A bloodied dagger was thrown in front of Kaideng.

Everyone's attention was focused on her.

Shadi had already harmed herself, and Liszt was scar-faced, looking like a murderer already, so another cut wouldn't matter.

Were it not for the fusion of the Junlin Sword, it could have been used to verify her identity.

For Kaideng,

there was now only one way left.

Diaz and Liszt were at loggerheads, starting with the Stele, the conflict between the two families had become irreconcilable.

Although Kaideng's infiltration this time failed to assassinate, she had collected a lot of intelligence.

If she were to escape unscathed,

it would be a devastating blow to the Black Sail.

As the saying goes, a man is not at fault for owning a jade, yet he is guilty because of it, let alone the Triad Gang.

The Thieves Guild alone, vile and unbearable, was headache enough; if Diaz were to make public their secrets, such a level of treasured collection could disregard the sunken costs. Calling in friends and connections, it was not only assassins and combatants that the Thieves Guild could harness with their frightening wealth—they could support pirates in the East Sea at any time, challenging the hegemony of Black Sail.

The atmosphere dropped to freezing point, under the piercing gazes, the air seemed to solidify.

"Alright!"

Kaideng responded crisply. Under everyone's gaze, she flicked her toe, sending the Blood Dagger spinning into the air, grabbing it in reverse and shaking off the blood, scattering a string of red droplets.

While everyone was anxiously awaiting the outcome, holding their breath,

a sudden change occurred.

First, the dagger flew out wildly, along with two cold iron needles aiming for Saleret's eyes and throat—swift as if moved by moonlight, knowing he possessed the Eye of Prophecy, to keep him occupied for a moment.

But it didn't end there.

Immediately afterward,

in the dance hall, illuminated with lurid neon light beams, as Kaideng tugged at her dress, every Hidden Weapon in the Magic Nightingale was triggered, bursting forth in a flash of cold light, the edges of the blades flickering like lightning.

Under Kaideng's Flying Knife barrage, all light sources were shattered.

The ballroom plunged into darkness.

It should have been so.

Saleret's eyes had foreseen this scene, his dual blades whirling, a metallic storm, sparks flying everywhere, unleashing a continuous clang of gold and iron.

The blood light of Ghost Eye bloomed, in the midst of summer, the cold smoke spreading like streaming clouds, rapidly covering an area of tens of meters. Ice tendrils spread over tables and tiled floors, turning brittle under extreme cold and exploding into ice shards.

Kaideng's clothes were being engulfed and she was about to be completely frozen, like a statue of ice.

Like a ghost, the dual blades dashed silently towards her.

And when the crisp sound was heard, it was too late.

A double clack,

Kaideng's head and heart were pierced through.

A hall-level adventurer's move was extraordinary, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

But it was as if the cicada had shed its shell.

"Liszt" shattered, merely a bunch of clay material and hardened clothing.

Kaideng was inwardly stunned; this wraith was remarkably powerful. How did those eyes predict the future? If it had been anyone else, they would have fallen prey to the trap.

Kaideng herself appeared only for a moment, during the shelling.

Dressed in the Nightingale, blessed by the Shadow Lady, the Night Goddess, the Nightingale's body was a black silk mesh covered with gossamer, the purple hues of Magic Energy coursing through it, her muscular legs like those of a leopard, the well-trained mermaid line, her form augmented with a sense of speed.

At that moment, Kaideng also revealed her true face.

Strange white short hair, golden eyes, her skin a wheat color with a slight roughness due to intense training, some freckles around her nose, unlike most people.

In the blink of an eye,

Kaideng only appeared for a moment, retreating and throwing a spherical Hidden Weapon in midair.

Morison, aware that Kaideng was fake, couldn't give her a chance. He had given up the modified Armored Cannon and reverted to the original rapid-fire Crossbow.

One crossbow bolt hit the Hidden Weapon thrown by Kaideng, while several more pierced through Kaideng herself.

In a flash of lightning,

Kaideng, as a Netherworld Envoy, wasn't an easy target.

Though outnumbered and outmatched, escaping was second nature to her.

The Hidden Weapon was not made of iron but a kind of Magic Power Item. As it was shot through, a blood-red smoke burst forth and rapidly expanded like a madness upon the wind.

In moments, the blinding smoke obscured the sight of all, completely covering the ballroom as if one were in an illusion.

Within the blur,

Bang!

The door of the bar was kicked open, and Kaideng had escaped.

Celeste was a top-level intelligence operative. Although she wasn't as proficient in Magic Techniques as the members of the Tower Alliance, her mastery was still exquisite.

Even if she couldn't move easily in her fine clothes, with a shake of her hand, the smoke dispersed.

