Winners

The seawater surged up to chest level. Most of the passengers had already been completely submerged. In a few more minutes, they would all suffocate.

Octopus Ball stared at the burning torch in Lin Baici's hand, recalling his words: "It won't go out until it's burned to ashes." His skin prickled.

His gaze grew even more wary.

And that kasaya Lin Baici was wearing?

It had to be some kind of defensive God's Taboo Object, right?

Damn!

Were the Dragon Guard Warriors of the Nine Provinces Divine Shield really this badass now?

The special operations unit within the Nine Provinces Divine Shield Security Agency that handled divine disasters was called the Dragon Guard. Their members were known to outsiders as Dragon Guard Warriors.

Dragon Guards for short!

The strongest among them were honored as the Nine Provinces Dragon Wing. They were the kind of top-tier powerhouses who could take on a Great God's Ruins all by themselves.

"Your companion? There are other people from the Nine Provinces Divine Shield on this train?"

Xia Hongyao blurted out.

"Huh? You're not with that Dragon Steed Squad?"

Octopus Ball froze, then cursed his rotten luck.

What the hell was with his luck?

His and Black Shark III's plan was for him to hide at a distance, use Coral Sea to trigger Rule Pollution, and turn this high-speed train into a Sea Water Train.

Black Shark III's Divine Grace was extremely well suited to fighting in seawater.

As long as Octopus Ball wasn't discovered or killed, the seawater wouldn't recede, and victory was guaranteed for their side. But who could have known that a Big Male Student outside their plans would spot him?

"As a Nine Provinces Dragon Guard, I have a strong sense of duty and pride. Even though Lin Baici was a God Hunter, I had no intention of asking him for help. I was going to fight Octopus Ball one-on-one."

"Hide?"

Octopus Ball chuckled darkly. "Every one of you is going to die today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he ducked his head and sank beneath the water.

Xia Hongyao swam forward, but suddenly clouds of black ink spread through the water. The already fairly clear seawater turned pitch-black in an instant, and nothing could be seen.

This was another of Octopus Ball's Divine Graces. He could spray ink to conceal himself, making it extremely useful for both escape and ambush.

Lin Baici immediately activated Eidetic Memory and listened carefully for sounds beneath the water.

This Divine Grace was mainly meant to enhance memory, but it could also sharpen hearing to some extent.

The Tall Passenger paddled with all his might, trying to escape the carriage.

He hadn't swum far before something seemed to wrap around his legs, yanking him sharply beneath the water.

"Help..."

Blub, blub, blub!

A long string of bubbles rose to the surface.

"Don't panic!"

Xia Hongyao tried to help, but before she could reach him, the Tall Passenger's corpse surfaced. His head was twisted at an unnatural angle. His cervical vertebrae had clearly been snapped.

"Bro, kill him, quick!"

18D had been about to run, but after seeing this, he didn't dare move. All he could do was plead helplessly with Lin Baici.

In his eyes, this guy his own age was even more impressive than Xia Hongyao.

The Bald Passenger whom Lin Baici had earlier woken by hitting him with luggage had been trailing at the back of the group. Now, seeing what was happening, he quietly started backing away.

Suddenly—

Splash!

The water's surface broke, and Octopus Ball's head emerged. He grinned at the Bald Passenger. "Where do you think you're going?"

The Bald Passenger was terrified out of his wits. He was just about to beg for his life when a large hand grabbed his neck and squeezed.

Crack!

The Bald Passenger's neck snapped easily in Octopus Ball's grip, like a brittle chocolate bar.

"I told you, you're all going to die!"

Octopus Ball sank beneath the water again.

The ink quickly spread through the seawater, turning everything into a black mass. Lin Baici and Xia Hongyao couldn't pinpoint Octopus Ball's location.

"Don't panic. He's killing people to scare us and put us under psychological pressure, so we'll lose our heads!"

As he spoke, Lin Baici moved toward Xia Hongyao.

It would be easier to look out for each other if they stayed close.

But Octopus Ball was faster.

Smack!

A thick tentacle suddenly shot up from beneath the water, wrapped around Lin Baici's right hand, and yanked hard.

Splash!

The torch plunged into the water. Its flame immediately weakened, but it didn't go out.

"Catch the torch!"

Lin Baici shouted. He reached out with his left hand, grabbed the torch from his right, and tossed it toward Xia Hongyao.

"Not a chance!"

In the water, Octopus Ball shot across like a torpedo, appearing in front of Xia Hongyao. He reached out a tentacle first and seized the torch.

"Haha! I've got it!"

Octopus Ball was overjoyed.

He had killed those two passengers not only to intimidate them and sow panic among Lin Baici and the others, but also to conceal his true method of attack.

He had another Divine Grace, one that could grow four three-meter-long tentacles beneath his ribs.

That was his Trump Card.

But now, why not try out the God's Taboo Object he'd just stolen?

Octopus Ball spun around and thrust the torch at Xia Hongyao, intending to set her on fire.

But to his surprise, the pretty girl with a high ponytail was nowhere to be seen. In her place stood a man built like an iron tower, filling his entire field of vision.

No!

He should be called a Great Buddha.

Its muscles bulged and knotted all over. It was so huge, it looked as though it could fill the sea and move mountains. It was too tall to stand upright inside the carriage, and could only hunch over.

Octopus Ball sensed the overwhelming Deathly Aura. Instinctively, he tried to dive away, but it was too late.

Muscle Buddha threw a punch!

O-ra, o-ra, o-ra, o-ra!

Great Battle Intent surged; Iron Fist raged, and life and death clashed within the mountains and rivers!

Muscle Buddha's Iron Fist smashed into the face of the young man nicknamed Octopus Ball, pounding him with a series of thuds like a war drum.

