Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 25

Chapter 342: An Icy Spike Piercing My Back

"Remember, when others start fighting, you should run away immediately. It's the same old rule we used when catching crocodiles in the muddy desert island: the safer you are, the easier it is for me to kill them. If you don't die, I won't die."

Yi Liang, who had been looking at me with her lowered eyebrows, had just raised her pretty face and nodded with a smile when her pupils suddenly dilated, staring in astonishment at what was behind me.

"Hey! Kid." A deep, angry voice, like an icy spike, suddenly reached my ears from behind. My heart skipped a beat: "Damn it, that guy Xuan Ya has turned on me."

Thinking this, I could roughly guess that there was a dark gun barrel pointed at my neck behind me.

When I slowly turned around, I didn't see Xuan Ya. A tall, slender, and burly man, wearing a plain green military jacket, stood straight and imposing.

The uniform was exquisitely crafted; every detail, from the folds to the buttonholes, exuded the high-class taste of a European soldier.

However, this man's face was concealed by a special hood, revealing only a pair of scarlet, bloodthirsty eyes, gleaming fiercely and unblinkingly fixed on me.

There's a saying: "Eyes bloodshot from killing." This man's eyes weren't simply bloodshot from exhaustion after a sleepless night. They were the indelible crimson of blood splattered into the eyes of a killer.

At this moment, I knew he was the child lover who had run around with the cage.

In his fierce, cold gaze, there seemed to be no trace of human compassion or mercy.

Compared to the child lover before the human skin totem hadn't yet extended to his face, this man exuded a chilling, terrifying aura of dominance, a world of difference.

"Come with me," the man's deep, cold, and menacing voice reverberated in my ears once more. I stood up sideways, gently squeezing the hand on Yi Liang's shoulder to reassure her.

Following behind this man, I wondered if Xuan Ya had truly turned on me, revealing my hunting experiences in Madagascar to this terrifying fellow.

He was extremely unfriendly; the mere sight of him made me feel like a fledgling pirate newly arrived on a ship, being bossed around by this arrogant, overbearing manager.

However, a closer look revealed no concealed weapons. Was he plotting something?

As we walked, I found myself being led to the armory. The man in front, Lian Qiutong, had a remarkably straight back; although his waist swayed slightly forward, his spine remained perfectly straight.

Anyone with expertise could see that if he were to remove his clothes, he would possess a muscular, powerful physique.

The further we went, the dimmer the light became, but the creature's pace didn't slow down at all.

It was as if a blind man, accustomed to the same path, was leading a stranger who was staring blankly into the darkness, unable to see anything, trudging forward in the pitch black.

I glanced around furtively, wary of the raven, lest its sharp, sinister iron claws suddenly swoop down from above, as had happened before.

"Snap." A dim, yellowish lamp suddenly lit up automatically as we reached the end.

In the misty light, I looked around and saw a large, two-meter-cubic-meter iron cage suspended from the roof beam, held vertically by a thick iron chain.

Inside the cage was a white, gooey mass, but I couldn't see it clearly until the light slowly penetrated the surrounding darkness. Then, the chain suddenly creaked and groaned, the sound of gravity pulling and rubbing against the wooden beam.

"Ugh, ugh... ugh, ugh." As I heard the sounds, and finally saw what was in the cage, my blood nearly boiled.

A naked white woman, her long blonde hair swaying, her mouth taped shut, was groaning frantically with each violent head shake, trying desperately to scream, but unable to make a sound.

The naked woman's limbs were unusually short, as if they were broken and bandaged. Looking closer, a chill ran down my spine. "The Dolphin Woman," I exclaimed inwardly.

I had heard reports of this inhumane international crime before, back in Southeast Asia, but I never imagined I would witness it firsthand, an innocent woman suffering such horrific treatment.

"Oh? Are you showing me around?" I finally spoke to him, a half-smile playing on my lips.

"Stop talking nonsense, don't provoke me. I had many deputies before, and they all ended up rotting in my cage because they talked too much, just like you."

The Love Prisoner suddenly turned his face, his emotions seemingly about to erupt, but he was deliberately suppressing them, restraining himself from truly exploding and fighting me.

"Hmm..." After a long while, this guy seemed to have suppressed his impending rage, his nostrils flaring like a fiery beast, exhaling a heavy breath.

"Chasing Horse, the reason I haven't heard of you is because your brain is worthless. Jason Jody has something for me to pass on. I hate repeating myself, so just listen carefully, don't ask questions, and then get lost."

I didn't speak, understanding that this guy was not only psychologically disturbed but also an extremely powerful adversary. With Yi Liang and Chi Chun both on the Sea Demon, I had to avoid any friction.

"This large ship is about to face a fierce battle. A group of pirates from Somalia will arrive unexpectedly within the next two days. Don't underestimate those guys; there are many headhunters among them whom you'll never meet in your life, and..."

At this point, Lian Qiutong seemed to have some lingering fear, suddenly pausing, but then changed the subject, continuing in that low, cold tone,

"Your mission and mine is to hunt down their leader. You can use a sniper rifle, right? In crucial moments, you'll take bullets for me. When we need to lure the target out, you'll expose your disguise and stand in the line for me. Don't worry, I'll avenge you. Otherwise, you should know who the next woman locked up in this cage will be. Get out!"

Lian Qiutong seemed to be someone who extremely disliked talking, rambling on and on as if he was very impatient.

I stopped speaking, turned, and walked towards the sunlit deck, silently cursing, "Face Prisoner, Love Prisoner, it seems you're really courting death."

Nine Lives Crow and Destiny Water are like oil and water, eager to eliminate each other, to remove a dangerous threat.

However, Love Prisoner is currently unaware that since Nine Lives Crow secretly colluded with me to divide Cang Gui's treasure. My first threat to eliminate is Love Prisoner.

Chapter 343:

After the two fishermen at the stern came aboard, I stood on the ship's railing for a while, carefully considering the current situation based on Love Prisoner's account.

This pirate ship is completely different from when I first left the Sea Demon. Currently, the only pirates with the strength and courage to attack the Sea Demon are either Somali sailors or the Pirate King.

If I want a better chance of survival, I must make good use of all available resources. Before Nine Lives Crow received his share of Cang Gui's wealth, he was the only assassin on the ship who least wanted anything to happen to me.

A dozen burly pirate soldiers, their shirts soaked with sweat, stood under the blazing sun casting their nets.

The fishy smell grew increasingly strong on the deck, where seabirds occasionally landed to peck at the small coral reef fish caught in the nets, or to carve away at the broken tentacles and bits of flesh from the shrimp and crabs scattered on the deck.

The blueprint Jason Jody held in his hand was most likely intelligence about the impending attack. If Lover had received a combat mission, Raven must have received something else as well.

Compared to Lover, Raven was the only one who knew the most inside information and would tell me extra details.

Seeing that the other pirates were busy with the seemingly relaxed but actually tense preparations for the battle and had no one paying attention to me, I went down to the deck to find Raven.

At this moment, Raven was actually looking for me as well. He had just climbed up to the high horizontal bar on the deck to look around, probably hoping to find an opportunity to tell me something. However, Lover's sudden appearance prevented him from contacting me for the time being. I had

just reached the halfway point of the second-floor corridor when Raven waved to me as if he had been waiting for me, and handed me a fishing rod.

"Hehehe, Mr. Chase, come on, come on, come fishing with me. It's a rare day of leisure, let's enjoy it first."

I said with a slightly forceful tone, "No, I have important things to do, you can play by yourself."

Hanging Raven was very clever and realized that I was acting with him, trying to avoid being noticed by other pirates. There was a tacit understanding between Hanging Raven and me.

"What could be more important than fishing with me, Hanging Raven? Come on, come on, let me catch you a giant blue-scaled marlin." Before I could say anything, Hanging Raven forcefully pulled me back onto the deck.

The two of us sat on the spacious stern of the deck, without worrying about being overheard. It was much better to talk about things that couldn't be seen in the light of day than to whisper under the deck. This way, it was less likely to be noticed by others.

"I just saw Love Prisoner, he really looked like a monster." I cast the fishing line forcefully into the azure sea and spoke to Hanging Raven first.

"Heh, I can understand. He just lost his twin brother, so naturally he's in a bad mood," Xuan Ya replied nonchalantly.

"It seems Lian Qiutong also knows about the Cang Gui ship. He asked me if I'd seen the treasure chest, what it felt like to open the lid and see a handful of dazzling gems, like holding a handful of rice in your palm. Judging from his expression..." I stopped mid-sentence.

"Oh? Really! Hey? Hey? I say, Brother Zhui Ma, is there really such a thing? You saw it?" Xuan Ya shrank his neck, glanced around, and leaned slightly towards me, asking in a low voice.

"As long as I'm here, the dream remains," I said coldly. Xuan Ya was clever and cunning; he naturally understood what I meant.

As long as Zhui Ma survived, there was a possibility that the wealth would be revealed; if anything happened to Zhui Ma, those glittering gems would be buried forever among pebbles and weeds, and no one would ever discover their value.

That deserted island was so vast, and my memory was the only treasure map. As long as I didn't speak, anyone who wanted to search the entire island to find that black gold fortune was just dreaming.

"Oh! Tsk tsk, good, good, good brother." Although Xuan Ya's face was covered, I could almost feel drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Sigh!" I sighed deeply, my face showing seriousness. "Brother Zhui Ma, what's on your mind? Don't hesitate to tell me. I, Xuan Ya, will do everything I can to help."

Facing the gentle sea breeze, I looked up into the distance. "A fierce pirate war is about to break out in the next few days, but I still don't know who the enemy is, or what kind of formidable foe we're facing. So, I'm quite uncertain!"

After saying that, I shook my head with a wry smile. "Hehe, hehe." Seeing my reaction, Xuan Ya understood my meaning and quickly laughed, "Brother Zhui Ma, I, Xuan Ya, never concern myself with the life or death of others. Normally, I would just kill someone, collect my commission, and leave. But now, since we've become friends, I have to make an exception."

I didn't speak, but my ears perked up like a rabbit's. "The cause of this fight is a long story." Xuan Ya pulled back the fishing line and cast it even further. He thought for a moment and said,

"This big ship we're sitting on was once the pirate king's ship that dominated the Indian Ocean: the Sea Demon. The current captain isn't a true pirate leader. People, once they have great wealth, start to value their own lives."

Clearly, when Ming Zhong Shui impersonated Xuan Ya, he had mentioned these things to me as well. Now, thinking about it, Ming Zhong Shui's words were indeed a mix of truth and deception, making it difficult to discern the truth.

However, listening to what Hanging Raven said, at least the part about the pirates vying for power was believable. Hanging Raven and Destiny Water were enemies; they couldn't possibly have coordinated their stories to deceive me.

"So, the Pirate King seemed to sense something, so he took half the ship's wealth and hid in Somalia. The other half remained on board to suppress the rise of other pirates in the Indian Ocean."

Destiny Water had told me in Mauritius that the Pirate King only took a small portion of the ship's total wealth, which contradicted what Hanging Raven was saying. But that wasn't important to me, nor related to my purpose.

"It wasn't until a few days ago that the old captain received news that the emerging pirates he had been trying so hard to win over—the Somali sailors—were actually a pirate force secretly cultivated by the Pirate King in order to reclaim the Sea Demon. Moreover, over the past few years, the Somali sailors had shifted from directly robbing cargo to kidnapping and extortion, and their economic power had rapidly accumulated to a level that could not be underestimated."

All signs indicate that the man known as the old captain on the Sea Demon has truly managed to oust the Pirate King, and intends to make him disappear from the world forever.

The opponent is, after all, the Pirate King himself, and he certainly won't sit idly by and wait for this puppet who resembles him and whom he personally entrusted with the Sea Demon to kill him.

It seems that this secretly orchestrated counterattack by the Pirate King will strike the Sea Demon within days.

Chapter 344: The Useless Monk of Avici Hell

"I heard that the Somali navy has also hired two experts, and they are two assassins from the Eight Legendary Headhunters."

After hearing my words, Xuan Ya sneered twice, saying without any hesitation, "Yes, it seems that fate has been kind to you, intentionally preparing you mentally. Among the Eight Legendary Assassins, there is an extremely vicious and ruthless headhunter known as: The Useless Monk of Avici Hell. As for the other one, the guy hired by the Somali navy, he is: Bo Yue. Hehehe, she's a beautiful North American girl."

These two assassins' names were the first time I had heard them from Xuan Ya. Although the names of the Eight Legendary Assassins circulated in the headhunting market, very few people knew any more information about them.

"The Useless Monk of Avici Hell and Bo Yue's strength should be above yours, right?" I said contemptuously, trying to provoke Xuan Ya into revealing some information about their opponents.

“I’ve never met them, nor have I ever fought them. There’s no conflict between us on the headhunter’s list. So, I’m not entirely confident about facing them for the first time in a few days.”

I didn’t speak, a hint of displeasure flashing across my face as I looked at Xuan Ya. “However, I’ve heard a bit about Abi Feiseng.” As Xuan Ya spoke, he glanced nervously behind him.

“Lian Qiutong was once hired to hunt down a high-ranking political figure in Northern Europe, but he never expected that the victim’s backers were extremely powerful, and that the wrath would be directed at the assassin. So, in retaliation, they hired Abi Feiseng to get Lian Qiutong’s head. But the two Lian Qiutong brothers have never let Abi Feiseng succeed.”

As Xuan Ya spoke, he unconsciously glanced back again, as if afraid that Lian Qiutong might suddenly appear behind him on the ship.

"Unexpectedly, the fact that the Love Prisoner had a younger sister was leaked. In order to hunt down the Love Prisoner, the Abandoned Monk put their sister in an iron cage, chopped off her lower legs and forearms, and made her into a naked dolphin-man. He then abused and cruelly tormented the girl every day in order to force the Love Prisoner to show himself."

Xuan Ya's words were like a jolt of electricity, instantly clearing away a mystery from my mind.

Back in Madagascar, the twin brothers, Love Prisoner and Child, hadn't appeared together. The man with the painted mask on his face must have been searching for Abi Feizeng, seeking revenge for his sister.

