I Am the Strongest!

A giant manta ray floated on the sea's surface. Gu Xiechen sat cross-legged on the corpse of the manta ray he had killed, circulating his internal energy.

The muscles on his lean body, as hard as steel bars, rose and fell. Gu Xiechen's heart was beating at a steady rate of 210 beats per minute. Powerful streams of energy continuously surged from his heart to all parts of his body. His internal energy zipped through his meridians. After circulating through his body for nine full cycles, the energy from his heart merged with his internal energy, becoming a part of Gu Xiechen's cultivation.

To break is to build. This saying was indeed true.

Although he had faced the greatest danger of his life last night and suffered severe injuries, Gu Xiechen had also gained considerable benefits. He had forcefully activated the Dao embryo hidden within his heart, and powerful energy surged through his body with every breath. While this had thoroughly disrupted his meridians, after a night of rest and recuperation, the damaged meridians had been repaired. What were once meridians equivalent to a two-lane road had now become a spacious eight-lane highway. Gu Xiechen's internal energy circulated smoothly and effortlessly, and the feeling of having complete control was truly wonderful.

After circulating his internal energy for eighty-one cycles and feeling a slight improvement in his cultivation, Gu Xiechen stopped and stood up.

He hopped a few times on the manta ray's back and dug out a large chunk of its flesh. The fishy, pungent meat was not exactly a delicacy, but Gu Xiechen forced himself to swallow a full kilogram of it. This manta ray had lived for a very long time, and its flesh was rich in vital essence. After swallowing the piece of fish, a wave of warmth surged from his stomach, and Gu Xiechen let out a satisfied burp. Gu Xiechen's physical functions were extremely robust, and the fish meat was quickly digested and broken down, quickly revitalizing his body.

Scanning his surroundings, Gu Xiechen had no idea where he was after drifting all night. His watch, which could have been used for navigation, had been destroyed in last night's fierce battle. Gu Xiechen could only confirm that he was not too far from New York, but he lacked the ability to pinpoint his exact location.

Gu Xiechen's most urgent priority now was to escape the influence of the Gu Group. Not just near New York, but the entire American region was dangerous for him. The Gu Group's hidden influence in the Americas was astonishingly vast. If Gu Xiechen dared to show himself in North or South America, he would be discovered immediately. Gu Juechen had tried to kill Gu Xiechen once in his bid to seize power within the Gu family. If he discovered that Gu Xiechen was still alive, the second and third attempts on his life would surely follow.

This time, Gu Xiechen had managed to escape by sheer luck because Gu Juechen had underestimated his strength, and a large number of loyal family retainers had fought desperately to carve out a bloody path for Gu Xiechen. Next time, Gu Juechen would definitely mobilize more and stronger forces to kill Gu Xiechen.

Having narrowly escaped last night, Gu Xiechen's long-hidden personal strength had been fully exposed. The family forces loyal to him had also been completely wiped out by Gu Juechen. If Gu Juechen made another move, Gu Xiechen alone would be absolutely incapable of confronting the entire Gu family. Not to mention that among those who had attacked Gu Xiechen last night were some mysterious figures of unknown origin. It was clear that Gu Juechen had colluded with other powers.

"Where should I go?" Gu Xiechen frowned.

Having never left New York since his birth, and always under the complete protection of his family, it was not easy for the inexperienced Gu Xiechen to hastily formulate a viable plan.

A ship slowly passing by about a kilometer ahead made the decision for Gu Xiechen. This ship had clearly departed from New York Harbor, and since it was leaving port, its destination would at least not be New York. Gu Xiechen frowned and pondered for a moment before leaping off the manta ray.

With a breath of innate internal energy, Gu Xiechen swam rapidly underwater like a fish. Each movement of his limbs generated immense thrust, and he surged forward like a torpedo at a depth of three meters. In just three minutes, Gu Xiechen had covered over a kilometer and was clinging to the ship's deck. Taking a deep breath, Gu Xiechen used his wall-crawling technique to slowly climb onto the ship.

As soon as he reached the deck, several muzzles of black guns were aimed at him.

