184: Master Lin's righteousness relies entirely on his acting skills.

Xiao Zhenhai's efficiency was maximized by fear.

Less than twenty minutes later.

Several heavy boxes were carried onto the deck by the Black Shark Gang's subordinates.

"Master Lin, they are all here."

Xiao Zhenhai wiped the sweat from his forehead and opened the first box as if presenting a treasure.

The brilliant golden light was still dazzling under the moonlight.

They weren't gold bars.

They were gold coins cast in the shape of waves, each the size of a palm, engraved with the Yamata no Orochi totem.

"These are the 'Sacrificial Gold' confiscated by the Sea God Cult."

Xiao Zhenhai gave a placating smile and opened the second box.

Inside were rows of crystal-clear blue stones, emitting intense water element fluctuations.

"These are Water Spirit Stones. Their purity is extremely high; they were dug out from the core of the mineral vein."

Lin Yuan was originally sprawled on the deck chair, holding a bottle of '82 Lafite he had just pulled from the cooler, drinking straight from the neck.

When he saw these two boxes.

"Pfft—"

He spat out a mouthful of red wine, splashing all over Xiao Zhenhai's suit.

Lin Yuan casually tossed the wine bottle aside.

He shot up and landed in front of the boxes.

"What fine treasures!"

He picked up a gold coin and bit it.

His teeth ached from the impact.

Real gold.

"It's just that the appearance is too tacky."

Lin Yuan sighed, yet simultaneously and naturally pulled the box of gold coins toward himself.

Next, he reached for the box of Spirit Stones.

"These are all criminal evidence."

Lin Yuan looked at Xiao Zhenhai solemnly, but his hands were rapidly stuffing the Spirit Stones into his storage space.

"This kind of filth that corrupts the Soul must be kept by someone with strong willpower like me for safekeeping."

"Lest it harm the common populace."

Xiao Zhenhai's mouth twitched.

He watched as the box, which originally contained a hundred kilograms of Spirit Stones, quickly emptied under Lin Yuan's hands.

"Yes... Master Lin has great integrity."

Xiao Zhenhai's heart was bleeding, but he had to force a smile onto his face.

"And there's this one."

He pointed to the last box.

This box was the smallest, made of specialized engineering plastic, and printed with the Apocalypse Society's logo.

"We found this in a hidden compartment in the captain's cabin. I saw it had a combination lock, so I didn't dare force it open."

Lin Yuan stopped stuffing gold coins into his pockets.

He wiped his hands.

"The Apocalypse Society?"

Lin Yuan placed his hand on the box.

*Sizzle.*

Electric current brute-forced the lock.

The latch sprang open.

Inside, there were no treasures, only a black hard drive and a yellowed parchment map.

Lin Yuan picked up the map.

The map was incomplete, depicting a sea region.

But in the center of the map, a red skull was marked.

Beside it was a line of small text: [Guixu Entrance · Suspected].

"Guixu?"

Lin Yuan scratched his head.

The name sounded familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

But since it was something the Apocalypse Society hid so deeply, it must be valuable.

"Mine."

Lin Yuan stuffed the map and hard drive into his pocket and patted Xiao Zhenhai's shoulder.

"Old Xiao, well done."

"With your efficiency, if you join the Dragon Shield Bureau later, you'll definitely thrive."

Xiao Zhenhai was flattered and was about to express his loyalty further.

A sound of footsteps arrived.

"Captain!"

Six figures landed uniformly on the deck.

They were the members of the "Sword Immortal" Squad, previously responsible for perimeter security and evacuation.

Honglian was rushing ahead.

Her tight combat uniform was covered in mud splatters and bloodstains, and her previously delicate makeup was smudged.

But she couldn't care less about any of that.

She widened her eyes, staring at Lin Yuan, who was sitting on the box of gold coins counting money.

"Th-that... was done by you?"

Honglian pointed toward the sea, her voice trembling.

"How could it be?"

Lin Yuan tossed a gold coin into the air and caught it steadily.

"That was due to the weather."

"We're at sea, you know. Lots of thunderstorms. It's perfectly normal for lightning to occasionally strike off target."

Honglian: "..."

Goddamn "struck off target."

What kind of thunderstorm can obliterate a world gate?

The energy fluctuations that erupted just now made her feel suffocated, even from dozens of kilometers away.

"Everyone, attention."

Zhao Ya's voice interrupted the shock of the team members.

She had regained her composure, and the Captain's authority returned.

