The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Sir, let me warn you beforehand, I am not responsible for your safety," Ye Xiao said, arms crossed.

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Councilor Wendt waved his hand. “I know that people are bound to be wary of each other in this kind of environment, but sir, I still respect the brilliance of your humanity.”

What a load of nonsense! Ye Xiao's lips twitched.

Captain Castor looked bewildered. Just then, Miss Kesi raised her hand and said, "I'll go too. I think your team is short of a doctor."

What's the purpose of this?

To be honest, Ye Xiao didn't really trust this woman either, since her skills were clearly beyond what a tavern owner could handle.

Whether it was the three people's "sincerity" that touched the surrounding passengers, or the fact that some people's ulterior motives were about to surface under these unusual circumstances, some onlookers raised their hands, indicating that they wanted to join the rescue team.

Captain Castor was dumbfounded. What kind of people were these? Why were they all rushing off to their deaths?

By the God of Light, those three mysteriously murdered, gruesome corpses are still lying on the ground! Why aren't they afraid at all?

But unable to resist Councilor Wind's insistence, Captain Castells eventually compromised and had his men prepare a new small boat for them.

Chapter 53 Assemble the Squad

"I'd like to give you one last reminder: in half an hour, no, in twenty minutes, the storm will develop into a level nine storm. It's still uncertain how long it will last—a day or two, or even the next week."

Captain Castor put the final six-man team on the small boat and gave them his last words of advice: "In such a terrible situation, once you lose contact, you will not be able to get any rescue."

“Understood, Captain,” Councilor Wendt replied with a smile.

"Brother Ye, are you sure you don't need me to come along?" Li Cheng asked worriedly from the other end of the small boat.

"That's unnecessary. You stay here to look after the others on the ship. If anything happens later, remember who to contact." There were other passengers around, so Ye Xiao couldn't directly mention the Holy Maiden's name.

"I understand, I understand," Li Cheng gave a thumbs up. "Brother, don't worry, I'll take good care of your sister-in-law."

"..." Ye Xiao really wanted to hit this kid on the head with a hammer.

The rain poured down, and after a few moments, the small boat carrying the six people was slowly lowered onto the turbulent sea by ropes on both sides.

The rain was heavy, and the small boat rocked in the dark waves. Ye Xiao picked up the two oars at the stern, while the short guard of the councilor at the other end held the oar at the bow and rowed the small boat gradually toward the escort ship to the east.

“Everyone, we need to make a plan first,” Councilor Wendt, who was the highest-ranking member of the team, took the initiative to take charge. “For this, I think it would be best if everyone briefly introduced themselves, mainly their personal abilities.”

“My name is Wend, and you can call my bodyguard Qina. We’ve already explained our abilities, but time is short, so I won’t go into details here.”

Ye Xiao silently rowed the oar. Seeing Councilor Wende looking at him, he was about to speak when a burly man beside him spoke excitedly first:

“Yes, yes, sir, my name is Edmund, I’m a chef… As for my special skills, I’m quite strong? Seeing everyone choose to save people without hesitation in such terrible weather truly moves me. My father told me when I was three years old that if I see someone in trouble, I should lend a helping hand. If everyone gives a little love…”

Isn't this guy talking a bit too much...?

Ye Xiao was speechless. Did he think it was a welcome party for a school club?

But this guy might be the only one on the ship who really wants to save people... Ah, I guess I could be one or two too.

As for the motives of the others, Ye Xiao looked around and reserved his opinion.

“Good, good.” Councilor Wendt wiped the rain from his forehead with a handkerchief. “Your enthusiasm is truly admirable.”

"Hehe, yes, when I was six years old, my father said that I would definitely become a warm-hearted person when I grew up, because he himself was a very simple and warm-hearted person..."

"What is this gentleman's name?" Senator Wendt bypassed the chattering chef Edmund and turned his gaze to another passenger who had joined them later.

“Oh, Your Honor, my name is Slade,” said the male passenger, who was rather thin, with the shadow of his hat brim cast on his long chin by the light of the oil lamp. “My profession is thief, and my specialty… is probably agility.”

"Ye Xiao, adventurer, professional swordsman," Ye Xiao then gave a brief introduction.

The accompanying doctor's introduction was even more brief: "Kexi."

“Alright.” Councilor Wendt nodded, glancing at the escort ship that was now almost upon them. “Then, everyone, once aboard, let’s head together to the bridge in the superstructure.”

No one objected to this. As the small boat approached the underside of the escort ship, Qina, who possessed extraordinary strength, swung the grappling hook used for climbing onto the ship's side.

The team members immediately grabbed the ropes and began to climb. To Ye Xiao's surprise, the councilor's movements were quite practiced, unlike those of a pampered aristocrat.

Only the stout chef stood there, staring up at the rope.

"Dude, why aren't you climbing?" Ye Xiao, who was behind him, asked in surprise.

