Chapter 37: Witnessing the Iconic Scene of a Childhood Nightmare

Chapter 37: Experiencing a Childhood Nightmare Firsthand

As the clamor of laughter flooded his ears, Luo Ke’s consciousness instantly sharpened. He shook his head and scanned his surroundings with vigilance.

Confirming there were no monsters or other threats, he took a glass of red wine from a waiter’s tray and wandered around, sipping it slowly. The quality of the wine was exceptional, worthy of the high-end decor of the venue. The long-lost flavor danced on his palate, and Luo Ke couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction while he began to ponder.

"Deep Rising"?

It was an incredibly distant memory, one of his childhood nightmares. He didn't have much of an impression of the plot of this low-budget, high-quality horror film; he vaguely remembered it being full of gore and escape sequences, and couldn't even recall the protagonist. He only remembered the giant octopus, its terrifying tentacles, and the scene where a woman was torn apart and drained while sitting on a toilet. After watching the movie as a child, he hadn't dared to use the bathroom for days, fearing that tentacles covered in sharp teeth would reach out from the dark hole.

Since this trans-dimensional trip had no side missions, Luo Ke couldn't care less who the protagonists or supporting characters were—they had nothing to do with him. His target was the giant octopus that was about to appear. They were all just ordinary people; even the mercenaries who would board the ship later didn't concern him. With his current regenerative abilities, the damage from standard bullets couldn't keep up with his recovery speed.

Since the giant octopus wouldn't arrive for a few more hours, Luo Ke decided to take this opportunity to relax and soothe his nerves, which had been frayed in the wasteland.

(The "Snake-Dog" internal monologue should be inserted here: "Relax, my foot! Do you have any self-awareness about how happily you jump around in the wilderness? I've never seen someone as shameless as you!")

After downing the red wine, he headed toward the buffet area, strolling and eating from start to finish with his tray. Indeed, food is the necessity of the people; even as a half-human, Luo Ke couldn't resist the temptation of his appetite. Mostly, it was because he was sick of eating milk and bread in the world of "Spirit Cage."

Halfway through, he discovered an assortment of cakes and pastries. After a quick glance around, he reached out his hand, and in an instant, several pieces were moved into his storage space. Xia Dou and the others would probably like these; what girl could resist dessert? Bai Yuekui was no exception!

There was no need to worry about food spoiling in his personal storage; it remained in a state of stasis. Luo Ke continued to drift quietly through the dining area. Turkey, pizza, cola, sandwiches, sushi, Australian lobster, fruit platters... and of course, several bottles of fine red wine to take back for Mo Cheng, Jeff, and the others to see. It was a pity the ship didn't have Moutai or Wuliangye.

His movements were very discreet. Besides, everyone entering this cruise ship was either rich or noble, mostly preoccupied with gambling or socializing; who would pay attention to snacks that were readily available?

"Eh?" Luo Ke looked up and found a short, chubby blond boy staring at him blankly.

"A mysterious magic from the East!" Luo Ke smiled at him, then, right before his eyes, moved a bear-shaped cake from his side into his storage.

The cake the boy had been saving was gone. The boy’s eyes widened, filling with tears, and he turned and ran into the crowd. Seeing this, Luo Ke finished his sparkling water and fled the scene of the crime, heading toward the second floor.

Two minutes later, the boy returned, dragging his mother along. "He really knows Eastern magic!" he shouted excitedly. "He even stole my cake! I knew the stories Grandpa told me were true!"

His blond mother looked helpless. "Stop it. There is no such thing as magic in this world, let alone sea monsters. Can you behave? Otherwise, I won't bring you along next time!"

The boy watched his mother walk away and burst into tears.

At that moment, Luo Ke, leaning against the railing on the second floor, narrowed his eyes. A woman in a red dress appeared directly in front of him. She accidentally bumped into Captain Atherton, and after apologizing, she walked out of the cabin door. In reality, she had lifted Atherton’s wallet and was preparing to use his keycard for theft.

Luo Ke knew she was the female lead—a wanted criminal whose rap sheet included robbery, theft, battery, and more. Her goal here was the jewelry of the wealthy. But this female lead... what was her name again?

Whatever. It didn't matter.

"Why isn't the giant octopus here yet?" Luo Ke muttered to himself after finishing his third glass of sparkling water. Was the octopus lost? Did he need to fire a flare to give it a position? If it didn't come, what was he supposed to eat?

*Boom—*

The moment he finished his complaint, a massive force struck the huge cruise ship, causing it to shudder and tilt to one side. Countless people were caught off guard and fell to the ground; many leaning against the railings tumbled backward, suffering bloody injuries.

"Ah..."

The ship continued to tremble, and the hall descended into total chaos. People ran frantically toward the exits, not caring whether they were stepping on people or the carpet. In the blink of an eye, several people died in the stampede.

From somewhere came a terrifying, oppressive roar, like a beast from the abyss bellowing in the water, hungry for flesh. As the panic escalated and people ran blindly, Luo Ke found the situation a bit of a headache. He decided to open the door to a restroom, intending to stay inside until the carnage was mostly over.

However, someone had beaten him to it.

It was a woman with short hair, currently sitting on the toilet in terror, her expression bizarre. She had also fled to the restroom and had just sat down—not for a biological necessity.

Luo Ke was stunned. This scene... damn it!

As he had expected, the next second the woman began to scream, struggling to stand up from the toilet. Unfortunately, something inside the bowl seemed to be sucking tightly onto her, pulling her down.

"Ah—help!"

Everything happened in a flash; Luo Ke couldn't have intervened even if he wanted to. With a loud explosion, the woman was torn to shreds right before his eyes.

Most of her body was squeezed and dragged into the toilet, and her intact head rolled lonely to Luo Ke’s feet. Bright red blood splattered the walls and ceiling of the restroom. Fortunately, Luo Ke was quick-witted and pulled a black man in front of him as a shield, so his face wasn't covered in the indescribable bloody paste.

"Aah—"

The man stood with his arms crossed over his chest, screaming hoarsely before his body went limp and he fainted from fright.

The classic scene from his childhood nightmare was playing out again, and he was experiencing it firsthand. Luo Ke’s features twisted; he suddenly felt that the delicious food he had eaten earlier was tasteless.

*Gurgle, gurgle...*

The blood in the toilet was still bubbling. It seemed the tentacle hadn't left; it was likely waiting to crawl out and pick another lucky victim.

"Alright then."

Luo Ke was a ruthless man. He rolled up his sleeves and took the initiative!

"I don't need you to come out; I'll go in myself!"

However, before he could reach in, the tip of a hideous tentacle bloomed from within. Luo Ke was quick and grabbed it firmly. The tentacle clearly froze, seemingly caught off guard. Before it could split into segments, Luo Ke condensed a bone arrow in his palm and fired it with a *whoosh*!

*Pfft—*

The tip of the tentacle exploded, the sudden release of pressure causing the toilet to shatter instantly. The deeper part of the tentacle, injured, immediately retracted.

Luo Ke pulled back a severed limb that was a full half-meter long, its tip split open to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. He activated his "Devourer's Claw" to decompose and absorb it.

+1
Evolution Value [292/2000]

Luo Ke curled his lip. It seemed he would have to eat the whole octopus sashimi; this little bit wasn't even enough to get between his teeth.

...

Meanwhile, a boat was heading toward the cruise ship. The male lead, Finnegan, and his two teammates were surrendering with their hands raised, surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries.

Hanover, the leader of the mercenaries they had hitched a ride with, held a rifle. "From now on, we're taking over this place!"