His twin brother, the one whose skin totem hadn't extended to his face, had split up with his brother to earn enough money for revenge.

The moment they separated, tragedy struck again; no wonder Love Prisoner had become so ruthless and bloodthirsty.

Xuan Ya continued, "This event greatly affected Love Prisoner, especially his sister's death. From then on, Love Prisoner hunted political figures even more frantically. After obtaining their heads, he would also kidnap their wives and children, stuffing them into cages and taking them around—his methods were extremely cruel." Xuan

Ya sighed deeply, revealing a hint of regret. "When that guy boarded the ship with the Soul-Withering Conch, he was dragging an iron cage containing a living person. If the Love Prisoner's actions were a curse from God, I think what he's doing now is cursing God."

Only now did I understand why Dumo was so afraid of the Soul-Withering Conch after returning to his apartment from the ship; the shiny black kodo had seen the iron cage.

It's conceivable that the Soul-Withering Conch would board the deck with the Love Prisoner, so how sinister and terrifying must this woman be? No wonder Dumo trembled at the sight of her.

Just now, at the end of the corridor below deck, the Love Prisoner threatened me, wanting me to be his cannon fodder at a crucial moment. It seems this guy is willing to do anything to avenge himself against the Avici Monk.

“Brother Xuan Ya, since Lian Qiu Tong has his reasons, let him kill Abi Fei Monk in this great battle. How about… how about we, brothers, leave this battlefield and go to a deserted island to divide those treasure chests?”

I thought, Lian Qiu Tong has a deep-seated hatred; even if Jason Jody didn't give him a penny, he wouldn't leave the ship and give up the chance to fight Abi Fei Monk.

But Xuan Ya is different; he's probably only here for the commission, and this guy has a real appetite for wealth. If we lose in the pirate war, it will be difficult for Xuan Ya to earn money from pirates again.

“Hmph… hmph… hmph…” To my surprise, as soon as I finished speaking, the usually cheerful Xuan Ya suddenly let out the sinister laugh he had when we fought in the warehouse that day. The laugh was like needles, piercing my back.

“If I wanted to leave, would you need to remind me now?” Xuan Ya stared directly into my eyes with his sharp, cold gaze.

"Alright, alright, Brother Xuan Ya, don't be angry. If you want to stay and participate in this pirate war, I'll risk my life to accompany you and lend you a hand."

I quickly tried to appease Xuan Ya, but in my heart, I already guessed that this guy Xuan Ya wasn't just on the Sea Demon's ship for a little commission. This war was far more complicated than I had imagined.

Xuan Ya was silent for a while, then resumed his hearty laughter. I didn't say anything more, in case I said something wrong and made him lose interest in the treasure of Cang Gui, I'd be in big trouble.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Hearing that Xuan Ya had returned to normal, I stopped mentioning topics involving him and instead asked about Lian Qiu Tong.

"Is Lianqiu Tong's chances against the Abyssal Monk slim? When he spoke to me, he seemed quite wary of the assassins hired by the enemy."

Xuanya glanced at me sideways, staring at the fishing float bobbing on the water, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "No, he's not afraid of the Abyssal Monk at all. This guy doesn't even care about the Life Water. He's worried about... an even stronger opponent."

My heart felt like it was suddenly filled with a surge of air, almost bursting out of my throat. "What? A stronger opponent? You mean, in this upcoming pirate war, there might be assassins even more powerful than the Eight Legendary Ones?"

At this moment, I wished I could grow wings, grab Yi Liang and Chi Chun, and fly away, as far as I could, just to get away from this pirate ship, away from this endless, dark abyss of battle.

But I knew perfectly well that I couldn't escape. Even if I grew wings and flew high into the sky, these guys would still bombard me down with rockets.

This pirate war seemed to have already swirled my fate in its current vortex. "Hahaha, Brother Chasing Horse, what are you thinking? Do you want to grow wings and fly away with your beauty?"

My heart sank, and I secretly groaned, "You, Hanging Crow, your mind-reading skills are so impressive."

Chapter 345: The Demons on the Sea Demon

"Actually, I've never seen the true pirate king himself. It's rumored that during the Sea Demon's heyday, there were twelve demons with absolute power on board. Sigh! Truly formidable."

Hanging Crow sighed, gently shaking his head, and continued, "These people operate outside the international headhunting market; each one..." "They possess the power to overturn oceans and seas; any one of their pirate demons could easily rival the headhunters. The Pirate King used them to protect his safety and safeguard the immense wealth aboard the Sea Demon. Therefore, even though the international headhunting market is full of experts, few dare to covet this pirate ship."

Hearing Xuan Ya mention the Sea Demon's past, I felt the vastness of this world even more. Back in Southeast Asia, I had only gleaned information about the international headhunting market from assassinated agents from various countries. Although I had heard of the Sea Demon, I had never known what Xuan Ya was talking about.

"When the Pirate King stepped off the Sea Demon's deck, he took eleven demons with him. And the current captain is one of those twelve absolutely powerful demons who remained on the ship."

As soon as Xuan Ya finished speaking, the fishing rod in his hand suddenly jerked violently, the fishing line cast at an angle on the sea surface taut and trembling. The red float had already sunk into the shimmering water, disappearing from sight.

The small bell hanging from the tip of the fishing rod jingled loudly, shaking violently. "Haha, I guarantee it's a huge sailfish!" Raven suddenly became as excited as a child. He stood up, straightened the nearly broken fishing rod, and began reeling in the line with varying speeds.

I hurriedly ran to the group of pirate men fishing for fish and crabs, grabbed an AK-47 rifle from the back of a tall, burly man, and ran back to Raven, who was struggling with the sailfish.

Beneath the swirling ripples, a large, bluish-gray sea fish with a pointed snout was flapping its fan-shaped fins, frantically thrashing its mouth, which was bleeding from the hook, trying desperately to escape.

"Ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta." Five rapidly firing, scorching bullets pierced the sailfish's back and tail, aimed at the struggling fish beneath the surface.

The large fish, now hooked, was immediately weakened and could only let its body be pulled closer to the ship's side by the fishing line.

A burly pirate, carrying a large, sieve-like net, came rushing over from one end of the deck, his clumsy movements resembling chasing a butterfly.

"Mr. Hanging Crow, I've brought you the net." Hanging Crow laughed heartily as he watched his prey approach. "Quick, bring it up!"

This giant sailfish, a meter and a half long and weighing over forty kilograms, lay on the deck in terror, its large, round eyes staring wide-eyed, seemingly witnessing a scene from a different world.

"Alright, take this to the cook. I'll treat Mr. Chasing Horse to braised fish tonight." The pirate, grinning and bowing, took the large fish. Hanging Crow and I sat down again to continue fishing and chatting.

"Brother Zhui Ma, where were we?" Xuan Ya, still immersed in excitement, asked me with a smile.

“Hmm… the old captain was one of the twelve pirate demons who remained on the ship.” Xuan Ya nodded, the sea breeze making the cloth covering his face flutter.

“Did you know? Ming Zhong Shui was originally an assassin hired by the old captain, intended to assassinate the Pirate King hiding in Somalia along with Han Tian Nu. But Ming Zhong Shui and Han Tian Nu betrayed us, which is really puzzling!”

My heart skipped a beat. Xuan Ya, seemingly telling me some information, was actually trying to trick me into revealing the truth.

“Perhaps the Pirate King bribed them to betray us, or maybe they were caught red-handed and had no choice but to do it.” I bluntly returned Xuan Ya's advice, letting him refute my simple and easy deduction, so I could gauge his true thoughts.

"It's not that simple. Although the Eight Legends are ruthless killers, they also have their own code of honor and rules. If they were so easily bribed to betray him, wouldn't they be ruining their future livelihood? Besides, Mingzhongshui is a wanderer, a typical elusive character. Unless you have a knife to his throat, there's nothing you can use to blackmail him," Xuanya said, somewhat disappointed.

"That depends on the price of bribery. Is it high enough, or have some unsavory photos taken of him?" I deliberately made my thoughts seem more naive, trying to provoke Xuanya into showing off his intelligence and revealing more crucial information.

"Hmph, Brother Zhuima, if you were an assassin, and I hired you and promised you a mountain of gold, would you still dare to take the job? As for taking photos, that kind of trivial stuff, someone like Mingzhongshui wouldn't even glance at it. I suspect…"

Xuanya paused here, seemingly most convinced of this possibility, yet also the most unable to understand it.

“You mean… when Mingzhongshui and Hantiannu went to assassinate the Pirate King, they saw something incredible, which is why…” I said, offering Xuanya’s possible speculation to see if he truly believed it.

“Sigh!” Xuanya sighed deeply, but remained silent. I understood that Xuanya’s conjecture seemed highly plausible.

“Why did the Pirate King leave behind twelve old captains from among the Demons when he disembarked?” I asked Xuanya. “Heh, the reason is simple, you’ve already seen it!” Xuanya replied nonchalantly.

I gazed at the vast sea, wondering from which direction the impending pirate counterattack would come from. Xuanya said the reason was simple, I had already seen it.

Now, the only thing I could see was that the Pirate King wanted to kill this puppet doppelganger who resembled himself and return to the Sea Demon.

Perhaps those twelve powerful Demons had some special relationship with the Pirate King. They were sworn to be loyal and to protect the Sea Demon to the death; without their combined assistance, the Pirate King’s head would probably have been sold on the international market long ago.

It's not hard to imagine that controlling such a huge amount of pirate wealth, without real skill and absolute power, would not bring a life of luxury and comfort, but rather disaster.

The Pirate King must have sensed something. He believed that among the twelve demons, this guardian who resembled himself was beginning to harbor rebellious thoughts, or perhaps this demon himself was an unstable element.

(Chapter 346: The Capital to Rebel Against the King)

Of course, facing the twelve loyal demons, Jason Yodi still had to rely on them. If he found a trivial reason to kill one of them, it would inevitably cause internal strife among the remaining eleven pirate demons.

Each of the remaining eleven pirate demons would certainly be considering whether it was still worthwhile to wholeheartedly protect a Pirate King who might one day turn on them.

Therefore, the Pirate King believed that since this subordinate demon might betray him, he would create an opportunity for him to do so, and then lead the other eleven pirate demons off the ship.

When the day comes that the pirate leader left behind on the Sea Demon has done his job, when the time is right and no one else reigns supreme, he will lead eleven pirate leaders back to eliminate this ungrateful wretch. This way, the threat is eliminated without losing the hearts of the people.

As evening approached, a strong wind rose at sea, and as soon as darkness fell, a torrential downpour suddenly began, pounding against the deck with a loud crashing sound.

Yi Liang, Chi Chun, and I were in our second-floor cabin, and we could clearly feel the Sea Demon rocking violently.

I told them in detail about the impending pirate battle, so they wouldn't be caught off guard and confused in the event of chaos.

"Mr. Zhui Ma, Mr. Zhui Ma, the captain is holding a meeting in the cargo hold and wants you to come quickly!" A soaking wet pirate rushed in.

I told Yi Liang and Chi Chun to grab their weapons, stay in their cabin, and not go anywhere; I would be back soon.

The pirate waiting for me looked flustered, wanting to urge me to hurry up, but held back out of fear.

Arriving at the warehouse, brightly lit by large light bulbs, Jason Jody was still sitting in the innermost chair, the brass pipe in his mouth flickering.

Hanging Raven and Love Prisoner stood on either side of the warehouse, while Withered Soul Conch and Dumo had returned to the main ship sometime earlier. Everyone's face was serious, ready for battle.

"Snap, snap." Jason Jody snapped his fingers twice as soon as I arrived. A burly pirate, dragging a golden tray, strode towards me.

"Chaser, you are now officially commissioned into the Sea Demon rank and given a challenging mission." A pirate soldier standing beside me, standing ramrod straight, raised his voice.

I looked down and saw two epaulets on the golden tray, each embroidered with two bars and four stars—the imposing rank of Senior Colonel.

A tall, thin Black man strode over and pinned two rank insignia on my bare shoulders.

"Mr. Chase, you are now officially an officer on the Sea Demon, tasked with defending it. Our ship is heading towards the Chagos Islands in the central Indian Ocean. We hope you will live up to expectations and face this severe test alongside the Sea Demon."
The Black pirate who pinned the insignia read Jason Jody's orders with fervor before giving me a solemn salute.

Although I had been away from the mercenary life in Southeast Asia for many years, the memory etched into my muscles made me instinctively return the salute.

I couldn't help but marvel; I hadn't expected these guys, who were so carefree and lazy when fishing on deck,

to transform so completely now, exuding a fierce and decisive aura . The well-trained soldiers stood in impressive formation.

Jason Jodie, that old fellow, was truly a captain who didn't tolerate idleness; just looking at the upright ranks of the pirates on either side gave one an air of absolute confidence.

However, when I heard that the large ship was quietly sailing towards the Chagos Islands under the cover of darkness and a torrential downpour, I understood what was going on.

The Chagos Islands have a unique geography, comprising 2,300 islands. Some are flat, with an average elevation of only four meters.

Others, however, have a tropical climate, hot and humid conditions, covered in lush vegetation, and with rugged terrain, making any sniper's infiltration extremely dangerous.

Although the Chagos Islands belong to the British Empire, at the southernmost tip of the archipelago lies the largest island, Diego Garcia.

The island occupies a strategic position in the very center of the Indian Ocean. Britain and the United States cooperated to establish a military base there, but it was primarily operated by the US military, serving as a relay and supply station for the naval fleet.

Diego Garcia, the largest island, in particular, with an area of about sixty square kilometers, not only houses a naval base but also has a 3-kilometer-long runway airport.

However, most of the surrounding islands lack any port facilities. Now I understand what kind of resources and audacity gave Jason Jody, a demon left behind on the Sea Demon, the courage to rebel against the true pirate king.

It's not hard to see that Jason Jody intentionally wanted to draw the battlefield to the Chagos Islands before the pirate war broke out.

