Above Destiny

Chapter 699 You've Gotten a Trick on the Dam!

Scream.

In the narrow passageway of the ship's cabin, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hanafia, who had just been convulsing, suddenly leaped up, opened her mouth, and bit the neck of her companion behind her. After knocking the other down, she began to devour it frantically.
It was unclear whether it was wailing or laughing hysterically.

"Help, help...help..."

The bitten victim screamed and struggled desperately, calling for help in vain, until Second Officer Shamska, sensing something was wrong, drew his gun and killed the crazed Hanafia.

With a loud bang, the monster that was just a companion lay on the ground, its fate unknown.

Those empty eyes were still staring straight at them.

It gives you goosebumps.

The stuffy cabin suddenly felt like an ice cave.

The crew members looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Outside, the sounds of artillery fire echoed, the situation remained unclear, and yet this had happened inside. A chill ran down everyone's spine. Even more horrifying was that the severely wounded man on the ground, whose throat had been gnawed out, was beginning to convulse... As he convulsed, his flesh cracked and his body deformed, revealing a wood-like texture. His melting face began to rot rapidly, yet his expression was one of involuntary, sinister grins.

And so, before everyone's eyes, it slowly rose...

Bang!
The second mate's expression was ferocious as he pulled the trigger. Gunshots rang out incessantly, and the crew members who had just undergone mutation were instantly riddled with holes and fell backward.

In the deathly silence, no one spoke.

"Something's wrong!"

The second mate's expression grew increasingly grim as he stared intently at the two corpses at his feet, instinctively taking a step back.

Why is there no blood on the corpse?

"Something...is wrong?"

The rotting corpse stiffly raised its head and mechanically repeated, "Normal, we are normal...we are very normal."

Beneath the shattered gelatinous skin, a metallic skeleton was revealed, sparks flew from the complex modules, and the pupils were crimson.

Amidst the sharp scraping sound, they tried to get up from the ground, only to slip and fall again, as if out of control. They staggered, their limbs convulsing and twisting violently, managing to prop themselves up in a bizarre posture.

The head tilts back and rotates.

The taut flesh was torn apart, exposing bones that resembled a skeleton, along with tangled cables and modules.

Finally, the bionic eyeballs hanging on its face rotated, looking at each of the dazed pirates.

"Normal, normal, normal..."

The disordered whispers overlapped, like the babbling of a delirious dream, monotonous and flat: "We are normal, you are... why..."

The second mate felt a chill run through him and staggered backward, only to hear a dense, rustling sound coming from the darkness of the cabin.

It was like a torrential downpour.

Under the flickering lights, eerie silhouettes crawling on the ground lifted the walls and decks, emerging from the cabins in a dense, surging tide.

Despite having a face that resembles a human's, it crawls, jumps, and runs on the ground using both hands and feet, with a smile that seems to be immersed in happiness, and murmurs in its sleep.

The sheer number was terrifying; there was no end in sight!

A barrage of gunfire erupted. Amidst terrified screams and cries, and under the barrage of fire, one after another, the figures rushing forward were torn apart. But then, even more monsters crawled out of the ship's cabins, intertwined with each other, trampling their own kind as if they felt no fear or pain, and pounced on all living things.

Screams rang out, then abruptly ceased. Only blood and severed limbs flew out as the monster tore and pulled, falling from the sky and ushering in a new round of struggle, even leading to a fierce fight.

Eyes, hands, bones, internal organs...

Even clothes and shoes were treated like treasures, adorning their faces and bodies as they hungrily licked the blood, their raised faces covered with torn human skin.

Excited howls and screech!
From then on, the disaster began to spread.

"Oh hoo!"

Ji Jue lowered his eyes and sighed softly, "You can turn into a zombie without even realizing it. How terrifying."

The curtain was originally formed from the tyrant's spiritual contract. Even though Ji Jue had altered it beyond recognition, it still naturally possessed the characteristics of a monstrous entity.

The original veil, formed by mist, plundered spiritual essence and souls, draining all life from the domain like a living thing...

After being modified by the Triad Alchemy, its properties were completely reversed.

