The blueprint was stored in the system backpack.
Qin Yu was in high spirits.
With this Powered Armor and the "Kiss of Death" in hand, even without using the heavy firepower of the "President," he could dominate single combat from now on.
The sea breeze was gentle, and the sunlight was just right.
Just as Qin Yu was about to light a cigarette and enjoy this rare "apocalyptic vacation,"
a sharp, urgent alarm instantly shattered the tranquility on the deck.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
This was the alarm triggered by the radar detecting hostile targets approaching.
Immediately after, Li Ruobing's slightly hoarse yet exceptionally calm voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Qin Yu, come to the Main Control Room."
"There's a situation."
Qin Yu frowned. The cigarette he had just placed in his mouth hadn't been lit yet, and he casually put it away.
"Already? Some fool is knocking on the door so soon?"
He turned and strode toward the bridge.
Yao Qian was holding a pile of rare metals she had just traded for. Hearing the alarm, her hands trembled in fright, and the metal blocks scattered all over the floor.
"Brother Yu..."
"It's fine, pick them up."
Qin Yu didn't look back, his voice steady and firm.
"If the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
...
Main Control Room.
Li Ruobing was sitting in the leather swivel chair, her hands flying across the control panel.
Although her sitting posture looked a bit awkward—clearly, her waist hadn't fully recovered—
her peach blossom eyes were fixed intently on the holographic radar screen in front of her.
On the screen, several crimson dots were rushing toward the "President" at an extremely fast speed.
"What's going on?"
Qin Yu pushed the door open, walked directly behind Li Ruobing, and placed his hands on the back of her chair.
"Look."
Li Ruobing pointed at the screen.
"Five o'clock direction, six ships in total."
"The one in front is moving fast, but its course is erratic, as if it's damaged."
"Five ships are following behind, fanning out in a semicircle, closing in tightly."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.
This setup was clearly a typical maritime hunt.
"Didn't the system activate the 'Absolute Safe Period'?"
Li Ruobing sneered and glanced back at Qin Yu.
"The system only restricts Sea beasts from attacking people."
"It never said people can't kill people."
"During these three days of benefits, with the Resource Surge, for some, this is the perfect opportunity to kill, loot, and swallow up the weak."
"After all, stealing ready-made supplies from others is much faster than fishing for crates in the ocean yourself."
Qin Yu nodded.
True.
In this world, human hearts were more terrifying than Leviathans.
"Can we see who they are?"
"Optical zoom lock in progress."
Li Ruobing pressed a button.
The image on the large screen instantly zoomed in.
On the vast sea,
a modified sailboat, roughly only forty to fifty square meters in size, was desperately fleeing toward them, trailing black smoke.
The sailboat looked miserable.
Half of its mast was broken, and its hull was riddled with crossbow bolts and harpoons.
The stern was on fire, and several people with ash-covered faces were desperately trying to put it out with buckets.
About two to three hundred meters behind it,
five identical assault speedboats were chasing closely like hungry wolves.
The speedboat was packed with people.
Shirtless men brandished machetes, homemade shotguns, and even Molotov cocktails.
They were shouting something incessantly.
Though their words were unclear, their ferocious expressions made it obvious they weren't here for a friendly visit.
"Are they treating us as their lifeline?"
Qin Yu watched the frantically fleeing sailboat, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Of all the places to run, they had to come straight toward me."
"Aren't they just redirecting trouble our way?"
Li Ruobing also looked puzzled.
"Are these people out of their minds?"
"Our ship alone—just its size and turrets—looks like the final boss."
"Instead of keeping their distance, they dare to charge right at us?"
"Do they have a death wish?"
Qin Yu straightened up, his gaze indifferent.
"Whoever they are."
"Entering the two-kilometer warning zone."
"If they don't change course, open fire immediately."
"My 'President' is not a refugee shelter."
In this apocalyptic world, compassion was the cheapest and deadliest thing.
Though Qin Yu wasn't bloodthirsty, he had no intention of inviting trouble.
Especially not a mess like this, with someone being hunted down.
Who knew what kind of background those five speedboats had?
He wasn't afraid.
But he found it annoying.
"Understood."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Ruobing's eyes.
She was never one to play the saint.
And today, she was already in a foul mood—her morning irritability hadn't faded yet.
For these people to show up now and test her patience was like walking straight into the line of fire.
"Fully automated Hextech Matrix, charging complete."
"Fire Control Radar locked."
"Target: All vessels entering the warning perimeter."
Li Ruobing's finger hovered over the red launch button.
Just then.
A high-powered searchlight suddenly lit up on the battered, fleeing sailboat.
