Chapter 4: The Black-Clad Assassin

On the vast, desolate desert, Mels and the others stood facing three individuals of mysterious identity. Perhaps unable to believe that Mels would reject his proposal, the mysterious leader was speechless for a long moment, simply staring intently into Mels' eyes, as if trying to discern something from his gaze. However, his efforts were in vain. Mels' eyes were as clear as water, devoid of any sinister schemes or the answers he sought.

"I truly didn't expect your answer to be like this! Perhaps I misjudged you from the start, or maybe you're simply different from what I imagined!" Taking a deep breath and withdrawing his prolonged gaze, the leader spoke, sounding utterly weary.

"If you could guess everything, wouldn't the world be a very boring place?" Mels replied.

"Perhaps you're right, perhaps..." the leader mused, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long pause, as if having made up his mind, he suddenly spoke up: "The rebels are right. The current test subjects are no longer what they were in the past. You are all truly human, and we should no longer see you as mere 'things'! Come, let me tell you something fascinating... Ah!" Just as the leader was about to share something with Mels, an orange-red beam of light pierced through his chest!

"Meijeka, you... you..." The leader turned to face Meijeka with an incredulous tone.

At this moment, Meijeka held a beam sword similar to the one Emma possessed, its glowing blade already having penetrated the leader's body.

"Karl Legis, captain of the 47th Special Dispatch Team of the External Affairs Division, you are hereby sentenced to death in the name of the Supreme Council for intentionally leaking the Alliance's highest secrets. Execution to be carried out on the spot!" Meijeka, shedding his previously obedient demeanor, spoke with sudden gloom.

"So... so you're from the Council..." The leader, addressed as Karl, choked on his last words, unwillingly breathing his last.

However, Meijeka, who had killed him, showed no remorse whatsoever. With a look of disdain, he pulled the metal tag hanging from Karl's neck and gently deactivated his beam sword.

Karl's body, no longer supported by the beam sword, plummeted toward the ground. Meijeka continued coldly, "I am a Council military police officer. The fact that you only discovered my true identity now is your greatest tragedy! Rest assured, I will take your nameplate back to let all Alliance warriors know the fate of traitors!"

The sudden turn of events left Mels and the others stunned on the spot, unsure of how to react. Although Mels found Meijeka's sneak attack despicable, he couldn't determine who was right or wrong among them. However, Mels now understood that these mysterious men seemed to belong to their own world, an organization called the "Alliance," with its highest authority being the "Council"! All the strange machines they had encountered before likely originated from this Alliance as well!

"Test subjects, cherish your lives. Don't even think about resisting us. Perhaps one day I will meet you again. Until then, enjoy what you call 'life'! Haha..." Amidst wild laughter, Meijeka's figure gradually turned transparent, and the other mysterious man vanished simultaneously with him.

"Who are these people?" Sol asked dazedly after the two mysterious men disappeared.

As soon as he spoke, everyone's eyes turned to him, their expressions seeming to say in unison: You ask me, who should I ask?

"Never... never mind!" After looking around for a moment, Sol hurriedly waved his hands.

Just as everyone was bewildered, the Sand Worm, now a heap of scrap, suddenly erupted in a massive explosion. As the blazing flames gradually died down, only a pile of charred metal remained on the ground. Everything that had happened earlier felt like a dream!

Makas's merchant caravan gathered on a distant sand dune. Although they could roughly see what had transpired, they didn't know what the mysterious men had said to Mels and the others, nor did they realize that the Sand Worm wasn't a magical beast but an advanced technological product beyond their imagination!

Upon reuniting with Makas, Mels and the others naturally didn't explain everything to them. This wasn't only because Mels wanted to avoid unnecessary panic but also because even he himself didn't fully understand what had happened!

After a day of thrilling battles, the caravan resumed its journey. However, Mels and the others had lost their previously joyful mood. They sat silently around the carriage, each seemingly deeply puzzled by the day's events yet unable to comprehend what had truly occurred!

The wheels continued to roll rhythmically. As days passed, twelve days later, Mels and the others finally arrived within the borders of the Fijinando Kingdom with the caravan. Thanks to Makas's arrangements, they passed through border checkpoints with almost no scrutiny, smoothly entering Boki, the third southern port city of the Fijinando Kingdom.

Boki was a port city with a population of about 1.2 million, historically responsible for maritime trade with southern kingdoms. Within the Fijinando Kingdom, besides Boki and Bomas, there were three other similar port cities. These five cities were the locations Xiu Lante had mentioned where mysterious black-clad men might appear!

