Chapter 1 "Old Six!" a fellow with a face full of stubble approached Shark-Eye Old Six and asked.

Shark-Eye Old Six looked at the brothers around him. Submerging from that cave and then rushing across the beach in one breath was indeed exhausting. But after a few breaths, the brothers seemed to be in good shape. Shark-Eye Old Six wasn't entirely confident; although these brothers were all excellent swimmers, their knife skills were lacking. Right now, the stewards and merchants of the Seven Seas Trading Company on the island were in chaos, but the guards around them were truly tough. At least, they were much stronger than these underwater heroes.

"Come on, brothers, gather around, let's have a pow-wow." Shark-Eye Old Six gathered everyone together, hiding under two enormous trees. The dense canopy blocked most of the rain, and the few drops that leaked through were insignificant. The main thing was, they wouldn't have to strain their voices against the wind.

These elite water ghosts came from different halls of the Black Eagle Gang. Originally, they all listened to different bosses. When the Black Eagle Gang dominated the entire sea, doing business from the Chun Nan coast all the way to the South Seas, these people were all influential figures in their respective halls. If the Black Eagle Gang hadn't shrunk so much in recent years, they probably wouldn't have had the chance to gather together for a mission. To be honest, Shark-Eye Old Six wasn't very confident that everyone would completely listen to him. This pre-battle pep talk might be a little late, but it seemed necessary.

"Everyone, we're all from different parts of the country. We all know why we've come together like this. Little San Tou, you originally set up shop on Jiao Ya Island, so there's no need to say more. These past few years have been truly frustrating." Shark-Eye Old Six sighed, "Now, it's getting harder and harder to make a haul at sea. Even when we get our hands on goods, there are people who don't dare to buy them. Those Chun Nan merchants who used to be so polite, they don't even pay their respects anymore. Some even dare to run or fight when they encounter us at sea. The good old days are over. It's all because of the Seven Seas Trading Company."

The others didn't yet understand why Shark-Eye Old Six was talking about things everyone already knew.

"You all know why we're attacking this island now, right? The bigwigs of the Seven Seas Trading Company are all on this island, including their leader, Qi Zhentao, and that official from Dongping, Ye Tao. If we can take them out, or at least take out a few stewards, this trip won't be a waste. Especially Qi Zhentao. If we can kill him, the Seven Seas Trading Company will be half-crippled. Don't think those big stewards aren't ruthless, but without Qi Zhentao as the mainstay, no one in the Seven Seas Trading Company can step up and take charge. Don't think that Ye Tao is a regional governor who's young and a high-ranking official, but people who do things on land are just as lost at sea. Everyone agrees, right?"

Seeing some people nodding silently, Shark-Eye Old Six continued, "If the Seven Seas Trading Company is in chaos, then our Black Eagle Gang will have a chance to survive again. These past few years have been tough, and we've lost a lot of good ships and sailors. It will probably take some years to fully recover, but at least we'll have a way out. Although business at sea accumulates over time, it also depends on luck. As long as the Seven Seas Trading Company isn't causing trouble, our Black Eagle Gang won't be afraid of anyone else. If we're lucky, we can even rob a few ships full of valuable goods and immediately replenish our strength. Right now, those foreign merchants are still at war themselves, and they don't have the same power to fight against us as before. Everyone knows that robbing those foreign merchants' ships is the most exciting, right? They're full of gold!"

Seeing the expectation on everyone's faces, Shark-Eye Old Six changed his tone and said sternly, "However, I'm not saying that today's job will be easy. Whether it's the old man Qi, or that Ye Tao, or even the guards around those big merchants, they're probably all tough guys. If we really want to make a hit, we'll have to risk our lives. But it's not completely without a chance. Our fleet has been waiting nearby for a long time. Now that the wind is strong and the rain is heavy, even if there are signal lights, they won't be visible. Who knows when our fleet will charge in? With a double attack from inside and outside, things might just work out. The weather right now, although we don't know the situation outside, we have to come ourselves, but it also makes those bastards confused and in chaos, right? Everyone, what do you say? Should we do it?"

A young man, only seventeen or eighteen years old, timidly asked, "Old Six Uncle, will our fleet really come? What if we charge in and there's not a single person outside? If we're surrounded by so many experts on this island, we won't even have a chance to escape."

Shark-Eye Old Six didn't mind the young man's discouraging words, but instead asked, "Our fleet is out on the sea. With this storm, it's better to come sooner rather than later. Staying at sea might mean the end. And attacking Jiao Ya Island, although we can't say it's guaranteed to succeed, at least there's a chance. Considering this, what do you think our bosses will choose?"

