Yang Yi leaned against the mast and sat atop the watchtower, dozing lightly to slow the drain on his stamina.
Six hours later, there was movement on deck.
Suna stepped out of her cabin. She had woken up.
Yang Yi wrapped his arms around the mast and slid down, preparing to head for the Sanctuary.
This operation might take a while. Leaving Suna alone on the ship while she slept would not have been safe, so he had waited until she woke before making his move.
“The ship’s in your hands. Once I enter the Sanctuary, steer the Nightmare Star away and keep your distance from the Sanctuary vessel. Watch out for sniper rifles or other long-range weapons.”
That was the first thing he said after landing.
Suna did not look pleased.
“I’ll just sail off and leave you there to fend for yourself,” she replied coldly. “You can stay on the Sanctuary ship and eat rats.”
She was still upset that he had refused to let her pursue transcendence.
Yang Yi laughed.
“You’ll become extraordinary. No need to worship a god. No need to rely on external forces. You’ll surpass the limits of an ordinary being in a way I can’t, through your own research and accumulated knowledge. I have faith in you.”
Suna’s eyes widened. She had not expected him to hold her in such high regard.
But softening now would mean losing face.
Her expression improved for a brief second before returning to its usual cool indifference. She turned and walked away, leaving him no chance to say anything else.
“Hard to please,” Yang Yi muttered.
He went to the bow and guided the Nightmare Star closer to the Sanctuary vessel.
He planned to enter through the breach at the ship’s central cross-junction. It was close to the general storage area, and he was familiar with that route.
After what he had experienced in the dream, he had practically memorised the internal layout of the Sanctuary ship.
Half an hour later, the Nightmare Star came to a steady stop about five hundred metres from the breach.
Using his Third Eye, he scanned the outer walls and the opening. There were no signs of rat thralls.
They were probably dormant again.
He did a final check of his equipment and belongings, handing the Eye of Greed to Suna.
“Stay safe. Once I clear the nest and secure the area, I’ll call you to pick me up.”
She nodded.
Yang Yi took out the Vitality Sardine Leg he had saved from two days ago and swallowed it. His stamina instantly returned to full.
He then put on the Penitent Armor, leaving the helmet off for now, and checked his status panel.
…
Yang Yi (Extraordinary)
Extraordinary Paths: Corruption (Depth 36%) / Book of the Spider / Charred One / Werewolf / Gluttonous Guest (Lowest Rank) / Dreamwalker (Nightmare)
Status: Healthy (green human silhouette), Height 189 cm, Weight 145 kg
Strength: 12 (/) 【Gluttonous Guest bonus: +1 to all attributes except Spirit and Perception】
Spirit: 11 (/) 【Iron Will bonus, Dreamwalker bonus, Night bonus】
Agility: 14 (/) 【Penitent Armor bonus, Dream State bonus】
Constitution: 14 (/) 【Gluttonous Maw bonus, additional +1 Constitution from Gluttonous Guest】
Perception: 13 (6122/8000) 【Third Eye bonus】
Sanity: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
HP: 100/100
Mana: 11/11
Talents: Iron Will, Refuse to Die
Spells: Limb Enhancement, Limb Restoration, Limb Explosion, Divine Invocation of the Spider Mother, Healing Flame, Burn With Me, Grafting Surgery (Beginner), Bat Transformation (Temporary)
Abilities: Third Eye, Wolf Form, Gluttonous Maw
…
Nearly everything was maxed out.
“I’m going.”
Yang Yi gave Suna one last look, then jumped off the deck. Midair, he transformed into a bat and flew towards the Sanctuary vessel.
He had used this ability in his dream before. It was excellent for travel or ambush and allowed him to slip through gaps that ordinary people could never pass.
But Yang Yi quickly realised that when he used the skill, the result was completely different from when Di Jie had used it.
When Di Jie transformed, he split into a swarm of scattered bats, flying almost silently. Even if a few bats were shot down, he only lost a small amount of HP.
Yang Yi, on the other hand, turned into a single enormous bat. Its wingspan exceeded three metres, and it had a wolf’s head. It was practically a bat demon.
“How is this possible?”
He had planned to slip in quietly. That idea was now ruined.
Each flap of his wings was loud enough that any rats within several hundred meters could probably hear it.
He could only hope the ones in the lower decks hadn’t noticed.
“I should’ve known better than to use this. Freebie skills are never reliable. What a waste of mana.”
Still, he managed to fly into the Sanctuary vessel.
Once inside, he immediately cancelled Bat Transformation and scanned his surroundings, checking for rat thralls lying in ambush.
There were none.
Under the sweep of his Third Eye, he saw no trace of them.
He then switched off the Vessel of Light and wrapped himself in the Mouse Knight Cape, activating its ability to transform into a Mouse Knight.
The cape writhed across his body, forming a disguised skin-tight suit that covered him completely.
When the transformation finished, Yang Yi stood nearly two metres tall, appearing as a rat thrall. The layered disguise made him bulkier.
He adjusted his posture to better mimic them, hunching forwards as if the giant rat parasitizing his chest were tugging at his spine, lowering his apparent height.
“Close enough. Time to move.”
He headed for the stairwell.
The stairs leading upwards had been destroyed in earlier fighting, but the ones leading down were still intact.
He had barely taken two steps when he heard a familiar sound.
Ding.
An elevator arrived.
“There’s still an elevator running?”
He nearly drew his flintlock and the Flame Serpent’s Fang in reflex before remembering he was supposed to be a rat thrall.
Catching himself in time, he instead pulled out the old beam rifle he had not sold and looked toward the source of the sound.
It was in Section C. Many areas there still had power, so a functioning elevator was not surprising.
Soon, two rat thralls stepped out. One tall, one shorter. One carried a beam rifle, the other a beam pistol.
The moment they exited, they saw him.
“Squeak?” (Who are you?)
The one holding the rifle spoke, the giant Settler Rat in its chest making the sound. Yang Yi understood it clearly.
“Squeak squeak.” (I heard something strange and came to check. That wretched human tried to ambush us again, but I spotted him and he retreated.)
The words he intended to say were simultaneously translated into rat speech by the fake giant rat on his chest. Combined with his vivid expression, it looked entirely convincing.
“Squeak?” (Really? You got here pretty fast.)
The shorter rat thrall trotted over and, with something like envy, reached out to touch Yang Yi’s body.
“Squeak squeak squeak.” (Your house looks spacious. Where did you find it? Think I could move in too…)
“Squeak!” (Don’t touch me!)
The fake rat on Yang Yi’s chest snapped a warning.
The other did not react much, as if such behavior were normal. It merely muttered something about him being stingy and stopped touching him.