It was Liu Hui who had taken out the enemy sniper, swinging the muzzle of his rifle back toward Jingang. Jingang rubbed his brow, let out a roar, and started to charge forward, only to take another shot to the forehead, forcing him to stagger back a few steps. Enraged, Jingang advanced again, but was met with yet another shot to the brow, causing him to retreat once more. After several such rounds, he had been driven completely out of the factory perimeter.

Seeing that he couldn't kill Jingang outright, Liu Hui felt a surge of frustration. A few more shots were enough to drive Jingang all the way to the seashore. Though Jingang was ferocious and his body immune to blades and bullets, Liu Hui’s precise fire had brought him to his senses. Analyzing the situation, Jingang realized this was no place to linger, and he prepared to flee with his large feet pounding the ground. Then, suddenly, Jingang saw a strange bullet flying toward him—a projectile with a distinct bluish-purple warhead. A fleeting, peculiar thought crossed Jingang’s mind: How could I see the color of that bullet when it’s moving so fast? It was the last thought he ever had.

The azure bullet struck Jingang, and the embedded Ice Array etched on the warhead immediately activated. An energy of extreme cold, belonging to the ice element, surged forth, instantly freezing Jingang into a massive ice sculpture, severing all signs of his life. Immediately following this, a red bullet struck the ice sculpture, causing the entire mass to explode with violent force, then rapidly combust, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

Liu Hui lowered his rifle and let out a long breath. He had indeed used the Ice Bullet and the Fire Bullet—types of ammunition he had previously deployed in Tokyo, Japan, and thus tried to avoid using again for fear of attracting the attention of the Japanese government. However, since Jingang was invulnerable to conventional rounds, he had no choice but to resort to these two specialized bullets to neutralize him. Moreover, fearing the creation of evidence, Liu Hui had used the Fire Bullet to burn Jingang to ash, ensuring that no trace remained for any subsequent investigation.

Liu Hui had no idea which faction had sent forces to attack his company that night, but he knew they were all highly capable individuals, likely belonging to a very well-known unit. Yet, this was not the time for investigation; Chen Changsheng was still held by them, and he had to rescue him.

Liu Hui headed downstairs to the seaside, where Wu Yuanjia and Huang Huali stood aghast, staring at the beach now fused into a sheet of glass-like residue—the very spot where Jingang had just stood. They had already dispatched the security personnel to protect the entire factory grounds. Seeing Liu Hui, they hurried over.

“Boss, are you alright? Director Chen was taken by those men in black. We don’t have a speedboat yet, so we can’t pursue them at sea. Should we call the police immediately?” Wu Yuanjia asked.

“Oh, there’s no need for the police. I have a friend who has already caught up to them; he should be able to rescue Director Chen back soon,” Liu Hui interrupted Wu Yuanjia’s suggestion.

“Your friend? You mean the one who just took down that giant?” Huang Huali’s eyes brightened as she asked.

Liu Hui nodded. “My friend is a bit eccentric and prefers not to deal with strangers, so it’s better if I wait here alone. You two should return and ensure the security of the factory perimeter.”

“Boss, it’s very dangerous here. We still don’t know if there are enemies hidden in the dark, so you can’t stay here,” Wu Yuanjia cautioned.

“General Wu, don’t worry about me; just go attend to your duties,” Liu Hui insisted, ignoring Wu Yuanjia’s advice.

Wu Yuanjia was about to say more but was pulled away by Huang Huali.

Liu Hui stood by the water’s edge when suddenly a massive splash erupted from the sea surface, and Xiao Hei surfaced from the depths. Liu Hui leaped onto Xiao Hei’s back and stood there, supported by it. Xiao Hei did not sink but floated on the surface, swiftly swimming toward the direction where the fishing boat had disappeared.

Xiao Hei’s speed increased rapidly, and soon they were over twenty kilometers offshore, yet they found no trace of any fishing boat.

