A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

"Haha! Old Li really understands me!"

Ji Zuodao burst into laughter and patted Li Shuwen on the shoulder.

"Hiding? That's what cowards do! What's the style of Jinghai? We're the kind who pluck feathers from passing geese and leave skins on departing beasts! We're already here, wouldn't it be a disservice to this map if we didn't make the most of it?"

The group chatted and laughed, but their pace was quite fast.

Following the tiny markings on the map, head straight for the nearest resource point.

About half an hour later, the first group of "swimming champions" with good swimming skills and stamina finally reached the shore, grumbling and scrambling.

"Oh my goodness... I've finally... I've finally arrived..."

An investigator from the Southwest Branch was sprawled out in the shallow water, barely able to breathe, feeling like he had lost half his life in the sea.

"I swam... I swam so much my legs are about to cramp up!"

"Those damn bastards from Jinghai! Once I've calmed down, I'll definitely..."

The most hot-tempered, burly man from the Northeast branch was among the first batch to have relatively good physical strength.

He gasped for breath, wiped the water from his face, and the pent-up anger that had been building up all the way surged up again.

Without taking a break or observing the surroundings, he clenched his fists, which were as big as clay pots, and with red eyes, he rushed into the beach while cursing.

"You son of a bitch, Ji Zuodao! Get out here right now! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget..."

The harsh words weren't finished yet.

He had only taken about ten steps when he stepped into a patch of dry sand that looked no different from the surrounding area.

"boom--!!!"

A loud, but exceptionally crisp, popping sound!

A burst of fire mixed with sand suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, splattering him directly in the face! The impact of the explosion wasn't too strong, but it was sudden and skillfully timed.

"Awooo—!!!"

The burly man let out a strange cry, and like a tattered sack that had been kicked away, he was lifted up from the spot, drawing a graceful arc in the air, before "plop" crashing back into the sea, splashing up a huge wave.

The beach fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

All that remained was the rustling of the sea breeze through the palm leaves and the distant sound of the unfortunate fellow thrashing about and choking on water in the sea.

"Holy...holy shit?!"

An investigator lying on the beach shrank back, staring in horror at the seemingly calm sand. "Talismans?! Talismans buried in the beach?!"

"Damn! That's so sneaky! They even set up a minefield on the shore?!"

"This is fucking inhuman! Swimming here is tough enough, but getting ashore means we have to clear mines first?!"

"We're doomed! Judging by this, this whole area is probably a minefield! Those bastards from Jinghai are trying to wipe us all out on the beach!"

After a brief silence, an even louder chorus of curses erupted.

Looking at the golden beach, which now seemed fraught with danger, no one dared to take another step forward. They all crowded around the wet tide line, caught in a dilemma.

Just when everyone was at a loss and cursing,

"Everyone, please calm down."

A relatively calm voice rang out.

Lu Jian from the Jiangnan branch wiped the water from his face and stepped forward from the crowd.

Although he was struggling to swim and his face was pale, there was a glint of...confidence in his eyes?

"I have some knowledge of talismans. In this current predicament, perhaps I, Lü, can give it a try and find a way out for everyone."

Lu Jian was so happy at that moment that he almost couldn't suppress the upturn of his lips.

Holy crap! An opportunity! This is a fucking opportunity!

Finally, it's my turn to show my face!

Staying up all night to study, it wasn't for nothing!

At this point, no one should be able to stop me from showing off, right?

Without Jinghai emerging victorious, who can rival us? Who else can challenge us? I ask you, who else can we ask?

He suppressed his inner elation and excitement, trying his best to maintain his "expert demeanor," walked to the front of the group, squinted his eyes, and began to carefully observe the beach in front of him.

To be honest, he looked quite convincing. He was gesturing with his fingers in the air, muttering incantations, using a string of technical terms, which left many people behind him bewildered.

After observing for about a minute, Lü's eyes lit up, and he pointed to a sandy area about five steps away diagonally in front of him.

There, the sand surface seemed to have extremely slight, irregular wrinkles, and next to it was a small patch of sand that was slightly darker in color, as if it had been deliberately but roughly moved.

"Look here, everyone!"

Lu Jian's voice was loud and clear, filled with the certainty of discovering the truth.

"There must have been a talisman buried here! And the way it was placed seems a bit clumsy, leaving traces of concealment, clearly indicating it was done in haste."

He turned around, a confident smile on his face, and waved his hand: "Everyone, follow me, go around here, and walk to the side. It's absolutely safe!"

As he spoke, he took the first step and stepped onto a seemingly ordinary patch of sand next to him.

"Hey! Not bad, Brother Lü!"