Chapter 347: Unveiling the Seal of Slaughter

After the meeting convened by Jason Jody, I returned to my sleeping quarters with a heavy heart. Yi Liang and Chi Chun were both happy to see me return. I told the two women where the large ship was headed; they seemed unaware of the fierce battle that was about to take place there.

I pulled out the best sniper camouflage paint and meticulously applied it to Yi Liang's delicate face, even her neck and fingers, leaving no spot untouched.

Chi Chun, a glamorous mature woman who loved rouge and face powder, was initially reluctant when she saw Yi Liang's face, now a dark, mushy mess, which was both funny and pathetic. She didn't want to be smeared like that herself.

I grabbed Chi Chun by the waist, pulled her into my arms, and pressed my camouflage-covered thumb a few times on her pretty face. She finally gave in, playfully punching my chest twice before letting me carefully apply the paint. After I

finished camouflaging the two women, they looked at each other, pointing and laughing at each other's bizarre appearances.

I was saddened that Lu Ya wasn't with us, but I also knew that this might be the last time I laughed with Yi Liang and Chi Chun. Once you set foot on that archipelago with its unprecedentedly complex terrain and enemy formations, your life or death will be beyond your control.

I asked Chi Chun to get me a mirror, and Yi Liang obediently stood in front of me, holding the mirror to her heaving chest. I painted half of my face above the tip of my nose as a horse's head, and the rest as a rabbit's mouth.

When I turned my face to find a comb, Yi Liang and Chi Chun acted strangely, leaning back as if to avoid me.

"What is this? It's a little scary," Chi Chun said, her makeup froze, a slight tremor in her eyes. I didn't reply, only coldly saying, "Get me a comb."

Yi Liang quickly handed me a wooden comb. I dipped it in water from the iron basin and began to comb and braid my messy long hair into three braids.

The two gentle women before me didn't know that when that strange totem reappeared on my face, and my loose, long hair was once again braided into three tails, it meant I was once again climbing back into purgatory, breaking the seal of slaughter.

I took Yi Liang's warm little hand and gently placed a slip of paper covered in Cambodian script in her palm.

"From the day your father entrusted you to me, although we haven't had a single day free from hunger and death, Yi Liang, look at the rifle behind you, touch the sharp knife I've strapped to your leg. You've grown up; they can protect you better than I can. Sometimes, freedom is more important than living; you must try to let go of those fears." "

Although Yi Liang is still young, she is very intelligent. After hearing my words, two hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she buried her face in my arms.

Chi Chun seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation; her face turned pale, and her bright, piercing eyes looked at me with extreme anxiety.

"If we can't go back to Japan, you should marry a pirate. If the pirate treats you badly, you should kill him and go to heaven with your child." Chi Chun also threw herself into my arms, sobbing.

"I don't want to go back to Japan. You are my man, the father of my child. You can't be hurt." I gently lifted Chi Chun's sobbing back, gave her a cold glance, and turned to leave the cabin.

The torrential rain on the deck was still pouring down, and the whistle for assembly and departure came from the dark, indistinct end of the deck.

My black raincoat, gleaming from the raindrops, shrugged the pack on my back, picked up my long Barrett sniper rifle, and headed towards the location for launching the speedboats. It

was probably four in the morning. The Sea Demon was traveling very fast, and the vast Chagos Islands should be visible to the east in the dark, stormy weather.

"Mr. Chase Horse, Mr. Chase Horse..." I had just climbed down the rope ladder, my feet barely touching the speedboat, when I heard Dumo's excited shouts from the other speedboats.

I lifted my raincoat and saw that Dumo had boarded the same speedboat as Lian Qiutong, while behind me stood a sinister woman wrapped in a raincoat.

Thinking about it now, it was truly exasperating. This simple-minded black lad, Dumo, had followed me for so long and taken a huge wad of euros from me; he had indeed developed some friendship with me now.

But looking at his nonchalant, cheerful expression, it was as if we were going to conquer a floating island. This fat kodo probably had no idea what terrifying enemies we would encounter on this mission.

I made a complicated gesture to Dumo in the distance: You, take care. Dumo flashed his white teeth, seemingly unhindered even by the rain, and returned the gesture: You, take care too.

The speedboats' engines chugged and sped eastward in a triangular formation. The Sea Demon had deployed nearly thirty speedboats this time, each carrying five elite pirates.

Braving the torrential rain, the speedboats, like schools of fish searching for food, gradually dispersed into a dark archipelago on the crashing, inky sea.

The reef islands, resembling mountain valleys, were intricately connected yet fragmented by the surging water.

Although the islands' outlines were still unclear, one could already sense the dense, heavy tropical vegetation.

The other speedboats, like sparrows flitting into the woods, disappeared into different locations. My speedboat sailed deeper into the archipelago for another ten minutes or so before slowly pulling up to a small, ridge-shaped island resembling a floating castle.

Withered Soul Conch slung her pack over her shoulder, snapped her sniper rifle to her feet, and said to me mournfully, "Come with me." I

slung the sniper rifle I was carrying over my back and, along with the Withering Soul Shell, began climbing the 75-degree sloping rock face, hoping to infiltrate the dense trees at the island's summit before dawn.

Looking at the Withering Soul Shell climbing overhead, I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Yesterday, Love Prisoner had summoned me below deck to relay Jason Jody's mission instructions, but now that guy was partnered with Dumo again.

Therefore, the first person I needed to kill after arriving on the Chagos Islands would likely no longer be Love Prisoner.

That Raven guy must have anticipated my thoughts; he certainly didn't want such a formidable partner as Love Prisoner... That's probably how they might die.

If the plan for me and Lian Qiutong to be in the same group changed, it must be because Xuan Ya said something to the old captain. So, the old captain used Du Mo as a substitute cannon fodder, a living target for that bloodthirsty guy.

Chapter 348: Ghosts Scattered into the Shattered Island.

Dense, damp plants, like a shrinking flock of sheep, grew in clusters on the mountainside. The withered soul snail climbing in front was incredibly fast, as if a rope was pulling it upwards.

Countless water droplets from the leaves fell with a splash, seeping into my neck, chilling me to the bone, and slid down my spine.

I followed closely behind the Withered Soul Conch, gritting my teeth and pushing upwards. This rocky island, though its summit was a long rainbow, wasn't particularly low, at least 150 meters above sea level.

By the time the eerie woman and I reached the top, the small speedboat that had transported us had vanished into the dark abyss, its outline nowhere to be seen.

The three pirate warriors who followed stood behind me like wooden statues. The Withered Soul Conch, her face crooked, gave me a shrug with her pointed chin.

I then remembered that I was now a senior colonel on the Sea Demon, and the three capable and strong pirates behind me were waiting for me to deploy the battle plan.

"You three, use 'upper,' 'middle,' and 'lower' as code names respectively. During the battle, watch for the changes in my thumb. Remember, when sniping, don't look in the direction your teammates are camouflaged."

I spoke to the three pirates for a full five minutes before they darted off to their respective ambush positions like squirrels disappearing into the bushes.

"I didn't realize you were so clever." The Soul-Slaying Conch, who had been standing silently to the side, spoke to me ominously as the three pirates ran off.

"What? Are you under my command now?" I said calmly. "No, I'm only here to kill, not to be ordered around by anyone. You'd better watch out. Otherwise, your head will be the lowest-ranking officer's head I've ever killed."

"I was just asking to get a clear picture of our group. Dawn is approaching; how should we cooperate? I'd like to hear your opinion," I said to the woman, still speaking calmly.

“Our group is located in the central part of the archipelago. The pirates led by Nine Lives Raven should have already reached the island ahead. As for Love Prisoner, he and that black kid are lurking on the island behind us.”

I nodded silently, muttering to myself, “Hopefully, the enemies will arrive soon. We can’t let them lie in ambush in this harsh tropical jungle for too long.”

“Hmph, childish!” Withering Soul Conch heard my sigh and responded with a mournful disdain. “Spreading foolish thoughts will only make you die faster.” I

don’t know if Withering Soul Conch is just like that by nature or if she’s deliberately being particularly harsh on me. “Alright, you’re free to act! The other three pirates and I will form an isosceles trapezoidal sniper formation. If the enemy breaks our formation, please help me eliminate their ‘afterthoughts’.”

After saying that, I took off the long sniper rifle from my back and started running towards the east side of the island peak. Withering Soul Conch refused to join our formation, so she would definitely act as a ‘afterthought’ target for the enemy.

I raised my sniper rifle high, using my abdomen to push through the dense foliage, and sprinted forward, quickly disappearing from Withering Soul's sight.

Though I told her that, I knew in my heart that while I was given a rank by the pirates, to me it was just two shoulder patches; to Jason Jody, it was two injections of adrenaline.

Therefore, I had to be myself, a free-acting assassin controlling my own will. Those three pirates who climbed up with us were essentially living targets that Withering Soul and I had planted at the front line; the moment they were hit, I could quickly spot the enemy.

This battle was extremely restrictive for me; it was no longer simply a matter of killing or being killed, but rather deciding which of the two pirate factions I should kill.

If I overdo it in assassinating the pirate king's men, Luya's safety will be threatened; if I let the pirate king's men run rampant, causing Jason Jody's pirate fleet to suffer too many losses, the safety of Yi Liang and Chi Chun, who are being held captive on the Sea Demon, will also be threatened.

Being caught between two forces, unable to fight or hide, is a truly unbearable predicament.

The Sea Demon's forces are now fully deployed, so the hollow mothership dares not linger in the nearby waters; it has most likely retreated into a pre-selected natural cave to prevent the pirate king from seizing the ship.

Meanwhile, Jason Jody's small nuclear submarine, which he somehow acquired, must be lurking around the archipelago, ready to launch torpedoes and destroy several large ships as soon as the pirate king's attacking ships approach, cutting off the enemy's retreat.

The gloomy sunlight did not appear with the arrival of dawn; rain continued to pour down on the sea surrounding the archipelago, and a heavy mist shrouded the peaks of each island.

Having found my ambush position, I quickly opened my pack, pulled out a jungle camouflage net and draped it over myself. I then drew my dagger, cut some branches, and perfected my camouflage.

Opening the caps on the sniper scope, I began to peer into the distance. On the dark sea lay many indistinctly shaped islands, stacked one on top of another, arranged side by side, each with a different shape.

Some resembled upside-down long cucumbers, others looked like eggplants clustered together, and still others even resembled a boot.

Judging from the color of their surfaces, it was easy to see that each island was covered with thick tropical vegetation. Just like the vegetation beside me, as I lay prone, I felt a sense of dread, as if I were a tiny flea landing on the back of a sheep.

Chapter 349: Unleashing the Killing Nature
Raindrops pattered down from the branches beside my ears, the downpour only subsiding by midday. But the sky above remained shrouded in a milky-gray mist, like countless clouds drifting across the island's summit.

I picked up my binoculars and looked towards the island where Hanging Raven was. Aside from the heavy mist and lush green trees, there was no sign of the impending battle.

At this moment, although Withering Soul Conch was still on the same island as me, she had disappeared beneath the dense, verdant foliage, making her exact ambush location impossible to pinpoint.

The Pirate King's counterattack fleet showed no sign of appearing, which only made me more uneasy. The Chagos Islands were surrounded by vast expanses of water, allowing the enemy to attack from any direction.

If the enemy attacked from the west or east, Withering Soul Conch and I would be the bullseye, with Hanging Raven and Love Prisoner on our left and right flanks.

"Bang...buzz...buzz..." A muffled, powerful sniper shot suddenly rang out from the island area where Love Prisoner was located, echoing endlessly in the white mist high in the sky.

From the previously silent forest, swarms of islands burst forth, overwhelming my direction.

I quickly turned around and used my binoculars, wrapped in damp branches, to scout the islands where Love Prisoner was.

"Bang...buzz...buzz..." Another muffled sniper shot followed. Seventeen hundred meters away, on the summit of an island, a corpse was falling, its final impact—whether into the sea or crashing against the rocks—unclear.

A chill ran down my spine; I felt a terrifying aura surrounding me. The pirate soldier who had been hit and fallen from the island was a member of the Sea Demon.

No wonder the Soul-Withering Conch had coldly cursed me as naive when we parted; this sinister woman had already guessed that the Pirate King's men might have entered these islands before us.

"Bang... bang... bang..." The muffled, relentless sniping sounds echoed incessantly. Lian Qiutong and the pirate soldiers from the nearby Sea Demon were already engaged in fierce combat with the enemy.

I was still worried about one person: Du Mo. Du Mo might not yet realize that the enemy they were facing was not only exceptionally dangerous and powerful, but that his partner, Lian Qiutong, harbored a deep-seated desire for revenge.

That red-eyed guy might suddenly point his gun at Du Mo at a crucial moment, forcing him to stand up from his disguise and expose himself, using Du Mo as a live target to gain the enemy's kill position.

If Dumo didn't do as Lian Qiutong demanded, his round, black head would mercilessly punch a hole in Lian Qiutong's skull.

For me, Dumo couldn't die yet. First, this simple-minded fellow had never done anything to harm me since we partnered; second, Lu Ya was still with the Sailors, and it would be difficult for me alone to safely retrieve this girl and his Duoguwa.

Dumo was currently the only guy I trusted and could cooperate with; besides him, it would be hard to find another man who could genuinely assist me.

"Bang!" A clear gunshot rang out from the western side of the island where I was lying prone. My ears twitched, and I immediately recognized that the shooter's weapon wasn't the kind worn by Diao Hunmenluo, nor was it the SVD sniper rifle of the other three pirates. Clearly

, the enemy lurking on our island had begun their hunt. It was possible that the gunshot had already killed a powerful pirate soldier on the Sea Demon.

Based on the approximate location of the gunfire, I quietly crouched down, concealed myself within the dense tropical vegetation, and crept southwestward.

After cautiously crawling for twenty minutes, I reached a position where I could snipe from the area where the enemy's gunfire had occurred. I slowly crouched up, leaning against a tall, straight tree trunk, and raised my Barrett sniper rifle.

