"What? You want me to leave?!"
Luo En's fake smile scared Danitz back two steps.
"No, I wouldn't dare."
Even though his Sequence was higher, every time Danitz saw Luo En make that expression, a chill would run down his spine.
It felt like being targeted by a deep-sea monster.
"Heh~"
Luo En slowly approached, and Danitz shuffled along the wall little by little. After retreating four or five steps, his movements suddenly stiffened.
"Meow~"
Lachi had appeared behind him at some point, blocking his escape. Her amber cat eyes gleamed in the dim storage room. The encirclement formed by one person and one cat made Danitz's legs tremble.
He forced himself to puff out his chest: "Brando, don't go too far. This is our territory."
"Oh? Haha—"
"Didn't you invite me here in the first place?"
"So you know this is your territory!"
"You, you want…" Danitz's Adam's apple bobbed violently. The fear and anxiety that had accumulated over the past few days reached their peak at this moment.
Luo En's hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, startling him.
"Don't be nervous, 'Boss'." Luo En deliberately used this title to provoke him, "Am I not your subordinate?"
Danitz's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed, "That was just a joke."
"Hmm… a joke," Luo En chuckled softly, then suddenly spoke up: "Danitz…"
"Ah, I'm here!" Danitz snapped to attention reflexively.
"You want me to leave, simply because you're afraid I'll reveal what happened those two days and ruin your reputation, right?"
"Gulp!" Danitz swallowed.
Seeing that the other party seemed to have tacitly agreed, Luo En continued:
"When you came to find me today, besides yourself, I assume other Sailors also put you up to it."
"Hmm…" Danitz didn't dare to hide it and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Luo En's expression remained unchanged as he continued to smile:
"I've received a lot of unnecessary attention since I boarded the ship these past few days. As a guest, I don't particularly like those stares."
"Now there's also the secret rumor of me meeting privately with your captain…"
He deliberately paused, satisfied to see cold sweat seeping from Danitz's temples.
"I'm afraid it won't be long before someone comes to cause me trouble."
"So…"
"I hope that in the coming days, you can handle this matter well and allow me to peacefully spend my time at sea."
His voice suddenly became gentle:
"Listen, it's not difficult. Just cover for me and divert attention."
"This…" Danitz shrunk his neck, turning to look at Luo En, his eyes mixed with a hint of pleading.
"Brando, I've taken good care of you these past few days since you came aboard. Even the fish your Orange Cat stole were charged to my account, truly!"
"Others even initially thought I had 'that kind of relationship' with you…" He scrutinized Luo En's expression before continuing:
"Now, you and the captain these past two days also…"
"The First Mate, Second Mate, Third Mate, and 'Iron Skin', 'Bucket'—they already consider me a traitor. I'm afraid it won't be long before my own subordinates betray me."
"If I help you cover up again, I'll, I'll…" Danitz made a face that was uglier than crying.
Hearing this, Luo En did not soften. Instead, he leaned his face close to Danitz, speaking earnestly like he was coaxing a child:
"If you do as I say, once my study course is over, I will immediately leave the Golden Dream…"
He patted Danitz's shoulder meaningfully: "Only then will your life be peaceful."
"Uh~ Ah~"
With that, Luo En turned and left gracefully, leaving Danitz frozen in place, as if his soul had been sucked out.
Stepping out of the storage room, Luo En's aura returned to normal.
"Playing the bad guy is quite difficult…"
"That lesson should be enough, right?"
He looked down at the Orange Cat at his feet: "Lachi, do you think I went a bit too far?"
"Meow~" Lachi stopped, showing a speechless expression, and impatiently flicked her tail.
"It was Danitz who wasn't loyal enough. I saved his life, and he actually wanted to kick me out."
"But, why do I feel like I've become the bad guy instead?!"
"Heh!"
A moment later, Luo En chuckled, seeming to have come to terms with it: "Indeed, environment changes people!"
"After staying in this damned world for so long, I really do seem to have become a little evil."
"But… Danitz was so scared. Am I really that terrifying?"
"Meow~" Just as Luo En was pondering, Lachi suddenly came in front of him, extended her right paw, and made a beckoning cat gesture.
"Got it. I'll get you a fish for afternoon tea."
"You greedy cat."
…
"Hey, you're Monchi Brandu, right?"
Luo En, who had just finished getting Lachi's afternoon tea, was strolling alone on the deck when he suddenly heard someone call his name. He instinctively turned his head and saw a burly Sailor waving at him.
'Looking for trouble?'
"Can you help me watch the fishing net? I have something urgent." The Sailor didn't wait for Luo En to answer, but hastily shoved the wet net rope into his hand, "Just for a moment!"
Before Luo En could refuse, the person had already quickly disappeared around the corner of the ship's cabin. The fishing net in his hand was heavy, emitting a pungent smell of rotten fish and seaweed.
Strange?
Before Luo En could ponder, the fishing net in his hand suddenly trembled violently! A strong pulling force came from beneath the sea, almost dragging him down.
"What the hell…"
He took a deep breath and pulled upward on the fishing net with sudden force. His muscles tensed beneath his thin shirt, and the net rope dug deeply into his palm.
…
"Something's not right?"
The Sailor hiding in the shadows also noticed the anomaly, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
He had given Luo En a broken net, which would fall apart and break soon enough. Then he would step out and accuse the other party, picking a fight.
To make this naive kid, who dared to provoke the captain on his first visit, make a fool of himself.
But the current situation exceeded his expectations.
"What is this net caught on? A reef?"
As the Golden Dream slowly moved, the pulling force from the fishing net grew stronger and stronger. Even as a Beyonder, Luo En was struggling.
"Forget it, it's just a net. At worst, it'll be charged to Danitz's account."
Realizing that continuing to struggle with this broken net might be dangerous, Luo En decisively let go, but then a sharp pain shot through his wrist.
His arm was tangled.
"Damn it!"
"And Lachi isn't here…"
…
"Oh no! Something's happened!"
The Sailor observing from nearby instantly changed his expression and rushed forward, "Hold on! I'll help you!"
Luo En was a guest after all. He only wanted to humble the other party, not cause a real accident.
"I'm tangled!"
"Quickly, get the net off!" Luo En roared.
"I can't, it's completely tangled." The Sailor came beside Luo En and fumbled for a bit, his face full of anxiety.
"Then pull with me!"
The Sailor quickly came behind Luo En, wrapped his arms around Luo En's waist, and pulled together.
"Pull hard."
"Ah!"
Luo En braced his legs against the ship's body and exerted force. The strength of a Robot made his muscles bulge into clear lines.
"Splash!"
With a huge splash, the fishing net finally broke through the water. A large pile of messy things was hauled up.
Luo En and the Sailor fell onto the deck from the inertia, panting heavily.
"Hoo~ Hoo…"
What was that? Something in the fishing net caught Luo En's attention.
Mixed among a pile of broken rocks and rotten wood was a huge, key-like object.