"Dice" Kutes advanced with a sneer, ignoring the pleas of the contractor whose eyes were filled with despair. Waving a dagger, he fought back frantically, finally managing to slice the enemy's arm. This only served to ignite the guard's savage nature; a flurry of kicks and punches rained down on the contractor's head and face. It was clear the contractor lacked any close-quarters combat skill. Despite his desperate attempts to block and evade, he was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, blood trickling from his mouth, punctuated by continuous screams.

When "Dice" Kutes finally grew impatient, he drew his cutlass once more from his waist. The gleaming blade chopped down from above. With a shhhlik, a deep gash opened across the contractor's hand, instantly soaking his sleeve with warm blood.

The contractor couldn't even manage a sound of pain. The second strike followed like a shadow. He only managed a desperate roll before letting out a piercing scream as another heavy blow slammed into his back. He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing red with desperation, and cried out:

"Let's die together!"

As he screamed, he thrust out both hands. Just then, a figure burst from the adjacent lean-to, launching out at an angle. The figure had smashed through the rotting shed wall to launch the attack, instantly tackling "Dice" Kutes to the ground. They grappled fiercely, and immediately the wooden shack collapsed with a roar, kicking up clouds of dust that buried them both.

The person who rushed out was Fang Senyan. His choice of timing had been carefully selected. Although he held the advantage in all basic attributes and was fighting in an environment completely favorable to him (the cutlass was almost useless at close range), Fang Senyan was surprised by the ferocity of "Dice" Kutes's counter-attack in hand-to-hand combat. Furthermore, Kutes's impressive 250 maximum health made attacking him feel frustratingly futile. If this man hadn't been fighting alone, just a few more harbor guards whose special guard passive abilities stacked could have made it impossible for Fang Senyan to even escape!

Fortunately, the Cobalt Steel Exoskeleton equipped on his left hand proved incredibly effective. Even accounting for the reduction in damage to the enemy's defense, the weapon’s steady attack output of 18-19 minimized many potential variables. And though "Dice" Kutes's punches still bloodied Fang Senyan's lips and left bruises across his body, for Fang Senyan, who possessed the 'Toughness' talent, the threat level was reduced to a relatively manageable level.

Seeing that he was about to be overwhelmed, "Dice" Kutes suddenly let out a wild yell, wildly swinging his right hand. His index and middle fingers were poised to gouge Fang Senyan's left eye! Kutes could even feel the damp slipperiness of the eyeball; he was certain the enemy would flinch, giving him a chance to flee. But Fang Senyan’s face was as cold and hard as granite, as if the next instant the enemy was aiming for someone else's eyes. He raised his left fist, a blinding flash of metallic light sparking from it, and smashed down with full force!

With a dull, heavy thud, Fang Senyan slowly retracted his left fist from the enemy's mangled throat. He couldn't help rubbing his sore, swollen left eye with his right hand. At this moment, Fang Senyan looked quite battered himself; not only was his face a canvas of bruises, but blood was also trickling from his lips. Moreover, his health had dropped below 70%. This was mainly because when "Dice" Kutes’s health fell below 20%, he launched a desperate counter-attack. To prevent Kutes from escaping, Fang Senyan had to absorb many blows he could have otherwise parried or blocked.

It had to be admitted that Scarface Henry's previous assessment was quite accurate: for the current Fang Senyan, a severe lack of offensive options was a major weakness. If he wasn't skilled at planning and maneuvering to create advantageous situations, it would be very difficult for him to gain any significant advantage in this world.

After killing this harbor guard from Port Turtuga, Fang Senyan noticed he had gained an additional 50 reputation among the pirates. Picking up the key dropped by the fallen guard, Fang Senyan casually summoned the corresponding treasure chest. The chest had the distinct style of this world: constructed of oak staves and bound with iron hoops, its surface painted white with crossed swords emblazoned upon it. Of course, the old-fashioned brass lock was an indispensable feature.

Upon opening it, Fang Senyan was momentarily stunned. In a small corner of the chest lay an old linen coin purse, beneath which rested a brass ring. The purse looked rather flat. When Fang Senyan picked it up and shook it, there wasn't even the pleasant 'jingle' of coins colliding. At this moment, Fang Senyan suddenly recalled the guard's name: "Dice" Kutes.

