Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 24

Chapter 323: A Trapped Beast Struggles in the Muddy Soup

I deliberately clenched my teeth, baring them exaggeratedly, and forcefully blocked the gap between my upper and lower teeth with my tongue, making Baba Tu's fierce eyes, like two bolts of lightning, fiercely and anxiously locked in a confrontation with mine.

Seeing that the time was ripe, I suddenly jerked my head back, "Ha, spit!" and sprayed the muddy soup that was half-held in my throat onto his wide-open, angry eyes. With

this "sand-spitting eye attack," his eye sockets instantly filled with mud and sand particles. Forced by reflex, he had no choice but to quickly close them, like a blind man, temporarily blind.

Seizing the opportunity, I stretched my neck back with a powerful force, my forehead like a giant iron hammer, and slammed it hard into Baba Tu's left eye socket. "Clang, clang, clang!" Three heavy blows in a row, and a long gash suddenly split open in his brow bone. Scarlet blood slid down the corner of his eye, dripping into the muddy water.

By the fourth blow, although he was still blinded, he reacted quickly. I felt a sharp pain in the muscles of my arms, as if iron claws were digging into my flesh. Babatu's leg, which was submerged in the mud, subtly contracted and lifted again.

I thought he was going to kick my chin again, so I tried to grab his thigh and perform a "leg throw."

On ordinary ground, without the resistance of mud, I could have grabbed one of his high roundhouse kicks and kicked his other leg while he was standing. If he held on, I could have used a series of low roundhouse kicks to shatter his ankle.

However, Babatu didn't repeat his trick. With a splash, mud and water erupted, and I was hit by his backward "rabbit kicks eagle" move, forcefully pushed out of the water and flipped into the air. I heard the wind whistling past my ears, then a "thud," and my entire back slammed straight into the mud.

This fall was so hard it practically turned my insides upside down; stomach acid tinged with blood rushed to my throat, leaving a salty, metallic taste.

As I tumbled back into the mud, I frantically struggled to regain my balance and stand up quickly. Baba Tu, having thrown me backward, also ended up in the mud.

We both rose from the mud almost simultaneously, neither giving the other a chance to draw their gun or dagger. Baba Tu had rubbed his eyes a few times, his vision slightly restored.

But blood still streamed down half his face from his right eye. Yet, he showed no anger; his narrowed eyes still held a calm and fierce intensity.

And so, for the second time, we were like two frogs colliding in mid-air, grabbing each other's arms and wrestling.

This time, the intensity of the physical confrontation seemed twice as great as before. As the saying goes, a desperate man has three times the strength; after all, he had injured my eye, and I had been thrown to the ground in return. The flames of battle surged again in this muddy ditch.

If Xuan Ya were here, killing this formidable opponent would be much easier. I could simply lock him hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot, and Xuan Ya could stab him a few times, and Baba Tu would be dead.

However, since Xuan Ya hadn't arrived, it meant he was facing something more troublesome. Even if Xuan Ya had overtaken Baba Tu, I couldn't afford any other thoughts. Personal strength and power were fundamental. I had to completely abandon the idea of waiting for reinforcements and rely entirely on myself to fight Baba Tu to the death.

My opponent and I stood in a lunge position in the mud, our four arms, locked in a struggle, pressed down to our waists. We were no longer like buffaloes locked in a battle, forehead to forehead; instead, my right ear was pressed against Baba Tu's left ear, and we tilted our heads, locked in a fierce struggle.

If we didn't do this, or if one of us was slightly weaker, a large chunk of flesh could be torn off our ear or neck – that's no exaggeration.

So, I had to desperately hold his head down, not giving him a chance to bite me, and Babatu thought the same way.

High-level mercenaries and headhunters like us, if we put on boxing gloves and went to the ring to fight skilled boxers, we'd most likely not win.

The rules were very restrictive. For example, elbow strikes didn't score, you couldn't poke the opponent's eyes, and you couldn't attack their groin, etc.

But in the wilderness, in a life-or-death struggle, those boxers were far less formidable; the deadly grappling techniques of the iron-blooded soldiers would cruelly dislocate their bones.

In this desolate, chaotic mud forest, Babatu and I both knew that there were only two outcomes: kill or be killed. The only law here was: "survival of the fittest." And my fight with Babatu was a bloody illustration of those four words. Therefore, every attack was effective.

The struggle eventually wore us down, leaving us both unsteady and tumbling headlong into the muddy water.

I suddenly felt as if the fight had entered a boundless, dark world, where I could hear and see nothing; this was hell, a place where whoever could climb over the other's corpses would rise.

In the suffocating darkness, my ears gurgled and bubbled as the muddy water poured in, like countless insects swarming towards my eardrums.

Baba Tu and I clung to each other tightly, desperately pressing each other down into the soft mud, trying to suffocate the other.

And, almost simultaneously, as we plunged into the mud, we released our right hands and instead choked each other, squeezing the oxygen from each other's mouths and chests.

In this darkness, as if we'd fallen into a vat of soy sauce, I seemed to sense, through the ripples in the muddy water, that Baba Tu was curling his legs back.

This guy must be hiding a weapon behind his back; he's probably planning to use his heels to clamp a dagger and plunge the sharp tip into my abdomen.

Thinking this, a chill ran down my spine. I immediately used my right thigh to hook behind Baba Tu, restraining his movements. At the same time, my left leg burrowed under him, my insteps forming a hook, firmly locking this incredibly strong man in place.

Because if I only used one leg to stop him, my lower body would likely be struck by his knee.

The struggle for strength in the mud and water was incredibly taxing on our oxygen levels. Two full minutes passed, and no matter how large our lung capacities were, neither of us could hold on any longer. We released each other and struggled to rise.

Coincidentally, neither of us was pushovers. Even in this moment when our lungs felt like they were about to burst, we both curled up, gathering our last bit of strength to kick each other in the chest.

If we kicked the other person, we would both use their momentum to rise quickly and delay their breathing time.

Chapter 324: Crimson Ripples
At this critical moment, even gaining half a second to inhale oxygen could be a matter of life and death.

We both kicked each other in the chest, and our intertwined bodies, like satellites reaching a designated altitude, suddenly disintegrated in two, retreating backward.

Leaping out of the mud, Baba Tu and I stopped our attack, greedily gasping for air. Baba Tu's face was covered in yellow mud, his eyes were dark, and his nose was bleeding.

Seeing him, I wiped my own aching nose, my hands also sticky with blood. It seemed we had both choked on the mud.

Blood was still dripping from Baba Tu's brow, while on my waist-high muddy surface, tiny crimson ripples appeared. Looking down at my chest, I realized the pain.

When I came out of the water, I was kicked by Baba Tu's hard-soled leather boots, which left a ten-centimeter-long cut. At the end of the neat wound, an irregular three-centimeter-long gash appeared.

Baba Tu had already taken in enough oxygen. Seeing me hesitate with my head down, he suddenly made a swift movement. I knew he was about to pounce again, so I gritted my teeth and charged forward.

As we tried to grab each other and grapple for the third time, like two frogs leaping into the air and colliding, Babatu feinted. He seemed about to pounce, but halfway through his attack, he suddenly turned and fled.

At this point, with the fight already at this stage, I wasn't about to let him go. I leaped up again, ready to deliver a powerful punch to the back of his head.

In that instant, Babatu, who had his back to me, suddenly leaped backward, using his waist as a pivot, and swung his right fist straight out.

I then realized he wasn't running away, but luring me to chase, intending to deliver a "backflip meteor hammer." I knew the power of that punch; at best, it would knock someone unconscious, rendering them unable to fight; at worst, it would shatter their skull and kill them.

Keep in mind, for assassins like Babatu and me, a single punch could have a destructive force of at least 500 kilograms, and kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes were even more destructive. This is why combat sports are more effective at defeating disabled athletes than boxing.

As I hovered in mid-air, about to land behind Babatu, I should have quickly raised my right arm to protect my head. However, I didn't. Instead, I held my folded elbow horizontally and forcefully pushed it outwards, using an elbow strike to block.

There was a "crack," followed by a scream that echoed through the mud, "Ah! Ah…!"

Babatu was hit by my "Dark Defense." His straight arm, swinging forward, had its outer elbow joint directly meet my right-side elbow strike. No matter how developed his muscles or how strong his ligaments, his bones couldn't withstand such force.

The so-called "Dark Defense" is like striking an iron pillar with a wooden stick; the greater the force, the stronger the iron pillar's impact on the wooden stick.

In this way, I used joint locks to amplify Babatu's attack, turning it into my own attack and counteracting it with a hard-on-soft approach.

Seeing Babatu's arm bent at a 90-degree angle, the broken area instantly swollen and filled with water, even through the thick sleeve, the sudden bulge was clearly visible, like a blood pressure reading suddenly filled with air.

The opportunity was right in front of me. With my feet firmly planted, I shoved Babatu hard in the back, sending him sprawling face-first into the mud.

I leaped up again, straddling his lower back, grabbing his other good hand, and pressed down on the back of his neck, forcefully shoving him into the mud.

His screaming mouth gurgled as he swallowed water, and then I couldn't hear him anymore, only muffled groans of struggle and pain emanating from his chest.

I gritted my teeth, holding him underwater for a full six minutes, until his trembling, twitching limbs gradually stiffened, before finally releasing him.

Immediately, I pulled out another dagger from my boot, grabbed Babatu's hair, and pulled his head out of the muddy water. I aimed at his throat and, with a "swish," slashed it.

The cut on my chest was still bleeding. I quickly climbed out of the ditch. The small green canvas bag that Xuan Ya had given me was still lying under a low tree a dozen meters away.

Taking out the medicine inside, I quickly opened my shirt. Two bulging, rugged pectoral muscles, covered in mud and water, were revealed before my eyes.

I wiped away the surrounding mud and blood with a towel. Below my left pectoral muscle, a thin layer of white fat, revealing the red muscle beneath, was a glaringly obvious cut.

I took a stack of gauze from the bag, stuffed it into my mouth and bit down, then gently pried open the slightly everted wound with my index finger and thumb, and rinsed it with a small bottle of iodine tincture.

That moment was excruciatingly painful; the gauze in my mouth ground against my teeth with a squeaking sound. After cleaning up, I sprinkled some hemostatic and anti-inflammatory powder on the cut and injected myself with a tetanus shot in the muscle near the wound.

Then, I opened an aluminum box about the size of a cigarette pack, used tweezers to hold a hook soaked in alcohol, and stitched up my wound.

Finally, I covered the wound with gauze and secured it with tape. Only then did I feel utterly exhausted, as if my bones had shattered.

I lay under the low tree for about ten minutes, but still couldn't find the crow. I couldn't help but worry. Had he gotten stuck in the mud? Or had Babatu killed him ahead?

The sun was setting, and the glaring light had lessened considerably. The mud forest returned to calm.

After resting for a while, I packed my satchel and weapons, then grabbed Babatu's body, which was floating by the muddy ditch, by the collar, dragged it onto the wet grass, and pulled it towards the north side of the mud forest.

The blood from the corpse left a long, thick red trail on the ground, stretching from the edge of the ditch where the battle had taken place. Some water plants still clung to droplets of blood, swaying in the breeze.

Finding a puddle of clear water, I flipped the gradually hardening Babatu's body into the water to wash it, and began to strip off his clothes, throwing them piece by piece onto the bank.

When I washed away the mud from Babatu's face, I could finally see his face clearly. I had initially thought his cheeks were scarred by a fire, hence the bumpy, pockmarked appearance.

But now, as I touched his cheeks, I realized his skin was smooth; what I had seen before were actually tattoos.

I examined them carefully for a long time before finally deciphering the patterns. Babatu's entire face was covered with numerous "pupa" totems, like a dense swarm of bacteria under a microscope.

Looking again at his thick neck, I saw a dense pattern of silkworm cocoons. I immediately felt something was amiss and quickly used my dagger to cut open his camouflage undershirt, revealing a tattoo of butterflies on his back.

Looking closer, I was stunned. I had been looking at the tattoo backwards. In the center of Babatu's back was a pile of firewood and a bonfire, with a water vat suspended above the flames.

Countless butterflies were fluttering up from the steam rising from the vat, gathering on his latissimus dorsi muscles, then forming cocoons, and finally, on his face, densely packed pupae.

"Ugh!" The visual shock made my stomach churn, and I involuntarily vomited several mouthfuls of acid.

Since I had lost a pistol and a dagger during the fight, I put Babatu's dagger and pistol into my bag as a kind of replenishment.

The blood from the corpse quickly stained the small puddle red and soaked through. Seeing that dusk was approaching, I put Babatu's clothes back on him and finally stomped him into the sand and mud, a simple burial.

Chapter 325: Fleeing on the Valley Path

"Bang, bang, bang," distant, elusive gunshots echoed from the valley across the river. Judging from the muffled, resounding explosions, it was the hunting roar of the Ghost Rifle. Judging from the intervals between each shot, it seemed like three people were engaged in a fierce battle. I immediately realized that the Hanging Raven, who hadn't appeared in the mud forest, had gone to the valley to kill Hit Water.

A chill ran down my spine. If the Hanging Raven wanted to go towards the valley, he would have to pass through the area where I was lying prone, yet I hadn't noticed him at all.

As the number of times they killed together increased, and the opponents they encountered were all incredibly strong, the Hanging Raven's little-known skills and tactics were gradually revealed. Perhaps he had also seen Babatu trying to escape by swimming through the muddy ditch.

Why did he abandon the objective of this mission and instead go after Mingzhongshui? This risky move was particularly strange. Did Xuanya foresee something, that Mingzhongshui, who appeared at this moment, was more dangerous to us than Babatu? Or perhaps, the second ghost shooter appearing at the top of the valley wasn't Mingzhongshui.

"Bang, bang, bang," muffled gunshots echoed from the other side of the valley. Taking advantage of the absence of snipers at higher ground, I stuffed the things I had taken from Babatu's pocket into my canvas satchel before even having a chance to examine them closely, and started running out of the mud forest. Back in the woods by the riverbank, I retrieved my backpack, then crept into the dense vegetation and ran towards where the raft was hidden.

Judging from the source of the gunshots, the three of them were fighting halfway down the valley. I had to seize this opportunity to safely cross to the other side to ensure I wouldn't be shot in the head by Hit-Water from above when I reached the middle of the river on the raft.

