The Approaching Experience Package (Part 2)

Barton's taut nerves suddenly relaxed at this unexpected "reassurance," and the wild joy of escaping death surged into what remained of his mind.

Murky liquid even welled up in his swollen eye sockets. His lips trembled as he prepared to force out a few groveling words of gratitude—

A sudden change occurred.

Avery's "gentle" hand on his shoulder shot upward like a great white shark striking in the deep sea. Fingers carrying the scent of the ocean instantly turned into an iron vise, coldly and precisely clamping around Barton's vulnerable throat.

The ecstasy in Barton's eyes was instantly frozen by boundless terror and suffocation. His eyes bulged so wide they seemed ready to split, while only desperate gurgles escaped his throat.

"Even so, I have no need for useless subordinates."

Avery's voice suddenly turned icy, his brown eyes filled with a predator's cruelty.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone breaking exploded through the deathly silent hall. Clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Barton's head drooped limply at an unnatural angle, and the light in his eyes went out completely.

With a casual flick, Avery tossed aside the still-warm corpse like discarded trash. It landed heavily on the crimson carpet with a dull thud.

"Get rid of it."

Without even looking at the body on the floor, Avery gave the order in a calm voice, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust.

Two thugs dressed as clowns silently darted out from the shadows at once. They efficiently dragged away Barton's corpse and quickly wiped away the few dark-red droplets splattered across the carpet.

One trusted subordinate, his face painted like a weeping clown, cautiously approached Avery from the shadows. His voice was lowered to a whisper, though he could not suppress the fear in it.

"Godfather... that bastard who ruined our business... and Ejadi... how should we deal with them?"

Avery returned to the broad, throne-like chair. His thick fingers tapped against its cold armrest, producing dull knocks.

Only after a long while did he slowly speak.

"Did Gambino... recruit some brat recently? Someone whose whole body... can turn into steel?"

The Gambino Family was one of the five families ruling the West Blue underworld. Their main businesses were assassins, underground boxing, and illegal drugs.

The weeping-clown subordinate froze, having never expected the Godfather to suddenly bring up such a seemingly unrelated matter.

But he reacted quickly and immediately grasped the deeper meaning. He hurriedly bowed and answered at a rapid pace.

"You remember correctly! There is such a brat. His ability is extremely troublesome. There are even rumors that no swordsman can defeat him."

Avery's mouth split into a savage grin, revealing sharp white teeth. His eyes gleamed with the ferocity of someone intent on destroying everything.

"Place an order with Gambino. Request that brat by name. The target of the mission—kill every living thing breathing on Ejadi Island. They injured members of the Colombo Family, so they'll pay in blood. The whole island will pay!"

The subordinate's body trembled almost imperceptibly as a chill shot from his spine to the top of his head. He did not dare hesitate in the slightest and hurriedly bowed deeply.

"Yes, Godfather!"

He swiftly retreated into the shadows, as if lingering for even one more second would cause him to be swallowed by that destructive aura.

Elsewhere in the West Blue, at the Bernano Family headquarters.

The atmosphere here was entirely different, yet equally oppressive. The room was spacious but dimly lit, with thick dark-green velvet curtains tightly blocking out everything beyond the windows.

The air was filled with the rich fragrance of premium tobacco and the faint scent of expensive leather. The Bernano Family's Godfather, William Bernano, stood before a wall covered with all manner of firearms.

He stood tall and straight, dressed in an impeccably tailored black velvet suit. A monocle set with a black diamond rested securely over his right eye, reflecting the faint flickering firelight from the fireplace.

The wall displayed an impressive arsenal: ancient flintlock pistols gleaming with brass, sleek percussion pistols carrying the cold blue sheen of steel, and even several revolver machine guns and early-model light machine guns that radiated a violent aesthetic, silently speaking of the family's foundation in bloodshed.

A man with an exceptionally prominent hooked nose, his entire body likewise wrapped in bandages, stood respectfully several steps behind William. Fine sweat beaded across his forehead, soaking the edges of his bandages.

He tried his best to keep his voice steady, but its ending still carried an almost imperceptible tremor.

"Godfather... I fell at the buffer-zone docks... I ran into an ability user... a very difficult one... Colombo's men and ours... were all wiped out. I was the only one... lucky enough to escape..."