Through the scope, the T-shaped crosshair swept across the rolling waves of lush green vegetation, finding nothing suspicious. But when the T-shaped crosshair swept back halfway, I suddenly saw a cluster of branches inexplicably tremble.

I quickly lowered the T-shaped crosshair, trying to discern the shape of the enemy's body hidden in the camouflage. However, what I saw was a calf, the middle of the soleus muscle, riddled with a bright red, bloody gash, sizzling blood. This calf, practically crippled, was struggling to crawl towards the denser vegetation, alongside a body wrapped in camouflage netting.

The man who was hit wasn't one of the pirate king's men, but one of the three pirates I had assigned to the mission.

Clearly, the enemy's gun was still aimed at the area around the wounded pirate, deliberately crippling him to see where he would crawl or, if he couldn't bear the pain, which direction he would call for help while clutching his leg.

Judging from the scale in my sniper scope, the pirate hit in the calf was about 1400 meters away, positioned at the two o'clock position, while I was at the seven o'clock position.

Therefore, the shooter's position was likely at the four or ten o'clock position. I gently withdrew the barrel of my sniper rifle, which was wrapped in green vines, and first peered towards the four o'clock position, but saw nothing unusual.

When I peered towards the ten o'clock position with my T-shaped crosshair, I saw a man with a bright green turban wrapped around his head, a blade of grass clenched in his mouth, his large, fleshy face painted with black and green camouflage paint pressed tightly against the scope of my M40 sniper rifle.

A cold, sinister smile crept across my face as I slowly zoomed in on the Barrett sniper rifle's focus. A large, green head, resembling a ladybug, was focused on the apex of the T-shaped crosshair.

"The Lord's cross cannot exist without a warm body, the pillars of the soul, adorned with the laments of hell..." My cold, damp lips rubbed together, uttering a silent chant.

"Whoosh." A few lush green leaves drooping before the black muzzle swayed slightly as the bullet left the barrel.

The bullet, streaking through the drizzling rain, tore a silvery trail, and at the point of focus on the T-shaped crosshair, the round, green head exploded, its upper half shattering.

Splattered bits of flesh and blood clung to the glistening green leaves around the target, and as the adhesion and friction decreased, they quickly dripped down the swaying plants.

This long-lost image of flesh and blood, and the sensation of shattering a brain, gradually began to boil within my blood, like morphine.

Chapter 350: Elegy at the Gates of Purgatory
. After hitting my target, I quickly crawled away, retreating into the dense vegetation behind me. This lush, green, woolly vegetation required extreme caution when moving beneath it.

A heavy aura of killing intent seemed to permeate this densely wooded island. Even without seeing the disguised snipers, it wasn't hard to imagine them scattered across this dark green island.

Like a small hedgehog hidden beneath the plants, I used the slowest, most steady movements, without disturbing the branches or leaves, to finally return to my original sniping position within thirty minutes.

"Bang, bang... whoosh, whoosh..." The sounds of sniper rifles, both distant and close, mingled across the island, like someone trapped inside hearing firecrackers on New Year's Eve. Each

clanging sound foreshadowed a potential death. This was the dirge before the gates of hell opened, the sound of death seeping through the door. The

previously gentle rain seemed to mistake the echoing gunfire for thunder, intensifying its downpour.

The island beneath me was surrounded by many similar islands. Shooting targets lurking on islands I could face was naturally easier than shooting those on the same island. For long-range weapons, angle is more crucial than distance.

Several times I saw disguised targets on the adjacent islands to the east and west—all henchmen of the Pirate King—yet I didn't snipe them.

Because I still don't know the whereabouts of the four ruthless assassins hired by the Pirate King.

More importantly, I don't know if there are one or more ruthless assassins hiding on the island where I and the Withered Soul Conch are.

Therefore, regardless of which side's pirates are on, as long as they don't interfere with my plans and actions, and don't pose a threat to me, they can practically continue to breathe within my T-shaped kill line.

Before figuring out who they are, I absolutely cannot fire too many shots. The guy whose skull I just smashed was just unlucky; he happened to be hiding in the place I would pass through on my way down the island. So, I took him out beforehand.

Now, the only thing I need to do, and the only thing I can do, is to scout, to identify as many scattered snipers as possible from both sides, and imprint them in my mind.

A scene that surprised me suddenly appeared: when I peered through the sniper scope at the neighboring island to the southwest, I actually saw the Withered Soul Conch woman.

Because the island I was lying on was on higher ground, almost half the height of the adjacent island, I could clearly see through the sniper scope that the center of that small island was a depression about eight square kilometers in area, shrouded in white mist and filled with lush, towering trees.

I quickly adjusted the scope, trying to zoom in to get a clearer view of the woman who was crouching and running rapidly, wondering what she was up to.

She was supposed to be on the same island as me, but this woman, who had been so cold and hostile to me, had somehow quietly left this island, swam across the water separating the islands, and sneaked onto the island diagonally opposite. I had to blink again in exasperation, silently observing these inexplicable creatures.

I used the T-shaped reticle in my scope to closely follow her light, sometimes fast, sometimes slow movements. However, the woman's strange attire made her movements among the branches and leaves so dazzling that it was difficult for my eyes to see clearly. It was as if countless branches and leaves were rapidly flowing and weaving through me, and if I wasn't careful, I would lose sight of her.

Suddenly, like a cat that had just spotted a mouse while taking a walk, the withering snail lowered its center of gravity and crept stealthily toward a cluster of lush branches and leaves.

After walking for a few minutes, the eerie and sinister Withering Soul Conch suddenly leaped from the tangled branches. The two bamboo poles twisted in an X shape behind her were swiftly pulled out by her right hand, the movement as fast as lightning, as if the weapon had been propelled from the bamboo tubes by the air currents she controlled.

While airborne, the Withering Soul Conch, with a quick twist of its slender waist as it descended, brought down the sharp, long, spiral-edged knife in its right hand like an eagle's beak.

I thought that the Withering Soul Conch's agile movement just now was probably to find the enemy sniper's disguised position

like a ghost, attack from behind, and pierce the pirate soldier's spine. However, before this fleeting thought could completely fade from my mind, the Withering Soul Conch, which had plunged into the dense foliage, was kicked out again, as if in a movie replay.

Before the withered conch, having lost its balance, crashed to the ground, a masked woman suddenly darted out from behind the dense foliage, wielding two crescent-shaped cleavers crossed in a scissor-like pattern, aiming directly at the withered conch's feet.

Those two crescent-shaped cleavers were terrifying; at a distance of 1700 meters, they appeared like two beams of white light in the masked woman's hands.

This demonstrated the sheer killing intent and sharpness of these cold weapons; if they had struck the withered conch's feet, it would have been like accidentally taking off one's shoes along with the foot.

"Bo Yue," I thought to myself, a shiver running through me. In this intricate archipelago, perhaps only this woman could not only evade the withered conch's ambush but also kick her away.

This was the first time I had personally witnessed the second woman among the eight legendary figures; the Raven's description of her as a Nordic beauty was indeed true.

Although I couldn't see Bo Yue's skin color or hair, her mesmerizing dark blue eyes and peach-petal-like eyelids were enough to leave viewers wondering about the breathtaking beauty beneath the veil.

After Diao Hun Menluo joined the ranks of headhunters, I was probably the only "man," or rather, person, who had seen her naked body and most of the totems on her flesh.

This Burmese woman was quite beautiful, but her slightly golden-bronze skin obscured her alluring feminine beauty.

But I knew deeply that these two women's outward appearances didn't represent their true personalities. To join the ranks of the eight legendary assassins required more than just ruthless killing.

Although I spotted the two women, I couldn't assist Diao Hun Menluo with a sniper rifle. Their fight was not only fierce but also incredibly fast-paced. Even with a pistol at a distance of fifty meters, let alone a range exceeding a kilometer, it was difficult to intervene. Unless, of course, they were both killed.

Chapter 351: The God

of the Moon and the Withered Soul Snail, whose faces were turned to the side, possessed reaction speed and agility far beyond that of ordinary people. Even if I used my fastest speed to fire two fatal bullets in a mere three seconds, I couldn't guarantee that the second one would hit its mark.

Because, regardless of whether I shot the God of the Moon or the Withered Soul Snail first, the second woman would definitely escape quickly, disappearing behind the dense foliage. In this way, I would have to make an enemy of another one of the Eight Great Assassins.

The Withered Soul Snail, leaning back in mid-air, had exceptionally sharp eyes. She had already seen the two gleaming crescent-shaped cleavers of the God of the Moon, and she suddenly pulled her legs back, intending to throw the bamboo tube blade in her right hand like a whip.

The God of the Moon quickly retracted the two cleavers she had slashed out, trying to block the blade thrown by the Withered Soul Snail. However, the sharp, long blade in the Withered Soul Snail's hand might not have left her grasp; it was just a feint to scare away the enemy.

After landing on her shoulder, the Withered Soul Conch rolled away, disappearing behind the dense foliage. Instead of leaping after her, Bo Yue crouched low and quickly hid behind the branches as well.

I pressed my pupils against the back of my sniper scope, observing their every move, wondering what unpredictable techniques these two assassins would use in hand-to-hand combat.

But these two seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. The sudden downpour began to subside. The

intense gunfire still echoed across the surrounding islands. I looked up at the gray sky; the sunlight overhead was still too bright for me to risk taking action.

Why the Withered Soul Conch had secretly run to that low-lying basin island was beyond my comprehension, but seeing her fight with Bo Yue, it seemed neither of them was truly focused on the other.

I grabbed the bundle, scooped out some dried shrimp from the cloth bag, and slowly chewed them. While eating, my eyes didn't rest; they continued to scan the area where Bo Yue and Diao Hun Menluo had fought.

The moisture in the air above the island valley shrouded in layers of white mist seemed to be descending, condensing and obscuring the lower atmosphere. I had intended to stay on this island until dusk, then run down under cover of darkness to infiltrate the southernmost island.

However, hearing the muffled sounds of sniping and hunting echoing across the mountains, I was deeply worried about Du Mo. I kept turning my head to look eastward towards the sea, hoping the large patch of dark clouds would be blown over by the sea breeze soon.

The food in my mouth tasted bland; my heart felt like a swarm of ants gnawing at me.

The leaves dripping with water on either side of my head suddenly trembled in the island wind, and the brightness of the light in the damp, gray air before me began to decline noticeably, like the moment of a lunar eclipse.

That thick, dark cloud finally blew up from the sea to the island, slowly merging with the swirling white mist, eventually tangling together, as if gaining weight, no longer subject to the sea breeze.

I slowly raised my eyes, gazing at the suddenly darkened, rain-soaked sky, silently murmuring, "God, oh God, you've finally turned your merciful face away; the bloody hell is about to begin its feast."

"Click, click," I snapped back the two supports at the front of my sniper rifle, and with a whoosh, I sprang up from beneath the crouching branches, using the darkness shrouded in the clouds, galloping like a runaway horse amidst the layers of green waves.

"Bang!" A crimson line of fire, tearing through everything, was flung from the barrel the instant my feet left the ground as I leaped into the air. The hissing bullet grazed the top of a lush, tea-tree-like plant, then pierced the ear of a pirate.

The instant my feet touched the ground, the image reflected in the sniper scope's aperture sent a visceral signal to my brain: the crimson burst at the end of the line of fire.

My legs quickened again, and I leaped forward, running another thirty-five meters before taking another bound.

"Bang!" The same crimson line of fire shot from the barrel, the T-shaped crosshair locking onto the edge of the world, like a swirling crimson vortex suddenly appearing in the middle of a cup of milky brown soy milk.

"Bang, bang..." As I ran southwest along the island's ridge, relying on the memory imprinted in my mind, I shot down all seven pirate soldiers disguised within four hundred meters of me.

Whether these pirates belonged to the Pirate King or Jason Jody, as long as a living person could possibly see my movements, I would open the gates of hell before them.

I kept running towards the center of the island, following the rocky path that sloping along the cliff face like a ladder to heaven, until I reached halfway up the island. Only then did I sling the sniper rifle I was holding onto behind my back and grab onto the haphazardly growing branches to climb down.

"Splash, splash, whoosh..." The vast, floating sea kept crashing against the reefs at the bottom of the island, splashing up countless tiny waves, making it impossible to distinguish whether the rain or the seawater was falling from the sky or splashing up from the sea surface.

The valley island where the withered conch had quietly infiltrated was now faintly visible from below, like a piece of black bread floating in milk. I looked up at the sky again; dense, large raindrops, chillingly cold, pelted my face, the pain piercing to my heart.

The surroundings remained terrifyingly dark, not because of any brightness, but because of the feeling that light was about to vanish from the world forever.

I pulled out a condom, quickly covered the muzzle of my gun, and then plunged into the churning sea. A chill, as if it could freeze blood, spread through my body like an electric current.

I took a deep breath, straightened my legs into a pigtail shape, used my waist to propel myself, and splashed the water with my arms, swimming quickly towards the opposite island in a butterfly stroke. The

muffled gunshots that had echoed across the Chagos Islands were now barely audible. Firstly, the heavy rain and the noise of the water masked the gunfire; secondly, the sudden dimming of light shortened the sniper's field of vision.

I gasped for breath, spitting out mouthfuls of bitter seawater, feeling as thin as a willow leaf. It was a fear of insignificance I'd never experienced before. The surging sea tossed and pounded me, showing no mercy to my internal organs. Several times, I was swept away by waves over ten meters high, nearly unable to swim back to the surface. I

struggled for a full half hour in the icy water, finally collapsing, utterly exhausted, onto a low, protruding rock, like a frog clinging to a tree trunk, no longer wanting to exert any more energy.

Huge waves, carrying pale spray, pelted my back. After resting for less than ten minutes, I finally plopped down at the foot of Gu Island.

Chapter 352: The Tree Realm That Absorbs Human Flesh.

It was nearly three in the afternoon. In just three or four hours, dusk would fall, and even if the dark clouds drifting over the island turned into rain, the light would cease to shine.

