The Game Heroine's Cannon Fodder Leopard Cub - Chapter 43

Before Yi’an could finish speaking, a violent surge of seawater, accompanied by the shattering of the ship’s hull, crashed down upon them.

Yi’an gently rubbed her face, realizing she had spoken out of turn. She offered Nora an apologetic smile.

Nora merely glanced at her sideways, unwilling to dwell on the matter.

With unspoken agreement, they moved past the incident and resumed their search.

However, they had already scoured nearly every corner of this deck, opening and inspecting every cabin door, yet they found nothing that matched the Brass Key.

Nora frowned, deciding to check the Captain’s Cabin at the highest point of the ship.

Though the Rama was the largest steam-powered vessel of its time, its construction technology was limited. Apart from the lower deck and the main deck, only the Captain’s Cabin near the bow was a fully enclosed space.

Recalling the ship’s blueprints, Nora realized that reaching the Captain’s Cabin required swimming out of this hall and then swimming upward from the outside.

But when they reached the deck’s exit, they found it completely blocked by chunks of flesh and shattered furniture.

This didn’t deter Nora. She signaled Yi’an to step back, then casually grabbed a chair from the floor and smashed it against the obstruction. Debris cascaded down, revealing a gaping hole. The rest was simple. Seeing this, Yi’an joined in, and together they quickly cleared the doorway.

However, as they stepped outside, the sight before them froze them in their tracks. Countless massive fish carcasses floated densely across the deck, leaving no clear path.

Yi’an’s scalp tingled with unease. This is bad, she thought grimly. I should have anticipated this. With so many fish corpses wrapped around the bow, the deck couldn’t have been spared. Our plan to swim directly to the Captain’s Cabin is now impossible. We’ll have to find another way.

Reluctantly, they retreated to the main hall. Nora casually slammed the door shut to prevent more fish carcasses from drifting inside.

“What now?” Yi’an asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“Let me think,” Nora replied, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to recall the details of the ship’s blueprints.

According to standard procedure, every cabin on the ship should have two exits: a regular passageway, like the one they had just used, and an emergency exit. This was especially crucial for the Captain’s Cabin; in the event of an emergency, the Captain should be able to descend directly to the ship’s hold via the emergency exit.

But no matter how hard Nora tried to recall the blueprints, she couldn’t remember the location of the emergency exit.

Frustrated, Nora couldn’t help but knock her head in annoyance.

Yi’an wasn’t idle either. She transformed into a leopard and swam up to the ceiling.

Seeing Nora’s distress, she guessed that the blueprints might only show one exit. Though she didn’t know why the plans were incomplete, their immediate priority was to find another way out themselves.

She began tapping the ceiling, searching for hollow spots.

Nora looked up and saw a leopard contorted like a spider, clinging to the ceiling and tapping here and there. She immediately understood Yi’an’s plan—it was a good approach.

She joined the spider formation.

The two of them tirelessly searched the ceiling for a long while. Finally, in a spot near the front of the cabin, they heard a hollow sound.

Yi’an and Nora exchanged a glance, each seeing suspicion reflected in the other’s eyes.

Even brute force disassembly required leverage, and prying upward from below proved awkward. Yi’an swiftly transformed back into her human form, stood on the ground, and hoisted Nora onto her shoulders. This brought Nora within perfect reach.

It was fortunate they were both tall; anyone shorter would likely have needed to stand on someone’s shoulders just to barely touch the ceiling.

The ceiling was roughly three times as thick as an Imperial Saker Code. Despite years of submersion, prying it open with only a dagger would be no easy task.

Nora tried a few times, but quickly realized her efforts were futile.

After a moment of contemplation, she signaled Yi’an to step back several paces. Though puzzled, Yi’an trusted Nora’s judgment and obediently retreated three large steps as instructed.

Once Yi’an was in position, Nora immediately drew her pistol and began loading it. The sharp click of the chambering bullet made Yi’an instantly grasp Nora’s intent. Indeed, the pistol’s firepower would be more than sufficient to shatter the ceiling.

Yi’an immediately crouched slightly, gripping Nora’s waist firmly to prevent the pistol’s recoil from throwing her off balance.

After a misfire, Nora expertly reloaded the pistol. On her second attempt, the weapon fired successfully.

For a moment, splinters of shattered wood churned the seawater into a murky frenzy.

Having pushed her limits during the previous attempt, Nora had already begun to adapt to the single-barreled pistol’s powerful recoil. She remained firmly seated without needing Yi’an’s support.

Yi’an couldn’t help but inwardly marvel at Nora’s innate talent as a sharpshooter. No matter the weapon, she could wield it with remarkable speed and precision.

Nora leaned closer to inspect the damage. The ceiling had not only been pierced, but cracks had also spread around the hole, making it much easier to pry open with a dagger.

Soon, Nora had pried open a hole large enough for one person to pass through.

Yi’an was about to suggest that Nora climb down first so she could scout ahead when Nora, as if anticipating her thoughts, glanced at her and hoisted herself up through the opening.

