Aftermath

Less than a minute later.

Three figures streaked across the sea like lightning, arriving almost simultaneously. They hovered above the water, their faces grave as they looked down.

One was a burly man with short red hair sticking up in spikes: Bai Luhao, president of the White Tiger Guild, whom Xu Feng had just toyed with.

He was bare-chested, wearing only tactical pants. His bronze skin gleamed like metal in the sunlight, but now his brow was furrowed as his sharp gaze swept over the sea.

The second was a graceful woman in a form-fitting, dark purple combat suit that accentuated her stunning curves. She was Che Huiyi, a powerful female S-Class Hunter from H, specializing in physical combat.

Her features were exquisite, but her lovely face was now cold, her gaze icy as she examined the scene just as carefully.

The third wore a crisp black suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked more like a refined scholar or business elite than a renowned S-Class Hunter.

He was a fire-element mage known as the "Ultimate Weapon"—Choi Joong-in!

He pushed up his glasses. His gaze behind the lenses was deep and composed, and his Spiritual Power reached out like invisible tendrils, meticulously probing every trace of residual energy.

The three released their magic, forming an invisible barrier that isolated them from the chaotic currents of energy below.

Their gazes fell in unison on the white cruise ship, still rocking in the waves, its hull damaged in several places. They also examined the surrounding sea, faintly stained dark red, with bits of debris floating on the surface and signs of fish feeding.

"Rescue the survivors. Then question them."

Choi Joong-in was concise.

Bai Luhao and Che Huiyi nodded.

The three acted at once, using their formidable power to steady the cruise ship and quickly gather the injured passengers and crew, hurt by the rough seas and the shock, for treatment.

For S-Class Hunters, helping ordinary people was a simple matter.

Soon, after questioning the shaken survivors and combining their accounts with the traces of battle each of them sensed, the three S-Class Hunters were faced with a fact that was hard to believe, yet impossible to deny.

"Huang Dongshu... is dead?!"

After hearing their accounts, even Choi Joong-in's usually composed face showed unmistakable disbelief and concern. His brow furrowed, and a complicated light flickered behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Huang Dongshu had once been H's eighth S-Class Hunter.

Though his violent temper and later defection had made him deeply unpopular among H's Hunters, his Low S-Class strength was undeniable.

How could a powerful Hunter, standing atop the world's Hunter hierarchy, have been killed by some kind of creature and left without a trace... on the high seas not far from H's coast?!

Che Huiyi furrowed her delicate brows, confusion and wariness on her cool, beautiful face.

"According to these people, the attacker was a... gigantic humanoid creature covered in red armor?

Over fifty meters tall? Able to raise hundred-meter waves and break the sound barrier while flying?

And in the end, it turned into a human figure over two meters tall, wearing armor, and left?"

She looked at Choi Joong-in and Bai Luhao.

"Have either of you heard of an S-Class Hunter or monster with this kind of form?

A Dungeon boss? Some kind of... unknown mutant? Or... a new type of biological weapon from another country?"

Choi Joong-in slowly shook his head, his voice low.

"Never. To kill Huang Dongshu so cleanly, its strength must be... close to High S-class at the very least. It may even have touched the threshold of National Power Level.

"But any Hunter or monster with that kind of strength should be famous around the world. It couldn't have gone completely unnoticed.

"And that human form at the end... sounds more like a transformation or mimicry ability."

He paused, his expression growing more troubled.

"The key issue is Huang Dongshu's identity. He wasn't just an S-Class Hunter; he was also a core member of the Cleaners Guild in the U.S.

"He probably came back this time to settle a personal grudge, but he died near our waters... The Cleaners, especially Andre, won't let this go."

Che Huiyi also realized how serious the situation was, and her lovely face grew even colder.

"This is bad. Huang Dongshu died here, so H can't escape blame.

"The Cleaners Guild has always been overbearing, and Andre is fiercely protective of his own... If we mishandle this, it could spark an international dispute between Hunters, or even..."

She didn't finish, but all three understood the danger.

H currently had no recognized National Power Level Hunter to rely on. Facing the Cleaners Guild, with a top-tier powerhouse like Andre, put them under immense pressure.

The two discussed the possible identity of the attacker and how to respond to the Cleaners Guild's potential accusations and retaliation. Both looked deeply troubled.

But Bai Luhao, standing nearby, had felt his heart leap the moment he heard the survivors say that the giant creature had finally "turned into a human figure over two meters tall, wearing red armor, and left."

Red armor?

A human figure?

A strange distortion of energy?

That final burst of power, on par with an S-Class Hunter?

Those traits instantly brought to mind the unforgettable image of the "Wind Hidden One"!

Could it... be him?!

Bai Luhao's thoughts churned like a storm.

That mysterious guy could not only turn invisible and unleash strange bursts of power, but could also transform into a terrifying giant beast straight out of mythology?!

He had easily crushed even Huang Dongshu, a Mid S-Class Hunter?!

The thought left Bai Luhao deeply shocked, yet stirred a hint of inexplicable excitement in him.

If it really was the "Wind Hidden One," his strength was probably far beyond what Bai Luhao had previously estimated!

The ability to change forms and span such a vast range of power was simply unheard of!

But Bai Luhao quickly composed himself.

This involved far too much. Huang Dongshu's death implicated the Cleaners Guild in the U.S. and Andre.

If anyone learned that the "Wind Hidden One" might be involved, he would be hunted by the world's top powers. And if Bai Luhao knew the truth but concealed it—or was involved himself—the White Tiger Guild would be in serious trouble too.

Still...

His eyes shifted slightly. He swiftly suppressed the turmoil within and put on the same grave, puzzled expression as the other two.

"Could it have been some high-level monster that came from an unknown S-Rank Dungeon deep beneath the sea?"

Bai Luhao chimed in at just the right moment, offering another possibility in a perfectly casual tone.

"After all, there's still so much we don't know about the high seas and deep-water regions.

"Huang Dongshu had enemies everywhere. Maybe he provoked something he shouldn't have."

Che Huiyi and Choi Joong-in thought that made sense.

Compared to an unheard-of S-Class Hunter who could transform into a giant beast, a terrifying monster from the unknown depths seemed more plausible.

"Whatever it was, we must report this to Hunter Association headquarters immediately and involve the Foreign Ministry."

Choi Joong-in made the final call, his tone serious.

"The fact is, Huang Dongshu died near our waters.

"We need to gather all the evidence immediately and prepare to face questions from the Cleaners Guild and the International Hunter Association.

"At the same time, we must strengthen surveillance along the coast and in our airspace, both to prevent that unknown creature from appearing again and... to stop the Cleaners from using this as an excuse to cause trouble."

Che Huiyi nodded.

"Agreed. The Association's response team can handle things here.

"We'll head back immediately and report to the Hunter Association and the government."

Bai Luhao agreed as well.

"Fine. I'll have people from the guild keep an eye out for anything unusual in the sea."

The three exchanged a few more words to confirm how things would be handled, then left without lingering.

Huang Dongshu's death was bound to send shockwaves far and wide.

The Hunter community in H—and perhaps the entire international Hunter world—would face a series of unpredictable consequences because of what had happened that day.

Before leaving, Bai Luhao took one last, lingering look at the stretch of sea where the blood had not yet fully faded.

A glimmer of something difficult to name flickered deep in his eyes.

"Wind Hidden One... Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."

The three powerful auras quickly receded, leaving behind the damaged cruise ship and the waves gradually settling.