"Damn it, he didn't come out for duty after gambling everything away, did he?"

With a feeling of trepidation, Fang Senyan untied the drawstring of the purse and shook the bottom. Several metal objects clinked together melodiously as they fell out. Fang Senyan caught them quickly, a surge of joy rising in his heart, because amidst five or six pence and three shillings, there was a gold coin! It shone brightly, looking as if it had just been minted; clearly, it was no ordinary item. One side of the coin bore intricate letters, while the other depicted a man on horseback raising a sword, seemingly displaying authority. As the gold coin settled in his hand, Fang Senyan received a notification:

"You have obtained one Sovereign of Edward V."

"Sovereign of Edward V: Valuable item, precious currency with collection value. Certain plot characters favor it highly. Forged from 22-karat gold, it is worth ten times a regular British Pound. Can be used as circulating currency, can be carried out of this world, or sold to the Space for 400 Universal Points."

Next, Fang Senyan picked up the brass ring, only to see the words "(Unidentified)" written on the back. He was momentarily perplexed, as he hadn't encountered a ring-type equipment that required identification before. However, he immediately tucked the ring away, surveyed his surroundings with a cold smirk, and then gave chase.

The person Fang Senyan was pursuing was, naturally, the contractor he had just saved. This fellow had disgracefully fled ahead, but his stamina didn't seem great. After being stabbed by Mr. Kutes, he was limping badly and hadn't managed to get very far.

Fang Senyan caught up with a grim expression. The contractor was likely panicked, and with the added burden of constantly watching for guards and tending to his leg wound, he was stumbling and crawling by the time Fang Senyan closed in. Realizing he couldn't escape, he simply sat down on the ground, forcing a strained, unconvincing smile onto his face:

"Hi, friend, glad you're alright. I was useless there, so I made a quick exit..."

Fang Senyan stared at him coldly:

"Is that how you treat the person who saved your life?"

The contractor’s face shifted between green and white. He stammered:

"You can't blame me for that! Even that brute Cardas was beaten to death by these harbor guards. How was I supposed to know you were strong enough to take him down and walk away unscathed?"

Fang Senyan snorted coldly:

"Is this 'Cardas' very strong?"

The man replied sullenly:

"Strong? Of course he was strong! He was one of Boss Nick’s original crew, rumored to have experienced nearly six Movie Worlds, a powerhouse with Strength over 23! But when he covered our retreat, he didn't last a minute against these harbor guards—he couldn't even run away!"

Fang Senyan's interest was piqued, and he sneered:

"How many guards was Cardas facing at the time?"

The contractor looked taken aback:

"It was one-on-one! Cardas was guarding the rear exit of the castle, a treacherous, narrow path right next to a cliff! Although many guards were pursuing us, that path could only accommodate one person at a time. If Cardas hadn't failed so quickly, we wouldn't have had such a messy escape after the detonation!"

Fang Senyan let out a mocking laugh:

"So, even though he was facing only one guard, there were more guards right behind him?"

"Yeah," the contractor admitted, still confused.

Fang Senyan sneered:

"These guards have a passive ability: for every allied unit nearby, their own attributes increase by 10%, capping at 100%! And that's just for Level II guards. If Cardas had been facing a higher-tier guard, that passive boost might have been even more exaggerated! Besides, it's unlikely that none of those guards possessed ranged attack capabilities. In my opinion, Cardas surviving as long as he did was quite formidable."

The contractor was dumbfounded. He hesitated for a moment:

"Then... the guard just now..."

Fang Senyan said mildly:

"He was just a Level II guard, and he was alone. Dealing with him naturally didn't require much extra effort."

At this point, the contractor looked at Fang Senyan with a strange expression. Undoubtedly, in his eyes, Fang Senyan had been labeled 'Formidable,' 'Cold exterior, warm heart,' and 'Well-informed.' After a long pause, he awkwardly extended his hand:

"I apologize for what happened earlier. I am Klee. May I ask your name, sir?"

Fang Senyan smiled:

"You can call me Sailor Yan. Since you're fine, I'll be going now."

"You... are leaving?" Klee looked stunned and disbelieving. Only when Fang Senyan was long gone did he struggle to his feet and shout: "Wait! Wait, please don't leave me behind!"