Slay the Gods: The spokesperson for Zhulong, starts with the God-killing Gun

"Ugh—!!!" His eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed indistinctly, "Holy crap! It's so...so fresh! This meat...so tender and bouncy! It melts in your mouth! And this spiritual energy...it's amazing! I've never eaten such delicious fish before!!"

Everyone else started working too!

Cao Yuan took a bite, a hint of emotion appearing on his usually cold face, and he silently quickened his chewing speed.

As An Qingyu ate, she analyzed, "The protein structure is exceptionally perfect! The spiritual energy integration rate is 99.7%! Absolutely no pollution! Top-grade ingredient!"

Garan ate in small bites, his eyes squinting happily: "Delicious..."

Lin Qiye took a bite, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Not only did the fish taste exquisite, but after being swallowed, it transformed into a gentle, pure energy that rapidly nourished his body and spirit, quickly restoring the energy he had expended during the day!

Sun Wukong ate with gusto, his mouth greasy, nodding repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad! It's almost as good as the feast I had in the Dragon Palace of the East Sea!"

Even Li Kengqiang, who was squatting in the corner,

He couldn't help but sniff and swallow.

He muttered, "Damn... those guys are pretty good... smells pretty good..."

The group sat around the campfire, enjoying their meal and laughter once again. The aroma of grilled fish, the scent of wine, and the cheerful chatter dispelled the island's loneliness and the chill of the night, and also eased the tension and fatigue of the day.

A huge sea fish was quickly devoured.

Baili Pangpang ate until his belly was round and full, letting out a satisfied burp.

Looking at the leaping campfire,

Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Hey...you know what...even though Brother Qiang trains like crazy, his logistics...are pretty good! That guy who delivered the fish...he's a real shill! I'll have to thank him properly when we meet again!"

Cao Yuan nodded silently.

An Qingyu pushed up her glasses: "Based on the analysis of the residual spiritual energy in the fish meat, the fisherman is extremely powerful, with exquisite control over his power, and... it seems to contain a trace of pure water elemental power. It is estimated that his strength... is at least at the peak of 'Klein', or even higher."

Lin Qiye's eyes flickered slightly, and he felt a surge of curiosity and... a strange feeling towards the mysterious giver of the "thank you gift".

This unexpected and lavish whole fish feast...

Not only did it fill their stomachs and restore their energy, it also acted as a warm adhesive, further deepening the bond between this team that had gone through life and death together.

In the distance, on a dark reef overlooking the training base.

A figure wearing a wet white shirt appeared out of nowhere.

Tang Yusheng stood there quietly, the sea breeze ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

He gazed at the warm campfire in the distance on the open ground of the base, and at the group of people sitting together, happily sharing their food.

They were enjoying the fish that he had caught himself and entrusted to Qiang Ge to deliver...

In his deep eyes, the coldness and loneliness seemed to melt away slightly, and the corners of his mouth... curved upwards very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Then, he turned around, took a step, and once again silently... disappeared into the night and the waves.

It's as if... it never existed.

Zhang Yun glanced up casually.

He patted his bulging belly.

He smirked, then lay down to sleep!

Only the warmth of the campfire and the aroma of grilled fish still linger in the night... quietly permeating the air.

...

On the eastern side of the island, atop an extremely steep and precipitous cliff overlooking the sea.

The night was deep, the sea breeze howled, whipping up icy waves that crashed against the base of the cliff with a deep, thunderous roar. Lead-gray clouds hung low, obscuring the stars and moon, with only a faint light emanating from the distant training base.

A solitary figure, seemingly integrated with the cliff, stood silently... at the very edge of the precipice.

It was Tang Yusheng.

He was still wearing that thin, pure white shirt, damp from the sea breeze and night dew. He was slender, but stood as straight as a pine tree.

The sea breeze tousled the stray hairs on his forehead, but he was oblivious, simply gazing silently at the boundless, roaring, churning in the darkness of the inky sea before him.

His eyes were deep and calm, as if they could contain the loneliness and turmoil of the entire ocean.

There was no youthful exuberance or vigor in it, only a kind of... vicissitudes and... serenity that came from too much accumulation and burden, so incongruous with his age.

He just stood there.

Like a frozen statue,

He let the cold sea breeze and salty vapor soak through his clothes and corrode his skin.

I do not know how long it has been.

A series of extremely discordant humming sounds, with a certain slick tone, accompanied by a rich and enticing aroma of grilled fish, broke the silence of the cliff as it approached from afar.

"Little sister, you sit at the bow of the boat~ I'll walk on the shore~ Let's love each other, the tow rope swings gently~ Hehehe~"

Li Kengqiang was still dressed in his usual "vacation" outfit: a floral shirt and beach shorts.

His face bore that signature, cynical, roguish smile.

In his hands... he was actually holding two large skewers of grilled meat, golden brown and sizzling with oil.

Steaming hot... grilled fish skewers!