I surveyed the valley island before me, finding no easy rock face to climb. I had no choice but to use the branches and uneven rocks as footholds, making my way straight to the summit.

Raindrops streamed down my back, and water cascading from the upper rocks trickled down my back. My teeth chattered as I persevered, scrambling up and sliding down several times, until finally I reached the top.

A large valley, shaped like a clay pot, was lush with vegetation. The drifting mist, as if exhausted, seemed to have fallen, never to rise again.

I crouched under a clump of low trees, looking around. The light was still dim, providing good cover.

Now, I needed to cross this valley island as quickly as possible, infiltrate the southernmost island, and protect Dumo. If possible, I'd take the opportunity to kill the Child Lover.

To shorten the distance, I had to cut straight across the valley and climb down the other side of the island.

As I ran down the steep slope, my knees felt incredibly stiff. Suddenly, I felt myself slip and fall, as if I were plummeting off a cliff.

Luckily, my other foot hadn't lifted yet, allowing me to leap forward with incredible speed just before I hit the ground. Like a nimble ape, I sprang into

the air, grabbing a swaying branch with a whoosh, preventing my fall from which I was suspended in mid-air. I quickly looked down at the misty ground beneath my feet, intending to let go and jump back down the valley wall, but a sudden, sharp pain shot through me, sending a chill down my spine.

The distance between my two feet and the ground wasn't the two or three meters I'd imagined; it was a bottomless abyss.

In my haste and lack of knowledge of the terrain, I nearly fell through the foliage and mist-shrouded section of the precipice.

The fear still gripping my spine, I frantically pulled myself up into the tree canopy. If the branch I was holding broke now, my entire body would crumble like it.

Reaching the thickest part of the tree trunk, my shock subsided slightly. I took the rope from my waist and threw it towards the outer edge of the canopy. The heavy iron hook, with a whoosh, pulled the rope in my hand and plummeted endlessly.

My heart pounded with horror. The rope was at least fifty meters long. I shook my hand and could still feel the hook swaying, meaning it was still suspended in mid-air, not yet touching the bottom. Only

then did I fully understand that the massive canopy before me, surging upwards like a burst of blooming flowers, must be a tropical parasol tree, the tallest and largest plant in the world.

I quickly retrieved the rope, my mind racing for other ways to proceed. The parasol trees around me were generally over sixty meters tall, with the highest section in the valley probably exceeding eighty.

I suddenly felt as if I had just escaped one ordeal only to fall into a plant kingdom, and for the first time in my life, I realized that plants could also instill fear.

At this moment, using the grappling hook to swing back up the mountainside and circle around to the other side of the island was absolutely impossible. There were likely many snipers lurking among the dense vegetation.

Moreover, Bo Yue had already appeared; even if I didn't encounter her, running into the other hostile assassins would surely be fatal.

I gritted my teeth, steeled my resolve, and swung the grappling hook towards a nearby large tree canopy. Because these tropical branches were high in moisture and the wood was quite brittle, I didn't dare to simply spread my limbs and pounce like a lemur.

After hooking the hook onto a large tree canopy fifteen meters away, I pulled hard a few times, feeling a stable and solid pull. I checked my equipment again before swinging across, gripping the rope with both hands.

The pervasive mist soaked my forehead; I felt the wind whistling past my ears, and the blood in my spine began to rush backward.

If I could see the depth beneath my feet, I wouldn't be afraid. It's precisely this kind of seemingly shallow, two- or three-meter drop, yet actually sixty or seventy meters below, height that's truly chilling.

I tugged at the grappling hook, swinging from tree to tree, from canopy to canopy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Just

as I felt I was nearing the middle of the valley, a cableway appeared in the distance. In this misty, rain-swept world of plants, seeing the cableway, resembling a spiral bridge, gave me a fleeting feeling of being in heaven.

But I knew in my heart that if the clouds above dissipated even slightly, snipers hidden in the valley walls could shoot me down at any moment. I preferred to believe I was in hell.

Using the grappling hook, I quickly swung to the cableway, made of hemp rope and planks, suspended between the trees.

This cableway, at least fifty meters above the valley floor, extended southward in an S-shaped wave, its exact destination unclear to me. Because at this point, visibility was only about twenty meters at most.

However, using the cableway on the towering trees to move forward was indeed much faster than my Tarzan-like method, but it also had its risks.

This cableway was ancient, seemingly abandoned for decades, covered in bird droppings and insects, and many of the wooden planks beneath the rope net had been gnawed by rats.

I carried a rope in my hand, so I could throw the grappling hook to save myself in case of an accident. Facing the damp, cold mountain wind and mist, I carefully and cautiously jogged forward, holding onto the cableway.

At that moment, I breathed a sigh of relief: "In such a treacherous and remote valley, how many pirate soldiers who suddenly ambush us must have fallen to their deaths beneath these towering trees?"

The sound of the rain still pattering on both sides of my ears, this seemingly overwhelming noise, was like the sizzling of scallions being added to hot oil.

As I ran, my hand, which was gripping the rope net, suddenly felt a slight, resisting sway. Although I still couldn't see clearly ahead, I could sense that something alive was clinging to the ropeway, trotting towards me.

I quickly drew a sharp dagger, grabbed the trunk of a nearby tree with my left arm, and with a snap, plunged the dagger into the bark, causing my feet to slowly leave the sinking rope net. Once my legs gripped the tree, I slithered like a lizard into the canopy. In the thick, blurry mist before

the bridge above the forest

, a human figure gradually emerged. My murderous eyes stared intently as the creature approached. Regardless of which pirate faction it belonged to, once we encountered it, it wouldn't pass alive.

"Huff, huff, huff..." A burly man, panting heavily, his face painted with camouflage paint and his bloodshot eyes bulging, was trotting forward as if fleeing from pursuit.

This guy was carrying an M40 sniper rifle. Even though the Sea Demon had quite a few of these weapons, this pirate strongman was a subordinate of the true pirate king.

I was like a leopard lurking in the canopy, watching this unfortunate fellow slowly approach.

When his head was only two meters below me, I calculated the lead time for my attack, leaning forward from the tree trunk like a seabird swooping down from the sky.

My left hand reached down and grabbed the hair on the back of his head, pulling it down to force him to raise his neck while controlling my own center of gravity.

"Swish," my right hand flashed with the cold blade, slashing backward in a spinning motion. A ten-centimeter-long gash appeared on his greasy neck, followed by gushing hot blood.

After being thrown from the treetops, I transferred the force of my descent onto the other man, using the momentum to straddle the cable car railing.

The pirate soldier's chest heaved violently forward; the scream in his heart, before it could even escape his throat, was cut off by the sharp dagger.

I raised my right leg, and with a slam of my knee into his abdomen, I sent the burly man flying off the cable car. The

pirate soldier's body, presumably hitting the thick layer of decaying leaves, made a dull thud.

"Bang, bang, bang." Three streaks of red fire suddenly shot up from under the cable car near me, scattering leaves all over my head.

I immediately realized that there must be a sniper under those towering trees nearby, startled by the sudden fall of the body, who had guessed the possible location of someone above and fired three shots, hoping to take down another corpse.

Fortunately, I knocked the pirate soldier's body away at an angle; otherwise, those three lines of fire could very well have injured me.

Holding onto the swing-like cableway, I quickly jumped back a few steps to avoid being hit by another barrage of random bullets from that reckless pirate soldier beneath the swirling mist.

However, this meant I couldn't continue forward on the cableway. If I accidentally stepped on a piece of rotten wood while running, and that pirate soldier fired a few more shots upwards, the danger would be immense.

Retrieving the grappling rope, I secured one end to the tree canopy and wrapped the other around my waist. I crouched down and, with my dagger, its blade still dripping with blood, plucked a piece of wood, like a washboard, from the bottom of the cableway.

The piece was damp and half-rotten, its dark surface covered with green fungal dots; it felt sticky and uncomfortable to hold, but at that moment, I was terrified of dropping it.

Because the trunk of the Hopea tree resembled a straight poplar, I wrapped my legs around it.

"Huff, huff." Holding the long sniper rifle, I took a couple of deep breaths, blinked my eyes which were covered in water droplets, and threw the piece of wood I had cut from the cableway towards the spot where the body had fallen. "One, two.

" I silently counted to two, then leaned down, slightly loosened my legs gripping the trunk, and my whole body, like an upside-down bat, hissed and rustled as I plummeted vertically downwards. The

moment my head plunged into the mesmerizing, swirling mist, it felt like sinking into deep water, or like a paratrooper just before deploying their parachute after jumping from a plane. After a

full nine seconds of descent, the white mist, which felt like entering a sauna, suddenly thinned to a wisp. Although it was still somewhat dark, the surrounding scenery now showed faint, inky outlines that were effectively reflected in my pupils.

"Bang, bang, bang." At my 2:30 position, three dark, fiery lines shot up one after another above the fallen plank.

A hunched-over guy, like a thief throwing chickens, was craning his neck exaggeratedly, straining to see into the white mist above, looking as if he were starving and a steaming hot pie was about to fall from above.

However, in those few seconds, my legs, which were rubbing against the tree bark, snapped shut, fixing me twenty meters above the ground.

The Barrett sniper rifle I was holding, after a sit-up, I used my obliques to twist it, and through the scope, the T-shaped crosshair was aligned with a dark, indistinct head.

The damp, half-rotten plank and I fell one after the other. After the pirate soldier fired three shots into the air above the plank, he tried to turn and fire into the treetop directly above me. He was horrified to discover that the object falling this time was extremely strange. He realized that the dark shadow sliding vertically down the tree trunk was the first greeting from the Grim Reaper.

"Bang!" Just as the pirate soldier was about to quickly turn his gun to fire at me, hanging halfway up the tree, a bullet, carrying a gust of wind, shot out of the barrel and struck his left eye socket.

In the dark forest, a bowl-shaped object was seen flipped over from above the man's head, spinning and flying diagonally.

I knew exactly what it was, and I was familiar with that image: a human head, severed in two by the impact of the bullet, brain matter splattering as the skull flew off.

After clearing out the pirate soldiers below the cableway, I slung my rifle over my shoulder and climbed back up to the treetop using the rope.

I surmised that the pirate soldier hadn't deliberately infiltrated the lower levels of the Hopea Tree world. If he wasn't insane, no living person would venture into such a gloomy, corrupt, hellish environment of ancient trees, unless they were immune to miasma.

Most likely, he had witnessed something terrifying or was being chased, forcing him to cling to the trunk and slide down, only to find himself unable to climb back up immediately.

Back on the cableway above the white mist, I felt as if I had returned from another world. Although it was drizzling, at least my head could directly face the vast sky.

Following this dilapidated and neglected cableway, I cautiously jogged forward, trying to reach the opposite island peak as quickly as possible.

To my relief, the cableway did indeed connect the valley walls on both sides; it seemed that whoever built it intended it to be a shortcut across the forest.

Chapter 354: The Tire Falling Towards Hell's Gate

Less than ten minutes into the run, I suddenly felt the cableway beneath my feet begin to sway violently again. My heart skipped a beat; I guessed that another pirate was probably running towards us from the floating white mist ahead.

I looked around; there was nowhere else to hide except back in the treetops. I quickly dodged, and just as I crouched down in the treetops, I saw a guy clutching an SVD sniper rifle running forward in the swirling mist, filled with fear and trepidation.

This guy was a skilled pirate soldier from the Sea Demon; he kept looking back, as if a monster was chasing and biting him from the mist behind him.

I clearly remembered that the guy who brought the net yesterday when I was fishing for that big sailfish was him.

He had two gaping gashes on his shoulder, and one of his ears looked like it had been pecked in half by a sharp weapon. I immediately understood that another guy was about to emerge from the swirling mist.

I pulled out a pistol and crouched quietly in the dripping branches, waiting. As this half-eared pirate soldier ran past my feet, a man with a dark fishing net covering his face gradually appeared.

This guy wore an octagonal camouflage hat, and held an M25 sniper rifle upright in his left arm. His menacing posture suggested he was chasing a wounded prey that wouldn't run far.

A camouflage net, like vines, was draped over his back, and a long gun barrel protruded diagonally from behind his head.

I knew very well that he was a dual-sniper killer; the rifle on his back was the same ultra-long-range hunting rifle as the one on mine: the Barrett.

Furthermore, a black dog chain hung from this man's waist. As he approached, I looked closer and realized it resembled a short riding whip. However, the whip chain was covered with countless serrated, curved blades the size of wolf fangs.

I had already seen Bo Yue. If this strangely dressed man, unlike ordinary pirates, was also one of the eight legendary assassins, then he could only be the Avici Monk.

Only then did I understand why the pirate soldier who had already run past had such gruesome injuries to his shoulders and one ear—he must have been lashed by the Avici Monk's "flesh-hanging whip."

I was overjoyed. This was a golden opportunity. The surrounding mist was so thick that no one could see through it beyond twenty meters.

At this moment, I didn't need to expend any intelligence or force. As soon as this assassin, one of the eight legendary assassins, reached my feet, my FN57 pistol would crack open, piercing a hole in his brain.

Then, I only needed to jump down from the treetop and throw his body into the terrifying depths of the Hopea tree world. Heaven knows how this ruthless assassin died, or where he went.

The black, powerful sights of my FN57 pistol, through the rustling green leaves, were aimed at the forehead of the Avici monk.

The fine, incessant rain, like smoke and pearls, fell around me. In this short time of waiting to execute the Avici monk, I could almost hear my own heartbeat.

"Come, come, the Avici God has calmed down. This pattering rain is his call to you. The way back is at the bottom of this forest..." I silently chanted in my heart, blowing the killing horn deep within my soul.

Suddenly, the pirate soldier who had just walked past me abruptly retreated, as if time had reversed, replaying his steps beneath my feet.

I immediately understood and quickly glanced out of the corner of my eye at the pirate soldier's front. At the other end of the cable car, a woman, also veiled, appeared. Just looking into her cold, beautiful eyes, I felt my heart being bewitched.

"Damn it!" I gritted my teeth, seething with resentment. Bo Yue had appeared at this crucial moment. If I attacked that useless monk again, that North American woman would surely see it, and most likely, she'd fight me.

