41: Silently

The night was ink-black, with only a sliver of crescent moon and a few scattered stars in the sky casting a meager, faint light.

The Clear River surged in silence, the rushing sound of water hitting the cliff face becoming the only dominant note in the dark night.

In the distance, a few barks and indistinct noises faintly drifted from the bandit lair on Crocodile Mouth Islet, making the waters near the cliff seem terrifyingly silent by contrast.

The Surprise Attack Squad's unlit fast boat, like a phantom, quietly stopped about a mile away from Crocodile Mouth Islet, its hull perfectly concealed in the dense shadow of the reeds along the bank.

Shi Poyue looked at Chen Linsheng; no words were needed, only a grave look.

Chen Linsheng nodded slightly, took a deep breath of the cool, moist air, and then, like the most agile fish, silently slipped into the river without even splashing much water.

The icy river water instantly enveloped his body, yet it did not affect his highly concentrated state of mind in the slightest.

[Aptitude for Water Minor Achievement] and [Tracking Perfection] coordinated perfectly at this moment!

After entering the water, he immediately submerged. The Divine Effect of “Deep Dive Like a Fish” allowed him to easily avoid the surface waters illuminated by the faint moonlight.

“Parting Water Movement,” meanwhile, made his movements smooth and swift, greatly reducing resistance.

More importantly, the “Five Senses Clarity” brought by [Tracking Perfection] was amplified to the extreme underwater.

He did not rush forward but hovered in the darkness, carefully listening to every subtle anomaly in the water flow.

'Found it.'

He could “hear” a faint, rhythmic bubbling sound coming from the front left.

That was an Underwater Sentry using a hollow reed to breathe, currently lurking boredly beneath the surface.

At the same time, [Scent-Guided Tracking] captured a faint trace of sweat and fish oil smell coming from the crevice of a reef behind him and to the right.

Another person was lurking there, using a more covert skin bladder for breathing.

Furthermore, on the riverbed between him and the cliff face, two thin lines, almost merged with the darkness, stretched across, with several small bells tied to them.

That was a simple yet lethal Underwater Warning Net.

Chen Linsheng, like the God of Death underwater, quietly locked onto the first target.

Approaching the Underwater Sentry using the reed from his blind spot, the exquisite control over physical strength provided by [Cleaver Technique Perfection] allowed him to execute a silent and fatal chokehold with his arm, quickly dragging the man into the deeper, darker river water.

He did not stop, following the same pattern, using a small stone to accurately strike the reef, and at the moment the second Sentry was distracted, he eliminated the target from the side and rear.

Finally, he slid through the riverbed mud beneath the warning net like a fish and easily cut the bell lines with a small knife.

The entire process took only dozens of breaths, and the three Underwater Sentries were eliminated without knowing what hit them.

He wedged the bodies into the crevices of the reef and covered them with river grass, delaying the time they would float to the surface.

After receiving Chen Linsheng's low chirping signal from underwater, which imitated a water bird, Shi Poyue waved his hand, and the team members silently slipped into the water one by one, swimming in a fan shape toward the base of the cliff. The entire process was orderly.

Pressed close to the damp, cold cliff face, which was covered in slick moss, everyone looked up.

The dark, heavy cliff face seemed to stretch endlessly into the night sky, like a colossal beast looking down upon this group of tiny challengers, filling them with awe.

Individual elite members of the Water Patrol Division subconsciously showed grave expressions and difficulty on their faces.

Chen Linsheng touched the rock wall, feeling its moisture and rough texture with his fingertips, and whispered to Shi Poyue beside him:

“Senior Brother, I'll go up first to scout the path; you all act according to the situation.”

Shi Poyue nodded steadily and gave a low command: “Di Moyu, be ready to assist. Liu Ruyan, guard the waters behind us. Everyone else, disperse and conceal yourselves, and prepare to receive!”

Chen Linsheng did not hesitate at all. He took a deep breath and began to climb upward.

The Divine Effects of “Ape Arm Stretching Tendons” and “Iron Bones Rooted” from [Climbing Perfection] were displayed vividly at this moment.

His fingers were like iron hooks, always accurately finding crevices and protrusions in the rock.

His feet firmly stepped on every insignificant foothold, and his body pressed close to the rock wall, minimizing exposure to the greatest extent.

The rock wall was exceptionally slippery. Several times, moss caused his feet to slip, and he relied entirely on the astonishing strength of his arms and the core stability provided by [Way of Balance] to avert danger.

His movement was not a “sprint” but a “wriggle” full of strength and flexibility, like a gecko, efficient and silent.

Below, Di Moyu had already gripped several poisoned Coin Darts in his hand, his gaze fixed on any potential shadow appearing at the cliff top.

Liu Ruyan was half-submerged in the water, vigilantly looking back in the direction they came from.

The team, like a precise machine, began to operate in coordination.

Just as Chen Linsheng, like a Spirit Ape, was about to climb onto the edge of the cliff top.

The “Preempting the Enemy” from [Tracking Perfection] suddenly sent a sharp warning!

He immediately clung tightly to the slick rock wall like a gecko, held his breath, and merged with the rock.

Footsteps and tired conversation clearly drifted down from the cliff top.

“Damn it, there isn't a ghost shadow in this damned place. The boss is being too careful.”

“Stop complaining. Rules are rules. You guard east, I guard west. We switch shifts in half an hour. I'm going to take a piss; don't slack off.”

Danger approached!

A Sentry walked cursing toward the edge of the cliff, stopping right above and to the side of Chen Linsheng!

The other Sentry, following instructions, walked to a rock about a dozen steps away, his line of sight also covering this section of the cliff.

Everyone below instantly tensed up.

Shi Poyue's hand silently pressed onto his saber hilt.

Di Moyu's fingers tightened around the Coin Dart, but he dared not move recklessly, as the other Sentry was still within effective sight.

Chen Linsheng's eyes sharpened, and his thoughts raced.

He couldn't wait!

Once the Sentry who went to relieve himself returned and the two met up, the opportunity would become even slimmer.

The moment the opponent reached the edge and glanced down, completely unguarded. It was also the exact instant the other Sentry happened to turn and face the direction of the bandit lair!

He moved!

His legs pushed off the rock wall fiercely, and the explosive power of [Eight Steps Catching Cicada] propelled him upward like an arrow shot from a bow!

One hand clamped over the opponent's mouth and nose like an iron vise, while the other hand, with fingers joined like a knife, contained a force capable of piercing the viscera, and sliced precisely and viciously across the opponent's Adam's apple!

After a muffled whimper that was utterly stifled, the Sentry's body went limp.

Chen Linsheng took advantage of the momentum to gently lay him down and drag him into the nearby shadows. The entire process was as fast as lightning.

Without the slightest pause, he used the cover of the shadows, sliding toward the other Sentry like a Soul-Reaping Wuchang.

The Sentry seemed to hear a slight anomaly and turned back in confusion—

It was too late!

A black shadow sprang up from the ground, performing the same clean and decisive movements: covering the mouth and a chokehold.

In the darkness, only an extremely faint thud was heard, and then the cliff top fell into complete, true silence.

Chen Linsheng quickly dragged the two bodies into the blind spot behind the rocks and roughly covered them with some debris.

A moment later, a rope was lowered from the cliff top.

The huge stone in the hearts of the people below finally dropped.

Shi Poyue signaled, and the team members quickly and silently climbed up one by one.

When the last person stood firmly on the cliff top, which Chen Linsheng had single-handedly cleared, their eyes were filled only with indescribable shock and conviction.