MPWATMBC Chapter 110

“Strategist.”

The burly pirate greeted the slow-moving person with some unease, realizing how he had repeatedly tried to slap Rennie’s behind. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the strategist. Every pirate knew that the strategist had an interest in the plain-looking, buzz-cut man, Rennie. The more unattainable something is, the more one desires it. The strategist’s feelings for Rennie were like a moon in her heart and a thorn in her palm—she both wanted and wanted to destroy him. This complicated emotion had led many pirates to place bets. The burly pirate bet that the strategist would ultimately not get her way, while most others bet she would succeed in the end.

The strategist was a tall blonde woman, her features not beautiful or striking, and her health was poor. Her complexion was pale, her lips devoid of color. Standing under the shade of a tree, with brilliant sunlight behind her, she looked like a vampire on the verge of disintegrating into dust. Despite the sweltering heat of over thirty degrees Celsius, the strategist was wrapped in a woolen cloak, yet there was no sweat on her face. Her deep, shadowed eyes were fixed on Rennie, staring as though she were trying to see beyond the surface and into his soul.

Ryan’s heart stirred, but his face showed no change, his expression blank, as if he were a fish too tired to endure the heat—this was Rennie’s usual deadpan look, a face devoid of hope.

The rose-faced spider, its fangs now retracted and its mouth no longer wide open, watched Rennie with several of its eyes, its hissing sound never ceasing.

The strategist snapped, “Hua!”

The rose-faced spider, highly intelligent, could understand human commands and sense their tone and emotions. Reluctantly, it stepped back a few paces at the strategist’s reprimand, then turned and climbed a tree. Halfway up, it shot silk from its glands to the crown of another tree, and the spider, roughly the size of a corgi, swung out of sight, accompanied by its excited hissing. The ghastly face pattern on the spider’s abdomen became even more terrifying as a few drops of venom dripped from its fangs, falling to the ground like raindrops.

A burly pirate screamed in agony. Unfortunately for him, he had been struck by the venom on his foot. Due to the intense heat, the pirates living in the oasis wore minimal clothing, usually no shoes, and the venom happened to land on the back of the burly pirate’s foot. Instantly, a sizzling, corrosive sound filled the air, and the smell of burning flesh spread as his skin and flesh began to scorch.

The burly pirate collapsed to the ground, too weak to even clutch his leg. His voice soon faded, growing weaker by the second.

The rose-faced spider’s venom was potent, and the most effective way to survive was to amputate the affected limb.

The sound of blood splattering made the scalp tingle, and the action of “Rennie” swiftly and without hesitation taking off the man’s leg was even more terrifying. Bandner’s face turned pale in shock—why did Rennie do that?

Ryan stood up calmly, as if it wasn’t he who had just severed a man’s thigh. He silently discarded the machete. The weapon that the burly pirate had carried was very effective—sharp and precise, it could cut through flesh and bone cleanly, sparing the victim’s agony. After multiple events, the burly pirate had completely lost consciousness, and whether he survived now depended entirely on his luck.

The “hissing” sound came from the rose-faced spider perched on a nearby date palm tree, its many eyes fixed on “Rennie.” If it hadn’t been for the man dodging so quickly, the one lying on the ground should have been him. What a pity.

Ryan saw a surprisingly human-like sense of regret in the spider’s gaze.

After completing the task, Ryan remained silent. However, the weak-willed strategist’s eyes were blazing with intensity, as if she could not wait to leap at him for a deeper exchange between man and woman, the bloodshed arousing her to a frenzy.

Before heading to Savage Star for the mission, Ryan had spent thirty-six hours living alongside Rennie, shadowing his every move. This was essential training for an undercover operation. During their time together, Ryan skillfully asked Rennie about his past to better imitate him—not just his mannerisms, but also his speech patterns, which revealed his logical thinking, life experiences, and knowledge.

Seeing the rose-faced spider’s provocative behavior, in the flash of a thought, Ryan recalled a story Rennie had once told: Two or three years ago, during a routine job, a fellow clansman had fallen from a high place due to poor safety measures. His white bones pierced through his flesh, and the surrounding pirates, finding it amusing, poured sweet treats into the wound while the others were distracted. The wound became infected, and the young life of the clansman began to fade. Rennie had calmly removed the man’s mangled limb with a swift strike of his blade.

This scene was witnessed by many pirates, and Rennie’s swift and decisive actions earned him praise from several of them.

For the mentally detached Rennie, this was just another ordinary event in his life, something he had recalled under Ryan’s subtle guidance, treating it as an insignificant story to share. Many of the details had faded from his memory, like who exactly had been watching at the time, or which other clansmen had been around. In hindsight, it became clear that among the onlookers, the pirate strategist had been present.

Ryan perfectly replicated Rennie’s actions, leaving a striking impression on the pirate strategist and drawing her attention even more.

The strategist curled her pale lips into a smile. “Are you going to see that girl? I believe her name is Audie? Follow me.” The direction she walked in was not toward the lake, but rather the opposite, back to where they had originally come from.

