At this moment, the world was abuzz with discussion.
"Ye Yu killed that monstrous Three-Headed Serpent?"
"Well, it is Ye Yu after all. But Mist Island's overall strength probably isn't inferior to the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. Will they clash then?"
"What else is hidden on that island? Even the Three-Headed Serpent was just a general?"
Countless people gazed up at the name reigning supreme at the top of both the bounty list and the Pirate Crew List, their hearts filled with awe and reverence for Ye Yu.
Every time Ye Yu demonstrated his might, countless new applications would pour in.
Xia Ling swiftly processed the surge of sign-up requests flooding their system.
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber aboard Yang Luo's pirate ship...
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt suffocating.
Yang Luo, Wang Quanshi, Song Ling, Lin Muxue, and others had gathered once more.
A news report about the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew slaying the Three-Headed Serpent played on the screen.
"He's stolen the spotlight again! More people will want to join now, since Ye Yu fears nothing," Wang Quanshi slammed his fist on the table, his face livid.
Song Ling's expression was grave. She rubbed her chest where old wounds from Ye Yu's previous attack still ached faintly. Her eyes were complex—filled with hatred, yet also an indescribable trace of fear.
Yang Luo's gaze swept across the group, his sinister face betraying no emotion. Only when the news report ended and the chamber plunged into dead silence did he finally speak. His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a calmness bordering on madness:
"See for yourselves. Ye Yu and his Dominant Feather Pirate Crew are growing stronger at an unimaginable pace. Every battle cements his position as 'number one' while shrinking our future survival space! If we wait for him to keep recruiting, wait for his next breakthrough... will there even be a path left for us?"
Wang Quanshi and the others grew even paler. Even Lin Muxue pressed her lips tightly together.
"Yang Luo, what are you suggesting?" Wang Quanshi asked grimly. "Are you proposing another alliance to besiege them? Haven't we learned enough from last time? Who would dare join us against the Dominant Feather now?"
"Besiege them?" The corner of Yang Luo's mouth curled into a cruel, icy smirk, his eyes gleaming with frenzied calculation. "No. A frontal assault would be the worst strategy. But... we might be able to utilize a ready-made 'ally' who desires Ye Yu's death even more than we do."
All eyes instantly locked onto him.
"You mean... Mist Island?" Song Ling caught on immediately, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Exactly!" Yang Luo suddenly stood and strode to the nautical chart, jabbing a finger at the mist-shrouded waters marked as "Extremely Hazardous."
"That so-called Mist Lord sent its general to capture Ye Yu, only for the general to die. It must be furious now. But based on intelligence and the behavior of Exotic Beasts, it'll likely bide its time since its full revival isn't complete yet."
"So what? Should we go beg it to act?" Lin Muxue scoffed.
"Beg it? No." Yang Luo turned around, his face twisted with ruthless determination. "We'll deliver what it needs most—the 'nutrients' to accelerate its revival!"
The temperature in the chamber seemed to plummet.
"Nutrients? You mean..." Wang Quanshi's pupils constricted as he grasped the horrifying implication.
"Pirates! The flesh and blood of powerful pirates are the best energy source for these Exotic Beasts!" Yang Luo's voice was icy and bone-chilling.
"The king of Mist Island is currently most lacking in time! We'll help shorten that time! Feed it with large quantities of energy-rich flesh to 'satiate' it, forcing its premature or even violent awakening! Once it awakens, given its greed for Ye Yu, it will surely swarm out at all costs to hunt down the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew!"
"But where would we get so many powerful pirates?"
"Kidnap other pirate crews? That would provoke public outrage! And Ye Yu would definitely be alerted!" another Captain immediately objected.
"Kidnapping? Too much commotion, not worth the effort." Yang Luo slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present like a venomous snake before finally settling on Wang Quanshi, Song Ling, and Lin Muxue. His tone carried an unquestionable cruelty:
"To strangle Ye Yu, for the future of all of us, some sacrifices are necessary!"
He paused, each word hammering into their hearts like a heavy mallet:
"Use our own people! Use the less essential crew members from each of our pirate crews! Those with decent strength but limited potential—the numerous lower-tier crewmen. Offer them to the Mist Lord!"
The chamber fell into deathly silence, the air seeming to freeze into ice.
Using their own crew's lives to feed a terrifying king of Exotic Beasts, just to make it attack another enemy sooner? This went beyond cruelty—it was practically devilish!
Wang Quanshi's face turned pale, his fists clenched until they creaked.
Song Ling's eyes were filled with shock and conflict.
Lin Muxue, however, thought it was acceptable.
"Yang Luo! Have you lost your mind?! Those are our own brothers' lives!" Wang Quanshi growled.
"Brothers?" Yang Luo whirled around, his eyes a mix of hysterical madness and cold rationality.
"If Ye Yu doesn't die, all of us—including those so-called brothers of yours—will perish! Every last one! Should we sacrifice a few now to secure a chance for the rest of us to survive, even turn the tables? Or should we wait for Ye Yu to grow stronger and crush us one by one like ants?!"
He stepped closer to Wang Quanshi, his voice like a curse: "Think of Jin Mo! Think of Ba Ye! Think of Li Fengtian! Think of all our fallen top fighters! And the reputation and resources we've lost! If we don't eliminate Ye Yu, we won't even be able to cling to survival! These sacrifices now are for greater survival! Do you want to follow in Jin Mo's footsteps?!"
The names of Jin Mo and the others stabbed into Wang Quanshi's pain like sharp knives.
The thought of Ye Yu's terrifying strength, of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's increasingly fearsome momentum—fear ultimately overwhelmed humanity.
Wang Quanshi closed his eyes in agony. When he reopened them, only numb ruthlessness remained: "How many do we need?"
Song Ling bit her lip but ultimately voiced no objection.
Lin Muxue snorted. "Though I'm confident I can defeat him alone in the later stages, I'll follow your proposal."
Yang Luo sighed inwardly. Even now, Lin Muxue was still putting on airs.
Under Yang Luo's frenzied, oppressive gaze, the other Captains also reluctantly nodded.
"Good!" A twisted, almost triumphant sneer crept onto Yang Luo's face.
"I'll allocate the specific numbers based on each crew's situation and Mist Island's appetite. Remember, don't tell them. During the gathering, put sleeping drugs in their wine, then take them to Mist Island."
A morbid glint flashed in Yang Luo's eyes:
"Use our crew's flesh and blood to pave a shortcut to hell for Ye Yu! Let Mist Island's forces destroy the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew!"
The conspiracy was sealed in bloody agreement.
A sinister sacrificial plan targeting the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew at the cost of their own crew members, devised by Yang Luo, began spreading like poisonous vines growing in darkness.
After concluding their discussion, they each began to act.
(End of Chapter)