"I...I just remembered that I'm a little afraid of heights..." The chubby chef gave a slightly embarrassed look. "Why didn't anyone tell me I had to climb this high..."

"Huh?" Ye Xiao was dumbfounded. Was this a joke?

The others had already climbed onto the boat using the ropes beside them, but the chef hesitated to take a single step.

But the storm will get bigger in a little while, and leaving this guy on the small boat will be no different than letting him die.

"I'm really done for." Helpless, Ye Xiao had no choice but to grab the chef Edmund and carry him on his back.

"Hey buddy... are you serious!?"

Edmund was astonished. He was being carried up the rope by the swordsman, who was weighing over 250 pounds. The swordsman swayed precariously in the storm, yet the swordsman remained agile.

After much effort, Ye Xiao carried the chef onto the ship's side, then, panting, went to the deck to rejoin the others.

The ship's doors were open, and the lights in the corridors were all off. Guard Qina walked at the front, carrying an oil lamp. After only a few steps, some blood-red footprints appeared on the ground.

The footprints weren't very large, unlike adult sizes. Ye Xiao, who was walking at the back with the fat chef, noticed that Councilor Wendt seemed particularly interested in these footprints, intentionally observing the direction of these messy footprints.

"Why are there such tiny footprints..." The fat chef muttered, his throat bobbing. "There shouldn't be such young children on the escort ship, right?"

“I’m afraid it’s not a child,” Miss Kexi suddenly said, pointing to the ceiling. The group looked up and were shocked to see similar marks on the ceiling, and even more handprints with outstretched fingers.

"I've never seen a kid climb on the ceiling like that."

"Hiss..." The fat chef gasped, looking at the dense footprints above his head, his whole body of fat trembling.

Ye Xiao patted the chef on the shoulder, "It seems there are some strange monsters. Stay alert, and if anything happens, hide in the middle of the group."

"Thank you... Brother Ye." Chef Edmund himself didn't realize that he had unintentionally changed his address for Ye Xiao from "little brother" to "brother".

As they spoke, they arrived at the driver's cab, where the iron door had been cleaved open, revealing a bloody scene that resembled hell on earth.

This almost made the poor chef vomit.

“By the God of Light.” Councilor Wendt frowned, but remained calm, turning to Miss Kexi. “Those we’re supposed to rescue… aren’t they here, are they?”

Chapter Fifty-Four: Each with Their Own Hidden agendas

“It shouldn’t be. The blood has been coagulated for some time now, and although these limbs are broken, you can still see the features of the Stormport Navy uniforms,” Miss Kesi said calmly.

"That's good, at least we have the cockpit now." Councilor Wendt stepped into the pool of blood, showing no shame or disgust, and simply turned the steering wheel a few times. "Fortunately, it still works."

“You seem quite used to this scene?” Miss Kesi followed behind, hanging the oil lamp on the wall.

"I participated in the war between the Duchy and the Wild Beastmen. Such a scene... I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but at least I can stay calm and know what I should do."

Councilor Wendt began inspecting the other facilities on the metal cover and pulled the ignition cord, but the expected roar did not sound. "The ore fuel is finished. I'm afraid we'll have to send someone to the boiler room to refuel."

"The situation regarding potential monsters hasn't even been determined yet, and we're already splitting up our forces? Isn't that too risky?" Slade, whose face had been grim, finally spoke up.

“There’s no way around it. Without enough power, we’ll fall behind very quickly in this storm,” Wend explained. “A Category 9 storm is coming soon, and once we find the survivors, we won’t have time to get back in a small boat.”

"The only way is to stay close to the convoy in a frigate and hold out until the storm is over before abandoning ship."

"Can't we go to the fuel room together?"

"The crucial bridge needs to be guarded. We don't know the situation on the ship right now. If something happens to the bridge and it gets damaged, we'll go down with the ship."

Councilor Wendt sighed, “I understand that splitting up to go to the fuel room is very risky. If you are worried, you can stay here together while Chinaa and I go to the cabin to find the boiler room.”

"No need, I'll go look for them, and while I'm at it, I'll also look for any survivors in the cabin." Just then, Ye Xiao spoke up, "We still need you to steer this ship."

"Brother Ye, then...then I'll go with you!" the fat chef said in a trembling voice, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"

Ye Xiao wanted to say that you would be a burden if you came along, but considering that you might be the only good person in this small team where everyone has their own ulterior motives, it would be unsafe to leave you with the other four guys who all seemed suspicious, so he didn't refuse.

So Ye Xiao took the oil lamp and left the driver's seat alone with the fat chef.

"Heh, they've got some nerve." Slade smirked as he watched the two figures disappear into the distance.

“Mr. Slade,” Councilor Winder said softly.

“What, am I praising you?” Slade waved his hand. “I’m just a bit of a coward, I’m not really brave enough to do such…heroic things.”

