Spellcasting Gods

Zhang Cheng smiled slightly and replied meaningfully, "It's about maintaining your authority! You must make everyone afraid of you! Fear you! Only in this way can you make these desperados obey your orders. Don't be afraid of killing. If you back down at this time, the crew will lose their sense of awe and respect."

As the last word fell, Joanna's pupils suddenly contracted, and then, with lightning speed, she thrust the rapier forward with all her might.

puff!

moment!

The sharp tip of the sword pierced through the neck of an unfortunate man.

Despite his desperate attempts to stop the bleeding from his wound, it was all in vain. He collapsed to the ground a few seconds later, convulsing and taking his last breath.

More than forty sailors, including Old Banco, stared wide-eyed, seemingly unable to believe that the noble lady, who was usually a bit mischievous and rebellious but always kind, had actually killed a servant who had served her for ten years without any mercy.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap...

Zhang Cheng clapped his hands and said softly, "Well done! The best way to deal with those who dare to challenge your authority is to punish them with pain, bloodshed, and death. Now, try giving them orders again, and I guarantee you'll get a completely different result."

"Turn the boat around! Now! Immediately! Don't make me say it a third time!"

Whether it was because it was her first time killing someone, Joanna's heart was beating several times faster than usual, and a faint magical energy emanated from her body.

"Yes, Captain!" Old Banku instinctively shuddered, bowed respectfully, and then quickly turned the rudder, making a 180-degree turn, charging towards the Sea Serpent, which was more than ten times larger than the ship beneath his feet.

……

Because both sides were accelerating, in just over ten minutes, the two ships closed to a distance where they could begin long-range attacks.

The ballistae mounted on both sides of the deck fired first, launching stone projectiles the size of an adult's fist. The archers also adjusted their angles and began to fire a barrage of fire at the enemy's deck.

Of course, as for accuracy...

Just aim for the bare minimum; if you hit it, you've won; if you miss, that's perfectly normal.

This back-and-forth fighting lasted for about two or three rounds before finally reaching the most crucial boarding maneuver.

There was no real skill involved; it was basically just lowering the sails and using the momentum to ram the enemy ship from the side, then throwing out grappling hooks, climbing up the ropes to the enemy ship, and engaging in a bloody and brutal hand-to-hand combat. The victor got everything, while the loser was captured, locked in the cabin, and sold to slave traders when the ship docked.

However, since Joanna's boat was relatively small, it suffered a great loss during the collision and was almost capsized. Many unlucky people fell into the sea.

The enemy ships only swayed slightly before taking advantage of their superior position to jump down and wreak havoc.

In the blink of an eye, about half of the sailors on deck were lying in pools of blood, their fates unknown.

Throughout the entire process, Zhang Cheng stood by and watched, showing no intention of intervening.

Because he discovered that the undead captain, Lanes, was not a superhuman, but a necromancer from the underworld.

Especially those undead that have been preserved by magic, each one of them perfectly retains their abilities from when they were alive, making them a piece of cake for dealing with ordinary sailors.

No wonder he could strike fear into the hearts of countless people!

"Surrender! Or die! Choose!" Lyons stood at the edge of the deck, looking down and issuing his final ultimatum.

Clearly, he was not as cruel and bloodthirsty as rumored, nor did he want to commit too much unnecessary killing.

After all, in this era of extreme labor shortage, the price of each healthy slave is quite high, not to mention a beautiful girl like Joanna who is clearly of noble birth. If she were taken to the Eastern Continent to be sold, I believe many lords would be willing to pay a high price.

Seeing that the remaining survivors on the deck were terrified by the enemy's imposing manner, Zhang Cheng calmly stepped forward and taunted with a playful expression, "Surrender? Are you surrendering to us?"

"Go! Kill him!" Ryans clearly didn't like being provoked and gave his men and the undead the order to kill.

Before the vicious pirates could react, the corpses that had been under his control immediately turned on their companions and began to attack them frantically.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people died on the spot. Even Lines himself was forced to retreat step by step, and he tried several times to regain control, but he failed in the end.

Left with no other choice, he could only retreat while casting soul spells to weaken the undead attacking him, looking utterly disheveled.

"Heh, didn't you want to kill me? Why haven't you made a move yet?" Zhang Cheng made a short-distance flash, directly crossing the height difference between the two ships, and suddenly appeared next to the other party, his tone full of mockery.

"Spare me! I'm willing to give you all my wealth and pledge my allegiance to you!" Ryan shouted, staggering and rolling to avoid the zombie's attack.

Only then did he realize that the seemingly young man in front of him was actually a spellcaster many times more powerful than himself, and he immediately begged for mercy without thinking.

As for self-respect and integrity, what are those? Can you eat them?

In this era of extreme hardship, survival is more important than anything else. Even becoming a lowly slave is a hundred times better than dying with dignity.

Life is precious, love is more expensive, if it is for freedom, both can be thrown away.

Only those idiotic poets who have no worries about food and clothing and only know how to whine without any real illness could write such sentences.

When faced with a true survival crisis, their actions are often far more despicable than those of ordinary people.

"Loyalty? Sorry, that's not up to me." Zhang Cheng shrugged, feigning helplessness, then asked the girl standing there, still not quite understanding, "Dear Captain, this guy says he wants to surrender, offering all his treasures and pledging allegiance to you. Are you willing to accept?"

"No! I won't accept it! I'll cut off his head!" Joanna looked at the servants lying dead on the deck, her eyes slightly red, her gaze revealing undisguised hatred.

"Sorry, my captain is not willing to accept your terms, so please die." Zhang Cheng casually extended a finger.

moment!

An astonishing surge of negative energy pierced through Lyons' body!

Before he could even scream, copious amounts of black, foul-smelling blood gushed from his nostrils, eyes, and mouth, and he collapsed onto the deck, face up, motionless...

