Qin Yu held Yao Qian as they streaked through the deep seabed like two black bolts of lightning.
The blue exhaust flames from their thrusters drew two long trails of light in the pitch-black waters.
Passing through that eerie and enchanting barrier of flower fields.
Ahead stood a true underwater palace.
Unlike the broken stone pillars at the periphery.
The structures here were entirely forged from an unknown black metal.
Though silent for countless years, they still emanated a suffocating pressure.
They showed no signs of rust from seawater erosion.
Instead, they remained bright as new.
"Brother Qin Yu... there's something glowing over there."
Yao Qian nestled in Qin Yu's arms, pointing through her faceplate toward the center of the palace.
He didn't need her guidance.
Qin Yu's gaze had long been fixed on that spot.
On the black altar at the palace's center.
Hovered a fist-sized pearl.
Completely dark blue in color.
The surrounding seawater formed a strange vacuum zone around it.
Though clearly present, it seemed to exist outside this space.
[Ding! S-grade special treasure detected!]
[Name: Ocean Stabilizing Pearl (Damaged)]
[Grade: S-grade (Repairable)]
[Functions: 1. Can create an absolutely stable 1000-meter diameter area in the ocean, immune to storms. 2. Increases all user's underwater attributes by 200%. 3. Can manipulate small areas of seawater for attack/defense.]
[Note: It is the eye of the ocean, the bane of storms.]
Qin Yu's breath hitched for a moment.
S-grade!
Ocean Stabilizing Pearl!
This was practically a divine artifact.
With this thing.
His "President" could remain as steady in a category 12 hurricane as in a bathtub.
"I must obtain it."
The greed in Qin Yu's eyes was unmistakable.
He adjusted his posture, holding Yao Qian as he prepared to charge toward the altar.
However.
Just as he was within 100 meters of the altar.
[Warning! Warning!]
[Extremely dangerous life signs detected!]
[Danger Level: BOSS-grade!]
Red warning frames frantically flashed before his eyes.
Immediately after.
The black altar moved.
No.
That wasn't an altar.
It was a head.
An indescribably massive black head.
"Rumble—"
The seabed seemed to experience an earthquake.
The previously silent palace instantly filled with swirling sediment.
The colossal creature that had been lurking in the palace's shadows slowly raised itself.
It was a giant serpent.
Or rather, a mutated underwater dragon.
Over 100 meters in total length, each of its scales was the size of a millstone, gleaming with metallic coldness.
On the enormous serpent head grew a single horn.
Electric arcs danced along the horn.
Those crimson vertical pupils coldly regarded the two intruding ants.
This was a true BOSS.
Far more powerful than the previous octopus.
That octopus was merely a gatekeeper.
But this creature.
Was the imperial guard commander of this underwater palace.
"Hiss—!!"
The giant serpent opened its mouth.
No sound emerged.
But a terrifying shockwave mixed with foul-smelling water slammed into them.
"Shield!"
Qin Yu reacted instantly.
The S-Rank Battle Suit's energy shield activated immediately.
"Thud!"
A muffled impact sounded.
Qin Yu, holding Yao Qian, was sent flying backward dozens of meters as if struck by a cannonball.
He crashed hard against a metal pillar.
[Shield energy decreased by 30%.]
Qin Yu tasted blood in his throat.
Damn.
Just one roar nearly broke through his defenses.
If that electrified horn actually struck him, or if that tail whipped him...
Even if he didn't die, he'd be stripped of a layer of skin.
"Brother Qin Yu..."
Yao Qian's face was deathly pale as she clung tightly to Qin Yu's arm.
"It's so big... so terrifying..."
Qin Yu steadied himself, his gaze icy as he stared at the giant serpent.
Fight?
They could fight.
He still had several trump cards up his sleeve.
Moreover, the S-Rank Battle Suit's "Overload Mode" hadn't been pushed to its limit yet.
If he went all out, he had about a sixty percent chance of killing this beast.
However.
Qin Yu looked down at Yao Qian trembling in his arms.
The young woman had just experienced her first time and hadn't fully recovered yet.
Although her S-Rank Battle Suit had decent defensive capabilities, it would be difficult to guarantee complete safety amid the collateral damage from a battle of this level.
Once the fight started.
This palace could collapse at any moment.
If that happened, he'd be hard-pressed to protect himself, let alone her.
Risking his woman for a single pearl.
This deal.
Wasn't worth it.
"We're not fighting."
Qin Yu made the decisive choice.