A middle-aged man in a first mate's uniform stood on the upper deck, holding a wine bottle. He smiled and raised his bottle to Gu Xiechen.

"Tsk tsk, look, look, an uninvited guest halfway here! How strange! Has this distinguished guest been robbed? Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

Several sailors armed with firearms burst into laughter. They pointed at the naked Gu Xiechen and commented on his physique. It had to be said that Gu Xiechen had a great physique. Although lean, the well-defined muscles on his body, like carvings from a knife, were visually striking and exuded an unparalleled sense of power.

Touching his bare head, Gu Xiechen looked up at the middle-aged man and said with a smile, "I encountered pirates on the way. I want to hitch a ride on your ship to anywhere."

"Pirates?"

The middle-aged man laughed exaggeratedly, and the sailors laughed until they were almost breathless. The middle-aged man shook his head. "Young man, pirates in the waters outside New York Harbor? Do you think those bastards in the Federal Fleet were raised on shit?"

He tossed the wine bottle to Gu Xiechen and shook his head. "No matter what you've been up to, it doesn't matter to us, not at all. Are you a villain who kills and sets fires? That would be even better! Take a swig of this wine to warm yourself up. You have one minute to decide whether to join our mercenary group, work to earn money for a ticket, or jump back into the sea."

After taking a sip of the strong, pungent cheap wine from the bottle, Gu Xiechen looked at the middle-aged man in surprise and asked, "Mercenary group? Is this your mercenary group's ship?"

The middle-aged man leaned against the railing of the upper deck, appraising Gu Xiechen with great interest and a smile. "We are a transport ship for the Hell Angels Mercenary Group's new recruits. This ship carries three thousand new recruits we've recently purchased, all of them 'heroes' from federal prisons! After a year of training, they'll go on to earn big money!"

Swallowing, the middle-aged man boasted, spittle flying. "After the one-year training period, those who pass will sign a twenty-year employment contract with us. If they are lucky enough not to die after twenty years, or if they have rendered enough meritorious service to our mercenary group, all their criminal charges in the federal judicial system will be cleared. These heroes can then retire with a large sum of golden retirement pay and settle down wherever they wish."

"Fifteen seconds left, young man, what do you think?" The middle-aged man smiled as he looked at the thoughtful Gu Xiechen. "Are you a hero? Do you want to go to our training camp, or jump back into the sea now? Uh, we're a mercenary group, not a charity. It's impossible to get a free ride."

It was clear that the middle-aged man did not believe Gu Xiechen's story about being robbed by pirates. In his eyes, he had already classified Gu Xiechen as a villain, just like the other three thousand new recruits on the ship. Would a law-abiding federal citizen appear naked on the sea? Could a law-abiding federal citizen climb onto the deck of a ship tens of meters above the sea with his bare hands? Someone with such skills and an unknown origin could only be a 'hero' in his words!

He slammed the wine bottle down on the deck with force and Gu Xiechen laughed heartily, tilting his head back. "I'll join! But, uh, I don't have any identification!"

All his identification documents had been reduced to nothing in last night's fierce battle. Gu Xiechen's naked body was enough to explain everything.

"Oh, we don't need identification!"

The middle-aged man and all the sailors burst into laughter again. The middle-aged man, laughing so hard he was bent over, chuckled, "Your naked body is the best identification. We want heroes, and you're definitely not a woman! Hahahaha!"

"Damn it!" Gu Xiechen's face couldn't help but turn red. He strode up to a sailor holding an assault rifle and, before the sailor could react to what he was doing, knocked him out with a punch. Under the appreciative gazes of the middle-aged man and the other sailors, Gu Xiechen stripped the unfortunate sailor of everything except his underwear. Thirty seconds later, Gu Xiechen, fully dressed, was welcomed into the ship's cabin as a "promising" hero.

This 'Naked Angel' vessel, stretching three hundred and twenty meters long, belonged to the Hell Angels Mercenary Group. The ship's cabin featured a vast rectangular atrium, with honeycomb-like cabins densely arranged around it. As Gu Xiechen entered the cabin, deafening roars filled the air.