If I could kill this woman in the end, I wouldn't care much; my real fear was that she would escape. If this reached Ming Zhong Shui's ears, Lu Ya's safety would be in grave danger.

"Ah! Ah! Don't kill me! I'm being coerced! I'm willing to go to your pirate ship and be your slave for life, I won't take any pay. Don't kill me, okay? Okay? Waaah..."

The pirate soldier, severely wounded in the shoulder, found himself suddenly blocked in the middle of the cableway by two strange and lightning-fast men. He was truly trapped with nowhere to run.

"Waaah, waaah..." Seeing the pirate soldier cry out in fear, the Abi Waste Monk imitated him, whimpering.

But I could clearly see the lustful killing intent surging in the Abi Waste Monk's lifeless eyes.

Bo Yue stood ramrod straight, approaching the desperate pirate soldier step by step. The Abi Waste Monk slowly lowered his M25 sniper rifle, his left hand slowly reaching for the sharp short whip hanging at his waist.

“Jump! Don’t wait for him to whip you; that will save you a lot of pain.” Bo Yue said with a grin as she pulled the bolt of her sniper rifle.

I could see it clearly: the pirate soldier, though soaked to the bone in the messy rain, was urinating uncontrollably from under his pants.

“Waaah, waaah, ah…” The pirate soldier looked back in terror and saw the Avici Monk about to raise that gleaming whip to strike his shoulder again. He could no longer bear the cruelty and fear. He closed his tear-filled eyes, forced a snotty grin, and shouted as he jumped off the cable car.

“Bang!” The pirate’s body, which had leaped into the water like a frog, had just reached its highest point when, before it could even land, Bo Yue’s rifle pierced a bloody hole in its spine.

The pirate soldier's head and feet jerked upwards simultaneously, plunging him into the thick mist. In that instant, it was as if a celestial being had been reincarnated into the mortal realm. But, crouching in the treetops, what I saw was horrifying.

Bo Yue and the Abi Feiseng were both looking down at the falling corpse. Suddenly, from the thick mist on their left, a lithe woman flew out, her left knee striking the Abi Feiseng in the back of the head.

I instantly recognized the assassin who had suddenly attacked from the mist—it was Diao Hun Menluo.

She had been stalking the Abi Feiseng, and when they were close enough, to avoid alerting her opponent by the ropeway's vibrations, this agile Burmese assassin used the grappling hook rope to weave through the treetops, intending to ambush and kill him.

But Bo Yue's appearance was something Diao Hun Menluo had never anticipated.

Chapter 355: A Battle That Turns Heaven and Earth Upside Down.

From the sudden change in Bo Yue's eyes, the Abi Waste Monk immediately sensed the anomaly behind him. The impact of the air currents mixed with the falling rain allowed him to perceive the approximate location of his opponent's attack.

Like a cat pouncing on a field mouse, he used the elasticity of the cableway to leap forward, soaring into the air like a cannonball. The flesh-hanging whip he held in his hand lashed out with a whoosh as his body twisted in mid-air.

The Soul-Slaying Shell, caught by the swaying hook rope, swept past the Abi Waste Monk's leaping position, a vicious knee strike missing its mark, and then, with the momentum of its momentum, crashed into the Abi Waste Monk's whip—a whip capable of tearing countless pieces of flesh from a person's back.

The Withering Soul Conch had already drawn her sharp, angular blade from behind her back, intending to strike the Avici Monk in the back of the head with her knee and then, in the brief moment of his dizziness, plunge the blade into his collarbone.

However, the Avici Monk reacted swiftly with a defensive counterattack. Her sharp blade, like a crane's beak fighting a venomous snake, clashed with the immense force of the sharp steel whip.

A series of tiny sparks flew, instantly extinguished by the pattering rain, turning into a wisp of smoke.

Using the recoil from the close-quarters combat, the Withering Soul Conch quickly released her swaying ropes, straddling the bouncing cableway.

The Avici Monk, however, with his powerful body crashing down, crushed several damp, half-rotten planks of the cableway, plummeting downwards like a boulder.

However, the abducted monk was as nimble as lightning and as flexible as a vine. He reacted extremely quickly and grabbed the rope net at the bottom of the cableway, thus preventing his body from falling into the deep, dark world beneath the towering trees along with the broken pieces of wood.

At this moment, the Withered Soul Conch had a clear view of Bo Yue and the large, dark sniper rifle she was holding.

Therefore, after missing her target, the Avici Monk, she couldn't use the rope to swing back and cancel the unsatisfactory ambush.

It's conceivable that if the Withered Soul Conch had dared to swing back, Bo Yue's Barrett sniper rifle would have shot her down from mid-air like a monkey.

Seeing the Withered Soul Conch firmly on the cableway, Bo Yue was about to raise her sniper rifle to fire when the Withered Soul Conch pushed off with her left foot. The safety rope on the side of the cableway rebounded like a rubber band, propelling her body diagonally down the cableway like a python swinging its head.

I had personally witnessed the Withered Soul Conch's agile movements in my apartment in Buale City.

This woman, who moved like a gecko on the wall and like a monkey on the mountain, was now like a clinging butterfly on the swaying cable car.

Using one foot to hook onto the cable car's safety rope net, her upside-down body, like a dragon chasing and biting, swiftly thrust her gleaming, razor-sharp blade towards the Avici Monk hanging below.

The Avici Monk, his arms tightly gripping the cable car's rope net, was preparing for a pull-up. However, the cable car was terribly rigged; any part could be a death trap. What looked like a safe hold could easily crash down with a fatal fall.

Therefore, the Avici Monk dared not hang with only one hand; he had to grip with both, adding an extra layer of protection against the fall. The razor-sharp blade, clutched in her right hand, flashed like lightning, aiming straight for the Avici Monk's left rib.

The Abyssal Monk straightened his waist, sprang up with a snap, his left leg diagonally kicking away the withering soul conch's wrist as it attacked with its knife, while his right heel slammed into the withering soul conch's chest.

The withering soul conch, whose left hand had been empty, suddenly flicked out a white light, meeting the Abyssal Monk's kicking right leg.

Only then did I realize that the withering soul conch's real attack wasn't in the long, fang-like blade in her right hand; she seemed to have deliberately waited for the Abyssal Monk's right leg to strike her chest.

The two bamboo poles, arranged in an X shape on the withering soul conch's lower back, actually concealed four fang-like blades. The end of the bamboo pole from which one long, fang-like blade had already been drawn was also the hilt of a sharp fang-like blade, which the withering soul conch's emerald fingers swiftly pulled out like a gust of wind.

However, this fang-like blade was only half the length of the other two. The saying goes, "Different lengths have different uses." Since the blade is half the length, the speed at which this weapon is drawn is naturally twice as fast.

Moreover, this is the exclusive weapon of highly agile assassins like the Soul-Withering Snail, so the speed of drawing is doubled, making it a sure-kill move.

"Ah!" A cry of surprise was heard from the Abyssal Monk, the anger born of pain being hoarsely squeezed out of his throat.

Seeing the Abyssal Monk pull back after being slashed in his left leg, the Soul-Withering Snail, which had been feinting an attack, suddenly thrust the long and sharp fanged blade in his right hand, transforming it into a real strike, slashing horizontally at the Abyssal Monk's stretched left triceps muscle.

If this cut went in, it would surely cut into the Abyssal Monk's bone. The Abyssal Monk hurriedly released the arm that was about to have a large chunk of muscle severed, and his entire center of gravity, which was suspended in mid-air, immediately shifted.

In this fleeting moment, the injured right leg of the Avici Monk, powered by his waist, kicked out again, aiming straight for the Soul-Trapping Conch's heart.

Her long-edged blade, aimed at the Avici Monk's arm, missed its mark beneath the violently swaying cableway, causing her to lean slightly forward, perfectly positioned for the Avici Monk's second kick.

The Soul-Trapping Conch knew that any of the eight assassins possessed an almost monstrous destructive power; a precise strike to a vital point would result in either death or permanent injury.

The Soul-Trapping Conch couldn't retract her right hand in time and had to parry with the short-bladed blade in her left hand. However, the Avici Monk wasn't about to allow a second stab. A clanging sound of chains rang out, and a flash of white light lashed out, striking the Soul-Trapping Conch's right arm.

The "Flesh-Hanging Whip," gleaming like a mirror after being washed by the rain, was instantly covered with tiny strips of cloth and blood and flesh. On Withered Soul Conch's right shoulder, countless jujube-sized puncture wounds began to sizzle blood.

She had been struck by the attack of the Avici Monk, a right-footed kick combined with a left-handed whip strike while dodging. The man and woman, one head up, the other head down, one attacking primarily with their feet, the other with their arms, were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Withered Soul Conch panicked, for she could only fight the Avici Monk to the death, unable to easily escape this disadvantageous two-on-one fight.

Bo Yue held her large sniper rifle, waiting for her to create distance from the Avici Monk so she could cleave Withered Soul Conch in two with a single shot.

Because of the cableway's elasticity, coupled with the fierce fighting between the two ruthless assassins hanging below, Bo Yue, clutching her Barrett sniper rifle, bounced up and down like she was jumping rope, unable to aim accurately and shatter the ankle of the Withered Soul Conch hanging from the rope net with a single shot.

Chapter 356: The Living Doll Sharing the Damage

The mist and steam, like boiling water, gradually covered the cableway's floor. Bo Yue knew that the Withered Soul Conch was simultaneously facing two of the Eight Great Assassins, and the environment here was extremely unique, making it impossible for her to easily escape. This was her chance to join forces with the Abyssal Monk to kill this woman.

Otherwise, if they were to encounter her one-on-one later, the risk of a fight would be much greater. However, although Bo Yue was eager to kill the Withered Soul Conch, she dared not approach to help the Abyssal Monk.

The cableway, dilapidated and in disrepair, was remarkably resilient enough to withstand the struggle between the man and woman without breaking. Had Bo Yue approached any closer, all three would have plummeted into the valley.

Even if they were agile enough to grab the rope net and swing away the moment the cableway broke, the water mist below was over twenty meters thick, making it impossible to see which massive tree trunk they would crash into. By the time they realized what was happening, their intestines would likely have spilled out of their trousers.

Beneath the towering trees, though hundreds, even thousands of years of withered leaves had accumulated, a fall might have provided a soft, cushioning sensation.

However, who knew which broken branches and roots, pointing upwards, might be like sharp knives buried under a leaf? If any of them were unlucky enough to land on one, they would be turned into a living, unbearable skewer of flesh.

Bo Yue was highly intelligent and rational. Knowing she was heavily armored, and despite hesitating for several seconds, she didn't rashly rush in to intervene. Doing so wouldn't help the Avici Monk; instead, she would become his sacrificial lamb.

So, Bo Yue took the hook rope from her waist, aimed it at the large tree crown behind the Withering Soul Conch, and hurled it with all her might.

After the hook sank into the crown, Bo Yue tugged at it twice to test its reliability, then tied the rope to her waist.

I knew very well that if Bo Yue used the rope to swing across and unleashed a killing move alongside the Avici Monk, the Withering Soul Conch would be doomed.

This sinister woman, the Withering Soul Conch, though utterly contemptuous and harsh towards me, was, after all, one of the eight fierce warriors who, upon suddenly encountering me in this island and this vast forest, wouldn't attack me.

Although I cannot recklessly kill the few fierce assassins hired by the Pirate King because of the fact that Luya is being held hostage by the Water of Fate, and I cannot fight them without restraint, the Withering Soul Conch need not worry about these things.

Moreover, the risk of losing my life in a duel with assassins from the Eight Greats is very high, so why not control the Withering Soul Conch well and make her a living puppet to share the damage?

I need to figure out something else: once the Abyssal Monk and Bo Yue join forces to take down the Withering Soul Conch, whether I can escape alive from the canopy, whether I can safely reach the other side of the island peak, and whether I can avoid dying in the melee of the eight legendary assassins—these uncertainties are naturally hard to predict.

When I ran down from the other island, I had already calculated in my mind that in this pirate war, I have no absolute enemy, yet they are all my enemies.

If I want to succeed, I must become the chef of this hellish feast; the seasonings—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty—depend on how I stir them up.

If Jason Jodi and the Pirate King are at a clear disadvantage in their battle, they will inevitably become enraged. Either Luya, Yi Liang, or Chi Chun will likely be targeted and become victims of the pirates' venting of their anger.

If the two pirate forces are evenly matched, neither able to inflict significant damage nor achieve a decisive victory, then the difficulty of rescuing Luya and Yi Liang will never lessen.

Therefore, my only, and necessary, method is to use every means possible to incite the Pirate King and Jason Jody to fight to the death, to make both tigers wounded in their battle, and the more wounded the better.

I remained crouched in the treetops, my cold, bloodthirsty eyes fixed on Bo Yue.

The FN57 pistol in my hand offered a somewhat manageable angle for taking down the Avici Monk on my left.

But aiming to the right to try and kill Bo Yue was impossible; the tangled branches and dense foliage completely blocked my view.

If a bullet hit a branch, it would deflect, failing to kill her instantly and alerting her, exposing myself.

If Bo Yue escaped alive, the hatred between us for this cold shot would be sealed.

I also considered grabbing the sniper rifle behind me, using its long barrel to push aside the obstructing branches and shoot Bo Yue's skull, but that would be too much of a chokehold.

Bo Yue, a formidable assassin, is unlike those pirate soldiers. Her observation and reaction abilities are absolutely unfathomable.

The fact that she's survived so many sneak attacks suggests she's survived countless ambushes. Therefore, I don't want to take the risk of potentially losing more than I gain.

Bo Yue slung her Barrett sniper rifle over her shoulder, gripped the grappling rope tightly with both hands, pushed off the swaying cableway, and sprang up, hanging from the rope.

Pulled by gravity, she flew like a green bird soaring through the forest, aiming at the direction of the fight between the Soul-Slaying Snail and the Avici Monk, and with a whoosh, she flew off.

