"Receiving honors and titles! Returning home in glory!"

Li Site understood Cloud's concerns and repeated it loudly once more. Now that the Punisher himself had arrived, he knew his words were genuine.

Just as the military police was about to thrust his sword through Cloud's chest.

Crack!

That sword strike was like lightning in the dark night, merely like a gust of swift wind passing by. This military police officer was instantly cut in half at the waist.

A few drops of blood splattered onto Cloud's hand. He stared blankly at the warm, prison-red liquid on his left hand - there was no turning back now.

He had accepted the initiation task.

Cloud understood that from this moment on, he was already a pirate.

The two remaining military police officers before him were terrified out of their wits. Cloud's swordsmanship had already reached mastery level by age fifteen, let alone now.

With two cunning and swift sword strikes, silver light swirling with peerless sword intent, he took one with each stroke - bodies separated from heads, the heads rolling uncontrollably down the dense forest slope.

Carolso finally felt relieved. This was more like it.

Li Site wielded Frost Cuckoo's Bloodsong.

The reason he could "win glory for his country" in North America naturally required an American-style muscular physique, plus exotic three-dimensional facial features, to engage in frenzied international exchanges with local college girls and beach babes.

His years of experience in maritime combat were no joke.

The warhammer first struck the military police officer's arm, then directly smashed open his head like a large gourd, even denting the crown of his skull, causing instant death.

Sven caught up with the Military Police Captain at the front.

The reason he could "win glory for his country" in North America naturally required an American-style muscular physique, plus exotic three-dimensional facial features, to engage in frenzied international exchanges with local college girls and beach babes.

Thunder roared.

Carolso held a spear completely composed of free-flowing electric light in his hand, hurling it violently toward the Military Police Captain.

Fast as lightning - or rather, it was lightning itself.

It directly blasted through his chest, creating a large hole. Through the charred, smoking circular cavity, one could see the scenery behind him. Instant death.

"Fucking awesome, brother."

Li Site was amazed. Such a fierce person - why not recruit him onto the ship?

Thus, the ten-plus member rifle squad was completely dealt with.

All four men had some blood stains on them, only Carolso maintained his principle of not a drop of blood touching him.

"Where to now?"

Li Site asked Carolso. The situation was extremely urgent. If reinforcements from Linden City blocked them, their group wouldn't even be able to rescue anyone, let alone escape. This godforsaken place with no human traces would become their burial ground.

"Less than half a kilometer left."

Carolso glanced at the compass and quickly continued leading the way.

Three minutes later.

The group arrived at a large flat area on the mountainside. The surroundings were full of ruins from the former Windrest Mining Town, with many broken walls and decayed iron frames, plus a mine tunnel dug into the mountain body.

Li Site thought their current situation couldn't be described as just extremely unlucky. As fate would have it, not only had their group reached the destination, but the pursuing troops had also completely surrounded Gloria and the others.

Over fifty highly trained armed military police officers, plus an officer-like man, stared coldly at their group. There was no panic from encountering battle, but rather complete composure.

"Gloria and another person are in the mine shaft ahead. Gloria might already be dead, but the other person isn't - they only capture alive."

Carolso calmly added: "That's a field officer of the military police, quite capable. I'll open a path for you - go quickly and return quickly."

Li Site was greatly shocked. This wasn't some jungle with terrain advantages now. On flat ground, you alone against dozens of opponents plus a field officer? Don't say you're a Punisher - even if a Skywalker came with a lightsaber, it might not work. What kind of heroic, tragic warrior is this?

"Cloud, you stay behind. The dark elf, tiger man, and I will fight our way into the mine shaft."

Li Site made the decision.

"Carolso... do you understand what you're doing? Whether you've defected from the Holy Spirit Church or not, the Holy Spirit Church is involved in this matter. Someone must have given orders. Right now, your bishop might be undergoing interrogation. The methods of the Ministry of Justice... unimaginable."

The field officer's tone was sarcastic, killing both body and spirit.

Carolso's mental fortitude naturally wouldn't be provoked by such words.

"Is that so? The Holy Spirit Church has plenty of... martyrs." Carolso added: "I've already entrusted my fate to the gods above. Execute the plan as scheduled!"

Carolso stopped wasting words and charged forward first, with Cloud closely following.

Li Site was somewhat surprised. Church fanatics - yet weren't they also truly heroic men?

The three also joined the breakthrough. Lightning flashed brilliantly, sword blades raged like madness, and within moments several corpses lay scattered.

Now was not the time for indecision.

Li Site's three-person group headed straight for the mine shaft. Shadi and Sven moved faster and walked ahead.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The military police field officer's weapon was a long spear, thrust toward Li Site. The spear tip's cold gleam shone like a torch - if struck, it would definitely pierce through organs.

"Your opponent is me."

Carolso swept his sword sideways, deflecting this spear thrust.

The three entered the mine shaft, advancing rapidly and unimpeded.