As soon as the small raft reached the shore, I immediately grabbed my backpack and ran towards the pickup truck. I dared not carry my luggage on my shoulder for the time being, fearing that the weight pulling backward would tear open the wound covered by the cotton wool. In my current physical condition, I was no longer able to participate in shooting Hit-Water.

The fierce battle with Baba Tu had not only exhausted me, but more importantly, I had suffered a cut

to my left chest. Although the cut wasn't deep and the bright red muscle showed no signs of poisoning, my movement speed was already half a beat slower than normal. I could barely hold my own against some ordinary mercenaries or headhunters, but fighting Hit-Water was too risky. If he noticed that I was injured among the three, he would definitely try to kill me without hesitation.

I ran to the small pickup truck hidden by the branches. Seeing no one around and with dusk approaching and the light dimming, I quickly crawled under the truck, lay down with my rifle, and rested while waiting for Hanging Raven and the others to return.

Looking at the sky, I couldn't help but feel anxious. Dumo should have returned to the Buale Apartments from the Sea Demon by now. If he discovered I was suddenly gone, he'd be frantic, thinking I'd abandoned all the trouble and run away alone.

The valley finally darkened, and a few stars appeared in the northern sky. My wound was throbbing with pain. To promote healing and prevent infection or worsening, I needed at least ten days to two weeks of complete rest.

However, even by midnight, there was still no sign of Hanging Raven returning, and the sounds of gunfire from the three battles had long since ceased. I grew increasingly worried. Had they gone too far in their pursuit and not returned anytime soon, or had something happened to them, and been killed by the water?

Realizing this, I suddenly understood. I quickly crawled out from under the pickup truck, shoved my backpack into the back seat, and swiftly lifted the branches covering it. I started the truck and sped down the mountain.

The pickup's four wheels bounced violently on the gravelly path at the foot of the valley. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, flooring the accelerator, and raced down the winding, sloping mountain road.

If the Crow and the Skybreaker had perished, then the Water of Fate would return to hunt me down. So, waiting for the Crow wasn't an option; I had to get back to my apartment in Buale as fast as I could.

Actually, my heart was in my throat the whole time. While hoping for Dumo's return, I was also worried about another possibility. That old bastard Jason Jody was extremely cunning. If Dumo let something slip, I feared that when I turned on the lights at my apartment, I would find Dumo's bloodied head staring at me on the table.

If Dumo hadn't been exposed by Jason Jody, would Yiliang have been rescued safely? And what method could I devise to safely pull Yiliang out of this dangerous and intricately linked mystery?

Alone, I drove my small truck, bumping along the quiet mountain road, the heavy weight of worry in my heart bringing me indescribable sorrow and bitterness. The

bright full moon, oblivious to the endless silvery light, its cyclical phases unable to comprehend the joys and sorrows of human life. I wondered how Luya was doing, whether the ferry had safely delivered her to Mauritius.

Gradually, the pickup truck sped out of the valley, leaping across the undulating gravelly grasslands. The brightly lit city of Ablai shone on the horizon, as if beckoning me to return.

A man doesn't easily shed tears, but suddenly, an inexplicable sadness and helplessness surged into my heart, and two streams of hot tears flowed down my face onto the steering wheel.

Little did I know that when I rushed back to the Buale apartment and heard those words, the salty, metallic taste that had been stuck in my throat suddenly burst forth, and I completely collapsed.

Chapter 326: The Enchantress in the Mist
The white pickup truck, carrying my wounded body, had already run out of the gravelly grassland and started rushing down the slope towards the foot of the hill behind the apartment. The several large packages I had prepared earlier rattled and clattered in the back of the truck. When

I reached the foot of the hill, I slowly drove around it. Because the knife wound in my chest was very painful, and I couldn't find a cave for the time being, I finally had to park the truck in a ditch and cut some branches to cover it.

There were many bags in the truck, and at this point, I couldn't drag them all up to the top of the hill and hide them behind the apartment building by myself. So, I only picked up some essential items, slung them over my shoulder, and ran up the hill with my sniper rifle.

The vast moon, like a large yellow balloon hanging on the mountaintop, seemed to sway slightly when I looked up. I knew in my heart that my blurred vision was due to blood loss from my injuries, coupled with the heavy burden on my mind.

I silently warned myself not to faint on the mountainside, lest the pirates mistakenly think I had escaped and provoke them to kill me.

Reaching the other side of the mountaintop, a faint yellow light shone from the back window of the apartment building; someone had indeed returned.

Gazing at that soft light, I desperately hoped that Yi Liang was sitting inside waiting for me.

Aside from the essential weapons, all the extra equipment was stored under the stones against the back wall of the apartment building. In two or three days, when I felt better, I would come down under cover of darkness to retrieve it.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain in my chest, and quietly climbed the building wall towards the roof. Crouching low and tiptoeing towards the window, I first crouched down and listened carefully for a while. The room was quiet; I couldn't hear any noise.

I hooked my feet onto the eaves, grabbed the windowpane with both hands, and slowly flipped myself down, my toes landing softly on the floor. After listening carefully for a while, I turned my head to peek into the other rooms.

A dim light on the ceiling cast a hazy glow on the bathroom. Through the carved glass, the showerhead was whirring, the billowing white steam condensing on the back of the glass, turning into countless jets of water that slid down.

A seductive, alluring figure was vaguely outlined: full, firm breasts, a slender waist, and long, delicate arms—the elegant silhouette of a young woman bathing, washing her long hair.

At that moment, my blood rushed to my head, and all the heavy, conflicting emotions in my heart shattered like an iceberg. "Yi Liang, it must be her! Du Mo brought her back!"

Thinking this, I could no longer restrain myself. I strode over, forcefully pushed open the bathroom door, intending to pull Yi Liang into a tight embrace before she screamed.

However, no screams came from the bathroom. Instead, a jet of scalding water splashed onto my face. Before I could even see clearly, a bare woman's foot slammed me against the wall. My Adam's apple was pressed against it, causing excruciating pain, like a person being hanged suspended in mid-air…

In the instant of impact, I was not only shocked but also realized that with such lightning-fast attacks, this person was not just Yi Liang, but a top-tier assassin.

Forced by her explosive power, I quickly grabbed the woman's ankle with both hands, using all my strength to restrain her kick and protect my Adam's apple from being crushed. The woman's calf felt as hard as steel in my hands.

When I tried to struggle again, attempting to pull her foot off my neck, I suddenly felt a chill below my abdomen—a cold, sharp knife tip pressed against my flesh, the sensation like a needle piercing my flesh.

With the sharp blade pressing against my abdomen, my bloodshot eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Only when the swirling moisture was dispersed by the gusts of air did I vaguely make out the woman's face.

This woman was about 170 centimeters tall, with dark, bronze skin that clearly indicated she came from a subtropical region and had been exposed to the sun year-round.

Through the faint steam, I could see her delicate features more clearly. Her pale golden oval face held narrowed phoenix eyes, filled with coldness and sorrow, and a slightly upturned mouth that always carried a ghostly, sinister smile.

I was secretly alarmed. This didn't look like her real face; it was clearly a thin, bronze-yellow mask, like seaweed paste applied to a woman's face during a beauty treatment.

From the stairs outside the bathroom came the sound of hurried footsteps. Du Mo, shirtless and wearing only a sleeveless camouflage vest, rushed into the bathroom like a giant sea turtle leaping up on its hind legs.

"Heroine! Bodhisattva! Spare him! He's one of us, your partner on the mission! This, this… this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" The

steam in the bathroom, which had been swirling around the open wooden door, gradually thinned. The woman who had made Du Mo so hesitant and terrified slowly withdrew her foot from my neck, but the sharp dagger she held to me remained motionless.

Only then did I see the woman's face clearly. At the corners of her eyes, it seemed as if strings of sorrowful tears hung, extending from her temples down to her full, firm breasts.

I was horrified. After killing Baba Tu, I had already witnessed a mysterious and eerie human skin totem, and this woman before me, with a totem tattooed on her face and bare upper body, also bore one.

Following the curves from the corners of her eyes were not teardrop patterns, but two slender morning glory vines, each bearing several small, trumpet-shaped flowers, each seemingly withering and dying from lack of water. At the center of the trumpet-shaped flowers were not stamens, but rather protruding conch shells. The morning

glory vines extended to her neck, like long, flowing hair, spreading down her chest and back.

Before I could look at her more closely, the woman let out a cold snort, finally withdrawing the blade from my abdomen. In an instant, she grabbed a towel and quickly covered her face and chest, but not her private parts.

Only then did I realize that the woman before me was likely the Soul-Slaying Conch from Myanmar. Her cold snort, like a chilling breath from an icy cave, sent shivers down my spine.

Seeing that the Soul-Slaying Conch had withdrawn her killing intent, Du Mo quickly pulled me out of the bathroom and respectfully closed the wooden door behind her so she could continue bathing.

The anticipated Yi Liang hadn't arrived at the apartment. Seeing my exhaustion and ashen complexion, Du Mo knew I must be injured. He quickly supported me by the arm and helped me to the next bedroom.

My stab wound in my chest was already throbbing with pain; the emotions of joy and fear had fluctuated wildly, and the heavy kick to the neck from the Soul-Slaying Conch had left me as weak as a boiled corn cob.

I stared at Du Mo, waiting for him to speak, waiting for him to explain why Yi Liang hadn't been brought. He saw how weak I was, and how beads of sweat covered my dark forehead.

"Mr. Zhui, please don't panic. Let me get you some medicine to re-care for your wound. I'll explain everything else slowly."

Knowing that being anxious now would be useless, I numbly gritted my teeth and lowered my eyelids, using my chin as a substitute for acquiescence.

The dagger that the woman in the bathroom had pressed against my abdomen was peculiar. It wasn't a traditional military dagger, but rather a knife that could be concealed within a bamboo tube. The blade was less than two centimeters wide, yet surprisingly long and sharp, with spiral-shaped serrations. Go up, that weapon looks more like a drill.

Chapter 327: The Strange Visitor on the Deck

. Du Mo hurriedly brought over the medicine box, rummaged through iodine tincture, anti-inflammatory powder, and gauze, and used tweezers to hold the cotton wool to clean the blood seeping from my wound stitches. After carefully sealing it, he gave me an injection to prevent infection.

I lay quietly on the soft bed, staring blankly at the dim chandelier, feeling an indescribable disappointment and melancholy. "Mr. Zhui Ma, who did you fight with? Your clothes are so tattered. Sigh! I'll get you a new one, the quality is absolutely top-notch." After

Du Mo finished speaking, he was about to turn and leave when the light in the bedroom suddenly flickered, and the Soul-Destroying Conch, having finished bathing, stood in the doorway as light as a ghost.

"The night you took the car back to the Sea Demon, someone infiltrated the apartment. I chased after them and fought for a day and a night, only to find myself in a trap, and barely escaped with my life." "

Although extremely weak and exhausted, I still explained to Dumo so that the Withered Soul Conch could hear and dispel her doubts about me.

Seeing the woman standing silently at the door, Dumo quickly got up and said with a smile, 'Heroine, you must be very tired after your long journey. Why don't you go and rest? Oh! By the way, would you like something to eat? I'll go downstairs and get it for you.'

Faced with Dumo's timidity and kindness, the Withered Soul Conch said nothing, turned and left, returning to the bedroom she had chosen.

Dumo hurriedly ran downstairs and brought back a brand-new camouflage suit. 'Mr. Chase, we just arrived at the apartment. This trip back to the Sea Demon was very fruitful. Jason Jody has never been so generous before; he allowed me to take whatever I wanted from the cargo hold, food, clothing, and other necessities, until the small pickup truck couldn't hold any more.'" "Actually, actually, I know that I only enjoy this treatment because of that woman..."

Du Mo rambled on for a while, but seeing that I remained expressionless and unresponsive, he eventually lost interest and lowered his voice to stop talking.

Jason Jody should now believe that Luya is no longer alive, and I am even more grief-stricken. He refused to let Yi Liang meet with me, so he sent generous gifts as a form of appeasement. Of course, that old guy was also trying to please the Soul-Slaying Snail.

After lying there for an hour, my mind cleared up slightly. Du Mo hadn't left and had stayed by my side. I wanted to ask him about the matter of getting people back, but then I thought that this room hadn't been checked since I returned, and it was unclear whether there were any listening devices hidden there, so I refrained from asking.

"Du Mo, did you see Yi Liang and the others? Are those women doing well?" "Dumo, who was dozing off with his chubby head drooping, shuddered and snapped to attention when I suddenly spoke.

"I saw her, I saw her, Yiliang is doing well. Hmm, she's eating well and is quite plump, living freely on the ship. On calm days, she can go for walks on the deck every day to get some fresh air. I didn't dare let her know about Luya's death, lest she be saddened."

Hearing this, I offered some comfort and then asked Dumo about his return to the Sea Demon, hoping to glean some clues so I could use his time in bed to carefully consider my next move.

"Wow! This trip back was really a steal. Look at this camouflage vest of mine, genuine American, USA." "Dumo said, even tilting his head to show me the tag on the back of his collar.

I frowned. Dumo told me that the Sea Demon had hijacked a cargo ship exporting clothing a few days ago, but he didn't know what good stuff it had taken. So, before coming, he casually grabbed a few bags of well-made military uniforms from the warehouse.

"Recently, there have been fewer hijackings on the Sea Demon, and those guys on board are bored, so they've been casting their big nets and fishing like crazy. You didn't see it, the fish and shrimp they caught, tsk tsk, they're so plump, the abalone are as big as ping-pong paddles."

Dumo spoke with great interest, gesturing to show me the size of the abalone. I listened carefully, trying to deduce the Sea Demon's distance from the coast based on the species they caught.

"When did you get back?" I asked Dumo again. "We got back one after the other. The little truck just drove into the yard, and I had that woman come up first to take a shower and relax." As for myself, I went to move the things that had been unloaded in the yard inside. Just as I was carrying a sack of big crabs up to the second floor, I heard a commotion on the third floor. I knew it was probably you, getting into a fight with that woman.

Hearing this, I finally felt relieved. No wonder the Soul-Slaying Snail didn't notice me climbing in through the window; she must have known I lived in this apartment too.

"Oh, right, look at my head!" Du Mo slapped his forehead in regret as he got up and ran outside. "What's wrong?" I asked hurriedly.

