181: As long as you're willing to work, we're practically brothers even if we're not from the same father or mother.

The ship docked.

Xiao Zhenhai led several core hall masters as they scrambled off the ship in a panic.

They didn't even glance at the fully armed agents, instead jogging straight toward Lin Yuan, who was sitting on a reef.

They looked even more affectionate than if they had just seen their own fathers.

"Young Master Lin! Master Lin!"

While still quite a distance away, Xiao Zhenhai dropped to his knees with a thud.

It was a solid kneel; his knees slammed into the sand, kicking up a spray of dust.

"A Divine Being!"

"I was blind and failed to recognize a true expert. I have offended you greatly in the past; please just treat me like a fart and let me go!"

Xiao Zhenhai trembled while kowtowing.

He had watched the entire process from afar through binoculars.

That spear.

That explosion.

It had shattered the worldview he had built over twenty years.

Compared to a monster capable of crafting nuclear bombs by hand, the Black Shark Gang and the overlords of Nine Ring Island were nothing but a joke.

If he didn't hurry to latch onto this powerful figure or beg for forgiveness, Lin Yuan could wipe the Black Shark Gang off the face of the earth tonight with just a flick of his finger.

The hall masters behind him also knelt in a row, burying their heads in the sand, not daring to make a sound.

Lin Yuan stopped chewing his energy bar.

"Gang Leader Xiao, what kind of act is this?"

He swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Weren't we talking about a fifty-fifty split earlier? Why have you switched to paying New Year greetings now?"

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!"

Xiao Zhenhai shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"That was me being blinded by greed!"

"Forget the split, that is all your spoils of war, Master Lin! The entire Nine Ring Island belongs to you!"

Xiao Zhenhai looked up, his face full of smiles.

"From now on, the Black Shark Gang will follow Master Lin's lead!"

"If you tell us to go east, we will never go west!"

"If you want us to jump into the sea, we won't hesitate!"

"With just one word from you, the thousands of brothers in the Black Shark Gang, along with that mine vein, will all be your private property!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Zhao Ya and Su Wanqing changed.

Was he trying to incorporate a criminal organization on the spot?

If Lin Yuan really took over the Black Shark Gang, with his strength combined with this group of desperadoes, he would instantly become a more terrifying and unstable factor than the Sea God Cult.

"Lin Yuan..."

Zhao Ya stepped forward, just about to issue a warning.

But Lin Yuan laughed first.

"Not interested."

He waved his hand as if shooing away flies.

"What would I want with a bunch of trash like you?"

"You eat too much, do too little, and expect me to pay you."

"I'm here to make money, not to run a charity and support idlers."

Lin Yuan stood up and walked over to Xiao Zhenhai.

He extended his foot and kicked Xiao Zhenhai's shoulder.

"Besides, you've picked the wrong person to pledge loyalty to."

Lin Yuan turned sideways and pointed at Zhao Ya, who was standing to the side with a stern expression.

"See that beautiful lady?"

"That is a Captain of the Dragon Shield Bureau, officially certified."

"You just said you wanted to surrender and submit?"

"Fine."

Lin Yuan pointed to the sand at Zhao Ya's feet.

"Go on, kowtow to the officer."

"From now on, you are 'incorporated' as external forced labor personnel for the Dragon Shield Bureau."

"Do you understand?"

Xiao Zhenhai was stunned.

He looked at Lin Yuan, then at Zhao Ya.

He was a man of the underworld.

Kneeling to a powerhouse wasn't shameful; that was just the rule of the jungle.

But to be a dog for the authorities?

And to be "incorporated"?

How would the Black Shark Gang continue to survive in the underworld after that? Could they still do business on Nine Ring Island?

Hesitation appeared on Xiao Zhenhai's face.

The hall masters behind him looked even more troubled, and some even quietly reached for the weapons at their waists.

Although Lin Yuan was strong, the Dragon Shield Bureau group had just been at the end of their rope.

