Honestly, the commander didn't even need a weapon. With biceps thicker than a grown man's thigh, he could easily snap the poor siren's neck with his bare hands.

The damage was catastrophic, and the responsibility would fall squarely on everyone involved—the guards, the overseers, no exceptions.

And yet, just as they thought the worst was over, another disaster struck. Whatever cargo that remained intact after the initial chaos was now up in flames due to the explosion in the hold.

Honestly, being killed on the spot wouldn't even come as a surprise right now.

With that thought, the siren's body trembled even more violently.

"Any word from the captain?" the commander finally broke the silence, directing his sharp gaze to his subordinates.

"Yes, sir. The captain is on her way back, but..."

The hesitation in his subordinate's voice didn't escape him. Of course, the commander already understood the unspoken part.

Their mission here wasn't just to guard the cargo. Among the slaves, there was one person—a human the vampires had taken special interest in. That person was the true prize, the reason for their presence.

And yet, when they scanned the rioting crowd on the deck, that particular human was nowhere to be found.

"What are your orders, sir?" the subordinate asked, lowering his head.

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The commander furrowed his brow slightly, not out of dissatisfaction but deep in thought. His team had performed admirably under the circumstances, but something didn't sit right.

When he learned the human wasn't among the rioters, an unsettling realization gripped him: this could be a diversion. The worst-case scenario? Someone had already made off with the human.

But if that were the case, why blow up the hold? A diversion was one thing, but creating a massive explosion seemed excessive.

Unless...

"...!"

The commander's pupils contracted as a chilling possibility crossed his mind.

This entire voyage had been his idea, a calculated risk to venture into the Misted Seas. The human had been captured far too easily, thrown into a cell without so much as a struggle, lulling everyone into thinking he was just another piece of livestock bred by the vampires.

But there was one critical fact everyone had overlooked:

That human hailed from the other side of the mist—the distant East.

"Take Squad One and follow me below deck," the commander ordered abruptly, securing his trident behind his back. "You stay here and brief the captain when he arrives."

"But sir—"

The subordinate hesitated. Given the current state of chaos, it would have made more sense for him to investigate instead of the commander. But one glance at his commander's steely expression silenced any objections.

"Yes, sir," he replied, bowing his head.

"It's in your hands now," the commander said before slithering forward with purpose.

The kneeling guard watched him leave, feeling an immense sense of relief. At least he had been spared...

"Hmm?"

The commander suddenly paused, turning back as if remembering something.

A flash of cold steel.

The sound of flesh and bone being severed.

"...?"

The poor siren froze, head tilted in confusion, his expression locked in disbelief as his head separated cleanly from his body.

Thud!

Blood gushed from the stump of his neck as his lifeless body collapsed onto the deck, staining the wood with deep crimson. Even in death, his serpent-like tail twitched grotesquely, as if still alive.

"Clean this up," the commander ordered coldly before turning and disappearing below deck, leaving behind only silence and the faint scent of blood.