I Really Admire Him!

Carriage 28 was littered with corpses!

The passengers' blood had completely stained the seawater red. With the waves smearing it across the carriage walls, the place looked like a bloody meat grinder.

Splash!

The surface broke, and a fat man stood up.

He wasn't tall, and he had a huge bald head. Below each ear, on either side of his neck, were six horizontal slits that looked like shark gills.

The big-nosed young man Lin Baici had seen in the Waiting Hall was dangling from the fat man's mouth, his neck clenched between the man's teeth. His limbs hung limp and his head lolled, so he was probably already dead.

The fat man stared at Ma Yuan, who stood opposite him. He grabbed the big-nosed young man by the hair and yanked hard, as if he were biting into a meaty bone...

Rip!

The big-nosed young man was torn apart. A huge chunk of flesh from his neck remained in the fat man's mouth, and blood gushed from the wound, spilling into the seawater.

"Nine Provinces Dragon Guard..."

The fat man glanced at the corpse in his hand and sneered. Then he tossed it aside. "That's all?"

"Go to hell!"

Ma Yuan was burning with rage, his face flushed red. He lunged at the fat man at top speed, but the seawater in the carriage slowed him down considerably.

"Hahaha!"

The fat man laughed and slipped into the water like a fish, vanishing from sight.

Ma Yuan felt a flicker of despair.

He knew he'd let his guard down.

His squad had been assigned to tail the fat man. They'd thought they hadn't been spotted, but the man had known all along and had used the train to set a trap.

Nine Provinces Divine Guard knew very little about the fat man. All they knew was that his nickname on the Lost Coast was Black Shark III.

Now,

Ma Yuan understood why the fat man had that nickname!

The man could breathe underwater and swim incredibly fast. In the water, his combat strength multiplied.

On land, Ma Yuan was confident he could go toe-to-toe with Black Shark III alone, never mind five against one with his squad. But in the seawater, the deaths of his four teammates had already said it all.

Ma Yuan had tried damaging the carriage to drain the water, but it hadn't worked. This seawater was the result of Rule Pollution caused by a God's Taboo Object.

Without finding the God's Taboo Object, there was no way to make the seawater disappear.

I'll have to take him down with me.

Ma Yuan was ready to risk everything, but Black Shark III didn't attack.

He surfaced again, his expression grave as he looked toward the front of the train.

Why was the water level dropping?

Had something happened to Octopus Ball?

Black Shark III looked back at Ma Yuan and hesitated.

Should he kill this Nine Provinces Dragon Guard while there was still seawater, or go help Octopus Ball?

Ma Yuan wasn't a pushover. Killing him would take several minutes. In that time, Octopus Ball might die. But if Black Shark III didn't kill him now, his own fighting ability would plummet once the water was gone.

Black Shark III made his decision quickly.

He plunged underwater and swam toward the front of the train as fast as he could.

On the Lost Coast, he and Octopus Ball had always worked together. Both of their Divine Graces were related to water, and together they were more than twice as effective.

The tactic they'd used today was one they'd often relied on.

Octopus Ball would stay hidden and use Coral Sea to flood a semienclosed space. Black Shark III would show himself to draw the enemy's attention and take the lead in the attack.

The aquatic battlefield doubled Black Shark III's fighting strength.

Most enemies, seeing that Black Shark III could breathe underwater, would assume he'd caused the flooding. They'd think killing him quickly was the only way to end the Rule Pollution.

And once they thought that, they were doomed.

If Black Shark III could win, he'd fight. If he couldn't, he'd use guerrilla tactics to wear the enemy down. When they were nearly exhausted, Octopus Ball, who'd been resting and conserving his strength, would join the fight as fresh reinforcements.

Most of the time, though, Octopus Ball didn't even need to step in.

Once the seawater filled a semienclosed battlefield, anyone who couldn't breathe underwater—even a God Hunter—was nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Thanks to this tactic, Black Shark III had killed many powerful opponents. He was famous among the Dark Hunters, and even the leader of the Lost Coast had invited him to join.

But no one had heard of Octopus Ball.

The two of them had agreed to keep it that way.

That way, everyone would think Black Shark III always worked alone. When they saw the seawater spreading, they'd conclude that killing him would save them.

But today, something had gone wrong!

"What happened to Little Maruko? Before we boarded the high-speed train, I clearly confirmed that the only team here was Ma Yuan's five-man Dragon Steed Squad!"

Black Shark III's expression was grave.

When he reached Carriage 03, the water had already fallen to shin level.

He didn't call out Octopus Ball's name. Instead, he quickly scanned the carriage and looked toward Octopus Ball's seat.

Octopus Ball had his head bowed, sprawled over the table like a heap of rotting flesh.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Black Shark III ran through the water.

"Little Maruko!"

Black Shark III shouted, his face full of worry. He looked as if his only concern was his teammate's safety.

But in truth, his nerves were taut as a bowstring, and he was keeping a close watch on everything around him.

Something had happened to Octopus Ball.

That meant the enemy might be lying in wait nearby, ready to ambush him!

Every passenger in the carriage was a suspect.

Black Shark III was fat, but nimble.

He rushed to the seats in Row 21. Seeing the woman in her twenties, over six feet tall and dressed in an Anta tracksuit, he didn't hesitate. He swung the short blade in his hand at her neck.

