Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun silently withdrew his gaze, a deep longing for that absolute power flashing in the depths of his dark golden eyes.

Sarah took a deep breath to calm her churning blood, then turned to the first mate and ordered, "Everyone, return to base."

After saying that, she turned around and saw Xilen sitting in the corner.

Sarah strode over and suddenly squatted down in front of Siron.

She looked down at Xilun's pale, bloodless face, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Why do you look so pale?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze fell on the blood-stained white cloth next to Xilun.

Sarah seemed to realize something, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she reached out and gently lifted a corner of the white cloth.

A gruesome corpse, torn apart by a great white shark and consisting of only half a torso, was revealed.

The face, whitened by the seawater, still vaguely revealed the outline of Finn in his lifetime.

Sarah pursed her lips, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

She gently covered the white sheet again, concealing the tragic scene.

"I apologize, it was my negligence that I failed to discover the fleet was missing in time and failed to provide timely rescue."

Sarah's voice carried a rare hint of guilt.

As a director of the ocean-going terminal, she was well aware of the shady dealings behind the scenes, but when faced with a young man who had just lost his best friend, she still maintained the dignity and bottom line of an elder.

Xilun's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, his voice hoarse as if two rough pieces of sandpaper were rubbing together:

"I should thank Lady Sarah for her help. Without you, I don't know how long it would have taken to find him... even if it was just a corpse."

He shook his head, without becoming hysterical or bursting into tears.

That calmness, on the contrary, exuded a chilling stillness.

Xiren's gaze passed over Sarah's shoulder and lingered on Balk, who was standing on the deck not far away, for a full three seconds.

At this moment, Balk was wrapped in a thick windproof coat and holding a steaming cup of coffee.

He noticed Xilun's gaze, but didn't pay it any mind.

Deep down, Balk didn't feel he had done anything wrong.

Every day, hundreds or even thousands of low-level laborers at the ocean docks struggle on the edge of life and death. For the benefit of the gang and to fill the stomachs of the brothers under their command, what does it matter if a few whaling baits who have signed death contracts die?

The only thing that bothered him was that this lowly commoner named Finn actually had a friend who had been taken as a disciple by a high-ranking knight.

What angered him even more was that this kid named Celen dared to bring up Director Sarah to pressure him.

"He's just a newly baptized kid who dares to boss me around just because he has some connections."

Balk sneered inwardly. The powerful blood energy of a second-tier Ripper circulated smoothly within his body, giving him unparalleled confidence and arrogance.

While he was indeed afraid of Director Sarah, in the end, he was nothing more than a newcomer who had been with Extraordinary for less than a year when it came to Celen.

Having completed his baptism based on his qualifications, he then attempted to interfere in other people's affairs.

That's incredibly insolent!

Xilun withdrew his gaze, his eyelids drooping slightly to conceal the murderous intent in his pupils that was almost solidifying into reality.

He was extremely clear-headed.

After all, Balk was a senior executive at the ocean terminal and a core member of the New Righteousness Society.

On the surface, the only dereliction of duty in this matter was that Balk thought the ship was just lost and did not realize that something had happened, thus failing to provide timely rescue.

This level of dereliction of duty would not be enough to seriously damage a second-tier extraordinary being.

Even if Director Sarah showed favoritism, at most she would reprimand her at the regular meeting and deduct some of her salary as punishment.

And right now, I am just a first-order baptist.

If you are blinded by anger at this moment and draw your gun or punch Balk, you will not only fail to kill him, but you will also be killed on the spot in the name of "self-defense".

It might even implicate Lord Yuri and his mentor Lund, who had just taken him as his disciple.

Xilun slowly closed his eyes.

In his heart, stroke by stroke, as if carving on bone with a rusty chisel, he deeply engraved Balk's name, the biting sea wind of today, and Finn's mutilated corpse.

and so on.

Once I have enough strength and a position where I am no longer subject to others.

He will return to the ocean pier to settle this blood debt with interest.