Instead of plundering spiritual energy, it will instead use mercury mist to infuse the user's spiritual energy into the target, thereby strengthening it.

Unfortunately, the spiritual properties of the Ember series are physical interference.

It is inherently prone to affecting matter.

Even when Ji Jue was still an apprentice, he was able to enhance the properties of objects with spiritual energy. The more powerful the craftsman, the more exaggerated this characteristic becomes.

But now Ji Jue's spiritual quality... well, how should I put it, the amount of human content is a bit too low.

Once out of control, it will rapidly mutate, causing the infected to become objectified.

Imbuing objects with spirit is one of the fundamental principles of alchemy, and this process is naturally enhanced by the Ember set. As a result, if an object infused with spirit by Ji Jue lacks sufficient resistance, it will immediately be transformed into a living creation through distortion.

This is only because Ji Jue didn't inject the Demon Flame; otherwise, who knows what kind of monster he would have turned into!
broken!

How did I accidentally discover another profound and ingenious secret?

boom!
The gunfire intensified, sounding like a torrential downpour.

Before the seven-city joint defense could even arrive, the Venom Fleet had already fallen into unprecedented internal strife.

"Fire! Fire! Fire now!"

Second Officer Shamska sprinted and leaped into the air, landing on the ship dozens of meters away. When he turned around and looked at the chaotic Pinewood, he felt a cold sweat break out on his brow.

Ignoring his fleeing men on deck, he grabbed the machine gun fixed to the bow, turned around, and fired at the dense swarm of ghostly creatures surging towards him.

"Die! Die! All of you, die!!!"

Under the onslaught of machine gun fire, a large number of metal monsters disintegrated and lay dead on the spot. Shamska laughed hysterically and pulled the trigger again and again until the ammunition belt was exhausted, only to suddenly realize that... they had not chased after them at all.

Those hunched and eerie figures stopped at the edge of the ship's gunwale.

Watching them from such a short distance.

Staring intently.

Unblinking.

Among the 'crowd', Shamska even spotted his subordinates whom he had left on the ship!

Those familiar faces, with stiff smiles, were waving and calling out to him.

"It's normal, everything is normal...we're normal...normal..."

The biting cold completely engulfed Shamska.

He staggered back a step, almost falling to the ground, repeatedly urging the others to fire, almost screaming out loud.

But when he turned around, he froze, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

I almost forgot to breathe...

In the dead silence, right behind him, the pirates on the escort ships were also watching him, and a smile suddenly appeared on their empty expressions.

Right on Shamska's chest, the walkie-talkie finally crackled with a response from inside the cabin: "Normal, everything is normal, we are normal...we...join...join...join us join us..."

The hoarse, wailing voice was mixed with sharp laughter and cries, until finally, only noise remained, and there was no response.

Only a few figures, like walking corpses, moved stiffly and staggered forward.

It completely overwhelmed Shamska's desperate face.

There was no more sound.

In the silence, there were only soft laughs that seemed like happiness, whispers and murmurs in a dream, repeating endlessly.

"We join...we, normal...normal, normal...join...us, happy, happy, happy, happy..."

The same radio waves echoed throughout the fleet and across every radio frequency, freezing Reynolds' expression on his face.

It gradually darkened, gradually became menacing.

Until, the same murmurs and laughter rang out from beside Renette.

Right in front of him, a terrified face suddenly twitched, gradually stiffened, gradually became blank, and gradually... lost its expression, leaving behind a chilling numbness and emptiness.

Convulsing, trembling
Beneath the hardened, peeling flesh, metallic-colored bones emerge. The structure of the eyeball disintegrates, and within the flesh, a camera-like structure gradually appears and grows.

Right under Renut's nose, the irreversible mutation surged and spread, and a living person was transformed into a puppet and a monster in just a few seconds.

At that moment, as the last glimmer of light faded from its eyes, the head suddenly turned and looked at him.

A happy smile appeared on her face.

"Join us...join...fortunately..."

boom!
Amidst the deafening roar, Renette indifferently swung his fist, shattering the ghostly creature with a single blow. Instantly, countless fragments rained down from the flesh and blood, including metallic bones, bizarrely structured internal organs, blood vessels, and nerves that had transformed into cables.

