Two enormous yellow eyes, like searchlights, locked firmly onto Qin Yu in the pitch-black depths of the ocean.
"Boom!"
Without any warning.
The seawater instantly boiled.
A thick tentacle, as sturdy as a century-old tree trunk, carrying the pressure of thousands of tons of seawater, lashed directly at Qin Yu.
It was too fast.
Underwater, light refraction could deceive the eyes, but the terrifying water currents couldn't lie.
Qin Yu's pupils contracted sharply.
The thrusters on his S-Rank Battle Suit emitted a blinding blue flame.
"Dodge!"
He roared into the communication channel, sidestepping abruptly.
"Bang!"
The tentacle grazed his shoulder and smashed into the adjacent rock wall.
The hard seabed rock shattered instantly, stirring up clouds of dust and debris.
Qin Yu felt as if he had been sideswiped by a high-speed train.
Even with the cushioning of the S-Rank Battle Suit, half of his body went numb from the impact.
Was this an A-Class Sea Beast?
Qin Yu steadied himself, a flicker of gravity in his eyes.
On land, even an S-Rank Mutated Animal would only suffer a few broken bones from such a blow.
But this was five hundred meters underwater.
The water resistance and immense pressure multiplied the monster's every strike.
"In the water, this thing is more troublesome than S-Rank monsters on land."
Qin Yu gritted his teeth.
This was his first time fighting underwater, and the viscous feeling of being unable to exert his full strength frustrated him.
"Hiss—!!!"
The giant octopus let out an eerie shriek, the sound waves propagating through the water and making Qin Yu's eardrums ache.
It was clearly enraged.
That insignificant little creature in its eyes had actually dodged?
"Splash!"
This time, it wasn't just one.
Eight tentacles.
From all directions, like eight coiling dragons, sealed off all of Qin Yu's escape routes.
It was a net.
A net meant to grind him into mincemeat.
"Brother Qin Yu!"
Yao Qian's panicked voice came through the channel.
"Don't come over!"
Qin Yu shouted sharply.
Facing the encircling net of tentacles, he did not retreat.
To retreat was to die.
In front of such a deep-sea behemoth, exposing one's back was the most foolish act.
"System, full power to the battle suit!"
"Activate Overload Mode!"
[Warning: Overload Mode will consume a large amount of energy and place a strain on the user's body.]
"Enough talk, activate!"
Qin Yu's eyes were bloodshot.
The black battle suit on his body instantly lit up with red patterns, like flowing magma.
"Hum—"
The High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Blade sprang from his wrist, the blade vibrating so intensely it vaporized the surrounding seawater.
"Want to eat me?"
"I think you're tired of having teeth!"
Instead of retreating, Qin Yu charged forward, his thrusters roaring.
He shot like a red meteor straight into the dense net of tentacles.
"Slash!"
With a swift motion of his blade.
The seawater was sliced apart.
A tentacle attempting to wrap around his waist was cleanly severed.
Dark green blood instantly gushed out, staining the surrounding seawater.
But that was just one.
There were still seven more!
"Thud!"
A tentacle slammed hard into Qin Yu's back.
The S-Rank Battle Suit groaned under the strain.
[Warning: Back armor integrity at 85%.]
Qin Yu tasted iron in his throat, nearly spraying blood across his visor.
Goddammit, that hurt.
The force felt like being crushed by a hydraulic press.
But the pain only ignited the ferocity deep in his bones.
"Come on!"
"If I don't turn you into takoyaki today, I'll change my damn surname!"
Pushing off against the water, he twisted his body at an impossible angle.
Dodging another tentacle's crushing embrace.
He slid along the tentacle like a waterslide, charging straight toward the octopus's main body.
Close combat.
If he could get right in its face, those tentacles would lose their reach advantage!
The octopus clearly understood the human's intention.
It panicked.
The massive head jerked backward while revealing a maw filled with fangs.
"Pfft—"
A jet of ink-black venom shot out.
Instantly enveloping Qin Yu.
Vision zero.
Sensors in his battle suit blared with warnings.
[Warning: Highly corrosive toxin detected.]
[Warning: Visual sensors offline.]
"Blind?"
Qin Yu closed his eyes.
A cold smile curled his lips.
"Don't need eyes to kill you."
His psychic energy instantly expanded.
In this pitch-black abyss, his perception surpassed mere sight.
He could "see" the massive heart pulsating.
Could "hear" the blood rushing through vessels.
"There."
Qin Yu's eyes snapped open, though darkness filled his vision.
His particle blade was already aimed true.
Thruster.
Maximum output!
"Boom!"
He exploded through the water, tearing through the corrosive ink with brute force.
Closer.
Closer still.
