In the territorial waters of Country A, near Phi Bai City, a peaceful afternoon saw the sun slowly setting on the other side of the ocean. In the far distance, sky and sea seemed to merge under the fiery red sunset.
The colors of the clouds shifted in layers: the furthest was purple, a little lower was red, the next layer was brilliant orange, and the lowest layer of clouds was a sweet, romantic pink, a truly beautiful sight.
Flocks of seagulls raced back to their nests after a long, arduous day of foraging. Fishermen, too, were hauling in their nets and steering their boats home to reunite with their wives and children, to share a simple, warm, and intimate evening meal.
An evening that appeared utterly peaceful, yet no one knew this was the calm before the storm. A major storm had formed at sea; upon making landfall in Phi Bai City, its winds would diminish, turning it into a tropical depression. However, it would still cause significant negative impacts on people's lives, even threatening their safety. The government had already evacuated residents living near the coast to minimize damage.
The military warship named T1, belonging to Tartarus, Europe's largest underworld organization, was on its way back to its base in Country Z when it encountered a major storm while passing through the territorial waters of Phi Bai City, Country A. Thus, it was moving towards the shore to avoid the storm.
From the moment Lu Chengyue heard his subordinate report that they had to temporarily move into the Phi Bai City area to avoid the storm, his mood turned extremely sour. His expression was utterly grim; without a word, he simply gazed at Phi Bai City from a distance, his eyes filled with hatred and murderous intent.
Lu Chengyue was only 26 this year, a very young age, yet he already commanded a massive underworld organization, controlling the entire underground power in the West. He possessed striking platinum blonde hair, which perfectly suited his handsome, cold face.
Everyone whispered that the leader of the Tartarus organization possessed a dashing, worldly face like a god, but his methods were as cruel and ruthless as a devil. Therefore, he had a well-known alias: Lucifer.
Very few people knew the name Lu Chengyue; only his closest confidants knew his real name. Those who accidentally discovered his true name faced only one path: death. Thus, no one wished to seek death merely for a name.
This time, Lu Chengyue only brought two elites from Tartarus with him: one named Yun Xia, and the other named Lu Chenkong, who was also Lu Chengyue's cousin, along with a small number of lower-ranking subordinates.
On the warship T1, Lu Chengyue sat on a luxurious padded long bench. Beneath it, a tiger skin rug was spread, looking very majestic. The expression on this man's face was so arrogant and conceited that no one could compare.
With an indifferent demeanor and a cold, never-smiling face, Lu Chengyue spoke: "I tell you, you people are truly useless. Just steer the warship straight to Country Z. Why must we stop at this place where human kindness doesn't exist... it's a complete waste of time."
Upon hearing this, Yun Xia was furious, almost to the point of madness. They had already explained that a major storm was approaching at sea, which was why everyone decided to enter Country A's territorial waters and dock in Phi Bai City to temporarily avoid it. But that leader, despite hearing it dozens of times, deliberately refused to understand the actual situation.
Lục Thần Không had to explain again: “Leader, based on my many years of seafaring experience, a big storm is coming. That’s why we have to enter Country A’s waters to take shelter. Once the storm passes, we’ll head straight for Country Z.”
Lục Thần Duệ tossed his head back, his face full of wild arrogance: “What’s there to be afraid of??? Let the storm rage, we’ll just keep going.”
Vân Hạ put a hand to her forehead and spoke up: “Hey, Leader, I know you’re tough as nails, but not everyone here is as tough as you, okay? I’m not ready to die yet. If you want to die, go ahead and do it alone, don’t drag the rest of us down with you.”
Lục Thần Duệ raised an eyebrow and asked: “Are you afraid of death??”
Vân Hạ shrugged: “Who isn’t afraid of death?”
Lục Thần Duệ looked at Vân Hạ with contempt and said: “With such a small amount of guts, how did you end up among the Four Great Protectors??? I advise you to get out of here before I lose my temper and throw you overboard as fish bait.”
Vân Hạ craned her neck and retorted: “Hey, are you stupid??? We’re in the middle of the vast ocean, how do you expect me to ‘get out of here’?? The moment I step off the T1 battleship, I’ll obviously become fish bait, even without your orders.”
Lục Thần Duệ maintained a calm expression, but his eyes turned as sharp and cold as razor blades. His voice also dropped several degrees, sounding like the mournful wail of a demon crawling up from hell: “You called me stupid????”
Lục Thần Không had grown up with Lục Thần Duệ since childhood, experiencing countless life-or-death situations together, so he understood the leader perfectly. Normally, Lục Thần Duệ was quite lenient with his subordinates, but once he unleashed his killing intent, not even heaven could save them.
Lục Thần Không immediately pulled Vân Hạ back and interceded: “Leader, please calm down. Vân Hạ is still young and doesn’t understand things. Please don’t take her words to heart.”
Lục Thần Duệ flashed a cold smile: “Still young, you say??? Years ago, I was already leading the underworld at 18. Now she’s 22, so incredibly young, huh… Truly useless, with no future prospects.”
Vân Hạ was about to argue back but Lục Thần Không stopped her and told her: “Apologize to the Leader, quickly.”
Vân Hạ was unwilling, but reluctantly apologized: “Leader, I am a person with NO FUTURE PROSPECTS… I’m sorry.”
Vân Hạ deliberately emphasized the four words “no future prospects” to spite Lục Thần Duệ, but unfortunately, this guy had serious EQ issues and didn’t grasp Vân Hạ’s intention, instead sitting there with a smug smile: “Knowing your mistakes means you can still be saved… My mood is good today, so I’ll spare your life.”