Travel through time, and then establish an anomaly management bureau!

Page 6

The waves gently lapped against the hull, making a rhythmic "whoosh-whoosh" sound, no longer the heart-pounding, dull impact of before.

"Phew..." Zhang Su let out a long, thorough breath, finally relaxing his nerves that had been tense for nearly an hour.

The exhaustion of surviving the ordeal was intertwined with a strange tranquility.

He leaned against the ship's railing, squinted his eyes, and for the first time truly and peacefully appreciated the ocean of this strange world.

Magnificent, beautiful, with a primal wildness, and also containing unknown dangers—just like his current situation.

A few minutes later.

"Ugh..." A painful groan came from the side.

Kurokawa's body convulsed suddenly, and his bloodshot eyes, filled with dark red embers, snapped open!

His eyes instantly filled with extreme terror and a beast-like vigilance. Almost instinctively, he sat up with a somersault, his hands, covered in scale marks, crossing in a defensive stance.

“Pollution! Treasure chest! Monster!” he growled hoarsely, his gaze sweeping rapidly around like that of a startled eagle—the deck, the sky, the sea… Finally, his eyes settled on the dark-haired youth beside him, leaning against the ship’s railing, pale-faced, blood seeping from his shoulder, yet strangely calm as he gazed at the sea.

"Your...Your Excellency?!" Kurokawa's voice trembled with disbelief as memories flooded back—himself out of control, the claws lunging at Zhang Su, that destructive golden-red light... "That...that thing...how is it? The ship...my crew..."

Zhang Su did not turn around immediately, but continued to gaze at the shimmering sea. His voice was as calm as if he were describing a trivial matter: "The Greedy Treasure Chest has been contained by me. The source of pollution has disappeared, and the ship is safe."

He paused, then added, "As for those who were contaminated... unfortunately, as the source of the pollution disappeared, they were also... completely 'liberated'."

He was referring to the aberrations and the ordinary polluters locked below, whose fate was predictable after losing the support of the pollution core.

Even if they were still alive when the pollution was lifted, their bodies, shattered by Kurokawa's punches, would have killed them instantly.

“I’m…relieved…” Kurokawa murmured repeatedly, his tense body suddenly relaxing as if his bones had been removed, and he leaned back heavily against the deck.

Overwhelmed by immense fear and exhaustion, he closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

He struggled to sit up again, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the open oak door to the captain's cabin behind him.

The scene inside the door was no longer that nauseating hell of flesh and blood, but the sight that came into view made his heart clench painfully!

A scene of ruins.

Burnt, corroded, and in a terrible mess... Where is there any trace of the "home" he remembered, which, though not luxurious, was comfortable and cozy and held countless years of his time adrift at sea?

The mahogany desk he used to draw nautical charts and polish his scimitar, the oak wall panel that hung with his portrait of a spirited young man, the brass cabinet that stored his precious nautical logs and personal belongings... all of them were destroyed!

All that remained were severely corroded remains that emitted a burnt, foul odor!

"My captain's cabin!!!" Kurokawa's voice was choked with sobs, a lament mixed with heartache, anger, and immense loss.

This is more than just a room; it is the only warm harbor he has built on this merciless sea, a place he has poured his heart and soul into creating. It is a symbol of his dignity as a captain and a safe corner where he can catch his breath after countless storms!

Now, all that remains is a devastated wasteland!

He suddenly stood up, ignoring the soreness in his body and the lingering dizziness, and staggered towards the ruins.

"Wait! There might still be residual contamination inside..." Zhang Su wanted to remind him to be careful, but Kurokawa had already plunged in.

The captain's cabin reeked of a strong smell of burning and chemical corrosion. Kurokawa, ignoring the horrifying signs of corrosion, trudged through the wreckage like a wounded wild animal searching for its young, his feet crunching on the creaking floor covered in ash and an unidentified sticky substance.

He roughly pried open the charred wood, kicked away the rotten timber, and headed directly to several corners of the room and specific locations on the walls.

"Here, and here!" he muttered, his fingers groping on the charred wall panel, forcefully pressing several extremely concealed mechanisms.