"Honglian, take people to the bottom hold and assist the Technology Department in dismantling the laboratory equipment."

"Qingluan, count the prisoners of war, and bring me the surviving core members of the Sea God Cult. I want to interrogate them overnight."

"The rest of you, take over the Black Shark Gang's defenses and blockade all major traffic routes on the island."

Orders were issued one by one.

Although the girls of the Sword Immortal Squad were still secretly glancing at Lin Yuan, their bodies reflexively snapped to attention.

"Yes!"

The deck quickly became busy.

Agents moved in and out, transporting supplies and the injured.

Under the gunpoint, the Black Shark Gang thugs were as docile as quail, obediently serving as laborers.

Su Wanqing walked over, holding a tablet computer.

She stopped in front of Lin Yuan, her gaze lingering for two seconds on the half-empty box of gold coins.

"Inventory registration."

Su Wanqing held out her hand.

"Twenty percent."

Lin Yuan guardedly shielded the box and shrunk back slightly.

"This is compensation for my emotional distress."

"According to the Dragon Shield Bureau's wartime regulations, seventy percent of confiscated materials must be surrendered."

Su Wanqing lowered her head and tapped a few keys on the tablet.

"However, considering this mission was a Class A emergency incident, and your personal contribution exceeded ninety percent."

She looked up.

"Captain Zhao specially approved that this box of gold coins and Spirit Stones be counted as your personal spoils of war."

"No need to surrender them."

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment.

He looked at Su Wanqing with disbelief, then looked at Zhao Ya, who was directing operations in the distance.

"Really?"

Su Wanqing closed the tablet.

"Don't celebrate too soon."

"This money is intended to offset the compensation for the collateral damage caused by your strike just now."

"What damage?"

Lin Yuan jumped up.

"I saved people! I saved tens of thousands of people!"

"That spear strike of yours shattered over eight thousand windows on Nine Ring Island, collapsed three lighthouses, and caused devastating damage to the fishery resources in the nearby sea area."

Su Wanqing reported a string of figures expressionlessly.

"Preliminary estimates show that the compensation amount is exactly equal to the value of this box of gold coins."

Lin Yuan: "..."

He looked at the gold coins in his arms.

Suddenly, they didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Is this the scheme of capitalists?

Moving the money from the left hand to the right, only to end up working for free?

"Alright, stop acting out a melodrama."

Zhao Ya walked over.

She had changed into a new uniform, and her wounds were already bandaged.

"Tidy yourself up."

She kicked the empty wine bottle by Lin Yuan's foot.

"Someone wants to see you."

"I'm not seeing anyone."

Lin Yuan turned his head and slumped back onto the deck chair.

"I'm injured, heartbroken, and require rest."

He was in a terrible mood after just being swindled out of a box of gold coins.

Extremely terrible.

Zhao Ya wasn't angry.

She had already anticipated Lin Yuan acting this way.

"Penglai Branch Director, Zhang Daoxuan."

Zhao Ya uttered a name.

"An A-rank powerhouse."

Lin Yuan stopped picking his ear.

A-rank?

A big shot of legend who can manifest an Incarnation of Heaven and Earth and whose words become law within their Domain?

"So what?"

Lin Yuan stubbornly snorted.

"Just because he's A-rank, he can boss people around? I'm the future God of Thunder."

"He is the guardian of the Thunder Sea Mystic Realm."

Zhao Ya threw out the trump card.

"If you want to go bathe in the Thunder Sea, you must have his approval, and..."

"Deal!"

Before she could finish, Lin Yuan shot up from the deck chair.

"Why aren't you leading the way?"

"Making a leader wait is a dereliction of duty for us subordinates!"

This speed of changing faces.

It left Honglian next to him dumbfounded.

"This way."

Zhao Ya pointed to a helicopter parked at the end of the deck.

The propeller had already started spinning.

Lin Yuan strode towards the helicopter.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head.

Looking at the calm sea.

Night had fallen.

The sea was bottomless, swallowing all sins and secrets.

"What is it?"

Su Wanqing followed behind him and asked.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze.

"Nothing."

"I just feel that this sea..."

"Is a little too quiet."

After speaking.

He stepped onto the helicopter.

The cabin door closed.

The helicopter lifted off and flew toward Penglai.

But deep beneath the sea behind them.

At the ruins of the world gate shattered by the lightning spear.

A wisp of extremely faint black Qi was swimming away like a fish.