It flickered frantically toward the "President."
Immediately after.
A voice, amplified by a loudspeaker and filled with static and sobs, carried over on the sea breeze.
"Ship ahead!"
"Please, we beg you!"
"Save us!"
"We're willing to hand over all our supplies! Just let us board!"
"Even if it's just staying on the deck!"
"They're going to kill us all! Please, we're begging you!"
The voice belonged to a woman.
She sounded young.
But the desperation and terror in her tone were unmistakable, even across several kilometers of sea.
Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged.
He'd seen plenty of such pleas for help in post-apocalyptic stories.
More often than not, opening the door only let in a pack of ungrateful wolves.
"Ignore it."
Qin Yu ordered calmly.
"Warning shots."
"Fire a burst fifty meters ahead of them."
"If they still don't turn, the next round hits their ship."
Li Ruobing nodded.
"Understood."
"Rat-tat-tat—!"
Accompanied by the hum of electric motors spinning up.
A Hextech Defense Turret on the port side of the "President" suddenly erupted with muzzle flashes.
Six barrels rotated at high speed.
A dense curtain of bullets instantly tore through the air.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the distance, columns of seawater erupted two meters high on the ocean's surface.
Forming an impassable line of death directly in front of the battered sailboat.
The sailboat was clearly stunned by the terrifying firepower.
It slammed to an abrupt halt.
The hull swung sideways, nearly capsizing.
The voice from the loudspeaker grew even more desperate.
"Don't fire! Don't fire!"
"We truly mean no harm!"
"I'm a nurse from Blue Star Third Hospital! I know first aid! I can work for you!"
"Please, save me!"
"They're from the 'Blood Shark Gang'! They eat people!"
Hearing the words "eat people," Li Ruobing's eyes flickered slightly.
But that was all.
In this resource-scarce sea, cannibalism, though disgusting, was not uncommon.
"What should we do?"
Li Ruobing turned to look at Qin Yu.
"Should we blast them?"
Just as Qin Yu was about to say "blast," the door to the Main Control Room was suddenly pushed open violently.
"Wait!"
A slightly panicked shout came through.
Qin Yu and Li Ruobing turned around simultaneously.
They saw Yao Xue still holding a stainless steel tray with several glasses of freshly squeezed juice on it.
Her face was pale, and her glasses were slightly askew.
The usual icy composure she maintained even in the face of disaster was completely gone at this moment.
Her chest heaved violently as she stared intently at the dilapidated ship on the screen.
"What's wrong?"
Qin Yu frowned.
He rarely saw Yao Xue so flustered.
"That voice just now..."
Yao Xue's voice trembled.
She hurried to the console and grabbed Qin Yu's arm.
Her grip was surprisingly strong.
Her nails nearly dug into Qin Yu's flesh.
"Qin Yu, can you amplify the sound a little?"
"I want to hear it again."
Qin Yu looked at her, then at the screen.
Without asking further, he reached out and increased the gain on the audio receiver.
By now, the sailboat had been forced to stop.
The five speedboats behind caught up and began circling it.
The thugs on the speedboats let out wild laughter.
"Run now!"
"You bitch! Keep running!"
"You think you can reach that big ship ahead?"
"Come back with us quietly! As long as you serve us brothers well, I'll give you a bite of meat!"
On the sailboat, the woman's voice rang out again.
This time, it carried a tone of desperation and a final, hoarse roar.
"Chen Gang! You beast!"
"I'd rather jump into the sea and feed the fish than let any of you touch me!"
"Xiaoya..."
Upon hearing this, Yao Xue froze as if struck by lightning.
The tray in her hands clattered to the floor.
The glasses shattered into pieces.
Bright red juice splattered everywhere, looking like a pool of glaring blood.
"It's her..."
"It really is her!"
Yao Xue turned abruptly to look at Qin Yu.
Her usually cool eyes were now filled with tears.
Even pleading.
"Qin Yu!"
"Save her!"
"She's my best friend! My childhood confidante!"
"That's Chen Xiaoya!"
Qin Yu was momentarily stunned.
Best friend?
The odds of this were even lower than drawing an SSS-grade weapon from a lottery.
Billions of people worldwide had been cast into this endless sea.
He had thought he would never see anyone he knew again in this lifetime.
Yet, here he was, encountering one.
And it was Yao Xue's best friend.
"Are you sure?"
Qin Yu asked gravely.
"This is no joke."
"What if it's a trap..."
"I'm sure!"
Yao Xue nearly shouted.
"I've listened to her voice for twenty years! I'd recognize it even if she turned to ashes!"
"And she just said she's a nurse from Third Hospital!"
"We worked at the same hospital!"
