Sheshe's movements were incredibly fast.
Even before the resistance in Central and South America was completely crushed, it had already arrived ahead of schedule at its mission's final destination: Yingzhou, in the Tsushima Strait.
Of the nine Honkai Energy Rifts, the Americas, split between north and south, accounted for six.
In other words, a total of six Emperor-class Honkai Beasts had simultaneously launched attacks on the civilizations of the Americas.
Following the curve of the North Pacific region to the Eurasian continent, of the three remaining Honkai rifts, one appeared in Vladivostok, and another to the west of the Korean Peninsula in the Yellow Sea.
The Honkai Beast legions that appeared here not only blockaded several vital ports in the North Pacific but also threatened Shenzhou's territory from two directions at once. To prevent them from converging in the northern Korean Peninsula, Shenzhou's forces had to annihilate as much of their effective strength at sea as possible.
To this end, the mobile fleet "Zhuque" undertook this national defense mission.
Developed from the "Taixu"-class, a new type of floating warship designed specifically to counter legion-scale Honkai Beasts—the "Tianshu"-class—saw its first four vessels enter naval service: the "Tianshu," "Tianxuan," "Tianji," and "Tianquan." Shenzhou had enjoyed a long period of peace. The reason its military budget could accommodate the construction of four new capital ships, aside from the escalating disaster caused by the Honkai, was also thanks to the old admiral's passionate speeches in the Privy Council.
As an old admiral who had personally experienced the [Atomic Breath], he was keenly aware of the crucial role large floating warships played as the main decisive force in large-scale Honkai wars.
The floating warships were not particularly fast.
Beyond providing long-range fire support for the navy, their primary function was to provide fleet-level protection.
This was especially vital in battles against aquatic-type Honkai Beasts.
Now, the "Zhuque" fleet, newly equipped with four capital ships, was passing through the Tsushima Strait at first combat speed in a grand and mighty procession.
This was the sea bordering the Korean Peninsula and the Yingzhou archipelago, and it was the mandatory route for the fleet to head north and provide support.
It was also... not safe.
Although the Shenzhou air force stationed on Tsushima Island had already conducted meticulous reconnaissance of the surrounding waters—the sortie frequency of the "Bifang"-class tactical support/reconnaissance aircraft had exceeded 200 per day over the last two days—the commander of the "Zhuque" fleet, Ayinuer, was still not at ease.
As the youngest admiral in the Shenzhou Navy, the only female admiral, and (a genuine Mongolian admiral), Ayinuer was undoubtedly the brightest rising star in the navy. She was tall but not slender, her face beautiful but not delicate. A long black braid was coiled at the back of her head, its end dip-dyed in seven colors with vermilion as the main shade—a custom of her people. Whether by her appearance or her rank, she was impressive enough to leave anyone in awe.
The sea was not calm.
According to the weather instruments, a super typhoon was projected to make landfall on the eastern coast of the Shenzhou mainland within the next sixteen hours.
The typhoon itself wouldn't impede the fleet's advance; the wind speeds would be greatly suppressed as they passed the Yingzhou archipelago.
However, large-scale rainfall was unavoidable.
When it hit, the "Zhuque" fleet would most likely engage the Honkai Beasts in an environment of extremely poor visibility.
Ayinuer's mood at that moment perfectly mirrored the state of the sea.
"It's too quiet."
Waves churned around the warships.
The "quiet" Ayinuer spoke of did not refer to the environment, but to the presence of Honkai Beasts. The fleet had advanced for over 180 minutes without encountering a single enemy, a highly unusual situation.
Even if an Emperor-class had summoned away the Honkai Beasts in the nearby waters, they shouldn't have vanished so cleanly and completely. Fishermen heading out to sea had a non-trivial chance of running into aquatic Honkai Beasts, let alone a fleet of this immense scale.
This was precisely why Ayinuer had ordered the fleet to proceed at first combat speed. After all, such a forced march placed a considerable drain on the warships' energy reserves.
"Alai."
"Admiral!"
A girl with a face so young she could have been a minor rushed up from behind Ayinuer in a single stride.
"Notify the four Beidou ships."
"Main cannon systems, charge. Level one combat readiness."
"Eh? The main cannons at this time... Yes, Admiral!"
The girl was clearly very close to Ayinuer, but on the admiral's bridge, her youthful disposition was quickly suppressed by the serious atmosphere. An aide-de-camp served the admiral directly. While their own rank wasn't high, they were the admiral's most trusted confidant and disciple. In the admiral's absence, they even held the authority to speak on her behalf.
Although she had received the proper training, the girl was obviously not yet accustomed to her new role and still spoke without reservation.
That is, until Ayinuer shot her a harsh glare.
"There is no room for failure in this mission."
"We must be a hundred times more careful."
After glaring, Ayinuer still offered a brief explanation.
Her seniority was still shallow, and she was well aware that the number of men more experienced and capable than her who were still just aides-de-camp was far more than she could count on one hand.
Reaching this position had been difficult enough; cultivating the next generation could not be rushed.
"Then... the ship's log?" the girl asked timidly.
"The energy loss isn't worth much. If we did everything by the book, what would be the point of us admirals? The 'Wanminyuan' probably won't fuss... No, let them find this little fault. As long as it doesn't involve life and limb, a docked salary is a small price to pay. If a real problem arises, Alai, you can just go and pawn my jewelry box. It should cover a good portion of the loss."
"Eh!? Inside there..."
"They were all gifts from others anyway, I have no use for them... Just consider it a contribution to the military fund."
"..."
The girl knew very well that Ayinuer's words were completely insincere. She had, on more than one occasion, secretly seen the admiral dressing up when she thought no one was around.
But at a time like this—
"Yes, Admiral!"
BOOM!
Just as the girl's voice fell, heavy, dark clouds, carrying a torrential downpour and thunder, pressed down from the sky.
"Bang!"
"I gave you a chance..."
"...but you're useless!"
A black serpent's tail sliced through the waves. A cyan body was viciously swatted away, crashing into the sea and sending up a massive spray.
The Honkai Beast being "educated" by Sheshe was named "Wangxiang"—an Emperor-class, sea dragon-type Honkai Beast, complete with scales, fins, horns, and webbed feet... No, in front of Sheshe, "Wangxiang" could only be called a sea serpent-type Honkai Beast.
Both possessed serpentine bodies and the power to manipulate lightning. Wangxiang was by no means weak among Emperor-class beasts, yet now it was reduced to the role of a mere follower.
Sheshe was different from Cheche.
It understood the goal of the Emperor's entire plan perfectly.
Therefore, while "urging" the other two Emperor-class beasts to attack the continent, Sheshe had brought the last aquatic-type Emperor-class with it to set up an ambush, a classic tactic of surrounding a point to strike at the reinforcements.
Destroying urban hubs was important.
But the navies were the highest priority. Weakening, or even annihilating, the maritime combat systems of the major powers—that was Sheshe's true "mission."
The "Zhuque" fleet from Shenzhou, currently heading north, and the "Izumo" fleet from Yingzhou, coming to provide support...
Both were its prey.