……

Accompanied by a deep and long whistle, the huge, wave-breaking steamship slowly sailed into the ocean-going dock.

The dock was shrouded in a light drizzle at that moment.

The gray rain, like beads from a broken string, pelted the bluestone slabs covered in coal ash and oil, splashing up swirling, murky water droplets.

The air was filled with the stench of dead fish and the smell of cheap tobacco.

The ship docked, and the heavy gangplank was lowered by the sailors with a loud "bang".

A large number of thugs from the New Righteous Society and dock managers were already waiting at the dock, holding black umbrellas.

As Sarah, the director, stepped off the ramp first, everyone bowed their heads in unison, not daring to breathe.

Balk followed Sarah off the ship. His eyes darted around, and he immediately put on a solemn and grief-stricken expression.

He knew that Director Sarah was furious, and he also knew that Yuri, the Brotherhood's governor, was watching from the sidelines.

To silence the gossip, he had to put on a good show.

Balk waved his hand, and his deputy, Kurt, immediately understood and handed over a heavy manila envelope.

Balk took the envelope and strode toward Larissa, who had just been helped off the gangplank by two female crew members.

Larissa was wrapped in two thick wool blankets, her golden hair clinging wetly to her pale cheeks.

Her eyes were empty and vacant, as if her soul had been left behind on that cold seabed.

She gripped the white sharkskin that Xilun had given her tightly in both hands, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.

"Poor lady, I am deeply saddened by what happened to the Finn brothers."

Balk walked up to Larissa, his voice low and filled with condescending hypocrisy and condescension.

He handed the brown paper envelope to Larissa and sighed, saying:

"The sea is always cruel; no one can predict whether tomorrow or an accident will come first."

Finn was a good sailor who contributed to the construction of the dock.

Here is a fifteen-pound pension, a small token of appreciation from the board of directors of the Ocean Terminal and our New Righteous Society.

Take it, live well, and don't let the Finn brothers' sacrifice be in vain.

These words were perfectly worded, both absolving themselves of responsibility for deliberately delaying the rescue by attributing it to the unpredictability of the sea, and highlighting the port's humanitarian concern.

Larissa slowly raised her head, her unfocused eyes staring blankly at the envelope that Balk handed her.

She didn't reach out to take it, nor did she even blink, like a puppet that had lost its strings.

Balk frowned slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He, a dignified second-tier extraordinary being, personally delivered a pension to the widow of a lowly commoner, and she dared not accept it.

Just as he was about to force the envelope into Larissa's arms, a hand covered in dark gold calluses and with large knuckles steadily blocked his way.

Siren had somehow walked up to Larissa.

His clothes were still soaked and smelled of the cold seawater.

"Give it to me, I'll take care of Larissa!" Siren accepted the compensation.

He didn't question Balk about why he hadn't sent a ship sooner, nor did he berate the other party for his cold-bloodedness.

He knew all too well that in this dog-eat-dog world, the accusations of the weak were nothing more than the barking of wild dogs to the ears of the strong, having no real meaning other than being annoying.

Xiren's lifeless gaze sent a chill down Balk's spine.

This feeling infuriated him. How could he, a second-tier extraordinary being, be frightened by the gaze of a first-tier baptized being?

Balk snorted coldly, a mocking smile curving his lips:

"Whatever you want. Since Mr. Celen is willing to take on all this, then I hope you can take good care of this...fragile lady."

With that, Balk turned and strode away, his black leather boots making an arrogant sound on the waterlogged cobblestones.

Yuri, who was standing not far away, saw all of this.

He walked over holding a black umbrella, looked at Xilun's tense back, and sighed silently.

"Silen, you did the right thing. Now is not the time for conflict."

Yuri patted Xiren on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Leave the cleanup to me. I'll arrange a carriage to take you back."

Xiren nodded slightly, his voice still hoarse: "Thank you, Lord Yuri."

Several Brotherhood members carefully carried the simple wooden coffin containing Finn's body onto a large black carriage.