No one dared to speak anymore.

There were no more calls for help or shouts over the radio.

The moment countless eerie murmurs began, the entire fleet and all its equipment crashed and became unresponsive.

The channel was filled with joyful whispers, and on the dark screen, eerie faces emerged from the flickering light, while lines of repeated characters poured out like a waterfall, expanding endlessly.

In the end, even the broadcasting and sound systems went completely out of control.

The disordered whispers rose and fell in layers, until finally, countless voices converged into one place, as if transforming into a hysterical hymn, growing ever more vehement!

They groan, they praise, they murmur, they cheer.

It was as if they had entered heaven.

The mutation was spreading like a plague, throwing the entire fleet into chaos.

Even after they mutated, the crew members posed little threat and could be dealt with in just a few shots; they didn't even know how to use guns!

But at this critical juncture, how many people can remain calm? With the seven cities' joint defense pressing in from afar and that strange cargo ship devouring people nearby, the entire fleet is in chaos, as if the end of the world has arrived.

When the communication systems were out of control and the chain of command was completely severed, the entire fleet was in complete disarray.

"Help, help... It's contagious, I, I..."

Terrified screams echoed from the decks of distant ships. Bitten crew members ran frantically, even without any symptoms, their panic driving them to stumble and fall into the sea, where they were immediately devoured by the wildly struggling, completely out-of-control sacrificial maidens… The disordered creature that once struck fear into the hearts of Venom's adversaries was now being eaten like seaweed by a monstrous cargo ship, and had even become their adversary…

"A bunch of trash!"

Renut's face was ashen, the hilt of his sword was completely crushed and bent, emitting a series of mournful cries: "Since you're hopeless, then die!"

He roared, unleashing his unbridled aura of savage slaughter.

Strange scales emerged from the flesh, and sharp horns protruded from the forehead.

In his right hand, a white bone scale appeared. On one end of the scale was a feather that looked like it was carved from flesh and blood, pressing down heavily, while the other end, which was raised, was empty.

As Renette pointed, on another ship in the distance, a crew member who was pointed at suddenly froze, knelt down, and began to convulse violently.

Above the scales, the aura of the tower and the madman emerged.

In an instant, a fresh, still-beating heart appeared on the empty scales, restoring balance. Then, the heart seemed to be swallowed up by an invisible maw.

The sweet offering was presented to the priest, and generous blessings were bestowed. The kneeling crew members suddenly screamed in agony as black scales grew all over their bodies and blood flames erupted!
Life and soul were completely drained, everything was sacrificed in exchange for this brief period of rage and power, there was no more fear, and utter madness!

One, two, three, four...

Without hesitation, Renut raised the scales high, and in an instant, the crew members who had shed blood and signed contracts when they joined began to transform one after another.

Streaks of blood and fire intertwined and spread, engulfing the out-of-control ships. The effect of the mechanical deus ex machina was forcibly dispelled, and the ships mutated again. It was as if blood was gushing out from every crevice. Amidst the wailing, countless faces of the dead appeared on the hulls of the ships, howling in agony and shedding tears of blood.

This is no steel; it's a monster pieced together from the bones and fingernails of countless dead people!

In the Ivory's cold storage, tons of blood evaporated rapidly, and large quantities of stored internal organs and tissues burst, shriveled, withered, and turned to dust.

The already out-of-control fleet went berserk once again under Renut's sacrifice; even the seawater turned an eerie crimson, with flames rising.

The gloomy situation seemed to have turned around, but Renut's face showed no joy; instead, he was furious and went mad.

It has been said that of all wars, only naval warfare can completely destroy centuries of accumulated strength in an afternoon or even an hour. But what was sacrificed was not the accumulated strength of the Venom Fleet.

At this moment, even the Venom Fleet itself became a sacrifice. To satisfy the priest's appetite, Renut offered up almost all the souls that had signed the contract, except for a few trusted confidants.

So many years of accumulation were reduced to ashes; the more violent the flames, the more staggering the losses.

Even if we manage a Pyrrhic victory, we'll have to start all over again...