He was crazy, but he wasn't stupid.
"Let's retreat first."
Using the recoil, Qin Yu activated his Thruster at full power.
Without any hesitation.
He turned and fled immediately.
The giant serpent clearly hadn't expected these two ants to run away so decisively.
It paused in surprise.
Then it angrily twisted its massive body, attempting to pursue.
But its size was too enormous.
In this palace ruin filled with obstacles, simply turning around became a cumbersome task.
"Boom! Boom!"
It shattered several pillars.
But Qin Yu had already slipped away like an eel, escaping beyond the palace boundaries.
...
The ascent.
Was much faster than the descent.
Qin Yu practically pushed the battle suit's power to its maximum.
"Brother Qin Yu, aren't we taking that pearl?"
Yao Qian's timid voice came through the communication channel.
She could tell Qin Yu really wanted that thing.
"We are."
Qin Yu's voice remained steady.
"Nothing I want has ever escaped my grasp."
"But bringing you along is inconvenient."
Yao Qian bit her lip.
Feeling guilty.
"Sorry... I'm just a burden..."
"Shut up."
Qin Yu looked down at her through his visor.
"You're my woman."
"What do you mean by burden?"
"This is called a strategic retreat."
"After I send you up, I'll come back down to deal with it."
"Besides."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Qin Yu's mouth.
"Who says you have to fight monsters in close combat?"
"That's what barbarians do."
"I have more efficient methods."
As he spoke.
The light above grew increasingly brighter.
The ink-black seawater gradually turned deep blue, then azure.
"Splash—!"
Huge sprays of water erupted on the ocean surface.
Two black figures burst out of the water.
Landing directly on the extended elevator platform of the President.
"They're back!"
Li Ruobing, who had been waiting on the deck, finally felt her anxious heart settle when she saw this.
She quickly called out to the Tattooed Arm Man beside her.
"Hurry! Pull the platform up!"
With the sound of the winch turning, Qin Yu and Yao Qian returned to the solid deck.
"Hiss."
The sound of pressure release echoed as Qin Yu removed his face shield. He took a deep breath of the salty sea air. Though not as sweet as the air in the underwater garden, it was refreshing.
He casually unfastened the clasps of his battle suit and strode off the platform.
Meanwhile, Yao Qian behind him moved somewhat sluggishly. She fumbled as she removed her face shield. Her originally neat twin tails had come loose, and her hair now clung messily to her face. Her cheeks were flushed red, like ripe apples. Her eyes darted around, avoiding everyone's gaze—especially when she spotted the tall, aloof figure in a white lab coat standing ahead. She flinched and shrank back timidly.
"Si... sister..." Yao Qian murmured softly.
Yao Xue stood with her arms crossed, the sea breeze lifting the hem of her coat to reveal her signature Black Silk Stockings-clad legs. Her gaze swept over Qin Yu and Yao Qian like a precise X-ray machine.
Qin Yu remained composed, even carrying a hint of post-exertion vitality. He nodded at Yao Xue.
"Back in one piece. No missing limbs."
With that, he walked past Yao Xue and headed toward the control room.
"Li Ruobing, come with me to the console. Time to work."
Li Ruobing paused, glanced at the tense sisters, then promptly followed Qin Yu.
On the deck, only the Yao sisters remained, along with two perceptive laborers who were now frantically scrubbing the deck, pretending not to exist.
Yao Qian continued to dawdle, one foot just stepping out of her battle suit's leg armor.
"Ouch..." She frowned, her knees buckling slightly as she nearly collapsed to the deck. Her legs ached terribly, as if she had run a marathon. And that certain area... burned with a stinging pain.
A steady hand caught her—Yao Xue's. Her grip was cool and firm.
"Can you walk?" Yao Xue's tone was neutral, betraying no emotion. But the calmer she sounded, the more anxious Yao Qian grew.
"Y-Yes... I can walk..." Leaning on her sister's support, Yao Qian managed to pull her other foot out. But as she stood, her posture turned awkward—her legs unable to close properly. She wobbled like a newborn duckling taking its first steps.
This was clearly not the result of an injury. As a chief physician with over a decade of clinical experience at a top-tier hospital, Yao Xue would have lost her license if she couldn't recognize the signs. Under a doctor's keen observation, nothing could be hidden.
Supporting her sister, Yao Xue's gaze lingered for a moment on Yao Qian's unsteady legs before lifting toward the control room. Her eyes settled on the man's upright silhouette, a flicker of complexity in her expression.
