As they stepped out of the Law Enforcement Team headquarters, a biting cold wind blasted them.

Lin Wanzhu gave a few instructions to the other captains, then waved her hand to dismiss them, keeping only Su Yu behind.

The two of them strolled side-by-side on the wide Black Stone Avenue.

"Junior Brother, your fame has really spread through Black Stone City again!" Lin Wanzhu turned her head, her beautiful eyes sizing up the young man beside her, her gaze filled with undisguised admiration and amazement.

"You even killed a famous Martial Artist like Song Qingya, an expert of the First Acupoint realm. Your rate of progress truly astonishes me."

Su Yu glanced sideways. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Today, his Senior Sister was wearing the blue uniform of the Law Enforcement Team. The garment was designed to be loose and solemn, meant to project an air of authority. But on her, it had a completely different effect.

The once-loose top was stretched taut over her breathtaking assets. With every step she took, the resulting sway was all the more tantalizing, leaving much to the imagination.

Su Yu impassively averted his gaze, his tone even. "You flatter me, Senior Sister. You know my innate aptitude is poor. What you call speed is just the result of me spending all my time practicing Martial Arts while others are drinking tea."

"Stop, stop, stop! Don’t you try to lie to your Senior Sister."

Lin Wanzhu stopped in her tracks and shot him a playful glare. The charm of her feigned annoyance was somehow even more captivating than her usual heroic demeanor.

"I’ve figured you out, you little rascal. Your comprehension is simply heaven-defying, your Martial Arts progress is accelerating, and your future is boundless. I’ll be waiting for you to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm. When that time comes, I..."

She trailed off, swallowing her words as a faint blush crept up to the tips of her ears.

"Ahem, here, take this."

Lin Wanzhu suddenly changed the subject. Her fair hand reached into the taut collar of her uniform and, from that deep ravine, pulled out a small, exquisite porcelain bottle, tossing it to him.

"This month’s Mind Nourishing Pill. I saved it for you."

Su Yu instinctively caught it.

The bottle wasn’t cool like porcelain. Instead, it was warm with her body heat and carried a faint, milky fragrance reminiscent of orchids and musk.

Su Yu’s fingertips trembled, and a ripple stirred in his heart. His expression, however, remained impassive as he smoothly tucked the bottle inside his clothes, keeping it close.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Seeing him accept it, Lin Wanzhu nodded in satisfaction, her expression turning a bit more serious.

"You killed Song Qingya, which was a total slap in the face to the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall... I hear Sun Yan’s injuries are almost healed, and he’ll definitely come looking for trouble. You need to focus on breaking through to the Second Acupoint realm as soon as possible!"

Su Yu felt the heavy concern in her words, and a warmth spread through his chest. He nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I understand."

...

「Three days later, in the Law Enforcement Team’s briefing room.」

In front of a massive city defense map, Lin Wanzhu stood in her combat uniform, looking heroic and valiant. Her expression was grave as the Vermilion Brush in her hand drew two red circles over the Black River Beach area on the map.

"According to our intelligence, the terrain at Black Water Beach is complex. These two flat riverbanks are the only paths the aberrations can take to get ashore. We will split into two groups and set up an ambush."

Lin Wanzhu pointed to the first, larger red circle. "This will be the main battlefield. The number of aberrations will be highest here, requiring three squads to engage them head-on. As for this spot..."

She pointed to a long, narrow reef-strewn beach a few miles away. "The terrain here is treacherous—easy to defend and hard to attack. Its main purpose is to intercept any that slip through the net and to clean up stray aberrations on the periphery. Although the pressure will be lower, it’s also a spot where unexpected situations are more likely to occur."

"Which two squads are willing to take the second position?"

Her gaze swept over everyone present.

"I’ll go."

After a moment’s thought, Su Yu volunteered.

’I have the unique hidden weapon Skill, Coin Toss. It’s most effective in this kind of narrow terrain. Besides, with fewer people around, it’ll be easier to hide my trump cards.’

"Good!" A hint of approval flashed in Lin Wanzhu’s eyes as she immediately instructed, "Be extremely careful!"

It was a piece of advice from Lin Wanzhu.

"Commander, I’ll take the other squad," a voice dripping with seductive charm called out.

