My wife is an immortal black snake.

"3, 2, 1—Go!"

She gritted her teeth and shouted menacingly into the communicator. After the countdown ended, she endured a severe headache and gave the biggest hint she had ever given to half of the approximately 800 guards on the fourth landship.

I hope my boss can give me time off and dates after I get back.

Chapter 37

Theresa's suggestion had the desired effect. Under the sudden hypnosis and suggestion, more than half of the guards mistakenly believed that their companions were hideous monsters—even though they themselves had already committed heinous acts, the monsters in their hallucinations were still too grotesque for them as "humans."

They screamed and howled as they swung their weapons at the monsters around them, while the guards, who were strong from eating too much human flesh and dumbed from the virus they had contracted from cannibalism, were shocked by what they saw. Then, in the next moment, they also raised their swords against their comrades.

In an instant, screams filled the air as countless people became either the dead or the wounded. The flesh puppets ignored this, for in their simple understanding, the guards killing each other around them were their "friendly forces." Although the number of friendly forces was decreasing, they naturally wouldn't react much if no enemies appeared nearby.

This was exactly the scene that Theresa and Paul needed. Taking advantage of the chaos, their men stormed into the landship's control tower, where they killed all those maintaining order and giving orders. They then took control of the entire landship, lowered the rapid bridge that would allow refugees to cross quickly, and activated the ship's remaining onboard weapons.

"Fortunately, no matter how much this landship is modified, it will still retain a few shipborne weapons... Ouch... Ouch?! Mars—! Help me control this! I need to take Lily and some others down to guide the refugees back up!"

After a brief operation in the control room, Theresa was forced to stop the mentally taxing work due to a headache caused by overworking her Originium Arts. She had to complete her final task before collapsing and losing consciousness—guiding the refugees onto the landship and then transferring them.

“But we haven’t cleared out the people up there yet!!” Mars was somewhat taken aback by Theresa’s actions: they hadn’t even cleared out the enemies up there, and they were already so fast—was it really okay? “And the officer we just killed said something about ‘the Pleasure Seekers are coming’—shouldn’t we wait a little longer?!”

Among the officers they killed in the control tower, one who wasn't quite dead kept muttering things like "pleasure, pleasure." Mars and Theresa assumed this was a high-ranking officer or commander, so their real concern was whether the commander was leading a large force.

"So I went to guide the refugees, and you guys quickly killed them all! That way, once the refugees came, we could leave directly, instead of slowly being... Ouch!!! It hurts so much!..."

Why don't you stay here and rest?

"Then we're completely finished! I have to get this sorted out while I can still move, you understand?! The ship's affairs are in your hands!"

Theresa left the control room with Lily and the other two sisters. On their way to the bridge connecting the landship to the city, Theresa noticed that Serpent Scale Paul and his men had found a suitable location for a surprise attack.

He led his men to a high point near the deck area, where the flesh golems could see them, but the guards engaged in battle below could not. Naturally, the flesh golems would charge directly at the area where the snake scales stood to eliminate the enemy, but doing so would mean ignoring their own troops in disarray.

Perhaps the chaos caused by a single flesh golem moving is relatively minor, but what about several flesh golems charging side by side in the same direction?

Almost the instant the flesh puppets moved, the guards still locked in fierce combat screamed in unison. They were thrown back by the heavy impacts of weapons dropped by the puppets, which occasionally scraped the ground, or simply kicked or trampled by the puppets' massive feet. Under the influence of a group of puppets possessing only the most basic sense of friend or foe and lacking any understanding of protecting their own, the number of surviving guards on the scene was rapidly dwindling.

Not to mention, there were still many lurking snake scales clearing out the chaotic fleeing soldiers. Theresa watched their actions and estimated that in five minutes at most only flesh puppets that could be dealt with by alcohol would remain. She then covered her forehead and quickly led Lily and the others away.

The four of them quickly reached the surface, and in the darkest hour before dawn, with the help of streetlights, they opened the nearest sewer entrance to the fourth landship, where they found terrified refugees waiting for them.

“Come on, come with us right now!” Theresa said, climbing back up the ladder without looking back. She could already vaguely feel the side effects kicking in—but she could still hold on, only she could no longer use Originium Arts.

