Thank You, Uncle

“Let me go! Let me go!”

The young girl's voice was crisp and sweet, but she was surprisingly strong, flailing her arms in an attempt to break free from Lynch's grip. She struggled so violently that Lynch worried she might break her own arm.

“Shh, shh. Look closely. I'm a human, not a monster.”

Lynch glanced nervously at the corridor outside. Fortunately, the Deep Ones had all gone out to fight, so the girl's voice didn't alert the enemy.

Hearing this, the terrified girl gradually calmed down and stopped struggling. Her beautiful eyes darted around, staring at Lynch's face for a long moment as if trying to determine if he was telling the truth.

“Are you really... human?”

Only now did Lynch have a chance to take a proper look at her.

She looked somewhat familiar, but no matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't recall where he had seen her.

The young girl spoke with a strange foreign accent. She wore a brightly colored, exotic pleated skirt and no hat, with her long, flaxen-blonde hair cascading down her back. Her large brown eyes held a trace of the bizarre... Oh, shit.

Lynch barely had time to put his top hat back on before a shadow descended from above.

It seemed the child hadn't believed a word Lynch said; she had grabbed another clay pot from the corner of the room and smashed it down on him.

Do children in this world naturally master the skill of smashing people's heads with clay pots?

And what is wrong with the people in this world? Why do they keep so many pots in their cabins?

Before he could even voice his complaints, the pot struck his head. Fortunately, he had put on his top hat—which had been granted the Absorption property—just in time, wearing it like a helmet.

This is why you never leave home without a helmet.

The pot shattered into pieces. Lynch's head was perfectly fine, though it was now covered in ceramic shards. The young girl stared at Lynch in a daze, seemingly surprised that he was completely unharmed.

After his experiences over the past few weeks, Lynch knew exactly how to deal with bratty kids. He dragged her over, pinned her to the ground, and gave her three quick spanks on the bottom. Seeing her pout as if about to cry, he immediately hissed, “Shut up and look at me. Have you ever seen a monster look as normal as me?”

The girl blinked at Lynch, the wariness on her face gradually melting away. Suddenly, she wailed and buried her head in Lynch's chest.

Lynch stiffened, almost pulling his trigger.

A bizarre environment, a strange child—Lynch's heart was filled with vigilance. But she was just a child after all. Lynch couldn't bring himself to push her away at a moment like this. He could only maintain the utmost caution while gently patting her back, ready to react to any sudden movement she might make.

A child's body was soft and warm, completely unlike the icy flesh of the Deep Ones. Feeling the child in his arms trembling with fear, Lynch's heart softened. He let her cry for a moment before pushing her back slightly, hardening his voice as he asked, “Now, tell me clearly: who are you, and why are you here?”

“I, I...” The young girl wiped her tears, peeking at Lynch. She choked up for a moment before whispering, “I boarded the ship with my mommy and daddy to go on a trip. But then, a lot of scary monsters suddenly crawled out of the sea. Mommy and daddy hid me inside that chest. They...”

Boom!

As she spoke, the ship shuddered violently once more. The girl's face turned pale with fright, and she instinctively buried herself in Lynch's arms again.

Feeling the child in his arms trembling like a frightened kitten, Lynch could almost sense the sheer terror she had endured while hiding here alone all these days. Though he was anxious to leave, he could only pat her back and comfort her in a soft voice.

“They said they'd come back for me soon, and then they ran away. But I've been waiting for so many days and they never came back. The sailor uncles on the ship are gone too, and there are only those monsters from the sea outside. I was too scared to go out, so I had to hide here and wait for my mommy and daddy. Sniffle, sniffle... I'm sorry, Uncle. I shouldn't have hit you. I was wrong. Can you take me to find my mommy and daddy?”

Despite his overwhelming anxiety, seeing the child cry until she could barely breathe made Lynch gently pat her head.