Bandner wanted to remain unaffected, but the series of changes came too quickly, and he couldn’t control his expression. He turned to look at “Rennie” and saw him give a slight nod, signaling to follow the strategist.

As everyone was about to leave, the large man, barely conscious, weakly stirred and called out, “Don’t leave me behind.” This place was where the flower spiders liked to roam, a place that all the lower-tier pirates avoided and had no desire to approach. The lush grass and beautiful lake were so tempting, yet according to the pirates’ indulgent nature, not even the leader’s few commands could fully prevent them from coming here.

The flower spider dangled from a strand of web, swaying as it displayed its vibrant figure. To many, it was a nightmare, and with its presence, few would dare approach the depths of the oasis—except those brought here as prey. The spider descended, its delicate legs brushing against the large man’s body. The intense scent of blood made it shudder, and after becoming accustomed to feeding on live prey, it could hardly tolerate those that were already dead…

As the large man’s increasingly weak voice faded, Ryan and Bandner continued following the strategist, walking farther away. During this time, Bandner fought to keep from turning around to look. He imitated Ryan’s demeanor—steady, calm, and unflappable. Gradually, he realized that his courage had grown, and confidence surged within him, as if he would no longer be startled by certain things.

In front of a tent that appeared no different from the others, the strategist stopped and said, “I’ll first take you to Audie, then explain what she meant about the army’s net-style search for us.” Wrapped in a thick cloak, the strategist took a step to the side, shifting direction until she was beside “Rennie,” softly murmuring, “You’re so sexy, baby.”

“Rennie” remained expressionless, and his heart stirred not at all. He had almost gotten used to it…

The strategist continued, “Come to my tent tonight, and for the next year, you won’t need to work. How about it?”

“Rennie” looked at the strategist, his dim gaze showing a slight ripple. After two or three breaths, he said, “Alright.”

A faint smile appeared on the strategist’s pale face, though behind the calm and gentle expression was a triumphant arrogance. Her otherwise plain face twisted as she said, “Baby, we’ll meet tonight, no excuses.”

Ryan didn’t respond, silently mocking in his mind as he watched the strategist’s retreating figure: She doesn’t even mention where her tent is. How are we supposed to find it tonight?

The pirates appeared fearless, completely at ease behind the protection of the walls, with no defenses in place. In fact, the outer layer might seem relaxed, but inside, it was tightly guarded. After walking through the area, the experienced Ryan deduced the special nature of some of the tents and decided to confirm this further once he met up with Fan Lanting.

Pirates didn’t just disregard “the East”—they were emboldened by their weaponry.

Bandner anxiously lifted the tent flap and saw Audie.

“Brother.”

Bandner took a few steps closer. “A-Audie?”

Audie, dressed in a white cake-like dress, was trapped in a cage formed by red laser beams traveling at light speed, only able to stand or sit cross-legged in the very cramped space.

Audie, in her little skirt, awkwardly shifted. “This looks awful!”

Bandner pressed his lips together and said, “It’s… it’s fine.”

Audie couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “It’s really bad, brother. I told them what I knew when you were purchasing supplies.”

A subtle gleam flickered in Bandner’s eyes. “Hmm, what did the leader say?”

Audie said, “He said he knew.” But the strategist didn’t believe her story. Audie vaguely understood some of her brother’s plans. After being captured, she didn’t panic. Instead, she claimed to have important news to report. She spoke earnestly about the military’s full-scale crackdown on pirates. The pirate leader listened disinterestedly, and the outcome was far from what she expected—shouldn’t the pirate leader, after hearing the news, have recalled his men, like her brother and Ryan had planned?

Why didn’t the pirate leader believe her?

Audie didn’t understand, knowing it wasn’t the right time to ask. She could only pretend to be angry as she looked at “Rennie.” “It’s all because of you that I got caught!”

Bandner exclaimed, “Audie!”

Audie, restricted and “unstable,” blurted out, “It’s because the strategist wants you, which made the leader notice me. The people below knew the leader’s intentions and captured me to claim credit. Brother, I was completely dragged into this because of Rennie. He’s a disaster. If it weren’t for Rennie, the leader wouldn’t even care about the outsiders. He likes his pets more.”

Bandner scolded, “Audie, don’t speak of Rennie like that!”

Audie lowered her head in a mix of grievance and stubbornness.

Her words revealed several points: the leader was indifferent to Audie, merely a boring pastime; the leader wasn’t in control, the strategist was the key; and the focus of the upcoming task could be placed on the strategist.

Rennie gave Audie an appreciative look. She was a calm and thoughtful girl.

The “meeting” with the strategist that evening was inevitable.

After meeting with Audie, no one came to call them to see the leader. It wasn’t until nightfall that someone opened the tent, glanced around the inside, and then focused on “Rennie,” saying, “Come with me, the strategist wants to see you.”

Rennie stood up, looking forward to tonight’s “date.”