At that instant, his true visage was revealed under the reflection of the Blood Sea.

Above the burly, thick-furred body, aside from Yue Jun's head, there were two other heads hidden on either side.

One was a fierce Medusa with countless snakes for hair, and the other was the Sphinx, which had disappeared without a trace at some unknown time!

By now, there wasn't an inch of Old Xiao's body that remained his original flesh—no, for a Stitching Man like him, who was crowdfunded by Stigma, there probably was never such a thing as original flesh, was there?

Yet his current appearance was even more terrifying.

Not only did he bear Yin Yan's miraculous Iron boots, the head of the Sphinx, and the petrifying eyes of Medusa... but behind him, numerous long tails slowly writhed, clad in snake-like scales, yet with the suction cups of octopus tentacles.

After a long period of hiding and collecting, Old Xiao had almost gathered the bodies of all the passengers on the ship onto himself.

It was uncertain whether to call it ugly or ferocious. The brutally stitched limbs gathered on his body were seamlessly integrated, showing no signs of stitching.

It looked so harmonious, as if... he was born this way!

He had completed his mission.

—He had successfully undergone yet another ascension, advancing from the original Stitching Man.

This was his secret, his mission that he had to complete. Otherwise, on the sea, without strong preservatives and special anti-rejection drugs, a forcibly assembled Stitching Man wouldn't even live a few days before decaying and dying of his own accord.

But now, he had successfully shed the shadow of death that chased him, relying on Yaga's Magic Potion and the countless limbs he had collected, completing his Metamorphosis and rebirth.

Very few people understood the Stitching Man, a miracle that had only appeared in modern times. Throughout history, countless obscure genealogies of such incomplete beings had silently perished. Naturally, no one knew how inconceivable the advancement of a Stitching Man was.

—Chimera!

The moment he recognized this advancement, Huai Shi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Or, to use a more precise and appropriate modern term: 'Chimera.' By definition, it's an organism comprised of cells from different genotypes.

But unlike lifeless creations such as stitched corpses or flesh tanks, and unlike the Stitching Man who faced the threats of decay and death, the Chimera is alive, and 'born that way.'

Even though it is acquired.

It possesses a variety of different traits, crudely gathering all advantages into one. And this miracle of reuniting many fragments into one entity is the true form of a Chimera!

In the midst of a metallic downpour capable of destroying any physical body, Old Xiao laughed out loud, spread his arms wide, and, as if bathing, welcomed the insane Firepower.

Following his preemptive removal of the Sphinx, the Pharaoh, superficial in existence, died at Lily's hands. Then Koshchey perished in Yin Yan's plot. And the last one who could have been his enemy, Baba Yaga, had already refused the gods' folly and mockery, choosing self-destruction in madness.

He, having stepped over countless corpses, had completed his accumulation and breakthrough, stepping into the Fourth Stage.

Star Antimony!

Even if this game lacked the power of Soul, and he couldn't benefit from the 'Soul perspective,' he had become utterly different from ordinary life forms.

Fearing no Common Iron weaponry, ballistic projectiles powered by mere chemical energy were, to him, but a trivial drizzle.

Whether it was his extraordinary vitality, his nearly frightful strength and speed, or the various abilities plundered from others, all of it was enough for him to easily obliterate everything.

Now, there was no one who could stand as his opponent.

Amidst the captain's fierce roar, the rotating machine gun suddenly sputtered to a halt, its bullet belt emptied by the barrage. In that moment of pause, when everyone looked up again, Old Xiao had vanished from his spot—gone, without a trace.

Then, as if teleporting, the massive body materialized behind the captain. The captain roared, crushing his pipe between his teeth, muscles swelling as he spun around and threw a punch at the enemy behind him.

But his fist was easily ensnared by a tentacle; then, his other arm shattered between the Teeth of the Sphinx.

Then, the captain saw the snarling head of Medusa, with its countless writhing snakes for hair.

The captain roared fiercely, defiantly thrusting his head into the writhing mass of venomous snakes, ignoring his face being bitten to shreds, but his motion stopped midway.

As if frozen, a stone-like grayness spread across his face, swiftly covering his entire body. Before Medusa's opened eyes, he turned into an angry stone statue.

"Fuck... your... mother..."

In his final moments, the captain stepped in front of Lily.

With all his strength, he raised his middle finger at Old Xiao.

The next instant, the statue crumbled apart.

In the dissipating dust, a fragrance-less, dried-up flower fell into the pool of blood on the ground, crushed into mud, leaving no trace behind.

But right away, another Artificial Human picked up the Axe left by Huai Shi and charged at Old Xiao, putting all his might into a blow that struck Medusa's face.

Several crew members pounced from behind, clinging desperately to Old Xiao's arms and legs. Someone else stuffed a Gatling gun that had fallen to the ground into the open mouth of the Sphinx, propping open those sharp fangs.