Chapter 357: The Spinning Human Bell.

I had intended to shoot her a few times with my FN57 pistol the instant Bo Yue swung past, but the thick mist had already risen, and Bo Yue, suspended by the rope, was already barely visible.

If I misjudge her location and fail to shoot her, she'll swing over and, together with the Avici Monk, quickly eliminate the Withering Soul Snail, and then they'll attack me instantly.

The tree trunk, soaked with water, acted like a springboard, giving my legs a powerful boost as I lunged down. I quickly shoved my pistol back into my pocket, and using the momentum of my crouch, I lunged at the taut rope that Bo Yue had pulled down.

Just as Bo Yue's dangling rope reached a position symmetrical to mine, my leaping body landed with a thud behind her like a leaping monkey.

"Mmm..." My mouth and nose pressed against Bo Yue's right cheek, taking a deep sniff of her fragrant cheek hidden under the canvas.

At the same time, I used my hands and feet to hold Bo Yue's arms and legs, which were clamped onto the rope, making sure she didn't have a chance to pull out her crescent-shaped cleaver.

A deep, menacing, and chillingly hoarse voice slowly but surely escaped from my lips. "You, play the game with me!" Bo Yue shuddered in shock, realizing she had been ambushed and pinned down. She struggled frantically for a moment, but to no avail.

A piercing scream, almost deafening, erupted from Bo Yue's masked mouth.

This scream, like the sharp fingers of a witch's demon, seemed capable of tearing apart the darkness that shrouded the entire valley.

I had ripped a large chunk of flesh from Bo Yue's pale neck with my brute force, the pain sending shivers down her spine as if she were being electrocuted.

"Spit!" I felt a sticky, salty taste on my tongue and spat out the mouthful of human flesh I had been holding. A mouthful of crimson liquid, like a shooting star, fell sideways, creating a hazy, dreamlike mist.

Bo Yue wasn't a power-type assassin after all. Although she was agile and her moves were deadly, if she were held down from behind by a brute force opponent like me, especially on the grappling hook rope high in the air, it would be extremely difficult to escape in a short time.

The wind howled around us, our entangled bodies like a human hammer, completely out of control, and we didn't know which towering tree behind the mist would violently crash into us.

Bo Yue knew that my hands and feet were used to hold her limbs, so I couldn't inflict fatal damage on her immediately. I could only use my advantage of being behind her to slowly devour her neck.

As I spat out a mouthful of flesh, preparing to tear at her neck again, the woman, screaming in agony, suddenly stopped and slammed the back of her head against my face.

I wasn't a giraffe, and with my body so close to Bo Yue's, it was difficult to dodge. My left cheekbone was hit hard, and I felt countless stars swirling around half of my head.

Although I felt a sharp pain, I pressed my forehead against the back of Bo Yue's head, preventing her from hitting my face repeatedly.

However, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the web of my right hand, and with a jerk of my arm, Bo Yue tore off a thick chunk of flesh from my own body.

I had bitten her first, and now she had bitten me back; hatred and anger burned within us. "Thump, thump," the swaying rope sped faster and faster, and behind the mesmerizing mist, the thick trunks of two towering trees flashed past us like speeding locomotives, the gusts of wind penetrating our hearts.

The pain in my left hand felt like countless steel needles coursing through my body; the sensation was indescribably unbearable. I stomped hard on Bo Yue's feet, which were wrapped around her legs, forcing the weight of her body hanging on the rope onto my hands gripping it.

Because Bo Yue's hands, which were gripping the rope, were already being squeezed by my own. If I were to forcefully pull her down, her palms would be ground to a pulp by the rope.

At this moment, Bo Yue was completely helpless, and in this extremely short time, I could only continuously inflict cumulative damage on her, unable to draw my dagger and stab her to death.

The surrounding trees were whizzing past, and the visibility of the mist had shrunk to ten meters. However, the speed at which the grappling rope swung was now even more terrifying, as the force of gravity increased dramatically after it suddenly hit me.

This chilling feeling was like a roller coaster suddenly plunging upside down from its highest point, with the person sitting on it only able to hold on with their hands, completely unprotected.

Bo Yue knew I wanted to grind her palms to a pulp; she tightened her legs around the rope, struggling against me and trying to bite my wrist again.

The grappling rope suspending us had already swung two-thirds of the way, and we were almost at the cableway where the Soul-Slaying Conch and the Avici Monk were fighting. Suddenly, two legs swung up from the swirling, misty spray.

I was shocked; it wasn't the Soul-Slaying Conch that had climbed onto the cableway. If the Burmese woman had been killed by the Avici Monk, I would be left alone, locked in a fierce battle with two of the Eight Legendary Assassins.

"Clang." A series of metallic chains, like shards of ice sprinkled on the heart, clattered from behind the misty clouds. When I saw a sudden, zigzagging gust of cold wind flash across the cableway beside me, I immediately released my grip on Bo Yue, causing my body to slide down with a whoosh. Touching Bo Yue's waist, I sank rapidly to the remaining

rope beneath her feet. The sinister whip of the Avici Monk, intended to strike me off Bo Yue's back, was pulled back as I slipped.

Although I escaped the Avici Monk's clutches, Bo Yue above me was now free as a fish in water.

Her previously drooping legs were suddenly hooked onto the rope, and before I could even see clearly, Bo Yue, with one leg wrapped around the hook rope, was hanging upside down, her two white, crescent-shaped blades slicing down like scissors.

Her once azure, cold eyes had now changed color, as if the beautiful woman had suddenly revealed the true form of a vengeful ghost, lunging at me with chilling murderous intent.

I inwardly cried out in alarm. If she struck me with that blade, both my hands would vanish instantly; if I loosened my grip on the rope, which was almost touching its end, my entire body would plummet, resulting in either death or maiming.

There was an exceptionally sharp dagger on each of my shoulders and calves, but I couldn't use one dagger to simultaneously block both of Bo Yue's blades. At this point, I was clearly at a disadvantage.

The swinging grappling hook had reached the end of its first swing, and Bo Yue and I, like two small fish caught on a hook, were swung to our highest point with a whoosh.

Countless tangled branches lashed out and snapped against us, making a series of cracking sounds.

Chapter 358: The Hatred Severed by the Mist

In this critical moment of peril, how could I miss the sudden opportunity? Using the immense momentum I generated, I quickly released the rope and clung to the violently shaking branches, my feet sinking into the bottomless abyss.

To protect her eyes from harm, Bo Yue didn't abandon her attack, shifting her stance to ensure the branches that could reduce the impact of the grappling rope struck her back.

I scrambled rapidly, passing through the canopy of the Hopea tree, grabbing the trunk and sliding down. Just as my head was about to disappear into the swirling mist, a chilling smile crept across my lips as I looked at Bo Yue, who clung to the other side of the canopy. In that

instant, as our gazes were severed by the mist, two icy glints of hatred flashed in Bo Yue's almost green pupils.

Like a sloth, I clung to the trunk of the Hopea tree, quickly descending to the soft, dark depths of the tree world. Relying on my memory, I estimated the approximate location where the Abyssal Monk had attacked me, and ran towards the large trees behind him.

Since the rope hook couldn't be thrown up to the canopy over sixty meters high, I had to pull out my dagger and painstakingly climb upwards, piercing the bark, until I returned to the world where I could see the light of day.

Quietly returning to the treetop, I didn't see Bo Yue chasing after me, which made me worried. Clearly, Bo Yue had gone to join forces with the Abyssal Monk to deal with the Withering Soul Snail.

The rising mist had already submerged the cableway, reducing visibility to about five meters. Although I couldn't see the fighting there, as soon as my feet touched the cableway again, I felt it undulating, the vibrations emanating from the milky-white mist.

It seemed everyone now understood that this dilapidated cableway could easily support three people fighting on it; I just wondered if it would break under the weight once I got close.

When I climbed up from the bottom of the tree world, I had already accurately assessed the trees around this section of the cableway. Therefore, I knew exactly which tree the cableway might strike if it collapsed.

I slowly crouched down, feeling my way in the direction of the cableway's violent tremors. My eyelashes were covered in wet droplets, but I dared not blink, fearing I might be accidentally stabbed or killed by a sharp weapon emerging from behind the mist. (Mobile access: ωар．ㄧбκ． сn)

The Abyssal Monk hadn't expected that I had already returned to his level. He was still wielding his steel whip, trying to use the advantage of the Moon's Blessing to beat the Withered Soul Snail to a pulp.

At this moment, blood was gushing from both of Withered Soul Snail's shoulders; the more she increased her attack speed and power, the worse her wounds became.

But this Burmese woman, on the contrary, fought with increasing ferocity. She had already drawn two long, sharp blades, parrying the Abyssal Monk who held a whip in one hand and a sharp blade in the other.

Bo Yue stood behind the Withered Soul Conch, seemingly observing the fight, but in reality, she was waiting for an opportunity—a chance to either remain silent or kill her opponent with a single blow. As

I approached the Abyssal Monk, the pieces of wood beneath my chest were no longer there; these pieces, nearly two meters long, had been destroyed in their earlier struggle.

Like an eel, I slipped to the bottom of the cableway, clinging to the undulating planks, inching closer to the Abyssal Monk's feet.

The Withered Soul Conch was struggling; while fighting the Abyssal Monk, she had to constantly keep an eye out for Bo Yue drawing her pistol.

If Bo Yue dared to draw her gun, the Withered Soul Conch would throw her dagger, perhaps two, at her, preferring to whip the Abyssal Monk again rather than let a bullet hit her.

The opportunity Bo Yue was waiting for was to strike unexpectedly when Diao Hun Men Luo was overwhelmed and his observation skills failed him.

I lay prone beneath the cable car, the thick white mist around me making me feel like I was soaking in milk. This was fine; it would make it harder for my opponent to spot me.

The Avici Monk's leather boots sent shards of rotten cable car planks flying. I squinted, using my eyelashes like a camel to protect my vision from the small solids. But inside my neck, damp wood chips were falling everywhere.

Seizing the opportunity, I drew a sharp dagger from my shoulder, silently climbed onto the cable car, aimed at the Avici Monk's right Achilles tendon, gritted my teeth, and slashed the blade down hard.

"Aaaaaah..." Though the rain pattered in my ears, I could clearly hear the sharp "snip" of the blade severing the tendon of a living man.

Chapter 359: The Bleeding Monk on the Suspension Bridge

As the crippled monk screamed in agony, he knew in his heart that his right leg was crippled. His mania, fueled by pain, surged to its limit. He roared furiously and swung his flesh-hanging whip at my head, which was tumbling below the cableway.

The steel whip, riddled with tiny, sharp blades, was incredibly powerful. If it had struck my nose, it wouldn't have just ripped the flesh from my face; it would have probably torn both my eyeballs out of their sockets.

Withered Soul Conch, already struggling against the crippled monk with multiple shoulder wounds, suddenly saw his opponent's hysterical roar, and the flesh-hanging whip, which was about to strike his wounds again, unexpectedly twitched mid-flight and lashed downwards towards the cableway.

She immediately understood that she was no longer fighting alone. I, the man she had always treated with contempt as a lowly mercenary, had already made my move like a ghost, lurking in the swirling mist.

From the howls of the Avici Monk, the Withered Soul Conch could tell that her opponent was seriously injured. How could she let such an opportunity slip by? Her two sharp, long, fanged blades, slicing and stabbing simultaneously, rained down like a torrential downpour after a long drought, relentlessly attacking the Avici Monk's throat, heart, and eyes.

The steel whip that lashed down like a gust of wind didn't strike as expected, even after I quickly retracted my right arm to protect my head.

"Clang..." The violent clash of the blade and the steel whip echoed again from above the cableway. The Withered Soul Conch knew that my ambush of the Avici Monk from below the cableway was extremely risky.

Hanging precariously below the cableway, I was not only inconvenient to dodge, but also risked accidentally breaking the cable and causing all four of us to fall to the ground beneath the trees.

The Withered Soul Conch and the Avici Monk were already badly wounded from their fight, while the formidable assassin, Bo Yue, remained in excellent fighting condition, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

It was clear that Bo Yue's brief encounter with the Withered Soul Conch had made her extremely wary of this Burmese assassin.

Bo Yue hadn't acted rashly against the Withered Soul Conch because this Nordic woman knew that this pirate war was far from over, and injuring herself prematurely would reduce her chances of survival.

Like a cheetah hunting a buffalo, it would rather go hungry temporarily, forgoing a delicious meal, than risk injury while hunting. Even a

lame cheetah, no matter how full, cannot escape the food chain; once it becomes hungry again, it probably won't even be able to catch a duck. Therefore, a cunning hunter will not let his prey become his last supper.

The laws of nature are majestic, transcending the laws of human society, and allowing no desecration. Now, this Chagos Islands, hidden in the vast rain and mist, have drawn each of us into the laws of hell.

In this feast of hunting and counter-hunting, anyone who wants to survive cannot rely solely on ruthless tactics lacking insidiousness and cunning; they will inevitably be at the bottom of the hunting chain.

At this point, even the Soul-Withering Conch had to make careful considerations. She would rather take another lash from the Avici Monk than let me be injured. In fact, she knew better than anyone that Bo Yue's reluctance to act was precisely to kill the Soul-Withering Conch. And I had to mobilize everything possible to become Bo Yue's final opponent.

Seeing that the Avici Monk's exceptionally fierce lash had failed to land, I seized the opportunity to retreat quickly, intending to disappear into the illusory mist once more.

Now, the Withering Soul Snail finally had a chance to catch its breath. The Abyssal Monk had to endure excruciating pain while constantly watching his step, lest the dagger that silently emerged from beneath the white mist sever his left Achilles tendon again.

Moreover, the Abyssal Monk could no longer attack the Withering Soul Snail with his right leg; it was bleeding profusely and hadn't had time to be bandaged. If the Withering Soul Snail ran out of time, the Abyssal Monk would soon become like a machine without fuel, his movements growing increasingly sluggish until he completely stopped, falling off the cableway to his death.

