On the warship landing field behind the Royal Palace of Yafik, Gu Xiechen lifted the four captains of the Bloodfang Ability Corps and tossed them off the Great Horn Pao like sacks of dead pigs.

Rong Hua was the first to leap out of the battleship. In the recent fierce battle, he hadn't even had a chance to strike before Gu Xiechen had subdued all the warships. Frustrated, Rong Hua flipped several times in mid-air and struck a dramatically cool pose, planting one foot firmly on the head of the massive Black Captain of the Bloodfang Ability Corps. He curled his fingers towards the stunned Yafik soldiers by the landing field, grinning confidently, "Come on, take some pictures for me! The one under my foot is the Captain of Bloodfang!"

The Yafik soldiers were still slow to react; the Bloodfang Ability Corps held no clear concept in their minds. However, the hundreds of psychics from the Broken Hook Ability Corps rushed over with a whoosh, staring in astonishment at the hulking figure beneath Rong Hua’s boot and exclaiming in disbelief, "It really is Black Captain of Bloodfang! It’s him!"

"And Blue Captain too! Oh wow, how rare! Where is Blue Captain’s famous High-Pressure Ion Cloud?"

"Tsk tsk, isn't this Red Captain? Hey, what happened to your arm? How did it get broken?"

"Heh heh, Green Captain’s physique is truly mighty! Look at that bulk, look at that hide—selling him to the Star Alliance Wildlife Reserve would fetch a fine price!"

The psychics of Broken Hook and Bloodfang held years of deep-seated animosity. They were all colleagues trying to make a living in the promising career of piracy; friction and clashes were inevitable. Especially since Bloodfang, relying on having slightly more high-tier ability users, habitually exerted themselves to suppress and sideline Broken Hook. Both sides had the blood of the other clinging to their hands; the enmity was profound.

Now that the four captains of Bloodfang lay before them like dead dogs, how could the members of Broken Hook resist the chance to kick them while they were down?

Gu Wuchen descended from the Great Horn Ear, waving his Swaying Fan. A sharp tiger's roar echoed, and the tail of Bloodfang’s Green Captain—a tail three meters long and as thick as a human head—flew over ten meters away, trailing a stream of green blood. The exposed bone, vessels, and muscle at the severed base were ragged and messy, clearly ripped off violently rather than cut by a sharp weapon. The pain of having a limb torn away caused Green Captain to spew thick saliva while convulsing wildly on the ground.

After a few cold laughs, he flicked his foot viciously into the joints of Green Captain’s four limbs. Every joint in Green Captain’s body dislocated, and the captain, who had been thrashing moments before, instantly slumped onto the ground like a limp dog. He could only gasp weakly, occasionally stealing fearful glances toward Gu Xiechen.

"You bastards, ambushing people—what kind of heroes are you?" Holm and Ling Hu stumbled over. Yafik's medical technology was remarkably advanced; the two, who had been near death, had regained normal mobility in just seven or eight hours. However, Gu Wuchen noticed that their vital energy reserves were severely depleted, and it looked like they would require considerable time to recuperate their original strength. Ling Hu, in particular, had never been very powerful to begin with; the Realm he fused with the Christalline Sphere was skewed toward mental seduction, making his physical resistance very weak. His fundamental essence was more deeply damaged, requiring a much longer recovery period.

Bang! The Black Captain hammered the landing field with his fist. A crater nearly a foot deep appeared on the surface, which was tougher than hardened alloy steel. He shoved away Rong Hua’s foot resting on his head and staggered to his feet. Pointing his left finger at Holm and Ling Hu, he roared at Gu Xiechen, "We surrender! Your two subordinates were injured by us, but we didn't kill them, did we? Name your terms, anything you want! You’ve killed so many of us; there's no need to torture us further, right?"

The Swaying Fan swept gently, and Gu Wuchen smiled faintly, "Terms? This isn't about terms! Am I supposed to thank you for not killing my subordinates? I only believe in one principle: those who do wrong must be punished."

A slight twitch of his toe—a movement invisible to onlookers—and Gu Wuchen delivered a kick to the Black Captain’s knee. A tiny strand of Kui Water Yin Lightning surged from his toe into the Black Captain’s body. With a thought from Gu Xiechen, the Yin Lightning exploded. With a dull pop, the Black Captain’s lower leg was blasted dozens of meters away. Curiously, no blood flowed out, only wisps of faint mist continuously sprayed from the wound.

Screaming mournfully, the Black Captain clutched his severed leg and collapsed onto the ground. He stared at Gu Xiechen in horror, his body trembling uncontrollably. He had seen plenty of ruthless and savage people, but this was the first time he encountered someone who inflicted such harm with a smile, completely devoid of killing intent.

The four captains instinctively felt a wave of chilling cold surge through them. They suddenly understood: Gu Wuchen cared nothing about whether they lived or died. Their lives in his hands were likely no more significant than the tiny insects on the ground—something to be casually erased when he was in a bad mood, or casually spared when he was in a good one.

The Black Captain immediately became docile, daring no longer to play the hero. The other three captains shrunk their bodies into tight balls. Especially the red centipede-like captain, who truly coiled himself into a perfect sphere, with only a tiny eye blinking out from between his long segmented limbs, constantly watching Gu Xiechen.

With a few chuckles, Gu Xiechen walked over to Holm and Ling Hu and quietly slipped them several restorative pills he had refined on Mount Jiuhua, pills meant to replenish vital energy and enhance inner power. Patting them lightly on the shoulders, he channeled a surge of his own True Essence into each, smiling slightly. "It's my fault. I only considered that Ling Hu’s Seduction Realm could make them give up resistance, but I didn't expect there would be such powerful fighters among them. Your close-quarters combat abilities aren't strong enough; I should have sent Rong Hua with you."

The icy True Essence immediately streamed into their bodies, transforming into countless cold currents that coursed through their meridians. Holm and Ling Hu shivered violently, tiny beads of ice erupting from their pores. They felt a surge of frigid energy rapidly expelled from their pores, and their injuries healed swiftly. In just a few breaths, they were about eighty or ninety percent recovered.

Holm and Ling Hu lowered their heads, a mix of shame and gratitude on their faces. Holm muttered softly, "Boss, we brought shame upon ourselves."

Ling Hu’s face was dark. This was the worst loss he had ever suffered in his life, worse than when he was cornered by the Vaghri army on Paradise Star. A vicious glint flashed across his round, plump face as Ling Hu stated in a low voice, "Boss, watch how I deal with them."

Nodding, Gu Wuchen waved his Swaying Fan and smiled. "Good. If you’ve suffered a loss, you must recoup it. I want all their savings, the layout maps of all their strongholds, the roster and detailed profiles of every single member. In short, squeeze them dry!"