"I'll get you some good food, you must be hungry." Before I finished speaking, Du Mo had already run out, followed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

A short while later, Du Mo returned with bags and purses, grinning. "Look at these crabs, and these lobsters, each one bigger than the last. If we braised or steamed these, wow! And these..."

"Okay, I can't eat seafood in this condition." I interrupted Du Mo, who was getting more and more excited. He then realized his mistake and gave an apologetic, sheepish smile. "Would you like some beer? I brought four or five cases from the ship."

I shook my head, noticing that there was no more noise from the outer room, and asked Du Mo in a low voice.

"Who is this woman? Why are you all here together?" Although I knew who this woman was and what her purpose was in coming to the apartment, I still asked Dumo for details so I would be more informed.

The usually cheerful Dumo suddenly became alert, glancing towards the door before whispering in my ear, "When Jason Jody was reprimanding me, I saw two very strange people in the hall. One of them was this woman who came with me, and the other..."

Dumo paused, glancing outside again before continuing, "The other was a man, but I'd never seen them before. The pirates on the ship, usually so arrogant and self-important, were all quite cautious around these two strange visitors, though not exactly like mice encountering a cat. Only Jason Jody treated them like old friends, speaking to them as if they were normal people."

I was startled. Love Prisoner and Baba Tu were dead; it seemed that of the renowned assassins hired by the Sea Demon, only Withering Soul Snail remained. Judging from the time Dumo returned to the ship, Babatu should have already departed from the Sea Demon.

Chapter 328: The Dead with a Painted Face

"Dumo, were those the only two people who boarded? Didn't you notice anything else?" I wanted to ask Dumo about the strange man's appearance, but I couldn't appear too tense or eager, lest I provoke him.

After all, human nature is to seek advantage and avoid harm, and everyone has a self-preservation instinct. This shiny black kodo beast has always been no exception, so I had to try my best to maintain his biased attitude towards me and not let him notice my tension and anxiety.

"Anything else..." Dumo's mouth was half open, and he thought blankly for a while before suddenly realizing what I meant. "They also found a spy on the ship. Jason Jody handed him over to that white man with a cage painted on his face, and he was dragged down to the deck and interrogated all night. My God, the screams and wails were so loud, they made my bones feel like they were going to fall out of my body." Hearing

the words "cage painted on his face" from Du Mo's mouth, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat. The spy found on the Sea Demon was probably a trusted confidant planted on the ship by the Pirate King, which is why Baba Tu's movements were leaked, leading to the immediate interception by the Mission of the Water.

This is also why Jason Jody didn't tell me and Du Mo the whole plan initially, but instead had the messenger deliver instructions at each stage.

If the captured spy knew very little, no matter how many terrifying methods the "cage painted on his face" used to interrogate him, he wouldn't get much out of him. But if this spy knew crucial information, and was tortured and interrogated to reveal it, the Pirate King would be in deep trouble.

“What do you mean by painted cages on their faces? You think these guys are circus clowns, painted in bizarre ways to amuse people? Those are mostly tattoos on their chests and backs that have extended to their faces. Didn’t you see what happened in the bathroom just now?”

I deliberately left my words halfway, enticing Dumo to think and reveal his own thoughts.

“Yeah, right, tattoos. It’s strange, actually. Many of the guys on the Sea Demon also have tattoos, like birds, beasts, ghosts, and immortals, but most of them are on their arms and thighs. Not a single one has a tattoo on their face.”

As Dumo spoke, he used his dagger to pry open a crab and ate the crab roe with two fingers. At that moment, my brain, like a rapidly spinning gear, suddenly snapped and went out of control, swaying into a chaotic mess.

"There's this guy on the Sea Demon who's good at tattooing designs on human skin. Any other pirate who wants a tattoo just has to pay him a fee. Back when I first got my share of the money, I was thinking of getting a tattoo on my chest or back too. But then I thought about how despicable those bastards are. What if they tattooed a turtle or something when I wasn't looking, or at worst, painted some genitals on it? Then I wouldn't need a gun when I robbed people anymore. If any passenger resisted, I could just take off my shirt, show off my tattoo, and scare them to death."

Dumo muttered his nonsense while greedily chewing on crab meat. I blanked my mind for a moment, but I still couldn't figure out who the other strange guy Dumo had met on the Sea Demon was.

“Mr. Zhui Ma, you might not believe it, but those bastards did something like this before I even boarded the ship. They promised to tattoo a killer whale design on a new pirate, but they messed it up and tattooed a rooster raping a duck. It was disgusting, and the whole ship watched and laughed. And even after being pranked, they didn't refund the tattoo fee. You could get rid of that kind of design with dermabrasion, but that would still be a pain in the ass, and besides, it would cost money.”

Seeing that the black, shiny Kodo beast had been talking for a while, my tense nerves relaxed a bit, and I seized the opportunity to ask, “Du Mo, describe what the person with the cage painted on their face looks like, what their features are.”

Du Mo seemed to choke on a piece of crab meat, and paused for a long time before speaking. After I heard Du Mo's description, and bit my lip hard to make sure I wasn't dreaming, a sense of unease and fear suddenly welled up in my heart.

Fragments of memory inadvertently surfaced in my mind: the scene of chasing the Love Prisoner on the rocky shores of Madagascar.

The bald man with greasy, pale skin, wearing hotel pajama bottoms, running barefoot through the rainy night on deserted streets, a terrifying and bizarre tattoo covering his entire back, extending to the back of his neck.

And the strange face Dumo described to me was exactly the same as the Love Prisoner I had seen.

Yet, that night, the Love Prisoner did indeed die on the rocky shore, first his hand and foot bones shattered by a sniper rifle, then blown to pieces by two grenades thrown by the Raven.

Suddenly, I began to doubt. If what I heard wasn't a lie, then Dumo sitting before me now seemed possessed by a vengeful ghost, uttering chilling words before striking.

"The Love Prisoner isn't dead? How can the Love Prisoner be alive and well on the Sea Demon?" Amidst the panic and confusion, a thought suddenly occurred to me. The Love Prisoner who died on the reef that night had a very clean face, and the totem on his back did not extend to his face.

Could it be that the Raven misjudged him, taking the Love Prisoner's second-in-command for the real person, or perhaps Jason Jodi temporarily borrowed a fierce assassin from the Somali sailors? "Upon considering this, I dismissed the idea. The Raven wouldn't make such a mistake; it would be fatal.

Even if Jason Jody saw through my scheme and blackmailed Dumo into transmitting coded information back to me, he wouldn't be spouting such nonsense.

My body is too weak right now; thinking about it any longer is driving me crazy.

Since things have come to this, before seeing the Raven, I can only reinstate the Child Lover from the kill list and add him back to my attack targets.

'Clang, rattle…' Just as I was talking to Dumo, a rustling sound came from outside the bedroom. Dumo quickly drew his pistol. He saw a woman with a well-proportioned and athletic figure, dressed in tight clothing, carrying something resembling an iron ring, walking towards the window."

It turned out that the Soul-Withering Conch hadn't gone back to her bedroom to sleep; she had changed her clothes and was about to do something. Two bamboo-like objects were tucked into her lower back in an X-shape.

I knew that if you grabbed the end of those bamboo-like objects and pulled, a sharp, slender, threaded knife would be drawn. Just now in the bathroom, a similar weapon had been pressed coldly against my abdomen.

The light in the room seemed dimmer than usual, perhaps because of my blood loss; I couldn't see the woman clearly through the doorway.

The Soul-Withering Conch didn't glance at Du Mo or me. She pulled her shirt over her head, then tugged at her forehead, completely covering her face, leaving only a pair of sorrowful eyes that radiated a chilling murderous aura.

Chapter 329: The Trap of Eating Live Human Legs

Outside the apartment, it was an endless night. The stars twinkled in the sky. The Withering Soul Snail perched on the window sill, peering out for a while. After confirming there was nothing amiss, it grabbed the top beam of the window frame with both hands, its legs twitching as it leaped outwards. In the blink of an eye, its hands released their grip on the beam, and it vanished from the window.

“She, she, she… she jumped! We’re on the third floor! It’s pitch black outside, and there are large, jumbled rocks everywhere. Her ankles would have been broken!”

Du Mo shuddered, wiping sweat from his brow, stammering in astonishment. “No, she went to the roof.” I said coldly. “To the roof! She flew up?” Du Mo was even more surprised, seemingly unable to believe it.

“Think for yourself.” With that, I slowly closed my eyes, preparing to fall asleep so that the cells in my cut wound could heal quickly.

Luckily, I returned early. If I had been twenty minutes later, climbing to the roof of the apartment building in the dark, I might have been injured or even killed by something dangerous.

The Withering Soul Conch, carrying those strange iron rings, went up to the roof in the middle of the night, not to put up warning signs telling unsuspecting people not to climb, or face the consequences.

I knew that window, its structure, and its distance from the roof very well. Du Mo mistakenly thought the woman had jumped, but she actually used a twisting motion of her abdomen to rise straight up, hooking herself onto the eaves, then releasing her hands, swinging like a pendulum twice to build up momentum, and then suddenly releasing her explosive power, twisting her waist, grabbing the eaves with one hand, and soaring to the roof.

This kind of wall-climbing skill is extremely difficult for ordinary people, but the Withering Soul Conch completed it easily in just three seconds. Clearly, this woman's core strength and flexibility had reached an extremely high level.

It's not hard to imagine that if you attached claws to the hands and feet of the Soul-Withering Conch, and let those special individuals targeted as prey sleep in high-rise buildings far removed from the earth, when this woman climbed up and down in the middle of the night, she would surely have a bloody human head hanging from her waist.

Du Mo, sweating profusely, heard me say that the woman hadn't jumped but climbed onto the roof. His curiosity piqued, he wanted nothing more than to rush to the window and crane his neck to see what was going on. But he didn't dare; he was terrified of that sinister woman.

A short while later, just as Du Mo and I were dozing off, the woman with only a pair of sorrowful eyes suddenly appeared at the bedroom door.

"Two men, don't go up to the roof to drink and chat at night. I've left something up there. If it eats your legs, don't blame me for not warning you." Her mournful tone sent a chill down one's spine.

"Oh! Got it." Dumo, who was sleeping on the floor beside me, hurriedly sat up groggily and opened his mouth to agree. I remained lying on the soft bed, without making a sound.

The Soul-Slaying Conch glanced around our bedroom, saw that Dumo had eaten a table full of crab shells, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. As if afraid of the mess, she slipped away.

I lay on the soft bed on the third floor of the apartment for three whole days. Dumo took good care of me and didn't go sightseeing. Of course, while he was taking care of me, his mouth wasn't idle. Every day, he would eat a huge pile of shrimp and crab shells, which would accumulate on my bedside table.

Looking at his gluttonous nature, it was as if he was worried that one day something would suddenly happen, and we would have to leave the apartment in time. The several sacks of seafood and several cases of beer that we brought were still uneaten, but we couldn't take them with us.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, I sat quietly in the chair in the bedroom, enjoying the sunlight streaming in from the window and admiring the ancient city of Buale.

The Withering Conch had been elusive these past few days, its whereabouts unknown. Dumo naturally dared not inquire about the woman's affairs, and I could only sit obediently, waiting for my wounds to heal.

"Dumo, thank you for taking care of me these past few days," I said, turning to Dumo, who was sitting behind me, munching on a large crab with grease dripping from his mouth. Dumo quickly wiped the drool from his mouth, giving a slightly embarrassed, sheepish smile.

"Mr. Chasing Horse, what are you saying? Compared to the many times you've saved my life, this little bit of care is nothing. Besides, you've given me so much..." At this point, Dumo raised his hand, making a gesture of rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.

I shook my head and smiled helplessly, thinking to myself that giving this shiny black kodo beast some money was indeed more effective than anything else.

If both the Withering Conch and I were injured, he would inevitably have to take care of only one of us, and he would definitely take care of me; at least subjectively, he favored me.

Du Mo wasn't stupid; naturally, he'd favor whoever offered him the most benefits. "Go ask that woman what she's been up to these past few days. What are our next steps?"

Seeing Du Mo smugly flattered, I subtly suggested. The smug Du Mo, upon hearing that I should go ask the Soul-Withering Conch, his mouth, which had been agape as if about to bite a crab claw, froze, as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"Mr. Zhui, please don't scare me. That woman is sinister. On the way here in the car with her, I didn't dare utter a single word of flattery or ingratiation. Now you want me to go and talk to her? My legs are trembling so badly I can barely stand!"

"Heh." I chuckled softly, shaking my head helplessly, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. "Look at you, so pathetic, dreaming of being a pirate king! The more dangerous and terrifying someone is, the less likely they are to easily hurt you. If she didn't want to kill you, even if you pointed at her and cursed her, she might not even glance at you. Otherwise, even if you called her your mother, she would cut off your head without hesitation."

Du Mo wiped his shiny forehead, rolled his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, "Curse her?" At this moment, Du Mo's dark face turned red.

"This kind of plague-like woman, I'd rather avoid her than curse her! Do you really think I'm stupid? Isn't this just asking for death..." Du Mo muttered, his voice getting softer and softer.

"Haha..." I was amused by Du Mo. Since returning to the apartment, I had been thinking about Yi Liang and Lu Ya every day. As my injuries improved, the bitterness that had been weighing on my heart had dissipated a lot.

I asked Du Mo to go check the next room and found that the Soul-Withering Conch had left early in the morning and hadn't returned yet. The arrival of the Soul-Withering Conch indicates a joint effort to hunt down the Pirate King, suggesting her recent activities also imply other matters.

Chapter 330: A Pre-Assassination Portrait.

I left Du Mo in the house and climbed out the window to the roof to see what that woman had placed there—something capable of devouring a living person's legs.

When I cautiously reached the roof, all I saw was black asphalt, scorched by the sun and smelling of wax; I saw no traps.

It seemed this woman only set up her treacherous traps after dark, then climbed back up to remove them before dawn.

"Mr. Chasing Horse, what's up there? What is that thing?" Du Mo, craning his neck at the window below, kept asking, eager to know what that thing that eats human legs was.

"Nothing, that woman is just scaring you." I shouted to the impatient Du Mo below, but before I finished speaking, I felt a cold wind blow behind me. I

turned around abruptly and saw a woman with two sorrowful eyes standing straight at the other end of the roof, staring at me indifferently.