"On the road, on the road really..." The refugee holding the child was still somewhat at a loss.

"There is no safe place, but you will definitely die if you stay here—so hurry up and take a gamble."

"Yes..."

Urged on by Theresa, the refugees climbed the ladder somewhat haphazardly and came to the ground. While the women kept watch around, protecting the refugees as they climbed out of the sewers, Theresa also had one of her sisters lead the way for the refugees who were ready to be transferred.

When the last refugee crawled out of the sewer, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief—she noticed that the sky was beginning to lighten in the distance, but thankfully, they were able to leave before dawn, which was good.

"let's go."

She spoke to Lily and the other sister. She patted her forehead; she could no longer hear the chaos caused by the resistance—the fire that had once illuminated the clouds was now extinguished, and the soldiers there would probably be coming to cause trouble soon.

"Ah."

They nodded. Then, supporting Theresa, they hurriedly moved forward at the back of the refugee line. But shortly after they began to walk, a report from the Serpent Scales gave them an ominous premonition:

We've cleared out all the flesh puppets and started accepting refugees. The landships are currently under our control, but we've spotted troops moving towards your tail from the control tower—hurry, or we might not have time to raise the bridge and evacuate.

"We're going to get rear-ended..." Theresa rubbed her forehead, her lips twitching. "Hopefully they're going slowly..."

"I feel the speed won't slow down."

"why?"

"Because we've already arrived."

Lily, sweating profusely, pointed to the street behind them. Theresa turned around and saw a small, scattered squad had caught up with them and was now rushing towards them without even regrouping, trying to delay their retreat.

Chapter 38

The few scattered soldiers were just a sign that the main force was about to catch up. Theresa and her comrades used almost all their strength to cover the last refugees as they fled, but an accident still occurred halfway there.

During their movement, Theresa, who was in the safest position among the three-person team, and the refugee beside her were targeted by a powerful sniper. Although the Originium Arts sniper shot from a distance did not directly hit Theresa, and Theresa readily abandoned the refugee who was doomed, she quickly realized that something was wrong.

Because along with the [sniper] came a [rope] made of thick blood vessels. That rope separated Theresa and Lily; Theresa was on the right, unable to return to the landship the way she came, while Lily and the others were on the left.

"Theresa?!"

"You guys go first, I'll take a detour!"

Theresa knew that standing still and hesitating would only lead to her death. So, without hesitation, she ordered Lily and the others to return the way they came. Alone and in danger, Theresa immediately rushed into the nearest alley, intending to use its intricate network of lanes to evade the sniper's attack—she knew the sniper was targeting her, so she had to escape through complex terrain; the more complex the terrain, the better!

But the journey couldn't be too long, because the side effects of Theresa overdrawing her Originium Arts were like a time bomb's countdown, constantly reminding her that if she couldn't reach the landship before she lost consciousness, she was doomed—and she could forget about dreaming of making enough money to retire; it would be more realistic for her to become someone's fertilizer here.

This is truly the capriciousness of fate. She had barely escaped being sold into the Nikolai Duchy by selling her dignity and enduring humiliation, becoming the first knight to be eaten... and now it seems she really is going to be the first knight to be eaten. At this moment, in her hasty escape, Theresa felt nothing but bitterness and resentment towards her boss, Yang Hao—if she could return safely, she would definitely demand a hefty price from him! Damn it! Such a dangerous job for such a low price, is this something a human being would do?!

We have to double it, double it, and double it again! Otherwise, where will I be able to put myself after this? Humph!

...

Thinking this, Theresa spat hard on the ground and plunged into a dead end in the alley. Using her agility and climbing skills, she climbed up to the second floor. She skillfully traversed various obstacles in the complex two-story building, and finally, after clearing an obstacle made up of several air conditioner outdoor units, she jumped down to the ground, arriving in a completely unfamiliar place.

She knew her destination by the sound of the wind rustling through the alley, and moved in the direction she had chosen, but in the next instant, her brow twitched—

"grass?!"

