The Azure Fleet
Coordinates received!
The star coordinates sent from the Arcane Council were translated and located by astrologers in the Distant Harbor, and marked on a map to pinpoint the location of the Sea Traveler, which was eventually delivered to Kang De.
At the observation deck and firing base on the central island, Kang De gazed at the enormous display screen showing the topography of the Broken Sea —a picture drawn from an aerial scan.
A huge red circle was flashing at a certain point in the southwest corner of the area, resembling the attack screen of a mobile game. That was the coordinate of the sighting of the deep-sea monster.
A Council submarine came into contact with it.
This crucial intelligence should have been investigated personally, but unfortunately, Kang De lacked the necessary underwater equipment.
The Earthling sighed, "It's a pity, let alone submarines, we can't even get our hands on sophisticated submersibles."
Not long ago, he returned to Earth again. After much deliberation, he had another private talk with Uncle Wang, but ultimately did not dare to ask the country or purchase a deep-sea diving device internationally.
Because he roughly understood what was happening on Earth.
Back in Comora, he popped up briefly, and the King excitedly told him some big news: the US military's high-frequency global communication system had consecutively released four EAM messages, and an airborne command post and a strategic submarine communications aircraft were flying around everywhere. Conspiracy theories claimed that the American Empire had lost a big black fish.
How did the king know this, and how was he so certain?
Twitter and Facebook, known for their fairness, neutrality, rigor, and unwavering principles, began deleting posts on a large scale.
"Wow, even in such democratic places like foreign countries, posts get deleted, 404 errors are displayed, and trending topics are removed."
When Kang De understood, his heart skipped a beat, and he was startled.
He then understood why the country had reacted so strongly when he returned last time to buy naval mines.
Consider Kang De's personal profile and character model analysis: a Han chauvinist, a radical youth, a self-proclaimed patriot, a nationalist, with mild racist tendencies, and also capable of teleportation, displaying terrifying combat power that currently overwhelms all superpowered individuals worldwide, and harboring deep hostility towards the free world.
This uncontrollable entity is seeking to acquire a large number of sea mines.
The American Empire lost a big black fish.
One can imagine how the higher-ups would feel if they heard about this.
--Grass.
That's a fucking Ohio ship, with twenty-four arrows, you motherfucker.
If at this moment Kang De were to jump out and say, "Hey, could you sell me a Jiaolong?"—"What would I need it for? Nothing much, the ocean is so deep, I want to go and see it."—
What does this property correspond to?
It's like a black pot that "triggered a global nuclear war" is flying everywhere, and then Kang De spreads his wings like a roc, does a 360-degree spin in the air, and then does a split, precisely burying his head in the pot.
Damn it!
Realizing what had happened, Kang De immediately fled back to the other world, never daring to mention the submersible again.
This led to a passive situation in the war, because the enemy came from the sea, a territory that Kang De could not enter—without submersibles or submarines, facing the dark, cold, and dangerous deep sea, the pitiful, weak, and helpless Terrifying Upright Ape could only helplessly drop high-yield bombs into the sea.
Kang De sighed, "Let's bomb it. There's no other way."
Welding a simple submersible directly from steel plates and then reinforcing it with the Power of the Fire Thief was indeed an idea, but the pressure in the deep sea was terrifying. Kang De would have to maintain the submersible's pressure resistance with the Power of the Fire Thief throughout the process, and he would also have to consider the upper limit of the material's strength. Under these circumstances, with unknown enemies lurking in the darkness, the risk was too great. Horus categorically rejected the idea, and Kang De was also unwilling to take the risk.
He wouldn't even dare to go to the Subnautica, so how could he dare to sit in a small iron house of a few cubic meters, sink thousands of meters into the deep sea where there's nothing at all, and wait for some big seafood to come and bite him on its own around the corner?
"Bombing plans are being developed, and the blast radius is being confirmed..."
