"BOOM—!!!"
With Qin Yu pressing the red button, a dull tremor reverberated from the ship's hull.
It wasn't the sound of an explosive detonation.
It was the roar of high-pressure water compressed to its limit in an instant, then ejected like a cannonball fired from its chamber.
The "Deep Sea Specter" water cannon.
Since this thing carried the word "specter" in its name, its specialty was insidious and ruthless.
It didn't fire solid warheads, but high-density "water mines" compressed by a special force field.
In the water, this thing was an invisible reaper.
On the screen.
Around the red dot representing the S-class giant serpent, clusters of white bubbles suddenly erupted.
Even through five hundred meters of seawater, even just through radar imaging.
Li Ruobing could sense the terrifying, chaotic turmoil at the ocean floor.
"Hit!"
Li Ruobing stared intently at the screen, her palms drenched in sweat.
"That's a hit?"
Yao Xue, who had just finished checking her sister's condition at the doorway, now ignored any awkwardness, her beautiful eyes fixed tightly on the console screen.
"It's not over yet."
Qin Yu sneered, his fingers flying across the control panel.
"One shot isn't enough."
"Since we're treating it to a feast, we have to make sure it's full."
"Five more shots!"
"Fire!"
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Five consecutive dull thuds echoed from the ship's hull again.
At the ocean floor.
The once majestic and silent black palace was now in complete chaos.
The first water mine exploded right beside the altar.
The massive shockwave blasted the serpent's tail, which hadn't fully coiled up yet, into a bloody, mangled mess.
The defensive power of an S-class creature was truly terrifying.
If it were ordinary steel, it would have been pulverized by now.
But the giant serpent's scales were only shattered in a large area, oozing dark blue blood.
"Hiss—!!!"
Though no sound could be heard.
The sonar waveform displayed on the radar had turned a deep, purplish red.
It was a sign of extreme agony and fury.
It was the overlord of this sea region.
For who knows how many years, it had tyrannized these depths, always preying on others. When had it ever been humiliated like this?
Immediately after.
The remaining five water mines arrived.
No blind spots.
Saturation bombing.
"Rumble—"
This time, the ocean floor boiled over.
Sand, silt, rubble, and the half-collapsed ruins of the palace were churned into a massive vortex by the violent currents.
The hundred-meter-long giant serpent thrashed like a loach tossed into a washing machine.
Dazed and disoriented by the blasts.
Its scales fell like rain.
Pain!
Excruciating pain!
It couldn't locate its enemy.
All around were those invisible, intangible water mines that exploded on contact.
It panicked.
And went mad.
In its walnut-sized brain, only one thought remained.
Above!
The attack came from above!
As long as it charged upward, smashed that iron shell floating on the surface, it could devour every insect inside!
"Beep beep beep—!!!"
The control room was instantly filled with piercing alarm sounds.
Red dots began moving frantically across the screen.
So fast they left afterimages on the display.
"It's coming up!"
Li Ruobing's voice cracked with tension.
"It's too fast!"
"Fifty meters per second... no, eighty meters!"
"It's going to ram the ship!"
Li Ruobing whirled around to face Qin Yu, her face pale as a sheet.
A Class S giant serpent.
One hundred meters long, weighing hundreds of tons.
Combined with the terrifying kinetic energy from its ascent from five hundred meters deep.
If this impact connected...
Not just this expanded raft, but even a real aircraft carrier would be pierced through!
"Qin Yu! Evade now!"
"Hard to port! Quickly!"
Li Ruobing rushed toward the helm, ready to take control.
"Don't move."
A large hand rested firmly on her shoulder.
Steady as Mount Tai.
Qin Yu showed no panic on his face, instead wearing the mocking expression of a hunter watching prey fall into a trap.
"Evade?"
"Why would we evade?"
"I used so much energy to blast it up here just to let it escape?"
Qin Yu lit a cigarette.
Took a deep drag.
Through the swirling smoke, his eyes were sharp as blades.
"Underwater, it's a dragon."
"But on the surface."
"It's just a worm."
"Li Ruobing, watch closely."
"Today I'll show you why our ship deserves to be called 'President'."
As the words fell.
Qin Yu yanked down the red lever at the far right of the control panel.
"Clank clank clank—"
A grating metallic screech came from the deck.
The previously smooth wooden deck suddenly split open like a transformer.
Ten dark launch ports rose from both sides of the ship.
Each barrel was as thick as a man's thigh.
Gleaming with an eerie blue metallic sheen.
These were Class A "Storm" Six-Barreled Heavy Close-In Weapon System Turrets.
While single-shot power couldn't match S-class weapons, they excelled in rate of fire and firepower.
Ten turrets firing simultaneously could shred a main battle tank to pieces in three seconds.
But this wasn't the main event.
"Boom!"
At the ship's bow.
A menacing, sci-fi styled twin-barreled cannon slowly rose.
With a barrel diameter exceeding half a meter.
S-class Mechanical Guardian—Deep-sea Guardian!
"It's here!"
Yao Xue, who had been watching through the window, suddenly shouted.
The seawater around the ship began churning violently like boiling water.