Yi’an chuckled helplessly and quickly followed.

Perhaps due to its higher position, the Captain’s Cabin sustained less impact during the collision. The interior structure remained largely intact, and unlike the lower decks, it was relatively free of floating debris, offering comparatively clear visibility.

Every object in the cabin was in plain sight.

Neither of them missed the locked brass box sitting squarely in the center of the room.

At a glance, they both knew that what they were looking for must be inside.

Nora handed the key to Yi’an, but the moment Yi’an took it, a piercing scream echoed in her ears, and a splitting headache nearly made her lose her balance.

Seeing this, Nora quickly retrieved the key. Only after breaking contact did Yi’an recover.

Nora decided to try opening the box herself first.

The brass key slid smoothly into the lock, but when Nora attempted to turn it, the key remained stubbornly fixed, as if glued in place.

Realizing this, Nora stopped forcing the key and instead paused to examine the intricate patterns carved into the brass box.

Each side of the box was meticulously engraved with designs that resembled some kind of script. She leaned closer to inspect them, but couldn’t identify the language.

Yi’an stared intently at the box for a moment, deep in thought. She finally spoke, “If this box contains a soul fragment, then I’m the one who needs to open it with this key.”

“I believe my greatest connection to the Beast God lies in our shared bloodline and the White Blade Sword,” Yi’an said, lifting her head and gazing at Nora with bright, earnest eyes.

Nora immediately understood Yi’an’s meaning. She glanced at the newly scabbed wound on Yi’an’s arm, her expression darkening slightly, but in the next moment, she drew the sword from Yi’an’s back and handed it to her, hilt first.

Yi’an solemnly accepted the White Blade Sword, offering Nora a reassuring smile. With a swift, deliberate motion, she slashed her palm, the blade instantly stained crimson with bl00d.

She immediately pressed the bloodied blade against the brass box’s lid.

The moment the blade touched the box, it began to tremble violently. Seeing this, Yi’an quickly reversed the sword’s grip, holding the blade in one hand while firmly grasping the key with the other. She began to turn it counterclockwise.

Click—

The lock sprang open.

Yi’an’s heart raced. She hastily withdrew the White Blade Sword and carefully lifted the lid.

In an instant, a soft, white light illuminated the entire Captain’s Cabin.

Both women’s gazes fell simultaneously on the box’s contents: a pure white pearl lay quietly within, its gentle radiance filling the space.

Yi’an’s mind was powerfully drawn to the pearl. She couldn’t resist reaching out to gently cradle it in her hands. Instantly, a unique warmth flowed from the pearl through her palms, slowly spreading through her entire body.

“Nora, this is a soul fragment!” Yi’an declared with absolute certainty.

Nora was about to reply when a violent tremor shook the cabin. She quickly lunged forward, clasping Yi’an’s hands together.

“Secure it!” she managed to say before the cabin began to shake even more violently, as if caught in an underwater earthquake.

Simultaneously, cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling, sending splinters of wood raining down.

This ship is about to break apart!

Yi’an immediately recalled the vast field of dead fish outside the ship, a sense of dread washing over her.

She hastily tucked the White Pearl away, grabbed the White Blade Sword, and smashed it against the window. The glass shattered with a crash.

Yi’an leaned halfway out first, quickly scanning the surroundings. She realized that by swimming upward while hugging the ship’s hull, they could just barely avoid the swarm of fish carcasses.

She gestured for Nora to climb through the window frame first, signaling her to go ahead.

By now, the ship was shaking even more violently, accompanied by a cacophony of splintering wood, explosions, and crashing impacts.

With no time to spare, Nora had no choice but to follow Yi’an’s instructions, scrambling out of the window using both hands and feet.

Seeing Nora successfully escape, Yi’an was about to follow when her gaze fell upon the brass box on the table. She immediately turned back, grabbed it, and then squeezed through the window frame.

Nora, who had been holding her breath, finally exhaled slowly as Yi’an emerged. She hurriedly pulled Yi’an up and began swimming frantically away.

Before they could get far, a deafening explosion erupted behind them.

Instinctively, they turned back to see the Rama’s hull suddenly burst apart, sending debris flying in all directions. The surrounding fish carcasses detonated in a chain reaction, the stone pillars shattered, and a massive surge of water swept everything along, creating a colossal shockwave that raced toward them.

Yi’an frantically conjured countless water shields to defend against the tsunami-like force, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The shields layered upon each other, only to be torn apart one by one.

Gritting her teeth, Yi’an immediately pulled out the White Pearl and shoved it into Nora’s arms. She then swiftly transformed into a massive leopard, wrapping her body protectively around Nora.

“Yi’an, let go!” Nora’s face drained of color as she realized Yi’an’s intention.

“No,” Yi’an tightened her grip, her voice urgent. “Don’t drop the Pearl.”

Before she could finish speaking, the full force of the surging water, carrying shattered fragments of the ship, crashed down upon them.