"Click...click..."

A few faint clicking sounds of springs rang out. Several charred wooden planks that seemed to blend into their surroundings were pushed aside, revealing a hidden compartment made of metal sheets.

With trembling hands, Kurokawa took out the items from the hidden compartment one by one—several metal boxes of different sizes, but all tightly sealed. He eagerly opened the largest of the boxes.

"Phew, it's okay."

Even in the dimly lit and messy room, the neatly stacked gold coins, uncut gemstones, and several scrolls of valuable silk contracts in the box still exuded a reassuring, dazzling light of worldly wealth.

Protected by sturdy enclosures and hidden compartments, they luckily escaped the devastating blows of pollution and corrosion, remaining unharmed!

Kurokawa let out a long, long sigh of relief, his voice filled with immense comfort at surviving such a close call.

Like a miser, he grabbed a handful of gold coins, feeling their heavy, cold, and incredibly real texture, then carefully put them back, fastened the lid tightly, and held them close to his chest.

Although the captain's cabin was destroyed, the ship suffered heavy losses, and the crew was almost entirely killed or wounded, his most important accumulation—the wealth that would support his future and might even be used to purchase advancement potions—was still there!

He stood in the middle of the wrecked captain's cabin, clutching a heavy metal crate, looking around at the charred ruins. His expression was incredibly complex: a mixture of heartache, relief, and lingering fear.

Deeper still, a complex emotion, a mixture of awe, fear, and a touch of relief, arose in the young figure sitting on the deck outside the door, quietly watching the sea.

……

The sea breeze, carrying a salty tang, caressed the battered "Black Sea".

The relatively clean bow deck became a refuge for the only three surviving members of the Black Sea.

Zhang Su leaned against the base of the bow mast, trying to ignore the throbbing pain from the wound on his shoulder.

He felt an emptiness in his stomach—since transmigrating, he hadn't had a drop of water, and after experiencing life-or-death battles and intense mental exertion, he felt like he was starving.

"Captain Kurokawa," he said, looking at Kurokawa who was gazing at the distant horizon with a somber expression, "is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

Kurokawa was pulled back to reality by his voice, paused for a moment, and then realized what was happening.

A hint of apology appeared on his tired face: "I'm sorry, sir. It was my oversight."

He looked around and saw that, apart from the two of them, there was only the sailor who had been lucky enough not to be infected and had survived by hiding in the lower deck. He was now huddled on the other side of the ship's railing, looking at them with fear and confusion in his eyes.

"Hey! Kid!" Kurokawa shouted at the young sailor, his voice carrying the captain's usual authority, weak but still effective. "Don't cower there! Go downstairs... Hmm, the galley shouldn't be completely contaminated, go check it out! Find something to eat and drink and bring it up! The faster the better!"

The young sailor, like a startled rabbit, jumped up and nodded hastily, "Yes, yes, Captain!"

He stumbled and ran toward the staircase leading to the middle floor, his figure quickly disappearing. Although he was still worried that the corpses below might rise up and attack him again, the captain's orders outweighed his fear, and he had no choice but to obey.

The waiting time was extremely long.

Zhang Su leaned against the mast and closed his eyes to rest, trying to mobilize his mysterious power to check his condition—aside from his shoulder injury and exhaustion, there seemed to be no other major problems, and his pollution immunity was still in effect.

Kurokawa stood silently to the side, his gaze sweeping over the messy deck and broken sails with a complex expression. He rubbed his temples from time to time, and the dark red lingering in the depths of his pupils was less noticeable in the sunlight and began to dissipate.

Finally, the young sailor came running back, panting, carrying a wooden tray.

On the tray were several dark, hard, nautical biscuits that looked like they could be used as bricks, a ceramic jar filled with murky liquid, and several pieces of equally unappealing dried salted meat.

"Captain... Your Excellency, this is all we found in the galley... The navigator originally expected us to land this afternoon and reach Muyun Port. So our food supplies have been used up to this little bit." The sailor's voice was filled with fear, afraid that the food would displease the two "important figures."