Anger? A little—the instinctual reaction of seeing one's "cabbage get trampled by a pig." But more than that, there was resignation... and a trace of relief.
In this world where each meal was uncertain and death could come at any moment, chastity was a luxury of peaceful times. Here, mere survival—and surviving under the protection of someone strong—was itself a blessing.
Yao Qian, that foolish girl... gentle to a fault and carefree by nature. If she hadn't met Qin Yu, if she had ended up with another captain...
She would have long been toyed with to death and thrown into the sea as fish food.
As for Qin Yu...
Though his methods were ruthless and he was no gentleman,
He protected his own.
Yao Xue saw this clearly.
Entrusting her sister to him
Was far better than leaving her to those beasts worse than animals.
"Sis..."
Seeing her sister remain silent, Yao Qian grew even more frightened.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I... I was wrong..."
"Wrong about what?"
Yao Xue withdrew her gaze and looked at her disappointing younger sister.
She sighed.
Pulling a pack of wet wipes from her pocket, she wiped the tear stains and grime from Yao Qian's face.
"I... I shouldn't have..."
Yao Qian stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
"Enough."
Yao Xue cut her off.
Her tone softened slightly.
"Does it hurt?"
Yao Qian froze.
Her face instantly flushed red to the tips of her ears.
Like a boiled shrimp.
"A little..."
She buried her head in her chest, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
Yao Xue said nothing more.
She just tightened her grip on her sister's arm.
"Let's go back to the room."
"I'll check you over."
"See if there are any tears."
"If there are, we'll need to apply medicine."
Yao Xue's words were professional and blunt.
So blunt that Yao Qian wished she could vanish into the ground.
"Sis! Stop talking!"
"There are people here!"
Yao Qian sneakily glanced at the Tattooed Arm Man in the distance.
Fortunately.
The two men looked as if they wanted to shove their heads into the deck seams, not daring to glance their way.
"What are you afraid of?"
Yao Xue snorted coldly.
"If you've done it, don't fear others talking."
"Since you've chosen to be with him,"
"You must be prepared to be the captain's woman."
Yao Xue supported her sister, step by step, toward the cabin.
As they passed the wheelhouse,
She paused for a moment.
Her gaze cooled as she looked at the figure busily working at the control panel inside.
"This debt,"
"I'll settle with him later."
"He has no sense of restraint."
...
Inside the wheelhouse.
Qin Yu sneezed.
"Achoo!"
He rubbed his nose.
"Who's cursing me?"
"Must be your bandit ways—even the fish in the sea can't stand it."
Li Ruobing rolled her eyes beside him.
Though she didn't know exactly what had happened below,
Judging by the state of the Yao sisters earlier
And Qin Yu's smug, spring-breeze expression,
It didn't take a genius to guess.
What good could a lone man and woman do together for hours below deck?
But she was smart.
In matters like this,
See through, but don't expose.
"Enough nonsense."
Qin Yu was now fully in combat mode.
He rapidly input commands on the control panel.
On the screen,
A massive three-dimensional map was generating.
It was the terrain map of the palace he had recorded below.
A red dot
Represented the S-grade giant serpent.
It still coiled around the altar, seemingly having let its guard down after Qin Yu's escape.
"Good."
"Since that beast has thick skin and physical attacks are ineffective,"
"Let's give it some chemotherapy."
Qin Yu's finger traced a path on the screen.
It was the predetermined course for the "Deep Sea Specter."
Not to attack,
But to self-destruct.
"I will have that pearl."
"Whoever stands in my way,"
"Gets blown up."
Qin Yu turned to Li Ruobing.
"You handle the radar. Monitor the snake's movements in real time."
"If it moves more than a hundred meters from the altar,"
"Report to me immediately."
Li Ruobing stared at the terrifying red dot on the screen.
Then she glanced at Qin Yu's composed expression.
She couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Are you planning to..."
"Blow it up along with that palace?"
Qin Yu grinned.
Revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.
"No."
"I'm going to blast it into sashimi."
"That snake's meat."
"Should taste better than octopus."
After speaking.
Qin Yu forcefully pressed the red launch button.
"Deep Sea Specter, engage!"
"Target: Seabed Altar."
"Mission: Burial."
The hatch at the ship's bottom opened once more.
A pitch-black water cannon, shaped like a shark.
Silently extended into the ocean.
Qin Yu wanted to show that so-called Deep Sea Overlord.
What it means.
When times have changed.