"In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China, it was a time of unrest, the nation was in turmoil, and the entire world was engulfed in war." "At that time, the President personally ordered a nationwide search for extraordinary individuals, hoping to find a way to save the country from destruction." "Li Guizhen was one who answered the call during that period." Fang Cheng gazed intently at Dong Yuanchuan, listening as he recounted a piece of history long buried in dust. "No one knew where he came from or which sect he belonged to." Fresh chapters posted on NoveI★Fire.net "He seemed to appear out of thin air, yet with his own power, he suppressed a noble family planning unrest in the capital area, gaining fame overnight." "Subsequently, the President issued a letter of appointment, ordering him to establish the Special Search Team and granting him the highest authority." "Li Guizhen started from scratch, personally setting the selection criteria, training subjects, and operational guidelines for team members, transforming a group of unruly warriors into a formidable army that terrified their enemies." "However, he only served as the head of the Special Search Team for a dozen years; shortly after the war ended, he resigned quietly and wandered the world, elusive like a dragon’s head." Dong Yunchuan’s words were filled with infinite admiration for the legendary figure. "Most of Li Guizhen’s deeds have become legends, with many official records vague about them. I also heard some half-true, half-false anecdotes from Senior Brother Ma." He picked up a teacup to moisten his throat, observing Fang Cheng’s concentrated expression, seemingly very interested in these secrets. Feeling intrigued, he continued: "Senior Brother Ma’s father once served in the Special Search Team when he was young and was fortunate enough to follow Li Guizhen for a while." "He said he witnessed a strange event that he could never forget and often recounted it to us juniors." "At the time, they were on a transport ship, carrying crucial supplies that could affect the entire war’s outcome, on a secret mission in the East China Sea." "As they sailed, the ship entered a dense, white fog like a wall, where you couldn’t see a person five meters away, and the radar malfunctioned." "It was the dead of night, and the entire transport ship felt like it was trapped inside a grey-white coffin, with only the sound of waves audible." "Then a ’creaking’ noise began coming from under the ship, dense and constant, like countless rats gnawing at wood." "Soon, something climbed onto the deck from the sea." Dong Yunchuan’s gaze turned sharp, as if the terrifying scene was unfolding before his eyes. "Old Master Ma said the thing looked human but had bluish-black skin, slick and covered in scales, nails sharp as knives, and green eyes; it pounced on people fearlessly." Fang Cheng’s eyes slightly narrowed, involuntarily recalling his own fantastic experiences on Yong’an Island. As expected, Dong Yunchuan continued: "They later learned it was a gene-mutated humanoid monster living in the deep sea, called Merfolk." "The guards on the ship used machine guns to fire at them, but the bullets only embedded into their soggy hides, unable to cause fatal injuries." "As the defensive line was about to be breached, an even more terrifying thing emerged from the fog." Dong Yunchuan paused deliberately here. "A head as big as a small mountain slowly rose from beneath the sea surface, its eyes larger than millstones, glowing with a green light, coldly watching the people on the deck." "Old Master Ma said it must have been a giant squid hundreds of meters long." "It extended two tentacles and twisted the anti-aircraft gun barrels on the ship like a pretzel, with more tentacles latching on, causing the entire ship to creak as if it could be dragged into the sea at any moment." "Those Merfolk were probably just cannon fodder driven by this behemoth." "In the face of such a myth-like monster, it seemed even humanity’s pride, modern weapons, were powerless." "When the entire crew was in despair, Li Guizhen stepped forward." "By himself, he walked onto the swaying deck, not wearing any protective gear, holding only a sword in his hand." "The sword was very ordinary, appearing antique with nothing special about it, but it emitted a white glow in his hand." "Then, he leaped into the air, walking through the sky as if it were solid ground, crossing hundreds of meters in a few steps, charging directly at the giant squid." "No one saw clearly how he struck; Old Master Ma just remembered a flash of sword light like lightning, vanishing in a blink." "The next moment, the giant squid let out a deafening scream, two tentacles severed cleanly, black blood like ink, dyeing half the sea black." "The monster, in pain, whirled its remaining tentacles wildly, whipping up monstrous waves, yet it could not even touch the corner of Li Guizhen’s clothes." "Finally, another flash of sword light pierced through one of the monster’s eyes." "Without any earth-shattering explosion, the creature larger than the transport ship, severely wounded, eventually vanished back into the pitch-black depths of the sea, its fate unknown." Dong Yunchuan, saying this, subconsciously clenched his fist, the joints making slight ’crack’ sounds. Fang Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly, able to imagine the scene at that time. A lone figure, standing against a mountain-sized sea monster, yet with a nearly crushing absolute strength, inflicting great harm upon it. It was no longer simply martial arts; it was akin to a divine miracle. He couldn’t help but compare, wondering if he could reach such a heart-stirring degree if it were him.