The Black-eyed Captain gripped his dark blade tightly, slowly sliding it across the icy ground.
Chen Qi's gaze was fixed intently on the captain in front of him.
Just like with the bats from before, he couldn't be sure if "they" could be affected by the "Deep Sea Affinity".
As the Black-eyed Captain walked, he suddenly remembered something and looked back in Chen Qi's direction:
"Right, little crow, don't you have a vial of Yellow Needle? Do you have it with you? I feel like I'm in need of it..."
Bang!
Chen Qi's pupils sharply contracted.
In the moment the Black-eyed Captain turned his head, a toad-like blue creature burst from the darkness, its mouth brimming with sharp teeth, and lunged straight for the captain's tottering hat!
"Damn it!"
The Black-eyed Captain twisted the blade in a reverse grip, then spun around, using the blade to forcefully block the toad's bite.
Boom!
Under the toad's immense power, the Black-eyed Captain was sent flying, rushing back tens of meters to land in front of Chen Qi.
The Deep Sea Toad, a colossal creature towering about six meters tall, had two boulder-like blue eyes and a gaping mouth with fangs that seemed capable of devouring everything!
The moment it appeared, the entire pirate crew retreated five meters backwards.
It gazed upon the crowd as if they were mere insects.
Despite the distance of tens of meters, Chen Qi could faintly sense that it belonged to the 'Deep Sea' category.
The Black-eyed Captain wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and extended his hand toward Chen Qi, who was closest:
"Do you have a Healing Potion?"
The recent impact had been huge, and the captain had sustained no small amount of internal injuries.
"I do..."
Chen Qi took out a bottle of Healing Potion from his backpack and handed it to the Black-eyed Captain.
The Black-eyed Captain took the potion, gulped it down, then took a deep breath and assumed a sword-drawing stance, staring fixedly at the toad in front of him.
"Damn beast!"
He cursed ferociously and, like a flash of lightning, he charged out, resolved to slice the Deep Sea Toad's mouth with his dark blade!
The Deep Sea Toad was not to be outdone, opening its massive mouth to bite at the Black-eyed Captain.
In the blink of an eye, they clashed!
Chen Qi observed the situation and believed the Black-eyed Captain had the upper hand.
"Beast! Die!"
The Black-eyed Captain roared in anger, his muscles bulging as he channeled all his strength into the edge of the blade.
Slash!
In the next moment, the blade cut through the Deep Sea Toad's teeth and instantly tore its body into two crimson halves!
"Captain my lord! Our god!"
"By the Sea Goddess above!"
The crowd, seeing the obstructing creature halved, let out a long sigh of relief.
No, this was just the beginning... Chen Qi muttered to himself, feeling the aura of the deep sea growing stronger!
It spread like a fog, enveloping them.
"Damn it—"
As a Transcendent, the Black-eyed Captain could also sense that frenzied aura approaching like a torrential downpour.
A deep rumble resounded around the cavern.
The next second, a terrifying scene unfolded.
In the surrounding darkness, more and more Deep Sea Toads emerged, each step revealing their lethal fangs as they approached.
One, two, ten...
Over a hundred!
Chen Qi looked around to find that they had all been unwittingly surrounded by the Deep Sea Toads!
At that moment, everyone's face was etched with terror.
Even the mightiest among them, their captain, had exhausted all his strength to defeat just one Deep Sea Toad! What about them?
The Black-eyed Captain tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, knowing that as the captain, he must issue commands in such perilous times.
There was no path of retreat for us!
The only choice was to carve a bloody path through!
"All able-bodied fighters, follow me and clear the way! Those without the strength, stick with the Doctor and cover our rear!"
The pirates grabbed their weapons, steam shotguns, transcendent hammers, massive blades...
The battle was on the brink of erupting, and the entire cave instantly became a battleground where humans fought against monsters.
The two strongest individuals on the Sawshark, the Black-eyed Captain and the First Mate of the Sawshark, charged to the forefront, attempting to carve a path through.
Meanwhile, some pirates and slaves were responsible for covering their rear, preventing a pincer attack.
Chen Qi hurriedly opened his backpack, taking out the necessary items in advance.
Just as Little Crow had told him, he was the Doctor's assistant and wasn't going to face the monsters directly.
Chen Qi pulled out a Healing Potion, witnessing the terrifying scene before him.
The combat strength of the deep sea toads was quite formidable; even these battle-hardened crew members often needed two people to take one down.
And as for the armed slaves, they served merely as human shields and bait.
Under the terrifying onslaught of the sea toads, the pirates suffered casualties in an instant.
"Save me, Doc... Big Sis..."
A crew member who had his left arm bitten off crawled over with difficulty, his arm as mangled as bloody cotton, tears of blood streaking from his eyes.
Behind him, several who were succumbing to their wounds, overwhelmed by fear, crowded around as well.
Little Crow adjusted her mask, displaying an unprecedentedly serious expression:
"Help him stop the bleeding."
"Okay."
Chen Qi crouched down, pressing a bandage against the bleeding wound, while feeding the man painkillers and the Healing Potion.
In Little Crow's hands, a green light began to glow.
Healing Skill, a transcendent ability, consuming Spiritual Power, could heal a person's external injuries.
However, such Healing Skills required some time, therefore, applying bandages and potions were essential.
With their combined efforts, they quickly finished treating the injured.
Unlike Earth, with the enhancement of Extraordinary Power, as long as the Healing Skill and Healing Potions took effect, these pirate casualties could rejoin the fight immediately.
But despite this, the rate of loss was just too rapid...
In just a moment, the area where the two of them were stationed was already populated with ten injured men!
And the number of wounded was still rising—
Bang!
A loud noise erupted from the front!
At that moment, the bigshot of the Sawshark, the First Mate of the Sawshark, dragging his injured body, came in front of them.
He was covered in blood, and on his right arm were deep blue veins throbbing like several venomous snakes had burrowed inside!
He lay down, using every bit of his strength to say:
"Save me..."
"Deep sea toxin!"
Chen Qi was startled; he had seen in the "Sea Beast Medicinal Materials Collection Guide" that such deep blue veins were usually a sign of poisoning from the deep-sea toad's deadly toxin.
Little Crow furrowed her brows; the First Mate being poisoned was undoubtedly terrible news, given that he was one of their key fighters.
The deep-sea toxin possessed Spiritual Power and was of transcendent nature; ordinary Healing Potions and Skills would not suffice for treatment.
Had it not been for the First Mate's high constitution, he would have already burst into fragments.
They would have to use a more advanced Healing Skill and perform surgery...
This required time, and simultaneously, she couldn't afford too many disruptions.
Little Crow looked at Chen Qi:
"I'm leaving the rest of the wounded to you, and if anyone tries to disturb me, stop them!
I must maintain absolute focus."
Little Crow took out her surgical tools along with special medicines derived by Chen Qi from deep-sea creatures:
"May the Sea Goddess, along with the Flower Witch, watch over us. Let there be no accidents during this time..."
Having said that, Little Crow focused intently on performing her emergency surgery.
Let there be no accidents...
Chen Qi suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Their rear had already been breached, and this temporary medical post, filled with 'human meals', was undoubtedly the most desirable destination for the monsters...
Chen Qi tugged at a bandage, turning his head to look back.
At the breached spot, a ten-meter-tall deep-sea creature that emitted an ear-piercing roar was gradually advancing towards them.