With the Rose-Sea Crew standing ready, a large ship drew close to the shore. Suddenly, dozens of figures vaulted from the deck, landing in formation on the beach.
The moment Rosie Ning and her crew saw who it was, hatred flared in their eyes. Sure enough, these newcomers were the Madfish Crew—the same rivals who'd sabotaged their missions three times before.
Twice they’d succeeded, only for the Madfish Crew to snatch the rewards away—leaving the Rose-Sea Crew with nothing but empty hands.
Just thinking about the Madfish Crew stealing their haul again made everyone—except for a couple with their own schemes—burn with a sense of shared outrage.
Whoosh!
A shadow flashed—a tall young man stepped out in front of the Madfish Crew, draped in a crimson cloak, a wild, reckless grin on his face.
At his arrival, the Madfish Crew all showed expressions of awe and respect.
This was Drake Li, captain of the Madfish Crew, and a cultivator at Sigilforge-early-stage.
Back when Aaron Long—the previous captain of the Rose-Sea Crew—was alive, their team always kept the Madfish Crew suppressed. Drake Li, always itching for trouble, had been put in his place by Aaron more than once.
After Aaron Long died, Drake Li started making life miserable for the Rose-Sea Crew. He even poached two of their Origin Core-late-stage experts, dropping them from a top-tier crew to third-rate overnight.
With the Madfish Crew bearing down on them, things just kept getting worse for the Rose-Sea Crew. Day by day, life got harder—now they were staring down the barrel of disbandment.
"Drake Li, what are you trying to pull this time?"
Rosie Ning waved her crew forward, squaring off with Drake Li.
Drake Li didn’t answer right away. He swept Rosie Ning up and down with a predatory look, then drawled, "Rosie, you look even more worn out than before."
"That’s none of your business," Rosie Ning shot back coldly, a flash of deep disgust in her eyes.
"Haha, Rosie, your temper’s still spicy—just my style!" Drake Li laughed, his gaze turning greedy and lewd as he licked his lips. "So, Rosie, have you considered my proposal yet?"
"Keep dreaming!" Rosie Ning snapped, her face twisted in anger.
Drake Li smirked. "Why so stubborn, Rosie? You’re killing yourself holding this crew together. If you joined me, we could merge the teams—less work for you, and your people wouldn’t lose out. Win-win, right? Give it another thought."
"Forget it, Drake Li! Our captain would never stoop to your level!" Wes Wei snapped, glaring at Drake Li.
"Wes Wei, huh?" Drake Li sneered at him. "Your captain won’t stoop to my level, but you think she’d stoop to yours? Take a look in the mirror—your name fits, you’re sleazy as hell!"
"You bastard! I’ll kill you!" Wes Wei roared, fury twisting his face.
Wes Wei was about to lunge, but Rosie Ning grabbed him. "Wes, don’t lose your head."
Gritting his teeth, Wes Wei shot Drake Li a vicious glare, then retreated behind Rosie Ning.
"Tsk tsk. Sleazy and spineless—your name really does say it all!" Drake Li sneered.
"You—!" Wes Wei sputtered, eyes blazing.
Wes Wei’s eyes reddened as he prepared to charge again.
"Wes, don’t let him bait you—he wants you to lose control!" Rosie Ning warned, then turned a steely glare on Drake Li. "Drake Li, by crew rules, whoever gets to the mission site first has exclusive rights. This is a Rose-Sea Crew job. You need to leave."
"Yeah, get lost!" Wes Wei shouted.
The rest of the Rose-Sea Crew chimed in, shouting for the Madfish Crew to leave.
"Hahaha!" Drake Li burst out laughing.
Drake Li just laughed at their shouting. "Rules? Those are for the weak. The Madfish Crew is top ten now—who cares about you Rose-Sea nobodies? Even if we steal your job, who’s going to stop us?"
The Rose-Sea Crew’s faces turned sour with anger and frustration, but deep down, they felt helpless.
"Enough!"
Drake Li raised his hand. "From now on, this island is the Madfish Crew’s mission site. Anyone not with us, get out—or don’t blame us if our blades draw blood!"
"You’re going too far, Drake Li!" Rosie Ning shouted.
Rosie Ning’s face flushed with anger, her chest heaving. She gripped her long blade with fierce resolve.
"Haha, that’s right—I’m bullying you! What are you going to do about it?" Drake Li laughed, full of himself.
Rosie Ning pointed her blade. "Hear this, Drake Li! This time, the Rose-Sea Crew won’t back down. If it comes to it, we’ll fight to the bitter end!"
"Fight to the bitter end? You think you’re up to it?" Drake Li mocked.
Drake Li sneered, unleashing the crushing aura of a Sigilforge Realm expert. The pressure slammed into the Rose-Sea Crew—only Rosie Ning barely held her ground, while the rest staggered back several steps. The four Divine Sea Stage fighters nearly toppled.
Seeing this, Drake Li grew even more smug, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. "I’ll give you all a chance—join the Madfish Crew. Like they say, people rise, water sinks. Stick with the Rose-Sea Crew and you’ll never get anywhere. Join me, and you’ll eat and drink well. But this is a one-time offer—miss it, and even if you beg later, I won’t take you!"
"You’re despicable, Drake Li!" Rosie Ning shouted, furious.
"Despicable? So what? At least it makes me rich!" Drake Li shrugged, then pressed, "I’m not patient. You’ve got half an hour—after that, you’re the enemy of the Madfish Crew!"
For a moment, more than a few Rose-Sea Crew members looked tempted.
Finally, Ray Zhou stepped out and bowed to Drake Li. "Brother Drake, I’m Ray Zhou. I’m willing to leave the Rose-Sea Crew—please take me in!"
"Ray Zhou, you traitorous ingrate! If Aaron Long hadn’t taken you in, you’d have been dead years ago!" Wes Wei shouted, nearly hopping with rage.
Ray Zhou just curled his lip. "Yeah, Aaron saved my life, but I’ve spent years in the Rose-Sea Crew—that’s payback enough. The crew’s doomed, and I’m not going down with you!"
Then Ray Zhou turned to Drake Li. "Brother Drake, I’ve got a secret about this mission—"
"Shut your mouth, Ray Zhou!" Wes Wei snapped.
With a furious roar, Wes Wei lunged, swinging a punch at Ray Zhou’s back.
But someone moved even faster, blocking Wes Wei and kicking him hard.
Bang!
Wes Wei was sent flying, crashing to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood—he was badly hurt.