Gunfire

Mia nodded, but immediately shook her head.

In the Terminal Station, the scarcest resource was food; those drifters who relied on scavenging rather than production lived on the brink of starvation.

Su Xiao pulled a few compressed biscuits from his coat; this was the emergency food he carried with him.

He had observed that there was a forest in the distance of the Terminal Station, and with the gun in his hand, he wouldn't have to worry about food.

Mia took the compressed biscuit with some trepidation; she had never seen this kind of food before.

Under Su Xiao's guidance, Mia peeled open the compressed biscuit and took a cautious bite.

"It's delicious~."

The young girl, who had been starving for a day, began to wolf it down.

"Your name is Mia, right? Take me out of here, and these biscuits are all yours."

Having finished the compressed biscuit in her hand, Mia stared straight at the remaining ones in Su Xiao's hand and swallowed hard.

"I can, but you cannot hurt me."

Su Xiao did not answer her, instead climbing out of the dilapidated house, with Mia, who had recovered somewhat, following closely behind.

"Where are you going? You aren't a resident of the Terminal Station, are you?"

Su Xiao stopped abruptly, a cold glint appearing in his eyes as he dropped a compressed biscuit on the ground and crushed it with his foot.

"Take me out of here, don't ask about anything else."

If the girl Mia showed any signs of abnormality, Su Xiao's hand, which was gripping his gun tightly, would be aimed directly at her forehead.

Mia was startled by Su Xiao's action and took a few steps back.

"O-okay."

Mia dared not speak further and walked quickly in front.

"Take me to the entrance of the Goa Kingdom."

Su Xiao scanned his surroundings vigilantly, occasionally seeing drifters with fierce glints in their eyes; those who noticed the gun in Su Xiao's hand immediately withdrew their greedy gazes.

Recalling the information he had obtained from the anime, Su Xiao began to consider his next strategy.

The so-called Terminal Station was actually a large garbage dump, and it only looked this way because the Goa Kingdom dumped a massive amount of household waste outside its walls.

Those fierce-looking drifters were originally residents of the Goa Kingdom; these people had either committed serious crimes or offended nobles, leading to their exile here.

The rotting garbage produced a toxic blue smoke that spread throughout the Terminal Station, constantly eroding the lives of the drifters.

The most obvious evidence of this was that Su Xiao's health had already dropped from 100% to 98%.

There were no doctors or food in the Terminal Station; crime and disease ran rampant here. It was a lawless zone where everything was determined by the strength of one's power.

Guided by Mia, Su Xiao soon walked out of the Terminal Station and arrived before a high wall.

A wall built of black stone towered above, and a small city gate appeared in Su Xiao's line of sight.

"I can only go this far. The Goa Kingdom has laws; drifters are not allowed to enter the city. If discovered, they will be executed."

Although Mia was speaking to Su Xiao, her eyes remained fixed on the compressed biscuits in his hand.

Tossing the compressed biscuits to Mia, Su Xiao ignored her further. Mia ran off immediately; she had only led the way because of the temptation of food, nothing more.

The gate of the Goa Kingdom was wide open, with several guards standing on either side.

This was merely a side gate, used for the convenience of dumping trash.

Although the guards appeared lazy, cold glints flashed in their eyes from time to time; these guards likely killed often, disposing of the drifters who attempted to break into the city.

Su Xiao hid to the side, not rushing to enter the city; he was waiting for an opportunity.

A head-on fight with those guards was impossible. The physique of the residents in the One Piece world was exceptionally strong; the fact that the girl Mia could recover to normal in a short time after he struck her hard made Su Xiao vigilant.

Su Xiao guessed that the attributes of those guards were at least ten points or higher, perhaps even more.

One hour, two hours, until three hours later, it was noon. The temperature rose rapidly, the weather became sweltering, and the opportunity Su Xiao had been waiting for finally arrived.

A carriage full of household waste drove out from the city, the pungent stench of rot carrying far. The guards didn't even look at the carriage, instead subconsciously stepping back a few paces.

