The device had been formatted. "Virus" walked over to the corpse of the Awakened she had killed and searched it, but found nothing. She could only glean some vague information from the person’s appearance.

’A person from the Dragon Country? Has Da Yu gotten involved too?’

She frowned slightly.

Da Yu was entrenched in the Sea of Soaring Dragons. They remained neutral on many matters that didn’t violate their principles and had always disliked conflict. They certainly wouldn’t interfere with the "voluntary cooperation" between Lighthouse and the Renhuang.

But it was exactly this kind of faction that was the most troublesome when they got serious.

’If they’re truly involved, it won’t be just some minor meddling. The operation will likely face new complications. And even though the Fujing Mountain Sea Region isn’t Da Yu’s home turf, their internal S-rank Awakened—in number, strength, and influence—are not necessarily weaker than Lighthouse’s.’

Besides, Lighthouse had suffered two major setbacks recently. Miss Yan and Shadow, two S-rank Awakened, had been killed one after the other, and both the faction’s strength and morale were at a low point.

Which was why they desperately needed a victory.

’It doesn’t matter.’

’I will be the one to deliver this victory.’

’So what if it’s Da Yu? If they truly try to stop me, I’ll kill every last one of them.’

’I’m actually eager to test it on them. Just how strong can a Holy Hall Level Skill, born from Flesh-Eye Roulette, be?’

Powerful skills required powerful opponents. Using a Holy Hall Level Skill on mere cannon fodder would only tarnish its reputation. Virus felt that it would be best if Da Yu’s top experts came for her; then, she would show them the price of meddling.

She left the top-secret archives.

During the tsunami, she had received two new missions from Lighthouse.

First, steal all of the Great Black Heaven Dragon’s research data from the past 30 years and leave the Renhuang.

Second, she was to use the chaos to enter deep into Fujing Mountain. She would use her skills to lie low and ambush any and all Awakened exploring the mountain before Lighthouse’s main force arrived. This applied to everyone: opportunists from maritime organizations, crews from any drifter ships, and official Awakened from any faction. As long as they set foot on Fujing Mountain, she was to kill them all.

In the current situation, the first mission was impossible to complete.

She was a step too late. The device storing the data had already been formatted by an Awakened suspected to be from the Dragon Country, who had left only a corpse behind. While the Black Society might have a backup of the data, that wasn’t her area of infiltration. She knew nothing about the data’s location or specifics, and starting an investigation from scratch would take far too much time.

She had no choice but to decisively abandon the first mission and proceed with the second.

Infiltrate Fujing Mountain and kill all intruders!

It was a game of slaughter, one she quite enjoyed.

"Virus" calmly left the top-secret archives through its wide-open doors. She walked brazenly down the hidden corridor where all the surveillance had been jammed.

Outside the cabin, they were no longer in the Fujing Mountain Sea Region. After a terrifying tsunami, a massive storm that lasted over 20 hours, and a series of marine aftershocks, the Renhuang was now located more than 30 nautical miles off its original coordinates.

But for her, that distance was nothing.

...

...

...

SPLASH.

After swimming through magma for over twenty minutes, Shi Ming finally emerged from the 2000-meter-deep magma layer, arriving in a mid-level chamber still more than 1000 meters from the volcano’s crater.

This was where he had found the dragon scale.

Then, after confirming there was nothing else of note, he began to slowly make his way up the winding, 1000-meter-long tunnel that the Black Society had excavated.

The seawater’s temperature began to drop.

By the time a hazy light, like that from a skylight, became faintly visible, the water temperature had returned to normal.

But that omnipresent aura of destruction was still there.

’My surroundings are the same as when I entered, no abnormalities. All that’s left is to swim out of the Fujing Mountain crater, use stealth and traceless modes to leave this sea region, and return to the Da Yun. Then the mission will be a complete success. And as a parting gift, I can even leave a big present for the Black Society.’

’Even though I’m close to success, I can’t let my guard down.’

’No celebrating before the finish line.’

A ship couldn’t navigate the artificially dug, winding tunnel. As Shi Ming swam, he used his Sea Patrol Radar as usual to check the situation outside and on the sea’s surface.

The scan revealed something abnormal.

The Sea Patrol Radar could no longer detect the positions of the Black Society and the Renhuang!

’They’ve left this sea region?’

’Impossible!’

At such a critical time, there was no way those two General-class drifter ships would leave this sea region. The fact that the Sea Patrol Radar couldn’t find them meant something abnormal had happened outside.

Shi Ming didn’t know that the cataclysmic tsunami, which had knocked the Renhuang and the Black Society more than twenty nautical miles off course, was caused by him.

He grew even more vigilant.

He was about to use his Spiritual Power to probe the volcanic chamber through the tunnel when a notification from the Eye of the World popped up again.

[High-level hunters often possess astonishing concealment abilities. They guard the exits of their lairs, patiently waiting for the chance to deal a fatal blow to any prey that comes their way.]

[A powerful Hunter lies hidden within the mountain, just below the crater.]

[Like you, she possesses highly advanced shielding equipment that can evade most General-class detectors. Moreover, she has already set up a most ingenious ambush—in the seawater, on the volcano’s rock walls, and among the scattered obsidian.]

[Her target may not be you, but unfortunately, you are the first to stumble into her web.]

’An enemy?’

The text before his eyes scrolled past quickly. In a short time, the Eye of the World had completely analyzed the enemy’s information.

’A battle between the strong is also a war of information!’

[S-Rank Skill: Infinite Matriarch]

[The 19th-ranked S-rank skill. An Awakened with this ability can infinitely split off sub-bodies from their own main body. The sub-bodies can be considered part of the main body and share its strength, but this places high demands on the user’s Spiritual Power and their ability to multitask. Killing the sub-bodies in battle is useless unless you can pinpoint the main body and kill it in one strike. However, they are extremely skilled at disguise.]

[A-Rank Skill: Flesh-Eye Roulette]

[A skill you should be very familiar with. It grows 7 eyes on the body, which can devour the flesh and blood of sea beasts or Awakened to release their strongest skill. The skill’s power is limited by the Awakened’s own strength. A weaker version of the Star Lamp.]

[A-Rank Skill: Heartless Serpent]

[Lowers emotional thresholds, enhancing perception and focus. The Heartless Serpent can find an enemy’s weaknesses and spot their openings faster. When activated, it has a higher chance of landing a fatal blow.]

[B-Rank Skill: Water of Detection]

[...]

Shi Ming’s expression turned grim.

This "Hunter" possessed six skills. Whether it was the 19th-ranked Infinite Matriarch or the Flesh-Eye Roulette that could reach the upper limits of S-rank, either one alone would make for a troublesome opponent.

He finished reading the information in an instant.

The outermost space within Fujing Mountain wasn’t large. A chill ran down Shi Ming’s spine; he felt as if he was being watched by a snake.

"Another person from the Dragon Country?"

"Interesting."

"Was that one I killed earlier your comrade?"