"Boom—!"
The roar of the engine, like the furious cry of a slumbering giant beast, instantly tore through the deathly silent ice field.
The President was moving.
This steel behemoth, armed to the teeth by Qin Yu, was no longer just a ship but an unstoppable ice-field bulldozer.
The massive alloy ram at the bow, driven by full power, viciously cut into the half-meter-thick ice layer ahead.
"Crack! Crack!"
The harsh shattering sounds were relentless.
The hard ice surface shattered like thin paper before the President.
Huge ice blocks fractured, tilted upward, and were mercilessly crushed beneath the hull into the sea, stirring up clouds of white ice mist.
In the cockpit.
Li Ruobing gripped the control stick tightly.
Her knuckles were white from the force, but her beautiful eyes sparkled with irrepressible excitement.
This feeling.
Was incredible!
Back when she was surviving on a wooden sailboat, she had to carefully navigate around any floating ice, fearing that the thin wooden planks would be damaged.
If it leaked, it would be a near-certain death.
But now?
Why detour?
Just crash through!
This was the absolute confidence that power brought.
"Course due north, speed twenty knots, power output stable!"
Li Ruobing reported loudly, her voice filled with vigor.
Qin Yu sat in the command chair, holding a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee, his expression relaxed.
"Keep accelerating."
"As long as the engine doesn't blow, push the throttle to the limit."
"Yes!"
Li Ruobing took a deep breath and slammed the thrust lever all the way forward.
"Vroom—!"
The ship shuddered violently, its speed increasing once more.
The surrounding scenery flew past, snow and wind battering against the special glass with sharp, crackling sounds.
Just then.
The radar screen suddenly lit up with a dense cluster of red dots.
"Alert! Alert!"
"Massive life form signals detected three kilometers ahead!"
"Approaching rapidly!"
Li Ruobing's heart skipped a beat.
"Boss! It's a beast horde! The commotion was too loud—it drew out everything beneath the ice!"
Through the holographic screen, they could see.
The previously smooth white ice ahead bulged upward in large mounds.
Then.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ice exploded.
Hideous sea creatures burst forth.
There were mutated seals covered in sharp spines, giant crabs the size of trucks, and soft-bodied monsters with suction-cup tentacles.
Drawn by the engine's roar and driven mad by the scent of humans.
They roared and howled.
Like a black tide, they surged toward the President.
There were at least a hundred of them!
If it were any other survivor, even a top-ranked expert with an assault boat, they would have turned and fled at the sight.
But Qin Yu merely glanced over indifferently.
Took a sip of his coffee.
"Just a bunch of experience points delivered to our doorstep."
"Don't slow down."
"Crush them outright."
Li Ruobing was momentarily stunned, then her gaze turned fierce.
"Understood!"
If the boss said to crush them, then crush them it was!
The President showed no intention of evading, not even bothering to change course.
It charged straight ahead, ramming directly into the group of sea creatures.
"Boom!"
The first Mutated Seal that rushed forward had just opened its bloody maw to bite the ship's hull.
The next second.
It was instantly pulverized by the sharp Ram, turned into mincemeat.
Blood instantly dyed the bow red, not even leaving time for a scream.
Then came the second, the third...
"Crunch!"
A giant mutated crab raised its claws trying to block.
But both its body and shell were crushed beneath the dozens of tons of the ship's hull.
Green fluid splattered everywhere.
This wasn't a battle.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
"Screech—!"
The automated defense systems on both sides of the ship had long been activated.
The smaller sea creatures trying to climb up from the sides, before they could even reach the deck,
Were shot into pincushions by the waiting Crossbow Turrets.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of crossbow bolts tearing through the air was relentless.
Each bolt precisely struck the vital points of the sea creatures.
And in the air.
The S-Class Guardian "Skyhawk" now bared its fangs.
Hovering above the ship, the Twin Gauss Machine Gun beneath it spat blue tongues of fire.
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!"
The dense rain of bullets lashed back and forth through the horde like the whip of death.
The sea creatures with weaker defenses were instantly riddled with holes.
Flesh and blood flew in all directions.
Limbless torsos and severed limbs littered the icy surface.
Sitting on the back couch, Yao Qian held a bag of potato chips, watching with great interest.
"Wow! That big bird is amazing!"
"Whoosh—and that monster's head was gone!"
"Brother Yu, this is way more exciting than watching a movie!"
Though Yao Xue didn't speak, her eyes were filled with awe.
She knew Qin Yu was strong.
