Jiang Luo was disgusted by the effect of the male eel’s blood.
Not only was he already in heat himself, but the blood had such a function? Leaving aside everything else, how dirty must the male eel’s blood be?
His chest heaved violently in anger. But facing the malicious ghost’s curious, probing gaze, Jiang Luo forced himself to control his temper and act as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, he absolutely could not let Chi You see through anything; otherwise, tonight’s fate would be unpredictable.
He was very, very interested in Chi You—but only as an enemy. He was very willing to humiliate his enemy, but to be humiliated by his enemy—
That was impossible.
Jiang Luo exhaled a warm breath, suppressing the burning heat inside him, wrung the rainwater from his robe, and said as usual, “This lesson ends here.”
Having said that, he tried to go around the malicious ghost to return to his room.
Chi You reached out and blocked his path.
Jiang Luo’s heart tightened. Calmly, he looked up at him.
The black-haired youth’s face flushed unusually red, his breath heavy, turning to white mist in the cold rain. His eyes were cold but contained a warning, yet the redness at the corners of his eyes made the gaze seem hesitant, almost coquettish, neither fully rejecting nor accepting.
Quite bewitching, actually.
Chi You smiled with interest, speaking slowly and deliberately: “You look a little off.”
Jiang Luo forced himself to slow his breathing, calmly asking back, “How do I look off?”
The malicious ghost lowered his head and appraised him.
No matter how you looked at the black-haired youth, something definitely wasn’t right.
“Could it be that you’re…” His dark eyes narrowed.
Jiang Luo clenched his fingers tightly, his whole body tense, ready to be seen through. But then Chi You said thoughtfully, “Fever?”
Jiang Luo: “…”
He said nothing, so Chi You took it as confirmation. The omnipotent malicious ghost suddenly lost interest in teasing Jiang Luo and even felt a bit irritated.
Human bodies were always so fragile—even Jiang Luo was no exception. Just getting soaked in the rain made him sick. The person Chi You considered a peer and rival was shackled and dragged down by such a fragile human body.
He could get sick, get injured, and eventually die.
Boring.
Chi You’s lips tightened coldly; he slowly pressed them together. His aura instantly twisted into something dangerous. Black mist writhed fiercely behind him, and the air seemed to thin. Jiang Luo’s hairs stood on end instinctively, trembling as the malicious ghost suddenly vanished.
The lingering aura of terror hovered in place. Jiang Luo’s wary expression froze, then shifted to suspicion.
What was Chi You doing?
Could it be a trap, deliberately set to harm him?
Jiang Luo was baffled. He stood on guard for several minutes but saw no sign of Chi You returning. Only then did he fully believe the malicious ghost had really left.
Chi You’s move was completely incomprehensible to him, and Jiang Luo couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
Fever? What a thinker.
But at that moment, his body’s heat grew stronger, his breath burning hot. Jiang Luo hurried back to his room.
When he saw himself in the bathroom mirror, he finally understood why Chi You said he had a fever.
His face flushed red, lips stained like crushed rose petals. Rain and sweat slid from his temples. Jiang Luo’s whole body was steaming hot.
But it was obvious—he didn’t look sick at all. It was an internal fire burning up, a restless desire unsatisfied.
Jiang Luo stared at himself for a while, then hurriedly filled the tub with cold water and soaked to cool down his body temperature.
Aside from the fire growing hotter inside him, Jiang Luo felt no other discomfort. That fire didn’t cloud his mind either—just left his mouth dry and throat parched.
While soaking, Jiang Luo washed himself again. Suddenly recalling something, he touched his lips with a strange look.
Kissed again.
Ignoring whether it was disgusting or not, Jiang Luo naturally responded in kind.
The kisses were fierce battles, life or death struggles. The war between their lips and tongues seemed to carry smoke and flame. They even beat each other up hard in the rain. He showed no mercy to Chi You, and Chi You did the same to him. Was this really how enemies acted?
Something seemed off, but also seemed fine.
Jiang Luo couldn’t make sense of it. He slowly lowered his hand, glanced sideways at himself, blushed deeply, shamefully covered his face, and groaned—dreading to look again.
D*mn it…
Why did this come up when he was remembering that kiss?
—It was definitely the male eel’s blood causing this reaction.
Jiang Luo stubbornly fought against himself, maybe trying to prove something. He refused to touch himself, only used cold water to cool the fire. By the time he finished, the clock pointed to 4 a.m.
It was late; everyone was asleep. Jiang Luo laid on the sofa, wrapped in his coat, staring blankly before forcing himself to quickly fall asleep.
At 10 a.m., Ge Zhu woke him.