"Carolso... do you understand what you're doing? Whether you've defected from the Holy Spirit Church or not, the Holy Spirit Church is involved in this matter. Someone must have given orders. Right now, your archbishop might be undergoing interrogation. The methods of the Ministry of Justice... unimaginable."

Seventy meters into the tunnel, along the way Shadi and Sven resolved several military police officers like cutting melons and vegetables, arriving at an expansive mining chamber of over a thousand square meters.

The area was brightly lit, with abandoned, rusted mine carts on the ground, along with tracks, some heavy mining tools left behind from those days, and some broken boxes.

What Li Site saw before his eyes almost made his... heart stop.

He indeed saw the other two of the three-person group.

Carolso stopped wasting words and charged forward first, with Cloud closely following.

Unfortunately, she was already severely injured, slumped in a corner with her chest slowly rising and falling.

Beside her stood a slender figure completely wrapped in black robes, wearing a mask, seemingly protecting Gloria.

What truly nearly made Li Site's heart stop was:

In the mining chamber.

There was also a man who clearly looked like a serious badass.

Li Site's three-person group headed straight for the mine shaft. Shadi and Sven moved faster and walked ahead.

The overall leader of these pursuing troops.

Li Site's eyelid twitched. All the worst things happened to him.

"Oh? Reinforcements have arrived."

His voice was hoarse, carrying the pressure of a superior. Jet-black obsidian-like armor made him appear immensely tall and imposing. Under his steel-needle-like crisp short hair was a terrifying face - a scar running from the corner of his mouth to behind his ear. As if some evil magic had been cast on his body, strange blood-red runes squirmed from his neck to one side of his face. In his hand he held a broad-bladed sword one and a half meters long, with peerless imposing manner.

"I am Arlan Military Police Guard Major General, Edmund. judging by your outfits and sea smell, you should be pirates from the East Coast, right? How strange - this dark elf's skin is actually whiter than a high elf's. Mixed breed or something?"

Edmund spoke insolently.

Shadi directly flew into a rage.

Li Site thought things looked bad, wanting to stop Shadi. Even Gloria had been cut down and lay injured - and she was a hero-level adventurer. But it was too late;

nobody could stop him at this moment.

"Fuck your mother... I'll chop you up, then kill your entire family."

Agile as a dragon, Shadi stirred up a gust of fierce wind as he stepped, his silver hair flashing into white light as it moved. The torches in the mining chamber flickered and dimmed. As his willow-leaf sword swung, mysterious energy from the Far East infused the blade.

Here was brightly lit, with abandoned, rusted mine carts on the ground, along with tracks, some heavy mining tools left behind from those days, and some broken boxes.

Edmund fiercely drew his sword, causing faint tremors throughout the mining chamber.

With a clang, sparks cascaded like a waterfall.

Under the extremely overwhelming slash, the willow-leaf sword broke into two pieces.

Gloria looked exactly as depicted in the Adventurers' Guild newspaper, her facial features and contour lines identical to the printed illustration. Known as Moonwheel for her waterfall-like pale blue hair and elegantly beautiful appearance, her cold phoenix eyes with ice-blue irises resembled a clear mountain spring, her tall and delicate curves tightly fitted under leather armor like sculpture, truly a stunningly beautiful sight.

Unfortunately, she was already severely injured, slumped in a corner with her chest slowly rising and falling.

Edmund was surprised by this person's silent approach, thrusting back with his sword. Sven was already standing on the broad-bladed sword, both his knives slashing toward Edmund's unarmored head.

"More dirty thief tricks."

Edmund's armored hand caught one of the knives, completely ignoring the other thrust toward his neck.

Just as Sven was about to succeed, with the knife about to pierce Edmund's windpipe, the blood-red runes on his skin flowed, and the knife tip could advance no further.

"How is this possible?"

Sven knew full well he was no match, quickly retreating, flipping to hang onto a chain above the mining chamber, then landing on the ground, putting distance between himself and Edmund.

"Heh... mere rabble, that's all."

Edmund wiped dust off his sword, unconcerned. They had some skills, but only to this extent. Whether it was the magical inscription construction of his armor, the destructive and defensive power of life alchemy, or his combat skills and martial arts - these people wouldn't be his match even after three lifetimes of training.

Li Site knew full well conventional methods wouldn't work. Even if he was just a major general, he was still a general officer - no ordinary person, but quite an impressive figure. Naturally, Shadi and Sven were no match.

"These two gentlemen are just going easy on you. Don't think that being an Arlan general officer means you can talk nonsense. When you come to the East Coast, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up."

A few drops of blood dripped from Li Site's palm, as the tip of a sword actually slowly grew out from his flesh, along with spurting blood.

The flames in the mining chamber wildly swayed, flickering uncertainly.

The powerful cursed artifact from seven hundred years ago - Sovereign's Blade - pierced through skin and flesh, breaking out of its shell.

The goods for the big job shipment had been found.

Once meat gets into Black Sails' mouth, there's no logic in spitting it out.