"There are quite a few good things in this treasure chest; itās a shame I can only choose one."
Looking at the long array of reward options before him, Wang Zhifan felt a bit regretful, because there were many items he wanted, yet he could only select one.
"The exceptional level battle gear will enhance me, but it wonāt fundamentally transform my strength. I still need to consider my choice from a long-term perspective."
The recently concluded battle had left a significant impression on Wang Zhifan, making him realize that his current strength was quite formidable compared to most players, but fell short against the truly high-end power in dungeons, sometimes even as weak as an ant. He understood that simply acquiring an exceptional piece of equipment wouldnāt change this fact; only greater and fundamental enhancement would suffice.
"Letās choose this faceless statue then. Although it doesnāt improve my current strength at all, in the long run, itās bound to help me climb to a higher level."
After thinking for quite a while, Wang Zhifan made this final choice, solely from a long-term perspective. He intended to use this faceless statue to develop new plans, exploiting the potential of the supreme blood he already possessed, thereby achieving more fundamental enhancement.
Originally, he had already constructed a rudimentary plan in his mind, with a general idea but far from perfect. Now that the specialized item, the faceless statue, had appeared, he naturally wanted to seize this opportunity.
"Someday, my strength will grow to the level of the ancient god in the sky or even far surpass him."
Due to the harsh reality, Wang Zhifanās heart was burning with unprecedented ambition. He prized the unremarkable stone statue-like faceless statue from the treasure chest and placed it inside his personal space. Currently, this item was in a floating, miniature state, not taking up much space, but once placed properly, it would be quite different.
Thus, after the thrill of the day, Wang Zhifanās voyage to Storm Sea returned to the previous half-month of boredom and calm, but this calm lasted only two days before being broken again, as they finally encountered pirates at sea.
"Captain! A ship is approaching us at high speed! I recognize their flag; itās the vicious Black Giant Pirate Group! We must quickly get away from them!"
At this moment, a dark-skinned middle-aged man stood before Wang Zhifan. He was an experienced sailor and navigator they had recruited earlier at Princess Harbor. As soon as he spotted an unexpected visitor on the distant sea, he hurried to report to Wang Zhifan, the captain.
"Black Giant Pirate Group? Are there giants among them?"
Facing the slightly tense-faced sailor, Wang Zhifan appeared quite calm, even a bit indifferent.
"There are no giants among them, but their leader is a notorious brute on this sea! Heās called Black Giant because heās tall and dark! Captain, letās hurry and retreat! Theyāre a powerful enemy!"
After the sailor explained, he urged Wang Zhifan again, because as the captain of this ship, no course alterations could be made without his permission.
"Forget it, I donāt want to waste time, and itās unlikely we could shake them off anyway. Have all the crew ready for battle."
After issuing the command to the sailor to dismiss him, Wang Zhifan got up from his deck chair and walked out of the captainās cabin to the deck.
He likely discovered the approaching pirate ship on the sea earlier than the sailor did, as his sense had already grown to an unimaginable level, but he was reluctant to bother with such targets. Now, since they sought him out, he had no choice but to engage them.
"There probably isnāt a particularly powerful presence on that pirate ship, or I would have sensed it. Furthermore, there arenāt any hidden giant sea creatures around them, indicating that their strength should be inferior to the Great Horned Shark Pirate Group."
Gazing at a large, approaching black ship on the sea and the even darker flag fluttering on its mast, Wang Zhifan concentrated his senses for one or two seconds before turning to look towards the cabin direction.
Thatās because he knew Chen Ming and Chen Can had come up to the deck; they were originally resting in the cabin and had been called out by the crew when the incident occurred.
"Fan! I heard weāve encountered pirates! Is it going to be a fight?"
Chen Ming already had a gun in hand, ran over excitedly, showing no sign of nervousness.
Only Chen Can behind him gazed seriously at the distant black pirate ship on the sea, with clear signs of tension on his face.
"Yes, unless there are unexpected circumstances, a battle is about to begin, and itās likely to be a boarding battle that pirates love. You two will have a chance to gain combat experience."
Wang Zhifan first nodded at Chen Ming, then glanced at Chen Can standing slightly behind.
"Fan, what should we do? Support you in the battle? Or find a corner and prepare first?"
Chen Can immediately asked when Wang Zhifan looked at him. He had long wanted such a combat opportunity but was inevitably a little nervous at the moment of battle.
"You two just hide by the shipās side, ready to fire your guns. Iāll draw their fire and assist."