The moment Jiang Luo opened his eyes, his head throbbed painfully. He held his forehead, sat up, and asked, “What time is it?”
His voice startled himself—it was thick, hoarse, like someone who hadn’t spoken in days.
Even worse, his throat felt like it was stabbed with knives, so painful swallowing hurt.
Jiang Luo realized—he really had caught a cold and fever.
“…” For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
His voice also shocked Ge Zhu, who hurried to pour him a cup of warm water. Jiang Luo drank half, and the throat pain eased slightly. “Thanks.”
“You should stop talking,” Ge Zhu said worriedly, “It’s almost noon. Just now some crew came by and told me to let you know you’re supposed to eat blood eels in the restaurant at noon.”
Jiang Luo’s head was still foggy. He rubbed his forehead, thought for a moment, then slowly said, “Oh, I remember. Today’s the third day.”
Ge Zhu looked more worried. “Are you still going?”
“Probably have to,” Jiang Luo sipped water. “The Chi family bought me the spot. If I don’t go, they might make a fuss.”
Plus, Lu Youyi and the others were still hiding in their room. Now was not the time to cause a scene.
Ge Zhu said, “But the blood eels they give you—whether or not they actually extend your life—aren’t good for you. You really shouldn’t eat them.”
“I know,” Jiang Luo exhaled warm breath, wiped his face, and said, “I’ll go change clothes first. By the way, where are they?”
“They went to the civilian district to spread the news. They’ll hide in the lower deck after the signal flare goes up. Those monsters can’t smell humans covered in slime, right? Staying in the lower deck gives them a better chance of survival. Once we kill the female blood eel and the police arrive, all this will be over.”
Ge Zhu said wistfully, “Saving one more person is one more person saved… but the few of us…” He gave a bitter smile and didn’t continue.
Once the female blood eel was killed, all the male eels on the ship would definitely enter a state of rage. Ge Zhu didn’t say it outright, but he knew in his heart it would be a deadly battle where survival was uncertain.
But his nature was always easygoing, so he simply didn’t think about it and waited for Jiang Luo to change clothes. Then they discussed how Jiang Luo could avoid eating the blood eel.
Jiang Luo’s head was buzzing, he couldn’t think straight and couldn’t come up with any reasonable plan for now. After a long pause, he said hoarsely, “It’s okay, just let it be. Worst case, if I get sick and lose my appetite, can they really force me to eat it?”
Ge Zhu looked at him with growing worry. “Alright, but you must remember not to eat it, no matter what.”
Around noon, Jiang Luo headed toward the dining hall, but on the way, he bumped into someone because of dizziness.
Looking up, it was someone familiar.
Cheng Li was about to curse, but upon seeing Jiang Luo’s wealthy appearance, he held back the foul words and stiffly made way.
As Jiang Luo brushed past him, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to smile at him. “Are you Cheng Li?”
Cheng Li impatiently said, “Do you have business with me, sir?”
Jiang Luo shook his head. “No, I just thought your name looked familiar. I must have mistaken you for someone else… I used to know a friend named Zhao Qing. Her husband’s name was Cheng Li.”
Jiang Luo sighed and muttered, “I haven’t contacted Sister Zhao in a long time. I wonder if she’s doing well. I heard she even had a lovely daughter…”
Cheng Li froze, the muscles on his face twitching. He stared intently at Jiang Luo.
Just as Jiang Luo was about to leave, Cheng Li suddenly grabbed him. The big, burly man panicked and pointed at himself. “That’s right, that’s right! My wife’s name is Zhao Qing, I’m her husband. We’ve been married for years. Our daughter’s name is Jianjian. You didn’t mistake me.”
Jiang Luo’s head hurt more from being pulled. He endured it and feigned surprise. “What a coincidence.”
Cheng Li eagerly nodded, looking at Jiang Luo with a painfully hopeful gaze. “Are you close with my wife? Sir, it’s been a long time since I heard anyone talk about my wife. Can you talk to me more about her?”
“Has she told you anything? About herself or my daughter?”
Jiang Luo looked at him awkwardly. “It’s lunchtime now.”
“I’ll invite you to lunch, just wasting a little of your time,” Cheng Li bent forward, smiling in a pleading way. “Just talk to me for a bit, just a bit.”
Cheng Li’s attitude was so humble it almost buried him in the dust. He missed his wife and daughter terribly, but he had already relived their memories countless times. On the ship, he couldn’t find anyone else to talk about his wife and daughter with. He desperately wanted to know more about them.
