The boat had traveled several dozen meters, leaving only twenty to thirty meters to the shore.

Suddenly, a group of burly, broad-shouldered men rushed out onto the reef-strewn shore opposite them.

Their leader spared them a glance, then waved his hand without a word.

The men raised their crossbows and fired at the boat.

"Shit!" Liu Ze’s pupils shrank. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dropped his oar and dove into the sea.

A dense volley of arrows rained down on the spot where he had just been.

The arrows rained down, landing on the wooden planks with a series of dull THUDS.

The two men rowing at the front were riddled with arrows before they could even cry out, turning them into human pincushions.

In the back, hiding behind another man’s corpse, Pu Jia stared at the Iron-Plated Wooden Shield he held, his eyes gaining a sudden, profound clarity.

Arrow after arrow pierced the iron plating, getting stuck in the wood beneath. With just a little more force, they would have gone clean through.

"Goddamn, thank fuck I brought a shield."

Pu Jia looked toward the men on shore and frantically yelled, "Sirs, I surrender! I surrender! I can be your guide! I know the location of every building in the complex! I can be useful!"

"Keep firing," Jia Liangcai ordered with an impassive wave of his hand.

A second volley of arrows rained down.

Pu Jia crouched on the boat, cowering behind his shield.

He let out a muffled grunt as an arrow struck true, piercing the hand with which he held the shield.

Cold sweat beaded on Pu Jia’s forehead. Realizing they had no intention of letting him live, he let loose a stream of curses, spewing every vile thing he could think of.

BANG!

The shield buckled violently as if struck by a massive hammer. In that same instant, an excruciating pain erupted from his chest.

Pu Jia was thrown backward, crashing heavily onto the boat’s deck.

With great effort, he lowered his head to look at his chest. A thick Crossbow Arrow was embedded there. His gaze shifted to his shield; a hole had been blasted right through it.

A flash of understanding crossed his eyes.

"Damn... that thing’s got some kick..."

With that, he closed his eyes for the last time.

On the shore, Li Yue got up from his prone position, proudly raising his Ghost Gold One-Handed Heavy Crossbow. "The field test was a success."

Zou Jianghe stared in disbelief at the weapon in Li Yue’s hands. ’It blasted right through that Iron-Plated Wooden Shield?’

’And that’s a personal-use weapon?’

He started to walk over and ask about it, but Li Yue didn’t even glance his way. Holding the Heavy Crossbow, Li Yue just chuckled and walked off, completely ignoring him.

"Mr. Jia." Zou Jianghe gave a wry smile and walked over to greet Jia Liangcai.

Jia Liangcai glanced at him. "Chairman Zou, have your men secure the perimeter around the reef. We need to confirm the position of the one who jumped overboard."

Zou Jianghe was silent for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

After Jia Liangcai and the men from the Qin Alliance had dispersed, Zhang Bo came up from behind. "Chairman Zou, I went to notify the Qin Alliance, but it seems they were already prepared. They charged right out with a whole group of people."

"I know," Zou Jianghe said irritably. ’You think I needed you to tell me that?’

’The fight was practically over by the time I got here.’

"Search! Check the surrounding reefs and find his position!" With a wave from Jia Liangcai, the teams fanned out.

Zou Jianghe watched them disperse, a dazed look in his eyes.

’These people... they can’t be the Qin Alliance’s main force, can they?’

He noticed some of them were still wearing aprons from the Blacksmith Shop, while others had hammers hanging from their belts.

"Go, spread out. Report immediately if you find any trace of him," Zou Jianghe ordered the members of the Alliance Association who were just catching up.

Beside the reef, Liu Ze hid behind a large rock. His body bobbed with the surging tide as he clung desperately to the rock face, trying to keep himself steady.

He took deep, ragged breaths.

His lungs felt like bottomless pits, frantically drawing in oxygen.

An arrow was embedded in his shoulder, blood flowing from the wound and blooming in the seawater around him.

He felt utterly humiliated.

’I’m an Extraordinary Being, and I’m being cornered like this by a bunch of mortals.’

Even though he’d taken the easiest path to becoming Extraordinary, he was convinced that the two tiers above his were impossible for any human to achieve.

’There’s no way anyone could break through on Second Gear or Third Gear difficulty.’

’It has to be just a pie-in-the-sky promise made by this damn Home.’

