The merman, my man

I watched as Gary returned to his cabin, and found an opportunity to return on board the Seeker. Hiding inside my own cabin to observe the other ship discreetly, I saw Bob speaking to Miya while holding a map. I had a hunch that he was talking about the specific location where the remains of the atomic bomb were. Several black-clad bodyguards were standing behind him and carrying black briefcases that probably contained cash, but the crystals obviously weren't around, nor were there any suitable containers. So, where could they be?

I studied the situation closely, skipping past the bodyguards behind Bob when I suddenly felt my heart clench. I turned back to the bodyguards, focusing unwittingly on a towering brown-haired man wearing shades.

There was nothing that connected him to Dicken in appearance aside from his rather pale skin, and he looked like a stranger otherwise. Even so, I was unable to shift my eyes away from him. But, I could swear that I didn't have eyes for any other man!

If Dicken could alter his physical structure by consuming human marrow, could he change his appearance using another method as well? Was it possible that he killed someone and took their appearance after killing them?

A bold hunch occurred to me then, and it made sense if it was Dicken. I had to find him and confirm it, or I would get frustrated and blow up because I couldn't be sure if I was mistaken.

I had to find a way to get a ship, but doing it during daylight was impossible. I didn't want Gary and Bob seeing me, so I'd have to wait until nighttime. I would need to dive into the sea and wait for the perfect chance to board that ship.

Holding up my binoculars to study what was going on that ship, I began to plan my operation for the night. I saw several people entering a cabin from the deck, and it seemed that there was some sort of banquet. The unusual man I saw was following them as well, and soon disappeared in the crowd.

As it slowly got dark, the Seeker and the other ship slowly unberthed and left the harbor.

As night arrived, Luna and several other crew members invited me to poker, which I accepted. We played until midnight before I excused myself. After ensuring that no one was watching, I jumped into the sea, swimming like a fish to the other ship nearby under the darkness.

The ship was moving quickly, leaving two streaks of foaming waves in its wake. It would have been impossible for a normal human to catch up to it, but it wasn't difficult with my mutated body.

After a few tries, I found a spot in the hull. Steadying myself by stabbing my dagger into it, I grabbed a rope dangling from the ship and slowly climbed up, carefully looking around when I reached the deck. I

saw that most of the people

onboard were enjoying themselves

at the banquet. A band was playing and beautiful blondes were dancine provocatively on stage, their snow white feet drawing cheers from the crew members. None of them noticed the dark figure that

was me, climbing up from the hull.

I promptly vaulted over the scaffolding that led to the deck and quietly walked up beside the cabin. I leaned close to the window to observe the situation inside carefully.

It was hard to get used to it

immediately with the swirling smoke

and flashing lights, and I saw Gary

first before I could find Dicken. He was sharing a table with David, and they were gambling. He had a cigarette between his lips and a

stack of chips by his hand, looking

just like an indulgent gambler.

It made me wonder... What rank was he now? He appeared to have let loose considerably after being freed from Laura's control.

I held back my disgust towards him and slowly moved to another corner. My hunch was that Dicken would be on the upper floor if he wasn't on the deck, so climbed up the stairs to the pitch -blackness of the second floor. Every cabin door was shut, and I couldn't see any light at all. There were guards stationed only at the bow and the aft, although there was no telling if they might patrol around the boat.

I sensed Dicken on the third floor then, almost directly above me.