The spots struck by the young man's heavy punches caved in and swelled, then burst apart.

Chunks of flesh flew everywhere!

The punches' force carried through the seawater, sending wave after wave rushing in every direction.

Lin Baici and the other two couldn't keep their footing. The waves tossed them up and down.

The passengers submerged in the water drifted around like corpses, carried along by the waves.

"What the hell?"

Xia Hongyao grabbed a chair to steady herself and stared blankly at the muscular Great Buddha, wearing nothing but tight shorts, beating the crap out of Octopus Ball.

Wasn't this way too brutal?

"Trying to outsmart me? Keep dreaming!"

Lin Baici smiled confidently.

He'd guessed Octopus Ball would try to steal the Pine Torch.

Since this God's Taboo Object posed such a huge threat to him, Lin Baici had pretended to panic when his right hand was pinned by the octopus tentacle and tossed the torch toward Xia Hongyao. It had all been part of his plan.

Octopus Ball was fast in the water. If Lin Baici had summoned Muscle Buddha without preparation, there was a chance the attack would miss. But with the Pine Torch as bait, there was no problem.

Octopus Ball thought he'd stolen the torch. Little did he know that Muscle Buddha had already appeared silently behind him at just the right moment.

18D was dumbfounded, then ecstatic!

Damn, bro!

You've got a Trump Card like that?

Why didn't you use it sooner?

You scared me half to death!

After beating Octopus Ball for a full eighteen seconds, Muscle Buddha stopped punching. It pressed its palms together, bowed to Octopus Ball, and proclaimed the Buddha's name.

Amitabha!

Octopus Ball had stopped breathing. His body was battered and broken, his bones shattered. He floated on the water like a heap of rotten meat.

A strong smell of blood spread through the carriage.

Lin Baici rubbed his nose and swam over to Octopus Ball, dismissing the summon as he went.

Otherwise, he was afraid Muscle Buddha might punch him.

"Was that Muscle Great Buddha summoned by the kasaya you're wearing?"

Xia Hongyao asked curiously. "I thought it was a defensive God's Taboo Object!"

Lin Baici grabbed Octopus Ball's body and pulled off his waist pouch. Opening it, he found a brown Leather Wallet, an Apple phone, and a palm-sized piece of Red Coral covered in tiny hairs that were slowly wriggling.

[God's Taboo Object, Coral Sea. Once activated, it can fill a semi-enclosed area with seawater. It cannot be used in an open area.]

God of Gluttony commented.

"Does this have a Divine Grace?"

Lin Baici licked the corner of his mouth.

[No!]

God of Gluttony's answer disappointed Lin Baici. He casually tossed Coral Sea to Xia Hongyao.

"Huh?"

Xia Hongyao was startled.

She'd still been weighing her words, trying to figure out how to persuade Lin Baici to give her the God's Taboo Object. After all, it was his spoils of war. She hadn't expected him to hand it over already.

He was absurdly generous.

She wanted this God's Taboo Object mainly because she was worried Lin Baici wouldn't know how to use it and wouldn't be able to seal it right away.

"Do you know how to use it?"

Lin Baici simply didn't want to deal with it.

He hadn't forgotten that Octopus Ball had a companion. If he kept Coral Sea, wouldn't that make it obvious he'd killed him?

Better to let Xia Hongyao act as a decoy and draw the Aggro.

"Yeah, I've heard of this God's Taboo Object!"

Xia Hongyao might have had Intelligence D, but she was still a government employee at the Nine Provinces Divine Shield, having earned her position through her abilities. She also often visited the Archives, so she knew about quite a few God's Taboo Objects.

She held Coral Sea and infused it with Divine Power, taking control of it.

Freed from Coral Sea's mysterious power, the seawater on the train began draining through gaps and crevices.

Crack! Crack!

Quite a few windows couldn't withstand the pressure of the seawater. After holding out for several dozen seconds, they shattered.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The seawater poured away, and the water level inside the carriage quickly began to drop.

"That did it!"

Xia Hongyao saw several passengers' noses and mouths emerge from the water as they gasped for breath. She relaxed.

"Little Lin, you saved a lot of people!"

Xia Hongyao looked at Lin Baici with admiration and amazement in her eyes.

A self-taught God Hunter could actually be this powerful!

And he was so young!

I want him!

"Little Lin, join the Nine Provinces Divine Shield and be my Team Member?"

Xia Hongyao invited him.

"What the hell is 'Little Lin'? Are we even that close?"

Lin Baici rolled his eyes. Still, the idea of joining the Nine Provinces Divine Shield did tempt him just a little.

After all, a government job meant a secure livelihood!

Mom Lin's greatest wish in life was for Lin Baici to become a civil servant.

"We've faced life and death together. Doesn't that make us close?"

Xia Hongyao asked in surprise.

"..."

Lin Baici had no answer.

Xia Hongyao hadn't done much just now, but she hadn't run away either. And several times, she'd told Lin Baici to leave first because she wanted to face the enemy herself.

Seeing that kind of courage and resolve in a girl was admirable.

Lin Baici didn't know that his own decision not to run and to take on Octopus Ball had also made Xia Hongyao like him a lot more. Winning her friendship wasn't easy.

Of course, Lin Baici's good reasoning skills had also helped.

Xia Hongyao liked being friends with smart people. It was even better if they liked Sherlock Holmes.

"Let's go. First, we'll stop the train, then deal with the remaining enemies!"

Xia Hongyao ran toward the front of the train.

The guy Lin Baici had killed had mentioned Black Shark III. He was a major member of the notorious terrorist organization Lost Coast.

Dead or alive, anyone who captured him would receive a one-million-yuan reward by claiming it from the Nine Provinces Divine Shield Security Agency.