Zhang Su opened his eyes, and the moment he saw the tray, his stomach rumbled again. This was so different from the "delicacies" he had imagined! These were foods designed for long-term preservation at sea, sacrificing taste in order to extend their shelf life; they were definitely not very palatable.

"Thank you for your hard work." Zhang Su then politely replied, gesturing for the sailors to put down the tray.

Having fallen to such a state, how could he dare to hope for a delicious meal? He was already grateful to have something to eat.

He picked up a cookie; it felt heavy in his hand. He tried to break it, but it wouldn't budge.

He had no choice but to painstakingly tear off a small piece with his teeth. The dry, rough texture instantly filled his mouth, carrying an indescribable taste of stale flour and salt, which made him choke and frown.

He quickly picked up the earthenware jar and took a swig. A very spicy liquid with a strong taste of molasses and cheap alcohol rushed down his throat—similar to rum, but rougher and stronger.

He forced it down, feeling a burning sensation from his throat to his stomach, but at least he managed to flush down the crumbs of biscuit stuck in his throat.

"Cough...cough...this bread is chewy enough..." Zhang Su commented with a wry smile, then picked up a piece of salted meat jerky, the hardness and saltiness of which made him question his life.

Kurokawa also picked up a biscuit and chewed it expressionlessly, clearly already used to this kind of food.

He took a sip of strong liquor, then turned his gaze back to the distance, his brow furrowed.

Zhang Su swallowed his food with difficulty, his gaze sweeping over the empty deck and tattered sails. A real problem surfaced in his mind. He swallowed the last bite of salty, bitter jerky and asked, "Kurokawa, the boat problem is solved, but how are the three of us going to get this big guy back to land? That's a new problem."

Kurokawa paused for a moment, then gestured to the young sailor beside him: "You, go to the stern and check the situation, clear away the debris."

The young sailor was quick to respond and immediately left the bow area.

Once he was sure the sailors were far away, Kurokawa turned around and carefully took an object out of the pocket close to his body.

It was a compass about the size of a palm, with a casing of some kind of dark brass, intricate and twisted runes engraved on the edges, and a layer of warm patina formed by years of rubbing.

The compass needle was not an ordinary magnetic needle, but a slender, almost transparent crystal needle that seemed to be made of solidified moonlight. It was trembling slightly and pointing in an uncertain direction.

“This is the ‘Whisper of the Navigator’,” Kurokawa said in a low voice, with a hint of mystery and caution, “an ‘anomaly’. I obtained it from a… well, a fellow pirate, a superhuman who also followed the path of the Sea Wanderer, years ago.”

"Anomaly?" Zhang Su immediately perked up and looked at the compass in his hand.

“Yes,” Kurokawa nodded, his fingers gently tracing the runes on the compass casing. “That pirate told me that the person who possesses this compass can send their current location coordinates to other people who possess the same type of compass by injecting them with psionic energy and spiritual power, just like sending out a distress signal on the vast ocean.”

Zhang Su's eyes lit up: "That's great! Use it quickly, I've been missing solid ground for a long time."

Land means safety, it means being able to truly breathe, it means the opportunity to understand the world.

Kurokawa's face showed no sign of relief; instead, he hesitated. "That's the problem, sir. First, I've only 'heard' him describe how to use it; I've never actually used it myself. Whether it's truly as he described, or whether there are any other side effects, I don't know."

"Secondly, and most importantly, that pirate was a complete predator. He told me that a significant portion of those who possess such compasses are sea hyenas like him."

"When I send out a distress signal, will it really be a rescue, or another pirate ship full of greed and weapons?"

"Given our current situation—I am severely weakened, you are not yet fully recovered, and we have a nearly useless sailor—facing a group of predatory pirates, this battered and 'cargo-laden' Black Sea is nothing more than a piece of meat delivered to their mouths! They will absolutely pounce on us without hesitation, tear us apart, and take everything!"

Most of the cargo on the Black Sea was in the hold and was not affected by the pollution, so as long as the ship could still get ashore, Kurokawa could still make a profit.

Having lost his captain's cabin and more than twenty men, Kurokawa was extremely eager to make a profit and resume ship operations. Therefore, he absolutely did not want his cargo to be stolen, let alone be in danger of being killed.