That spot beside Octopus Ball was the perfect place to launch a surprise attack.

Better to kill the wrong person than let the right one escape.

Just as the female athlete's head was about to be cut off, a Muscle Buddha appeared behind Black Shark III.

Whoosh!

A heavy punch slammed forward!

Feeling the rush of wind at his back, Black Shark III pushed off hard with both feet and sprang into the air like a flea. He flipped over the seats to evade the attack.

Thud!

Black Shark III landed in the aisle and spotted his attacker.

It was a Buddha Statue wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Its muscles bulged, veins and sinews standing out. Even the world's bodybuilding champions, despite years of protein supplements, couldn't have built a body like that.

"A God's Taboo Object?"

Black Shark III's eyes narrowed, and wariness spread across his face.

That punch from the Muscle Buddha had made him feel seriously threatened. If it hit him, he'd either die or suffer severe injuries.

A God Hunter wielding such a terrifying God's Taboo Object was almost certainly a powerful opponent.

Damn it!

He hadn't expected there to be another God Hunter on this train.

Black Shark III figured Octopus Ball had simply been unlucky. He must have provoked the other person by activating Coral Sea, and then the fighting had broken out.

"Sir, this is a misunderstanding. I'm willing to compensate you!"

Black Shark III spoke respectfully.

In truth, he was only putting on an act. He wanted to lure the other person out. Even if he could destroy this Buddha Statue, there'd be no point if he couldn't kill its owner.

"Compensate me?"

A voice as fresh as the spring sunshine rang out.

Black Shark III immediately turned toward it.

A young man—or rather, a high school boy—stood up from seat 5B.

He wore jeans and a T-shirt, looking as ordinary as a freshman on his way to register at college.

No!

He wasn't ordinary at all.

The boy was tall and handsome, with the kind of looks that would have rich women waving their money around, eager to keep him as their young lover.

"Money isn't a problem!" Black Shark III said, still testing him.

"But I just killed your teammate. You're fine with letting that go?"

Lin Baici's lips curved into a smile. His sunny air made him seem like a gentle boy next door, but his words were a little frightening.

[A king of the water. If you're in the water, I'd tell you to run. People like him are best left alone. But if you provoke him, blast him to hell before he can become a problem!]

Snap!

Lin Baici snapped his fingers.

The Muscle Buddha charged at once, closing in on Black Shark III.

"We can negotiate anything!" Black Shark III didn't want to take the blow head-on. He retreated as fast as he could, but he'd underestimated the Muscle Buddha's speed.

The Muscle Buddha crossed the distance in three strides and reached Black Shark III, fists swinging!

Ora ora ora!

The punches tore through the air, their wind as sharp as knives against the face.

"So strong!"

Black Shark III's nerves tightened. He stared at the Muscle Buddha and the boy in the distance, afraid they had other tricks up their sleeves.

But in the next instant, a Pitch Black Short Blade shot through the air from his left rear, like a bolt of lightning.

It was too close,

and too fast!

Normally, Black Shark III could have just barely dodged the strike. But now the Muscle Buddha had him pinned down, and half his attention was occupied. He was hit.

Sizzle!

The blade stabbed into Black Shark III's left side.

"Got him!"

Xia Hongyao was overjoyed. She gripped the knife in her right hand and tried to drive it through his ribs and into his heart.

"Don't get greedy!"

Lin Baici shouted.

Black Shark III spun around and swung his cleaver at Xia Hongyao's head.

Xia Hongyao had to dodge. Otherwise, even if she killed Black Shark III, she'd be badly wounded herself.

Thud!

The Muscle Buddha struck Black Shark III.

Black Shark III used the blow's force to launch himself away like a kicked ball. He rolled several times, then got back to his feet.

"Xiao Bai, we did it!"

Xia Hongyao was beaming.

After stopping the train, Xia Hongyao had urged Lin Baici to hurry and find Octopus Ball's teammate, but he'd talked her out of it.

Lin Baici had said that even if they went, they might not find the enemy. And even if they did, rushing over would waste their energy and might lead them into a trap, where their opponent would be waiting fresh and rested.

It was better to stay and lay an ambush.

Lin Baici's reasoning was that, judging from Black Shark III's nickname, his Divine Grace was probably related to seawater.

Even if he didn't care whether Octopus Ball lived or died, he'd certainly care about the God's Taboo Object Coral Sea. So there was a good chance he'd come back to retrieve it.

As it turned out, Lin Baici had guessed perfectly.

After that, the two of them returned to the carriage.

Xia Hongyao had wanted to sit beside Octopus Ball, thinking that spot was the best for an ambush, but Lin Baici had talked her out of it again.

His reasoning was that people from a terrifying organization like Black Shark III's were bound to be bad news.

Either out of caution or to vent his anger over his teammate's death, there was a good chance he'd kill the people near Octopus Ball first.

Once again, it turned out Lin Baici was right.

If he hadn't acted in time, the tall female athlete beside Octopus Ball would already have been dead.

Tsk!

That brain of his... I really admire him.

I have to recruit him into Nine Provinces Divine Guard as one of my team members!

Xia Hongyao felt that with Lin Baici on her side, she'd already made at least a tenth of the progress toward her goal of building Nine Provinces' strongest God Hunter team.