Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai gave an instinctive, gentle stroke, using the water’s momentum to glide in front of Shisan. He could see several small red holes in his chest. He’d been shot! Strangely, the wounds weren’t bleeding much.

There wasn’t a hint of pain on Shisan’s face. His four arms moved like oars, propelling him through the water at incredible speed.

The two swam rapidly toward the large, moving ship as a dense hail of bullets rained down on them. As they got farther from the pier, the bullets’ power and accuracy dropped significantly. Luo Kai was hit twice himself. It felt like being stung by a hornet—it hurt a lot!

The ship was picking up speed and about to pull away from the pier.

”Brother Shisan, we’re not going to make it! Our only option is to go back to the pier and hijack another boat!”

Luo Kai said anxiously as he watched the ship pull further away. But more and more armed guards were gathering on the pier. Going back now would be suicide.

”No! Going back to the pier now is certain death. Keep chasing!”

Their explosive bursts of speed were comparable to a speedboat’s. Shisan’s physical conditioning was astounding; his four arms churned the water like propellers, launching him forward. Luo Kai, meanwhile, was like a fish in the sea—agile and swift, easily keeping pace with Shisan.

As the ship grew closer, the people on board finally noticed the two men in the water.

Fat Dragon couldn’t help but exclaim in horror, ”They’re so fast! Are those two even human?”

An enigmatic smile crossed Li Gui’s face. He chuckled. ”That four-armed Mutant was born with Giant Power. If he hadn’t been severely injured before his imprisonment, this little prison could never have held him. That boy, Luo Kai, is also quite mysterious. We might as well wait for them. Making friends can’t hurt.”

Fat Dragon hesitated. ”They’re so powerful. We might not be able to control them!”

Nearby, Dicky toyed with the revolver in his hand. His entire demeanor had changed, becoming sharp as a drawn blade. He projected an air of invincibility, as if having a gun in his hand made him the master of the world. He smiled. ”Don’t worry, Brother Long. The situation is completely under our control. Those two can’t stir up any trouble.”

Fat Dragon gave the order, and the ship’s speed dropped slightly, just enough for the two men below to catch up.

Luo Kai struggled onto the deck. His first sensation upon leaving the water was one of reluctance. ’I’ll miss that feeling of absolute freedom in the ocean.’

He collapsed to the deck, gasping for air. The explosive swim had completely drained his energy, and the wound on his shoulder began to throb again. He wheezed heavily for a long moment before managing to sit up.

It was an iron ore transport vessel. Several bodies lay strewn across the deck, a testament to the bloody struggle the prisoners had waged to seize the ship. Had most of the guards not been lured to the mining site, taking it would not have been so easy.

There were now a dozen or so people on the ship, all prisoners from the mining site. Besides Li Gui and Fat Dragon’s group, there was a gang of white men, also led by a Prison Tyrant. His name was apparently Victor, but they called him ”the Eagle” because of his unusually long, hooked nose. They held guns they’d taken from the guards and watched Luo Kai and Shisan like predators.

After climbing aboard, Shisan gave them all a cool glance, showing no sign of alarm. He sat down cross-legged on the deck. The powerful muscles of his chest could be seen rippling continuously. After a moment, seven or eight bloody bullets were forced out of the wounds. His large frame had made him an easy target.

”Haha, Brother Shisan, what incredible skill! I doubt even an ordinary Martial Artist could compare!” Li Gui said with a beaming smile, trying to hide the shock in his eyes.

Shisan slowly rose to his feet and swept his gaze across the deck. His eyes were ice-cold, and an invisible pressure settled over everyone present. Those who met his gaze instinctively looked away; even Dicky was no exception. Having witnessed a body so tough that bullets couldn’t harm it, they were all filled with awe.

Shisan retracted his gaze. ”Whose plan was this?” he asked, his expression unreadable.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Li Gui’s face. He was the one who had suggested Shisan hijack a fishing boat yesterday, a ploy intended to use the four-armed Mutant to draw the guards’ fire. Now, here Shisan was, having caught up to their ship.

”Well...” Li Gui began, ”Allow me to make some introductions, Brother Shisan. Our success this time was thanks to Brother Fat Dragon and Brother Eagle. They stockpiled a large quantity of explosives and dug a tunnel from the mining site to the pier. Of course, we also have to thank Brother Dicky for his godlike skill in making and planting the explosives. This old man merely acted as a liaison, so my contribution was the smallest of all.”

’No wonder that tub of lard Fat Dragon got to the ship so fast,’ Luo Kai thought. ’So they had already dug a tunnel from the mine to the pier.’

Shisan took a deep breath, walked to the ship’s rail, and stared at the receding Nanya Island without another word.

The other men on the ship exchanged uneasy glances. They were all unruly, vicious criminals, and their expressions soured. But the four-armed Mutant’s presence was too overpowering, and no one dared to say anything. After a moment, they all filed off the deck and went back into the cabins.

Only Li Gui remained. He offered a wry smile and began to explain, ”My two brothers, I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark. It’s just that this was too big of an undertaking...”

Shisan waved a hand dismissively. ”No need for explanations,” he said in a low voice. ”What you should be worrying about now are the prison’s countermeasures. The Tri-Eyed Race is known for its intelligence. They won’t let us escape so easily!”

”Don’t worry, Brother Shisan,” Li Gui said. ”Look, Nanya Island still hasn’t sent any boats after us. They must be busy putting down the riot. We’re like birds freed from a cage now. The world is our oyster!”

Li Gui finished with a grin, then his eyes fell on Luo Kai, who was sitting on the floor. Luo Kai was shirtless, frowning at the wound on his shoulder. Li Gui’s expression changed instantly. ”Brother Xiao Luo!” he exclaimed. ”You’ve been hit with Corpse Rot Poison!”

”What’s Corpse Rot Poison?” The name alone sounded terrifying. Luo Kai suppressed his rising panic and asked the question.

”It’s a potent toxin carried by scavengers. The poison is extremely aggressive. If left untreated, mild cases result in paralysis, while severe cases are fatal. Brother Xiao Luo, don’t tell me you were bitten by one of the island’s hounds?”

”I was,” Luo Kai confirmed with a nervous nod.

Li Gui sighed. ”This is trouble. If we were in a city, there’d be ways to treat it, but we don’t have any medical facilities out here!”

Shisan walked over to Luo Kai and examined the wound with a frown. ”Don’t worry,” he said softly, trying to reassure him. ”You have a strong constitution. The poison is contained in your shoulder and shows no signs of spreading. You’ll be fine in a few days.”

Then he turned to Li Gui. ”Find me a knife. I need to cut away the dead flesh.”

Li Gui quickly agreed and ran back into the cabins.

When he saw Shisan approaching with a sharp dinner knife, Luo Kai panicked slightly. ”You’re just going to cut it? Just like that?”

Perhaps Luo Kai’s pain tolerance had increased significantly over the past few days, because it hurt much less than he expected. In a moment, Shisan had finished cleaning the wound. He then tore off a strip of cloth and bandaged it.

Next, he tended to the two gunshot wounds on Luo Kai’s back. The shots had been fired from a great distance, and the water had sapped the bullets’ kinetic energy. They had lost most of their force by the time they hit him and were only embedded in the flesh. The treatment was simple and brutal: Shisan dug the slugs right out, making Luo Kai grimace in pain.