Thinking of this, he dared not even let his heart bleed. Every drop of blood was a crucial sacrifice, and there was no time to shed tears. For the master of the sacrifice, even crying had to be timed!

"Kill! Kill them all!!!"

Renut pulled his bone sword from the blood and pointed it at the eerie cargo ship ahead, his eyes bloodshot: "Tear those damned bastards to shreds!!!"

Then, he saw... the Prosperity came to an abrupt stop, and then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it started reversing while still holding the priestess in its mouth!

slip away.

Hey! Just kidding, why are you taking it so seriously? You're so easily amused!

I'm not playing with you anymore, I'm leaving!

Bye-Bye!

"You fucking-"

Renault was enraged, tears of blood welling in his bulging eyes, as he roared. Right beneath his feet, the Ivory roared as if it were alive, its thick blood boiling, accelerating, chasing relentlessly, and crashing straight into him!

Want to run?

Not that easy!
A storm suddenly arose, the sea of ​​blood split into waves, and the blood-stained Ivory sped out, its main guns, secondary guns, and all its weapons seemed to come alive, firing incessantly and carving one large hole after another into the wrecked cargo ship.

In just a few snaps of the fingers, the entire cargo ship was riddled with cracks, as if it had completely shut down and come to a standstill on the sea surface, only able to watch helplessly as the Ivory sped towards it and rammed into it!
There was no roar, no loud noise, and no collision.

Just as the two were about to collide, the Prosperity seemed to have no weight at all, shaking off its already unbearable and cumbersome hull. Then, almost floating, it moved to the side with incredible ease and composure, shifting its position.

Just as the two passed each other, the stunned Renut turned around and saw the cargo ship that looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment, seemingly grinning at him.

With a swift and decisive motion, it slurped the dying Ji Gu into its mouth. Immediately afterward, the bow of the boat suddenly bent, as if turning its head, turning the entire hull into a right angle.

Aiming at the Ivory's unsuspecting waist, it once again opened that damned big mouth!

boom! ! !
The Ivory, shrouded in blood-red flames, also let out a hallucinatory, shrill scream.

Long before Renut made his move, the struggle and clash between the priests had already begun. Priest Ghoul, who was enjoying his meal during the burnt offering, suddenly found a pair of chopsticks in his bowl, then another pair, and another pair... three pairs of chopsticks were blatantly stuck into his rice bowl!

What are you eating? It smells so good! Give me some!

It was as if suddenly, amidst the loud music, three burly men, whom everyone hated, jumped out. Each of them had a unique skill, and their fighting spirit and patience were astonishing. The bacteria, scars, and blood wrists suddenly sprang up from the bushes, pinned down the still bewildered Ghoul, and then began to steal his food and eat his rice!
Not only was the Ivory almost torn in half, but Renut also discovered that his own heritage burnt offering was also about to be torn in half, barely able to bear the wrath and weight of the priest.

They couldn't even control their fear.

Bacteria?! Is it the Red Gang? The Red Gang wants to kill me? Which high priest has arrived?! Why is there a scar, and who is the other one...? Why is this happening...?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He didn't even dare to think about it anymore, and his whole body felt cold.

From the beginning until now, I haven't even seen the face of my enemy. In fact, I still don't know who is so deliberately targeting me!

It's as if you're being manipulated, played with, and tormented by unseen hands, treated like a toy and trampled on at will!

Such contempt...

In that instant, his eyes turned bloodshot, fierce and violent, and all his wavering and fear were burned away in the blood and fire!
Even if it's a dead end, should we just let him offer his neck for execution?
dream!

It's nothing more than life and death!

"You want me dead? Wishful thinking!!"

Renut began to devour the priest's power, and even, disregarding the consequences, forcibly activated it, forcing the priest to give more in return!

I've raised you for so many years, and now you have the nerve to blame me? If I die, forget about sacrifices, you'll just have to eat my ass!
The priest's life-devouring power descended once more, without reservation!