"Qin Yu..."
Yao Xue gripped Qin Yu's arm, her body trembling slightly.
Ever since boarding this ship...
Yao Xue had never asked Qin Yu for anything before.
She had always strived to prove her worth.
Managing logistics, performing surgeries, even helping him placate other women.
She never caused Qin Yu any trouble.
But this time.
She was truly desperate.
"As long as you save her…"
"I'll agree to anything!"
"From now on, you can do whatever you want! Even if it's with Xiaoqian…"
Yao Xue bit her lip, her face pale as a sheet.
Seeing her like this, Qin Yu sighed inwardly.
He reached out and straightened her glasses for her.
Then gently patted the back of her hand.
"What nonsense are you talking?"
"Since she's your person, she's one of us."
"On my turf, messing with my wife's best friend."
"Isn't that slapping me in the face?"
Qin Yu turned around, the warmth on his face vanishing instantly.
Replacing it was a surge of overwhelming ferocity.
His gaze was colder than the sea breeze just moments before.
"Ruo Bing."
"Here."
Li Ruobing sat up straight now.
Since she was Yao Xue's best friend, she had to be saved.
This wasn't just about saving a life.
This was about upholding the dignity of the "President's" mistress.
"Surround that sailboat."
Qin Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Tell those scum on the speedboats."
"Within ten seconds."
"Get out of my sight."
"Otherwise."
"They'll all die!"
…
On the sea.
On the modified speedboat named "Blood Shark."
"Boss, that big ship ahead just sent a message!"
A lackey holding a walkie-talkie looked a bit pale.
"They… told us to get lost."
"And said if we don't disappear within ten seconds, they'll kill us."
Chen Gang was taken aback for a moment.
Then he spat.
"Pah!"
"Who are they trying to scare?"
"This is the Safe Period! The system forbids attacks!"
"If they dare fire, that's a violation! The system will punish them!"
Though Chen Gang seemed rough, he was actually quite shrewd.
It was precisely because of the "Absolute Safe Period" rule that he dared to chase and kill so recklessly.
In his view, that massive ship ahead might look intimidating.
But it was probably just a paper tiger.
Everyone here was a survivor—who would dare defy the system?
"Ignore them!"
Chen Gang waved the machete in his hand.
"Brothers, charge!"
"Grab that little bitch first!"
"If that big ship dares to move, I'll report them in the Chat Channel!"
"Go!"
Instead of retreating, the five speedboats accelerated toward the sailboat.
Howling like flies drawn to blood.
On the sailboat.
The girl named Chen Xiaoya tightly gripped something in her hand.
It was her last means of self-defense.
Watching the approaching thugs, her eyes filled with despair.
"Xue'er…"
"If there's a next life, I'll still be your sister…"
She closed her eyes and pressed the scalpel against her neck.
Just then.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted beside her.
Chen Xiaoya's eyes snapped open.
She saw the speedboat at the very front—the one where the bald Chen Gang had been—transform into a massive fireball on the sea!
It was utterly obliterated.
Not even a scream was heard.
The entire speedboat, along with the dozen or so scum on board, instantly turned into scattered fragments and a mist of blood.
Immediately after.
A second explosion, then a third…
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Four high-explosive armor-piercing shells, like the roll call of death.
Landed with pinpoint accuracy on the remaining four speedboats.
Without any suspense.
Without any struggle.
One moment, the arrogant and domineering "Blood Shark Gang."
The next moment.
Had turned into floating garbage and shredded flesh on the sea surface.
Smoke filled the air.
Waves churned.
Chen Xiaoya stood dazed on the deck, her scalpel clattering to the floor.
She looked up at the towering, mountain-like steel giant ship in the distance.
From the ship's loudspeaker.
Came a man's lazy, yet overwhelmingly domineering voice:
"Report me?"
"Go report me in hell."
"When I kill, I never check the almanac."
...
Inside the Main Control Room.
Li Ruobing whistled.
"Cool."
"The accuracy of this Hextech Matrix is even better than I imagined."
"The system didn't even give a penalty warning?"
Qin Yu glanced at the five red dots that had vanished from the radar and sneered.
"Penalty?"
"That's a rule made for the weak."
"As long as my firepower is strong enough, I make the rules."
"And besides..."
Qin Yu pointed toward the sailing ship.
"They were the ones who first assumed an attack posture against my 'ally.'"
"I'm just acting in self-defense."
After speaking, he turned to Yao Xue, who was still in a daze.
"Alright, stop crying."
"Hurry and get ready in the infirmary."
"Your friend over there doesn't look too good."
"Have Li Ruobing steer the ship over to pick them up."
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