Following the route Xiu Lante had arranged earlier, Mels and the others left Makas's Spirit Eagle merchant caravan on the day they arrived in Boki and made contact with the spies Xiu Lante had stationed in the Fijinando Kingdom!

From the spies, they learned that Xiu Lante had already resolved the armed conflict with the commercial city and was leading about three hundred knights into the Fijinando Kingdom in batches. However, based on current intelligence, the movements of the mysterious black-clad men remained unknown, making it difficult to deduce from which port they would set sail!

Although Mels and the others were eager to find those black-clad men to confirm whether they were the true culprits behind the destruction of the Blue Whirlwind, they understood even more that with their own strength, finding those guys would be harder than reaching the sky!

To avoid exposing their identities and causing misunderstandings between the Relkes Empire and the Fijinando Kingdom, Mels followed the spy's advice and temporarily stayed at his home. On one hand, they waited for Xiu Lante to reunite with them; on the other, they passed the boring time.

However, the restlessness of youth is hard to restrain! After staying at the spy's home for three days, Sol, unable to bear the boredom, began pestering Mels to go out for a walk. At this point, Mels shared the same sentiment, so...

"Boss, it feels so great to be out walking!" Sol said excitedly to Mels as they strolled down Boki's main street.

"Staying at home was a bit boring, but it wasn't as painful as you make it sound!" Mels replied with a smile. Perhaps everyone had been feeling cooped up, so when Mels asked if they wanted to go out for a stroll, even Bagina raised both hands in agreement. However, Bagina had taken Emma shopping on the commercial street, while Mels led Sol and the others to the port to investigate any news about the black-clad men.

"Boss, I'm telling the truth. Old Mark is very kind and polite to us, but staying at his house always makes me feel like I'm in prison! No wonder people say freedom is the most important thing!" Sol said earnestly to Mels.

"Haha, since when do you say things like that? Isn't our Boss Sol content as long as there are beautiful women?" Rek laughed heartily at Sol.

"Get lost, I'm actually..." Before Sol could finish, his gaze was already captivated by three young ladies walking toward them.

If eyes could drool, Sol would likely be dripping with saliva right now! However, Sol certainly had a talent for nonsense. After the three young women left his line of sight, he continued his previous topic: "I'm a gentleman. When handling serious matters like now, even if beauties walk past me, I absolutely won't waver!" Before he could finish, the three boys, including Akafir, burst into laughter together!

Amidst the banter, the boys entered the largest ship dock at Boki Port. Seeing dozens of ocean-going vessels of various sizes anchored in the harbor, their moods instantly sank. If a single port city had so many ships, how difficult would it be to find the vessel possibly used by the black-clad men, who might be the culprits!

Just thinking about this, how could their spirits possibly lift?

"Boss, searching ship by ship isn't feasible. Let's go ask at the port registration office first. I think since Uncle Xiu Lante said there are over a hundred of them, even if they leave in batches, they'd need at least five or six ships! If they all go together, the target would be too large, so I think we should focus on groups of twenty to thirty people instead." Rek suggested softly.

After listening to Rek's suggestion, Mels also thought it was the best option currently available. So, they split into two groups: Rek and Akafir went to inquire at the East District dock registration office, while Mels and Sol headed to the West District dock registration office.

About half an hour later, the four reunited at the dock entrance. Based on the information they gathered, in the coming week, there were twelve ships registered to carry over twenty passengers. However, eight of those were fishing boats, so they narrowed their targets down to four merchant ships heading to the Relkes Empire.

"Boss, based on the current situation, the most suspicious among these four ships is the merchant ship named 'Statue of Liberty.' This time, they're not only carrying a large quantity of precious antiques to the Relkes Empire but also reportedly have twenty-six mysterious passengers on board! Should we go check out this ship first?" Rek reported the information he had obtained to Mels.

After hearing Rek's words, Mels pondered briefly and said, "Hmm, we do need to inspect every suspicious ship, but given the current circumstances, we can't expose our identities! It's daytime now, and the earliest departure is tomorrow morning, so tonight is our best opportunity!

Let's return to the city first and come back with Bagina after nightfall! Otherwise, given Bagina's temper, if she finds out we left her behind to go on an adventure ourselves, what do you think the consequences would be?" At the mention of Bagina's anger, cold sweat broke out on everyone's backs, and they immediately nodded in agreement with Mels's plan!

