Chapter 427: The Strength of an Executive
“Little Cai.”
Andre casually tossed the “corpse” in his hand onto the deck, and the freed hand reached for the metal cage and forcefully pressed it down. He only relaxed after the entire spherical metal cage was firmly lodged in the ship’s roof. Patting his hands, which were covered in debris, he turned and called out to the captain’s room beside him.
“Lord Andre.”
As if the situation had already been reported via the communicator, Igarashi Aya, who was prepared, emerged from the cabin with several people. The man with the computer and the young boy in overalls nodded at Andre, then walked towards the metal cage that Andre had embedded into the ship’s hull.
Igarashi Aya, holding a pure white training outfit, handed it over. The style was the same as what Andre had worn before. Her blue eyes surveyed Andre’s body with scrutiny, and her expression finally stabilized a bit after finding no wounds.
“No need for the clothes, we might have to fight again soon. Little Cai, what’s the current situation?”
Wiping away nonexistent sweat, Andre waved off the new clothes offered by Igarashi Aya. He asked the girl beside him while sensing the surrounding environment.
“There are enemies who boarded the ship, but they’ve all been dealt with. The ship’s hull and power system are undamaged. Uramoto and Nikumi went directly to the opposite ship to stop them. Our ship is too large, so fighting on board would be troublesome. [Coffin] has also gone to delay those from the Shrine of the Sea. Generally, there are no major issues.”
Pushing up her glasses, Igarashi Aya calmly reported the current situation. As the commander of the entire battlefield, no one understood the current combat status better than her.
“Don’t hold back, drive everyone on the ship out. Tell Little Bug to bring back those inside. Since there are hostages, we don’t need to fight on this battlefield anymore.”
After understanding the situation, Andre nodded. He pointed at the people he had thrown aside, signaling the girl beside him on the next course of action.
“Understood.”
With a brief acknowledgement, Igarashi Aya brought the earpiece to her mouth and immediately relayed the next set of commands.
A moment later, a dark green portal lit up between the two. The black-robed girl walked out of the portal with leisurely grace, as if she had just taken a stroll. Following closely behind was a disheveled fleshy mountain man, still maintaining his empowered form.
“Mmh-”
A muffled groan escaped the fleshy mountain man’s mouth, and his rough, thick cuticle visibly turned a dark green hue.
“What’s wrong?”
This development also caught the attention of the other two. Igarashi Aya stepped forward, seemingly concerned that the fleshy mountain man might have been injured in the previous battle.
“It’s nothing. It’s a side effect of Miss [Coffin]’s ability. I was prepared for it.”
Waving his hand, the fleshy mountain man stood up, indicating he was fine. Kazumi also reached out her hand, channeling the green energy from within his cuticle into her hand, and then absorbing it into her body.
“Thanks.”
Feeling the strange sensation on his body disappear, the fleshy mountain man retracted his ability and returned to his normal appearance. He just managed to say thanks when he heard the increasingly intense battle sounds from not far away. He didn’t even finish drinking the water he had opened, and hurriedly reported to Andre before rushing towards the battle.
“…”
Watching the fleshy mountain man, who had rushed back into the battle without stopping, Kazumi still couldn’t quite understand. After all, it was unrealistic to expect a slacker who aimed to slack off to understand a go-getter who was constantly striving.
Glancing at the two awkwardly standing together, one large and one small, Kazumi nodded at Andre, expressing her respect for her leader, then turned to find a spot to nestle down. The water stains on her body were absorbed by the Human Skin Cloak, and her internal energy was fully restored by the replenishment from [Black Coffin]. Currently, apart from slight mental fatigue, the girl was in good condition in all other aspects.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Just as the girl was looking down, observing her surroundings with Corpse Crows, a bottle of water was handed to her. Looking up along the fair wrist, she saw the bespectacled girl with a sweet smile.
This was probably why good leaders always had female deputies. Kazumi inexplicably pondered how awkward it would be for Andre to strike up a conversation with her in this situation. And if it were the gentle and cute Igarashi Aya, the situation would indeed be much more comfortable.
“Thank you.”
Reaching out to receive the water offered by the other person, Kazumi naturally opened it and took a sip. Kazumi didn’t have many reservations about this; on one hand, the temperament displayed by the [Spike] team suggested they wouldn’t deign to do such things, and with their superior strength, they had no reason to deal with her in such a manner. On the other hand, as a half-undead, most toxins were ineffective against her.