Theresa looked up and saw a red crossbow bolt streak across the sky, then explode in a burst of red light in the pre-dawn darkness. She stared in disbelief at the spot where the bolt had exploded, where a huge, still-wriggling heart floated. Noticing a blood vessel slowly climbing upwards and connecting to the heart, and the countless nodules and eye-like organs inexplicably sprouting from it, she felt as if her already exhausted spirit had been struck by a fully loaded truck traveling at full speed.

Theresa felt her mind go blank with a "buzz." But soon, the gaze of countless evil eyes brought her back to her senses. She swallowed hard, realizing that the heart floating in mid-air was looking at her. She frantically searched for a sewer entrance to climb down into, but her rationality stopped her at the last moment.

If that unknown sniper could shoot that strange heart into the sky and have it grow eyes to monitor him, then he must also be able to shoot those blood vessels into the sewers. If he could still see his surroundings in time on the surface, then underground he would be nothing more than a headless fly.

On the ground, you can still escape; underground, it's a dead end.

[Little pony, the refugees are almost accepted! You'd better come back quickly, or you'll have to walk all the way back to the Duchy of Kosiché in the wilderness!]

Paul's communications, now combined with her side effects, became a second death knell. Theresa gritted her teeth, yelled into the communicator, "Have Mars prepare the drag crossbows!" before furiously replanning her route to get back to the landship as quickly as possible and go home.

......

5:25 am.

Theresa weaved through the alleyways, panting. She felt like an Originium bug being watched in a race, which annoyed her greatly, but there was nothing she could do about it.

The heart-shaped eye hanging in the sky kept staring at her relentlessly. Even when she ran to a place with cover, the blood vessels, seemingly appearing from nowhere, would cling to her like unseeing ghosts. She could see that those blood vessels also had countless eyes growing on them, and she was thankful she didn't have trypophobia—otherwise, just a casual glance would probably have made her throw up while running.

"Hiss... This doesn't make sense. Why are they targeting me instead of the refugee group... Killing me would be pointless, except for letting the boss find someone else to smother them..."

Exhausted to the point where Theresa had to talk to herself to keep herself going, there was no hope. Fortunately, the next intersection led to the main street, and if all went well, a left turn would take her directly to the edge of the landship, where Mas could use a drag crossbow to pull her aboard...

To avoid Mars possibly not knowing her location for some reason, Teresa sent her location communication while running breathlessly, then leaped over the last obstacle and stood on the street.

On the deserted street, the streetlights flickered unnaturally. Teresa gazed at the sun slowly rising in the distance, and at her heart still hanging in the sky. She grimaced, clutching her forehead which was throbbing again, and rushed towards the last leg of her journey.

But soon, standing around the landship, perhaps 500 meters from the bridge, in a position where Teresa could even see the end of the refugees boarding the landship...

She encountered an uninvited guest.

"..."

One right hand transformed into a crossbow, the exposed ribs became constantly regenerating crossbow bolts, and the face had several eyes; the uninvited guest was also exposed.

This uninvited guest wasn't even wearing pants. The fact that he had both male and female genitalia made Theresa's already aching head throb even more—but more than that, she was completely bewildered by the unexpected visitor's arrival.

Do all the people in the Duchy of Nikolai look like this? She was a little scared...

“Not bad Kuranta.” The uninvited guest spoke in a chilling voice, sounding like a 90-year-old woman at first glance—but who knows his true gender? This guy’s got sausages swinging around underneath him, you know.

"...I say, wouldn't it be better for you to chase those refugees than to monitor me? My death here won't do you any good, so why don't you just shoot down the landship?" Knowing that she couldn't escape by bypassing this uninvited guest, Theresa simply stopped where she was, panting as she recovered her strength, while also occasionally checking the situation on the landship.

"Why would I want to take back the landship? Would that please me?" The uninvited guest tilted his head in surprise, then stuck his inhuman tongue into his left ear, licking its contents. "As for why I'm spying on you—because spying on you pleases me! I haven't seen such a strange Kuranta person in a long time. A commercial spy, a war knight, and now the head of the secret organization of the Duke of Koschie? Heh heh! How fascinating. Your very existence intrigues me..."

"You can actually talk normally?!"