The boys quickly found Bagina and Emma, who had returned from their shopping spree. Perhaps due to feminine instinct, women simply couldn't resist the allure of shopping. At this moment, both Emma and Bagina were carrying piles of goods in their hands. Upon seeing Mels and the others, they immediately treated them like porters, handing over all their purchases to the four boys!

Although Mels, Sol, and the others complained bitterly and even tried to use the importance of their mission as an excuse to prevent Emma and Bagina from joining the shopping crowds again, the two women turned a deaf ear. Only after three hours did they leave the commercial street satisfied and join Mels and the others at a teahouse for a delicious lunch.

When Mels explained to Bagina that they would be investigating the merchant ships after dark, Bagina immediately cheered loudly, her words suggesting she had long been looking forward to such an adventure.

Seeing Bagina's excitement, Mels wasn't sure whether telling her about this was right or wrong. At this point, he could only pray that nothing unexpected would happen tonight!

As dusk fell, the impatient Bagina hurriedly finished dinner and repeatedly urged Mels and the others to prepare to depart. Although Mels wanted to wait until it was completely dark before heading to the dock, under Bagina's headache-inducing nagging, he had no choice but to agree to leave early. The group of six, led by Mels, left the city and headed toward the unknown.

Mels and the others' target, the Statue of Liberty, was a massive merchant ship with a displacement of about a thousand tons. On the Caxiu Continent, ancient shipbuilding technology meant vessels rarely exceeded a thousand tons. Whether coastal nations or men who spent years at sea, all yearned for such a great ship. However, the owner of this merchant ship wasn't the Fijinando Kingdom government but an antique dealer who had never been to sea!

Based on the information Mels and the others gathered during the day, the Statue of Liberty typically traveled between the Fijinando Kingdom and the Relkes Empire. Besides often carrying priceless antiques, specialty products between the two regions were also part of its cargo. However, the ship rarely took on unfamiliar passengers. Carrying over twenty mysterious individuals to the Relkes Empire this time was particularly unusual. Hence, Mels had prioritized targeting it.

Although it was dusk, the dock remained bustling. Compared to the gradually quieting city, a new day seemed to be just beginning at the port.

Sailors in various uniforms busily loaded cargo and supplies onto their beloved ships, preparing for tomorrow's long voyage. Meanwhile, laborers who relied on their physical strength to barely support their families continued to toil, carrying heavy boxes one after another, enduring the hardship as part of their work.

Perhaps because two merchant ships scheduled to depart at dawn the next day were registering passengers at the dock, Mels and the others didn't need to conceal their identities and could freely move between several berths. This unexpected advantage was something Mels hadn't anticipated earlier, but their luck ended there!

As they left Berth Three and were about to enter Berth Four, where the Statue of Liberty was docked, a group of about twenty burly men appeared before them.

"Halt! This is a private berth. Scram!" A leading burly man, seeing Mels and the others swaggering toward him, immediately stepped forward, glaring angrily and roaring.

"That's strange. Wasn't this area open during the day? We just want to get to Berth Five. Could you gentlemen let us pass?" Seeing the burly men blocking their way, Mels calmly replied in a childlike voice.

As if sizing up Mels and the others, the burly man looked them over and slightly softened his tone: "I already said, this is a private berth! If you want to go to Berth Five, use that side gate over there. Don't cause us trouble!"

Seeing that the burly man definitely wouldn't let them pass, Mels shrugged helplessly and turned to Sol and the others: "No choice. Looks like we have to take a detour!"

As he turned his back to the burly men, Sol and the others understood from Mels's gaze what they should do! After all, Mels's purpose in coming here was to secretly investigate whether there were mysterious black-clad men among the passengers on the Statue of Liberty. If they clashed with these burly men here, it would mean half their plan had failed already. Therefore, Mels signaled to Sol and the others to retreat from this only path to Berth Four first!

About ten minutes later, Mels and the other six hid behind a pile of large wooden crates and began discussing how to enter Berth Four!

"Boss, it seems that ship definitely has something fishy going on! Otherwise, they wouldn't need such a large show of force to block everyone from entering!" Sol said to Mels while peeking through a gap in the crates at the burly men guarding the passage.