Thousands of ugly, fierce, savage, and brutal-looking strong men were dancing and shouting on the skybridges in front of the cabins on various levels. They roared with ecstatic excitement. In the center of the vast atrium was a ring measuring twenty meters by twenty meters, where two naked, burly men were fighting ferociously. These two dark-skinned men were both nearly two meters tall, equally large, equally robust, and equally fierce and violent. Their fists cut through the air, emitting crisp cracking sounds, and faint gusts of wind churned before their fists.

As Gu Xiechen stepped out of the corridor and into the atrium, the two fighting men had just finished their bout. One of them had his arm twisted and broken by the other. The victor hoisted the howling, struggling loser high into the air, walked around the ring triumphantly for two laps, and then slammed the loser heavily off the stage.

Whether intentionally or not, the loser's massive body was hurled towards Gu Xiechen, who had just entered.

The middle-aged first mate, who called himself John Lawrence and had escorted Gu Xiechen into the cabin, agilely retreated a few steps. Just as Gu Xiechen was about to be hit, he shouted, "Watch out!"

Gu Xiechen kicked the loser, sending the man who was howling in pain flying over twenty meters. A mouthful of blood sprayed from the unfortunate man's mouth. Gu Xiechen's violent kick cleanly knocked him unconscious. Gu Xiechen, with a grim expression, looked at the victor on the stage, who was eyeing him menacingly, and sneered, "Were you doing that on purpose?"

The thousands of men on the surrounding skybridges froze for a moment, then simultaneously shouted, "Kill him! Kill this yellow monkey!"

Many excited men even jumped onto the railings, jumping and dancing: "Oh yeah~~~, another one coming to die!"

A rain of boots and smelly socks poured down. John Lawrence nimbly slipped back into the corridor. He looked back and shouted, "Kid, take down the guy on the stage! Heh heh, they're fighting for the title of the strongest among these three thousand recruits! Heh heh, the strongest fighters get the best treatment!"

Gu Xiechen awkwardly dodged the barrage of boots and smelly socks, shot an indignant glare at John Lawrence, and then strode onto the stage.

The men on the skybridges applauded in unison. Some shouted for the black man to tear Gu Xiechen apart, while others instigated trouble, demanding Gu Xiechen take down the "black devil" in front of him.

The black man on the stage contemptuously shook his head at Gu Xiechen, who was barely over 1.8 meters tall. He crossed his arms over his chest and arrogantly raised his head.

Gu Xiechen stepped forward without a word and slammed his palm into the black man's chest, sending him flying off the stage. The black man's arm and several ribs on his chest were shattered into powder. The previously arrogant victor fainted without even a groan.

The vast cabin fell into dead silence. Thousands of men fell silent simultaneously. The strong man who had been sent flying by Gu Xiechen's palm had defeated over a hundred challengers in the past few days, and everyone had tacitly acknowledged his status as the strongest among the three thousand. The loser who had just been thrown off the stage was the last person brave enough to challenge him.

When such a powerful man was sent flying by Gu Xiechen's palm, these "heroes" who had just been brought out of federal prisons simultaneously shut their mouths from their frenzied shouting.

"I am the strongest!" Gu Xiechen smiled, his lips pressed together. He gave a middle finger to the thousands of strong men on the surrounding skybridges and shouted, "Anyone have a problem with that?"

No one had a problem. Gu Xiechen, having just boarded the Naked Angel, had become the undisputed strongest among the three thousand new recruits.

In the cockpit of the Naked Angel, the captain, holding a corncob pipe, smiled as he watched Gu Xiechen acting arrogantly on the monitor on the stage.

"John! You seem to have found a pretty good kid! Did he really climb up here without any tools?"

John Lawrence stood respectfully beside the old captain. He smiled and said, "I saw it with my own eyes, respected Mr. Yuan. If we hadn't installed monitors on the hull, he absolutely could have snuck in and fooled everyone."

"Very good, make him a priority candidate for training."

Mr. Yuan tapped his pipe hard on the sole of his boot.

There will be another chapter this afternoon. Uh, clicks, votes, and reviews are all wanted! (To be continued)