Under the cover of night, Eli Winters and his companions first eliminated the hidden watchers who had been tailing them. Once that was done, they moved according to the information Rayleigh had provided, heading straight for the territories controlled by the underground criminal factions.
With Eli's perception fully spread out, those shadowy strongholds were no different from standing in broad daylight. There was nowhere left to hide. Before long, Eli and the others locked onto one such organization, a gang known as the Tiger Fang Syndicate.
The Tiger Fang Syndicate was a mid-sized gang. Among the criminal forces of the Sabaody Archipelago, it was not particularly outstanding in overall strength.
After locating their base, Eli immediately sealed off the surrounding space. Once the area was isolated, no matter what happened inside, nothing would leak out to the outside world. That way, the criminal groups in other districts would not be alerted and flee in advance.
Not long after the spatial barrier was completed, two members of the Tiger Fang Syndicate happened to pass by. The moment they spotted Eli and the others, they shouted angrily, "Who are you? What are you doing on Tiger Fang turf?"
Eli did not even feel the slightest urge to answer them. His Eye of Judgment swept across the area in an instant. In his vision, the crimson glow of sin burned like fresh blood, blinding and revolting.
"Do it," Eli said flatly. His voice was cold and decisive, without a trace of hesitation.
Big Pan and the others moved at once. In an instant, blades flashed, weapons clashed, and shouts mixed with screams. The sounds overlapped chaotically in the darkness.
The strength gap was overwhelming, and the attack was sudden. The members of the Tiger Fang Syndicate had no chance to resist. Before long, everyone outside the base was slaughtered, leaving behind only blood-soaked ground and a suffocating silence.
Hearing the commotion, the gang members inside grabbed their weapons and rushed out. When they saw the corpses littering the ground, fury flashed across their faces. A bald man roared, "Who the hell are you, daring to cause trouble in our Tiger Fang…"
Before he could finish, a long blade sliced cleanly across his throat.
"Too noisy," Fiona said coldly, already charging back into the crowd.
It did not take long before the remaining members of the Tiger Fang Syndicate were completely wiped out by Big Pan and the others.
Once the fighting ended, Eli led everyone into the gang's base. There were no survivors left inside. He walked up to a concealed door and opened it. The wall trembled briefly, and a hidden chamber was revealed. Inside lay the wealth the Tiger Fang Syndicate had accumulated over years of trafficking people.
No one felt any joy at the sight of it. The larger the pile of money, the more lives it represented.
Seeing the heavy mood, Eli spoke calmly. "Let's go save them."
At his words, everyone's eyes lit up, their fighting spirit rekindled.
They set off again toward the next criminal stronghold.
At the Tiger Fang Syndicate's base, they had not found any captives. Most likely, the victims had already been sold off.
As the night wore on, Eli used his spatial ability to move Big Pan and the others rapidly across the archipelago. Wherever he saw the red mark of sin, slaughter followed. By the second half of the night, Big Pan and the others were soaked in blood, their appearance eerie and terrifying.
"I'm here to save you. Don't be afraid," Eli said gently to a group of civilians who had just been freed. "I'll take you somewhere safe. Once you're there, you'll be free."
This was already the fourth group he had rescued that night.
The civilians had been frightened at first when they saw Big Pan and the others covered in blood, but Eli's calm smile quickly put them at ease. They obediently followed his instructions and stepped through the spatial gate he opened.
On the other side of the gate, Dragon stood there yawning, shooting Eli a resentful look.
This man had been dragged out of bed in the dead of night, given only a brief message to prepare to receive people, and then left hanging. Even now, Dragon was still confused about where Eli had found so many civilians. There were already four or five hundred of them.
After his subordinates took the civilians away to be settled, Dragon hurriedly grabbed Eli before he could leave. "Saint Teacher, what exactly are you doing here?"
"These are civilians who were captured and brought to Sabaody to be sold as slaves," Eli replied quickly. "Help settle them first. I'll explain the rest later."
With that, he vanished, leaving Dragon standing there, utterly stunned.
When Eli returned to the Sabaody Archipelago, he addressed his companions. "There are only two major underground forces left now. They're also the biggest ones. There will definitely be captives inside. I'll teleport the civilians out first, and you handle the rest."
"Don't worry, boss," Big Pan said disdainfully. "These scraps are no match for us."
"You might be tough enough to shrug it off," Eli said seriously, "but what about Kri and the others? Don't underestimate them. Some of their weapons can still hurt you. For example, guns loaded with seastone bullets can deal serious damage."
The group stiffened at his words, their earlier arrogance fading. One by one, they promised to stay cautious.
Seeing this, Eli nodded in satisfaction and led them to the territory of a man known as Sixth Master.
As one of the two largest underground powers, Sixth Master's domain was vast, and its defenses were extremely tight. Even deep into the night, patrols continued without pause.
As expected, the moment Eli and the others appeared, they were spotted by the guards.
When the patrols saw the group drenched in blood, they raised their guns without a word and opened fire.
Gunshots rang out. Lights flared on across the compound, and dense footsteps followed as large numbers of men rushed toward the scene.
"Well, their reaction speed isn't bad," Eli remarked lightly. Then he turned to Big Pan and the others. "This place is yours. I'll go send the civilians away first. Be careful. Don't get caught off guard."
"Leave it to us, boss," Big Pan replied confidently, already charging forward.
Eli shook his head helplessly, nodded to the others, and vanished from the spot.
High atop a tower, Rayleigh stood quietly, gazing into the silent night. His expression was complicated. At some point, he had lost the sharp edge he once possessed. When Eli said he intended to wipe out the slave traders of Sabaody, Rayleigh had hesitated.
"Heh… Dark King Rayleigh," he muttered to himself, his voice filled with self-mockery.