"Hmm, it definitely holds secrets. But I find it strange. Logically, those mysterious black-clad men caused trouble in the capital and are wanted by the Fijinando Kingdom. Even the most influential local merchants shouldn't, at this critical juncture, help these enemies just for some money! Could it be that the unknown merchant is also one of these black-clad men's accomplices?" Mels whispered.

"What's so weird about that! Just like you need to eat, those black-clad men also need supplies to survive! If they don't have a large organization or financial backing, forget about causing chaos in the royal capital—they wouldn't even have enough money to buy their uniforms! Although I don't know why they assassinated the key ministers of the Fijinando Kingdom, don't you think ordinary assassins would refuse a job targeting a politician?

If my assumption is correct, these black-clad assassins must belong to the private army of some important figure in Fijinando, or they're special forces formed by another country to eliminate potential threats!" Bagina said matter-of-factly.

Her words immediately made Mels realize! "Right! You're absolutely correct—that's the only explanation, and the most reasonable one! But if they're such an organization, then they probably aren't the same group that attacked my foster father. After all, he was just the leader of a thieves' guild and couldn't possibly affect the interests of those politicians!" Mels said.

"That's not necessarily true! As the saying goes: 'It's not the man who's guilty, but the treasure he holds.' Although your foster father was only a thieves' leader, he might have obtained something incredible during a robbery, and it was that very thing that brought disaster upon him. Although this possibility isn't high, it still exists. So, everything will only become clear once we board that large ship," Bagina spoke again.

"Boss, how exactly are we going to get past those guards? They're standing there the whole time, and there are no other paths around here leading to that ship. Are we supposed to swim over from the sea?" Sol asked while peering at the burly men.

"That's indeed a problem. If we try to scale the walls, it's still too early; if we charge in head-on, we'll likely be surrounded before we even board the ship; if we swim over from the sea, we could easily board, but the water traces on our bodies would leave troublesome marks. If they discover us, we're finished!" Mels said with a worried frown.

After hearing Mels' words, everyone fell silent. After all, what they needed now was to board the ship undetected and conduct a covert investigation. Whether they left traces of their search or directly revealed their intentions to the other side, it could very likely prompt them to adopt another escape plan!

If this ship wasn't the actual tool the black-clad men intended to use for escape, their actions would only alert the enemies watching in the shadows. If this ship indeed belonged to them, it might alert the enemy, causing all these black-clad men to vanish without a trace!

"It seems we still have to split into two groups!" Mels suddenly spoke up.

When his voice rang out, everyone already knew Mels must have some plan in mind, so they all turned their gazes toward him.

Unhurriedly, Mels picked up a dry twig from the ground and, while drawing a schematic, said: "Sol, you're relatively slow in movement and not suited for this kind of reconnaissance work, so you'll stay behind to provide backup! Emma, Rek, I'm not at ease leaving Sol alone here, so you two stay behind to protect Sol as well. Akafir, Bagina, and I will board the ship to investigate!

The only passage into the berth is guarded by those burly men, so we have no chance of getting through. And as you've already noticed, they're lined up in a row, tightly occupying all possible passage points—that's a method to prevent stealth magic. After all, when stealth magic is active, one can't use Qi to jump, otherwise... However, they still have a loophole. Sol, after you cast stealth magic on the three of us later, you and Emma will approach those burly men. No matter what method you use, you must cause confusion among them. We'll take advantage of this opportunity to slip through the gaps between them! As long as we can break through this checkpoint, the rest will be much easier! Do you think this plan is feasible?"

"The method is good, but such fun stuff never includes me... Ah, forget it. Who told me I chose to be the most dashing mage back then? I agree with this method!" Sol complained while nodding in agreement.

The others of course had no further objections. Although Emma was reluctant to separate from Bagina, she knew there was no other way, so she didn't object either. Rek certainly wouldn't cause a scene, so everyone decided to follow Mels' plan and split into two groups to begin their operation.

Shortly after, as a blue glow gradually enveloped the bodies of Mels and the other two, Sol began rushing toward the burly men in a panic. Judging by the terror on his face, it seemed as if some calamity had befallen him!

Of course, the burly men wouldn't let Sol charge through like that. The same man who had earlier blocked Mels and the others stepped forward again, grabbing Sol and saying: "What, it's you again, kid? Didn't I just tell you? This isn't a place for you to come. Get out of here right now!"

"You're a bad person!" Sol suddenly uttered these words, twisting his body as if symbolically trying to break free.

Sol's words left the burly man bewildered. He never expected a handsome young man in his twenties to speak with the voice of a three-year-old child.