He staggered to the edge of the cliff, seemingly oblivious to the bottomless abyss beneath his feet, and with utter nonchalance... handed one of the grilled fish skewers to Tang Yusheng.

"Hey! Kid! Have a taste! Fresh out of the oven! Still hot!" Li Kengqiang grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "That Fatty's cooking skills are pretty good! He got the heat just right!"

Tang Yusheng seemed to have sensed his arrival long ago and slowly turned around.

Looking at the fragrant grilled fish skewers handed to him, a faint, extremely helpless smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.

"Uncle Li..." he said softly, his voice sounding somewhat faint in the wind, "What are you doing here?"

"Nonsense!" Li Kengqiang glared and pushed the fish skewers forward again. "Coming to this lousy place and not making skewers is like missing half the happiness! Do you understand?"

This is the fish you caught yourself!

You have to taste the game you hunted yourself, right?

Otherwise, wouldn't all our efforts have been in vain?

Tang Yusheng looked at Li Kengqiang's "you're disrespecting me if you don't eat" attitude, and then at the undeniably tempting skewer of grilled fish.

silent for a moment,

In the end, I... reached out and took it.

He didn't eat immediately, but instead felt the warmth of the bamboo skewer with his fingertips, his gaze returning to the dark sea, and he said softly, "Thank you, Uncle Li."

"Don't mention it! Eat it while it's hot!" Li Kengqiang took a big bite first, his breath coming in gasps from the heat, but he looked completely satisfied. "Mmm! Delicious! So delicious!"

Tang Yusheng then picked up the fish skewers and ate them quietly, taking small bites.

His manners were very refined, a stark contrast to Li Kengqiang's wolfing down of his food.

The fish was tender and juicy, and the spices were just right. It was indeed... very delicious.

But as he ate, his gaze became somewhat...unfocused again. It was as if he could see...something deeper through the delicious fish.

Li Kengqiang quickly finished his skewers, wiped the grease from his mouth, and...

Watching Tang Yusheng quietly eat his fish, the playful smile on his face gradually faded.

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a rare... heaviness and... a hint of barely perceptible... hoarseness that was completely out of character for him.

"Yusheng..."

Tang Yusheng paused slightly while chewing, but did not look up.

Li Kengqiang took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and slowly said:

"Sorry……"

These three words were spoken very softly.

It was like a giant rock that crashed down on the silent cliff top!

Tang Yusheng suddenly raised his head and looked at Li Kengqiang, his eyes filled with... astonishment and confusion.

Li Kengqiang avoided his gaze, turning to look at the dark sea, his tone low and complex:

"I'm sorry... If... if back then... we old guys... could have done things a little better... a little more thoroughly, like these brats do today..."

"If... we could have discovered the Ancient God Church's conspiracy sooner... if we could have stopped them more forcefully... if we could have better protected your mother... if we could have better protected Huaihai City..."

"Perhaps... many of the tragedies that followed... would not have happened..."

"You...wouldn't either..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the guilt, regret, and helplessness that had been buried deep in his heart for decades surged forth like a tide through his broken words.

This legendary commander-in-chief, who was always joking around, unserious, and seemingly indifferent to everything, at this moment... shed all his pretenses and revealed the deepest, most tender, and most painful scars in his heart.

He was apologizing for... failing to prevent the Huaihai tragedy, failing to protect Bai Ze, and failing to give Tang Yusheng a normal childhood...

Tang Yusheng's hand holding the fish skewers trembled slightly.

He stared blankly at Li Kengqiang's profile, which appeared somewhat blurry in the night but conveyed a heavy and weary feeling, for a long, long time.

Then, he slowly... shook his head.

A faint, yet exceptionally warm smile appeared on his face.

That smile seemed to melt away the coldness of the night.

“Uncle Li…” His voice was soft, but firm, “Please don’t say that.”

He put down the half-eaten fish skewer, turned around, and faced Li Kengqiang directly, his gaze clear and sincere:

"That's not how it works."

“I know… how much effort you put in and how many dangers you went through to raise me.”

"I remember it all."

"Without you all...I might...have already..."

He paused, not continuing, but his gaze softened further.

History... cannot be changed.

"What's done is done. We...can't change it."

All we can do is keep moving forward.

"Carrying the hopes of the deceased... and the responsibilities of the living... we move forward."

"Uncle Li, you really... don't need to feel guilty anymore."

At this point, Tang Yusheng even... took a step forward, raised his hand, and gently patted Li Kengqiang's slightly thin but seemingly weighty shoulders... shoulders that carried the weight of an entire era.

His movements were light, yet they carried a maturity beyond his years and a comforting power.

"Relax."

"Everything... will be alright."

Li Kengqiang was taken aback by Tang Yusheng's sudden, reassuring actions and words...

He turned his head in astonishment, looking at the warm yet firm smile on the face of the slender young man before him, at the light in his eyes that held no resentment, only understanding and comfort…

In an instant...

Decades of heaviness, guilt, and regret... seemed to be gently washed away and soothed by a warm, clear spring...