The next moment, they were torn to shreds.

It was as easy as demolishing rotten wood, like tearing up thin paper.

Yet as their mangled bodies hit the ground, the unfeeling Artificial Humans still used their last ounces of strength to latch onto his hind legs, opening their mouths to attempt to leave a deep bite mark on that layer of scales.

Ultimately, Old Xiao raised his foot and stomped down hard.

With a thunderous sound, the cruise ship rocked as scorching flames and acid spewed from his two mouths, burning away the burdens clinging to his frame.

But still, more people charged toward him, blocking his way.

Old Xiao bellowed furiously, screaming. He forged ahead against the multitude dragging him back, his rage shattering every pestering insect in his path. But when he looked up again, he could no longer find any trace of Lily and Huai Shi.

They had escaped. But this was the vast open sea; they had nowhere to flee.

"Keep going forward, turn right, then climb straight up the ladder."

The first mate, panting, shoved a blood-stained key into Lily's hand. "Beneath the dust cover on the aft deck, there's a hidden lifeboat. You can use it to leave this place… The second mate will take you there."

"What about you? Come with us." Lily reached out to grasp his arm, but he stepped back, his burnt face breaking into a proud smile.

"No, I have my duties. As long as you survive, that's enough."

He gazed at the Teenage Girl in front of him, slowly stepping back and bidding a solemn farewell. "You must survive, for all of us..."

Heavy footsteps approached from the corridor behind.

In that final moment, the first mate turned back, glanced at the Teenage Girl in the distance, smiled, and waved goodbye.

The bulkhead door closed.

His roars and howls could be heard from behind the door.

Then, silence.

Lily didn't dare to look back. Suppressing the urge to cry, she ran forward. One by one, the broken Artificial Humans said their goodbyes to the group, staying behind and vanishing amidst screams and roars.

Finally, the gasping second mate gently placed Huai Shi, whom he had been carrying on his back, onto the ground and gave her a smile of final farewell.

"This is as far as I go."

The slender young man hesitated before asking softly, "Miss, may I… may I hug you?"

Lily, fighting back tears, nodded forcefully.

"So nice, this is what life tastes like."

The Artificial Human murmured quietly. He gently let go of her arm, took a step back with a grateful smile, and said, "Survive, Miss. Please, you must survive."

This was the final goodbye.

He turned around, smashed the glass display case next to him, pulled out a fire axe, and, screaming, charged toward the cabin behind him.

Lily couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

Sobbing, she reached out, picked up Huai Shi from the ground, and moved step by step towards the lifeboat hanging at the rear. But as she walked, she felt Huai Shi's breath growing weaker.

Following the loss of his pulse, his heartbeat stopped too.

His breath ceased.

"Huai Shi? Huai Shi, can you hear me?"

She shook the Vampire's shoulder in fear but got no response. Huai Shi's head drooped, fragments flaking off his broken face.

Silence.

"Are you going to die too?" The Teenage Girl finally realized, wanting to cry, but she no longer even had the strength to do so. "Why must you die as well? Speak to me!"

She collapsed clumsily to the ground, futilely scattering all the Potions on Huai Shi, pleading weakly, "Are you annoyed with me again, Huai Shi? Aren't we friends?"

"Please, say something… Please…"

"Please…"

In his dim, shattered dream, Huai Shi felt as though he was plummeting into the dark Abyss, endlessly falling.

He felt he might be dying. No, he was certain he was dying.

The kind of certainty that meant he was doomed.

"Ai Qing, are you there?" he whispered softly.

But there was no response. It was as if the distance was too vast; he couldn't even feel Ai Qing's presence. Perhaps the signal here was bad? But none of that mattered anymore.

In his deep weariness, everything began to feel inconsequential.

He closed his eyes, allowing death's chill to envelop him like a tide, bit by bit swallowing him whole.

It seemed as though he had forgotten something important. There were sounds of burning and breaking. It seemed like someone was calling out to him, but he couldn't hear clearly.

He struggled to open his eyes, using all his might. Then he saw the burning sailboat, the pitch-black Sky Dome, and the vast Sea, tranquil as blood.

The endless Sea seemed to cover everything, much like death itself.

The new land remained unreachable.

Like hope, like relief, like salvation… like all things beautiful, they were too far away.

It was always so sad.

He stared blankly at the crying Teenage Girl, his lips struggling to move, but no sound came out.

It's a shame...

I couldn't save you.

He wanted to say, I'm sorry.ŸŸŸ

"Don't leave me alone… please…"

In his stupor, Huai Shi heard the Teenage Girl's desperate words, "Please… you must… survive..."

And then, it was as if sweet dew had landed on his parched lips.

Like a miraculous rain.

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