C7 You Are a Bug!

Hsiang Yuan winced from a sudden sharp pain in his rear, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets from the impact.

Captains who had forged contracts with their warships could control them flawlessly. Yet, there was a catch. Any damage sustained by the warship was relayed back to the captain via the ship's core. While not lethal, the pain was certainly guaranteed.

Mountain Cannon, seeing his boss clutching his behind, instantly grasped the situation. Meanwhile, Zhang Hai had switched from the Barbarian Blood Gravity Field to the Repairing Gravity Field. Hsiang Yuan felt an unfamiliar constriction and was bewildered by it. Nonetheless, the fact that his Devil Hunting Warship was undergoing repairs was indisputable. He was perplexed—who could be behind this? His own fleet certainly lacked such advanced capabilities.

Stepping out of the Commander Room, Hsiang Yuan was taken aback. Before him was the Barbarian Blood Warship, actively repairing his vessel. What in the world was happening?

"Bastard! What the hell are you up to?!" he demanded.

Zhang Hai, lounging with his legs crossed, flashed a mischievous grin. "You were quite the tough guy earlier. Scared now? Heh, today I'll show you a fate worse than death."

With that, he cranked the engine to full throttle. The two warships, already linked, jolted from his actions. Hsiang Yuan nearly had to shield his backside.

"Bastard! If you're going to kill me, just do it! You're insulting a Bounty Hunter!"

"Heh, so I've insulted you, what of it?" Zhang Hai retorted, unfazed by the complaint.

He knew better than to exploit a bug for experience points while simultaneously healing the monsters he fought—that would be idiotic. The system itself seemed to agree.

"Captain, you're exploiting a bug," it chided.

"Of course. Not exploiting a bug would be idiotic," he replied nonchalantly.

"Captain, the experience gained from attacking the warship will decrease over time. You can't max out your level from a single warship," the system warned.

Zhang Hai scoffed. The system's sudden change in rules was irritating, but it hardly mattered to him. As long as he could farm, he would take advantage of it.

If one warship wasn't sufficient, then he'd target all the surrounding ones.

He instructed the warriors to gear up and round up all the warships.

The Magic Cannons on the Phantom Warship never ceased firing.

They targeted one warship after another in a thrilling display.

These warships alone had elevated his Barbarian Blood Warship to the third tier.

Its attack power had surged by 30%.

Hsiang Yuan lay immobile on the deck, his face grotesquely twisted.

"B-big brother, please, I beg you, end it quickly for me."

"Hehe, that's not what you were saying earlier."

Hsiang Yuan hastily shook his head. If he had known what a monster this guy was, he would never have taken this job.

"Big Brother, I was wrong. I was blind before and I've offended you."

"Yes, just grant me a swift end, and all the treasures on this ship are yours."

But Zhang Hai had already commandeered the warship. All the valuables aboard had long since fallen into his possession.

Now, the only thing of value left was the Devil Hunter's Warship Core.

Eyeing the scant experience points, Zhang Hai hesitated briefly before shaking his head.

"No, I'm going to drain every last drop of experience from you."

With the power ramped up, the Devil Hunting Warship was nearly ripped in half. Had it not been tethered to his own ship, it might have already plunged into the ocean depths.

Hsiang Yuan hadn't anticipated such malevolence.

Yet, reflecting on his own underling's usual behavior, there seemed to be little difference.

Despair filled his eyes.

He drew the curved knife from his waist and plunged it into his heart without a second thought.

His death severed the contract with the warship.

Simultaneously, his experience dropped to zero.

Deemed worthless, Zhang Hai immediately absorbed the Warship Core.

"Ding! Devil Hunting Level Warship Blueprint obtained. Completion: 15%."

"A Devil Hunting Gravity Field has been acquired, but cannot be installed."

"Captain, please review the remaining materials at your convenience."

Zhang Hai commanded the Magic Cannon to continue its random barrage on the Barbarian Blood Level Warships nearby.

The Repairing Gravity Field was tirelessly at work. Naturally, the more experience points, the better.

Upon reaching the cabin, he opened the door to Wong Jiangxue's quarters and found her staring at him, her face etched with terror. She had clearly heard everything—the battle, the preceding conversation—and knew that such ruthless tactics were not the mark of a good person.

"What do you want?" she asked, panic in her voice.

Zhang Hai sat down across from her, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You saw it all. I originally thought I was just transporting you back home, a simple job."

"But it turns out this job is much more than I bargained for," he continued. "So, I think we need to renegotiate our deal. Of course, if you're not agreeable, I can always offer you a Barbarian Blood Warship and you can make your own way back."

Wong Jiangxue immediately realized he was angling for a higher price. "No way. We agreed on ten thousand Refinement Crystals. That's all the private money I have. I can't afford any more."

"Is that so? Then I guess I've been busy for nothing," he retorted.

With a snap of his fingers, he summoned two warriors, ready to cast her into the sea. After all, there was a warship nearby. Whether she could make it back to the free port was none of his concern.

Of course, if he could, he'd rather kill her and take the ten thousand Refinement Crystals.

Seeing his determination, Wong Jiangxue was not about to give in. "I'll write an IOU. I'll pay you once I'm back home."

"Heh, I like your boldness," Zhang Hai chuckled.

Without another word, he pulled out another piece of paper. He had plenty of such documents prepared—always best to be ready for anything. After pressing her thumbprint and signing her name, another IOU for twenty thousand was completed.

Just from her, he had managed to secure thirty thousand Refinement Crystals. The thought alone was delightful.

After more than an hour spent extracting the last bit of experience and devouring the Warship Core, he set off again, thoroughly pleased with himself.

He made some edits to the battle video and uploaded it to the trending section. Glancing at the comments on his previous posts, he felt a surge of irritation, but watching his system points slowly increase soothed his temper significantly.

The Zero Style, despite only requiring ten thousand points, still demanded some time to be ready.

The journey itself wasn't particularly lengthy, yet it was marred by three separate attacks. As a result, it took just a bit longer than expected.

It was unavoidable; extracting the last bit of value was absolutely essential.

You must have noticed that his combat vessel had reached the Level Five Barbarian Blood Warship status.

As for Blue Flying Free Port, how should I put it?

At first glance, the place is nothing short of a shantytown.

The port is best described as filthy, chaotic, and poorly organized.

The very ground of the port is cobbled together from a mishmash of scrapped ships, with iron plates patching the surface like a quilt of metal.

Oddly enough, these materials seem impervious to corrosion.

Wong Jiangxue returned to the port and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Here, at least, she was safe. The Bounty Hunters wouldn't dare lay a hand on her in this haven.