He concealed the humiliation of being thrown into the street like garbage, emphasizing only his opponent's strength and his own good fortune.

After suffering severe injuries in the buffer zone, Hooked Nose's sea chart and Log Pose had been completely destroyed. There was not even a decent ship to be found in that chaotic place.

He had spent a full month chopping down trees and building a raft like a primitive, drifting across the sea like a headless fly in search of a new Log Pose and sea chart. Only then had he managed to crawl back to this safe nest in disgrace.

William's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, as if it could see through the bandages and into Hooked Nose's miserable state of mind.

"That fish whose head is filled with nothing but muscle and killing is probably furious enough for his lungs to burst by now, isn't he?"

He leisurely pulled a velvet handkerchief from the inner pocket of his suit and gently wiped his monocle.

"He already loved casually getting rid of his subordinates, and we killed quite a few of them. Now he's suffered another setback in the buffer zone... Tsk, tsk. He'll probably have to swallow his pride and seek outside help even for revenge."

"Of course! A fish is still just a fish!"

Hooked Nose immediately seized the opportunity. Enduring the pain, he straightened his back slightly and chimed in flatteringly.

"They're slow-witted and only know how to brute-force their way through things. They deserve to be used as targets! How could they possibly compare to your far-sighted wisdom, Godfather, planning everything from afar?"

William casually waved a hand. The smile at the corner of his lips held both amusement and the cold indifference of someone in complete control.

"Enough. Save the empty flattery. I know exactly what I'm capable of."

His tone suddenly sank, like a piano melody shifting from lightness into cold severity.

"You lost to an ability user this time. That's understandable, so I won't pursue it."

"But remember, only this once. If you fail again for the same reason next time, you won't need to come back. Understood?"

A chill instantly surged from the soles of Hooked Nose's feet to the crown of his head, and cold sweat immediately soaked through the inner layers of his bandages.

He abruptly bent forward in a deep bow, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"This subordinate understands! I absolutely understand!"

"Good."

William placed the cleaned monocle back over the bridge of his nose, regaining his elegant and composed bearing.

"As for the buffer zone..."

He paced over to the fireplace, picked up a silver cigar cutter resting on it, and idly played with it.

"Let that brute Gotti worry about it. Hasn't he always had his eye on that new heavy machine gun of ours?"

"Tell him that if he can clean up all the... 'trash' in the buffer zone, the machine gun he wants will be free from the Bernano Family."

"After all, he makes his living doing filthy work for money. We're conspicuous enough already. Unless necessary, don't dirty our own people's hands and draw those annoying Marine flies."

"Godfather, your wisdom is unmatched! I'll take care of it immediately!"

Hooked Nose looked as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly bowed to accept the order, ignoring the pain from his wounds as he nearly backed out of the room and disappeared beyond its heavy doors.

Guanhao Floating Archipelago, two-story building, second-floor bedroom.

Adams lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the watch around his wrist.

"Compare my current physical data with Specimen No. 13."

The watch's pitch-black face trembled almost imperceptibly before projecting two beams of soft pale-blue light.

Adams quickly scanned the constantly shifting numbers before accurately catching several key indicators.

The average of the three values he had focused on last time had already risen from a glaring "40%" to "50%."

High-intensity combat in human-beast form could also feed back into and improve his physical strength in his normal state?

The conclusion flashed through Adams's mind like lightning, bringing a flicker of surprise that was instantly replaced by even stronger delight.

This was an unexpected gain. It meant the growth rate of his strength would far exceed his expectations.

A satisfied smile full of confidence curved across his lips. With a light tap against the side of his watch, the data streams and human body model in the air vanished soundlessly like popped bubbles.

He turned around, no longer looking at the watch or the data.

His gaze passed over the center of the room. There, Perona, dressed in a Gothic Lolita dress, floated in midair and chattered away at a Giant Toy Bear that could move freely. Stussy was quietly speaking with Perona, with even a faint smile on her lips. The sight brought an almost imperceptible trace of relief to Adams's eyes.

But that warmth lasted only a moment. Adams looked out the window and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I wonder whether those two messengers we let go delivered the message properly..."