Liu Hui halted Xiao Hei, frowning slightly. He had tracked the direction the boat left, and it hadn’t been long since its departure; it shouldn’t have traveled more than twenty kilometers. Xiao Hei was incredibly fast, capable of two hundred and forty kilometers per hour, and should have covered that distance in a very short time without finding any sign of the vessel. There was only one possibility: they had not followed the same route as a normal fishing boat.

Liu Hui immediately had Xiao Hei change course, heading in another direction, but confining the search within ten kilometers of the coast. Xiao Hei swam just as swiftly, carrying Liu Hui rapidly in this new direction. However, after searching several loops in the vicinity, Liu Hui still couldn't locate the fishing boat. Undeterred, Liu Hui had Xiao Hei swim in the opposite direction. Along the way, Liu Hui concentrated his spirit, carefully listening to the sounds around them.

Xiao Hei quickly reached another stretch of water. Liu Hui scanned the potential area where the fishing boat might be, still finding nothing. A thought struck Liu Hui, and he instructed Xiao Hei to double the search radius, extending it to the area between ten and twenty kilometers from the shore. Soon, in the due East direction, about twelve to thirteen kilometers out, the roar of an engine reached him.

Liu Hui was delighted and urged Xiao Hei to pursue immediately. He had recognized the sound of the engine; it was distinctly different from that of ordinary fishing vessels. Clearly, this boat had been modified, which explained why he couldn't find them using the standard speed of a regular fishing boat as a benchmark. Furthermore, the fishing boat was cunning; it had changed its course immediately after leaving the coast, causing Liu Hui to travel a great circle, but fortunately, he had finally caught up to them.

Possessing night vision, Liu Hui quickly spotted the dilapidated fishing boat and directed Xiao Hei to approach it. Not far from the vessel, he pushed off with his feet and leaped onto the deck.

While still mid-air, Liu Hui heard the sound of metal slicing towards him. He flipped his body in the air, narrowly dodging the strike, then rolled quickly to take cover near the bow. The attacker was a kitchen knife! The blade struck empty air and embedded itself into the wooden deck. Liu Hui was mystified; had someone in the cabin thrown the cleaver at him? But the trajectory didn't seem right.

The kitchen knife stuck in the deck seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, slowly being pulled out inch by inch. Then it retracted completely and swung toward Liu Hui again. Liu Hui was alarmed. He had experienced countless fierce battles in his life but had never encountered a knife that attacked on its own. On a dilapidated fishing boat in the pitch darkness, a self-wielding knife inevitably brought to mind legends of ghost ships.

But the moment passed quickly, and Liu Hui regained his composure. With a flick of his hand, a long iron rod materialized, which he swung to parry the knife. The knife and the rod clashed, and the knife was instantly knocked away into the sea. Liu Hui let out a long sigh of relief. While the self-attacking knife was eerie, its strength was too negligible to pose any real threat.

Gripping the iron rod, Liu Hui advanced cautiously toward the cabin. Suddenly, firelight flared inside the hold, followed by the sound of machine-gun fire. A dense spray of bullets immediately peppered Liu Hui’s body. A red glow enveloped him, deflecting every single round. This red light illuminated the entire cabin, revealing Tom and Jerry standing there, dumbfounded, holding their empty machine guns and staring blankly at Liu Hui. Chen Changsheng lay limply at their feet, his status unknown.

Before Tom and Jerry could react, Liu Hui swung his iron rod, and their heads burst like watermelons. Liu Hui snatched up Chen Changsheng and quickly checked for breathing beneath his nose. Finding a faint breath, he let out a breath of relief, narrowly escaping disaster.

Suddenly, the sound of an engine starting up echoed from beneath the deck. Liu Hui startled; there was someone else below. He stomped down on the floorboards, shattering them, and dropped directly into the lower hold. There, he saw a thin, middle-aged Caucasian man submerged in water, clutching an underwater propulsion device while attempting to put on a breathing mask. It was the same man who had been waiting on shore to receive the Captain and his team; somehow, he had made it onto the boat as well.

“Still trying to run?” Liu Hui sneered. With a quick aim, he launched the iron rod like a spear toward the man's head.