In the target sea area, bombs are dropped in a dispersed manner, and the detonation is delayed according to the speed at which the bombs sink into the sea. This ensures that the shock wave generated by the explosion completely washes over the target sea areas of different depths and widths. This is a last resort when the exact location of the enemy cannot be determined.
He shook his head and said, "You have to take a share eventually."
Horus continued his calculations, saying, "But I must remind you, Father, that this bombing plan is based on coordinates provided by the Arcane Council..."
Kang De paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know."
Iron Son asked, "Can you guarantee its authenticity?"
"No... but the situation is urgent, and we have no way to confirm it. We can only hope they remain rational." Kang De took a deep breath. "Let's hope they still have hope."
"... I don't understand."
"I don't really understand either."
Finally, Kang De shook his head and smiled, "Let's just do our job."
"Yes."
The large platform base sounded a red alert, which was broadcast throughout the sea via loudspeakers scattered across the islands. For everyone still stranded in the Broken Isles, it was Kang De's final warning.
This means the evacuation of the Broken Isles has reached its final stage.
That was also the most dangerous moment.
"Everyone, line up and follow me! Quickly!"
Soldiers at various evacuation points shouted orders, urging the bewildered survivors to move.
All personnel registration and record-keeping operations were cancelled. Field airfields were built near the evacuation points on each island. Depending on the runway's flatness and condition, planes of all sizes carried dozens to hundreds of people into the sky. Steel wings took off like flocks of birds, soaring through the heavens.
Each aircraft is controlled by Horus's secondary program.
After takeoff, it was handed over to the program pilot and flew towards the Distant Harbor.
The mages and sorcerers stationed at various heavy fortresses on the islands, assisting in bombarding the sea monster, received orders and hurriedly withdrew. From the roaring sound in the sky, helicopters began to arrive.
The tense atmosphere and the grim atmosphere were sensed by every intelligent being. They knew that the situation had reached its most dangerous moment. Not only did the piercing alarms and the increasingly urgent evacuation confirm this idea, but more importantly, as intelligent beings, their intuition sensed an increasingly chilling terror emanating from the depths of the sea.
It's as if an ultimate predator, unheard of, unseen, and unimaginable, is awakening.
Meanwhile, three transport planes had already arrived at the sea area where the Azure Fleet was located.
The Phase Gate opened, Kang De, having received the message, appeared in the cockpit of the An-124 transport plane. He looked down and saw the vast blue sea, with the horizon stretching to the horizon in the distance, obscuring the land.
Meanwhile, in the vast ocean, a massive fleet of dozens of ships is arrayed in defense, gleaming brightly, with waves of light surging and intense elemental activity swirling in the air. This fleet, representing the pinnacle of magical industry and technology in this world, is fighting against the enemy at all costs.
Kang De, having clearly seen what was below, looked surprised and exclaimed, "Huh?"
Horus praised, "Brilliant ideas and tactics."
Amidst the vast expanse of blue water, Kang De saw white frost and snow.
The frigid frost crystals spread endlessly, freezing the brown hull of the ship.
The ships of the Azure Fleet were extremely close together, layer upon layer, interconnected.
Each magic ship exuded a frosty chill, its magic cores switching to frost mode, creating terrifyingly low temperatures that caused seawater to release salt and freeze the sea surface.
The ice spread, freezing into an ever-thicker layer underwater, encasing every ship of the Azure Fleet within it. The sea surface transformed into solid land, and the entire fleet became a sea fortress, with each ship on the outer ring serving as a sturdy wall.
Further out, the edges of the ice layer were sculpted by skilled spellcasters into a shape that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The steep slopes were as smooth as mirrors, making it difficult to gain leverage. Sea monsters that tried to rush up the ice layer could only futilely use their claws to scratch at the extremely solid ice, and then roar as they slid into the water.
Even if they managed to get onto the ice, the enemy was already on high alert.
What awaited them was neither sharp arrows nor scorching Flame magic.