Chapter 0961 Premonition

The inexplicable death of Lines caused the remaining crew members on the Sea Serpent to collapse. Some threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, and surrendered, while others grabbed wooden barrels and jumped into the sea, trying to escape far away.

By the time Joanna climbed onto the deck of the ship using the grappling hook, there were less than a hundred prisoners and thirty-odd undead standing motionless on the entire ship.

The scene of corpses strewn everywhere and the pungent smell of blood made the two ships look like hell. Intestines, entrails, and brains were spilled everywhere, causing the young girl to gag.

no way!

She was so well protected from childhood that she had no idea how cruel the outside world could be.

However, as the first mate, Old Banku immediately stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, what should we do next with this ship and the remaining pirates?"

"What do you think?" Zhang Cheng passed the buck back with a half-smile.

“I think we can recruit them! After all, the Sea Serpent is a large ship, and we can’t possibly sail it with just a few people. Then we can sail to the nearest port and sell the treasure and the original small boat,” Old Banku cautiously suggested.

He wasn't an idiot; he knew that his young mistress was actually a complete puppet, and that the one who truly had the power to make decisions was the mysterious and dangerous man standing before him.

In particular, its incredible power can not only unleash scorching flames that can burn people to a crisp, but also seize control of the undead and silently kill notorious pirates like Ryans.

To be precise, as long as Zhang Cheng remains on this ship, no one will dare to disobey his will.

Over the centuries since the disaster, most people have long since abandoned their previous concepts of freedom and equality, replacing them with a strong desire for rights, wealth, and power.

No one would be foolish enough to oppose someone who possesses unparalleled supernatural power, nor would anyone think they could subdue the owner of such power by inciting public opinion.

Quite the contrary!

After entering the new era, things like massacres and genocide became as simple as eating and drinking.

You disagree?

riot?

Revolt?

Just one word!

kill!

Kill them all!

Kill them all!

Kill every family that is left behind!

One city was slaughtered by another!

Once individual strength reaches a certain critical point, numbers can no longer create an overwhelming advantage as they once did.

Those who wield supernatural powers have countless ways to retaliate against the common people who rebel against their rule, and the leaders who take the lead in these actions are almost never able to escape death. As a result, the lower classes have gradually developed a habit of passively accepting their fate.

Seeing the awe and fear in the old man's eyes, Zhang Cheng nodded casually: "Okay. You can handle these trivial matters. Also, I'm putting all those zombies in your command. If any of the prisoners dare to cause trouble, then kill them. I don't want tourists disturbing my rest, understand?"

"Understood! Please rest assured, I guarantee that none of them will dare to cause trouble. On this vast sea, the strong have always reigned supreme, and the weak either kneel on the ground and obediently submit, or become cold corpses."

Old Banku placed one hand on his chest and bowed respectfully. He then turned around and began to direct his surviving men to screen the prisoners. He first pulled out the ordinary pirates to serve as slaves, while those with positions were temporarily locked up, and they would be considered for release and recruitment after a period of time.

It's important to understand that even the fiercest pirates, due to their limited knowledge and experience, generally lack leadership skills, so there's no need to worry too much about them gathering together to launch a rebellion.

But those veterans with official positions are different. They have experienced too much and have a certain prestige among ordinary pirates. They can easily unite a group of people without much care. Even if they do not launch a rebellion, they can win over their former companions to form a separatist force.

Watching the old man direct the laborers to throw the corpses into the sea and vigorously wash away the traces of battle on the deck with seawater, Zhang Cheng nodded in satisfaction. Ignoring the girl who was still gagging by the railing, he walked alone into the captain's cabin of the Sea Serpent.

A short while later, he found a silver badge with the capital letter "F" printed on it inside a locked wooden box.

"As expected of a lord. I didn't expect that after so many years, the council would still be the same, not even changing the things used to identify them."

Zhang Cheng casually tossed the silver badge aside, then pulled out a satellite phone from his magic pouch, which had been reinforced with countless runes, and dialed the only number on it.

A few seconds later, a familiar voice came through the microphone: "Master, is that you?"

"Ah! That's right, it's me, Adam. How have you been these past few years?" Zhang Cheng greeted him with a light laugh.

Perhaps hundreds of years is too long for mortals who only live for fifty or sixty years, but for people with near-immortal lives, life is just a blink of an eye.

It goes without saying that the intelligence agency he founded back then was the only organization on this planet that had perfectly preserved all the technology, knowledge, medical treatments, and some industrial capabilities from before the disaster.

It can even relaunch satellites every few decades to ensure that communication and monitoring systems function properly.

“I’m doing wonderfully! I’m even starting to understand the complexities of human emotions. Also, as you requested, I’ve completed a study on human genetic mutations over the last few centuries. Should I send it to you immediately?” Adam, as always, displayed perfect obedience, immediately shifting the topic to his task.

Without hesitation, Zhang Cheng refused, "No, there's no need to rush. I have a small problem that I need your help with."

Adam: "Please give your instructions."

"Give me a map of North America as it is now, preferably including all the towns and villages. Although there are no signs of the gods awakening yet, I have a feeling that those guys are definitely plotting something in the shadows," Zhang Cheng said meaningfully, stroking his chin.

"Understood! Please give me two days to organize the information, and I will send it to your phone later."

"Very good! Keep monitoring on! If you find any signs of faith or miracles, notify me immediately."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng hung up the phone and stuffed it into the inner pocket of the captain's coat.

As a Titan whose mind was filled with dark thoughts, he could not believe that after such a terrible disaster on Earth, which could even be described as the destruction and restart of civilization, those gods could still sleep peacefully. There must be some unspeakable conspiracy hidden behind this.

Chapter 0962 Getting Ashore