# 308
**Chapter 308: Ashore**
"Up ahead is the island where the Purification Chamber is located."
Above the churning waves, three figures hovered in midair. The one in the lead slowly lowered his telescope and spoke calmly.
Shen Qingzhu narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the black dot on the distant horizon. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "With just the three of us, can we really break through the defenses of Great Xia’s most secure prison?"
"Of course not, not by ourselves," Second Seat said slowly. "But Lord Yiyu has been planning for this Purification Chamber for years. We’re not his only card… We don’t need to overthink it. Just follow his orders and get the job done."
Fifth Seat turned his head and looked at Shen Qingzhu, puzzled. "Newbie, why are you wearing a mask? We of the Believers always show our true faces on missions—why hide?"
"Lord Yiyu’s orders," Shen Qingzhu replied calmly, touching the white fox mask on his face. "I’m too young and don’t look intimidating. On certain missions, it’s easy to be underestimated. Only by hiding my face can I keep others from seeing my depth."
"So that’s it. Lord Yiyu really values you," Fifth Seat said, a hint of envy in his voice.
"Back to business," Second Seat said flatly. "To cause chaos in the Purification Chamber, we have to get close first. The area around it is packed with watchtowers. Approaching by sea will definitely get us spotted, so the best way is to swim in underwater."
With a flick of his wrist, Second Seat produced three diving suits from nowhere and tossed them to the others.
"Swim over?" Fifth Seat frowned. "Why not use Forbidden Ruins to shift directly under the seabed?"
"Within a three-hundred-meter radius of that island, the Suppression Monument’s field is active. Forbidden Ruins lose all function there. If we tried your idea, we’d be ejected from the shift at the three-hundred-meter mark and shot dead by snipers while unarmed."
"Fine…"
Shen Qingzhu took the diving gear, paused, and studied the suit closely. He noticed many strange white dots embedded in its surface.
"This diving suit isn’t quite the same as normal ones?"
"Correct. The waters around here are monitored by the Purification Chamber’s custom sonar. Submarines, torpedoes—even a single fish—will be detected and eliminated by nano-fish."
"Not even fish are allowed near that island? That’s insane. And with so many fish in the sea, how could they possibly kill them all?" Fifth Seat couldn’t help but complain.
"It was just an example. The prison guards regularly release a substance into the surrounding waters to drive fish away. Normally, no fish enter that zone." Second Seat looked at the diving suit and continued, "The suits you’re holding were bought at great cost on the black market. Made from special materials, they can evade sonar detection and let us slip through that three-hundred-meter zone unnoticed."
Shen Qingzhu nodded thoughtfully.
"One more thing—once we reach the island, stay hidden. Don’t move until Lord Yiyu’s signal appears!" Second Seat warned seriously.
"Understood!"
---
On one side of the island.
White spray crashed against black reefs with a thunderous roar. Two figures in diving suits were washed onto the shallows by the waves.
"Cough cough cough… I’m exhausted! Why did those three hundred meters feel like forever?!" One chubby guy collapsed on the sand, yanking off his oxygen mask with a despairing expression.
"This place is too open. If patrol guards spot us, we’re done. Head for the woods over there." Cao Yuan pointed to a nearby grove.
Baili Pangpang sighed, struggled to his feet, and followed Cao Yuan into the trees. Once they confirmed there was no danger, he plopped straight down.
"I’ve never swum that far in my life." He peeled off his diving suit and rubbed his flat belly. Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Cao Yuan. "Hey, give me a few pieces of compressed biscuit. I’m starving."
Cao Yuan glanced at him. "We finished them all while drifting at sea."
"Finished?! I barely had any!" Baili Pangpang’s eyes bulged. "You scoundrel, Cao Yuan—I paid for your diving suit and you still secretly ate my biscuits!"
Cao Yuan rolled his eyes. "You know exactly how much you scarfed down."
Baili Pangpang froze, thought hard, then gave a guilty cough. "Ahem… not that hungry, I can manage. So, we’ve made it onto the island—what now?"
"You’re asking me?" Cao Yuan’s mouth twitched. "Didn’t you say you had a solid plan?"
Baili Pangpang scratched his head. "Oh, my plan was… get on the island, then improvise."
"…"
Cao Yuan resisted the urge to draw his blade and murder the unreliable fatty. Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, "We may be on the island, but we’re still outside the Purification Chamber itself. See those towering steel walls? Inside them is the real prison. And the only way in is the main gate, which is heavily guarded by troops. Our top priority is figuring out how to get inside—what are you staring at!?"
Cao Yuan noticed Baili Pangpang gazing distractedly at the sea and couldn’t help cursing.
"It’s just…" Baili Pangpang rubbed his eyes, staring at the shallows. "Am I seeing things, or did three more people just come ashore?"
Cao Yuan froze, turned, and looked back at the beach they’d just left.
Three figures in identical diving suits were sneaking upright on the sand. After glancing around and exchanging a few words, they headed straight for the grove where the two were hiding.
"That can’t be right…" Cao Yuan muttered, stunned. "Besides us, who else would infiltrate this island? Has it been turned into a freediving resort while I was away?"
While Cao Yuan stood there bewildered, the trio entered the woods—and froze when they spotted the two squatting men.
Five pairs of eyes met in midair, and the air instantly turned deathly silent…