It was a gale.
Quick Freeze Spell and Gale Spell, these two extremely simple spells, formed a shield and spear against the sea monster.
Any sea monsters, large or small, that rushed ashore were swept back into the sea by the raging winds. They were unable to stand firm on the smooth, sloping ice. Even the larger and stronger sea monsters lost heat and froze under the frost-laden winds before being swept back into the sea.
This is only the first layer of outer wall defense.
The outermost ring of ships forms the second line of defense, their surfaces frozen with frost and snow, extending out in dense rows of ice spikes like barricades. The warriors, positioned high above, stand ready for battle.
They defended the inner ring of magical warships and several spellcasting positions, where immense Magic Power was released and dissipated, reinforcing the ice layer, manipulating icy winds, and protecting every member of the fleet.
Frost and snow danced in the air, and blue light shimmered. This sea fortress, built on the foundation of the entire fleet, was connected by a series of ice and frost rings, resembling land. It left Zhou Yu speechless and Cao Cao in tears.
This is a tactic that would never appear on Earth; it's a spectacle created by magic, power, wisdom, and courage from another world. Kang De sighed, "Truly worthy of the Arcane Council."
He had thought that the fleet would suffer heavy losses and be doomed under the swarming attack of the massive number of deep-sea monsters, but he never expected that it would survive and achieve such a feat.
In contrast, the Broken Isles' equally well-funded Coastal Defense Fleet was almost instantly annihilated—while factors such as being caught off guard and unprepared certainly played a role, there was also a significant gap between the two in terms of equipment, tactics, experience, morale, and courage.
It's no wonder that the Starry Sky Council was so anxious after the incident, even going so far as to bow down to Kang De and promise him all sorts of benefits in order to save the fleet at all costs.
"You know what? Even I, after seeing this scene, would hesitate—such a fleet, such a powerful, intelligent, and courageous military force, should not be hopelessly and ridiculously buried here, becoming food for these ugly monsters. They deserve a better battlefield."
Kang De sighed, "But what's done is done, there's nothing we can do about it."
Horus replied, "This is not your fault, Father."
"Of course it's not my fault, I was just reflecting..." Kang De shook his head and said, "War is a cruel word. War is the most terrifying and darkest thing that mankind has ever created. The cruelty, bloodshed, ugliness, and darkness of war are like rotten soil, foul-smelling and extremely filthy. But it is precisely from this filthy and foul soil that the most brilliant and magnificent qualities of mankind are often born."
"Courage, sacrifice, fearlessness, indomitable spirit..."
At this point, the Fire Thief sighed softly, "But these beautiful and noble qualities make war seem incredibly ironic... War always stems from the greed, arrogance, and selfishness of a small group of people, or even just a few."
"The thought that these naval soldiers were put in danger because of the Council's stupidity and arrogance fills me with both absurdity and anger; they shouldn't have died here."
Looking at the ice-covered sea fortress, Kang De lamented, "It's beyond saving."
In order to remain undetected and advance in secrecy, the Azure Fleet's route avoided all islands and trade routes, meaning that there were no islands or large landmasses near the fleet's location.
This means that even if Kang De promised the Council do everything in its power to provide relief, there would be nothing it could do.
Without land, it is impossible to build fortified positions, relocate and resettle personnel, construct airports, or evacuate personnel using large transport aircraft.
Forget about evacuation, they can't even provide fire support.
Weapons from Earth, originating from fire and essentially explosive, are very effective against this seaborne enemy. However, the key issue is that explosions are uncontrollable.
While a mine loaded with explosives can certainly blast a large number of sea monsters, the shockwaves and jets generated by the explosions can not only kill a large number of sea monsters, but also shake and destroy the Frost Fortress built by the Azure Fleet. If it keeps blasting, sooner or later it will shake this sea fortress to pieces, killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of its own.
Therefore, unless all the sea monsters in this area are wiped out, the Azure Fleet has no chance of survival.
