Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

"My lord... listen to me..."

Kurt panicked, in excruciating pain, and struggled to get up to explain.

But Balk had no patience; his raging fury completely consumed him.

He strode forward, grabbed Kurt by the hair, and shouted:

"Didn't I say that no one is allowed to disturb my afternoon nap?! What did you do?!"

"Snapped!"

Another extremely heavy slap.

Kurt's face was now completely swollen like a pig's head, and two of his teeth had come loose.

He lay on the ground, unable to speak properly, only able to stammer and sob.

After being slapped twice, Balk's morning grumpiness subsided slightly.

He was panting heavily, looking down at the wretched Kurt, and asked angrily:

"What on earth has to bother me at this time? If you can't give me a straight answer, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks today!"

Kurt's face was contorted with grief, his voice trembling violently with extreme fear and pain, and he stammered, his words slurred:

"It's...it's Director Sarah...she...she told us to get over there to see her immediately..."

Balk was startled, and his raised hand froze in mid-air.

Upon hearing that it was Director Sarah, his initial rage instantly subsided, and he even felt a pang of guilt.

After all, Sarah is one of the true power holders at the ocean terminal, and her strength is unfathomable.

But he quickly regained his composure, straightened his disheveled clothes, and said with a frown:

"Even if it was Director Sarah who called me, you wouldn't be this flustered."

We haven't made any major mistakes lately; it's probably just a routine check of the accounts or to check on the progress. Let's go.

Kurt lay on the ground, shaking his head desperately, trying to explain:

"No...it's not a routine check...it's...it's because of Xilun!"

Upon hearing the name, Balk became even more enraged. He shouted loudly and raised his foot as if to kick again:

"No, what do you mean no! Didn't you say that Director Sarah called me?"

Why are you bringing up that guy named Xilun?! By the way, who exactly is Xilun?!

Balk had long forgotten the name of the young man who dared to talk back to him that morning; after all, in his eyes, he was just an unknown nobody.

Kurt, disregarding his surroundings, shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Sirlen is the Brotherhood member who came this morning to take Finn away!"

My lord, his teacher is the newly promoted high-ranking knight, Lord Lund! Director Sarah was Lord Lund's mentor back then!

Siren has now reported everything about your detention of Finn to Director Sarah!

Director Sarah is furious and is ordering you to come in immediately to apologize!

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

Only the phonograph was still emitting a hissing electrical sound.

Upon hearing Kurt's words, Balk's previously mild expression froze completely, as if it had been frozen in time.

In his single eye, the arrogance and tyranny vanished instantly, replaced by an undisguised, deep fear.

Balk stood there, the hoarse female voice from the gramophone still echoing in the room, but to him it sounded like a sharp death knell.

Kurt's words were like molten iron, pouring down his eardrums and into his internal organs, instantly freezing his original rage and arrogance into bone-chilling fear.

Your Excellency Lund.

A newly promoted high-ranking knight, a terrifying existence just one step away from the unspeakable fourth-order mutant.

In the area around the ocean pier, even the most arrogant gang leaders would lower their heads when they heard this name.

And that young man sitting in Sarah's office, whom she considered easy to manipulate and whose name she didn't even remember, turned out to be Lund's personal disciple.

Balk felt as if a piece of rough sandpaper had been stuffed into his throat, making it dry and painful.

He lowered his head and looked at his rough, large hands, which were covered in oil and blood.

These hands once snapped a rival's neck in a fight for the position of leader of dockworkers; these hands, to show loyalty to the higher-ups of the organization, personally stuffed disobedient laborers into iron barrels filled with cement and sank them into the greywater river.

He toiled through this mud and stench for fifteen years, swallowing countless humiliations and enduring countless beatings, before finally earning the right to sit in this little villa today, listening to a gramophone and drinking cheap red wine.

On what grounds?

A flicker of barely suppressed jealousy and resentment flashed in Balk's single eye.