I leaped from the treetops, ambushing and locking onto Bo Yue, biting her until she let out a near-desperate, pitiful scream. The moment that sound reached the Abyssal Monk's ears, he unleashed his potential once more, simultaneously withstanding the Withering Soul Snail's attacks and freeing his hands to help Bo Yue.

The Abyssal Monk did this not out of any concern for Bo Yue, but because he didn't want to be alone and in a passive one-against-two situation.

When Bo Yue was swinging on the Hook Mountain Rope, she had close contact with me and had a rough idea of what kind of opponent I was. Seeing that the Avici Monk had suddenly been seriously injured by my sneak attack, she immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

Two gleaming white crescent-shaped cleavers, like the leaping claws of a mantis, slashed straight at the back of the Withering Soul Snail's thigh.

Bo Yue knew that such a direct attack would hardly harm the Withering Soul Snail, but she had to do it anyway to relieve the pressure on the Avici Monk and give him a moment to rest and adjust.

Perhaps Bo Yue didn't know that I had severed the Avici Monk's Achilles tendon; such an injury couldn't be healed simply by sitting down and catching her breath.

The Withering Soul Snail had also anticipated that Bo Yue would be forced to attack her. With a sudden shift in her body, the sharp blade in her right hand deflected Bo Yue's slashing weapon with a clang, while her right leg followed up with a low side kick to Bo Yue's abdomen.

Bo Yue quickly contracted her body, kneeling on one knee to protect her abdomen from injury. Simultaneously, her right arm pressed down, blocking the outside of the Withering Soul Conch's instep.

The Withering Soul Conch's sinister eyes flashed, fixed on Bo Yue's head. Her rapidly twisting waist, like a fully wound-up spring, caused her left leg to follow up like a released lever.

"Crack!" A loud low kick struck Bo Yue's kneeling shin. The Withering Soul Conch's techniques were mostly a blend of Thai martial arts; having lived in Southeast Asia for nearly twenty years, I was also well-versed in this kind of powerful attack. The Withering Soul Conch's

legs were as hard as iron rods and as fast as the wind, clearly the result of rigorous training from a young age, first developing leg speed before kicking rough, sturdy trees. Until she kicked a meter-long old tree to death, then another similar old tree would follow.

While honing their knee and elbow strikes, these fighters, trained as killing tools, were often smeared with special plant oil on their bodies, forcing their nerves to be insensitive to physical pain.

It's easy to imagine that these brutally trained killers would unleash deadly attacks, instantly ending the lives of ordinary people. However, such assassins, pushing their bodies to the limit, have short lifespans, many only reaching forty to fifty years old.

The heavy low kick from the Withered Soul Gate Conch landed squarely on Bo Yue, but beneath her fair and cold face, beneath her bones lay incredibly strong red and white muscles, capable of both striking and resisting blows. Because Bo Yue had anticipated the attack and knew she couldn't dodge, all her nerves and muscles tensed, greatly reducing the damage. Even so, Bo Yue's handsome eyes trembled slightly. I knew it was real pain. Every attack from the Withered Soul Conch was resolute and decisive, without any hesitation. Therefore, after releasing an attack, her body retracted very quickly, almost as fast as the attack itself. Bo Yue flicked her right wrist, sending her crescent-shaped cleaver chasing after the leg that had struck her, but the opponent's retraction was too fast, and the cleaver missed. Anyone who retaliates against an opponent who has severed their Achilles tendon with a sneak attack will experience unimaginable levels of resentment and rage, let alone someone like the Avici Monk. He was filled with extreme hatred towards me, and the straight, sharp blade in his right hand, through the gaps in the damp, decaying wooden planks beneath the cableway, was wildly stabbing and stabbing downwards. At that moment, clinging to the bottom of the cableway, I felt as if I were gripping the tail of a giant bull, tossed and turned with its frenzied charge. Countless splinters of wood, mixed with the strange, earthy smell, rained down on me and beneath me. Not only did I have to protect my eyes, but I also had to be constantly wary of sharp knives stabbing down from the sawdust. I dared not let my fingers linger in one spot for even half a second, much less stretch out my arms to grab the rope netting on either side of the cableway. That bastard, the Avici Monk, kept poking and stabbing my chest and abdomen through the wooden planks; his real intention was to force me to crawl quickly under the cableway, lest my fingers and feet slip out. If any of my five fingers were exposed on the rope netting, the Avici Monk would slice them off without hesitation; if he grabbed one of my feet, this violent, almost burning-out man would surely chop off my entire foot to vent his anger. Using my two rough hands, I dangled my body and retreated rapidly, hoping to reach the towering tree near the cableway as quickly as possible, then leap up, grab it, and escape. "Crack, crack..." Wooden planks were constantly smashed by the Avici Monk's knife-wielding hand as he relentlessly pursued me. I had already pushed my retreat speed to the limit, and at this moment, I even felt a pang of regret. I shouldn't have resorted to this sneak attack, putting myself in this predicament. The Avici Monk's only advantage was that he was on the cable car and didn't need to control his gravity. But he still had to crouch down to chase me; firstly, he couldn't reach me standing up, and secondly, one of his legs was crippled.

Both Abi the Degenerate and I had the urge to reach for our pistols, intending to shoot each other through the cable car planks. However, in our chase, neither of us had a chance.

Relying on the springiness of our legs and the alternating backhand pulls of our arms to propel our retreat, we were already at our limit. If we were to free up a hand to reach for a gun, my index finger would likely be severed before it even hooked onto the trigger, leaving my hand a bloodied, webbed duck, incapable of gripping or controlling a sniper rifle.

Abi the Degenerate, with the Flesh-Hanging Whip in his left hand and the Broken Sword-like Dagger in his right, also found it difficult to switch to a weapon. Although it was only a brief pause, it was enough for me to free up a hand to pull out the FN57 pistol hanging from my backside.

At this moment, it was a race against time, a battle of firearms quality; falling behind meant death. But he didn't want to die with me. He would feel he had lost out, that a renowned assassin from one of the Eight Great Masters shouldn't perish with a lowly mercenary like me, nameless in this environment.

I quickly pulled away, wishing I could sprout wings and fly into the thick mist. Once I disappeared into the mist, whether I had climbed onto the cable car or deliberately feinted, still hanging below, poking him with my pistol at the wooden plank, was unclear to Abi Feiseng.

I had encountered this situation before, but it was in the dark. If two people were extremely close and couldn't see each other's exact location, only someone contemplating suicide or looking for death would fire a shot that wouldn't hit the other but would reveal their own position.

Although the Soul-Withering Conch was eerily terrifying, she was a very intelligent woman. Knowing that my desperate retreat would involve crossing a section of the cable car with an open floor, she gritted her teeth, leaped back, and attacked Abi Feiseng again.

But in that instant, this dilapidated cable car, weathered by countless storms, could no longer tolerate the four of us writhing on its aged body. Finally, with a deep, muffled cracking sound, the cable car broke in half.

With a whoosh, the wind rushed past my ears again, and my vision was instantly filled with a thick, white steam, like a steamer basket being lifted.

I knew that the rapidly dangling sections of the cable car wouldn't crash into the surrounding trees, but if they reached their limit, any living person clinging to the broken cable would inevitably slam into the supporting tree trunk and cough up blood.

I quickly calculated the time and distance to the parasol tree I had initially targeted, and as I got closer to its trunk, I released my grip, straightened my back, and leaped towards it.

With a loud "crack," my chest slammed against the tree, nearly causing my ribcage to snap. At that moment, I ignored the pain and slid down the tree trunk.

Once I emerged from the mist layer and descended beneath the treetops, I would have a clear view of their outlines. At that point, I could, like a tide-chaser, see which of them—Boyue or the Abi Waste Monk—had fallen and been knocked unconscious. Then I could raise my sniper rifle, aim it at their heads, and let them sleep peacefully under these towering trees until they turned to dust, absorbed by the plants to the top of the canopy, and once again gaze upon the blue sky .

Chapter 361: Three Deadly Camouflages

As soon as my feet touched the damp, soft bottom of the treetops, I quickly lay down and crawled backward.

The Withered Soul Conch and Boyue had already been swung away by the broken cableway. Only the Abi Waste Monk was very close to me. Although that guy had a crippled leg, he might not have died from the fall.

After crawling back about a hundred meters, I hid behind a thick towering tree, leaned against the trunk, slowly squatted down, and began searching through the scope of my sniper rifle.

Due to the change in air pressure, the mist in the middle layer of the Parasol Trees began to rise, gradually giving the light below a glimmer of brightness.

However, peering through the sniper scope, all I saw was the scene of dusk about to turn into night. The distance between each tree trunk was about ten meters, and the surrounding darkness, with raindrops constantly falling, made it seem as if the canopy of the plant kingdom was leaking, rather than rain.

I carefully scanned the possible location where the Avici Monk might have fallen, but apart from some scattered, decaying branches and wood, exuding an ancient and eerie aura, I saw no blurry, moving outlines of anything alive.

I had to cautiously crawl forward a little further. The Avici Monk was highly likely to escape now, and I absolutely couldn't let anyone's words about this fight reach my ears.

But at this moment, I had to remember one thing: the intentions of these high-ranking assassins from the Eight Greats were mostly unexpected by conventional thinking. I had to be wary of this guy, lest he launch a surprise attack.

My hands gripped the damp, sweltering layer of dead leaves; the sticky, mushy texture was indescribably uncomfortable. No one wants to die in such a dark world, seemingly inescapable of rebirth.

The pungent smell of earth and decaying plants filled my nostrils; my crawling movements were barely faster than an old sea turtle.

When I approached a hollow, decaying tree stump, I pulled out the fishing line hidden at the end of my dagger, tied it to the fungus-covered piece of rotten wood, carefully removed my camouflage net, and draped it little by little over the stump. Then, releasing the fishing line, I quietly crawled away.

About sixty meters from the piece of rotten wood bound with fishing line, I stopped on a slightly higher patch of fallen leaves, concealing myself by sinking into the ground like an incubator.

The long barrel of my Barrett sniper rifle protruded from beneath the thick layer of leaves. I scouted ahead again in a fan-shaped pattern for a while, glancing up at the treetops where the thick mist had risen considerably. Feeling the time was right, I began to reel in the fishing line.

The piece of rotten wood, covered in camouflage netting, moved towards my two o'clock position, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, like a wild boar sniffing at food among the fallen leaves.

Facing a master like the Abnormal Monk, even after severing one of his Achilles tendons, I dared not be careless. The slightest arrogance or negligence could lead to my demise at any moment.

In the extremely dim light, the piece of rotten wood looked remarkably like a sniper moving in disguise. I dared not directly pull the piece of rotten wood, so I circled around a tree trunk fifty meters to my right.

Once the enemy saw through this camouflage and tried to find the living controller of the disguised puppet by following the direction of its movement, they would only find it under that tree trunk.

Because the enemy couldn't determine the angle of my pull, they couldn't deduce my actual location.

Even so, I designed a second layer of camouflage under the tree trunk I had circled. I piled up the surrounding dead leaves and then subtly concealed an AK-47 rifle in front of the pile, creating the illusion of a sniper disguised under the leaves.

For the pirate soldiers, once they fell for the trap, they would likely shoot at the slowly moving piece of rotten wood.

Only assassins from a headhunting clan would be likely to shoot at the second disguise behind the tree trunk; if they encountered a suspicious headhunting assassin, they wouldn't even fire until they saw a living body.

I shifted my rhythm, imbuing the camouflaged piece of rotten wood in my hand with the emotions of a living person: anxiety, tension, fear, the will to survive…

“Bang, bang.” A muffled gunshot rang out from the nine o’clock direction, sending a jolt through me. I didn’t see a line of fire capable of tearing apart lives appear nearby, striking the camouflaged stakes or camouflaged leaves directly.

Clearly, the Withered Soul Snail and the Moonlit Night hadn’t been killed by the collision or fall; they were still alive and had begun a long-range fight.

Although I was anxious, I dared not make any sudden moves. Since that guy, the Abyssal Monk, had appeared carrying dual sniper rifles, if he wasn’t dead and had temporarily tended to his wounds, he could, in this special environment, exploit his weaknesses and launch a new round of combat against me.

"Whoosh!" Just as I was observing the changes around me and worrying about Dumo, a line of fire suddenly appeared in the dark forest, shooting from the twelve o'clock direction and hitting the second layer of camouflage, penetrating the front of the pile of leaves behind the tree trunk.

I knew very well that this shot was fired by the Avici Monk; judging from the position and posture of the exposed half of the barrel, he clearly intended to shoot me in the head.

The sniper rifle in my hand, the barrel concealed under the leaves, moved rapidly to the side. My pupil, pressed against the sniper scope, instantly caught the location of the sniper's shot.

In the middle of the T-shaped crosshair, a straight and slightly blurred barrel was peeking out from under a pile of dead leaves. The surrounding accumulated leaves showed the marks left by the gust of wind as the bullet left the barrel.

Based on the position of the muzzle, if I calculated vertically backward seventy centimeters, under those bulging leaves was the head of a breathing human.

My finger, hooked on the trigger, was about to pull back when I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, and my eardrums swelled as if I suddenly heard a mournful song from another world.

"Oh no, why do I have this ominous feeling?" I thought to myself, and the pull on the trigger, about to release the firing pin, eased.

"Phew!" I took a deep breath, trying to calm my chaotic and anxious thoughts. Since the Avici Monk was carrying two sniper rifles, he wasn't just using them to scare people or as a gun dealer. Until I understood this, I couldn't afford to be careless.

Even though he had one leg crippled, if he ended up killing me, I'd die with my eyes wide open, crying out for justice to the King of Hell. I had a feeling things weren't that simple. The more the other person seemed to have a crippled leg, the more vigilant I needed to be. Just

to be safe, I had to observe for a while longer, to see if the Avici Monk would sneak up and check the body. If this drags on, the other side will be even more unwilling than I am; the knife wound on his leg can't be treated with just a sprinkle of styptic powder.

Besides, my sniper rifle is already locked on him, so he won't dare to make a move anytime soon.

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