Everyone chuckled. Although the Black Eagle Gang has been suppressed severely in recent years, the pirates' inherent ferocity is still on full display. As long as it's a battle that must be fought and can't be avoided, the Black Eagle Gang has never missed one, even if they lost in the end, they still caused considerable damage to the Seven Seas Trading Company's fleet. After all, the Seven Seas Trading Company hasn't completed its internal integration yet. Those warships were all built with the merchants' own money, and they only gathered together to take action when suppressing the Black Eagle Gang. Several times, the Black Eagle Gang's ferocity, even employing suicide attacks, made many merchants of the Seven Seas Trading Company feel doubtful and the losses were painful. The value of a warship might not be too important to these increasingly wealthy merchants, after all, the cost of building ships in Dongping is decreasing year by year due to technological advancements, but the loss of ship after ship of skilled sailors is unbearable. If the old man Qi hadn't fully displayed the ruthlessness of an old pirate, the Seven Seas Trading Company might not have been able to force the Black Eagle Gang to this point.

Since the current situation might be that they'll be wiped out whether they fight or not, there's no doubt that those gang leaders who have long been filled with thoughts of revenge will definitely be clamoring to attack Jiao Ya Island.

"As long as we can coordinate with the fleet outside, and finally behead the old man Qi, we'll be the first to contribute. Although the Black Eagle Gang seems a bit down on its luck these past few years, the gang leader and hall masters have never treated us badly. Now, it's really time for us to sell our lives. Those with families will naturally be taken care of by the gang leader, hall masters, and brothers in the gang. As for those like me, who are just single men, there's even less to say, we'll just go all out."

After Shark-Eye Old Six finished speaking, everyone responded in a low voice, "Good..." "Let's do it!" "Old Six, we'll listen to you."

Only one fellow asked in a deep voice, "Is the old man Qi really on the island? And that Ye Tao? Where did the news come from? Is it reliable?"

Shark-Eye Old Six nodded and said, "I won't hide it from you all. The news came from Yu Hang. Otherwise, why would we rush to attack Jiao Ya Island at this time? Isn't it just hoping to take it all in one fell swoop, once and for all? The person who gave us this information is said to have a grudge against Ye Tao, there's no reason to deceive us. That's all I know. That person's status is too high, it's not something someone like me can know."

Everyone's doubts were dispelled, and what remained were dozens of firm, fearless warriors.

"Alright, then we'll sneak up the mountain. The residences on this island aren't very luxurious. The only ones worthy of the old man Qi's or Ye Tao's status are the courtyard on the hillside and the courtyard of the former hall master on the mountaintop. We don't have many people, so we won't split into two groups. We'll just go straight there. We should pass by Ming An Cave and East Courtyard on the way. We need to be quick and ruthless, but we also need to be quiet. Everyone understands? Although the wind is so strong right now, if we make too much noise, things will get out of control later. There are so few of us, not enough for them to clean up."

The bad weather did give these water ghosts a great advantage, and although the guards of the Seven Seas Trading Company weren't careless, they still couldn't withstand the troubles brought about by the bad weather and the complex island terrain.

"Old Master, there's movement on the sea." Coming out of the watchtower, running a few steps into the courtyard on the mountaintop, an old sailor wasn't dry at all, but the fellow wiped the water from his face and hurriedly reported.

"Oh? What's the matter?" Qi Zhentao was leisurely reading a scroll, sipping hot tea. He never had Ye Tao's work ethic and strong sustained working ability.

"There seem to be ships on the water. It's too far away, and the wind and rain are heavy, so I can't see clearly. But there's a string of very small spots of light, which look like the light from windproof lanterns used for night navigation by ships in formation." The old sailor reported. This old sailor has been Qi Zhentao's flagship lookout for nearly twenty years. The specially made telescope made his inherently gifted vision even more powerful. Even in this kind of weather, he actually saw it eight or nine out of ten correctly, winning valuable early warning time for the Seven Seas Trading Company in this sudden disadvantage.

Qi Zhentao decisively said to a guard beside him, "You, quickly go down to the port and notify everyone to enter a state of combat readiness. There might be a problem. At this time, anyone who dares to enter the port, no matter who they are or whose flag they're flying, if there's anything wrong, immediately attack them. This weather is very troublesome for us... Xiao An, blow the horn. Island-wide alert."

Before long, the sound of the horn echoed throughout the main island of Jiao Ya Island. Although the situation was relatively chaotic now, at least one person near each separate encampment had a horn in hand, so they could carry out simple communication with each other. And the low sound of the horn was perhaps the only sound in this chaotic environment that could penetrate the dense sound of rain.

"There's no response from Ming An Cave!" A guard suddenly discovered and quickly reported.

"You, take three people and go to the Ming An Cave direction to take a look. Be alert, and come back to report if you encounter anything." A responsible fellow instructed.