"Oh, I'm not one of those people who enjoy eating people. I'm just seeking pleasure—although being full does make me feel good, compared to mental and physical stimulation, being full is just a necessary activity to maintain life."

The uninvited guest pulled out his tongue, his left hand plucking at his right, which had transformed into a crossbow, holding a bowstring made of nerves and veins. Each time he pressed the bowstring, a blissful expression appeared on his face—Theresa didn't know why she could see that expression on his face, but to be honest...

That's disgusting.

And Mars, can you guys go a little faster?!

She swallowed hard, then noticed that the bridge on the land-going ship's side seemed to have started to rise.

grass.

She cursed inwardly, wondering if her shameless sister had really sold her out!

"Looks like your companions have abandoned you~" The uninvited guest also noticed the situation on the landship. He smiled, pulled out his ribs, and then nocked them to his bowstring. "Looks like we'll have to hurry~ But you have a lot of potential—you didn't go crazy on the spot after seeing my appearance, seeing the heart in the sky, and seeing my eyes?"

"What good is this disgusting thing other than making me want to vomit?!"

She calmly prepared for battle, but the pain in her head warned Theresa that she was about to pass out.

"So you have a lot of potential? I'm in a hurry to get back and enjoy some marital bliss with my servant, so I'll just give you a brief explanation. Miss Theresa, Duke Nicolai is willing to pay you the price of an entire district. How about you come and work for us?"

"...what?"

...

......What?

Wait a minute? What did you say?

A district? Wait—wait a minute? Let me calculate?

Theresa blinked, her mind racing—she quickly calculated that the value of a district, even the most dilapidated one, just its core area, was many times higher than her current annual income!

Theresa might have to work for centuries in the Duchy of Cosice to save enough to buy a district! But the problem is, she can't work that long! And now she gets all that money at once? Are you kidding me?!

Only a fool would believe that! But it's really true...

"Oh dear~ what are you still hesitating about~" The uninvited guest licked his bowstring, a look of pure satisfaction on his face, and chuckled, "Duke Nikolai only offered such a generous price because he wanted to annoy Duke Kosiché and her husband~ what are you still considering~"

"This... was handed directly to me?"

“Of course~” Theresa’s hesitant look made the uninvited guest laugh even harder.

"My job doesn't require me to do anything?"

"Of course~ all you need to do is show your face occasionally and disgust your former master~"

"Then I can have that much money and live my own life?"

"Yes, you can go abroad if you want."

"Well...."

Cold sweat streamed down Theresa's face. She looked down at the concrete floor, opened her mouth with difficulty, then closed it again. Perhaps due to the immense mental pressure, she muttered to herself.

"With so much money in my hands all at once, I can definitely live the life I've always wanted..."

The uninvited guest beamed with joy.

"Then... there's no work... I can do what I want, and I can even go abroad to avoid trouble... If I accept this, the future I want is just around the corner."

The flower on the uninvited guest's face turned into a sunflower—he felt extremely pleased, after all, isn't this what turning someone to a defection is all about?

So accept it, accept it quickly—let me see what kind of expression you'll make!

The uninvited guest stared intently at Theresa, who seemed to have made some kind of resolute decision. He was waiting for a single sentence from Theresa—just one sentence.

"Therefore—I [elegant Casimir profanity] refuse!"

"...what?"

The anticipated pleasure turned into an inexplicable daze. The uninvited guest looked at Theresa, who had rejected his proposal, and felt a strange sense of irritation suddenly surge into his mind.

"Where the hell am I supposed to find another sycophantic boss?! So please tell your master for me, go eat shit!"

He nocked an arrow, and then saw a crossbow bolt suddenly shoot out from the land-based ship—the bolt wasn't aimed at him, but rather...

That woman?!

The uninvited guest watched helplessly as the crossbow bolt with a rope trailing at its end pierced Theresa's side. He watched as the woman, enduring the pain, quickly wrapped the rope around herself. Then, he casually fired an arrow and watched as the Kuranta man was dragged onto the landship that had already begun to move into the distance.

He licked his head; he knew the arrow had hit its mark, though the impact point wasn't ideal because of the speed at which she was being dragged away. But it didn't matter.

After all, this is really interesting.