In order to reclaim his offerings and for the sake of future sacrifices, the priest spared no expense and, at the same time, imposed punishments!
Amidst the raging flames of the blood, Renut was almost reduced to a withered corpse within the priest's fire. His internal organs and flesh were completely shriveled, and his charred blood vessels and heart no longer flowed with blood, only pure, extreme flames and rage remained.

An unprecedented burning pain emerged from his soul, so intense that it could not be alleviated or ignored, filling his consciousness and driving him to utter madness.

As he opened his mouth in agony and screamed, no sound came out. He reached out and pulled a bizarre greatsword, a tangled mess of bone and flesh, from his mouth. Eyes opened and closed from the sword's spine, radiating an evil light.

"Haha, hahaha, so strong—"

Renut laughed wildly, his two large mouths emitting sharp sounds, and his bone wings unfurled, rising into the sky as he swooped down towards the Prosperity.

Come, come! You bunch of dogs, you bunch of lowly beasts, come and experience my domineering will and my power!
The Blood Bone Sword was raised from the highest point of the sky, and endless crimson gathered, transforming into a storm tornado that almost pierced through the sea and sky. It collapsed inward, forming a magnificent and brutal blade, and then it crashed down!
It tore through the hull of the Prosperity with overwhelming force, penetrated the cabins with unstoppable momentum, and forged ahead relentlessly, and then...

There's no after that.

boom! ! !
Renette vomited a mouthful of blood.

It's like walking down the street and suddenly kicking a plastic bag in front of you, only to find a solid steel pipe embedded in concrete hidden underneath...

It hurts, it hurts too much!
As countless pieces of the ship's hull flew everywhere, a dazzling flash of light emerged from the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, the Blood Bone Sword, wielding all its might, collided with the keel of the Prosperity, unleashing a deafening roar and storm that swept across the entire sea.

In the instant of the collision, the giant dragon bone shone brightly, and before the violent power could even erupt, it was distributed in all directions in the flow.

It's like overestimating your abilities and going against the whole world; you have nowhere to exert your strength and nowhere to start.

He could only watch helplessly as his power was rapidly diverted and distributed across everything around him: the endless ocean, the raging storm, and the high, distant sky.

And so, the sea boiled, the wind howled, and the sky trembled.

With a single sword strike, the world changed color!

But the problem is... what about Juque?

Juque was completely unharmed.

It thought it was a speed bump!
Then, as the waves spread, the boiling sea, the surging storm, and the chaotic sky suddenly trembled, and then, as if time had reversed, the spreading ripples contracted again.

Under the control of an invisible hand, the dispersed forces miraculously reconverged through the conduction of matter, and then...

Return it to its original owner!

Renut's vision went black, and he screamed in agony.

The Blood Bone Sword that had just been slashed apart inch by inch, and the once invincible Mad Demon was sent flying backward, howling pitifully... just like a stray dog ​​that had been kicked while walking down the street, so tragic.

Not only did a perfectly good sword strike have no effect, but the attack that I just put all my strength into actually hit me back when I was at my weakest!
It was as if he had used a jumping slash half a second ago, which had landed on his face now... Luckily, it was just a pure physical impact without any mechanism, otherwise, not only would that Blood Bone Sword have exploded on the spot!
But what the hell is this?!
Where did you buy this pendant?

In extreme horror, the courage he had just mustered vanished completely. He didn't even care about the inheritance sacrifice, nor did he care about the punishment from the tyrant behind him, nor did he care about the Venom fleet that was under siege below.

Using the force of the recoil, he flew backward, without even the slightest thought of lingering. Instead, he exerted all his strength to ignite his blood fire and ran wildly.

Like a blood-red meteor, it roared into the distance!

They fled for their lives.

Then, it came to an abrupt end in mid-air!

Only now did I realize that countless tiny silver lights that had been wrapped around my body had somehow woven into threads, gathered into bundles, and tangled into ropes.

One end was tied to himself, and the other end was tied to that strange cargo ship...

Snap! Snap! Snap!

With a chilling roar, the battered cargo ship bit off half of the Ivory's hull, and then, as if raising its head, looked at him.

It's like watching a duck that's already cooked but still wants to jump out of the pot.

Immediately afterwards, purple lightning and black flames appeared from the silver light and disappeared in a flash.

