Jonathan was currently gambling poker with a group of Americans. The grim set of his face made it obvious his luck was abysmal, and the American opposite him had a gleaming gold nugget sitting before him—Jonathan had clearly already lost the gold he'd gotten from Zheng Zha.

"Hey, fellas, care to join the action?" Jonathan saw Zheng Zha and O'Connell approaching. Granted, although Zheng Zha was carrying a dagger, the high-vibration particle cutting blade had such an unimpressive appearance that no one took it for a weapon.

O'Connell was also momentarily stunned, asking Zheng Zha with confusion, "What on earth happened? I have a feeling your group looks... peculiar..." Before O'Connell finished speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang out from near the ship's cabin, followed by billowing black smoke rising from the stern. Everyone was still reeling when a standing male attendant collapsed onto the deck with a snap. Judging by the bloody hole in his chest, the man was certainly dead.

The Americans gambling with Jonathan reacted the fastest. They yelped, drawing pistols from their waists, and began firing wildly around them, mimicking the cries of cowboys. Jonathan wasn't slow either; his hands moved swiftly across the tabletop, causing the most conspicuous gold dust and several banknotes to vanish instantly. He then clapped his hands to his head and scrambled toward Zheng Zha and the other man.

Zheng Zha, holding the dagger, retrieved his micro submachine gun from his storage ring and instructed, "O'Connell, protect Jonathan, then head back to the cabin to meet up with the others. You remember which shore we’re landing on, right? Don't end up on the wrong one when the time comes."

O'Connell reacted quickly, drawing two pistols from his waist, muttering, "The Men in Black... How did they know we were heading for the City of the Dead? And the numbers are absolutely ridiculous..." "Yeah, the numbers are ridiculous," Zheng Zha agreed. He remembered that in the original film, only about ten Men in Black boarded the ship to attack. Besides setting fires, their numbers weren't enough to wipe out everyone on board. Perhaps their presence made the attackers feel threatened; this time, dozens of Men in Black boarded, and more were constantly seen climbing over the gunwales.

The power of the micro submachine gun in this era was comparable to a heavy machine gun. Zheng Zha swept a burst of fire along the ship's edge, causing the entire railing to fracture and sending nearly ten Men in Black tumbling into the river below. Everyone froze, staring at him.

Since ordinary bullets weren't expensive, Zheng Zha fired without a second thought for the cost, continually sweeping the submachine gun along the gunwales, knocking countless figures into the water. Thankfully, he hadn't yet had a chance to use the dagger on anyone, or its keen edge would surely have shocked onlookers even more.

"That was close, that was close..." Zheng Zha stood guard behind O'Connell and Jonathan, murmuring, "Thank goodness these things can be solved with bullets. I really miss this method..." Jonathan turned around curiously and asked, "So, what kind of things can't be solved with bullets?" "Ghosts, for one, and..." A dangerous premonition suddenly struck Zheng Zha. He raised the dagger, blocking it in front of Jonathan's face. Clang, clang! Two stray bullets were deflected by the blade.

"...and luck."

Jonathan jumped, slapping Zheng Zha’s shoulder. "Good man, good... handgun."

The man's instinct for thievery kicked in; almost subconsciously, he snatched a pistol from Zheng Zha's belt and began firing excitedly in all directions. Zheng Zha and O'Connell could only shake their heads with wry smiles.

Soon after, the trio rejoined the main group by the railing. Eve, Zero Point, and Zhang Jie had already returned with the disk and the map, but the cabin they had just left was now engulfed in thick, rolling smoke, seemingly burned to a crisp.

On the deck where they stood lay nearly ten Men in Black, all with bloody chests bearing a hole the size of a girl's fingertip over the heart. Zhao Yingkong was silently wiping her fingernails with a paper napkin. Her cold expression and slightly androgynous handsome features made it hard to believe such a slight girl had single-handedly killed nearly ten men.

Zheng Zha didn't waste words. He stored the submachine gun and dagger back into his storage ring, then grinned at the group. "Are you all set?" O'Connell paused only briefly before smiling back, "Of course, I definitely remember which shore we need!" Jonathan, however, asked blankly, "Set for what? Hey, O'Connell, what is he talking about being set for?" Zheng Zha offered no explanation. He grabbed Jonathan and promptly tossed him into the river, snatching the pistol back from him in the process. When he reached for Eve, the little woman screamed and clung tightly to O'Connell, forcing Zheng Zha to withdraw his hand with a sigh. Suddenly, he felt a weight in his arms as Zhan Lan cheerfully hung onto him. Zero Point and Zhao Yingkong, among others, were already beginning to leap into the water.

"Alright... let's go."

With that, he too laughed heartily and jumped into the river. Although they were in a horror movie, having crossed paths with the original film characters, and this scenario didn't seem as fraught with danger as previous movies—at least not yet—a sense of adventurous excitement bubbled up inside him.

The river current was not strong; at least the group wasn't scattered after jumping in. Instead, they all slowly swam toward the shore, following O'Connell. Behind them, the excursion boat was completely engulfed in flames, and vaguely, it seemed another group was jumping off the opposite side of the vessel.

A few in the team were not strong swimmers, but supporting each other, they managed to reach the riverbank one by one. Only after getting ashore did Eve shriek again, "Oh my god, oh my god! My tools, my clothes, and so many manuscripts—they’re all gone! Oh my god!" Zhan Lan, meanwhile, was the most composed; she had held onto Zheng Zha while swimming, and in her other arm, she cradled an incredibly docile black cat, which remained nestled against her even after they reached the shore.

Suddenly, a roar echoed from the opposite bank of the river. A sleazy-looking man stood there, shouting loudly, "O'Connell! Hey, O'Connell! Haha, you guys look miserable! All our horses are over here, haha!" "Hey, Benny, looks like you guys jumped to the wrong shore, hahaha..." After jumping into the water...