Because spellcasters will eventually tire, magical artifacts will eventually run out of energy, and magical cores will eventually overload and break down... They can hold out for a while, but not forever.
Kang De shook his head and said to Horus, "Open the rear hatch and let them out."
"Yes."
Then came the roar of mechanical transmission, followed by a gust of wind, the cabin lights coming on, and Iron Son's voice echoing throughout the compartment. "Liaison officer, you can jump now."
Kang De walked into the cargo hold, and several spellcasters stood up.
They came from the Azure Fleet and were ordered, and volunteered, to serve as liaisons, as the rescue operation required liaisons; they were to build a bridge of communication between Kang De and the Azure Fleet.
"Your Highness Kang De!"
The spellcasters bowed to the Dragon of Cathay, their expressions somewhat subtle.
Kang De knew perfectly well what was going on, and said calmly, "Hate me?"
They already knew the whole story.
Kang De refused the Council's request.
Between the Azure Fleet and the tens of thousands of civilians on the Broken Isles, Kang De chose the latter.
The lead spellcaster whispered, "I don't know... I really don't know."
Kang De patted him on the shoulder. "Fate is unpredictable, and things in life are rarely perfect. All you can do is act with integrity and follow your heart, and have a clear conscience. It doesn't matter if you don't understand; just do what you should do."
"... Um."
At Horus's instruction and urging, the three spellcasters gave Kang De a deep look, then turned and ran a few steps before leaping out of the open rear hatch and soaring into the sky.
The flight suits opened, the wind array lit up with runes, magic power circulated, and the Flight Spell harnessed the gale as the three spellcasters roared down toward the white fortress amidst the surging blue waves.
A red Magic Power signal rose from the center of the fortress; the fleet had already spotted the giant steel bird in the sky and sent a friendly landing signal to the spellcasters descending from above.
Watching the liaison officers descend steadily until they landed safely, Kang De slowly exhaled. "Get ready to receive the evacuees..."
A few minutes later, the communication connection was established, and the spellcaster's voice rang out in the cabin.
"Kang De Highness," he said, "The fleet commander has rejected our evacuation proposal."
Kang De frowned and asked, "Didn't he receive orders from the Council?"
"Received," the mage replied. "But His Excellency the Commander said that unless there is a perfect and comprehensive evacuation plan to remove all fleet members, the so-called evacuation is nothing but a despicable and shameless escape. He refuses to carry it out and will not allow any fleet member to leave."
Hold.
Kang De said, "I understand. I'll go down and get you right away. Let the Council continue arguing with him..."
Before he could finish speaking, the volunteer liaison officer from the Azure Fleet said, "Wait a moment, Your Highness, the Commander would like to speak with you for a few minutes. Would that be convenient for you?"
"OK."
Kang De's motivation and sole motivation for rescuing the Azure Fleet was to extend a helping hand to the innocent. He would not change his mind because of the Council's stupidity and arrogance. However, if the Azure Fleet refused to provide assistance, he would not offer his help in return. If they were unwilling to evacuate, then he would stay there.
But since they said they wanted to talk, it didn't really matter.
After agreeing, an unfamiliar voice came through the communication channel. "Just speak into this? It works quite well, much more convenient than a short-range communication magic device—is this Prince Kang De? I am Nixiyasi, the Guardian of Secrets and commander of the Azure Fleet. It is an honor to speak with you."
It was a woman; her voice was mature and poised, suggesting she had spent a long time at sea.
Kang De replied, "Hello, Guardians of the Secrets, your tactics and strength have impressed me."
The other party responded with a pleasant laugh, "Yes, Your Highness, looking back on my more than ten years of naval service, today's battle is something I can be proud of for the rest of my life. Faced with a sudden attack and an unprecedented enemy, the unity, wisdom, courage, and obedience shown by the Azure Fleet in the critical moment, as well as the correct decisions I, as the commander, made in a short time, are all worthy of being written into poems and sung about."
