The sea breeze blew wildly on their faces as waves crashed against the rocks beneath them.
The captain looked at the dark sea and said, "Mr. Luo, before entering the woods, Jones told me that someone would come to rescue us. We could have all survived if only we had more experience."
The captain felt guilty, unable to speak these words in front of the crowd, fearing the resentment of the women who had lost their men.
"That bastard didn't tell me he was going to sail away on his own."
Luo Jun thought angrily. It was clear that he had been betrayed. If he hadn't informed the mercenaries about his presence, they wouldn't have sent three sniper teams and so many mercenaries into the woods, giving him the opportunity to strike.
His plan had worked perfectly.
The captain sighed. He didn't say much about it. After all, he knew Luo Jun was the only one who could hate Jones. Without Luo Jun's exceptional skills, he wouldn't have been able to overcome the three sniper teams.
So, for Luo Jun, surviving required not only strength but also tremendous luck.
Jones knew all this very well, yet he didn't tell Luo Jun. It was like watching a trap ahead and not warning someone, letting them fall into it if they didn't notice.
Anyone would be infuriated by that.
"Jones also said there are monsters on this mysterious island. If we encounter any, we must hide. Fortunately, we didn't encounter any monsters this time," the captain said, exhaling cigarette smoke.
Luo Jun also lit a cigarette, noticing the brand. It was obviously the brand Jones had asked the women to bring down from the ship. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had the chance to smoke.
"Got any cigars?" Luo Jun suddenly remembered to ask. Jones had probably smoked cigars given by some mercenary before, but since he had killed them, there should be some good cigars on the ship.
"You caught me," the captain said with a smirk, pulling out an iron box from his pocket.
He took one out for himself, then handed the box to Luo Jun.
"Don't blame Jones; he's not had it easy. This is the only way he can survive and seek revenge," the captain said, nodding towards the cigar box he handed over.
"Damn, trying to buy me off with a box of cigars?" Luo Jun cursed but still took the cigar. He was certainly mad at Jones, but he didn't hate him because he knew, as a top-notch assassin, Jones had to pay a price to rise again.
As fellow assassins, there was a sense of mutual understanding between Luo Jun and Jones.
Luo Jun spat out half of the cigarette in his mouth, then lit a thick cigar. The taste of the cigar, with a hint of sweetness, was truly comforting. Those accustomed to cigars usually didn't want to go back to regular cigarettes, especially someone like Luo Jun, a hired gun who had a soft spot for cigars.
"What's Jones' grudge?" Luo Jun curiously asked.
"His wife was killed by a member of The Pope Organization (controlled by the Luxier Family). When he sought revenge, they captured him alive, leaving him disabled. It was Smith who rescued him," the captain said, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"These mercenaries are ostensibly sent by the Luxier Family, but in reality, they're from The Pope Organization. Hence, their arrival harbors deep resentment towards Jones," he added.
"Smith..." Luo Jun's interest was piqued. Although he wasn't intrigued by The Pope Organization, Smith's involvement intrigued him. As the head of the CIA, Smith played a role in Jones' rescue.
Jones was leaving the island with its secrets, likely seeking refuge with Smith.
Jones was also an enemy of Lorna.
Indirectly, Jones became Luo Jun's adversary.
However, Luo Jun had no desire to make enemies. He only rescued Lorna for the sake of his daughter, Xiao Ya. Once he acquired the information, he wouldn't concern himself with her fate.
As for the struggle against Smith, it was even less of his concern.
Luo Jun simply wished for a quiet retirement, steering clear of any political strife.
"How much more do you know about the mysteries of this island?" Luo Jun asked the captain again. The captain shook his head, "I only know this much. But Jones should know more. Intercepting the first batch of returning mercenaries suggests he obtained firsthand intelligence, although he didn't share it with me."
Luo Jun sighed in frustration. He pondered exploring the heart of the island, but the risk outweighed any potential benefits, possibly resulting in dire consequences due to his curiosity.
After their conversation, Luo Jun and the captain returned to the tent.
Aisha and her two daughters approached Luo Jun, "Mr. Luo Jun, we're short on tents. Would you mind sharing ours with me and my daughters tonight?"
Luo Jun glanced at her two slender daughters, one sixteen and the other eighteen. He understood Aisha's implication; she saw him as Jones, seeking security and potential power from him.
After all, a woman by the side of a powerful man could also wield significant influence.
"Rest is fine, but it's best not to move around at night. My knife and pistol won't turn a blind eye," Luo Jun sternly reminded them.
Aisha was somewhat surprised; she lacked confidence in herself, hence why she brought her two daughters. Having endured hardship, her daughters understood where their strengths lay.
Thus, they readily agreed to their mother's terms, knowing it would secure the best living conditions for them.
However, Luo Jun wasn't swayed by this.
"My two daughters need to gain some weight; a healthier diet will make them more attractive in the future," he remarked.
Assuming Luo Jun disliked thinness, Aisha explained, "Food will be distributed according to labor. Your daughters can join the hunting team and enjoy rewards beyond the basic allocation."
Luo Jun reassured, but also afraid she might not have understood, then continued: "Don't worry, I won't let your two children die. Learning survival skills is actually the best self-defense. Your two daughters have good potential; they can join the hunting squad's training in the future."
Aisha understood Luo Jun's meaning and nodded quickly.
"Aren't you going to introduce them to Uncle?"
Aisha reminded her two slightly nervous daughters, and they obediently told Luo Jun their names.
"Hattie."
"Maria."
The girl with short hair is Hattie, and the one with long, elegant hair is Maria. Both of them have golden locks, very exquisite.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