The two strange bamboo poles were still tied to her lower back in an X shape, and her clothes accentuated her curves. The bandages wrapped around her forearms and calves resembled those of a mummy.

The sunlight was bright at the moment, and I took the opportunity to examine the Soul-Withering Conch a few more times, noticing that her clothing was extremely strange. A layer of scraps of cloth hung over her, resembling the scales of a carp.

Each piece of cloth had different patterns and colors on both sides, and a copper snap at the top. I immediately understood that this was a kind of "chameleon suit." When surrounded by green forests and grass, she could flip up each piece of cloth, turning her entire body a jungle green.

If she were in the desert, she could turn the cloth inside out, revealing a different camouflage color.

What puzzled me even more was that the woman was wearing fingerless gloves, and each exposed finger was wrapped in pure green bandages. I figured it was definitely not ordinary fabric.

"The hilltop is covered in lush vegetation. Coming up here in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of being sniped? If you die, it will affect the plan, and I won't be happy."

The sun on the rooftop was blazing, and although it made one want to lick their lips, the woman's mournful and gentle tone made one's pores contract involuntarily.

Du Mo, who was lying on tiptoe and shouting at the window below, suddenly heard the woman's voice from the rooftop and immediately fell silent, disappearing into the distance.

"Hehe, I came up here for some fresh air and to admire the beautiful mountains. It's good for my mind and body, and it's beneficial for healing." I smiled kindly at the woman, but she remained rooted to the spot, looking at me indifferently, and said nothing more.

I understood the meaning behind her words. She wanted me to recover quickly so I could be lively and energetic again and join her.

It seemed she wasn't waiting for me to rest and recuperate, but rather she was secretly doing something else and had no plans to set off at the moment. Therefore, she didn't care about the time I was taking to recover.

This time, when hunting the Pirate King, the Soul-Withering Conch was willing to go with me because, if the two of us were running side by side and encountered ambushes, her chance of being shot was only one in half. Without me, it was one in one, one hundred percent.

This woman's face seemed to never show the laughter, anger, or scolding of ordinary people, never displaying a rich and varied expression.

Talking to this woman, who spoke without a trace of emotion, was like talking to a stiff corpse. Of course, none of this would affect her willingness to kill whomever she wanted.

"Hehe, thank you for your concern. Although that hill is lush with trees and grass, the possibility of a hidden sniper isn't too high."

Seeing that the Soul-Withering Conch hadn't spoken for a while, I worried that she might suddenly attack, so I quickly explained with a smile, assuring her not to worry.

"If you stand here in broad daylight, the sniper shot that shatters your head on that hill will be my weapon." The Soul-Withering Conch's words were still spoken with a mournful and gentle tone, but my heart sank.

In this kind of environment, people like us, regardless of the means or reasons used, whoever kills whom will be thrown into the pit, completely untouched by societal constraints. Therefore, I knew that this woman was not joking; she meant what she said.

Seeing my stunned expression, she softly said, "It seems you've recovered well. Come inside, I have something to say."

Before I could reply, the Soul-Withering Conch, its feet gripping the edge of the roof, suddenly pulled back, and its entire body plummeted downwards—a breathtaking movement reminiscent of a woman attempting suicide.

However, with a sharp crack, the Soul-Withering Conch's hands hooked onto the concrete edge of the roof, and in the blink of an eye, its two rows of emerald green little fingers slid down.

Watching the Soul-Withering Conch's disappearing figure, a slight smile curled at the corner of my lips, my feigned expression vanishing, replaced by a chilling grin. I thought, "Hmph, you can only scare Du Mo. Once I've quietly endured a few more days, gained enough time to fully recover my strength, if you threaten my interests then, I'll be the one to kill you."

Although I thought this, I knew in my heart that among the eight legendary headhunter assassins, this woman, like the Raven, was an agile killer.

Although the Soul-Withering Conch is a woman, during my encounter with her in the bathroom, I could roughly predict that the destructive force of her punch would be over 400 kilograms, and the destructive force of her kick would be no less than 500 kilograms.

For power-type assassins like myself and Baba Tu, the kinetic energy generated by her explosive force is indeed relatively weak.

Even so, if someone were hit in the jaw, skull, or other parts of the body with that force, their vision would go black, they would fall to the ground, and be unconscious for several tens of seconds. It is conceivable that in those few tens of seconds, she could draw a sharp blade and slit a hundred throats. The

reason I climbed upstairs was also in the hope that Hanging Crow would return alive, to make him understand that there was now a fierce assassin in this apartment, and he could no longer break in through the window in the middle of the night like last time.

Back in the room on the third floor, I sat at the wooden table. Du Mo had already run up from the second floor with a bottle of sweet wine and two glasses. As if afraid of being punished by the Soul-Withering Conch, he quickly poured a glass for the woman and respectfully handed it over.

"Thud," the Withering Soul Conch tossed a rolled-up white paper scroll onto the wooden table in front of me. I knew what she meant, and immediately unfolded it. On the paper was a pencil sketch of a person.

The person in the drawing had their face covered with a veil, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes. I suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu, and upon closer inspection, my heart pounded uncontrollably.

"Do you recognize this person?" the Withering Soul Conch asked softly. I was startled, and my hand holding the drawing instinctively reached for my calf, but I was startled again. At this moment, recovering from my injuries, I wasn't carrying any sharp weapons.

Chapter 331: The Contempt of the Headhunter Clan.
The Withering Soul Conch's question seemed to indicate that she knew the secret of my collusion with the Hanging Crow. Fortunately, I didn't have my dagger on me, otherwise I would have jumped up and killed the Withering Soul Conch in that instant.

As the hair on my back nearly stood on end, a thought flashed through my mind. I told myself to stay calm. If Jason Jody knew the truth and wanted this woman to kill me, the Withering Soul Gate wouldn't use such a clumsy method, like executing a prisoner, first making them know what mistake they made before beheading them.

If she wanted to kill me, she could just strike suddenly; she wouldn't go through this stupid, drawn-out ordeal.

"I know you, Nine Lives Raven." I lowered my voice, keeping a close eye on the Withering Soul Gate's hands out of the corner of my eye. "Have you had enough of living? If you keep arguing with me, I promise I'll kill you after the mission is over." The Withering Soul Gate seemed a little impatient, her voice mournful.

"Don't misunderstand, when I was a mercenary in Southeast Asia, I did see a similar portrait. They told me that this person was Nine Lives Raven, ranked among the top eight in the headhunting market. So..."

The Withering Soul Gate gently shook her head, a hint of contempt creeping into her voice. "You mercenaries are still stuck at the low level of killing with your bare hands. If I go to Southeast Asia, hunt down the heads of your loved ones, and then leave misleading clues to lead you to another unrelated but extremely dangerous assassin seeking revenge, how easy would that be for me? No matter who lives or dies in the end, it will be eliminating a threat to me."

Du Mo stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape, listening intently. The Soul-Destroying Conch glanced at him, then turned back and softly said, "This person is the most mysterious and intelligent of the eight headhunters—the Floating Infant—Water of Fate."

The words "Water of Fate" reverberated in my ears, a sensation like being struck on the back of the head by an executioner's hammer, spreading throughout my body. My vision blurred, stomach acid surged to my throat, the salty, metallic taste growing stronger and stronger. Finally, unable to bear the excruciating pain, I spat out a mouthful of blood onto the sketchbook, collapsing from the wooden table, feeling myself drifting towards another world.

"Mr. Chasing Horse, Mr. Chasing Horse, what's wrong? Wake up, wake up..." Du Mo's voice faded and drifted away. "Hehe, hehehe, I'll wait for you to come and get me. You must come and borrow me." Lu Ya's clear laughter lingered in my mind. I kept falling into the bottomless darkness, falling... completely unconscious.

I don't know how long I slept. When I woke up on the soft wooden bed in my bedroom, Dumo told me that it had been pouring rain for two days and two nights in Boualé.

The floodwaters on the hill behind the apartment were like water dragons rushing down the rocky slopes to steal human flesh. Looking out the window now, I could only see a city, quietly bathed in the rain, with no pedestrians on the streets.

Standing in front of a window, I gazed into the distance for a long time, looking towards the direction of the Sea Demon and towards Mauritius through the endless curtain of rain. The figures of Yi Liang and Lu Ya could only appear in my mind.

Now, thinking back, my cooled emotions inevitably rise and fall. That day in the mud forest, when I was chasing Babatu, I was still worried about Ming Zhongshui hiding in the southern valley. At that time, how could I have imagined that the mysterious assassin Ming Zhongshui was running right beside me, the same Lu Ya who had intercepted Babatu with me?

My mercenary career in Southeast Asia, though already quite extraordinary, only truly dawned on me after seeing that pencil sketch. I realized that by misjudging my opponents, I had fallen into a far more intricate and cunning realm. From the very beginning, when I first encountered the Sea Demon and the eight legendary assassins, I was easily outmaneuvered.

In the Yama's Factory in Mauritius, the Iron-Faced Demon willingly died at my hands for the sake of "The Hanging Raven," the true "Water of Fate," allowing Water of Fate to gradually draw me into his schemes.

Even now, standing safely in my apartment, my chest heaving with breath, having survived Water of Fate, I understand the layers of insidious and vicious reasons behind it all.

From our first encounter, Water of Fate orchestrated a sophisticated "illusion," leading me to mistake him for the Nine-Lives Hanging Raven and harbor the desire to join forces with him to kill others.

This so-called most mysterious and intelligent Water of Fate, if he wanted to kill, he didn't need my assistance at all. The reason he always included me in their collaborations was to use me as a "tentacle" to continuously gather information about the Sea Demon's activities.

There are only two reasons why Destiny Water allowed me to live until now: First, he knew my background and predicament. I wasn't hired by the Sea Demon to assassinate the pirate king for money; I was coerced into doing so to rescue my woman.

Saving her was secondary to Destiny Water. The key was that I subjectively hated Jason Jody, and I no longer had that "obsession" of blindly obeying others. I had become rebellious, especially towards Jason Jody.

Second, I was also Destiny Water's second "eye." The Baba Tu operation plan was leaked, and the "eye" planted on the Sea Demon had been gouged out and blinded by the guy who painted the cage on her face.

Luya should have escaped the entanglements of this battle, but I naively used a scheme, letting this little girl escape one wolf's mouth only to fall into another. Perhaps this was also within Destiny Water's expectations.

Therefore, to save Luya's life, I had to risk everything to betray the Sea Demon's operation to Destiny Water, becoming a second eye on the Sea Demon.

Now I understand why these headhunters look down on mercenaries; from the very beginning, I've been their pawn.

It's easy to imagine the implications of the Withered Soul Conch's earlier statement: "You mercenaries are still stuck at the low level of killing with your hands." The disparity in strength, intelligence, and so on...

Knowing that the Raven I'd worked with for so long was Destiny Water, I had to re-evaluate Jason Jody, admiring his cunning. During this trip to Africa, while I was dragging the burly Dumo across the Somali wilderness, "training the eagle," I was already being "trained" by Jason Jody.

The Sea Demon didn't send Dumo and me directly to the vicinity of Somalia because its true intention was to send us to "test the waters," venturing from Réunion all the way into Somalia. That hidden "minefield" was the Water of Fate, disguised as the Nine Lives Raven.

Jason Jody wasn't blind to Dumo's exceptional talent; he recognized his potential as a top-tier assassin. The old man didn't invest in Dumo, expending resources to develop him into a first-rate killer, because the cost-effectiveness wasn't high.

Chapter 332: The Pirate Ship's Chef.

If Jason Jody encountered a difficult problem requiring the assassination of a specific person, he could simply hire eight legendary assassins, greatly increasing the chances of success. Even if he painstakingly cultivated such an unusual assassin himself, he might not succeed.

Although hiring renowned assassins required a large sum of money, Jason Jody, with numerous powerful pirates like Dumo, could easily replenish his wealth by having his men rob other pirates.

The real reason the Sea Demon ostracized Dumo was to keep him in a state that was neither too weak nor too strong. Firstly, to prevent him from becoming a threat and turning on them; secondly, to continue using Dumo as a tool for robbing.

Jason Jody probably already knew Dumo's little scheme to become the Pirate King, so as long as Dumo stayed on the Sea Demon, he'd never have a chance to rise to power.

My only worry now is how to deal with this "fateful water" who has finally revealed his true colors. Are we friends or foes? Jason Jody hasn't done me any favors, and I don't owe him anything.

Therefore, I must remain calm; there's no need to make an enemy of fateful water because of Jason Jody's affairs.

As for the pirate king trapped in Somalia, I have no grudge against him, and I have no need to kill him. However, upon closer reflection, I've not only failed to extricate myself from this trap, but I'm sinking even deeper. The woman I'm trying to rescue has already been taken hostage by two pirate leaders.

Dumo was truly pitiful. He was still grieving the death of his godmother, Camilla, the woman who was innocently implicated, blinded, and then thrown into a hyena cage to be torn to pieces.

Thinking about this filled me with dread. That kind and submissive woman was more likely tortured to extract information from the Sea Demon, and thus met a cruel end.

Jason Jody's previous caution, which Dumo and I had previously scoffed at, now seemed so unjustly killed. The inheritance missions only offered a chance to receive a message at each stop; what could they possibly extract from this innocent woman through torture?

The thought of Camilla's horrific treatment made my heart ache, and my feelings for Luya reached an unprecedented level.

I recalled Luya's lovely face when she first arrived at the apartment; it was as if she were still sitting at that wooden table outside, dangling her dazzling diamond bracelet, chatting and laughing with Dumo.

Standing at the window on the third floor, watching the drizzling rain in Buale, a sense of loss and helplessness I had never felt before suddenly welled up in my heart. Jason Jody and the Pirate King both had so many helpers and could hire high-end assassins.

But I was all alone, drifting in a foreign land. Perhaps only those five years living in an unknown town were a brief respite in my wandering life.

When Jason Jody was stranded on the desert island, and he first boarded the pirate ship, I firmly believed that twelve diamonds the size of pigeon eggs would likely sway him, as that was no small sum of money.

Looking back now, I can't help but laugh at myself. No wonder Jason Jody seemed completely oblivious when I mentioned the diamonds.

The value of twelve diamonds wouldn't even be enough to hire one of the eight legendary assassins. My values regarding wealth seemed utterly naive to these guys.

