The Masked Person looked like a maddened bull, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Charge! Hack these reckless bastards to pieces for me!" The group of men in black swarmed toward Lin Li and his companions like disturbed hornets, buzzing angrily.
Lin Li was hardly afraid of this bunch of small fries, shouting, "Just in time! Watch how I beat you scumbags to a pulp today!" With that, he charged straight into the enemy formation like a cannonball, unleashing his dazzling and formidable Stellar Illuminating the World Formula. Instantly, radiant light burst forth, shining as bright as if the sun had fallen right onto the docks. Every single strike he delivered packed the explosive, astonishing power of a cannonball.
The members of the Starry Alliance were no pushovers either. Flexing their muscles, they shouted, "Brothers, follow Brother Lin! Show them what we're made of!" and rushed into a fierce, life-or-death battle with the men in black. The docks instantly grew as lively as a bustling vegetable market, filled with a deafening chorus of battle cries and the impacts of fists and kicks.
With a roll of his eyes, Lin Li locked his gaze onto the Masked Person, thinking to himself, *To catch the bandits, you must first catch their leader. Once I take down this ringleader, let's see how much jumping around you can still do!* With a single bound, he rushed forward and engaged the Masked Person in combat. The Masked Person actually had some real skill; the long saber in his hands spun like an electric fan, every single slash aiming straight for Lin Li's vital points, while he continuously hollered, "Lin Li, today is your dying day!"
Dodging and weaving left and right, Lin Li shot back unyieldingly, "Just you? Why don't you take a piss and look at your pathetic reflection? Wanting to finish me off—keep dreaming!" Spotting an opportunity, Lin Li moved with the agility of a monkey, sidestepping the long saber and following up with a fierce punch as he roared, "Eat my fist and see how arrogant you can still be!" The blow landed squarely on the Masked Person's chest, sending him flying backward through the air like a kite with a snapped string before he crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Just at that moment, seeing that the situation had turned sour, the middle-aged man bolted like a rabbit spotting an eagle, grabbing the box containing the medicine and turning to run while muttering, "A wise man submits to circumstances—I'm making a run for it!" Eyes widening, Lin Li cursed loudly, "Trying to run? Not a chance! You couldn't fly away today even if you grew wings!" Before his voice even faded, his figure flickered and he appeared right in front of the middle-aged man as if by teleportation. With a flying kick, he sent the box spinning through the air like a shooting star directly toward the ocean.
"Oh no," Lin Li thought to himself, "if that falls into the sea, it's going to be a huge mess!" Without a second thought, he leaped into the air, executing a magnificent roc spreading its wings, and snatched the box out of midair. But the moment he landed, a man in black stealthily crept up behind him like a Ghost, raising a knife to stab Lin Li in the back.
"Brother Lin, watch your back!" a sharp-eyed team member yelled at the top of his lungs. Lin Li was too late to dodge, a bad feeling flashing through his mind. At that critical, hair-breadth moment, another team member threw himself forward like a desperate suicide squad operative, taking the fatal blade squarely in Lin Li's place.
Blinded by fury, Lin Li turned around to face the sneaking man in black and roared, "You bastard, go to hell!" He threw a punch packing the force of a cannonball, sending the man flying like a broken ragdoll, motionless the moment he hit the ground. "Brothers, fight them to the death! If we don't beat these bastards until they beg for mercy on their knees, we don't deserve to be called the Starry Alliance!" Lin Li roared at the top of his lungs. Hearing that battle cry, the others instantly felt as though they had been pumped full of adrenaline, their morale skyrocketing. Under Lin Li's leadership, with a ferocious beatdown, they finally drove the men in black—now crying for their mothers—into full retreat.
The Masked Person and the middle-aged man, like a pair of stray dogs, scrambled and crawled onto a cargo ship, fleeing in disgrace. Watching their pathetic, scurrying backs, Lin Li felt an itch of frustration and cursed viciously, "You two turtles, don't think you're safe just because you ran away! I, Lin Li, swear I'll tear your conspiracy to shreds and make you pay a bloody price for what you did today!"
After the battle, Lin Li and his crew looked battered and bruised, supporting each other and looking just like they had crawled straight out of hell by the time they finally made it back to the base. Looking at the injured and unconscious team members, Lin Li was filled with agonizing self-blame, wishing he could slap himself twice as he muttered, "It's all my fault, all my fault for not taking good care of everyone. If anything happens to them, I, Lin Li, will be guilty of a crime that deserves a thousand deaths!"
Fortunately, the base's medical team arrived in time, acting like saviors sent from the heavens, and immediately began treating the team members. With a roll of his eyes, Lin Li shouted to the system, "Old System, hurry up and cough up some healing treasures for me! Don't dawdle, or you better believe I'll tear down your platform!" The system immediately replied: "Host, do not be anxious. Top-tier healing pills have been exchanged using your System Points and can rapidly cure the team members' injuries." Pills radiating a strange glow instantly materialized in Lin Li's hands, and he carefully fed them to the most severely injured members.
The effect of the pills was miraculous, acting almost like magic cast upon the team members' wounds as their conditions stabilized at a speed visible to the naked eye. Seeing the efficacy of the pills, the corners of Lin Li's mouth curled upward into a smug smile. "Hmph, with my invincible system, let's see what kind of tricks you little villains can still pull."
Through this incident, Lin Li deeply understood that the strength of the Starry Alliance was still far from enough and that he needed to find a way to improve quickly. Thus, acting like an imposing and majestic general, he summoned the core members for a meeting.
Crossing his arms with an arrogant expression, Lin Li said, "Even though we chased them off this time, these bastards certainly won't let it rest. We need to boost our strength as fast as possible. On one hand, step up the training for all members—work yourselves to the bone, none of this soft-legged shrimp nonsense. On the other hand, I plan to use the system to search for more Mysterious Ruins and acquire even greater power. With the system's help, those ruins will be ours for the taking!"
The members responded with enthusiastic cheers: "We'll listen to you, Brother Lin! Following you, we'll definitely send those bad guys running with nowhere to hide!" "Right, Brother Lin's system is our secret weapon. Let's see if those guys dare to be arrogant anymore!"
Nodding in satisfaction, Lin Li said with a resolute gaze, "Alright, starting tomorrow, everyone splits up. Gather clues regarding the ruins while stepping up surveillance on the Dark Star organization and that mysterious faction. I refuse to believe they can escape the palm of my hand. The moment I get an opening, I'll show them the true meaning of despair!" With that, he smiled darkly, as if he could already see those villains kneeling before him and begging for mercy.