Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Few dared to disobey the orders of the three tycoons in Shanghai. After being subdued by Zhang Zhiwei, although they lost many of their shady businesses, their personnel became more streamlined, and their status increased rather than decreased.

Most importantly, they can now mobilize the vast power of the Tiantong Church, and even appoint Huoyun Xieshen, who is also one of the three tycoons.

Inside the Peace Hotel, orders were issued and quickly relayed to every corner of the city via telephone or by skilled protégés.

Those laborers who carried bags at the docks, rickshaw pullers on the streets, dealers who rolled dice in casinos, and dancers who smiled and fawned in dance halls...

These people, despised by high society, suddenly became the most sensitive nerve endings of the city.

They were the city's native grassroots, familiar with every alley, knowing every street thug, and understanding every slang term. Every troop movement, every shipment of supplies, and even the whereabouts of every officer of the Japanese pirates could not escape their keen eyes.

These fragmented yet valuable intelligence reports, gathered from various places, are then verified by experts like Huoyun Xieshen, ultimately becoming crucial intelligence reports that determine life and death, and are swiftly sent to General Zhang's command post.

At the same time, funds and supplies were being gathered at an unprecedented speed. The entire underground order and commercial network were in motion. Boxes of medicine, bags of flour, and truckloads of cotton-padded clothes were quietly transported out of the brightly lit concession and, under the cover of night, sent to that battlefield of war.

However, for these members of the Caoqing Gang who had spent their lives risking their lives, merely hiding in the rear to pass on intelligence and deliver supplies was far from enough to vent the burning anger in their hearts.

Lu Yusheng was not content to be just a logistics "manager." Having carved out his own niche in this chaotic metropolis, he was no ordinary person. He might have to bow down to Zhang Zhiwei, that powerful outsider, but against the Japanese pirates, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve!
First, his "anti-Japanese righteous army" was fully mobilized. This force, composed of members of the Caoqing Gang, the Tiantong Church, dockworkers, rickshaw pullers, and other people from all walks of life, was poorly equipped and poorly trained, but it had advantages that regular armies did not have. They were the "local bullies" in the area.

They broke into smaller groups and, taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, launched surprise attacks on the Japanese pirates in various corners of the city.

Today, a lone Japanese patrolman might be dragged into an alley and beaten to death with sticks after turning a street corner.

Tomorrow, a Japanese military vehicle transporting ammunition might be blown into the air by a bomb thrown from underground as it passes a manhole cover.

Moreover, Lu Yusheng also recruited a group of special disciples. They weren't the most skilled fighters, but they were "water ghosts" who had made a living in the Yellow River and the Yangtze River estuary for decades.

They have been involved in smuggling and water transport for many years and know every undercurrent and every reef in the river like the back of their hand.

Among these people, there are even quite a few extraordinary individuals with unique skills.

He had already received a message from Wang Ai that the Japanese pirates' supernatural beings were gathering from their homeland and preparing to launch a surprise attack. He needed to pull off a big heist before the pirates arrived.

To ensure the success of this operation, Lu Yusheng even dispatched Fire Cloud Evil God, the most capable fighter among the people he could command.

In order to cooperate with him, Wang Ai also sent out Ah Xing, the chief protector of Tiantong Cathedral, as well as the nascent church protection team.

Upon learning that Ah Xing was going to carry out such a dangerous mission, the landlord and landlady, worried about their son's safety, followed him.

It wasn't just the two of them who came; the hidden masters in Pig Cage Alley, such as Coolie Strong, the Tailor, and Fried Dough Ghost, also joined in one by one.

In a short time, they formed an extremely powerful assault force.

They set off under the cover of night.

The waters of the Huangjiang River were murky yellow from the gunfire. On the river, Japanese gunboats roamed freely, their cold cannons gripping the city's throat, relentlessly pouring death upon the Chinese positions on land.

But at that moment, several inconspicuous awning boats, like ghosts, silently slid into the tightly sealed-off waters.

Ah Xing and Fire Cloud Evil God stood at the bow of the ship.

This was also the first time Ah Xing had met this legendary killer.

Fire Cloud Evil God was wearing a yellowed vest, loose shorts, and blue plastic slippers.