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of fortune could possibly drive these eight legendary headhunters to such a desperate, life-or-death struggle; what could possibly drive Jason Jody on the Sea Demon to such a bitter, irreconcilable conflict with the pirate king trapped in Somalia.

The vastness and richness of the world are far beyond what I, confined to the small region of Southeast Asia, could possibly comprehend. Now I understand why the Soul-Slaying Conch left Myanmar and entered the highly dangerous international headhunting market.

I also deeply realize what those nine treasure chests I secretly hid in the mountain cliffs meant to me; that wealth was far more than just something to improve the quality of food and clothing.

If I could fully control this treasure, Chasing Horse would no longer be fighting alone, no longer feeling lost and helpless in the face of immense danger and hardship. I need to find someone willing to risk their life for me, to find a way to bribe this highly skilled headhunter.

However, at this moment, like that pirate king, I am also trapped in Somalia, unable to free myself to manage that wealth and turn it into reality.

Human nature, this thing, is both complex and simple. It is complex because it creates countless intricate and complex battles of cat and mouse; it is simple because as long as you pull out a sharp knife and slit its neck, everything will be quiet again.

I was filled with remorse for being caught in this treacherous game of hide-and-seek, for being dragged into the vortex of pirate conflict like clothes being wrung out.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Without these complex webs of collusion and conflict, I and those women would have been worthless, long ago having our throats slit by Jason Jody and kicked off the pirate ship to feed the sharks.

Is this the law of life? Or the price God has given us after creating humankind? I can no longer tell. But one thing is clear: as long as I live, I must seize every glimmer of hope and fulfill my benevolent will.

"Mr. Zhui Ma, knowing you can't eat seafood while recovering, I specially went to the city to buy some pork. Oh dear, the locals here don't eat pork, and it's hard to find it. I saw a wealthy lady in the apartment building to the east, always carrying a pet pig, so I knocked on her door, gritted my teeth, and bought it for her."

Du Mo, who suddenly burst in, shouted joyfully, shattering my chaotic thoughts like a bullet hitting glass.

"Hmph, how did you see that lady with a pet pig? Were you spying on her with a sniper scope?"

Hearing my sarcasm, Du Mo quickly raised a thick arm, scratched the back of his head, and chuckled, showing some embarrassment.

"Hehe, while accompanying you during your recovery, I also had to keep an eye on the surrounding situation! If someone came in and disturbed your treatment, that would be terrible."

Du Mo argued, holding up a string of sausages. "Look, look at these glistening sausages, they're just like a beautiful woman's cherry lips painted with rouge. Mr. Zhui Ma, you must eat more. The sausages made by my master chef, Du Mo, are absolutely extraordinary. I guarantee you'll want more after you eat them, and you'll even drool in your dreams.

" I shook my head helplessly and smiled bitterly, thinking, "Du Mo, Du Mo, how could you know how heavy the burden on my heart is right now? If you knew that Duoguwa has fallen into the hands of the pirate king, I'm afraid you would immediately sit on the ground and wail."

Chapter 333: A Gaze That Tears Off Face

I took the sausage from Du Mo and tentatively took a bite. Perhaps because I hadn't eaten for several days, my stomach was empty. The taste buds were immediately excited by the salty meat of the sausage, and the feeling of hunger surged unbearably.

"Hehe, how about it? Mr. Zhui Ma, I didn't brag this time, did I! This method of making sausages is something I borrowed from that corridor waiter when we checked into the Beiru Hotel." Before leaving, I noticed she seemed to have forgotten to ask me for it, so I brought it over without really thinking. See, it's come in very handy now.

I chewed the sausage vigorously, feeling hungrier the more I ate. The string of food in my hand seemed thinner and smaller than before I started eating.

"So, you're saying you stole a cookbook from a girl, and I should praise you?" Du Mo hunched over, his mouth half-open, watching me devour the food. He couldn't help but wipe his wet lips and hissed.

"You eat first. I have to go cook for that woman. If she sees that I specially made pork sausage for you, but there's no share for her, that would be terrible."

Du Mo turned and left the house. I opened my shirt and saw that my wound was healing well, which relieved me. I secretly prayed, "Hurry up and heal quickly. This isn't the time to be weak, otherwise I'll be torn apart and eaten by someone in this dog-eat-dog world." "

Du Mo finished preparing dinner, delivered it to the Soul-Withering Snail in the next room, exchanged a few more humble pleasantries, then wiped the sweat from his brow and ran back to my bedroom.

"Mr. Zhui Ma, it's been raining outside for days, and it's still pouring down. Since you're alright, I'll keep you company and have a good chat to cheer you up."

This Du Mo, even though he just wanted to chat, acted like he was genuinely concerned about me.

I knew that Du Mo rarely spoke directly when he talked to me; he always got to the emotional high point before revealing his true thoughts.

I didn't call him out on it; I couldn't do anything about it anyway, so I just listened to his rambling.

"Oh dear!" This dark-skinned, chubby guy sighed heavily, as if he had put a lot of effort into cooking for the Soul-Withering Snail and exhausted himself.

"You don't know, while you were unconscious these past few days, Du Mo didn't go anywhere; he stayed with you the whole time." Until yesterday, that eerie woman was still holding a strange bundle of straw, lighting it, and circling around you. The scene was like examining a naked corpse; it terrified me, and I quickly tried to stop her, saying, "Heroine, Bodhisattva, the person is still breathing! You can't burn them!" But she completely ignored me, treating me like I was invisible.

Hearing Du Mo recount this, I couldn't help but be startled. Did this assassin from Myanmar believe in witchcraft?

Du Mo paused, glanced cautiously outside, and continued, "But thinking of you, Mr. Zhui Ma, who has been kind to me, I couldn't stand idly by, no matter how dangerous it was. So, I refused to back down, loudly urging her, 'No need to fumigate anymore! No need to fumigate anymore! I've been guarding here every day; if there were any flies or mosquitoes bothering us, I would have swatted them dead long ago.' But even after she finished fumigating and left, she didn't say a word." "

Dumo's words immediately put me on alert. I quickly pulled up my clothes, sniffed them, and then opened my shirt to smell my own skin.

Dumo's life-saving efforts hadn't been in vain, nor had the Euros I'd given him. Dumo's wisdom was indeed rare among the elite pirates.

Although he couldn't understand what the Withering Soul Conch wanted to do to me, he knew in his heart that this matter was very strange and he had to wait until I woke up to remind me; perhaps I could figure it out myself.

Dumo stopped speaking, allowing me to frown and ponder for a moment, before continuing, 'Mr. Chase, your injuries have almost healed. There's something I haven't dared to say before, afraid that it would cause you anxiety and worsen your injuries. So, I should tell you now.'"

“Go on,” I replied calmly to Du Mo. “Jason Jody said he deeply regrets Luya’s passing and advised you not to be discouraged. If you really can’t bear it, you should go back to the Sea Demon and visit Yi Liang. He also said that although your mission hasn’t made much progress, you’ve still put in a lot of effort. He encouraged you not to feel guilty and just come back to the ship. Jason Jody is also quite concerned about you and wants to treat you to a feast.”

Du Mo’s voice grew softer as he spoke, as if he knew that Jason Jody’s summons of me back was likely for some serious reason.

Hearing this, I gritted my teeth and cursed inwardly, “Hmph, that insidious old man! Du Mo and I risked our lives to bring you this ‘thunder,’ and he still pretends to say that my mission hasn’t made much progress.”

I knew very well that, given the current situation, that old devil Jason Jody had probably set a trap for me. Now that the top experts were all gathered, it was time for him to discard me after he had served his purpose.

Du Mo's words clearly implied that if I didn't return to the ship and visit Yi Liang, he would be ruthless towards these women.

My mind replayed the scene of me being suspended above the slaughtering basin, and the moment when Ming Zhong Shui removed the veil, revealing his skeletal face with its entire mouth cut off. Taking a heavy

breath, I suddenly raised my face, saying calmly and resignedly, "Okay, arrange a small truck. I'll go with them as soon as the rain stops."

Du Mo was so surprised by my quick agreement, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. However, Du Mo also knew that for Yi Liang's sake, I had to return to the Sea Demon no matter what.

"Come to the outer room, I have something to say." Before Du Mo and I could even see the doorway, a sinister woman suddenly appeared and turned away.

Only her sorrowful, gentle voice lingered in our ears, like an enamel bowl shattering on the ground.

"You don't need to smile at me the moment you see me. I know pretty much what you're thinking." Du Mo and I had just sat down at the wooden table when the Soul-Withering Conch said this to me. But she seemed to never even look at Du Mo directly.

This strange and dangerous woman never uttered a word of nonsense; she was incredibly taciturn. Moreover, every word she spoke was like a sharp dagger she had pulled out in the bathroom that day, piercing straight to the heart.

Du Mo felt innocent and couldn't help but turn his face to look at me. His shiny black forehead was now covered in beads of sweat. The Soul-Withering Conch's sorrowful phoenix eyes seemed to be able to tear through the disguise on a person's face and see what they were thinking.

Chapter 334: The Belated Town Hunter.

The Soul-Withering Conch's words were meant to be sarcastic; she wanted me to understand that Du Mo's reverence for her was genuine. And my friendly smile whenever I faced her was a smile hiding a knife, harboring ill intentions.

Faced with such an aggressive and intelligent woman, I naturally had to be sensible. So I dropped my fake smile and revealed my cold, murderous true self.

"You're a rather peculiar man. You seem serene and indifferent, yet your heart is burdened with a thousand pounds of worldly affairs. It's useless; those eyes of yours are still the windows to your soul, used to sell yourself to others."

A chill ran through me: "What is this woman trying to say? Why has she suddenly become so verbose?"

I had to admit that whenever I saw the dark, bright eyes of the Soul-Withering Conch, it was like looking at a blind girl, and the Soul-Withering Conch was the kind of person whose eyes were bright but whose heart was dead. "

That day, when you saw the portrait in the scroll, why did you spit out a mouthful of blood in such a rage? Have you seen this person in the painting? Or do you have some grudge against him?" "

Hearing the question from the Withered Soul Conch reminds me of something. When Destiny Water impersonated the Hanging Crow, she told me that the Withered Soul Conch from Myanmar had hunted down the target Destiny Water was protecting, but this woman herself was nearly killed by Destiny Water.

" "Phew." I breathed a sigh of relief, my brows furrowed tightly, and slowly said as if recalling the past, "In Bangkok, Thailand, a beloved of mine died tragically under Destiny Water's torture. I was in great pain and anger at the time, so I sought out my superiors to find information on this person to take revenge, but... just like you said that day, I was misled by the other party." "

After saying that, I gritted my teeth in excruciating pain, as if a long-standing wound had been reopened. Dumo, sitting beside me, hadn't dared to breathe loudly the whole time. Seeing how dramatic I sounded, he quickly took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his brow with his chubby hand. The

Soul-Slaying Conch, however, remained unmoved, shaking its head at me expressionlessly, but saying nothing.

"I know you. Your name is Chasing Horse, and in the Southeast Asian mercenary class, you're considered a legendary mercenary. In the secret letter hunting you down, you were coded as a traitorous 'killing machine.'" "

At this point, the Soul-Slaying Conch paused, paused briefly, and then sighed softly. She kept repeating 'mercenary' over and over, her tone dripping with disdain and contempt.

At that moment, I felt like a laborer who had worked his way up from humble beginnings, now worthy of being lectured by this poignant and elegant lady. The phrase 'you laborers, you laborers' that came out of her mouth was so sharp and sarcastic.

'I've been to Southeast Asia, and I've heard of many refugees in border areas being slaughtered by mercenaries who cleanse their territories. Killing machines, machine machine machine—how many unarmed women and children must die for you to earn such a reputation? In those places, what does it matter if you kill hundreds or thousands of vulnerable lives! They're just a pack of mad dogs rushing into a chicken coop. But here, humph! Even if you wanted to kill one more, it would be harder than climbing to heaven.'" "

I sensed something was off about her tone. This woman, all she was saying, was using the term 'little bastard.' It was clearly mocking me, laughing at how, no matter how clever I tried to be, I was nothing more than a stray dog that had escaped from a pack of mad dogs that only knew how to bite chicks. (Full text novel reading at www.16k.cn (16k.cn Literature Network))

Killing one would be harder than ascending to heaven, probably implying that, compared to the international headhunting world, I was simply not on her level.

I thought this woman's childhood trauma must be very severe, perhaps even beyond what most people could imagine, far exceeding the misfortunes I had experienced in my own childhood."

"Before I left Burma, some high-ranking officials hired me to hunt down your head, but they were willing to pay less than half of what I offered. Besides, employers in those places often play naive tricks after the job is done; they mostly lack integrity, unlike the Pirate King who's straightforward. So, you should be grateful that you're still alive."

Hearing this, I finally understood what this woman was trying to say. She wanted to intimidate me before cooperating, then reassure me that Jason Jody wouldn't treat me unfairly after the mission.

Although my expression remained impassive, I was inwardly seething with anger: "Grateful? Grateful to whom? I'm still alive because I killed my opponent, not the other way around. Since I was a child, I've been starving..." "Big brother, I was raised to be beaten, not scared."

I have to admit that during those years of hiding and surviving in that nameless town in Cambodia, I was almost constantly numbed by alcohol and indulging in women.

Back then, if a headhunter of similar caliber to the Soul-Withering Snail had secretly come to the town to kill me, it would have been an easy task. Just like me now, hunting down Dumo in a small town.

But now, sitting at the wooden table, although I still have a small wound on my chest, the dormant killing instinct embedded in my bone marrow has been fully activated. Every cell in my blood is like the inside of a killing machine, with countless tiny gears spinning at high speed. At

this point, if the Soul-Withering Snail is bored and looking for trouble, it's hard to say who will be the one to hunt whose head.

Today's conversation was rather strange. Even if the Withered Soul Conch was harmed by mercenaries when she was young, what did that have to do with me, Chasing Horse? She looked down on mercenaries who were used as tools and ordered to slaughter innocent people, and I, Chasing Horse, was no different.

On the battlefield, one's fate is not one's own. Even if I told the Withered Soul Conch my grievances, I would not receive sympathy or pity in return, but rather a cold snort from this woman.

Since I couldn't explain it to her, and even if I could, when the time came to act, the Withered Soul Conch, for the sake of earning the Pirate King's hefty commission, would not even blink an eye and suddenly turn on me. If I weren't realistic, I, Chasing Horse, would have been killed by my so-called "friends" long ago.