"Go away, go away! What bad person, good person—leave this place immediately!" The burly man shoved Sol to the ground and cursed.

"Waaah..." Sol suddenly sat on the ground, wailing loudly, flailing his arms and legs while crying: "It's all your fault! You wouldn't let us pass, so when we walked into that small path, I got separated from my big brother! Now I don't know where big brother went, and I'm all alone! I don't want this, I don't want this!"

"So he's simple-minded!" Seeing this, the burly man seemed to realize Sol wasn't normal. With no other choice, the burly man could only approach Sol again.

Helping Sol up, the burly man softened his tone, trying to pacify the situation: "Little friend, where did you get separated from them? Didn't you say earlier you wanted to go to Berth Five? Just go through that small path, turn right, then left, then right straight ahead, and you'll be there. It's very close. Hurry and find your big brother; don't disturb us here!"

"But... but I don't know the way! You take me there!" Sol deliberately said in a childlike voice.

"How can I do that? This is my workplace; I can't just leave!" The burly man flatly refused. However, before he could finish speaking, Sol burst into loud tears again, seemingly determined not to give up until he achieved his goal.

Seeing Sol's pitiful state with snot and tears, and hearing the piercing, irritating cries, the burly man finally nodded and said: "Alright, alright! I'll have two of my men take you there, how about that?" After saying this, the burly man turned and called two of his subordinates, instructing them to take Sol to Berth Five!

As these two left their posts, Mels and the other two, who had been waiting nearby, immediately slipped through the gaps between the burly men, successfully entering Berth Four! On the other side, Emma and Rek, seeing the timing was about right, immediately pretended to rush over in a hurry, calling Sol's name as they charged toward the burly men. "Little brother, why do you always wander off! Do you know how worried big brother and we are? Causing trouble for these gentlemen here—we really need to teach you a lesson when we get back!" Rek scolded Sol while bowing and apologizing to the burly man.

"Sir, we're really sorry for the trouble our little brother caused you! We truly apologize!" Unexpectedly, Emma, who was usually not good with words, suddenly apologized to the burly man.

Driven by male instinct, even if the burly man wanted to blame them for not keeping a close eye on Sol, he couldn't bring himself to get angry at Emma. He gave an awkward smile and, trying to use the gentlest tone possible, said: "It's fine, it's fine. But your little brother, is he..." He was implying whether Sol was simple-minded.

After receiving an affirmative response, he continued: "Since that's the case, you really need to keep a close eye on him! Otherwise, if something dangerous happens, it would be troublesome!"

"Yes, yes, we certainly will! Big brother is getting anxious waiting, so we'll take our leave now. Thank you so much!" Amid Rek's repeated thanks, Emma and Rek supported Sol on either side and left the burly men's sight!

The farce ended peacefully in such an atmosphere, and Mels and the others had successfully entered Berth Four. The *Statue of Liberty* was now before their eyes!

After entering the berth, in the darkness, the massive silhouette of the *Statue of Liberty* appeared before Mels and the others. With the help of stealth magic, Mels and the other two each advanced toward the great ship. Originally, they thought such an undetectable operation couldn't possibly be noticed by anyone. However, as they passed a corner, a sudden shout came from the darkness: "Who's there!"

This shout immediately startled Mels and the others. Just as Mels was about to launch an attack, he remembered he had the aid of stealth magic. Unless the other party dispelled the magic covering them, they couldn't possibly be discovered. So he decided to remain still and adapt to the situation, standing motionless in place!

After a while, a sharp-eyed man in his thirties emerged from the dark corner. He looked around but found nothing, then muttered to himself: "Impossible, I clearly sensed several people's presence approaching! Why can't I see anyone? Could my senses be wrong?" Although he couldn't see Mels and the others, he was still unwilling to give up. He turned back, picked up a wooden stick, and gradually walked toward Mels and the others!

"It's over! If he touches us, we'll definitely be discovered!" Mels suddenly realized that the man wasn't using the stick as a weapon but as an extension of his hand to touch potentially invisible objects!

Although Mels could crouch to avoid it, the other party was an expert who could judge numbers by sensing presence. At such close range, any movement would cause disturbances in the air that the opponent could sense, leading to unavoidable attacks! The great ship was right before their eyes, yet they hadn't expected a mysterious expert to suddenly appear. Cold sweat gradually formed on Mels' forehead—disaster was about to strike!