It was like a massive steel ingot crushing a camel.

boom!
Amidst the priest's furious roar, the blood flames completely dissipated, and the inherited burnt offering crumbled.

He fell against his will, crashing onto his flagship, breaking through the deck, and landing in the ship's cold storage.

While he was unconscious, he didn't even know how much time had passed.

I opened my eyes and saw only a scene of utter chaos.

He struggled in terror, scrambling and staggering as he crawled out from among the broken containers, only to find that in the deathly silence, the entire Ivory Ship seemed to have fallen into hell.

In the ship's corridors, only stiff figures, like living corpses, staggered about, muttering to themselves. Only screams echoed from afar, rising and falling.

One terrified crew member after another was pulled out from the hidden crevice. Despite their struggles, they were forcibly subdued and dragged like dead pigs into the deepest darkness, their fingers futilely digging at the ground, leaving behind streaks of scarlet blood.

In the midst of the struggle, the desperate pirate paused for a moment, then saw Renut peeking out from around the corner. Overjoyed, he shouted, "General! General, save me!!!"

But as the zombie stared into his hollow eyes, Renuth was struck dumb, staggered backward, and without hesitation, turned and ran wildly, fleeing in a panic.

Only the screams and cries from behind grew ever more piercing.

In the end, I could hear it no longer.

There was nowhere to escape.

The once-massive Ivory Ship now seemed like a tomb for dead things.

Even the familiar cabin structure has become completely different, as if it has come to life, constantly changing and turning into a maze.

In his frantic runs, he returned to his starting point in despair, struggling in vain. He was pinned down by the zombies that pounced on him, his limbs restrained, and he was injected with an anesthetic.

Then, pulling and dragging, they took him to where he truly belonged.

Until the pale light of the infirmary illuminated his eyes.

"Male, in his prime, unfortunately overdosed on drugs, C-grade..."

“Young man, full of vigor, showing signs of transformation. Yi Shang, let’s give him a green badge first…”

"This won't work, it's been drained by the inheritance sacrifice... This won't work either... Hey, this one will work, the chosen ones of the Desolate Ruins lineage are the best, Armor up!"

In the infirmary, the thin figure with his back to him picked up a pen and skillfully categorized, recorded, waved, and then moved on to the next, and the next, and the next... until he pressed Renette into the examination chair.

"Don't be nervous, relax."

The craftsman skillfully changed into a pair of gloves, picked up a tongue depressor, and said, "Come on, open your mouth."

"It's you!"

Renut's pupils contracted, his expression twitched, and before he could even feel fear or despair, he instinctively blurted out, "Wait, I know about the Sukarno family's treasure..."

"Shh!"

The craftsman raised his finger, helpless: "Don't talk about those vulgar things, and don't taint sacred scholarship with dirty money."

Numbness spreads, engulfing everything.

Renuth instinctively twitched, but then heard his voice: "I really like your classification method. It's simple, straightforward, and clear. All materials should be accurately evaluated for value, which is excellent..."

"...After studying the inheritance of dust and haze in depth, I discovered a certain set of patterns that can be specifically applied to the flesh and blood body."

While the technology to transform flesh and life into materials is not uncommon, theoretically, it should be possible to transform a person into a mechanical creation... From the perspective of current realization, I was too optimistic.

The gap is still too large.

The craftsman sighed softly, turned around, and showed him the deformed head on the table: "Look, it's not just that there's a chasm on the path from inanimate to living, but the process of living things turning into inanimate things is also fraught with obstacles..."

Even though they both possess a soul and life, there are still fundamental differences between them.

"Have you ever thought about where exactly this difference lies?"

Renut stared blankly, his eyes wide.

Subconsciously, I wanted to make a sound.

But he couldn't speak.

"But that's okay."

The craftsman smiled and comforted him gently, "We still have enough time to search slowly... I promise that, regardless of success or failure, you can create the final value for this world."

And so, that hand slowly rose and stretched out.

In the reflection of the pupil, it gradually magnifies, and magnifies again, until it magnifies to the point of obscuring everything...

Nothing can be seen.

Darkness filled everything.

(End of this chapter)