Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Lanzer frowned.

The Azure Thunder Spear was of extremely high quality. She had used it herself and naturally knew how precious this weapon was.

The gun is tough and resilient, with a smooth and flowing flow of lightning energy, and it can even produce subtle responses according to the changes in the wielder's strength.

Such a gun is not something that can be easily bought with money.

She gently stroked the gun with her fingers, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

"We saved your life."

"Lan Po gave me the medicine, I will return it to her."

Xilun remained unmoved.

"As for the Blue Soul potion you took, consider it payment for the caravan taking me out of the wilderness. I don't care about anything else, just give me back my gun."

Lanzer's expression was rather unpleasant.

She was about to speak when Xilun's eyes suddenly turned cold.

boom!

A palpable killing intent emanated from his body.

The temperature inside the cave seemed to drop instantly.

Lanzer's breath hitched, and a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood seemed to appear before his eyes.

That wasn't an aura faked by a fierce expression, but a killing intent that had truly settled down from countless battles.

She had no doubt that if she continued to refuse, Xiren would really take action.

This time, he didn't need to bluff anyone.

Lan Ze'er gritted his teeth, finally let out a cold snort, and threw the Cang Lei Spear over.

"Here you go!"

Xilun reached out and caught it.

The moment his five fingers gripped the cold gun barrel, the familiar lightning power immediately surged into his body through his palm.

Deep within his brow, the transformed Thunder Eagle let out a clear cry that only he could hear.

Countless memories of marksmanship surfaced simultaneously.

Thrust, pick, sweep, collapse.

The Thunder Spear seemed to come back to life, with a wisp of golden light emanating from its tip.

With a slight twist of his wrist, Xilun's spear traced a smooth arc through the narrow cave, its butt striking the ground precisely without making a sound.

All the power was contained within the gun barrel.

"Now it's complete."

Xilun nodded slightly.

Lanzer stared at the spear in his hand, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Only now did she truly understand that this spear, at most a top-grade weapon in her own hands, was, in Xilun's hands, a physical extension connected to his breath, strength, and even soul.

Xilun turned to look at Lanpo.

"Pack your things."

"Where are we going?"

Xilun picked up his gun and walked out of the cave.

After the rain, mist rises from the mountain forest, and in the distance, the sunlight gradually pierces through the thick clouds.

"Go and redeem your mother."

Three days later.

An old steam engine, temporarily rented from the town, slowly made its way along the rugged mountain road.

The wheels rolled through the mud, occasionally getting stuck in puddles.

White mist spewed from the exhaust pipes on both sides of the front of the car, and the gears made a screeching sound of strain as they meshed.

The road is lined with towering black fir trees.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the harder it becomes for sunlight to penetrate the foliage. The air is filled with the smell of damp earth, rotting leaves, and cheap coal smoke.

Xilun sat on the outside of the carriage, the Thunder Spear resting horizontally on his lap.

Over the past three days, he has been using the residual effects of three top-grade healing potions to regulate his breathing, and his external injuries have largely healed.

Only a faint red scar remained on his left shoulder, and his meridians had mostly recovered.

Only the black aura in his right arm remained stubbornly persistent.

The wisp of black energy was forced back near the blood lock, but it was like a poisonous thorn stuck in flesh and blood, and could not be completely removed for the time being.

Whenever Xilun attempts to fully utilize the Overturning Sea Technique, it will exude a cold malice, disrupting his power.

This means he cannot unleash all his power without restraint.

However, it was enough to deal with Honnachi, who was only at the third level of physical perfection and whose strength was not yet fully developed.

Lan Po sat in the carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to look outside.

As the surrounding scenery became more and more familiar, the anticipation on her face was gradually replaced by nervousness.

His fingers were tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, and even his knuckles turned white.

It's been ten years.

She was only eleven years old when she left.

Back then, Baisha Village was located near the bay. Although the houses were simple and life was not exactly affluent, you could always hear the shouts of fishing boats returning home.

My mother would dry fish under the eaves, while my father would mend fishing nets under the cover of night.

Now, those memories are like looking through a layer of dim, old glass.

"After crossing that mountain, you'll reach Baisha Village."

"Blue Soul said softly."

Lanzer, who was driving, did not turn around, but simply tightened his grip on the control lever.

The scars on her face bulged, and her gaze was fixed on the mountain road ahead.

"Let's go to the village and find out what's going on first."

"Honnage may not be at the mine," she said in a low voice. "If that fourth-tier commander is also there, we cannot act rashly."

Xilen glanced at her.

Are you scared?