"Those guys from the Jiangnan branch are something else!"

"As expected of a cultured person, such keen eye!"

Several exclamations of praise and encouragement immediately came from behind.

Hearing these praises and feeling the focus of everyone's attention, Lü Jian felt as if every pore on his body was open, and he was so happy that he could fly. He couldn't suppress the smug smile on his lips.

Yes! That's exactly how it feels! Surrounded by admirers! Outsmarted! I, Lü Jian, am the true master of technique!

He was full of confidence, head held high.

Then--

"boom--!!!"

Another familiar explosion!

Flames and sand exploded from the seemingly safe patch of sand he had just stepped onto!

"Holy crap!!!"

Lu Jian only had time to let out a short, distorted cry of surprise before he was blown away by the blast wave like a kite with a broken string!

It tumbled and rolled several times in the air before finally crashing headfirst into the sea a few meters away with a "plop."

Everyone: "..."

An awkward silence fell over the beach once again.

Only the sound of Lü Jian splashing and coughing in the sea could be heard.

It took Lü Jiancai quite a while to finally climb out of the shallow water. His hair was all messed up like a chicken coop, and his face was streaked with black and white.

His eyes were fixed, his expression blank, staring blankly at the spot where the explosion had just occurred, muttering unconsciously:

"No...that's impossible..."

"This...this doesn't make sense..."

"I was sure I was looking at it correctly... This... This is different from what the book teaches..."

Lu Jianqiang struggled to his feet, feeling a burning sensation on his face, but he couldn't lose in words, especially in front of so many people.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain some of his "expert" tone:

"Unexpected...unexpected! This is definitely an accident! Perhaps the person who set up the formation used a rather...unique method. But!"

"At least I've eliminated one wrong answer for everyone! Now, there are definitely no more talismans in that area! Let's go that way!"

Then, he resolutely walked over and stepped on it.

"boom--!!!"

Familiar formula, familiar taste.

Lu Jian transformed into a human-shaped firecracker once again, flying back into the sea with a long "Ah—", splashing water even more than last time.

No one could bear to watch, and they all covered their foreheads and turned their heads away.

When Lü Jian climbed out of the sea this time, he was completely stunned, his eyes were unfocused, and his worldview was shattered.

He looked at the place where he was bombed the first time, then at the place where he was bombed the second time, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

"No...no...this isn't right..."

He muttered to himself as if possessed, his eyes suddenly catching sight of the palm grove not far away.

"Wait! That doesn't count! Those two attacks don't count!"

"We can't go down on the ground! Let's climb the trees! We'll walk through the trees!"

Yes! In the tree! Dimensional strike! I'm so clever! Lü Jian seemed to see the last hope of regaining his dignity.

He didn't wait for anyone's reaction, or perhaps he was too ashamed to wait any longer. Suppressing his anger and resentment, he endured the pain in his body and dashed towards the nearest thick palm tree, using both hands and feet to nimbly climb up it!

He just wouldn't believe it! He was determined to put on this act today!

Then, just as he grabbed onto a seemingly sturdy horizontal branch, preparing to use it for leverage to climb higher—

The piece of bark he was holding seemed to have dented slightly.

Lu Jian's heart skipped a beat.

An extremely ominous premonition instantly swept over my entire body.

next second.

"boom--!!!"

Tiny sparks and wood chips burst forth from the gaps in the tree branches.

"No--!!!"

With a long, drawn-out scream filled with despair, resentment, and utter collapse, our dear, theoretically knowledgeable Comrade Lü Jian transformed into an aerial acrobat for the third time, plunging into the embrace of the azure sea with an even more magnificent spinning motion.

The beach was completely silent.

Everyone fell silent, staring at the spot where Lü Jian had fallen into the water, their expressions indescribably complex.

There was sympathy, pity, and感慨, but more than anything, there was a sense of helplessness: "Why does this guy never learn from his mistakes?"

Brother, we can all see that this minefield is really weird, it's completely different from what the textbooks teach!

Didn't you see that we're all too scared to move and just standing here like idiots?

Do you think you can so easily solve the traps set by those people in Jinghai by simply following a book?

The sea breeze carries a salty, damp scent, and a faint sadness that comes with the feeling of "intellectual superiority."

Meanwhile, deep within the island in the distance, Ji Zuodao, who was happily searching for treasure while holding a map and humming a tune, suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

"Achoo! Who's thinking about me again?" He rubbed his nose, completely unconcerned, and continued to happily refer to the map, searching for the next "resource point".

As for that theoretical warrior on the beach who fought and failed repeatedly?

Sigh, who cares?

Anyway, once the pit is dug, someone has to step on it, right?