The man secured his breathing mask, activated his propulsion device, and began to dive. The iron rod thrown by Liu Hui was mere inches from piercing his skull when it bizarrely halted in mid-air, then dropped powerlessly into the water.

Liu Hui paused, realizing this man was the one who had controlled the kitchen knife. Although he didn't know how this man possessed such an ability, it clearly posed no threat to him. Liu Hui produced his sniper rifle, aimed at the man, and fired. However, all the bullets inexplicably decelerated as they approached the man, changed direction, and failed to inflict any harm.

The man continued to dive deeper, eventually disappearing completely from Liu Hui’s sight.

Liu Hui still didn't know which power had attacked his company tonight. Moreover, after the Captain—upon regaining freedom—had immediately poisoned himself, it seemed impossible to extract any clues from them. Therefore, Liu Hui deliberately allowed the diver to escape, planning to have Xiao Hei track him. If the man traveled more than one hundred and twenty kilometers outside Liu Hui's control range, Xiao Hei would terminate him immediately. If the man went within that radius to seek out his organization, Liu Hui could use Xiao Hei to trace the organization’s location before eliminating the man.

Liu Hui set Chen Changsheng down on the deck and stood there, keenly attuned to Xiao Hei’s sensory input. Xiao Hei silently trailed the man, who remained completely unaware of the massive entity following him, focusing only on propelling himself forward with the underwater device.

Xiao Hei followed the man for about twenty minutes. When they were roughly ten kilometers from Liu Hui’s position, the man checked the data on the GP navigator strapped to his wrist and pressed a call button.

Soon, with a massive rush of bubbles erupting from beneath him, a huge, dark silhouette silently surfaced. Even Xiao Hei seemed minuscule in comparison. Liu Hui’s heart leaped into his throat, for he recognized it as a colossal submarine. As the vessel drew closer to Xiao Hei, Liu Hui was stunned to see the characters "Hai Lang" (Sea Wolf) inscribed on its hull.

“Damn your mother, such a huge thing showed up,” Liu Hui cursed inwardly. The surfacing submarine was an active Seawolf-class attack nuclear submarine, the most advanced in the US inventory. It measured 100 meters long, could reach speeds of 35 knots, and displaced nearly 10,000 tons submerged—arguably the world’s most sophisticated nuclear submarine, with only three in service with the United States.

Xiao Hei was currently situated over a very deep oceanic trench near Hong Kong, plunging to depths of two thousand meters. That "Sea Wolf" nuclear submarine had somehow been lurking there, undiscovered.

Liu Hui instantly understood that the US government must be connected to the night’s attack, otherwise, this Seawolf-class attack submarine would not be positioned exactly there. With the involvement of the US government, the situation immediately became complex. They could be there to receive the men in black, or it could be a coincidence. Regardless, the submarine could not be allowed to pick up the diver. This time, Liu Hui’s heart was exceptionally steady. He directed Xiao Hei to charge forward swiftly, opening its jaws to sever the diver’s head in a single bite, followed by several more to dismember the body, before descending to escape the firing range of the Seawolf-class submarine.

Inside the Seawolf attack nuclear submarine, a sonar operator was monitoring the surroundings. He suddenly detected activity outside and immediately reported to the commander.

“Sir, we have detected the person who sent the distress signal. Target is single, submerging to ten meters.”

“Surface the entire ship, rescue the target,” the commander ordered.

The entire submarine began to ascend. However, before the Seawolf could fully surface, the commander heard the sonar operator’s next report.

“Sir, an unidentified colossal biological entity has appeared near the target and is rapidly closing in. Oh, my God, that giant creature just ate the target.”

“Quickly get the data on that biological entity,” the commander muttered, deeply vexed. His original mission was simply to wait at this location and retrieve a designated individual at a specified time—a simple task. Yet, the people he was supposed to retrieve hadn't arrived, and now he had received a distress signal. By the time he moved to rescue the person, that individual had been consumed by an unidentified creature. How was he supposed to explain this? The explanation that the target was eaten by an unknown entity would likely not be accepted; they might even send him for psychiatric evaluation—unless he could bring back the carcass of this creature.