The enormous yellow eye stared back, reflecting Qin Yu's ferocious expression.
The octopus felt fear.
It flailed its remaining tentacles in desperation.
Too late.
"Die!"
Qin Yu roared.
Gripping the particle blade with both hands, he channeled all his strength into one strike.
"Schlick—!!!"
The meter-long blade plunged deep into the giant eyeball without resistance.
But it wasn't enough.
Releasing one hand, he clawed into the eye socket's rim.
With his other hand, he viciously twisted the blade inside!
"Turn to mush!"
Brain.
Nerve center.
Instantly churned into slurry by the brutal manipulation.
"Screech—"
The octopus's shriek cut short.
The colossal body convulsed violently before its tentacles went limp.
In the seawater.
That massive life force vanished completely.
[Ding! A-Class Deep Sea Mutant Octopus eliminated.]
[Acquired: Resilient Tentacles x8 (Top-tier material).]
[Acquired: Ink Sac x1 (Special corrosive material).]
The system notification chimed.
Qin Yu gasped for air.
Red warnings flashed across his battle suit's visor.
[Armor integrity: 72%.]
"What a brutal fight."
He yanked the blade free, shaking off gore.
Only he could have survived.
Any ordinary special forces team—even fully equipped—would have been wiped out during that tentacle assault.
A-Class underwater creatures were truly terrifying.
"Brother Qin Yu!"
A small figure came rushing over.
Yao Qian threw her arms around his waist, voice trembling with tears.
"You scared me to death..."
"I thought... I thought you were going to be eaten just now."
Qin Yu looked down at the little girl's tear-streaked face inside her mask.
During the earlier battle, she had been desperately firing from the periphery.
Though her attacks hadn't caused any real damage, he had felt her sincerity.
"It's fine."
Qin Yu rubbed her helmeted head.
His voice softened slightly.
"Something of that caliber isn't worthy of eating me."
"Let's go."
"Now that the watchdog is dead, what's inside is the real prize."
Qin Yu didn't bother dismembering the corpse.
With a sweep of his hand, he stored the entire octopus carcass in his system inventory.
This was several tons of A-grade meat - enough to feed the ship's crew for a long time.
After composing themselves, the two continued downward.
Passing through the half-collapsed ruins gate, the space suddenly opened up.
No longer narrow rock crevices, but a broad passage paved with massive stones.
Strange patterns were carved on the stone pillars lining the path.
Some depicted ritual scenes, others resembled ancient biological totems.
"It's... so quiet here."
Yao Qian tightly gripped Qin Yu's hand.
Deathly silence surrounded them.
Even the sound of water currents had disappeared.
The bloodshed and fierce battle outside seemed to have no effect on this place.
Qin Yu remained vigilant.
He kept his particle blade unsheathed, ready to respond to any sudden threats.
The deeper they went, the lower the terrain became.
Yet strangely, the surrounding light grew brighter.
Not an eerie glow, but a soft, white radiance.
At the passage's end, Qin Yu stopped.
The scene before him gave even this battle-hardened veteran pause.
The path ended.
Or rather, was blocked by a transparent membrane.
A massive bubble.
Or perhaps a hemispherical energy dome.
Covering the seabed plain.
From outside, they could see seawater kept at bay.
Inside that dome...
There was no water?
"This is..."
Yao Qian's eyes widened as she cautiously poked the membrane with her finger.
"Pop."
Her finger passed through.
No resistance.
No water pressure.
"This should be an ancient Water-Repelling Barrier."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, scanning with his system's detection function.
[Unknown force field detected.]
[Air composition analysis: Oxygen 21%, Nitrogen 78%, Non-toxic.]
[Safety level: High.]
"Safe?"
Qin Yu was surprised.
In these murderous deep seas, there was actually a place with a "high" safety rating?
"Stay close."
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yu stepped through first.
Passing through the membrane felt marvelous.
Like walking through a water curtain cave.
"Splash."
Water droplets instantly rolled off their bodies.
The sensation underfoot changed.
No longer the buoyant feeling of floating in water, but actual gravity.
Qin Yu stood on solid ground.
The sound of water currents vanished from his ears.
Replaced by a gentle breeze.
Yes, wind.
At five hundred meters deep, there was actually wind.
And...
Qin Yu's nostrils twitched.
Through his mask's filtration system, he could actually smell floral fragrance.
"Heavens..."
Yao Qian followed him through.
The next moment.
She stood completely stunned.
What unfolded before them was neither a sinister ancient tomb nor a battlefield littered with corpses.
It was a sea of flowers.
The massive enclosed space spanned several football fields in size.
Luminous rocks overhead simulated soft sunlight.
The ground was carpeted with various exotic blossoms.