[If the rescue is successful, there’s no need to continue the battle here. And with Spike’s combat power, solving these should not be difficult.]
Turning to look at the intensely heated metal cage area, the dazzling sparks accompanied by the sound of machine cutting were somewhat uncomfortable to hear. However, Kazumi knew what was happening over there without needing to guess. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Andre, who stood motionless, and couldn’t help but ponder.
[To be able to defeat the guards beneath the sea and bring such a large cage to the surface… that strength is truly terrifying. If it were Masashi Sakuraba or Kurokawa Iori, they wouldn’t be able to achieve this level. Is this what they mean by being different from other executives?]
[The police, the association, and the shrine people have all arrived. The opponent’s strength this time proves the importance of the hero faction in this matter. For such an important operation, did the organization not provide additional support besides me? Is it because they are fighting on multiple fronts and cannot spare personnel, or is it that… this person’s strength is so great that no support is needed?]
The skeletons summoned by exploiting a bug with [Ghost Gate] had already disappeared after the girl used two [Ghost Gate] teleports. However, the pre-arranged Death Energy and Corpse Crows could still serve as a means of perception.
While observing the surrounding battlefield situation, the girl’s gaze remained on the tall, strong, and unnaturally naked back of the man nearby. Setting aside certain strange and unfounded associations that were clearly out of place in this situation, Kazumi actually wanted to see what kind of strength this powerful being, praised by so many, would display.
And as a giant flying insect carried the two back to the cruise ship, Andre, who had been standing with his back to the bow, finally made a move. He bent down, picked up the crooked and distorted fishman hostages, and with a firm push of his feet, leaped directly from the ship’s bow, which was as high as several buildings.
The expected sound of water splashing did not occur. The piled-up, immeasurably heavy individuals landed on the water’s surface with an extremely light manner. His shoeless feet landed steadily on the water, as if on solid ground.
Perhaps due to the hostages, the police ship did not open fire. All eyes on the scene were uniformly focused on this bare-chested, bizarre man, waiting to see what he intended to do.
“Captain!”
When Andre walked a few steps closer and saw the faces of the fishmen hanging on him, the Blue Sea Guard members on the ship couldn’t help but shout out.
Andre seemed to hear them and raised his head, looking at the fishman crew members on the ship. He slightly changed his direction and headed towards that ship.
Even the most bizarre scenes could not change the opposing positions of the two sides. After the initial surprise, as soon as Andre entered the attack range, the warriors on the ship opened fire without hesitation.
The calm sea surface suddenly revealed two equally tall half-fishmen. The weapons in their hands fiercely attacked vital points.
“Bang bang bang bang—”
Heavy sounds, like soybeans hitting thick cowhide, erupted from the man’s bare upper body. The special firearms’ bullets could not inflict even a single bit of damage on his defenseless body.
The man, however, calmly parried the attacks of the two half-fishmen who ambushed him. Like a skilled butcher, he grabbed one fishman with one hand and swung at the back of its neck with the other. Soon, two more unconscious bodies were added to his back.
Andre walked to the front of the ship without any reservations and slowly raised his head. Although his eyes were covered and he couldn’t see, everyone seemed to feel an incredibly heavy gaze upon them.
“Snap— Snap— Snap—”
As everyone was on alert for the man’s next move, Andre made a move that surprised everyone present. One by one, bodies were forcefully thrown onto the nearest ship, tossed onto the deck like dead fish. This action even stunned the police officers on the ship, and no one stepped forward to catch the people being thrown onto the ship.
At this moment, having unburdened himself, Andre finally broke into a slight smile. He slowly opened his mouth towards the police officers standing not far away, who were still out of the loop. His calm voice, inconsistent with his physique, gradually echoed throughout the entire space.
“As thanks for returning the hostages, please leave here.”
Then, a vast amount of energy surged outwards centering on him. All the seawater, ships, and attacks, accompanied by a terrifyingly irresistible thrust, were displaced at an extremely fast speed in a bizarrely stable manner towards the opposite direction, until the entire fleet disappeared from everyone’s sight.
The violent waves returned to calm in the next moment, leaving only one man standing on the vast expanse of the sea, as if nothing had happened.
