Yang Yi charged toward the intact siren on the left. He had no weapon—the broken bone was long lost. But on land, one resource was abundant: stones! He snatched a cobblestone and rushed forward. Mid-stride, his Strength stat upgraded: base Strength reached 4, with bonuses pushing it to 6!
"H赫赫!" The siren hissed, scales bristling. She was clever—realizing charm wouldn't work, she abandoned singing and prepared to shred him with fangs and claws. What she didn't know: Without magic, humans reigned supreme on land. Even without firearms, their dominance held—they wielded tools, denying foes close combat.
Yang Yi was no exception. Closing the gap, he smashed the rock into her face. With 6 Strength (above the average 5), the blow staggered her, blood pouring from her shattered brow. He pounced, grabbing a jagged cobblestone to bludgeon her face relentlessly. No mercy for a man-eating beast in human guise, especially in his frenzied state.
One strike, two, three… He stopped only when he felt something crush beneath the stone and the siren went limp. He wasn't unscathed: his back bore purplish whip marks from her tail, and claw gashes wept blood. Her tail's strength was fearsome, but her upper body, as Su Na noted, matched human strength. On land, humans had the edge; in water, the tables turned.
After pocketing a tissue sample, Yang Yi raced to the final fight. Su Na and the one-armed siren rolled in the mud like wrestlers, both caked in filth. The siren's injury and Su Na's frailty left them deadlocked—until Yang Yi intervened.
Outnumbered, the siren faltered. Yang Yi pinned her with a boot and drew his flintlock, aiming for the head.
"Don't shoot! I need her intact, especially the head!" Su Na shouted.
Yang Yi paused. "Then how?"
"Her chest rises—she likely breathes with lungs. Try choking her!"
Su Na anchored the siren with her weight, nodding for Yang Yi to act. He clamped his hands around the siren's throat. Struggles weakened; minutes later, she lay still, eyes rolled back. To prevent feigning death, he held the grip for five more minutes until Su Na signaled.
Three sirens, dead.
"Didn't expect sirens to breathe through mouths. Thought they had gills," Yang Yi quipped, eyeing the corpse—a grotesque fusion of human and fish.
Su Na probed behind the ear. "Gills here. How they work? Need an autopsy." She handled the body like a child with a new toy, twisting limbs and inspecting joints. Yang Yi cared less about anatomy—only weaknesses and kill methods mattered. He opened his log for intel:
[Name: Low-Grade Siren]
[Description:] Sirens are sea demons that lure men with song and beauty, half-human, half-fish, typically gregarious. They toy with prey before consuming them alive. This is a low-intelligence, low-strength individual.
"High-grade sirens exist…" Yang Yi tensed. Against one, he might've died in her embrace before triggering frenzy—even then, odds would've been slim. A terrifying species. He hoped next time he'd resist charm.
Su Na began butchering the corpse, a grisly sight. Yang Yi looked away to check the forecast, needing to catch up on the past three days:
Storm warning. Flee the storm clouds above!
Location: Origin Sea (Storm Zone)
Sunlight: None
Temperature: 12–20°C
Wind: Force 8
He reviewed earlier announcements:
[A historic storm sweeps the Origin Sea. Escape the uncontrollable storm zone immediately.]
[Note: The Black Mist's speed has increased to 15 knots. Slow runners die.]
"Two days wasted. We must leave now." He scanned for the Nightmare. The island was mostly submerged, land reduced to a kilometer-wide diameter. Only treetops peeked above the waves, water depth ~10 meters.
There—on the left—the Nightmare clung to the shore, spared by wind (likely due to its tattered sails). Distance to the nearest land: hundreds of meters, under a kilometer. At sea, that was an eternity, especially for a poor swimmer like Yang Yi, capable of only short bursts. Turbulent waters and hidden undercurrents made it deadlier.
Just then, Su Na stuffed a siren corpse into her stomach? Wait—under her clothes, a black pouch clung to her abdomen.
"A… spatial pouch?" Yang Yi realized. Rare gear like this was invaluable.
[Name: Witch's Intimate Treasure Pouch]
[Type: Treasure]
[Quality: Fine]
[Description:] Sticks to skin, theft-proof. Provides 1m³ storage (no living things). Essential for any witch.
An idea sparked. Yang Yi approached Su Na…