Some resembled blue crystals, others crimson flames, and still others pink clouds.
They swayed gently in the breeze.
Dewdrops still clung to their petals.
So beautiful it felt unreal.
So breathtaking it stole one's breath away.
In this post-apocalyptic world.
In this realm filled with slaughter, starvation, and mutated monsters.
Such a sanctuary had been preserved.
"So beautiful..."
Yao Qian murmured to herself.
As if drawn by some magical force, she unconsciously took two steps forward.
"Wait."
Qin Yu instinctively reached to stop her.
But the system panel still displayed that row of green text:
[Environment Scan: Extremely Safe.]
[No Hostile Organisms Detected.]
[No Traps or Mechanisms Detected.]
Qin Yu's hand froze mid-air.
His senses confirmed it—there were only flowers here.
Not even a single insect.
Click.
A soft sound.
Yao Qian actually pressed the release button on her battle suit.
The black faceplate retracted like flowing liquid, revealing her delicate, lovely face.
"Brother Qin Yu, the air!"
"It's fresh air!"
She took a deep breath, her face blooming with a long-lost smile.
It was a smile Qin Yu hadn't seen since the apocalypse began.
Pure.
Joyful.
Completely unguarded.
"It smells so wonderful here!"
Yao Qian cheered like a freed bird, diving directly into the flower beds.
"Wow! This flower glows!"
"This one feels so soft to touch!"
She rolled among the blossoms, her White Silk Stockings-clad calves peeking through the colorful petals.
The menacing black appearance of her S-Rank Battle Suit seemed utterly out of place in this garden.
But Yao Qian didn't care.
In this moment, she just wanted to be an ordinary girl.
Qin Yu remained standing.
Watching Yao Qian chase after floating specks of light among the flowers.
Watching her completely unclouded smile.
His taut nerves—those nerves that had been stretched tight since the apocalypse began, never relaxing even during sleep—
In this moment.
Seemed to tremble slightly.
There were no Zombies here.
No mutated beasts.
No scheming human hearts.
Only flowers, breeze, and laughter.
"Hah..."
Qin Yu let out a long breath.
He too pressed his faceplate release.
Cool air flooded his lungs, carrying a faint sweetness.
The scent of nectar.
He hadn't smelled that in so long.
Since waking up adrift at sea, his nose had been filled with the smells of saltwater and blood.
Even that massive steel warship reeked of machine oil and cold metal.
But this place.
Was like heaven.
Qin Yu walked to a blue flower and crouched down.
Gently touching the delicate petal with his finger.
It felt warm and smooth, like jade.
[Ding! Rare Plant Discovered: Deep Sea Orchid (Ornamental/Medicinal).]
[Effect: Prolonged exposure to this floral scent can gradually restore mental energy and alleviate fatigue.]
"So that's why."
Qin Yu understood.
No wonder he'd felt so relaxed upon entering.
This place was practically a natural sanatorium.
He stood up, watching Yao Qian still frolicking in the distance.
The corner of his mouth unconsciously curved into a faint smile.
The constant coldness and calculation that usually hung on his face had faded considerably.
"Fine then."
"We've been fighting for half the day."
"Since this is a safe zone, let her play for a while."
Qin Yu walked over to a flat, large stone.
He sat down somewhat lazily.
The heaviness of the S-Rank Battle Suit was still there, but he felt lighter than ever before.
Leaning against the stone, he looked up at the soft light source above.
Listening to Yao Qian's clear laughter.
His eyelids actually felt heavy.
It was the natural reaction after extreme mental tension suddenly relaxed.
Vigilance.
In this absolutely safe, soothing environment.
Quietly dissolved like melting snow and ice.
If it were normal times.
He would never allow himself even a second of distraction in the wilderness.
But this was a chamber five hundred meters under the sea.
There was that membrane blocking the entrance.
Outside was the sea area he had just cleared.
The system also showed absolute safety.
"Just rest for a while..."
Qin Yu thought.
"Just a little while."
He even took out a bottle of S-Grade Purified Water from his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and took a leisurely sip.
Watching as Yao Qian not far away picked a red flower, clumsily trying to weave a wreath.
The scene was as beautiful as a dream.
However.
Qin Yu had forgotten.
In the apocalypse.
The more beautiful something appears, the more deadly the poison it often contains.
The more comfortable the environment.
The more hidden knives lie within.
He watched Yao Qian's back, his gaze softening.
The water bottle in his hand still swayed gently.
Completely unaware.
Deep within that dazzling sea of flowers.
At the roots of those enormous blossoms, beneath the soil.
An extremely faint presence.
Was silently.
Creeping along the plant roots.
Toward the completely unsuspecting pair.