"My lords, do you need to perform a routine inspection?"

The driver stopped the carriage, looking at the guards with some fear.

"Get moving, it stinks to high heaven."

The guards waved their hands in annoyance, showing no intention of inspecting it.

Seeing this scene from afar, Su Xiao raised an eyebrow and quickly followed the carriage.

After the carriage ventured deep into the mountains of trash, it found an empty space to begin dumping the waste. The driver, who had been timid before, now had a dagger at his waist. Survival of the fittest was the rule of the Terminal Station.

Lighting a cigarette to mask the stench, the driver picked up a shovel and began to clean the stained carriage.

While the driver was busy and drenched in sweat, Su Xiao moved like a wild cat, silently arriving behind him. Just as Su Xiao prepared to knock the driver unconscious, he stepped on a half-broken glass cup under his feet.

"Click." A crisp sound rang out, and the driver's body shuddered.

Su Xiao was also startled. In the dirty and chaotic Terminal Station, there was a deep layer of trash underfoot; it was very soft, making it impossible to detect what was beneath.

However, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released, so Su Xiao lunged forward directly.

The coachman was no saint either; he turned around, drew the dagger from his waist, and stabbed straight at Su Xiao.

The fierce expression on the coachman's face made it clear to Su Xiao that the man wanted his life.

Su Xiao's gaze turned icy. In this mission world, it was either you or me; mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself.

Raising the Worn Flintlock in his hand, Su Xiao aimed the muzzle at the coachman's head.

If an ordinary person were held at gunpoint, they would surely stop or retreat immediately, but this coachman was different—he actually lunged forward even faster.

Su Xiao pulled the trigger with an expressionless face. The hammer at the back of the gun struck the flint, sparks flew, and the gunpowder inside the chamber ignited. A large amount of gunpowder ignited within the confined space, erupting with powerful kinetic energy. Amidst the overflow of muzzle flash and smoke, the lead ball erupted from the barrel.

"Bang."

Thick smoke rose, and a pungent smell of gunpowder spread. A lead bullet sank directly into the coachman's skull. The coachman's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and he was knocked back two meters before his body twitched twice and he died.

[Hint: You have killed the Black Market Merchant.]

[Your talent 'Spirit Eater' has activated, permanently increasing mana by 5 points. Current mana: 65 points.]

[You have obtained a Treasure Chest (White).]

[This is your first kill. Storage Space has been unlocked (2 cubic meters). After returning to Reincarnation Paradise, the Storage Space can be upgraded in size using Paradise Coins.]

The prompt from Reincarnation Paradise let Su Xiao know that this was no mere coachman, but a Black Market Merchant who had likely been using the coachman's identity to conduct some kind of trade within the Terminal Station.

After the Black Market Merchant died, a wooden box floated above his corpse. The box was entirely white and only the size of a palm.

Su Xiao attempted to pick up the wooden box floating in mid-air; although it was only palm-sized, it felt heavy in his hand.

[Treasure Chest (White), open/close?]

Su Xiao did not open the [Treasure Chest] but instead placed the [Treasure Chest] and the [Worn Flintlock] into his Storage Space.

With a thought, the [Worn Flintlock] appeared in his hand. Su Xiao was quite satisfied with the newly acquired Storage Space; it was a very practical function. If he utilized this ability well, it would be of great help in completing his missions.

This place was not safe, so Su Xiao chose not to open the [Treasure Chest (White)]. If the chest were to emit a brilliant golden light upon opening, he would be in danger. His priority now was to enter the capital city of the Goa Kingdom.

Su Xiao took off his jacket and changed into the Black Market Merchant's clothes.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao threw himself into the stagnant water on the ground. A foul stench wafted up, and his clothes and face were stained with large patches of sewage, making it impossible for anyone to see his true appearance.

Sitting in front of the carriage, Su Xiao steered the horses toward the city with some unfamiliarity.

At this moment, he held a dagger in his hand—the very same one that had been in the Black Market Merchant's possession—but this dagger was somewhat different from what he had imagined.