"I just hope you can help keep watch at the entrance. There's only a little fuel left. I'll see if I can get the engine running."

"Yes, yes, sir." Although he complied with the terms, Slade's tone was somewhat sarcastic. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the side of the door frame, as if he were on guard duty.

A moment of silence fell over the driver's cab.

Slade looked at Miss Kexi, who was sitting on the side, and spoke up again, "I say, beautiful lady, if I may be so bold, you don't seem like a kind-hearted person. Did you really come to this ship to save people?"

Miss Kexi glanced at Slade, "What's it to you?"

"Just ask, don't be so cold." Slade casually pulled out the dagger from his waist and twirled it between his fingers. "We're all here now, and there's no one else around. There's nothing wrong with being honest with each other, isn't there?"

"What do you want to say?" Miss Kexi asked, her arms crossed and her voice cold.

"Hahaha, no need to pretend. You and I both know perfectly well that, apart from that goofy-looking fat guy, none of us are really here to rescue anyone." Slade grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. "'Mermaids,' that's what you came for, isn't it?"

"The news of that auction in the Mansa Islands has now spread almost throughout the black market of the Magala Sea. That thing was worth a full 610,000 gold coins."

"Tsk tsk tsk, six hundred and one thousand, my God." Slade stretched. "Even if I were an adventurer my whole life, I wouldn't earn a fraction of six hundred and one thousand."

"So you're willing to risk your life for money?" Miss Kexi was speechless.

“Fortune favors the bold,” Slade waved his hand. “So I suggest we stop with all that nonsense and just start looking for the merfolk. Once we find them, we’ll turn this wrecked ship around, get out of this shitty Magala Sea, and head back to the Mansa Islands, and that’s it.”

After Slade finished speaking, he paused for two seconds, but when he found no one responding, he looked at Councilor Wendt, who was studying the watch face, and said, "Sir, please don't keep quiet and approve my proposal."

“I can understand your mentality,” Councilor Wendt said slowly, bending down without turning his head, “but I suggest you behave yourself. It’s fine if you take up a spot in the rescue team, but if you’re not going to help, please don’t cause any trouble for our rescue.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Congressman, that’s not very nice of you to say.” Slade gripped the dagger with annoyance and straightened up.

But Qina, who had been silent like a statue, suddenly seemed to come alive, her dark red pupils instantly locking onto Slade.

"Hey, don't get excited, I was just saying," Slade noticed a hint of murderous intent emanating from under the short man's cloak and quickly raised his hands with a smile, "Okay, okay, you're all great people, I'm just a greedy, selfish bastard, okay?"

"Since you are all so selfless, please leave the merfolk to me when we meet them."

……

On the other side, Ye Xiao, carrying a lantern, had arrived at the entrance to the cabin on the lower level of the ship's deck.

On the deck, the storm roared like a runaway beast, and at other times echoed in the cabins like the mournful shrieks of ghosts from the underworld.

The tall, stout chef followed Ye Xiao, trembling. "Brother Ye...did you...did you hear anything?"

"It's just the sound of the wind, don't overthink it."

"No...no...it's a voice like someone is whispering..."

Ye Xiao frowned and listened carefully, but all he could hear was the howling of the wind outside the ship's deck.

"Never mind all that, just stick close to me."

"Okay...okay." The chubby chef nodded obediently.

Ye Xiao pushed the cabin door hard, but it didn't budge. It wasn't just locked; it was as if something was blocking it.

Without further hesitation, he pulled out his staff from behind his back and softly chanted a spell towards the heavy door.

The blinding flames quickly gathered at the tip of the staff, and with a loud "boom," the tightly closed door was forcibly broken open by the massive burst of flames.

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Unintentional Trap

Dust filled the air, the door swung open, and Ye Xiao raised his staff, its tip emitting a fluorescent glow that pierced through the smoke and illuminated the pitch-black corridor.

Fragments of various shelves and wooden cabinets were scattered all over the ground, with embers still burning on them.

It seems these things are blocking the gate. What are they guarding against?

Ye Xiao gripped his staff and slowly moved forward, with Edmund following closely behind, tense.

"Wow... impressive, Brother Ye. I once dreamed of becoming a mage, but unfortunately, my talent wasn't up to par... Hey, by the way, weren't you a swordsman?"

"These days, it's always good to learn more skills," Ye Xiao casually replied.

The boiler room was at the innermost part of the first-floor corridor. As he walked down, he noticed that the floor and walls were illuminated by fluorescent light and were covered with sticky bloodstains, but he did not see any human corpses or remains even at the deepest part.

The boiler room door wasn't blocked; it opened easily with a gentle push.

Inside the boiler, a faint light flickered. Ye Xiao walked over and used the fluorescent light to illuminate the fuel gauge. Sure enough, the pointer was almost at the bottom.