It seemed his guess was correct. This child was a passenger on the ship who had unfortunately run into pirates. Her parents had likely died alongside the crew at the hands of those raiders. Where was he supposed to find them?

The question was, how should he tell her?

Should I tell her, 'Your parents are dead'? Or take her to the first mate's cabin to look at her parents floating in that pit?

No, I'm not that heartless.

Lynch sighed and said gently, “I'm sorry, but Uncle doesn't know where your parents are either, and we don't have time to look for them right now. Those monsters will be back soon. How about this? Uncle will take you out first. Once you're safe, if there's a chance, Uncle will help you find your parents, okay?”

He had expected it would take some convincing, but to his surprise, the girl was quite obedient. Though reluctant, she nodded and said in a clear voice, “Mm... okay. Are we leaving now?”

“Uncle still needs to find something. Wait for me for a moment.”

“What are you looking for?” Tears still clung to her face, but a spark of curiosity flashed in her eyes.

“A small wooden box. It should be in the possession of their leader. Do you know where that monster lives?”

Lynch had only asked on a whim; the girl had been hiding here the whole time, so there was no way she would know. Surprisingly, however, her eyes widened and she answered clearly, “In the captain's quarters.”

“Oh? How do you know?”

“I heard the monsters fighting outside that day, and I heard them shouting that they were going to the captain's quarters to ask their boss to settle things.”

The little girl was quite observant to remember those words so clearly. Still, Lynch frowned and muttered, “The problem is, I've already searched that place and didn't find any wooden box. Could the leader have taken it with him?”

“There's a hidden compartment in the captain's quarters. When I went to play with Grandpa Captain before, he even showed me the treasures inside.”

A hidden compartment? Lynch took a deep breath, his eyes lighting up. If the Deep One leader had discovered the hidden compartment, they might indeed have hidden the important item inside.

“I'll take Uncle to find it.”

The young girl eagerly grabbed Lynch's hand and pulled him toward the door. Though he found it odd that the little thing had suddenly become so enthusiastic, he didn't overthink it. He simply picked her up and strode quickly toward the captain's quarters.

The captain's quarters remained exactly as they had left them, still as eerie as before. Upon entering, Lynch set the girl down. She looked around, and a smile suddenly broke across her face. “So it really was left here.”

With that, she ran to the bed, pulled out the doll from underneath, and hugged it to her chest.

Hmm? Lynch suddenly realized why the girl looked so familiar. She looked almost identical to the doll. Or rather, the doll had been made in her likeness. No wonder she was so happy to find it; it must have fallen under the bed when she was playing with Grandpa Captain.

“Thank you, big brother, for helping me find my doll,” the little girl said happily, before pointing at the smashed cabinet. “Last time, I saw Grandpa Captain press something inside the cabinet, and then a small hidden compartment opened up.”

He finally had a lead. If all went well, he might actually find the gemstone before the Deep Ones returned.

Lynch felt a surge of anticipation and quickly walked over to the damaged cabinet to inspect it closely.

He felt around but didn't find any mechanism. Thinking about it, if a young child could notice that he had pressed something in the cabinet, it should be quite obvious. Putting himself in her shoes, if he walked in and saw... Wait.

Lynch suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as a sudden realization struck him.

In a room this bizarre, even I was startled. Why isn't this child afraid at all?

Is this a fucking normal child?

The moment he realized this, Lynch threw caution to the wind and rolled to the side as fast as he could. The next instant, a massive force struck from behind, slamming heavily into the cabinet and smashing it to complete splinters.

Lynch looked back mid-roll to see that the young girl had somehow climbed onto the table. She was crouching right beside the boiling copper basin of green liquid, a bizarre, hideous grin plastered across her face as she pushed the doll that looked exactly like her into the green water.

“Thank you, Uncle. Now, I'll send you to see mommy and daddy.”

The next instant, the surface of the water began to churn violently, and an increasingly intense pressure surged from the basin.