Kurokawa's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the flame of hope that Zhang Su had just ignited.

He frowned, looking at the mysterious compass in Kurokawa's hand, his expression becoming serious.

"So... you mean you really don't want to use this thing unless absolutely necessary?" Zhang Su asked.

“Exactly!” Kurokawa nodded vigorously, gripping the compass tightly in his hand. “This is almost like gambling with our lives, betting that we’ll encounter a law-abiding merchant ship or navy… but the probability is too small.”

He looked at Zhang Su with pleading eyes and said, "Your Excellency, you are incredibly powerful, even able to contain something like the Greedy Treasure Chest. Do you think there is any safer way out besides this risky method? For example, do you have any way to ask your organization for help and have them come to our rescue?"

"Hmm, let me think about it." Zhang Su stopped chewing and pretended to be thinking seriously.

In reality, he was pleading for help in his mind: "Mysterious power! Can you hear me? The situation is urgent. We are short-handed and cannot steer this ship. Kurokawa has a compass that can contact the outside world, but it's too risky and might attract pirates, so we don't want to use it. Do you have any other ideas?"

Almost the instant the thought crossed my mind, the cold, clear, and emotionless stream of information responded like a pre-prepared answer:

[The current situation can be resolved by utilizing the 'Activation Contamination' property of the contained anomalous object 'Greedy Chest'.]

[The core of this characteristic: endows contacting organisms/inanimate objects with abnormal activity and the ability to mutate in a targeted manner.]

[I can guide this energy selectively from the 'void' and convert it to act on the target vessel, the 'Black Sea'.]

[Effect: Grants the ship basic directional movement capabilities (the direction of navigation must be guided by your will), and the ship's structure will undergo controllable, temporary biological mutations to adapt to the needs of activity-driven operations.]

Duration: Depends on energy output intensity, expected to last 2-4 hours. Cooldown period: 24 hours.

[Warning: The mutated form may exceed conventional understanding, but the mutation effect will reverse automatically after energy is depleted, returning to the original state (damaged structures cannot be restored).]

After hearing the answer, Zhang Su nodded in satisfaction.

Then, turning to Kurokawa, who was waiting for his reply, he smiled mysteriously and said, "Captain Kurokawa, under the current circumstances, perhaps the only thing we can do is try to 'bring this ship back to life' and let it swim to the shore on its own."

Volume 1: Chapter 7: Landing, Gift, Sea God

Kurokawa and the sailor both stared at Zhang Su in astonishment, not understanding the meaning of his words.

To let the ship move on its own, as if commanding the two Japanese soldiers to pry it open? This was beyond their comprehension.

Zhang Su stopped explaining. He slowly squatted down and pressed his uninjured left hand against the cold, rough deck planks that had been washed by seawater.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into that mysterious "void space," precisely locking onto the "Greedy Treasure Chest" that had been contained.

Even though it was his first time using this skill, he was very proficient at it, as if it were an innate ability.

It can only be said that the mysterious force did indeed guide things well.

He carefully guided the process, not by releasing the treasure chest itself, but by extracting and transforming its core, the "activation pollution" property that distorts reality.

An indescribable energy, cold and viscous yet strangely active, surged out along the meridians of his arm!

"Activate!" Zhang Su suddenly opened his eyes and shouted. His left hand, which was pressed against the deck, exerted force with its five fingers, pressing some kind of invisible force hard into the depths of the ship's hull!

"Om-!"

A deep, strange hum, seemingly emanating from the deepest part of the ship, resounded. The entire Black Sea shuddered violently!

Under the horrified gazes of the three, the area of ​​deck that Zhang Su touched rippled outwards like water rippled by a stone thrown in, instantly forming a dark red ripple with vein-like patterns! This ripple was not an illusion, but rather the frantic twisting and recombination of the deck's wooden fibers!

"Hiss... Heh..."

A chilling, sticky sound, like the panting of a giant creature, came from deep within the ship's hull.

Immediately afterwards, near the waterline on both sides of the boat, the hard oak hull seemed to writhe and tear as if it were alive!