With that thought, the commander made a decision and asked, “Report the location and speed of the unidentified creature.”

The sonar operator replied, “The creature is twenty-five meters long, one meter in diameter, suspected to be a giant sea serpent. This serpent is currently thirty meters ahead of us, descending at a rate of five meters per second.”

“Open torpedo tubes one and two; begin flooding the tubes,” the commander commanded.

The torpedo operator hesitated briefly before opening the tubes, and the flooding process began.

“Torpedo launch preparation complete.”

“Fire torpedoes one and two. Target: giant sea serpent,” the commander ordered.

The torpedoes immediately shot out of the launch tubes toward Xiao Hei, trailing large plumes of bubbles.

Liu Hui was guiding Xiao Hei into a descent. To avoid undue attention, he kept Xiao Hei’s speed moderated at five meters per second, but he suddenly heard the sound of torpedo flooding, followed by the launch of two torpedoes aimed at them. Liu Hui was furious, but first, he had to evade the immediate threat of these two missiles.

Xiao Hei flicked its tail, tilting its body downward, and plunged rapidly, increasing its speed from five meters per second to sixty meters per second. The maximum speed of the torpedoes was only fifty-five knots, which translated to less than one hundred kilometers per hour—they couldn't possibly catch Xiao Hei, which quickly left them in the dust.

The submarine commander was nonchalantly awaiting the sonar operator’s report when he heard, “Sir, the giant sea serpent suddenly accelerated its descent, exceeding two hundred kilometers per hour, and has outrun our torpedoes. The torpedoes have now self-destructed.”

“What?” The coffee cup in the commander’s hand spilled over, scalding him as he cried out.

The sonar operator, unaware of the commander’s predicament, repeated his report. The commander exploded in anger. “Do I not have ears? I heard you! I think your continuous exposure to sonar has degraded your intelligence. Shut up immediately, and from now on, do not speak.”

The sonar operator dared not speak again. Since taking command of this Seawolf-class attack nuclear submarine, the commander had never had an opportunity to fire a torpedo. Now that he finally had one, the attempt had failed, and the blasted sonar operator, far from empathizing with his frustration, had repeated the report—a situation that fueled the commander’s rage.

Liu Hui directed Xiao Hei into a rapid dive, easily reaching depths of fifteen hundred meters, thus evading the torpedoes. The maximum depth rating for those torpedoes was only one thousand two hundred meters; they had already detonated. However, Liu Hui felt intensely aggrieved. He hadn't provoked anyone, yet the US government had sent people to his territory to snatch someone. If he didn't show them some teeth, they would never learn who they were dealing with.

Liu Hui made a resolution, commanded Xiao Hei to ascend, and swam toward the Seawolf attack nuclear submarine, intent on giving it a proper taste of his power.

“Ahem... ahem...” The sonar operator’s cough reached the commander’s ears.

The commander raged, “Why are you coughing? If you cough again, I’ll stuff your throat with dog feces.”

The sonar operator dared not delay and quickly reported, “Sir, the giant sea serpent is rapidly approaching us. It appears to be preparing to attack. I suspect our recent actions have provoked it.”

The commander blinked. Provoked it? Did this sea serpent intend to retaliate? It seemed ludicrous; he commanded the most powerful nuclear submarine on the planet. In the ocean, he was an invincible god; how dare a mere creature seek revenge? It was simply courting death.

“Flood torpedo tubes three and four, prepare to fire.” The commander suddenly grew animated.

However, before the flooding of torpedoes three and four was complete, Xiao Hei slammed into the Seawolf nuclear submarine at high speed. Xiao Hei’s incredibly tough hide struck the submarine, but due to the massive disparity in size, Xiao Hei was immediately repelled. Though the nuclear submarine remained structurally intact, a tremendous, deafening sound echoed from within, rattling the crew and causing temporary deafness.