Chapter 45: A Crisis Unfolds

Bang!
The door was struck by a tremendous force.

“As expected… the monster has discovered my presence.” Lin Wei gripped the chain in his hands, as thick as an infant’s arm.

Bang!

Another blow, and a large hole appeared in the door, through which the massive fist of the skeletal warrior thrust inside.

Lin Wei stared intently, waiting for the skeletal warrior’s entire body to enter.

Crash!

The door was smashed apart completely by the skeletal warrior.

“It’s here!” Lin Wei’s movements were faster than the skeletal warrior’s reaction. He straightened the metal chain, charging straight at the skeletal warrior.

The skeletal warrior, nearly three meters tall, lowered its head to squeeze into the room.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for!”

In a blink, Lin Wei looped the chain around the skeletal warrior’s neck.

Screech!

Lin Wei planted his foot on its throat, bracing the chain tightly so it wouldn’t slip, his entire body hanging horizontal like a flag.

“Die!” Lin Wei gripped the other end of the chain with both hands, pouring every ounce of strength into it.

Roar!

The skeletal warrior suddenly let out a beastly bellow, stretching out its massive hand as if trying to rip Lin Wei from its body.

“A monster without vocal cords can still make a sound?” Lin Wei’s body tensed abruptly, twisting and dropping in a spiral. Using his body’s inertia, he pulled the skeletal warrior off balance.

“Unfortunately…” Lin Wei frowned deeply. “As expected for a constitution over twenty—its neck won’t snap so easily.”

The skeletal warrior tore the chain from its neck with one hand, while swinging its round iron sword with the other. Between the two pitch-black eye sockets, a flash of fire flickered and vanished, and its furious roar reverberated deafeningly.

“You’re angry?!” A savage grin twisted Lin Wei’s face. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward, darting before the skeletal warrior, and delivered a hammering, technique-imbued fist right to its skull.

Crack!

Caught off guard, the skeletal warrior shuddered from the blow. Somewhere inside, a bone splintered audibly.

“Skeletal warrior?! Undead knight?!” Lin Wei’s voice was wild, his white teeth clenched tight. He gave the creature no chance to regain its footing, following up with a fierce kick to its abdomen.

The skeletal warrior staggered backward, its head smacking against the doorframe.

Quick as a flash, Lin Wei snatched up the discarded chain, looping it a second time around its neck with precision.

The skeletal warrior seemed thoroughly enraged now, swinging its iron sword at Lin Wei in a murderous arc.

Lin Wei barely dodged, evading the lethal strike.

“Big monster, it seems agility is your fatal flaw!” Lin Wei’s voice dropped, his smile manic, caring not whether the skeletal warrior understood him.

With nimble dexterity, Lin Wei darted behind the skeletal warrior.

He tightened his grip on the chain imprisoning the creature, holding one end in each hand.

“Come on, then!”

Bracing his back against the skeletal warrior, Lin Wei mustered all his strength. His veins bulged, his face flushed red.

Crash!

With a powerful over-the-shoulder throw, Lin Wei sent the massive creature crashing down, its iron sword slipping from its grasp.

The tremendous impact caved the floor with a deep crater.

Lin Wei reacted instantly, grabbing the fallen iron sword.

“Heavy enough!” Raising the sword high, Lin Wei plunged it down toward the center of the skeletal warrior’s brow.

With a crunch, just as the sword tip pierced its forehead, the entire skull exploded. Its armor and bones disintegrated into drifting ash. Even the iron sword in Lin Wei’s hand shattered.

Lin Wei gasped for breath.

“Soon there’ll be more coming down… and there’s more than one skeletal warrior. If I struggle so much with one, if two or three come at once, I might really die here.”

Moving quickly, Lin Wei found another unlocked door, slipped inside, and bolted it behind him.

He sat down with his back against the door, sweat streaking his brow.

“According to Wu Ensi, rescue won’t come for another hour…” A sharp light of calculation flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes. “By then, at most a handful of these dozens will survive… As for the ordinary cooks and servants, they’ll probably be wiped out…”

Lin Wei kept quiet, hidden in the room, while the occasional scream echoed through the corridor outside.

His strength slowly recovered, but there was still no good way to escape. Below, there was no exit; above, an unknown number of skeletal warriors awaited.

“Waiting without power is truly infuriating…” A longing for strength appeared on Lin Wei’s face.

Rumble!

A sudden ringing filled Lin Wei’s ears as a powerful impact struck the entire ship. His body was lifted off the ground, flung into the wall with a painful blow to his chest.

“If not for a knight’s physique, my ribs would have snapped!” Lin Wei sucked in a cold breath.

Splashing sounds.

“Hm?” Lin Wei noticed water pooling at his feet, seeping in from beneath the door.

He knew at once that things had taken a turn for the worse—the recent violent shock must have breached the hull, and seawater was flooding the lower decks.

“It seems I can’t stay here any longer. Wait another hour like this and I’ll drown for sure. I must get to the deck as quickly as possible.” Lin Wei made the only rational decision.

Though his strength as a knight had pushed his body to its peak, if submerged without air, he doubted he could last even half an hour.

At this moment, Lin Wei faced the greatest crisis since his journey began.

Seawater rapidly filled the lower deck. Lin Wei opened the door, wading quickly through the rising water as he made his way upstairs.

Upwards was his only path; whether he ran into more skeletal warriors was beyond his control.

“It must be the second or third lower deck that was breached,” he surmised.

At the stairwell corner, water rushed down the steps, drenching Lin Wei completely.

Saltwater soaked him, running down his face to his lips, where he tasted a bitter tang.

“Lin Wei!”

Just as he reached the second lower level, a familiar voice called out.

Lai Xiu'en appeared, face alight with excitement, running toward Lin Wei.

“Oh? Still alive?” Lin Wei glanced at Lai Xiu'en, murmuring softly.

He didn’t slow his pace, but Lai Xiu'en, with desperate effort, managed to catch up behind him.