24: Chapter 24 You are my private property!

"Equipment? What equipment?"

Su Mei was the first to poke her head out from the cabin. She had just finished applying a facial mask, and her pretty face was so supple it seemed like it could drip water.

Xia Zhi followed behind.

Even Yun Jinxin had woken up at some point and crawled out with them.

Li Taiping flipped his palm, and five heavy revolvers appeared out of thin air. He tossed them casually, throwing three to the three women.

"Guns?"

Su Mei scrambled to catch hers, the cold metallic touch making her pause slightly.

Xia Zhi's reaction was much faster. She took the gun and immediately checked the cylinder and mechanical structure, her movements as skilled as a veteran's.

Only Yun Jinxin held the pistol, her little face pale with fright, looking completely at a loss.

"C-Captain, is... is this a real gun?"

The Little Girl's voice was shaking.

"Of course it's a real gun." Li Taiping picked up the remaining one, spun it in his hand, and said, "A friend gave it to me."

"A friend?" Su Mei blinked, her peach-blossom eyes full of gossip. "A man or a woman? So generous, giving away five guns right off the bat. Could it be some little sister who was captivated by your charm?"

"A man, a trustworthy ally." Li Taiping smiled.

As he spoke, he took a block of raw iron the size of a human head from the warehouse and tossed it onto the deck.

With a "thud," the iron block made the deck vibrate slightly.

"I'll show you the power first."

Li Taiping raised the gun and aimed at the raw iron.

"Bang!"

A deafening gunshot echoed across the empty sea.

A flash of fire, and the bullet hit the iron block precisely.

The three of them leaned in to look and saw a thumb-sized dent on the surface of the hard raw iron.

"The power is decent." Li Taiping nodded. "It should be no problem dealing with ordinary-level lifeforms."

Su Mei and Xia Zhi looked at the bullet hole, their eyes solemn.

With this power, if it hit a person, it would definitely leave a hole with every shot.

Yun Jinxin was so scared she covered her mouth, not daring to speak.

Then, Li Taiping did something that no one expected.

He picked up the raw iron block with the bullet dent, and then, under the stunned gaze of the two women, slowly exerted force with both hands.

"Creak... creak..."

The teeth-grinding sound of metal twisting rang out.

That hard piece of raw iron was actually kneaded and deformed in his hands like dough, eventually being squeezed into an irregular iron ball.

"Hiss..."

Su Mei and Xia Zhi both gasped.

What terrifying strength!

That! Was! Raw! Iron! That! Even! A! Gun! Couldn't! Penetrate!

Although they knew Li Taiping had promoted to "Good-Grade Late Stage" and was very strong, seeing him crush the iron block into a ball with his bare hands still shocked them deeply.

Yun Jinxin had her little mouth wide open, looking at Li Taiping as if he were a monster.

However, what terrified them even more was yet to come.

Li Taiping threw away the iron ball, then slowly raised the revolver, its black muzzle aimed at his own empty left palm.

"Captain! What are you doing?!"

Su Mei was the first to react, letting out an exclamation.

"Li Taiping! Are you crazy?!" Xia Zhi's expression also changed drastically, her cold voice tinged with urgency for the first time.

"Don't move!"

Li Taiping barked, his eyes calm and firm.

What he wanted to test was not just the power of the gun, but his own body's defensive capabilities.

Only by having an absolute understanding of himself could he make the most precise judgments in future battles.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out.

This time, the bullet hit Li Taiping's palm squarely.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Su Mei and Xia Zhi's hearts were in their throats, and Yun Jinxin was so scared she closed her eyes.

The scene of gore and blood they expected did not appear.

Li Taiping opened his palm; on the skin in the center of his palm, there was only a shallow, almost invisible white dot.

The skin hadn't even broken.

Unharmed!

Li Taiping's eyes were as calm as water. With the raw iron as a reference, even if he miscalculated, it would at most be a scrape that would hurt for a while.

The Good-Grade Late Stage physical body, combined with the attribute bonus of [Ten Thousand Generations Monarch], did not disappoint him in terms of defense.

This type of ordinary-caliber bullet could no longer cause him any harm.

"You... you jerk!"

Just then, an angry roar with a sob came.

Su Mei rushed up, snatched the gun from Li Taiping's hand, and threw it hard onto the deck.

Her eyes were red, her chest heaved violently, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.

"Li Taiping! Are you sick? Are you crazy?!"

She cried while pounding Li Taiping's chest with her fists, but the force was soft, more like acting spoiled.

"What if! What if something happened! Do you take your own life so lightly?!"

Li Taiping looked at her tear-streaked face, his heart warming.

He grabbed Su Mei's hand, pulled her into his arms, and consoled her softly:

"Alright, alright, don't cry. I know what I'm doing, see, I'm fine."

"You know what you're doing? What do you know!" Su Mei buried her head in his chest, sobbing, "I don't care! You are not allowed to do such dangerous things again! Do you hear me!"

Li Taiping was between laughter and tears, and could only agree repeatedly.

Unexpectedly, Su Mei suddenly raised her head, stared fixedly at him with those red eyes, and said word by word:

"Li Taiping, you listen to me!"

"Your life is now mine! Your whole self, from your hair to your toenails, is my, Su Mei's, private property!"

"Without my permission, you are not allowed to damage yourself! Not even a single hair!"

"Do you understand?!"

This overbearing and unreasonable declaration left Li Taiping stunned on the spot, and he couldn't help but get goosebumps.

Private property?

This woman is really...

Who is whose private property?!

The world turned upside down!

He looked at Su Mei's pretty face, which could be both joyous and angry, and the helplessness in his heart instantly turned into infinite tenderness.

He lowered his head and kissed Su Mei gently on the forehead.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say."

Su Mei then broke into a smile through her tears, but still pinched his waist hard as punishment.

Xia Zhi, standing to the side, watched the two embracing, a complex light flashing in her cold eyes.

She hadn't been as emotional as Su Mei, but for that split second, her heart had indeed skipped a beat.

This man...

He is truly decisive, confident, and one could even say arrogant.

To dare to test the power of a weapon with his own body, what kind of immense confidence in his own strength must he have?!

She glanced at the pistol Su Mei had thrown on the ground, then looked at Li Taiping.

This man was even more powerful than she had imagined, and... more charming.

"Alright, don't just stand there." Li Taiping patted Su Mei's back, then looked at Xia Zhi and the still-shaking Yun Jinxin,

"Keep your guns, and make time to practice every day from now on. Xia Zhi, you should know more about this, teach the two of them."

"Okay." Xia Zhi agreed concisely.

Just then, a cold mechanical voice suddenly rang in Li Taiping's mind.

[Attention all captains, this message can only be received by Tier 2 and above captains.]

Li Taiping's eyes narrowed.

Exclusive notification?

[Novice Island Dungeon is about to open. You have half an hour to prepare.]

[Note: This dungeon is limited to the captain only. Please arrange for the ship's navigation in advance.]

Novice Island Dungeon!

At the same time, his friend list flashed—it was a message from Li Jun.

"Brother, did you get the notification? Want to team up? This is an exclusive benefit for us Tier 2 captains!"

Li Taiping's lips curled up, and he replied with two words: "Team up."

He glanced at the time on his wrist: 2:00 AM.

There were only six hours left until the official start of the black tide.

This dungeon came just at the right time.