Siren helped Larissa, who seemed to have lost her soul, into the dimly lit carriage.

The carriage started slowly in the rain, its wheels rolling over the muddy streets with a monotonous, dull rumble.

The carriage was deathly silent, save for Larissa's soft, intermittent sobs.

As the carriage moved away from the death-filled dock, Larissa's taut nerves finally snapped.

She suddenly collapsed onto the seat next to Xilun, covering her face with her hands and letting out a heart-wrenching cry.

"He could have survived... He gave me the floatation board... He said he was tough, he said he had carried heavy loads before..."

Larissa's sobs echoed in the cramped carriage, each word like a sharp knife, piercing Xiren's heart.

"He said... he said you would come to pick him up and give him an easier job... He's been waiting for you..."

Xilun clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palms, drawing blood.

But he seemed not to feel the pain, he just gritted his teeth and let the grief that was enough to burn away his reason rampage through his chest.

He slowly reached out and somewhat awkwardly patted Larissa's trembling shoulder.

"Larissa." Siren's voice was extremely hoarse, yet it carried a steely hardness.

Larissa lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at him with despair.

"Fan is my brother." Xiren looked into her eyes and said, each word seemingly forged in blood:

"He entrusted you to me, and from today onwards, I will take care of you for him."

As long as I, Xilun, have a breath left, no one will be able to bully you anymore.

Xilun paused, his gaze piercing through the misty fog on the car window, looking towards the bustling downtown area of ​​Saint Laurent City shrouded in dark clouds.

"As for those who are high and mighty and disregard his life..."

Siren's tone became extremely calm, as if he were stating an impending truth: "I promise that one day, I will make them kneel before Finn's grave and pay back their debts, drop by drop, drop by drop."

Larissa stared blankly at the young man in front of her, who exuded an icy aura.

At that moment, she seemed to see in this man a terrifying beast silently licking its wounds in the darkness, poised to pounce.

……

Ash Cemetery on the western outskirts of Saint Laurent.

The continuous rain has lasted for two whole days, making the gray and white tombstones in the cemetery look even more desolate.

The withered yellow leaves rotted on the muddy path, exuding a decaying aura unique to death.

Xiren, wearing an inexpensive but clean black trench coat, stood quietly in front of a newly erected tombstone.

The tombstone bore no ornate epitaph, only three simple lines:

The Tomb of Fane

Cherish friends

True lover

Larissa, dressed in a long black dress and wearing a black veil on her head, knelt before the muddy grave and gently placed a bouquet of white daisies at the foot of the tombstone.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she had lost a lot of weight, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

Yuri stood behind Xiren, holding a black umbrella.

He stepped forward, placed a white rose next to the daisies, then stepped back and sighed softly.

My condolences, Siren.

Yuri said in a low voice, his voice sounding somewhat faint in the rain, "Brother Finn is a good man. But in this world, good people often don't live long."

Xilun didn't speak, but silently gazed at the familiar name on the tombstone.

Yuri hesitated for a moment, then spoke up to remind him:

"I know you harbor resentment, but Balk is no ordinary dock manager."

He is a second-order Ripper, and more importantly, he is the New Righteous Society's spokesperson at the ocean pier.

The New Righteous Society has a deep-rooted influence, with even influential figures in the House of Lords behind it.

Although you have now become Lord Lund's disciple, your foundation is still weak. Don't do anything foolish.

Xiren turned his head and looked at Yuri's face, which was full of worry and worldliness.

He knew Yuri meant well; he was using adult rules to warn him against a futile attempt.

"I understand, Lord Yuri."

Xiren's voice was calm and undisturbed. "I'm perfectly clear-headed. I'm not going to my death."

Looking into Xiren's deep, lifeless eyes, Yuri felt a chill creep into his heart for some reason.

He would rather see Xilun raging, roaring, and smashing things than see this kind of calm that completely locks up all emotions.

Because he knew that beneath the calmest surface of water often lurked the most terrifying undercurrents.