His sparse hair was disheveled, and he wore reading glasses. He looked like an ordinary, harmless old man taking a stroll in the park.

However, Ah Xing's senses were very sharp, and he detected the terrifying aura beneath the disheveled appearance of the Fire Cloud Evil God.

"The ultimate killer king, Fire Cloud Evil God... he really has style!" Ah Xing couldn't help but exclaim.

Fire Cloud Evil God tugged at his tank top, grinned, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth: "Fame, it's all just empty fame."

To be honest, he hadn't worn this outfit in a long time. The reason he took off the high-end suits custom-made by the three tycoons and put on this old outfit was mainly because he would be going into battle on water, and this outfit would be most conducive to his performance in the water.

At this moment, the landlord and landlady came up.

The landlord said, "On this turbulent river, the evil god's toad kung fu will unleash its full power. This operation will probably have to rely on the evil god's might."

Having witnessed the power of the Fire Cloud Evil God's Toad Style, the landlady chimed in, "That's right, the Evil God can unleash his power from underwater, directly smashing through his deck!"

Upon hearing this, Fire Cloud Evil God scoffed, "Big sister, do you know how thick the Japanese pirates' armor is?"

This question had hit a nerve with them. The landlord and landlady exchanged a glance and hesitated, then said, "It can't possibly be... several meters thick, can it?"

The evil god glanced at them irritably: "Even if I haven't read many books, I know that if it's several meters thick, that iron lump won't float at all! It'll only be a few centimeters at most! I could definitely smash through it with a full-force attack. But... wouldn't it be better to just rush onto the deck and kill people? Why do you have to ram the bottom of that ship? You two idiots!"

"You..." The landlord was speechless.

The landlady is always arguing with Fire Cloud Evil God. She might not be able to beat Fire Cloud Evil God in a fight, but when it comes to arguing, she's never been afraid of anyone.

Fire Cloud Evil God knew that this fat woman had a loud voice, the kind that could truly bring the dead back to life. He quickly pointed at the landlord and shouted, "Cover your mouth! Quickly cover your mouth! If her shrewish roar comes out, our operation will be a complete failure!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the landlord and Ah Xing, with perfect coordination, moved in from either side and instantly covered the landlady's mouth tightly. "Mmm mmm mmm!" The landlady struggled desperately, but couldn't make a sound.

"Hey, that was close!" Fire Cloud Evil God breathed a sigh of relief. "Fatty, I don't have time to mess around with you right now. If you want to fight later, I'm always ready."

In fact, Fire Cloud Evil God had a pretty good relationship with the landlord and landlady. They often sparred together and were considered rare "frenemy friends".

After approaching the Japanese warships at a distance, the awning boat fleet stopped. Fire Cloud Evil God looked at the massive steel behemoth in the distance, refraining from making a move immediately.

Warships are not so easy to breach. While the abilities of the superhumans are terrifying, warships, as vital national assets, naturally have their own special protective measures. Otherwise, if a superhuman like the Tang Clan, skilled in assassination and stealth, were to sneak in and wipe everyone out, how could this war be fought?
Therefore, for the safety of the warships, the Japanese pirates placed a specially made Shinto shrine on each warship, which enshrined the statue of Tsukuyomi, the god of protection.

Tsukuyomi is one of the three noble children in the Shinto system of Japan, and also one of the three main gods. He holds a high position and is extremely popular. He represents the moon and protection.

The invisible light emanating from its statue can form a powerful barrier that suppresses any supernatural abilities, preventing them from using them within the barrier's range.

This is an application of the power of faith. The power of belief generated by the worship of the Japanese people for thousands of years is unimaginable.

Even Zhang Zhiwei's lightning avatar couldn't force its way through this barrier. Last time, Zhang Zhiwei destroyed the fleet by using the Eight Gates Transfer Technique, which directly redirected the cannonballs fired by the warships back to him. And the shrines of Tsukuyomi were ineffective against the cannonballs.

Therefore, Fire Cloud Evil God and Ah Xing and the others cannot directly charge up now. They have to wait until the shrine above is destroyed and the barrier disappears before they can show their skills.