Jiang Luo saw the pleading look in Cheng Li’s eyes and paused. “I really want to talk to you about Sister Zhao and Jianjian. Doesn’t Sister Zhao love photography? I even want to ask her some questions about it… But I have urgent matters right now. I’m going to eat now. I came on board just for this blood eel. How about this—I’ll come find you after I eat, and we can have a few drinks together?”
Cheng Li’s face changed drastically. He gripped Jiang Luo’s hand harder. “You’re one of those ten people?”
Jiang Luo nodded and sighed, “Just this meal alone almost spent all my money.”
Cheng Li’s lips trembled, and his expression darkened. Suddenly, he dragged Jiang Luo into a nearby empty room, closed the door and windows, plunging the room into complete darkness.
Jiang Luo stood patiently. After checking the room thoroughly, Cheng Li came close and lowered his voice: “You can’t eat that blood eel!”
Jiang Luo squinted, feigning dissatisfaction: “Why not? I spent so much money just to eat blood eel.”
Cheng Li suddenly raised his voice sharply, “If you don’t want to die, you can’t eat it!”
Jiang Luo didn’t respond. Cheng Li thought he didn’t believe him and paced anxiously. Then, resolutely, he lowered his voice: “Where did you hear that blood eel can make people live longer and stay young?”
Jiang Luo vaguely replied, “Of course, from other wealthy people.”
Cheng Li didn’t press further. He sneered, “Then you must have seen those people who ate blood eel.”
Before Jiang Luo could answer, he continued, “Did those people actually get younger by ten or twenty years? Did all their illnesses disappear? Could they really live decades longer?”
Jiang Luo looked at him curiously and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes.”
Cheng Li’s emotions grew more agitated. “That’s complete bullsh*t! If you’re dead, what’s the use of youth or longevity? The blood eel fry—male or female—are bad news. Male fry can parasitize inside the human body and eventually assimilate the human, turning them into monsters wearing human skin! The females are even worse; they control your mind and make you lose yourself!”
“All those rich people who got off the ship are controlled by female eels. They look young and live long, but they’re no longer human!”
Jiang Luo’s brow twitched sharply. “Control their minds?”
Wasn’t that similar to what Chi You did?
It was incredible and terrifying to think about.
If all the wealthy who ate blood eel were mind-controlled… then the entire ship—rich and poor alike—was just food for the blood eel?
They used the female eels to control the rich to bring more people aboard, and used the bodies of the civilians as nourishment and breeding material year after year. Those rich people under the blood eel’s control could become a terrifying force. What were the eels trying to do? What was their plan?
How much does this behavior resemble humans raising cattle and sheep? Slaughtering some for food, keeping some to breed.
A chill rose behind Jiang Luo.
This was not the humans-eating-fish or humans-eating-humans scenario they had imagined before, but a complete reversal—it was the fish raising humans.
***
Jiang Luo was stunned by this fact for a moment. After regaining his composure, he silently prepared to leave. Before leaving, he asked Cheng Li one question: “Do you still want to see your wife and daughter again?”
Cheng Li’s eyes darkened. “You don’t know… they’re already dead.”
Jiang Luo said, “If you can find your wife and daughter’s hair, or clothes close to their skin, something they loved most while alive, and their birth dates and times, then maybe you can still see them.”
After saying this, he bid farewell to the stunned Cheng Li and arrived at the dining hall on time.
But when he arrived, he was the last of the ten people. The other nine wealthy individuals had long since eagerly taken their seats. Besides these ten, some people stood along the walls, seemingly observing the scene of the first batch of blood eels being eaten by the rich.
Among them was a man with a somewhat familiar face: broad forehead, narrow cheekbones, a mole on the bridge of his nose—the very person Jiang Luo and Ge Zhu recognized as one of the Chi family.
Jiang Luo sneered coldly and went straight to the captain, rubbing his forehead: “Captain, I caught a cold and had a fever last night. My throat is inflamed and hurts terribly. I really can’t eat fish these days. Can I save this opportunity to eat when I recover?”
The captain frowned but, hearing his hoarse voice, could only shake his head with regret and say sympathetically, “I’m sorry, Mr. Zhong Wei, the blood eel is ready and must be consumed within half an hour to be effective.”
Jiang Luo coughed, his face pale but lips unnaturally red, making anyone who saw him think he was seriously ill. Frowning, he struggled before saying painfully, “But I really can’t eat… forget it, I’ll give this chance to someone else. I’ll wait for the second batch.”
His gaze swept the crowd and suddenly fixed on the Chi family man with the mole on his nose. Weakly, he smiled, “Big brother, I’ll give you this chance.”
Author’s note:
Chi family man: … D*mn, don’t want it.
