters.
With fifty members annihilated, the gang existed in name only.
Other factions would inevitably absorb the remnants.
But if the footage spread beyond the gang... Chen Qi's gaze turned icy as he examined the shattered device.
Fortunately, he'd dodged its view while keeping his Hunter's Garb activated, its obscuring mist concealing his features.
Identifying him from this footage would prove extremely difficult.
Sea robbery—no, maintaining maritime peace—carried inherent risks... Chen Qi shook his head at the gloomy seascape.
This was a supernatural world. Some skilled Lantern Phase tracker might still possibly trace him.
But Lantern Phase organizations remained scarce in Beiguo. Finding him through this footage would be astronomically difficult.
Black Sludge continued consuming the corpses.
Left unchecked, it would ruin valuable loot.
Chen Qi brushed off clinging sludge and eagerly rolled up his sleeves:
"Time for loot!"