Mika and Archer were both coughing violently.

Amid the sudden situation,

Celeste's ability to adapt was extremely strong; she scanned everyone in the room. The Fake Liszt was nowhere to be seen. Aside from him, there were also Saleret and Morison, who had obviously given chase.

However, Chuan Che's initiative was clearly lacking.

"Fuck, Brother Li was an imposter... he's dead!"

Archer recovered his wits.

"What bullshit are you talking about, he's not dead yet. Haywood received the letter, isn't that so-called 'lantern' of Celeste's still lit?"

Mika thought, if Liszt really was gone, they were truly screwed.

Heaven Port had Liszt's die-hard supporters; without him, Fen and the others would lose control, and the forces from the Great Wetland and Mirror Sea would gradually start infighting.

This wasn't the time for idle chatter.

A crowd had also chased up to the entrance.

On the brilliantly lit main road of Golden Palm Port, within a few hundred meters, the normally bustling street was eerily empty of people.

There were many dead bodies on the ground.

All were pirates from Black Sail, roughly thirty of them were strewn about, their bodies mangled, with either blade wounds or gaping holes from matchlock firearms.

Many high-ranking members believed Kai Deng was the killer.

In reality, it was the undercover agents of the Thief Guild, who, to support Kai Deng, had been summoned from the ballroom but shortly after, a firefight had broken out.

Saleret and Morison had given chase.

But those few were extremely skilled, and in the pursuit battle with the Netherworld Envoy, by the time they got out the door, the quarry was nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck, Haywood's gone!"

Mika looked around a full circle, knowing in his heart that he had always been wary of Haywood, but he couldn't find him anywhere.

He shouted Haywood's name a few times, but there was no response.

During the recent chaos, he had taken the opportunity to leave.

Twelve hundred Golden Dragon coins were no small amount.

This was meant to be paid every quarter.

But Haywood had no choice, his identity was too sensitive. Black Sail was the only place where he could hide, and now that things had gone awry, he had to take the money and run. With his past surplus, he could hold out for a while, and his foundation was already laid, branching out and already in action.

This was the time to leave, or there would be endless troubles later.

"Shit, use your invincible East Coast Idea King's brain and think of something!"

Archer shouted at Shadi, with misfortunes often coming not singly but in battalions, the upper echelons of Black Sail were now in grave danger, amid the real and fake Liszt, and fucking Haywood's desertion.

As for the iron rule once laid down, whoever ran had to die.

With Liszt's temperament, he said as much, but he would let it slide if only he knew about it.

But Fen, Ox, those people, would they hesitate? Just thinking about it was okay, but once action was taken, it was an obligatory execution.

Now, Haywood, the man Liszt trusted the most, and whom Haywood also trusted the most, willing to confide the expeditionary army affair to him, proved utmost loyalty and courage.

Unfortunately, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding and ill timing, he confided in a stranger.

Haywood had become the first deserter of Black Sail.

While Shadi was indeed the East Coast Idea King, the three-for-one fish scheme in Londen City was his doing—scraping the gambling house money clean, settling the debtors' troubles, and submitting the Earl's Oath of Loyalty.

It was just that Fen, acting as the external brain, kept him idle.

The street was filled with gun smoke, a byproduct of the recent firefight.

Shadi's face was bloodstained, his forehead also beaded with sweat, as he began to brainstorm.

Haywood had run off.

Morison and the recently joined Saleret had also gone after him.

What to do?

He quickly had an idea.

Saleret's family was still in Heaven Port; even if Black Sail's people deserted, he wouldn't. They could trust him to pursue the Fake Liszt.

Golden Palm Port needed someone in charge to prevent Celeste from causing chaos.

The duplicitous Ben certainly couldn't be let go.

"There's still time, Saleret has a tracking compass on him. Rein, you're fast on your feet, go with Swan and catch up. Chuan Che, you keep an eye on Ben. Mika, I'm counting on you here... I'll go look for Haywood."

Shadi made his decision.

Assuming the role of the temporary supreme decision-maker.

Rein and Swan exchanged a glance and took off, streaking along following the compass needle.

In an instant.

Only corpses remained at the entrance to the ballroom, with Celeste, Chuan Che, Ben, and Mika.

Archer was of no use.

"Everything's gone to hell, damn it."

Mika sensed that things were very bad.

To make matters worse, they were now in foreign territory, not on Black Sail's turf.

At the same time.

Hundreds of meters away.

Between the brightly lit tall buildings of Golden Palm Port.

Hook lines whizzed through the air.

Under the night light, Morison had a fiendish look on his face.

"Big girl, if I catch you, I'll thoroughly gut you."

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