At this moment, the Withered Soul Conch and I were only in slightly different living conditions. Her current hunting state was no different in essence from those mercenaries.

The Withered Soul Conch's relentless nagging and even lecturing me had only one fundamental reason. That is: she believes I am weaker than her, and once we fight, I will surely be her victim.

If I were the one destined for water, sitting right under her nose, I doubt this woman would dare to say such a thing.

This woman rattled off a whole string of words, as if my image had stirred up unbearable memories for her. Du Mo and I remained around the wooden table, like two children, listening blankly as the woman finished her lecture.

Chapter 335: The Human-Shaped Gecko Under the Window

"There is one more thing. When you were unconscious, I saw you constantly calling out and struggling in your dreams, your emotions were extremely unstable. So I used 'Soul-Soothing Fragrance' to bless you. This plant has a special scent that can drive away some unclean things and protect your life. For the next half month, do not use soap or shampoo when bathing."

Upon hearing the Soul-Soothing Conch explain the reason for my infection, Du Mo, still in a state of tension, quickly clasped his hands together and bowed to the Soul-Soothing Conch, as if thanking a Bodhisattva.

Dumo was actually terrified, and he always seized every opportunity to ingratiate himself with that woman, just like when he first met me. I nodded to the woman, whose eyes always held a hint of sorrow and resentment, and gave her a grateful smile.

Dumo and I got up, left the outer room, and went into the bedroom. Dumo, who was following me, was about to close the door when the woman suddenly added, "Little Fatty, the food you've been cooking these past few days has been quite good, more to my liking. However, if you dare to point your finger at me and curse, I guarantee you won't have the chance to cook me another meal."

Dumo, who had just recovered from his tension, was suddenly reminded of this by the Withering Soul Shell behind him. The Kodo beast's internal organs almost twisted into a pretzel, and its entire black face glowed green.

Although the Withering Soul Shell was clearly referring to Dumo, the woman's words were like a dart, actually aimed at me, warning me not to have any naive ideas.

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. What a sinister and terrifying woman: the Soul-Withering Snail. Every day after returning to her bedroom, instead of lying down and sleeping peacefully, she would climb out of the window by her bedside, like a giant gecko, crawling all over the walls, circling from the west side of the apartment to the east.

I don't know how many times she had eavesdropped on my conversation with Du Mo from under the window outside.

Du Mo hurriedly closed the door, staring at me with wide, round eyes, looking extremely uneasy. "Chase, chase, chase Mr. Ma, this woman has a kind heart, she even knows how to care for people,"

Du Mo stammered, but his terrified face remained fixed on the door.

"This dangerous woman who kills without hesitation, how could she have a kind heart? What 'soothing herbal medicine'? It's probably just 'soul-withering herbal medicine'," I thought to myself, but didn't dare say it aloud to Du Mo.

In the following days, as Dumo and I chatted idly in the bedroom, I kept feeling that a murderous woman was lurking beneath the window.

The rain continued for a week, and my injuries had mostly healed. The post-rain dusk was damp and sultry, and toads croaked everywhere in the cracks of the rocks around the apartment.

A white pickup truck reappeared from the foot of Buale, slowly driving up the steep hillside. Dumo, head bowed dejectedly, handed me a large, neatly packed bag. His usual lecherous face was gone, replaced by an indescribable sadness.

I took my gleaming Barrett sniper rifle, slung my green canvas satchel full of sniper magazines over my shoulder, and got into the pickup. With those two things in hand, I could grit my teeth and endure any hardship or danger.

Dumo raised a large, dark hand and stood in front of the apartment's iron gate at the end of the hillside, waving goodbye to me repeatedly and wiping his eyes from time to time.

With me gone, Dumo was left alone, spending the night guarding that eerie, terrifying woman, his heart pounding with fear until dawn.

This time, the driver of the small truck was still the same thin, dark-skinned man who had taken Dumo and me to the Juba River last time. I sat in the passenger seat, clutching my sniper rifle tightly. The car swayed and bounced quite violently.

The evening breeze after the rain blew in through the cracks in the car window, ruffling my collar and the long hair on my forehead. I gently inhaled the refreshing night air; a feeling like being bathed in spring water seeped into my heart and mind. This blissful feeling, the sweeter and more exhilarating it was, the more it squeezed out the bitter juice from my troubled heart, like twisted vines.

A thin, dark-skinned man with a cigarette dangling from his lips waited for his chance. Seeing my cloud-like melancholy and my silence in the car, he offered me a cheap cigarette, suggesting I take a couple of puffs to relieve my fatigue.

I shook my head at him and warned him not to smoke either, as darkness was approaching and we didn't want to be shot in the head in the middle of the night.

Six armed escorts still stood in the back of the truck. The pirate holding the SVD sniper rifle, however, no longer possessed the arrogant bandit's arrogance he had displayed earlier.

This pirate sniper might have some prestige on the Sea Demon, but he was unlikely to be a match for Dumo. Just from the time I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up, I knew how aggressive his flesh and blood were. Any pirate soldier with such mediocre strength would be terrified if I grabbed them once.

Night was beginning to fall in Buale. The muddy water still clinging to the outdoor light bulbs flickered and shimmered with an unseen glow.

Citizens, cooped up at home for days by the heavy rain, were now overjoyed, laughing and shouting as they surged into every street.

Skinny, dark-skinned women, draped in brightly colored floral drapes, some carrying earthenware pots on their heads, others carrying dark wooden baskets, hawked their wares along the streets. The skinny men eagerly gathered together, chatting about everyday matters.

The pickup truck slowly weaved through the streets and pedestrians, gradually leaving Buale City under the dim, scattered neon lights, speeding across the semi-desert, semi-grassland plains, heading south along the Juba River.

The night sky was filled with countless stars, each one bright and sparkling, like diamonds scattered and rolling in a dark dish. The three small cities of Bilo, Gilib, and Jamma flashed past the night view outside the car window one after another. The pickup truck sped along, getting closer and closer to the coastline.

As we passed through the last coconut grove by the sea, the vast ocean, its sleeping body bobbing, murmured softly. After getting off the vehicle, the dark-skinned, skinny man and I walked north along the coast. Soon we saw a white speedboat already floating on the water's edge, waiting.

We boarded the speedboat, and four or five burly, armed pirates approached. They seemed unconcerned about my arrival, but were annoyed with the man beside me, muttering something in English, apparently complaining about the long wait.

None of the four or five pirates on the speedboat wanted to speak to me; they only cared about speeding the boat, seemingly terrified of something, as if a giant beast might appear in the surrounding waters at any moment and devour our small boat.

The airship's motor whirred, its propeller at the stern splashing water, creating a white spray. I raised my worried face, facing the cold sea breeze, gazing at the endless black sea.

Chapter 336: The little girl on the deck

was about to see Yi Liang, and I couldn't help but feel a little happy, but along with it were too many unknowns, life and death uncertainties.

That day in the mud forest, since the hanging crow beside me was Mingzhongshui, then who was the guy who appeared on the southernmost valley top?

Without a doubt, this person was definitely not the assassin of the Pirate King, and what reason would force Mingzhongshui to abandon Babatu, who was almost in his grasp, and instead attack him?

I now have to admire Mingzhongshui's intelligence, why he has a good reputation among the eight legendary assassins. Because Mingzhongshui saw at a glance that the two shots fired at Babatu by the mysterious assassin in the southern valley were actually a deceptive tactic.

If Mingzhongshui and I had misjudged the situation, mistakenly believing the assassin in the southern valley was also targeting Babatu,

then when our attention was focused on Babatu, the moment his running body flashed through the muddy forest, exposing us to the firing line from the southern valley, one of our heads might have been pierced by a bullet. Realizing this only when we were dying would have been too late.

The assassin in the valley must have been one of the eight legendary figures. If he were an ordinary assassin, his first two shots would likely have been aimed at Mingzhongshui and me.

But that guy cunningly used feints to cover Babatu's retreat. This tactic might be commonplace for Mingzhongshui in countless battles.

To me, this feeling was like a piranha raised in a fish tank suddenly finding itself in a vast river. Seeing other fish fleeing, it not only failed to recognize the danger but also assumed it was its owner throwing food.

Therefore, even if a piranha raised in a fish tank has incredibly sharp teeth, it would be almost impossible for it to survive without quickly adapting to its environment.

Having learned my lesson, now that I've infiltrated the eight legendary assassins and this brutal pirate struggle, I have no choice but to take another bite of my own flesh, digest it, and use it as energy to fight them to the bitter end.

However, I know deeply that no matter how strong one's will is, once the body is fatally wounded by a sharp weapon, everything instantly vanishes.

If the guy lying in ambush in the southern valley is indeed an assassin hired by the Sea Demon, then Jason Jody will surely know about my collaboration with Destiny Water to kill Babatu.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shudder, because a misty archipelago had already appeared far above the sea.

The Sea Demon must be hidden among the archipelago. How Jason Jody will treat me after boarding the ship is something I can only wait and see.

The thought of actually fighting these guys on the pirate ship, especially the one with the painted face and the one lying in ambush in the valley, sent chills down my spine.

Based on my deduction, the speedboat had already entered the Seychelles area and was searching for the mother ship, the Sea Demon, along the eastern coast. Just

as the sun rose above the sea, I finally saw the enormous ship: the Sea Demon.

A few early-rising pirates, their burly arms bare and their eyes still sleepy, stood listlessly on the deck, pulling at the large nets laid out overnight.

I stood in my small boat, and as the ship slowly approached the large vessel, I climbed onto the deck using the rope ladder that had been thrown down, carrying my rifle.

Then, the speedboat was hoisted onto the deck by machinery. The deck was empty and rather deserted; not a single pirate came out to greet me.

The pirates' fishing nets, hauled up by the pirates, were laden with plump crabs and krill. One of the rude pirates, accidentally pinched by a crab's claw, immediately flew into a rage, slamming the large crab that had drawn blood onto the deck, stomping on it and cursing incessantly.

One of the pirates who had secured the speedboat, a man with a scar on his left cheek, stood at the other end of the deck, calling out to me and waving, gesturing for me to come over.

This huge pirate ship didn't look particularly special; to avoid the escort ships of various countries on the high seas, they had disguised themselves as an ordinary cargo ship.

In the bridge in the middle of the deck, a pretty girl was waving vigorously at me through the glass.

I recognized her immediately—it was Yi Liang, whom I had been thinking about constantly. Before my brain even gave the command to walk, my feet were already striding towards her.

Yi Liang ran out of the cockpit and threw herself into my arms. She couldn't utter a word for a long time, only tears streaming down her pretty face, soaking my shoulder.

I hugged the girl tightly, my chin stroking her head, caressing every strand of hair, wishing I could shrink her down, put her in my pocket, and take her away.

"Yi Liang, when did you get promoted to captain of the pirate ship?" I tried to make her laugh to stop her crying.

Yi Liang wiped her tear-streaked face and sobbed, "No, the old captain told me you'd be back tonight. I got up early this morning, intending to wait for you on deck, but the sea breeze was too cold, and I was afraid you'd scold me, so I hid in the cockpit to wait."

I pinched Yi Liang's delicate shoulders and looked her up and down. This girl was indeed much better off than before. On this well-fed pirate ship, a little food and drink was far better than the hardships I endured with her. However, a hint of melancholy, like the lingering sorrow of a young girl, appeared between her beautiful brows.

"I'm fine, you must be worried about me! Chi Chun is fine too. The women we rescued on the desert island have been sent to South Africa by the old captain. He said there are embassies there that will repatriate each woman to her country."

I asked Yi Liang when the women were sent away, and she told me it was about two days ago.

During their time on the ship, the women helped with chores like cleaning the deck every day. Later, the old captain thought they consumed too much food and discovered that many of them were pregnant, so he sent them all away.

"You, you're almost a little pirate now, and you call yourself the old captain!" I said, playfully flicking Yi Liang's fair nose with my finger. Yi Liang smiled shyly and snuggled back into my arms.

The morning mist diffused the rising sun, reflecting countless colorful rays onto the cool, damp deck. Seeing that the pirate who had called me was gone, I pulled Yi Liang into the bridge.

It was still early; Jason Jody, that old geezer, probably hadn't gotten up yet. Whether the rescued women were truly sent to South Africa, or shot and thrown into the sea en route, I could no longer confirm.

Currently, my own life hung by a thread; I could only pray to God that these women of various skin colors would return safely to their countries.

Chapter 337: The Iron Claw that Scratches Skulls
Only when the sun had fully risen above the sea, casting its rays across the entire deck, did a pirate approach from the stern and tell me to see Jason Jody.

Yi Liang reluctantly let go of my hand. I told her not to worry, and that when I wasn't on the ship, she had to learn to survive and become a brave little pirate.

While comforting the little girl with teary eyes, my hands unconsciously gripped the two FN57 pistols hanging on my back. I thought this might be the last time I touched the gentle Yi Liang; once we were in the cabin, life or death would be clear.

Following the pirate with a scar on his left cheek, I went down to the cabin from the stern of the deck and walked along the corridor further in.

The pirate leading the way wasn't carrying any weapons. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept a constant watch on both sides, especially on those two legendary figures.

Jason Jody was a cunning and unconventional old fox; I had to be careful. He might send someone to heaven before suddenly plunging them into hell.

This insidious method was far more cruel than simply throwing someone into hell, and of course, far more satisfying for the perpetrator. So, the fact that the Soul-Withering Gate didn't kill me at the Buale Apartments didn't necessarily mean Jason Jody wasn't planning to.

At this moment, if I realized these guys had laid a trap to kill me, don't blame me for unleashing my full bloodlust. Even if I was destined not to make it back to the deck alive, I'd kill as many as I could.

Entering a dimly lit warehouse, I heard a "snap," and dozens of 300-watt incandescent bulbs on the ceiling and walls blazed on, blinding me instantly.

I immediately squinted, protecting my vision from being interrupted. Across from the warehouse, an old man sat in a rocking chair, smoking a pipe. I knew this was Jason Jody.

Although he was smoking a pipe, he was holding a blueprint, seemingly about to turn on the light to read it, when I suddenly appeared before him.

At this moment, my palms were sweating, my muscles twitched, and my arm instinctively reached for my gun. Jason Jody, the old man, was completely absorbed in the blueprint, seemingly oblivious to me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I began scanning the entire warehouse. Suddenly, I felt a gust of cold wind rush down from above.