Under the surface, a Saltwater Crocodile caught the scent of blood. It turned its head and swam toward the source.

’This is bad.’ Liu Ze sensed the disturbance; he could hear movement coming from beneath the water.

Now he had a crocodile in front of him and pursuers at his back.

A look of resolve flashed in his eyes.

’I have to risk it.’

Liu Ze pulled a star-dusted black metal Card from his pocket, a pained look flashing in his eyes.

He crushed the Card.

"ROAR!"

A lion’s roar echoed from the nearby reef.

A brown lion, nearly four meters long and covered in a thick, shaggy coat, appeared on the rocks.

The sudden appearance of the lion not only drew the Saltwater Crocodile’s attention but also caused a series of startled cries from the people on the main reef.

"There’s a lion over there!"

"How could a lion suddenly appear here?"

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Ze dove deep into the sea.

The Saltwater Crocodile, after a brief startle from the sudden appearance of a cave lion, resumed its pursuit of Liu Ze.

In its eyes, the prey reeking of blood was far more appealing.

Liu Ze cursed inwardly. He quickly commanded the cave lion to go after the Saltwater Crocodile to create a diversion.

The cave lion seemed wary of the water, hesitating on the reef for a moment. Finally, with a low growl, it took a great leap and plunged into the sea, sending up a huge splash.

The Saltwater Crocodile swished its tail. It sensed that the approaching creature was large, forcing it to switch targets.

The lion and the crocodile began to battle in the sea. But the cave lion, a poor swimmer, was completely outmatched. The Saltwater Crocodile latched onto its leg and began its frenzied death roll.

The commotion drew a crowd.

On the edge of the crowd, Jia Liangcai watched the scene below, deep in thought. His gaze then swept across the water to the other side of the reef.

He whispered something to Li Yue behind him, then led a group of men toward the other side.

At the edge of the reef, the waves churned violently.

The wind and waves on the eastern side of the reef were especially rough today.

But beside the reef, there was no one.

"He’s not here." Jia Liangcai frowned. "Could he have stayed underwater this whole time? Does he also have some treasure that lets him breathe underwater?"

...

’Whew... Good thing my Extraordinary path is Abyss Diver. I can hold my breath far longer than a normal person. You mortals will never understand the power of the Extraordinary.’

Liu Ze slowly surfaced. He had swum a wide circle, arriving directly at the tidal flats. Tearing off his shirt, he walked bare-chested across the sand toward the Gated Community ahead.

’They’ll never expect me to have swum this far, let alone walk right in from the flats.’

Among the crowds, many people had shed their shirts in the heat, wanting to be ready for a dip in the water.

He didn’t stand out at all.

’As long as I get into the Gated Community, I can activate the anchor point.’

Closer... closer...

The smile on Liu Ze’s face grew wider and wider. He scrambled over the last of the rocks and reached the entrance to the Gated Community.

Someone nearby glanced at him, his gaze lingering on his conspicuous red hair with a hint of suspicion.

Not far off, Zhang Bo turned his head. His eyes widened as he spotted Liu Ze, and he raised a finger to point.

Farther still, Li Yue stepped out from around a corner. He looked up, stunned for a second, before raising the Ghost Gold One-Handed Crossbow.

Liu Ze pumped his arms and broke into a dead sprint, his streamlined muscles unleashing an explosive burst of power.

Like an agile cheetah, he sprinted forward and burst into the Gated Community. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"He’s over there!" a loud shout came from behind him.

"He’s on the shore!"

"Get him!"

Shouts erupted from all around.

But a savage, unstoppable grin was plastered on Liu Ze’s face. "Hahahaha!"

’I made it! I actually made it inside!’

"Anchor point! Activate!" Liu Ze bellowed, his voice a hoarse roar.

An illusory, crimson anchor materialized out of thin air, like a great claw reaching up from the depths of the sea.

It slammed down onto the open ground of the Gated Community.

Ripples spread out in waves from the point of impact.

[Warning, an anchor point is attempting to lock onto the Gated Community]

An urgent alert chimed in the ears of everyone in the Gated Community.

The next second, the tone changed.

[Anchor point eliminated]

Then, in front of everyone, the crimson anchor flickered twice and, like a reluctant fish, turned and vanished back the way it came.

All that remained was the bare-chested Liu Ze, standing in the open space of the Gated Community, his expression slowly turning to one of utter shock.

...

...