Lanzer said coldly, "I don't want to lead everyone in the village to their deaths."

"Ten years ago, I wasn't afraid, so my father died, my mother was arrested, and more than a dozen people from the village were hung on the dock. Courage without strength is just foolishness."

This statement, though awkward, is not without merit.

Xilun did not refute.

After the caravan's destruction, although Lanzel was still not exactly close to him, his attitude had become much more restrained.

At least she no longer considers her own judgment as the only correct answer.

The steam engine struggled to climb the hillside.

The view ahead suddenly opened up.

Nestled among the mountains, a gray-white village came into view before the three of them.

Further away are the mines riddled with holes, and black plumes of smoke rise from several steam towers halfway up the mountain, gathering into a thick layer of dark clouds in the sky.

A rusty railway track winds its way down from the mine and into the bay.

On the track, mine carts filled with black-patterned silver sand were slowly dragged by steam winches.

The sound of gears rubbing against chains came from a great distance, like the heavy breathing of an old, giant beast.

Lan Po gazed at everything before him, his lips trembling slightly.

The village is still there.

But it seems like everything has completely changed.

The walls that were once painted white are now covered with cracks, and many roofs are covered only with tattered tarpaulins.

There were no children playing on either side of the road, only a few sallow-faced, emaciated old people sitting on the doorsteps, staring blankly at the mine.

Their clothes were covered in silvery-black dust, and when they coughed, their chests made a sound like broken bellows.

The steam-powered vehicle drove into the village and quickly attracted attention.

Several men carrying old-fashioned muskets emerged from the wooden shed. They were not pirates, but villagers forced to guard the village.

One of the lame old men stared at Lanzer for a long time, his cloudy eyes suddenly widening.

"You...you're Zell?"

Lanzer jumped out of the car.

Looking at the old man's face, so weathered by time and mining dust that he was almost unrecognizable, she felt as if something was blocking her throat.

"Uncle Jim."

The old man dropped the musket from his hand.

"It really is you guys!"

He staggered over, his calloused hands rising and falling, finally giving Lanzer a heavy pat on the shoulder.

"It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive..."

Blue Soul also got out of the car.

Several elderly people gathered around, and after recognizing the two sisters, some were overjoyed, while others suddenly turned away to wipe away tears.

The news spread quickly.

People gradually came out of their houses in the village.

Lan Po saw many familiar yet unfamiliar faces in the crowd.

Of her former companions who used to go beachcombing, some have lost a leg, some have lost an eye, and some have become hunched-over middle-aged men.

She inquired about the whereabouts of the former villagers one by one.

The answers received were mostly similar.

"Old Colin died underwater two years ago, and his body has never been recovered."

"Masha contracted mine dust disease and didn't make it through last winter."

"Little Andy? He was forced to work in the sea at the age of fifteen, encountered an undercurrent, and died."

"In the third year after you left, a plague broke out in the village. The pirates refused to give medicine, and more than forty people died..."

Each name is like a pebble falling into Lanpo's heart.

The color drained from her face.

Ten years is enough time to ruin a generation.

Xilun stood on the periphery of the crowd, observing quietly.

The villagers generally suffer from hidden injuries to their lungs and internal organs, and a few have developed silver-black spots on their skin, which should be due to years of contact with black-veined silver sand without any protection.

The Black Shark Pirates didn't treat them as human beings at all.

These people can only walk, breathe, and after they die, a new batch of mining tools can be replaced.

"Where is our mother?"

Lan Po finally asked the most important question.

The old man with the limp lost some of his joy.

"Still alive."

Lan Po swayed, and tears welled up in his eyes instantly.

Where is she?

"The shacks in the eastern mining area."

The old man sighed. "Her coughing up blood has gotten worse over the past six months, and she can no longer go into the water. Honnarchy doesn't tolerate idlers eating for free, so he made her sift mineral sand with a few other old people. She only gets one piece of black bread a day..."

Lanzer's eyes turned icy.

"I'll go pick her up."

"etc!"

The lame old man hurriedly grabbed her.

"Honachi just returned a couple of days ago, and there are still quite a few pirates in Stone Castle. You mustn't cause any trouble!"

He nervously looked around and lowered his voice.

"After you came to ransom us last time, Honnache had people watching the village entrance. He said you would definitely come back, and if he caught you, then..."

The old man did not continue speaking.

Lanzer, however, already understood.

She gripped the knife handle with her right hand, her knuckles cracking.

"Uncle Jim, please pass on a message for me."

She said, word by word, "Just tell them I'm back and I want to negotiate with Hornach."