Her voice was poised and confident, and she didn't seem to mind boasting at all, nor did she show any hint of pride or arrogance, as if it were simply the fairest assessment.
That must be a fascinating story.
But for this massive fleet with its glorious history, the courage and awareness shown by each individual during the crisis, and even the wisdom and decisiveness of the entire fleet from top to bottom, those great stories and shining moments, were witnessed and remembered only by the sky and the sea, besides themselves.
But perhaps it won't be long before all of this disappears.
"Perhaps no one will remember," Kang De said. "If you perish here, the world will only remember the complete annihilation of the Azure Fleet, not your final courage and fearlessness."
"I know what you're going to say, Kang De Highness. Although time has been short, I've heard about your plan, and I'm well aware of your legend and achievements. I believe you're confident you can rescue the elite of the Azure Fleet, but I must emphasize that the elite on board are not just spellcasters with magical powers."
Kang De remained silent.
"I sensed the anger of the high-ranking officials from the Council, and I also learned of your decision. The communications from the Admiralty were filled with anger and instigation; it seemed a certain senator wanted us to believe that the current predicament and hopeless crisis were all your fault. They said you would rather go and save more than ten thousand lowly people from the Broken Isles than accept the Council's friendship and goodwill..."
The commander's voice contained no anger, but rather was full of laughter.
Do you know what I thought after reading this news?
She laughed. "I was thinking, son of a bitch, finally someone thinks the same way I do. Those idiotic politicians have been playing politics for too long, all they know is math, and they think everyone else has to be a son of a bitch like them."
Kang De's expression shifted.
"So, Your Highness Kang De, do you understand my choice? I choose to stay here and refuse the Council's orders because it's an insult to me. These sons of bitches let me give orders, let me decide who in the fleet has higher value and who only deserves to stay here and wait to die, a bunch of shit!"
As she said this, her voice was filled with disdain and sarcasm.
"And that is why I refuse to leave, Your Highness Kang De."
"I am the commander of this fleet, and I am also the captain of my flagship. According to naval regulations and the laws of war, I hold a supreme and unquestionable position in this fleet. I can order the captains to clean the decks, I can whip and punish any crew member I deem deserving of punishment, I can hang them on the masts to be exposed to the sun, and I can make them sleep in the hold with pigs and sheep."
"I can even execute them, hack them to death, hang them, kick them into the sea to feed the sharks. I can do anything I think should be done to them. In this fleet, at sea, I am their god, their emperor, their master, their law. I can do anything I want, except for one thing..."
Her voice softened. "I can't abandon them and escape alone."
Kang De paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand."
The commander asked in astonishment, "You understand?"
"... What?"
"I mean, what I said... you weren't just giving me a perfunctory answer?"
Do I need to give you the runaround?
"Oh? Just as the rumors say, the Dragon of Cathay has an extreme and eccentric style, and its thinking is different from ordinary people."
Kang De, upon hearing this, said calmly, "What's strange is you."
The other party burst into laughter. "How amusing... I never imagined that the one who understands me after doing the biggest foolish thing in my life is the renowned Dragon of Cathay of China."
Kang De shook his head. "It seems you've made up your mind."
"Yes, I wrote an insulting piece that would get me thrown into the Thorn Prison and presented it to the bigwigs of the Starry Sky Council. Even if I'm rescued, I'll still be dismissed and imprisoned. That should make me make up my mind."
The commander said, "I'm very sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing."
Kang De pondered for a moment, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"What?"
"Your mind is made up, but I didn't see you jump into the sea to commit suicide. You've been holding this place, and your Magic Power has been greatly depleted. Don't you need supplies?" Kang De replied. "I also have some warming items and food. I have some here, and it won't be a problem to give them to you—would you like them?"
"Want!"
