168: Gathering from all directions: Everyone here is trash.

The torrential rain poured down.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the rough, surging sea.

A speedboat rose and fell on the crests of the waves, like a leaf that could be swallowed at any moment.

Lin Yuan held the rudder with one hand, shielding his forehead with the other.

Rainwater streamed down his hair, quickly soaking his floral shirt.

But he didn't mind at all.

He even enjoyed it a little.

"Refreshing."

Lin Yuan wiped the water from his face and shouted.

The wind was too loud; he couldn't be heard without yelling.

Su Wanqing sat in the passenger seat, huddled inside her windbreaker, gripping the grab handle tightly.

This speedboat was "top-tier equipment" provided by the Black Shark Gang, but in such atrocious weather, it was still tossing around enough to make one vomit their dinner from the night before.

"Are you really confident?"

Su Wanqing had to raise her voice.

She stared at Lin Yuan's profile.

Since they boarded, this man had maintained the expression of someone on a casual outing.

Earlier at the Black Shark Gang headquarters, that composed Aura of his, treating the gathered heroes like mere grass, had indeed bluffed everyone.

Even she had almost believed it.

But now, thinking about it calmly, those were four major factions.

Relying just on them, plus a group of Black Shark Gang thugs who only knew how to shout "666"?

It looked like a suicide mission no matter how you sliced it.

Hearing the question, Lin Yuan turned his head.

"Confidence?"

He blinked, looking innocent.

"How could I possibly have something like that?"

Su Wanqing froze.

The speedboat suddenly leaped over a wave and crashed down heavily.

Her heart skipped a beat along with that heavy impact.

"You... what did you say?"

Su Wanqing couldn't believe it.

"Then what were you saying to Xiao Zhenhai with such certainty earlier? Saying you wouldn't even settle for a fifty-fifty split and insisted on taking it all?"

"That's business negotiation technique."

Lin Yuan said righteously.

"You can't lose on Aura, or you'll get lowballed."

"As for whether we can win a fight..."

Lin Yuan let go of the rudder and spread his hands.

The speedboat carved an S-shape on the sea, nearly capsizing.

Su Wanqing reached out to grab the steering wheel in a panic, but Lin Yuan held her hand down.

"Don't panic."

Lin Yuan pointed to the rolling thunderclouds overhead.

"Look at the sky."

"What beautiful weather."

"On land, I might have to be cautious."

Lin Yuan took a breath.

"But this is the ocean."

"And it's the ocean during a thunderstorm."

"This is my home turf."

Su Wanqing looked at him.

Rainwater splashed on Lin Yuan's face, and the lightning reflected in his pitch-black eyes.

In that moment, she actually felt that this man, who usually only cared about calculating a few bucks, exuded an air of arrogance.

It was as if the thunder filling the sky was waiting for his command.

"Madman."

Su Wanqing whispered a curse and looked away.

She adjusted her headset and pressed the communicator on her throat.

After some static, a disjointed report came through.

Su Wanqing listened intently.

After a while, she looked at Lin Yuan.

"There is good news and bad news."

"Let's hear the bad first."

Lin Yuan pushed the speedboat to its maximum speed, the engine roaring.

"The bad news is that the other two teams lost track of us."

Su Wanqing frowned.

"We were going too fast; they haven't even infiltrated the organizations yet."

"As expected."

Lin Yuan wasn't surprised.

Bringing a bunch of dead weight would have been more trouble anyway.

"What's the good news?"

"Zhao Ya has caught up."

Su Wanqing glanced at the tactical terminal on her wrist, which displayed a green dot.

"She is on the Blood Anchor Group's ship."

"The captain?"

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, but then relaxed.

It was normal for someone who could become a special forces captain to have such efficiency.

"She told me to pass this on to you."

"Lin Yuan, don't forget our mission."

"The mineral vein is secondary."

"The primary objective is to find out the background of those people from Sakura Country."

Lin Yuan curled his lip.

"Got it, got it."

"So long-winded."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sea ahead suddenly became calm.

But this was not a sign that the storm had ceased.

It was the calm before the storm.

A beam of blue light shone up from the seabed.

"We're here."

Lin Yuan slowed the speedboat down.

At this moment, quite a few ships had gathered in this sea area.

They were docked clearly separated by position.

To the east was the Black Shark Gang fleet that had followed close behind.

A dozen modified fishing boats had heavy machine guns mounted on their decks, and even a few mortars.

Xiao Zhenhai stood at the bow of the largest ship, holding binoculars, his face gloomy.

To the north was a fleet composed of decommissioned warships.

Although there were only three, those dark cannon muzzles and the uniform searchlights all displayed the oppressive feeling of a regular army.

That was the Blood Anchor Group.

To the west was a group of various speedboats and yachts, colorful and looking disorganized.

The people on the boats were also bizarre—some had scales, some had multiple arms.

The Thousand Hands Society.

And to the far south, directly facing the fissure of the mineral vein, was a white cruise ship.

The hull was painted with blue wave patterns, exuding a sense of mystery.

A group of people in gray robes stood on the deck, motionless in the heavy rain.

That was the Sea Wave Society.

The four parties were in a standoff.

The atmosphere was tense, swords drawn and bows bent.

No one made the first move.

Lin Yuan stood on the speedboat, his gaze sweeping across the other three factions.

"Quite a gathering."

He picked his ear.

"Perfect, saves me from having to find them one by one."

Just then, a rough voice came from the loudspeaker on the Blood Anchor Group's warship.

"Gang Leader Xiao, is this the external help you found?"

"A kid whose hair hasn't even fully grown?"

This voice was highly penetrating, drowning out the thunder.

Immediately after, a sarcastic, Yin and Yang voice came from the Thousand Hands Society side.

"Xiao Zhenhai, have you gone senile?"

"The mutated sea monkeys under my command could tear a guy like this apart."

Facing the mockery, Xiao Zhenhai's face was as dark as water.

He was about to retaliate, but then he saw a man dressed in priest attire walk out on the white cruise ship of the Sea Wave Society.

The man wore a tall hat and held a Scepter inlaid with blue crystals.

The moment he appeared, the surrounding rainwater automatically avoided him, forming a vacuum zone around his body.

B-rank.

And of the special type.

Su Wanqing's eyes narrowed, and she whispered a warning: "Be careful, that's a tough nut to crack."

The priest man did not look at Lin Yuan and spoke.

"Everyone."

"The Treasure Trove gifted by the gods is right beneath our feet."

"But the seawater blocks us, and none of us alone can obtain it in a short time."

"Rather than wasting time here, it is better to join forces."

The priest raised the Scepter in his hand, pointing to the blue light on the seabed.

"Let us join forces to break through the waves."

"Let the divine treasure be revealed."

"As for who it belongs to later..."

The priest smiled.

"Then it will be based on each person's ability, following the will of the Sea God."