The lame old man's expression changed drastically.

"Zel, you can't go!"

"If we don't go, Mother will never get out."

After Lanzer finished speaking, his gaze fell on Xilun.

Xilun remained calm, as if he were merely there to investigate a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

Just as the old man was about to try to persuade him, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the village.

A dozen or so pirates riding dwarf exotic horses stormed into the village.

The leader wore a greasy leather hat, with a musket and a dagger hanging at his waist. Behind him were several pirates dragging leather whips, and an iron chest filled with money hung beside the saddle.

"What are you all doing gathered here?"

The man in the leather hat cracked his whip and lashed it hard against the wooden railing by the roadside.

Snapped!

Wood chips flew everywhere.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

The villagers, as if by instinct, lowered their heads and stepped back, making way for the pirates.

The man in the leather hat rode up to them, his gaze sweeping over the Lanzel sisters, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"Hey, aren't these the two little mice that escaped?"

He dismounted, a malicious smile spreading across his face.

"Lord Hornach was right after all. You can't bear to part with that old man, so you'll come back sooner or later."

Lan Po's face turned pale.

Lanzer stepped forward, shielding his sister behind him.

"I want to see Hornach."

"To see the adults?"

The man in the leather hat looked Lanzer up and down, his gaze sweeping over her without restraint.

"sure."

"However, according to the rules of the mine, runaway slaves who return to the village are first given thirty lashes, and then chained. As for the two of you, the master should be happy to interrogate you personally."

The pirates behind him burst into laughter.

A pirate flipped open the ledger and shouted at the villagers, "Where's this month's loot? Two more pounds from each household! Lord Honach is very unhappy that the mine's production is low!"

The lame old man couldn't help but say, "We just received payment last week, and we have no money left."

"No money?"

The pirate kicked the old man to the ground.

"Then use people as collateral! Aren't there a few able-bodied children in the shacks on the east side? Send them all to the mine tomorrow!"

Lan Po quickly stepped forward to help the old man.

The man in the leather hat raised his riding crop and lashed it across her face.

"Who gave you permission to move?"

Before the whip could fall, a flash of cold light had already streaked past.

The man in the leather hat felt his vision suddenly spin.

The next moment, he saw a headless body standing in place, holding a whip.

That appears to be his body.

His head hit the ground and rolled into the mud.

The dagger in Lanzel's hand was still dripping blood.

The laughter abruptly stopped.

The remaining pirates drew their guns in terror.

"You dare kill Black Shark's men!"

"Grab them!"

With a stomp of his foot, Lan Ze'er plunged into the crowd.

The anger that had been building up in her heart for ten years finally erupted at this moment.

With a flash of light, the first pirate to draw his gun had his wrist severed at the root.

Lanzel shattered the man's throat with a backhand elbow, then snatched the musket and shoved it into the mouth of another pirate.

boom!

A cloud of blood exploded from the back of his head.

The remaining pirates didn't even have time to form a battle formation before she killed them one after another.

Most of them were only first- or second-tier extraordinary individuals. They could bully villagers who had no ability to resist on a daily basis, but when faced with Lanzer, who had a perfect third-tier physique, they had no chance to fight back.

In just a dozen breaths, the village entrance was filled with corpses lying haphazardly.

The last pirate knelt in the mud, trembling with fear.

Lanzel held a bloodstained dagger to his neck.

"Go back and tell Hornach."

"I'll negotiate."

The pirates nodded repeatedly, scrambled onto their horses, and fled towards the mine.

The villagers, instead of feeling joy at the sight of the corpses scattered on the ground, showed fear.

"It's over..."

"The pirates will retaliate."

"They will kill everyone in the village!"

The lame old man struggled to his feet, his face deathly pale.

Lanzer looked at the panicked crowd around him, and his heart sank.

She suddenly realized that ten years of brutal rule had long since robbed these people of their will to resist.

Even after killing a few pirates, they didn't think about freedom, but rather about the impending punishment.

Xilun did not make a move from beginning to end.

He walked over to the dead man in the leather hat, squatted down to examine him for a moment, and took out a rough iron plate from the man's pocket.

The back of the iron sign is engraved with a shark, while the front is a mine access marker.

"Honnage will see you."

Xilun stood up and wiped the blood off his fingers.

"Why?" Lan Po asked.

"Because he considers this his territory."

Xilun looked towards the black stone fortress halfway up the mountain.

"There were traps, poison, steam cannons, and his men there."

"In his view, your voluntary entry is no different from putting your necks in a noose."

Not long after, another caravan arrived from the direction of the mine.