Nixiyasi was overjoyed and said, "We have enough food, but we need fuel for heating, clothing, magic crystals, potions, and various Magic Power resources. If you could send them, we would be extremely grateful!"
She thought for a moment, then decided it wasn't right to take what didn't belong to her. "I'll send a message to the Council and have them pay for the supplies and shipping... Oh, wait, your relationship with the council has become quite strained..."
The commander thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: I'll emphasize to them that if they resort to tricks or delay payment, before the Azure Fleet is conquered and destroyed by monsters, I'll hand over all the fleet's magical cores and prototype experimental magical devices to you as payment!"
He spoke without hesitation, with a sense of fearlessness.
Kang De smiled and said, "Alright, the things will be delivered in a bit."
"Thank you... but words can only express my gratitude."
At this point, Nixiyasi sighed.
Just now, high in the sky, Kang De saw at a glance that the evacuation operation was hopeless. Even with Earth's technology and industrial capabilities, it was impossible. This commander was experienced and had fought countless battles. How could he not know that the fleet was already in dire straits? Even if the Council intervened, they could only save a small number of people.
Most of the more than 10,000 soldiers in this entire fleet will be abandoned.
Since she intends to stay here and die with her subordinates, she will never have the chance to be grateful to Kang De.
Hearing the sighs on the communication channel, Kang De paused for a moment, then said, "There's no need to be so pessimistic."
"... Um?"
The Fire Thief replied, "Refusing the Council's request isn't because I don't want to save you, but because you have to wait in line. After the refugees from the Broken Isles have all been evacuated, I'll try to find a way to save you. The Council is very high, and if conditions allow, I won't let the opportunity to fleece them pass by..."
Nixiyasi gave a bitter smile, "But we can't keep going like this forever."
Kang De said calmly, "Perhaps we don't need to hold out for too long... Rescuing you doesn't necessarily require transporting you all to land; letting these sea monsters disperse will suffice."
The other party asked curiously, "How do we get them to disperse? We've tried many methods..."
Kang De interrupted her, "Killing what controls them, perhaps, will solve the problem."
These words were spoken with such certainty that they even left Nixiyasi, on the other side, speechless.
After a long silence, she laughed, "Ah, I understand now why you've won over Princess Tina, the Dragon Lady, and even the Phoenix King —even an old woman like me is a little tempted."
At this point, the Commander joked, "Kang De Highness, even after the conflict with the Council, you still went to great lengths to seek the possibility of rescuing the Azure Fleet. I don't quite understand your motives—perhaps you want to ask me out? If so, that's certainly possible."
Dream on! How could I possibly give you my first date...?
--Wait, why do I feel a sense of sadness?
The thought that Prince Kant, the legendary Kang De whom the world believed to have not only seduced Princess Tina but also the Phoenix King, had never even had a date, let alone had sex with her—filled Kang De with unbearable sorrow.
So the straight-laced man said calmly, "You don't need to. The reason I wanted to save you was just to see what kind of expression you'd have after you survived, since you thought you were going to die and had cursed the entire council."
There was a moment of astonishment on the other end, followed by increasingly joyful laughter.
"If you can really save the Azure Fleet..." Nixiyasi laughed, "Just letting you see me make a fool of myself is far too cheap a price to pay—so, if you save us all, I'll owe you a favor, and I'll do anything you ask."
"Um."
So... I wish you all the best.
I hope you all survive.
"Thanks."
Supplies were transferred to the Azure Fleet, and the Broken Isles were evacuated at an accelerated pace. The following operations were busy and intensive, and soon after, Dairila's small passenger plane arrived at the Broken Isles.
After some time, the entire sea began to echo with tremendous roars and tremors.
It was 6:15, and dawn was breaking in the east.
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PS1: Update, 7,500 words. That's all for now. The remaining 2,500 words will be posted tomorrow.
PS2: I was halfway through writing the commander's storyline today when I suddenly realized I should change him into a female character. I'm so damn clever.