But she hadn't expected the ship's overall combat power to have reached such a level.
This was a mobile fortress of war.
On these apocalyptic seas, who could possibly stand in their way?
Qin Yu watched the bloody scene outside the window, his face unperturbed.
This was all within his expectations.
He had stockpiled so many supplies, drawn so many rewards.
If he couldn't even handle these small fries, he might as well find a block of tofu to crash into and die.
"Ruo Bing, turn on the wipers."
"The glass is dirty."
Qin Yu pointed at the windshield splattered with blood.
"Right away, boss!"
Li Ruobing pressed a button.
The massive wipers swung into action, combined with antifreeze washer fluid, scraping away the layer of fishy red bloodstains.
The view became clear again.
The ship crushed the last sea creature blocking its path, not slowing in the slightest as it continued charging northward.
Just then.
A crisp electronic chime suddenly echoed in Qin Yu's mind.
This sound was different from the usual lottery notifications.
Colder.
More grand.
It was the voice of the "World Will."
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Detection: The "Extreme Ice Domain" disaster will end in 72 hours.]
[To promote evolution and competition among survivors, the system will initiate the "Age of Exploration" version update.]
Qin Yu's eyes narrowed.
He set down his coffee cup.
It's here.
Finally here.
[Update details as follows:]
[1. Regional Merger: Every 20 adjacent regions will be merged and reorganized into a "Super Sea Area."]
[2. Resource Reset: Merged Super Sea Areas will refresh with higher-level resource islands, ruins, and deep-sea behemoths.]
[3. Ranking Update: All previous regional rankings will be voided, replaced by a new "Super Sea Territory Ranking."]
[4. Special Notice (Important): To increase competitiveness, after this merger, all rankings will remove the "anonymous" function! All ranked players' IDs and approximate coordinate ranges (accurate within 100 kilometers) will be updated daily in real-time!]
Upon hearing the last rule, the atmosphere in the control room instantly froze.
Li Ruobing turned her head sharply, her pretty face pale.
"Remove... anonymity?!"
"And publicize coordinates?!"
She understood all too well what this meant.
In Region 9527, everyone knew about the anonymous powerhouse and that "Li Ruobing" was ranked second.
But no one knew their locations or exactly how many resources they possessed.
That anonymity was a form of protection.
But once anonymity was removed and coordinates were disclosed,
It would be like marking a giant treasure chest in bright red on everyone's radar.
In this post-apocalyptic world without any legal or moral constraints,
This was no honor.
It was a death sentence!
"This is too ruthless..."
Yao Xue frowned, setting down the medical book in her hands.
"This is practically forcing everyone to kill each other."
"'A man's wealth is his own ruin by causing others' greed.'"
"With all the supplies we have on this ship, once our location is exposed..."
"Even if everyone just spat at us, we'd drown."
The merger of twenty regions
meant the survivor base would expand twentyfold.
Even though many had died recently,
those remaining were all ruthless characters who had crawled out of piles of corpses.
Or those predatory groups that traveled in packs.
Yao Qian lost her appetite for the potato chips in her hand.
She looked at Qin Yu with concern.
"Brother Yu.".. are we in big trouble?"
Qin Yu leaned back in his chair.
His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
The rhythm was steady and powerful, completely unfazed by the announcement.
On the contrary,
the corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc.
It was the excitement of a hunter seeing prey running all over the mountains.
"Trouble?"
Qin Yu chuckled lightly.
"For the weak, this is indeed a catastrophe."
"They'll scurry like rats in the streets, desperately trying to hide."
"But for the strong."
Qin Yu stood up and walked to the panoramic map.
Looking at the vast sea representing the unknown.
"This is a carnival."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the three women.
His eyes carried an aura of overwhelming dominance.
"Back in Region 9527, the pond was too small, with only a few big fish."
"It was hard to find anything decent to plunder."
"But now it's perfect."
"Twenty regions merged."
"All those hidden monsters, hoarding local tyrants, even lucky individuals with special talents."
"Will be forced into the open."
Li Ruobing watched Qin Yu's fervent eyes and felt a violent tremor in her heart.
She suddenly realized
she had still underestimated this man's ambition.
While others worried about being robbed.
Yet what he was thinking about... was how to rob others!
"But boss..."
Li Ruobing was still somewhat worried.
"Two fists are no match for four hands. If they join forces..."
"Join forces?"
Qin Yu sneered coldly.
"Can a flock of sheep kill a lion just by uniting?"
"Besides, removing anonymity is even better."
"Saves me the trouble of having to track them down one by one."
"If anyone dares to target me."
Qin Yu reached out and clenched his fist fiercely in the air.
"I'll trace their connection and hunt them down."
"Seize their ships, plunder their supplies, and scatter their ashes to the wind."
As soon as he finished speaking.
An intense murderous aura instantly filled the entire cockpit.
It was the presence of someone who had truly killed, seen blood, and emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Li Ruobing felt her breath catch.
Looking at the man before her, she suddenly felt a strong sense of security.
Right.
What was there to fear?
Look at this fully armed "President."
And look at that man with heaven-defying capabilities.
The ones who should be afraid are the others!
"Since the system wants to play a battle royale."
Qin Yu sat back in his chair, his eyes sharp.
"Then we'll play along properly."
"But before that."
"We need to get our hands on that S-grade treasure chest."
Qin Yu checked the radar.
They were less than fifty nautical miles from the eye of the storm.
The wind and snow around them grew increasingly fierce.
They could even see that what fell from the sky weren't snowflakes, but hailstones the size of fists.
The temperature was dropping rapidly.
Even the cockpit windows were covered in a thick layer of frost.
"Attention."
Qin Yu's voice turned serious.
"We're entering the core zone."
"Ruo Bing, activate the Full Power Shield."
"Yao Xue, check all weapon system ammunition."
"Yao Qian, bring me the Sky Eye."
The three women immediately sprang into action.
Gone was their earlier panic, replaced only by disciplined execution of orders.
"Shield System activated! Energy output at 100%!"
"Weapon systems self-check complete! Ammunition sufficient!"
"Brother Yu, here!"
Yao Qian swiftly handed over the Skyeye System.
Qin Yu looked at the Sky Eye.
Through the blinding snowstorm.
He seemed to see a massive iceberg standing silently at the very center of the storm.
And at the peak of that iceberg.
A glimmer of golden light flickered faintly.
"Found it."
Qin Yu licked his lips.
"Hold on tight."
"Final sprint."
The "President" roared once more.
Like an arrow released from its bow, it plunged headfirst into the black storm that seemed capable of devouring everything.
...
Meanwhile.
In District 9527.
Survivors in every corner were in an uproar.
The previously silent world channel instantly boiled over because of the district-wide announcement.
"Holy shit! District merger?! And removing anonymity?! The system is trying to kill us!"
"We're done for! If my meager supplies get exposed, they'll definitely be looted!"
"What's there to fear?! I've been wanting to pull off something big! District merger is good—more people, more prey!"
"Stop bragging, buddy. You might be the first to die!"
"Speaking of which... that number two ranked Li Ruobing in our district, and that anonymous guy who often sells water..."
"If anonymity is removed, won't their locations be exposed too?"
"Heh heh heh... Those are two fat sheep!"
"Especially that Anonymous guy—I heard he expanded his raft into a cruise ship! It must be full of valuable supplies!"
"Brothers! Forming a team? Once the rankings drop tomorrow, let's directly besiege Anonymous!"
"Count me in! I've long been fed up with him! Why does he get to feast while we're stuck gnawing on tree bark?"
"Plus one! Loot Qin Yu, split the supplies! Seize that Li Ruobing, and we'll take turns..."
In the shadowy corners.
Countless greedy eyes lit up because of this announcement.
The ugliness of human nature was laid bare at this moment.
They had no idea.
The "fat sheep" in their eyes.
Was currently piloting a steel warship capable of annihilating them.
Amid the storm, he bared a row of chillingly white teeth.
...
Bridge of the "President."
Qin Yu watched the frenzied messages on the world channel.
Observing the clamor to "besiege" him and "carve up" his resources.
He wasn't angry.
He even felt like laughing.
"Besiege me?"
Qin Yu closed the chat interface.
Pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
Took a deep drag.
Amid the swirling smoke.
His gaze turned as cold as the eternal ice outside.
"Good."
"I hope when the time comes."
"Your bones are as tough as your mouths."
"Otherwise."
"My 'President' might just go hungry."
Just then.
The storm outside the window intensified.
A thick bolt of lightning struck, illuminating Qin Yu's sharply defined face.
Etched upon it.
Was utter contempt for this world.
And.
The arrogance of one who stands above all.
"Accelerate!"
"I want to secure that S-tier treasure chest."
"Before the rankings are announced tomorrow."
"And then."
"Prepare a grand gift."
"For these fools who don't know their place."