A massive shadow rapidly expanded beneath the surface.
Seawater was pushed up by a terrifying force, forming a dome dozens of meters across.
Then.
"Crash—!!!"
The sea surface exploded.
An enormous black snake head burst through the water, sending spray everywhere along with a foul, fishy stench!
So massive.
Its head alone was the size of a truck.
Those crimson vertical pupils fixed intently on the ship, filled with brutality and killing intent.
It opened its gaping maw.
Two sickle-like fangs dripped with viscous venom.
"Hissss—!"
A furious roar.
The sound waves made the ship's windows vibrate loudly.
The giant serpent didn't hesitate.
Using the momentum from its emergence, it lowered its horned head like a battering ram and slammed violently toward the ship's hull!
Even from dozens of meters away.
The crushing, mountain-like pressure made Li Ruobing and Yao Xue feel suffocated.
This is the end.
Such a massive monster.
Can we really block it?
"Now."
The cigarette ash at the corner of Qin Yu's lips finally fell.
He heavily pressed the firing button.
"Blast it to hell!"
"Turn it into Swiss cheese!"
"BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG——!!!"
Ten A-grade cannons fired simultaneously.
The sound merged into a continuous roar, like hundreds of pile drivers thundering in one's ears.
Dense tongues of fire instantly wove together into a net of death.
Bullets poured down like a storm, mercilessly pounding the giant serpent's head.
"CLANG CLANG CLANG!"
Sparks flew everywhere.
The scales, which had demonstrated incredible defensive capabilities underwater, finally couldn't withstand such close-range, concentrated firepower.
"THUD THUD THUD!"
Blood sprayed out.
Every bullet tore a fist-sized hole in its body.
The serpent's forward momentum was forcibly halted by this terrifying Metal Storm!
It thrashed its head wildly in agony.
Trying to evade the dense rain of bullets.
"Trying to dodge?"
"Too late!"
Qin Yu's eyes turned cold.
He gripped the massive control lever with both hands and twisted it violently.
The fully charged "Deep-sea Guardian" at the bow instantly locked onto the serpent's vital spot with its dark cannon barrel.
"S-grade against S-grade."
"Let's see whose head is harder—yours or my cannon!"
"Farewell!"
"BOOM——!!!"
A blinding red beam shot out from the cannon muzzle.
The entire ship lurched downward from the massive recoil.
The sea surface rippled outward in concentric circles.
The beam was too fast.
The serpent had no time to react.
Or rather, its enormous size made it the perfect target at that moment.
"SQUELCH!"
There was no explosion.
Only the sickening sound of flesh being pierced.
The red beam passed through the serpent's thick scales, tough muscles, and massive spine like a hot knife through butter.
It emerged cleanly from the other side of its body!
The intense heat instantly carbonized the flesh around the wound.
Not even a drop of blood spilled out.
The serpent froze mid-motion.
Its raised head remained locked in an attacking posture.
The savage glow in its crimson eyes rapidly faded.
Replaced by...
Confusion.
And fear.
It couldn't comprehend.
How could this small metal shell unleash power more terrifying than lightning?
"CRACK."
A crisp bone-snapping sound echoed.
The serpent's massive body split at its vital spot.
Its enormous head drooped powerlessly.
"CRASH!"
It slammed heavily onto the sea surface.
Sending waves dozens of meters high.
Then.
The hundred-meter-long body went limp like overcooked noodles, floating lifelessly on the waves.
Inky blue blood finally gushed out.
Instantly darkening a large expanse of the sea.
Deathly silence fell.
Only the sound of waves against the hull and the sizzling of cooling cannon barrels remained.
In the control room.
Li Ruobing's jaw hung open in disbelief.
She stared blankly at the colossal corpse floating outside.
Her mind went completely blank.
Just like that... it's dead?
That was an S-grade sea beast!
In her understanding, encountering such a monster meant almost certain death.
Even the top-ranked expert would probably avoid confronting it.
But now...
In Qin Yu's hand.
The thing resembled an oversized earthworm.
In less than a minute.
It was blasted to smithereens.
"This... this firepower..."
Li Ruobing swallowed with difficulty, turning to look at Qin Yu as if he were a monster in human skin.
"How many more treasures have you been hiding?"
Yao Xue remained silent.
But her knuckles turned white as she gripped the doorframe.
Astonishing.
Truly astonishing.
As a doctor, she was accustomed to life and death.
But this kind of pure, violent, overwhelming slaughter was something she was witnessing for the first time.
She looked at the man sitting calmly in his chair, flicking cigarette ash.
The resentment she had felt over her sister being "bullied" instantly vanished without a trace.
Replacing it.
Was an unprecedented sense of security.
In this apocalyptic world.
Only a man like this could survive.
Only a man like this could protect those around him.
She and her sister...
Had chosen the right person.
"Brother Qin Yu... you're amazing..."
Yao Qian had somehow made her way over.
Though her legs were weak and she still felt somewhat shy.
Her eyes were now filled with sparkling admiration as she looked at Qin Yu.
It was worship.
Fanaticism.
Like a believer seeing their true deity.
"Already stunned by this?"
