Chapter 27 Widow Fish

System: “Friendly reminder! The host does not have the pull tab for the can.”

“I…”

A thousand wild horses thundered through Lin Qiu’s mind.

“A pull tab?”

“There’s even a pull tab?”

He truly felt like crying without tears; his last resort seemed to have failed.

“Is this a drink?” The petrified fish’s gray eyes lit up.

This metal can looked very much like a kind of beverage from the inherited memories. In the memories left by his ancestors, this thing quenched thirst and tasted wonderful.

The petrified fish swallowed a mouthful of saliva and eagerly popped open the can’s pull tab.

With a muffled “pop,” a dull sound burst forth as the tab was yanked off, and from the can surged a thick, white smoke that enveloped the petrified fish.

“Even this works?!”

Lin Qiu’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

“The Petrified Fish—a deep-sea behemoth, of extraordinary intelligence, bloodthirsty and cruel, yet insatiably gluttonous,” the system explained, its voice seamlessly blending with his own thoughts.

“So even gluttony can be a fish’s fatal flaw,” Lin Qiu thought, his gaze turning sharp. In the instant the smoke cleared, he became a blurred afterimage, darting forward.

His hand, sharp as a blade, pierced straight through the petrified fish’s throat.

“Though I’ve shrunk, my strength is no joke,” Lin Qiu sneered coldly.

His dorsal fin, once as long as a halberd, had vanished, but it hadn’t truly disappeared—it had fused into his bones. Thus, his bones had, in their own way, evolved.

“How can this be?!” The petrified fish’s voice sounded in his mind—a psychic ripple, for with its throat pierced, speech was impossible.

“That’s why one shouldn’t be too arrogant before the outcome is decided. You might just meet a miserable end,” Lin Qiu said coolly.

At the final moment, as the petrified fish was about to perish, Lin Qiu opened his mouth. A black vortex formed at his throat, and a suction force erupted from within, engulfing the petrified fish.

Before the stunned eyes of all, the petrified fish rapidly shrank and was drawn into Lin Qiu’s mouth, vanishing without a trace.

“Who else?” Lin Qiu closed his mouth and turned, eyeing the rest of the aquatic folk.

With the petrified fish dispatched, his aura surged. The confidence shining in his eyes left many of the water-dwellers trembling in fear.

Lin Qiu strode to the pavilion, standing beneath the great bell, looking down at the merfolk.

“Young man, all you know are underhanded tricks. Do you really think we’re afraid of you?” A mocking laugh rang out as a slender woman sauntered forth.

She was a mermaid—a real mermaid.

Her flawless face bore a trace of scornful amusement.

Only with the system’s introduction did Lin Qiu realize that, despite appearances, she was not a mermaid but another kind of fish—the Widowfish.

This breed was notorious for its perverse nature and venomous cruelty. Any fish who became entangled with her would, after a moment of intimacy, be invaded by a drop of her secreted poison, which would seep into their marrow, leaving them half-dead until, at last, the widowfish devoured them bite by bite.

Truly, nothing is more venomous than a woman’s heart.

Lin Qiu regarded the widowfish with a cold smile. “You want to become the ruler of this city?”

“I’d like to try,” she replied, her steps unhurried—her figure more graceful than any human model.

The deep-sea merfolk gazed at her sinuous form, their eyes shining with admiration.

The widowfish was cruel, but she was beautiful.

Is it not said, “To die beneath a peony’s blossom is to die a happy ghost”?

The widowfish drew near Lin Qiu, her red lips parting, her breath fragrant as orchids.

“If I become the mistress of the ancient city, I’ll make you my favored guest—every night a delight, pleasures beyond compare.”

“I have no interest in widows,” Lin Qiu retorted with a sneer. He struck out, slapping the great bell beside him.

The bell rang.

The widowfish’s body stiffened instantly.

“Die for me…”

With a cold command, Lin Qiu’s body blurred, appearing at the widowfish’s side.

His hand shot out, gripping her throat.

Ignoring her beauty, Lin Qiu’s right hand clamped down hard. Beneath his palm, the smooth, supple neck gave a crisp crack as the bones shattered.

“You…” The color drained from the widowfish’s face, her eyes quickly dimming.

“Become a part of me!” Lin Qiu declared, merciless and decisive. With a sneer, he opened his mouth again, the black vortex reappearing. The widowfish shrank rapidly, vanishing into the swirling abyss.

Lin Qiu closed his mouth; a faint red flickered in his eyes.

Born as an orca, he was destined to be a tyrant, savage and bloodthirsty.

Now, after slaying two in succession, his murderous intent was fully ignited.

Especially after devouring these two, his system panel showed twenty upgrade points.

Twenty?

His eyelid twitched. “System, these two were obviously no ordinary foes—why only a handful of upgrade points?”

“Are you skimming off the top? Pocketing some for yourself?”

“The host is overthinking,” the system replied, calm and unhurried. “You exchanged for a hundred octopuses, which cost one upgrade point.”

“You exchanged for a slow-smoke pellet, which cost six upgrade points.”

“So, after dispatching two, I netted ten upgrade points?”

“Exactly.”

“Good, no loss there!” Lin Qiu exhaled in relief, his gaze sweeping across the assembled merfolk. “Who else?”

Those three words, spoken quietly without a hint of strain, carried a steady, unyielding dominance that brooked no challenge.

Many of the merfolk glanced at one another, but not a single one dared step forward.

It wasn’t that they feared Lin Qiu.

They had come to the ancient city seeking a place to live in peace, not to fight for dominance.

Who ruled the city was none of their concern.

Yet among them lurked a few with darker ambitions, hoping to seize control of the vast waters and reign over the merfolk.

But Lin Qiu had slain the petrified fish and the widowfish in quick succession, and his aura seemed to grow even more formidable.

Their instincts weren’t wrong.

Lin Qiu had, indeed, grown much stronger.

With twenty upgrade points, his body was further enhanced.

At this moment, he was several times mightier than before.

Such was the nature of upgrade points: a small increase could double one’s strength.

As some merfolk began to stir restlessly, Lin Qiu turned and strode to the great bell.

He bent his knees, leaped ten meters in the air, and landed atop the bell.

Standing there, he wrapped his arms around it and, through a slender crack at its apex, let out a roar.

The awkward, “Yaaah!” howl rang out, magnified by the bell, sweeping through the ancient city in an instant.

Screams of agony echoed forth as many aquatic beings collapsed, blood streaming from every orifice.

In that moment, Lin Qiu had activated his sonic roar, laced with nuclear electromagnetic waves, amplified and broadcast by the great bell, shaking the nerves of every aquatic creature in the city.