Pov: Vik
After receiving an emergency signal from a nearby ship, I directed my submarine towards it. At first, I let the submarine travel at high speed. As we got closer, I slowed down to avoid creating large waves. Soon, we were only two miles away from the ship. At this distance, I could clearly see it through my submarine's sensors. The ship was a continental cruiser, which had sent the SOS signal. I initially thought it might be a simple merchant or fishing vessel that had an accident, but I didn't expect it to be a continental cruiser.
Continental cruisers are top-of-the-line vessels. They have powerful weapons for defense and offense. The number of combatants on board is comparable to a small army. Additionally, these cruisers have an A-rank protector assigned to them. This means someone from the Void traveling realm or a 7th circle mage is on board to serve as the last line of defense.
Still, I was sure the SOS signal came from this ship. Even from a distance, I noticed no signs of an accident or attack. The people on deck moved around without any hint of fear, enjoying the view. This confused me, so I rechecked and confirmed that this ship was the one that sent the SOS signal. I asked the system for clarification.
Vik: "System, that ship looks normal. I think someone mistakenly pressed the SOS signal."
The system soon replied.
System: "No host, something is really wrong with that ship. When I first received the signal, someone was trying to interfere, intending to intercept it midway to ensure no one got the signal. It is thanks to the advanced sensors of this submarine that I received the SOS signal."
The system's words created a conflicting situation. If I went by what I saw, everything seemed normal. But according to the system, someone was trying to hide the true situation on that ship. Feeling excited about this, I looked at my disciples. Lina, Lu Xiaoran, and Roman were preparing to rescue people once I told them about the SOS signal. However, they also appeared confused by the ship, much like me. I said, "Disciples, get ready. We are about to experience our first adventure on that ship. Today, we will investigate a cruise ship."
With that, I prepared to investigate the SOS signal. I instructed the system to pinpoint the location from which the SOS signal originated. Soon, it identified the engine room as the source. This made the situation seem suspicious. Without wasting time, I set the submarine on autopilot and teleported to the ship along with my disciples.
Pov: Third person
Meanwhile, a short distance from Vik's submarine, everything seemed fine on the continental cruiser. Passengers were enjoying their time on board. However, below deck, in the dark corners of the engine room, a different scene was unfolding. A man in his early twenties lay on the ground, trying to get up despite his injuries.
As he struggled to rise, someone kicked him in the back, causing him to fall again, hitting the metal floor. Seven people surrounded him: one man in a black uniform adorned with stars, five guards who looked well-trained, and in front, a man in luxurious clothing with yellow hair who had just kicked the injured man.
The man spat on the back of the injured man's head and said, "I didn't expect the heir of the great Bloodborn family to be so pathetic. Noah Bloodborn, the great warrior who achieved the Golden Core realm at sixteen and Soul Formation at twenty, the peerless monster of West Oak city. Now look at you. You're here, cowering in fear, having escaped the Western continent to come to the Eastern continent. But who would have thought I would find you just before you could set foot on the Northern continent?"
"With your family name and strength, you've bullied many, but your days are over. Look at you now, lying in front of me, broken and crippled. I feel pity for you."
Before the man could say anything, Noah slowly pushed himself away from the man's feet, sliding along the ground. Despite his effort, he couldn't stand, still coughing blood and managing a laugh.
After laughing for a moment, Noah said, "Haha, Luther, I did expect you to follow and hunt me down this far. I must have hit you really hard when I put you in that garbage dump."
Luther grew angry and replied, "You moron. Even at death's door, you're still laughing. I won't kill you here; I'll torture you until you beg for death."
At his words, the man in black reacted. "Young man, we had an agreement to ignore your actions in open waters. Soon, this ship will enter the exclusive economic zone of the Northern continent. It will create real problems for me if you don't finish him before that. He already sent an SOS signal. Although I intercepted it, there's still a chance someone notices it. Complete your work quickly, because after that, I can't help you, even for more money."
The man in the black uniform was the A-rank personnel on this ship, involved in all of this. That's why no one on the ship knew about the SOS signal. Still, hearing this, Luther thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's kill this guy and dump his body at the port city garbage dump."
Before Luther could finish, a teleportation portal opened in front of them, and four people emerged. Among them, a man with white hair and yellow eyes carried a black cat on his shoulder. He looked at Luther and his group and said, "Who is talking about dumping whom in a garbage dump?"