Why is it that lowly commoner named Xilun, just because he was lucky enough to be noticed by a big shot, can sit there high and mighty and decide his life or death with a single sentence?

And yet, after painstakingly extracting value from foolish laborers like Fein and working tirelessly for the benefit of the association, he ends up having to wag his tail and beg for mercy like a dog.

In Balk's survival of the fittest principle, the law of the jungle is the only truth.

Finn signed the contract, took the money to risk his life, and dying at sea was his fate.

But now, he has to bear the consequences of this damned class privilege.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the trembling in his legs, pushed aside the groaning Kurt on the ground, and straightened his slightly disheveled collar.

He knew he had no way out. He knew Sarah's temper all too well; that seemingly beautiful woman could kill more swiftly than the most ferocious mutants.

The two slowly walked toward Sarah's office. Balk's steps grew heavier as he racked his brains, trying to concoct a flawless lie.

But the closer he got to that carved wooden door, the more his defenses crumbled, and the more frightened he became.

When he got close to the door, he had to stop, swallow hard, and then push the door open and come in.

A faint scent of incense filled the room. Balk lowered his gaze, unable to look directly at the beautiful woman before him. His body trembled as he bowed his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Greetings, Director Sarah."

Sarah nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Balk like a knife, then turning to Siren and Yuri sitting upright to the side, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority as she spoke:

"These two just told me what happened. Is it true that you concealed Finn's whereabouts?"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Balk's forehead, dripping down his cheeks onto the luxurious carpet. He knew the consequences of lying to Sarah, and could only grit his teeth and say in a trembling voice, "Yes..."

Upon hearing this, Xiren, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately furrowed his brows into a tight knot.

The fact that Finn had indeed been in trouble confirmed his suspicions caused his heart to clench violently, leaving him feeling extremely distressed.

In this cold and cruel world, he was all alone, and Finn was one of the few people he was willing to accept and even hoped to be friends with for life.

He didn't want to lose this tall, honest friend.

But then Balk hurriedly explained:

"Please let me explain, sir! Two days ago, according to the employment contract, Finn joined the whaling ship fleet."

I wanted him to finish his last task before he left, but I never expected... I never expected the fleet to lose contact.

The ship that was supposed to return this morning hasn't even been seen yet.

At this point, Balk suddenly knelt on the ground and began to beg for mercy, disregarding his image:

"Director Sarah, your subordinates have failed in their duties, but they had no intention of deceiving you!"

This was a last resort due to work scheduling issues; I hope the Board of Directors will forgive me!

Sarah ignored him immediately. She gracefully crossed her legs, placing her long, slender thigh on top of her other, and gazed calmly at Balk kneeling on the ground, saying:

"Get up. How do you intend to resolve this matter?"

Balk paused, got up from the ground, wiped away his cold sweat, and said with feigned composure:

"There has been no flooding on the Greywater River recently, and the weather has been normal. It seems that the fleet has simply gotten lost, or the steam engine has malfunctioned."

Perhaps if we just wait quietly until evening, they should be back.

Sarah gazed thoughtfully at the gloomy sky outside the window, her fingers lightly tapping the table, and asked:

"Even without floods, what if we attract strange creatures from the water?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was taken aback.

Yuri's expression changed slightly, and Xiren subconsciously clenched his fist.

Balk swallowed hard and stammered, "Well...it's not impossible."

Sarah calmly stood up, straightened her skirt, and said:

"The fleet consists of seasoned sailors who make a living at sea, so they generally won't get lost."

It's possible that something unexpected happened, such as during whaling operations, they provoked those fierce and temperamental whale species.

After a moment's thought, she decisively ordered, "Go and gather the boats immediately, and provide full-speed support according to their planned route."

Balk dared not utter a single word, and hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying:

"Alright, alright, I'll take care of it right away."

Having said that, he hurriedly left as if he had been granted a pardon.

Xiren and Yuri immediately stood up and followed behind.

Sarah glanced at Xilen and said calmly, "Follow me."

On the way to the pier, the sea breeze carried a salty smell.