It was too late to look up, so I quickly and simultaneously tilted my feet to the left, my legs splitting wide, causing my upper body to plummet.

In that lightning-fast instant, my eyes rolled back and I saw two gleaming, cold claws aimed straight for my head.

The sheer force of the gust of wind alone was enough to predict the destructive power of the attack. A slow reaction would result in more than just a ripped-off scalp; the skull would be ripped open.

Utilizing the relative distance between us as we fell, my arms, like a butterfly trap triggered, shot up overhead, gripping the wrists controlling the iron claws.

Simultaneously, my back and waist tensed, ready to slam the attacker to the floor, shattering his internal organs and rupturing his intestines.

But suddenly, I felt his body go limp; the force of his previous vertical dive vanished instantly. The body I had thrown from mid-air, about to hit the floor, suddenly leaped up, its legs coiling around my waist.

"Hmph hmph hmph hmph..." This creature, whose face I hadn't even seen clearly, suddenly let out a series of sinister laughs, sending chills down my spine.

I gritted my teeth, revealing a fierce and savage expression. I pulled the two wrists I held tightly to either side with a powerful, forceful pull, forcing the other man's upper body towards me. I aimed my forehead at the masked man's nose and slammed it into his.

However, he deftly tilted his head to the right, like a giant python slamming its head down from a tree, aiming straight for my left neck.

I quickly jerked my head back to the left, and with a dull thud, our heads collided solidly. Although the impact made my vision blur, at least I didn't let him tear a piece of flesh from my neck.

The two iron claws I gripped tightly on my wrists had ten scalpel-like blades that moved nimbly, constantly rubbing together with the manipulator's fingers.

The chilling sound was like a whetstone scraping against a sharp sickle, sending a cold sweat down one's spine.

"Hmph, hmph..." The flames of anger within me slowly burned, and a fierce growl began to rumble in my throat.

I would rather break this guy's hands alive than let go. Because I couldn't throw him away immediately and regroup for another fight, which would allow me to draw the dagger from my calf.

However, this guy stubbornly wrapped his legs around my waist, refusing to give me a chance to draw my knife, and his two sharp claws seemed intent on digging into my flesh. If such a thing were to tear at me, five deep, blood-red fang-like gashes would appear on my skin.

Taking advantage of the brief moment of dizziness, I leaned forward, trying to flatten him onto the floor, and then, with a powerful backbend, I lifted the guy clinging to my waist to my feet.

At the same time, I pulled in my stomach, raised my right knee, and thrust it towards his tailbone. If he dared to pull away again at that moment, I would smash his testicles.

That powerful Thai knee strike, if it landed, would probably send his entire spine bursting through the back of his head.

"Stop!" The old man sitting to the side, who had been nonchalantly looking at blueprints, suddenly shouted.

I knew that if I really used a killing blow on the guy

on top of me, I would be shot in the back, so my knee strike instantly lost its force. I originally thought that Jason Jody stopped our fight to protect the guy who had ambushed me. However, when he removed his feet from me, I was shocked to notice that the gleaming blades on his two sharp iron claws had somehow doubled in length.

If I had actually managed to kick him away then, the muscles in my forearms would have been scraped by ten blades, leaving me crippled.

"This is my man, Mr. Raven, have mercy!" Jason Jody, sitting some distance away, said calmly, then casually flipped through the blueprint, looking at it thoughtfully.

"Heh heh heh heh... Old Captain, when did you get such a treasure!" The guy chuckled lewdly as he removed the claws from his hands.

Hearing the name "Raven," my heart skipped a beat. So, the "Nine-Lives Raven" that Destiny Water had been disguising was actually him.

Chapter 338: Raven Eyes on the Heart

The face, heavily covered, revealed only a pair of smooth, bright black eyes. Like the other headhunters among the Eight Legends, this guy also had a human skin totem on his body, which had extended to his face.

Because his eyelids were jet black, like a voluptuous woman wearing a thick layer of eyeshadow. But I knew in my heart that it was a flesh totem tattooed on his skin, making his originally normal eyes look like two bird eyes.

Staring into the eyes of this grinning fellow was inexplicably awkward, like a person bleeding profusely against a tree being watched intently by a hungry, ferocious crow. The crow's gaze held a sharp, sinister intensity, as if it intended to pounce and devour the person before they even breathed their last.

The Nine-Lives Crow was about 177 centimeters tall. Although his clothes concealed his body, he was undeniably robust, with a broad chest, wide shoulders, and a slender waist like a leopard. His seemingly slender torso and limbs revealed formidable muscles and bones as hard as steel in hand-to-hand combat. His lightning-fast movements were imbued with immense explosive power.

“Chasing Horse, although the mission hasn’t made any progress, now that you’re back, I’ll grant your request and officially accept you as a member of the Pirate Ship. From now on, the sea and land will tumble beneath your feet. Except for special missions, your life will be spent adrift at sea. This is your and Yi Liang’s home; live and die here together.”

Jason Jody finished speaking, the copper pipe between his teeth flickered, and he walked away with his hands behind his back. Nine Lives Raven quickly followed Jason Jody out of the warehouse.

“Bang, bang, bang…” The bright incandescent lights around me went out, and I stood alone in the darkness of the large warehouse. Only when everything became silent did I gradually hear my own heart pounding violently with fear.

It wasn't until I stumbled out of the warehouse, still alive, and stood on the deck again, that the taut nerves I'd been holding began to relax, one by one.

Yi Liang, having stayed up all night, was asleep in the cockpit. Chi Chun, holding her child, sobbed in my arms for a long time. I wiped the tears from her beautiful eyes and told her not to be afraid; we'd be leaving the ship soon.

I asked Chi Chun about what had happened since I left. She told me that recently, every pirate on board had displayed a mysterious fear, whether from the strange visitors on board or from the warships of various countries in the nearby waters.

At midday, the sea was calm. The lingering scent of shrimp and crab on the deck attracted many seagulls, which circled above the Sea Demon, emitting sharp cries.

I stood alone at the ship's railing, my arm resting on the railing, gazing thoughtfully at the distant sea. While worrying about Lu Ya's safety, my mind was also contemplating everything before me.

"Hahaha, Mr. Chasing Horse, you've practically worn out your gaze across this vast ocean." I turned around and saw the masked Raven walking straight towards me. I ignored him and looked back at the distant sea.

"What, still angry that I ambushed you earlier? I came here to hear you thank me." Raven's words sent a jolt through me.

"I say, Brother Chasing Horse, didn't you see the situation just now? If I hadn't saved you from the brink of death, you'd probably be drowning in the sea by now. And this isn't the only time I've saved you."

I understood what Raven meant. He was clearly telling me that Jason Jody had tried to kill me in the warehouse below deck, and Raven had intentionally fought me to a draw so that Jason Jody could see that Chasing Horse's value could still be exploited. So he ordered me to stop, using this as a strategy of recruitment to spare my life.

Since being tricked by the Water Spirit, I've become more cunning. I can only believe half of what these eight legendary assassins say; their unparalleled cunning is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Perhaps, as Raven said, Jason Jody intended to kill me, but seeing that I was evenly matched with Raven, he changed his mind and spared my life for later use. Moreover, in a crucial moment, I could restrain these high-end assassins he hired. However,

there's another possibility: Jason Jody never intended to kill me at all, but simply wanted me and Raven to spar, to curb the arrogance of these legendary assassins, so that when they demand their commissions, they wouldn't ask for exorbitant prices, thinking they were above everyone else. At the same time, it was also a warning to Raven and me not to act recklessly on his powerful ship.

If that's the case, given Raven's cunning, he would likely keep someone who poses no threat to him by his side to protect Jason Jody, in case they ever turn against him.

However, I couldn't be like a child and naively ask Jason Jody which situation it was, given these uncertainties and unanswerable questions. So, I could only keep them bottled up inside, suppressing them and remaining constantly on guard.

"Oh? If that's the case, I should indeed thank you. But, I wonder what other way to express my gratitude is?" I said coldly, my gaze still fixed on the distant sea, not letting him know that I had too many burdens in my heart.

"Hahaha, hahaha." At this moment, Xuan Ya stood in the sunlight, looking very cheerful, completely different from the sinister and ruthless assassin who fought me in the warehouse.

"Brother Zhui Ma, I think you should know who the assassin who suddenly appeared in the southern valley that day was. I saw with my own eyes that you were with Fu Ying-Ming Zhong Shui, and you also..."

Xuan Ya suddenly lowered his voice, deliberately omitting the last part, leaving me to guess.

My heart, which had been calm, began to pound again. This guy was saying I killed Babato, the assassin Jason Jody hired.

"But don't worry. I've heard about your deeds and admire your kind of upright, righteous, and passionate nature. This is something you and I know, but the old captain doesn't."

Hearing Raven say this, I felt a little relieved. No wonder the Withering Soul Conch didn't attack me in the apartment; Raven had been keeping this a secret.

"Oh!" Seeing my brow relax slightly, Raven let out a long, light sigh and stretched lazily in the sunlight.

“I think that black kid must have told you after he returned to Buale that there was another famous assassin on this ship. However, his twin brother was already killed in Madagascar. The only person with a motive to kill him, and who could possibly kill him, is Destiny Water.”

Hearing Raven mention Madagascar and the child lover killed on the reef, my previously relaxed mood suddenly tightened again, and I guessed what Raven was going to say next.

“Oh, by the way, when did you get together with Destiny Water? You must have been in Madagascar back then, right?”

Raven asked, feigning curiosity, but I knew that this exceptionally cunning fellow was not just chatting with me out of curiosity. So, I remained silent again.

"You might not know this, but the assassin who died in Madagascar was only half a child fetishist, or rather, a small part of one. You probably saw it too; the human skin totem hadn't even reached his face yet. But this guy on the boat, you should take a good look at him sometime. Tsk tsk, he's the kind of guy who runs around like a madman with a cage in his arms."

Hearing him suddenly change the subject, this seemingly carefree and unrestrained Nine-Lives Raven began to fill me with unease and a sense of foreboding. Those previously sinister and sharp eyes were now staring at me unblinkingly from his very core.

Chapter 339: The Floating Baby on the Indus River
At this moment, this child fetishist on the same boat must be seething with hatred for the Water of Fate. If he knew I had also participated in that hunt, he would definitely fight me to the death. The nature of this matter, and the danger it brought, was far more serious than me secretly killing Babatu without Jason Jody's knowledge.

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "What a 'Floating Infant - Water of Fate'! He deliberately dragged me along when killing 'Half a Child of Love

,' his true intention being to drag me down with him as soon as possible." Even if Hanging Crow didn't reveal this secret, if I became enemies with Water of Fate in the future, he only needed to reveal it to the living Child of Love on the ship. Without him lifting a finger, I would be in big trouble.

This tactic of using someone else to kill, and killing two birds with one stone, was so unpredictable and insidious. Water of Fate is not only unfathomable, but terrifyingly deep. I now understand that the saying, "Some people are alive, but they are already dead," has a much deeper meaning.

Water of Fate's scheming is more terrifying than his sniper bullets, and its range is farther. It can be said that he holds the lifeline of someone from a thousand miles away.

Hanging Crow glanced sideways, seeing that I seemed greatly moved after hearing these words, no longer able to maintain my indifferent calm, which pleased him greatly.

I knew clearly that Hanging Crow was not a friendly acquaintance. If I don't give him a hint, make him feel that I've got his "weak point" figured out, he probably won't reveal his intentions anytime soon.

"Hehe, Brother Zhuima, I heard you single-handedly wiped out Cang Gui and his entire gang. I, Xuan Ya, truly admire you. Hehe." Xuan Ya looked me over amicably, paused, and continued.

"Buzz." Hearing Xuan Ya mention Cang Gui, I felt my head spinning, and I roughly guessed what this guy was after.

"Hehe, I've been on Cang Gui's big ship before. After Brother Zhuima seized it, besides the warehouse full of weapons, I didn't find anything else, huh? Hehehehe..."

Clearly, Raven, through some means, learned that Jason Jody had acquired an astonishing amount of weapons on the Canggui ship, but hadn't found a large fortune—at most a bag of gold on the kitchen roof of the second-floor cabin, and several packets of large gemstones hidden in the corners of the armory.

Jason Jody, having obtained valuable weapons and some gold and gemstones, was quite satisfied and didn't think much of it. But Raven, the outsider, thought much more deeply.

Above the deck, the cries of circling seagulls seemed like countless shards of ice piercing my heart. Even if I hadn't actually found and hidden the Canggui's enormous black market fortune, at this moment, I couldn't say I hadn't.

Raven's inexplicable defense of me was naturally motivated by this potential wealth; if I told him there was no such thing...

It was easy to imagine how Raven would express his disappointment. Even if Jason Jody were willing to let me go, that assassin with the painted face on the ship would definitely come to kill me with flames spitting from his eyes. At that point, even the old captain Jason Jody probably wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Hmph, those things, sincerity is all it takes, huh?" I chuckled coldly, then retorted to the scorching-eyed guy in front of me.

"Hehehehe, hehehehe, I understand, I understand. Brother Chasing Horse is a good person. I, Raven, would very much like to be your friend. Between friends, it's too boring to just talk about those things. When it's time for you to spread your wings, I will naturally give you a hand again."

Raven's words were somewhat encouraging, and my face was filled with excitement, but I knew very well that the words of the eight legendary assassins could only be believed halfway. In this complex crisis, only my own fists and weapons would be forever loyal and reliable.

“Alright, I’ll be your friend. As long as I, Zhui Ma, have a breath left, half of all my possessions will belong to you, Xuan Ya.” I said resolutely, a new hope shining in my eyes.

“Hahahaha, good, good!” Xuan Ya patted the railing on the ship’s side, letting out a hearty laugh, looking nothing like a bandit trying to extort me.

“Since we’re friends now, I won’t hold back. I’ll ask you some questions that have been bothering me.” Seeing that this guy was in a good mood, I seized the opportunity to speak.

“Hehe, ask away. You’re my friend now, and I don’t want you to be hurt by others without knowing the truth.” Xuan Ya spoke with great enthusiasm, his face beaming.

“Do you want to know about Ming Zhong Shui? He’s a real formidable rival, hahaha.” Before I could even ask, Xuan Ya had already seen through my thoughts.

I nodded and listened to Xuan Ya tell me about Ming Zhong Shui. Legend has it that the child, named Shui, was born on a fishing boat on the Balito River in Indonesia. He slipped from between the legs of the woman who had conceived him, and his father, grabbing his bloodied calves, slammed him into the river.

Shui's mother, pregnant with another man's child, was forced to marry the fisherman after a period of hardship. After she had fulfilled her mission of bearing children, the cruel fisherman, fearing the young life, heartlessly threw him into the river so that the woman, now empty of her womb, could have intercourse with him again and produce his own offspring.

However, an unexpected thing happened: the crying infant floated on his back, as if protected by a lifeline.

Even more unusual, although the child was covered in blood, the snakes and crocodiles lurking on the surface of the water only scrambled to eat the unborn fruit and filth thrown into the water, never daring to approach the piercingly crying infant.

A cargo ship from out of town, traveling to purchase tea, happened to pass through the middle of the river, saw this strange phenomenon, and retrieved the child.

From then on, no one knew the whereabouts of the baby. More than twenty years later, a very strange and mysterious assassin appeared among the hunters, and people began to say that he was the floating baby on the Barito River, with the strange name: Destiny Water.

After listening to Xuan Ya's serious account, a hint of annoyance appeared on my face. The treasures hidden on the rocky walls of the deserted island were easily divided up in half by him, but in return

, I got these insignificant and trivial rumors. This legend might have been deliberately fabricated by Destiny Water to add to the mystery, and it wouldn't help me find Luya at all.

After Xuan Ya finished speaking, he noticed the dissatisfaction between my brows, but then continued with feigned nonchalance. "As for Destiny Water himself, I have seen him, and even fought with him."

Hearing him say this, a strange look appeared in my eyes, and Xuan Ya, seeing this, immediately said with relief.

Chapter 340: The Butterfly Leg That Tears Through Defense

"That was in the Lakshmallows, on a stormy night. The Sea Demon was anchored nearby, preparing for maintenance before hijacking an Indian cargo ship. Unexpectedly, the Sea Demon lurked on the surface, intending to take the pirate king's head. That guy's audacity was extraordinary. When he discovered that Baba Tu and I were also on board, it was too late to escape, and we captured him alive."

As Xuan Ya spoke, a hint of smugness appeared on his face behind the canvas. "But he's still alive," I said coldly.

"Heh, yes, he's still alive, and he escaped right before my eyes. The scene is still terrifying to recall. His life-saving killing technique was simply... simply... ah, I won't say anymore, it's too horrible. To avoid leaving you with any psychological trauma when you fight him later."

Xuan Ya spoke with deep emotion, as if recalling a painful memory. But I didn't care. I thought to myself, "Hmph, what happened that night, and what kind of deadly technique Mingzhongshui used to escape, is not the key. As long as his flesh grows back, a dagger can pierce through it, and a bullet can penetrate it, I will find Luya even if it costs me my life."

"Why can't I see the human skin totem on Mingzhongshui's face?" My question startled Xuanya, who was lost in thought. He pondered for a moment before saying somewhat embarrassedly,

"Those two pieces of flesh with the baby's skin tattooed on them are with me. Sigh!" Xuanya sighed deeply after speaking. "This grudge will have to be settled sooner or later."

At this moment, Xuanya seemed to finally reveal the true feelings of a normal person. It wasn't hard to hear that Xuanya had cut off Mingzhongshui's mouth.

Now, I finally understood why Mingzhongshui abandoned Babatu in the mud forest of Somalia that day, and instead of acting normally, rushed towards the southern valley, leaving me alone to face the powerful Babatu.

"What, are you thinking about that scene in the mud forest that day?" Seeing me lost in thought after hearing his words, Xuan Ya immediately saw through my thoughts.

"Yes." I looked up again at the vast, boundless sea, which mirrored the sorrow floating in my heart.

"I'm wondering if killing Babatu was right or wrong." Xuan Ya patted my shoulder, saying with some regret.

"Brother, it's not that I underestimate you, but that day in the mud forest, if it weren't for Han Tiannu's appearance, in our two-on-two fight, the first one to die would definitely be you, not Babatu."

Xuan Ya removed his hand from my shoulder, leaning back on the railing, as if sharing my sorrow, also gazing at the boundless sea. The sunlight was evenly distributed, and the azure water shimmered with dazzling white light.

"Compared to intercepting Baba Tu, Mingzhong Shui wants to kill me more, just as I want to kill him." Xuan Ya narrowed his eyes slightly, as if weary of the irreconcilable feud between him and Mingzhong Shui.

The only solution was for one of them to be killed by the other, so that the remaining one could live in peace, no longer constantly on guard against each other.

"Sigh! Enough of this. I have to tell you something else, lest your good brother encounters Hantian Nu in the future and suffers a loss at his hands, that would be my loss."

The two-on-two fight that Xuan Ya mentioned was meant to let me know that when Babatu fought me, he didn't know that his opponent was a legendary mercenary, so he underestimated me.

At the same time, he was more worried about the other two assassins, fearing that Han Tiannu or Ming Zhongshui might launch a surprise attack. Therefore, Babatu wasn't focusing all his attention on me.

Babatu was a terrifying leg master; his high-flying slams and low side kicks were as light as a butterfly's wings.

Even more terrifying was the destructive force of his kicks, which exceeded 900 kilograms. This meant that such an attack could easily tear through an opponent's defenses, leaving them with black eyes and a metallic taste in their throat.

According to Xuan Ya, if you were punched by Babatu, you'd only be lucky to be knocked down; but if his kick landed, then unfortunately, you could be lining up at God's door.

Because that guy's leg strength could break a person's skeleton, making the opponent like a bicycle lying on the road being run over by a truck loaded with thousands of tons of sand and gravel.

Xuan Ya talked about many of Baba Tu's deeds, and finally he said, "Actually, if I had wanted to help Baba Tu that day, that guy could at least have escaped from the mud forest. However, Baba Tu was supposed to pay me a sum of money, but he kept delaying, so I..."

He meant that he turned a blind eye to Baba Tu's death, his intention being nothing more than to warn me not to follow in Baba Tu's footsteps.

"Oh? In that case, that Baba Tu deserved his bad luck." I said with a smirk, somewhat gloating.

But inwardly I cursed, "Do you think Ming Zhong Shui and Han Tian Nu are pushovers? It's already quite good that you managed to escape back to the ship alive, yet you're still bragging to me about turning a blind eye."

While I couldn't completely believe Xuan Ya's conversation with me, some of the things he said would be helpful to me later.

This kind of language, a mixture of truth and falsehood, is like rose petals; only through refinement can the essence be obtained.

"Hiss, hiss," Raven suddenly sniffed, bringing his nose close to my shoulder, then burst into laughter. "Why does it smell like a Burmese flower fairy? You didn't sleep with her, did you? Hahahaha..."

Raven's sense of smell surprised me greatly; he actually detected the scent of the "soothing incense" that the withering conch shell had been using to perfume me. Since I had promised him a share of the fortune, I didn't stand on ceremony and asked him whatever came to mind.

"No, that eerie woman said it was for my good fortune..." I only got halfway through my sentence before Raven's shoulders were already shaking with laughter.

"Hahaha, hahaha, that woman's nonsense, hahaha, she's keeping an eye on you to prevent you from sneaking into her bed in the dark, so she planted this scent on you. And the more you wash it with soap or shampoo, the stronger the scent becomes. Hahaha..."

I completely understood. That soul-devouring snail only allowed herself to eavesdrop under my window, not allowing me to "retaliate" in a similar way. After

laughing, Hanging Crow looked at the setting sun, as if suddenly remembering something, and turned to leave the ship's side. I watched him walk about ten meters before he turned back as if remembering something.

"These shrimp and crabs taste delicious; they're actively stockpiling them." After saying that, he quickly walked off the deck.

I felt a chill run down my spine again, realizing the meaning of this seemingly casual remark. When Dumo returned to the Buale apartment, he had mentioned to me that the ship was fishing and shrimping, and it seemed they had been fishing for about ten days.

This behavior was clearly not just taking advantage of their leisure time to catch some seafood to enjoy; the Sea Demon was "stockpiling food." Was the large ship preparing for a long voyage, or was a major battle about to erupt?

Chapter 341: The Man and Bird

on the Horizontal Bar. With two top experts protecting the Sea Demon, I dared not escape with Yi Liang and Chi Chun for the time being. If they caught up halfway and a desperate fight broke out, these two women would be in even greater danger than if they were temporarily on the pirate ship.

The blueprint that Jason Jody had been pondering so hard in the warehouse must contain some important information. This old guy hadn't assigned me any tasks yet, so I took a rare break and went down to the deck to familiarize myself with the area.

In the warehouse filled with various firearms and rocket launchers, I found two sniper rifles and some other equipment. Before those unpredictable changes occurred, I wanted to teach Yi Liang some skills for shooting enemies at long range, increasing her chances of survival in future conflicts.

The SVD sniper rifle's manufacturing process was relatively complex, but it was very lightweight, suitable for Yi Liang, whose physical abilities were not yet fully developed. Moreover, among sniper rifles of the same class, this type of sniper rifle boasts remarkably high accuracy.

When equipped with 7N1 ammunition, it achieves a dispersion accuracy of 1.5 MOA. While the SVD isn't a true sniper rifle in the strictest sense, it's exceptionally practically designed and manufactured, making it an excellent squad weapon for extending range.

This is because the rifle is 1.22 meters long, and if the bullet were fired in absolute air, it could reach a range of up to 3.8 kilometers. However, the effective firing distance is only around 1,000 meters.

For Yi Liang, whose accuracy is still developing, the SVD's scope performance is excellent: 1.2 kilometers with the machine gun sight, 1.3 kilometers with the optical sight, and 300 meters with the night vision sight. Therefore, it's quite suitable for this girl.

Most of the pirates on the Sea Demon don't possess the ultra-long-range hunting skills of me and the Eight Assassins. Even seeing the brand-new, gleaming Barrett sniper rifles hanging on the cabin walls, they could only sigh in despair.

In the end, they had to choose a weapon that suited their abilities. So, I selected an SVD sniper rifle with a ten-round capacity.

Among the mountains of military uniforms, I rummaged for a while and finally found two camouflage suits that fit. I gave one to Chi Chun so she could change out of her white-collar style skirt suit.

In the small sleeping pod filled with a faint scent of perfume, Chi Chun handed me the child in her arms until she pulled off the last pair of flesh-colored stockings, stripping completely naked. Her delicate, soft body was then revealed, a trail of snow-white skin, showcasing the alluring curves and cleavage of a mature woman.

After Chi Chun slowly put on the military uniform, I knelt down and wrapped two sharp daggers with straps around her soft, fragrant legs.

At the same time, I hung the pistol, which I had disassembled and reassembled, in the gun pocket behind her back. (Full text novel reading, all at www.16k.cn.wen.xue.net)

"Chi Chun, don't worry. I just had nothing better to do, so I armed you up. In this dangerous place, caution is essential. Keep this M16 rifle safe. The other three magazines and medical supplies are in this canvas satchel. If anything happens, don't run to the deck to become cannon fodder. I'm outside. You and the child just need to stay hidden."

Chi Chun was a smart and mature woman. She knew that although I seemed to be casually comforting her, arming her like this and giving her so many instructions meant that something unusual was about to happen

. He pulled Chi Chun into his arms, gently kissed her forehead, and returned to the deck. In the middle of the Sea Demon's deck was the cockpit, with several mast-like metal pillars on the roof.

Nine-Lives Raven, that fellow, had somehow already perched on the crossbar at the top of one of those iron pillars, scouting the surroundings with binoculars.

Standing below deck, I looked up; this raven, its two paws gripping the crossbar, resembled a human-bird, perched high above, looking around to see where the insects might be.

After finishing its scouting, the raven didn't immediately slide down, but remained perched on the crossbar, watching Yi Liang practicing shooting on the deck.

Yi Liang was firing at a small, isolated island to the east, resembling a chimney. Because the ship was rocking, she couldn't hit

her targets accurately, and beads of sweat were forming on her pretty face. The crow perched on the metal bar, seeing Yi Liang miss, would shake its shoulders and chuckle gleefully, deliberately trying to make her more nervous.

When I came up, I also carried an SVD sniper rifle. Grabbing the black barrel with my right hand, I pulled upwards with a sharp "click," and a bullet from the magazine instantly filled the chamber.

The crow, perched high on the bar, seemed to have eyes in the back of its head, quickly turning its neck to look down at the deck behind it.

"Hey! Hey! Brother Zhuima, put the gun down! What are you doing?" Xuan Ya, turning his head, saw me standing in a K-pose, the crosshairs in the scope locked onto his head. Startled, he stumbled and nearly fell from his height.

"Hey! Hey, it'll go off accidentally, Brother Zhuima, Brother Zhuima!" Xuan Ya waved his hands anxiously, almost crying.

I guessed that this guy was already sweating profusely, so I simply lowered the gun, gave him a wicked smile, and mimicked his earlier action, letting out two cold laughs and shaking my shoulders. Then, I walked straight towards Yi Liang.

"Why can't I hit anything?" Yi Liang, drenched in sweat, stood in the dazzling sunlight, her rosy cheeks flushed. As soon as she saw me approaching, she hurriedly asked me.

“Because the ship is rocking, you’ve been at sea for so long, you naturally won’t notice these subtle differences. It’s alright, there are mountains of bullets in the storage room below deck. Shoot away, and if you miss, just think of it as playing with firecrackers.”

As I spoke, I pulled Yi Liang over and helped her put on the small camouflage uniform. “Listen.” I held a sharp dagger to Yi Liang’s ear.

The crisp sea breeze gently blew across the deck, and the gleaming blade hissed and crackled. “Ah! That sounds beautiful.” Yi Liang smiled like a flower.

“Hehe, these are some of the best cold weapons in the armory, aren’t they sharp?”

With that, I strapped the two daggers to Yi Liang’s calves, along with two pistols with a capacity of twenty rounds each, and a canvas bag, and handed them to her.

“You must wear these things with you at all times. You’re a fierce little pirate now.”

I said as I helped Yi Liang get dressed, feeling her sweet breath on my cheek, and fastening the buttons under her collar.

URL 1:http://localhost:909/htmlBlog/15139.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=15139&aspx=1

Previous Page : Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 23

Next Page : Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 25

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 24

comment Open a new window to view comments