Chapter 156: Piranhas in the Water

An elite assassin from one of the eight major killer organizations, known by the moniker "Water Piranha"—Chen, we must leave this place immediately, pack up our things, and prepare to retreat. Be quick! We've taken out so many of their subordinates, and this fellow will not let this rest!"

Hua Fo was evidently filled with dread toward this person. Hearing the usually fearless Hua Fo utter such words made Chen Cao somewhat nervous as well, though he did not ask further. Instead, he quickly called out to the others to emerge from the tents and carry their luggage onto the speedboat.

Compared to the water, land was far more unsafe.

The group quickly boarded the speedboat. Because Hua Fo had injured his arm, he rested in a corner of the cabin. The only one capable of starting and operating the boat in Hua Fo's place was Lu Tianming. Yet when Lu Tianming pulled the throttle, he found that the engine made no response whatsoever. Being an expert in marine machinery, however, he listened carefully for a moment before declaring, "It seems there's something wrong with the motor!"

The tension on the boat spiked instantly.

"Dammit, dammit!" Hua Fo cursed angrily, brandishing his pistol. "What are you waiting for? Get down into the water and push the boat! We'll revert to drifting!"

Seeing Hua Fo's furious expression, Stany and Uki immediately plunged into the water with loud splashes and began pushing the speedboat. Fortunately, pushing a boat in the water was not a difficult task, and with their combined effort, the vessel quickly pulled away from the shore, beginning to drift slowly along the current.

Just as Stany and Uki scrambled back onto the deck, a figure leaped aboard. The man was entirely masked, with a pair of forearm-length sharp blades strapped to his body, yet he held a submachine gun in his hands—resembling a warrior who fused modern firepower with traditional stealth. Landing lightly on the small bow deck, he walked step by step toward the cabin.

Hua Fo, who had been furious a moment before, instantly grew calm at the sight of this fellow. Staring at him, he said, "I knew you would sabotage our boat and come after us."

Seeing this, everyone in the cabin immediately raised their weapons and aimed at the figure in black. Yet, in a blur before their eyes, they all collapsed to the ground. Leaning against the corner of the cabin, Hua Fo looked at the man and sneered, "I never expected the peerless Hayato Nakamura to resort to such despicable tricks. How pathetic!"

The masked man carrying the gun walked into the cabin. Hearing Hua Fo's words, he showed no anger. Instead, he remarked, "Doesn't any method used to its absolute limit become a specialized art? I merely employed ninjutsu."

Feeling his entire body grow weak and powerless, Hua Fo maintained a smile on his face and retorted, "If drugging people with knockout potions counts as an art, then you truly are the lowest of the low."

The man in black touched the wound on his thigh, which had been crudely dressed with a bandage. He said in a deep voice, "Certainly not. In all my years, I have never been injured, yet I was cut by a nobody like you. You cannot be allowed to stay in this world!" With a strange cackle, he continued, "That is why I did not render you unconscious—merely to grant you special treatment. I want you to watch your limbs severed from your body inch by inch, and your internal organs pulled out one by one and laid right before your eyes. How does that sound?"

With that, he leaned his firearm against the bulkhead, drew a dagger from his boot, and slowly approached Hua Fo. "So, sir, shall we begin?"

Hua Fo ignored the black-clad man entirely, instead watching him draw closer to his position. He muttered under his breath, "The position is just right... let's do it now!"

Before his voice had even faded, the roar of a gunshot rang out. Following instantly, the masked man gave a violent shudder, and his still-masked head was sheared clean off his neck. A sudden rain of blood poured down inside the cramped cabin.

This was the destructive power of a sniper rifle. Hua Fo weakly wiped the warm, foul-smelling gore from his face, nudged the corpse at his feet with his boot, and grumbled, "Dammit, dammit! Did you really have to blow his head off?"

At that moment, a splash of water sounded. Having confirmed the surroundings were safe and the target eliminated, Chen Cao swam over, peered into the cabin, and called out, "Hua Fo, how are you feeling?"

Wiping the thick, fishy blood from his face, Hua Fo replied, "How do you think? Having brains and blood splattered all over you—do you think anyone could feel good?"

Seeing the people inside the cabin sprawled across the floor, Chen Cao began searching the corpse for the antidote. "How did you know he wouldn't leave, and that he'd wreck the boat to attack us?"

Weakly fishing out a cigarette, Hua Fo said, "Because I understand this fellow."

Chen Cao fished a small vial from the body and asked, "You've crossed paths with him before?"

Hua Fo shook his head, then explained, "Did you know there are people in this world who specialize in selling intelligence? The strengths and weaknesses of every famous mercenary are a source of income for intelligence brokers. Most people are unwilling to buy such information, but in order to give myself a bit more breathing room for survival, I once spent a hefty sum to investigate the personalities, specialized military skills, and traits of the world's most renowned mercenaries. That's why I'm so often able to win by outsmarting my opponents."

A look of pride flashed across Hua Fo's face as he spoke.

"That's known as 'knowing yourself and knowing your enemy to win a hundred battles,'" Chen Cao said, handing over the small vial. "Is this it?"

Hua Fo took the vial with the hand holding his cigarette, gave it a gentle sniff, let out a long breath, and said, "This is it. Now... Chen, could you open this fellow's clothes?"

With that, he handed the vial back. Chen Cao took it, immediately picked up the dagger from the floor, and slashed open the garments on the headless corpse, quickly baring its chest. There lay a totomic tattoo, resembling a sun, though its rays were rendered in gloomy, dark shades.

Having smelled the antidote from the vial, Hua Fo rapidly recovered much of his strength. "There's no mistake, it's Hayato Nakamura. This fellow is a master of aquatic combat; in the water, the ten of us combined wouldn't be a match for him. Furthermore, he is well-versed in the ninjutsu of the Gabonese Republic, treacherous and cunning—he is one of the premier assassins of the killer organization."

Chen Cao picked up the thought: "His downfall lay in his excessive self-confidence, his narrow-mindedness, and his eager thirst for revenge over that knife wound you gave him. Without assessing the situation properly, he dared to board this vessel. You accurately grasped his weakness, having me lie in wait ashore and deliberately staging a hurried departure to make him believe we feared him, thus taking the bait. Meanwhile, while he boarded, you feigned being successfully drugged to lower his guard even further. You knew from the bottom of your heart that his nature would never grant you a quick death, because deep down, he utterly despised a ragtag group of drifting castaways like us. Everything was under control."

Hearing this, Hua Fo smiled. "Chen, the meticulousness of your mind has reached an absolute pinnacle. A person like you is a rare find indeed. I'm growing fonder and fonder of you. What do you say—interested in joining us?"