While they waited, the dozens of strong men from the Caoqing Gang had already taken action.

They were shirtless, wearing only shorts, and strapped bags of high explosives, tightly wrapped in tarpaulins and waterproofed, to their bodies.

Then, they looked at each other, made no grand pronouncements, and simply nodded heavily before one by one, like fish swimming silently into the cold river.

Beneath the river's surface lay a pitch-black, deathly silence. The valiant men of the Caoqing Gang, like a pack of true water ghosts, used the cover of the undercurrent to dodge the beams of searchlights and slowly approach the Japanese pirates' warships.

While they were halfway through their underwater operation, the Fire Cloud Evil God and his companions, who were part of the Otherworlders, weren't just standing around doing nothing. They began to take charge of providing cover for those underwater.

After all, the Japanese warships were under surveillance; it wasn't something that could be done by simply finding a few people, carrying explosives, and diving into the water.

They then quickly moved the ship closer, set up the mortars and grenade launchers they had prepared, and unleashed a barrage of fire on the warship's deck!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The shells exploded on the deck, sending sparks flying. Although they didn't cause much damage to the thick armor, they successfully drew the attention of the Japanese pirates.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The piercing alarm instantly resounded across the entire river. Countless blinding beams of searchlight swept across the area, quickly locking onto the small boats on the river.

"Da da da da da!"

The ship's heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns simultaneously spewed deadly flames! The dense rain of bullets created towering columns of water on the river surface.

A small boat was hit by a cannonball and instantly turned into a dazzling fireball. Fortunately, the people on board jumped into the water at the last second and escaped the disaster.

While the Japanese pirates around the warship were distracted by the small boats on the river, the water monsters in the river had already reached the bottom of the warship. They skillfully secured the explosive charges on their bodies one by one near the weakest point of the keel at the bottom of the ship, set the fuses, and every movement was gentle and precise, for fear of making the slightest sound.

Mission accomplished, they once again silently retreated into the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, the scene seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Boom!!!"

A muffled explosion shattered the tranquility of the night!
On the river, the huge warship suddenly shuddered.

Immediately afterwards, a pillar of fire shot into the sky and exploded from the middle of the ship. The ear-piercing shriek of steel being torn apart, accompanied by a violent secondary explosion, resounded through the sky.

The shrine on the ship dedicated to "Tsukuyomi" was also affected by the violent explosion and shattered into pieces. The invisible barrier surrounding the warship vanished instantly!
The main ship was bombed, and although it did not sink immediately, it was clearly severely damaged.

At this moment, some of the surrounding light frigates began to turn their guns around, preparing to launch a barrage of attacks on these small boats that dared to attack.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

Orange-red cannon fire erupted on the river, completely engulfing several small boats!
But by this time, Fire Cloud Evil God and his group had already made their move.

Fire Cloud Evil God suddenly leaped into the sea, landing on all fours like a giant toad, and kicked off with his legs!
In the water, he was like a high-speed torpedo, cutting through the waves with unstoppable momentum, heading straight for the damaged flagship.

Ah Xing moved too. He bent his legs slightly, then suddenly pushed off, shooting into the sky like an arrow released from a bow!

Just then, a clear eagle's cry rang out from the sky. A magnificent eagle swooped down from the clouds; it was the divine eagle raised by his parents, the "Condor Heroes."

Ah Xing flipped in mid-air, landing precisely on the broad back of the divine eagle, and used the momentum to rise again, soaring straight into the sky!
He adjusted his body in mid-air, head down and feet up, hands clasped together, and then suddenly thrust out a palm!
"The Buddha of the Tathagata Palm descends to earth!"

A giant golden Buddha handprint descended from the sky with overwhelming power, slamming heavily onto the deck of the warship!
"boom!"

A loud bang was heard, and the palm left a huge Buddha's handprint with clearly visible palm lines on the hard steel deck!
The panicked naval soldiers running back and forth on the deck didn't even have time to scream before they were blasted into mincemeat by the terrifying force of the palm.

Just then, the Fiery Cloud Evil God suddenly shot out of the water like a torpedo and crashed into the warship's control room. (End of Chapter)