Qin Yu extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray.
Stood up and stretched.
His joints crackled with a series of pops.
"Just standard procedure."
"Stop standing around."
"Let's get to work."
Qin Yu pointed at the massive snake corpse outside.
"This is S-grade mutated beast meat."
"Along with its hide and that horn."
"All top-tier materials."
"Li Ruobing, take some people to dissect the corpse."
"Be careful of the fangs."
After speaking.
He turned to Yao Xue.
"You're a doctor, go check if the snake's gallbladder is still intact."
"That thing is highly nourishing."
"Perfect for strengthening Yao Qian's health."
Yao Xue's face flushed red as she glared at him.
Strengthen her health?
How could he say that so shamelessly!
But she understood the importance—the snake gallbladder was absolutely a rare treasure.
"Understood."
Yao Xue pulled her still-dazed sister along.
"Stop staring, you're drooling."
"Come with me to work."
The deck became busy again.
The two laborers, though still trembling with fear, had their eyes turn green with greed at the mention of dissecting an S-grade sea beast.
Meat of this grade—even a single bite could boost one's strength.
Who would dare slack off?
Qin Yu didn't go out.
He sat back down at the control panel.
Watching the screen where the red dot had stopped blinking.
And.
At the spot where the red dot vanished, the golden light point still hovered silently in the center of the underwater palace.
That was the true prize.
The S-grade Ocean Stabilizing Pearl.
The guardian beast was dead.
Now, it was unclaimed.
"T-X, activate deep-sea salvage mode."
"Suction that pearl up for me."
Qin Yu had no intention of diving down again.
Who knew what other surprises might be lurking down there.
[Command confirmed.]
[Salvage arm activated.]
[Target locked: S-grade Ocean Stabilizing Pearl.]
Accompanied by the sound of machinery operating.
A slender mechanical arm extended from the ship's Terminal base, probing deep into the seabed.
Ten minutes later.
When the pearl emitting a soft blue glow was grasped by the mechanical arm and brought onto the deck.
The entire deck was illuminated by its gentle blue light.
A cool, tranquil aura instantly spread through the air.
The previously restless atmosphere, tainted by the scent of blood, immediately calmed down.
Even the sound of the waves seemed to grow quieter.
"Is this... an S-class treasure?"
Li Ruobing walked over, holding a disassembling knife, her body covered in blood.
Her eyes were fixed intently on the pearl.
"So beautiful..."
Qin Yu stepped forward.
He reached out and picked up the pearl.
It felt cool to the touch.
But not piercingly cold.
Instead, it had a smooth, jade-like warmth.
A strange energy flowed from his palm throughout his entire body.
The fatigue from the earlier battle instantly dissipated considerably.
[Ding! Obtained: S-class Ocean Stabilizing Pearl (Incomplete).]
[Bind to the ship immediately?]
"Bind."
Qin Yu didn't hesitate.
[Binding successful!]
[Current ship has acquired the trait: Sea-Stabilizing.]
[Within a 1000-meter radius centered on the ship, sea turbulence is forcibly reduced by 5 levels.]
[Ship stability increased by 200%.]
[Underwater defense increased by 100%.]
"Hum—"
A visible blue ripple spread outwards from the President, centered on the ship.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The previously turbulent sea surface, after being swept by the ripple,
Instantly calmed down.
It was like a piece of blue cloth that had been ironed smooth.
Without a single wrinkle.
The ship itself became as stable as if it were on land.
The shaking caused by the earlier battle completely vanished.
"Oh my god..."
Li Ruobing felt the stability beneath her feet.
She was utterly stunned.
Was this still drifting at sea?
It was like taking a stroll in her own living room!
"Is this... a miracle?"
The Tattooed Arm Man dropped the knife in his hand.
He knelt on the ground, about to kowtow.
This ability was beyond their comprehension.
Qin Yu felt the steadiness under his feet.
He nodded in satisfaction.
This was the base he wanted.
No matter how fierce the storm outside raged.
He would remain unshaken.
"With this thing,"
"Even the fiercest storm,"
"I can just lie back and ride it out."
Qin Yu toyed with the pearl in his hand, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"Stop standing around."
"Hurry up and clean up."
"This place reeks too much of blood; it'll attract other pests."
"After we're done, we'll eat."
"Tonight, it's an all-snake feast!"
"Wow! Long live Brother Qin Yu!"
Yao Qian was the first to cheer.
Although she still felt a bit unwell, her foodie instincts instantly awakened at the mention of a delicious meal.
Yao Xue looked at her carefree younger sister and shook her head helplessly.
But the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled into a slight smile.
An all-snake feast?
It sounded... pretty good.
In these apocalyptic times,
It seemed like there was really more and more to look forward to.
Qin Yu stood at the bow of the ship.
Facing the sea breeze.
Watching everyone busy at work, gazing at the calm sea.
The grand plan in his heart grew a little clearer.
But this wasn't enough.
This was only the beginning.
In that underwater palace, aside from this pearl and that sea of flowers, there were surely other secrets.
Once the ship was upgraded further,
Once his strength grew a bit more,
He would eventually turn this entire sea area upside down.
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