Sarah walked ahead and casually said to Siren beside her:

"Your friend is lucky to have a friend like you, who still thinks of him even when he's making it big."

Xiren pursed his lips, a bitter smile forcing at the corners of his mouth, and said in a low voice:

"If I hadn't had him as a friend, I'm afraid that my entry into the extraordinary world would have been fraught with many more setbacks."

He helped me, I can't just abandon him.

Soon, a sturdy steam-powered wavebreaker was ready.

On the ship, Sarah changed into a tight-fitting black waterproof suit that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure while also exuding a chilling aura.

Xilun also changed into a thick waterproof suit.

Balk stood in a corner of the deck, the sea breeze whipping his rough face. He rubbed his hands together, shivering, wondering what fate awaited him.

He glared at Sarah and Siron with his single eye, cursing silently in his heart:

It seems that Director Sarah is determined to stand up for Xiren.

If Fein ends up unharmed, that's fine; at most, he'll get a scolding. But if something truly life-threatening happens, he'll probably have to take the blame and suffer a terrible fate.

This made him even more resentful of Xilun.

I can assign tasks to my men however I want; that's the rule at the dock!

If they have an accident, that's their own bad luck, what does it have to do with me?

Now, I'm forced to put up with the attitude of a mere first-tier extraordinary being. I'm utterly frustrated!

Balk gritted his teeth, his anger rising and falling.

If Xilun were just an ordinary citizen with no connections, I would have stuffed him into a sack and thrown him into the river long ago.

A young boy who had just been baptized dared to be so arrogant just because he had someone backing him.

With the roar of the steam engine, the wave-breaker cut through the murky waves and slowly approached the open sea along the whaling ship's route.

The sky grew increasingly gloomy, with dark clouds seemingly pressing down on the sea.

After sailing for about an hour, something unusual began to appear on the sea.

Some broken planks and snapped ropes began to drift along with the surging seawater.

This made Xilun, who was standing at the bow of the ship, feel a tightness in his chest; something unexpected had really happened.

He gazed into the distance along the shipping route, seeing more and more wreckage floating on the sea, including broken decks, scattered barrels, and even some clothes stained with blood.

Sarah stood on the high deck, gazing at the horrifying wreckage, her face darkening completely.

These are all her people working at the ocean liner terminal; they are the terminal's assets.

She squinted, finally spotting a clue on the gray sea, and pointed ahead, saying:

"There are survivors on that large floating platform in the distance, head over there at full speed!"

The steamship suddenly accelerated, cutting through the waves and rushing past.

Upon closer inspection, all they saw were many people submerged in the icy, bone-chilling seawater. Most of their bodies were stiff and pale, rising and falling lifelessly with the waves.

The crew on the fleet immediately threw down ropes and nets and began to drag the bodies and survivors aboard.

Xiren stared intently at each of the corpses that were dragged up.

He looked at one of the bodies; the person's face was ashen, the body was cold and stiff, and there were no obvious bite marks on the surface of the body. It was clear that the person had been frozen to death in the seawater.

The weather is very cold now, especially in the open sea where the temperature is extremely low.

Even half an hour of soaking in this kind of water can pose a serious risk of hypothermia.

If an ordinary person cannot grab a floating board to get out of the water, they will almost certainly die.

Xilun grew increasingly anxious, his heart feeling like it was being roasted on fire.

He remembered that Finn was a tall man, nearly two meters tall, and strong. He should be able to grab a floating board in the chaos, right?

As long as there is a glimmer of hope, with the effects of those expensive and extraordinary potions he carries, even if Finn is left with only a breath left, he should be able to be saved.

In the midst of the anxiety, a shivering, living person was rescued by the crew using a net.

Sarah strode over and looked down at him, asking, "What exactly happened?"

The man slumped on the deck, shivering, his teeth chattering from the extreme cold.

The crew draped a thick coat over him and poured a mouthful of scalding hot water down his throat. He finally caught his breath and began to recount his story with eyes full of terror: