The once desolate sea surface instantly became overcrowded.
At the horizon, dense clusters of black dots filled the view.
They were small boats.
Thousands upon thousands of small boats.
Like startled ant colonies, they abruptly appeared in these private waters that originally belonged to Qin Yu.
Noise.
Curses.
Screams.
Instantly converged into a massive wave of sound, exploding across the new world channel.
Qin Yu stood atop the towering bow of the "President," looking down upon these ant-like masses from his elevated position.
The sea wind whipped against his black combat uniform, making it flutter loudly.
The red wine in his glass swirled gently, crimson liquid clinging to the walls like some kind of omen.
"So many people," Qin Yu remarked indifferently.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a bone-deep indifference.
Beside him, Yao Xue had already set up the S-Class Barrett, its dark muzzle aimed directly at the large ship flying the dragon-head banner.
That was Zhang Nanhai's vessel.
Meanwhile in the command room.
Yao Qian's small hands flew across the keyboard as ten newly acquired "Black Ant" robots crawled along the ship's rails, their red electronic eyes fixed intently on the sea surface.
Above them.
The "Black Hawk" armed helicopter piloted by Li Ruobing hovered mid-air, its massive rotors churning up violent air currents that depressed the sea surface into a large concave shape.
This was their confidence.
This was Qin Yu's capital to establish himself in this chaotic world.
"Yu-ge, what's the plan?" came Li Ruobing's excited voice through the earpiece.
"These people are staring at our ship like their eyes are about to pop out."
"Should I fire a rocket to liven things up?"
Qin Yu chuckled lightly.
"Not yet."
"Courtesy before force."
"After all, we're from a prominent family - we need to maintain some decorum."
He walked to the control panel and pressed the red broadcast button.
The speaker system activated.
The next moment.
Qin Yu's lazy voice, amplified by electricity, thundered across hundreds of miles of sea surface like rolling thunder.
"Testing, testing."
"Mic check."
"You there, yes you - stop staring."
The noisy crowd on the sea surface instantly quieted somewhat.
Countless pairs of eyes, filled with shock, greed, jealousy, and fear, stared fixedly at the "President" that resembled a steel island.
So massive.
So luxurious.
Compared to their so-called "boats" pieced together from rotten wood.
This warship before them seemed like something from the future.
The black alloy armor gleamed with cold luster under the sunlight.
The towering command tower resembled a palace.
And that steel beast circling in the air.
All of this deeply stung everyone's nerves.
"Hello there, new neighbors," Qin Yu's voice sounded again, tinged with mockery.
"Let me introduce myself."
"My name is Qin Yu."
"That guy ranked first on whatever leaderboard."
The crowd immediately erupted into commotion.
"Qin Yu? He's Qin Yu?!"
"Holy shit! Is this even a ship? This is a destroyer!"
"Why?! We all crossed over together, why can he build something like this?!"
"Cheating! He must be cheating! I'm going to report him!"
Jealousy twists people beyond recognition.
Especially when the gap is so vast it drives one to despair.
Qin Yu could almost hear the sound of their hearts shattering.
The smile on his lips grew wider.
"I know you're anxious."
"But don't be in such a hurry."
"I have an announcement to make."
Qin Yu's voice suddenly turned cold, the laziness vanishing, replaced by a blade-like frost.
"Listen carefully."
"With my 'President' as the center."
"A 50-nautical-mile radius."
"Is my territory."
"In other words, a restricted zone."
Silence fell.
Then an uproar.
50 nautical miles?!
This is too domineering!
"Why?!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Did you open this ocean yourself?!"
"Exactly! We're all survivors, why do you get to claim so much space?!"
"We need to survive! We need resources! If you won't let us near, you're trying to starve us to death!"
"Brothers! Don't be afraid of him! No matter how powerful he is, it's just one ship! There are so many of us, we can overwhelm him with numbers!"
Once someone took the lead, the crowd grew bolder.
After all, there's safety in numbers.
And that ship was far too tempting.
If they could just seize it...
Even getting a single piece of scrap metal would be better than these rotten rafts!
Qin Yu listened to the clamor, not a ripple of emotion in his eyes.
Like an elephant hearing the protests of ants.
Utterly meaningless.
"Why?"
Qin Yu chuckled into the microphone.
"Because my cannons are bigger than yours."
"Because my ship is larger than yours."
"Is that reason enough?"
Dead silence.
After a brief stillness, even more frenzied curses erupted.
Qin Yu paid no further attention to their impotent rage.
He glanced at the tactical watch on his wrist.
"The time is now 1:00 PM."
"I'm giving you eight hours."
"Before 9:00 PM tonight."
"If any ship remains within my radar scan range."
"Then..."
Qin Yu paused.
His finger tapped lightly on the control panel.
"Skyhawk Guard."
"Take the stage, my beauties!"
"Vroom——!!!"
In the sky.
Besides the armed helicopter piloted by Li Ruobing.
The silver fighter jet originally parked on the ship's deck—the Skyhawk Guard—suddenly emitted a sharp mechanical whine.
The roar of its turbine engine igniting.
Immediately after.
Two armor plates beneath its fuselage snapped open.
Two six-barreled Gatling cannons slowly extended.
Their dark, gaping barrels began spinning rapidly.
"Zzzzzzzzz——"
The sound of electric motors spinning freely was enough to make one's scalp crawl.
And that wasn't all.
Along the ship's sides.
The ten "Black Ant" robots simultaneously rose.
Their red electronic eyes blazed brightly.
All missile pods on their backs opened wide.
Though only the size of basketballs.
The palpable, chilling aura of killing intent spread outwards.
"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
All weapons loaded in unison.
All muzzles aimed at the densely packed rafts surrounding them.
In that moment.
No words were needed.
This was the most direct intimidation.
This was the most naked violence.
Qin Yu's voice rang out once more.
This time, without mockery, only judgment.
"Eight hours from now."
"Firepower saturation."
"Unless you want to be fish food."
"Get lost."
That final "Get lost."
Qin Yu practically roared it out.
The sound waves rolled outward.
Making the ears of the nearest survivors ring.
The crowd was somewhat stunned.
Staring at those pitch-black gun muzzles.
Staring at the helicopter circling in the sky.
Those who had been shouting about charging forward to fight now felt like they had fish bones stuck in their throats.
Charge?
With what?
Poke armored plates with their wooden spears?
Or shoot at the helicopter with slingshots?
This wasn't even a fight on the same level.
This was a slaughter.
"He... he's serious..."
"That giant cannon on the bow... that's the real deal!"
"Run... run fast!"
Fear is contagious.
Especially when death is right before your eyes.
Some small rafts on the periphery began quietly turning around.
Though filled with ten thousand regrets.
Though drooling over that massive warship.
Life only comes once.
Nobody wanted to be the first to die.
...
Two kilometers away from the President.
On the large ship flying the black dragon head flag.
A lean, middle-aged man with sinister eyes gripped the railing tightly.
His knuckles were white from the force.
Zhang Nanhai.
Rank two after the server merge.
Nicknamed "South Sea Dragon King."
In his original server, he was the absolute overlord.
Through ruthlessness and winning people over, he had gathered over a hundred small boats, forming a massive fleet.
He originally thought this server merge would be the beginning of his world domination.
But reality.
Had slapped him hard across the face.
This slap came from Qin Yu.
"Dragon King... what do we do?"
A subordinate next to him swallowed hard, voice trembling.
"That guy... is too powerful."
"Our ballista probably couldn't even scratch his paint."
Zhang Nanhai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage and greed in his heart.
He was a smart man.
If he weren't smart, he wouldn't have survived this long, nor reached rank two.
He looked at the helicopter circling in the sky.
A trace of apprehension flashed in his eyes.
"S-class vehicle..."
"Air superiority..."
Zhang Nanhai gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth.
"What kind of insane luck did this Qin Yu have?"
"To get his hands on something like this!"
He glanced behind him.
His fleet had been scattered across various parts of the sea due to the teleportation.
Now only this flagship and a few escort vessels remained with him.
If they charged now.
That helicopter would shred them with one burst, sending them to feed the sharks.
"Endure."
Zhang Nanhai closed his eyes, calming his breathing.
When he opened them again, the killing intent in his eyes was deeply hidden.
"A wise man knows when to retreat."
"If he wants these 50 nautical miles, then give them to him!"
"Pass the order."
"Everyone, withdraw immediately!"
"Head east!"
"First, gather our scattered brothers!"
The subordinate was stunned.
"Dragon King, we're just leaving? That's an S-class warship..."
Slap!
Zhang Nanhai backhanded him, sending the subordinate spinning.
"Idiot!"
"Charging now is suicide!"
"You think I'm afraid of him?"
"Wait until I gather all several hundred ships."
"Wait until night when visibility is poor."
"Then we'll play with him slowly!"
"Even a fierce tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves."
"He only has one ship and a few people."
"I refuse to believe he can stay awake 24/7!"
Zhang Nanhai took one last look at the majestic "President."
His gaze was like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
"Qin Yu..."
"That ship will be mine."
"But your life... you'll have to leave that with me."
"Retreat!"
At Zhang Nanhai's command.
The large ship flying the dragon-head banner was the first to turn around.
It sailed at full speed into the distance.
With someone leading the way.
The psychological defenses of the surrounding survivors who had been watching instantly collapsed.
Even the second-ranked big shot had fled.
What could small fries like them possibly accomplish?
For a moment.
A spectacular scene unfolded across the sea.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of rafts began desperately paddling away.
The situation became extremely chaotic.
Several collisions even occurred.
But under the threat of those dark, menacing autocannons.
No one dared to stay.
...
Meanwhile.
On a medium-sized raft decorated in soft pink, with lace even hanging from the mast.
Yu Weiwei lay sprawled on a lounge chair, holding an exquisite monocular telescope.
She wore only two thin pieces of fabric.
Large areas of her snow-white skin were exposed to the air.
Her captivating peach-blossom eyes greedily roamed over Qin Yu's body through the lens.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"So handsome..."
Yu Weiwei licked her crimson lips.
"That physique, that aura."
"He's ten thousand times better than the trash on my raft."
She glanced at the several naked men rowing diligently behind her.
They were her "simps squad."
Usually, they seemed quite robust.
But compared to the man standing at the prow of the steel giant ship.
They were simply garbage.
"Boss, are we retreating too?"
A young man with freckles on his face approached, asking with a fawning expression.
"That Qin Yu is too fierce."
"The sound of those autocannons earlier scared me to death."
Yu Weiwei shot him a disdainful glare.
"Waste."
"You don't have even a shred of a man's demeanor."
She put down the telescope, taking one last deep look at Qin Yu.
Her gaze held not just greed, but also a desire to conquer.
"A man like this."
"Only someone like me, Yu Weiwei, is worthy of him."
"But..."
She glanced at the "Black Hawk" helicopter in the sky.
And shrank her neck slightly.
"Too violent for my taste."
"Let's retreat for now."
"Though he's handsome, he's too prickly, like a thorny rose."
"When the opportunity arises..."
"This big sister will take her time taming you."
Yu Weiwei waved her hands, adorned with red nail polish.
"Listen up, boys!"
"Set sail!"
"We're heading south!"
"I heard there are quite a few lone handsome guys over there."
"Let's go recruit a batch!"
The pink raft, accompanied by the rhythmic chants of the men, slowly turned and left the troubled waters.