If they really got incorporated, it would mean a lifetime of prison food.

The situation became somewhat tense.

Zhao Ya looked at the shifty-eyed thugs and let out a cold snort.

"What? You're not willing?"

She unsheathed her longsword by half an inch, a cold glint flashing.

"The Black Shark Gang is suspected of smuggling, illegal arming, and colluding with a cult."

"According to wartime regulations, I have the right to execute you on the spot!"

"Assisting us in clearing out the remnants of the Sea God Cult is your only chance to atone for your crimes."

Zhao Ya's voice carried authority.

But to Xiao Zhenhai, this threat clearly didn't carry as much weight as Lin Yuan's fists.

He remained kneeling on the ground, not moving.

He only cast a pleading look toward Lin Yuan, seemingly betting that Lin Yuan wouldn't actually hand them over to the authorities.

After all, they had once "cooperated."

"It seems Captain Zhao's words aren't very effective."

Lin Yuan sighed.

He stretched his neck, which made a cracking sound.

"Gang Leader Xiao, I think you might have misunderstood one thing."

Lin Yuan's voice was very soft.

He bent down and placed his hand on Xiao Zhenhai's shoulder.

"I must say, Gang Leader Xiao, your scheming was so loud I could hear it from the sky."

Lin Yuan pointed at Zhao Ya, then at himself.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Let's reintroduce ourselves: Lin Yuan, a member of the Dragon Shield Bureau Jiangcheng Branch Bureau."

"I'm also on the government payroll."

Zzzzt.

A tiny wisp of black electricity crawled from Lin Yuan's fingertip into Xiao Zhenhai's neck, making him tremble all over.

"So, listening to her means listening to me."

"Do you understand?"

In that instant, Xiao Zhenhai recalled the figure crafting a nuclear bomb by hand in the center of the thunderstorm.

He saw that terrifying giant hand nailed to the world gate.

If he didn't listen, the next one to be nailed up would be him.

"Ah!!!"

Xiao Zhenhai let out a miserable scream and sprang up.

"I'll listen! I'll listen!"

He turned around and roared at his subordinates behind him as if he had gone mad, spittle flying everywhere.

"Are you all deaf?!"

"Didn't you hear the officer?!"

"Attention everyone! Get moving!"

"Whoever dares to slack off, I'll skin them alive myself!"

As the gang leader went berserk, those hall masters and underlings who had originally had some small thoughts were scared stiff.

"Yes!!"

Thousands of Black Shark Gang members, whether they were holding guns or knives, were more obedient at this moment than regular soldiers.

They scrambled to rush toward the unconscious islanders or toward the ruins to carry equipment.

Some even started fighting over a broom, terrified that if they were too slow, they would be singled out by that devil in the tattered floral shirt.

Zhao Ya watched this scene, her sword awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

She had just screamed until her throat was sore, and these people hadn't moved an inch.

Lin Yuan had only said one sentence, and this group of desperadoes had turned into model workers.

"This..."

Zhao Ya turned to look at Lin Yuan, her eyes complex.

"Is this what you called 'good citizens'?"

Lin Yuan shrugged, looking innocent.

"I can't help it."

"I'm naturally quite charismatic, especially when it comes to persuading others."

He patted Zhao Ya on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Captain, sometimes when doing ideological work, you can't just rely on your mouth."

"You have to rely on 'Reason'."

"The 'physical' kind of reason."

After saying this, Lin Yuan walked away with his hands behind his back, swaggering toward the Sea God Cult's luxury cruise ship like an old cadre inspecting work.

"Hey you, Gang Leader Xiao."

"Get me a new set of clothes and prepare a table of seafood."

Zhao Ya watched the receding figure.

The tattered strips of the floral shirt fluttered in the wind.

It looked ridiculous, yet it also exuded a sense of reassurance.

"Madman."

Zhao Ya sheathed her sword, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help curling up slightly.

"But... he really is a reassuring guy."