Cai Yun was leaning lazily against the back of her chair. More than half of her snow-white orbs were exposed, looking as if they might spill out at any moment.

Lin Wanzhu frowned, reluctant to have her and Su Yu carry out the mission together.

But Cai Yun was a Second Acupoint expert with rich combat experience. Lin Wanzhu had no reason to object, so she could only nod. "Alright."

...

「At dusk.」 The setting sun was the color of blood.

A cold wind whistled along the Black Water Riverbank. Vast patches of withered reeds rustled in the breeze, sounding like muffled whispers.

According to the plan, Lin Wanzhu led the main force to set up an ambush at the main battlefield, while Su Yu and Cai Yun led their teams to the reef-strewn beach.

It was a natural ambush point.

The riverbank rose dozens of feet above the water, with only a single, narrow fissure winding its way up like a scar on the face of the earth. As long as they guarded this opening, one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.

"Captain Su, since we’ll be fighting side-by-side, let’s have our subordinates get acquainted." Now that they were at the mission site, Cai Yun had reined in some of her flirtatiousness, her tone becoming brisk and cool.

She pointed to the four team members behind her. "Xu Hu, Wang Nian, Chen Cheng, and Xie Yun. All of them are capable fighters at the First Acupoint realm."

"Greetings, Captain Su!" the four of them saluted in unison, their gazes filled with awe.

With Su Yu’s reputation for killing Song Qingya in three punches preceding him, none of them dared to show any disrespect.

Su Yu gave a slight nod and introduced Song Mirror and Zhao Tie.

Cai Yun’s beautiful eyes lit up when she saw Su Yu had only brought two others. ’To take on a mission with such a small team... this boy must have some real confidence.’

The two quickly finalized their tactics: the six team members would split into pairs and spread out among the reeds on either side of the fissure. Su Yu and Cai Yun would act as a mobile force, guarding the core area.

Once the team members had dispersed and taken cover, silence fell over the area.

Cai Yun glanced at Su Yu, and her cool, businesslike aura instantly vanished, replaced by a bone-deep coquettishness.

Swaying her slender waist, she drifted gracefully behind Su Yu. Her breath was fragrant like an orchid, and her voice became syrupy sweet. "Little brother~ It’s so windy out here. Why don’t we go hide behind that reef? It’s... very secluded. No one will see us."

Su Yu frowned. ’This woman’s personality changes on a dime.’

’Just a moment ago she was all business, but the second she opened her mouth, she became a completely different person.’

"Captain Cai, please address me as Captain Su," Su Yu said, all business. He walked directly to a towering reef and crouched behind it, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across the dark surface of the river.

Cai Yun giggled and scooted over, crouching down right beside him.

A mix of cosmetics and her natural feminine scent instantly filled Su Yu’s nostrils.

"Little brother, I heard you come from a family of fishermen?" Cai Yun turned to the side, her alluring, peach-blossom eyes fixed on Su Yu’s firm profile. "Tsk, tsk. Your big sister here just loves capable young men like you..."

As she spoke, she deliberately wrapped her arms around Su Yu’s, pressing closer and purposefully rubbing against him.

The vast expanse of her smooth, pale skin and the deep ravine of her cleavage were blatantly exposed right before his eyes.

’She isn’t wearing anything underneath!’

’I saw it instantly!’

He quickly averted his eyes. ’This is the first time I’ve ever met such a brazen woman!’

"Captain Cai."

Su Yu took a deep breath. He grabbed her delicate hand and removed it, his voice cold and hard. "Please, show some self-respect. I don’t want any distractions during the mission."

Cai Yun didn’t get angry when he removed her hand. Instead, she parted her red lips and exhaled a fragrant breath in his direction.

She had a wide mouth with full, rosy lips—not a delicate, cherry-like mouth, but one with its own unique charm.

"Ooh, so proper. Alright, alright, we’ll do it your way~"

...

As night fell, a thin mist began to rise from the Black Water River.

In the distance, from the direction of the main battlefield, a shrill whistle suddenly pierced the air.

That was the signal for the operation to begin!

"They’re here!"

"SPLASH! SPLISH SPLASH..."

Just then, a series of urgent splashes echoed from the river beach below.

From the dark water, several twisted black figures burst forth. They brought with them a nauseating, fishy stench as they scrambled on all fours toward the narrow fissure.

"Engage!"