Breaking Through the Waves

"It's already evening, and that sea fish still hasn't appeared. Is there really any danger? Could the villagers have made it up?"

On the warship, a sailor standing by the rail could not help saying this.

Kurume shook his head. "No. They specifically paid a reward for this fish, so it can't be fake."

"There's a reward too?"

Another sailor's eyes lit up, a trace of delight appearing on his face.

For these sailors from the branch, whose pay was not particularly high, extra income could make life a little easier.

Hearing this, Kurume nodded. "The reward is around three hundred thousand Belly. It has already been handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Berio."

"Lieutenant Colonel Berio?"

One sailor shook his head and sighed. "Then it looks like we won't get a single cent."

"Yeah. Once it falls into the lieutenant colonel's hands, there's no way we'll get even a little," another sailor could not help saying.

"Shut up."

Captain Kurume inwardly sneered at their words, but his face remained cold as he rebuked them. "Do not speak about Lieutenant Colonel Berio behind his back."

"Yes, yes."

The sailors hurriedly answered, though their expressions were full of dissatisfaction.

"What's that?"

At that moment, a sailor who had been watching the sea suddenly shouted.

Captain Kurume and several sailors immediately rushed to the rail and looked down, instantly spotting a huge black shadow slowly approaching through the water.

"It's huge."

A sailor could not help saying, "At this depth, there's actually such a huge sea fish. I really don't know how it grew so large."

"What should we do?" another sailor asked Captain Kurume.

"Don't make a sound. Wait for it to take the bait."

Captain Kurume spoke quickly. "Once it bites, immediately draw in the net. And aim the crossbows and harpoon guns at it."

The sailors aboard the ship got ready. Two crossbows and two harpoon guns were aimed at the black fish below.

The enormous black fish slowly approached the hook, opened its blood-filled maw, and was about to bite down.

"It took the bait."

A sailor whispered excitedly.

"Get ready."

Captain Kurume raised his hand. The other sailors waited only for his command before attacking the black fish.

But at that moment, the black fish suddenly began to retreat, closing its mouth.

"Hm?"

Everyone froze slightly, not knowing why it had chosen to back down at the very last moment instead of biting.

"Captain, what do we do?" a sailor asked carefully.

"Wait a little longer."

Kurume still held onto hope, staring intently at the black fish below and hoping it would take the bait.

But when he saw the black fish turn around and prepare to leave, he did not dare hesitate. He shouted, "Do it!"

At his command, the fishing net suddenly closed in from three sides, wrapping toward the black fish.

Four sailors operated the two crossbows and two harpoon guns, pulling the triggers in unison as short bolts and long harpoons shot toward the black fish.

"You won't get away."

Kurume gritted his teeth.

But the next moment, the black fish suddenly turned and swam toward the hull, slipping right through the closing net.

Its movement dodged one long and one short projectile.

Yet it was still hit.

Clack.

Neither the crossbows nor the harpoon guns caused it any harm.

Whoosh.

The black fish hugged the hull and continuously dove deeper, swimming away beneath the ship and escaping their range.

Captain Kurume's expression darkened as he gritted his teeth. "Prepare the cannons."

But the next moment, a sailor shouted, "It swam toward the bow! Our cannons can't hit it!"

"We failed."

Seeing this, Kurume swung his fist hard, his face full of unwillingness.

It had refused the bait, spotted the only opening in the fishing net, and even the harpoon guns and crossbows could not hurt it. It had also avoided the cannons' line of fire.

It was difficult to turn around in the harbor, so they could not attack it at all.

This sea fish was far too clever.

Damn it.

They had spent an entire morning drawing the fish here. Were they really just going to let it leave like this?

But at that moment, a voice rang out. "A bunch of useless fools. You can't even hunt down one sea fish."

As the voice sounded, a burly figure appeared nearby. He was bare-chested, his sturdy muscles brimming with power, and he held a harpoon in each hand.

"Lieutenant Colonel Berio."

Seeing him, Kurume could not help calling out.

"Leave it to me. I'll kill it."

The newcomer was Lieutenant Colonel Berio. As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed to the bow, gripped both harpoons tightly, leaped high into the air, and jumped into the sea.

"Lieutenant Colonel Berio is going into the water to catch it?" a sailor said blankly.

"I wonder if he can succeed," another sailor said uneasily.

It hurt.

Underwater, Xia Qiu had been struck by the projectiles. Though they had not penetrated his scales, the impact still caused him pain.

Xia Qiu hugged the hull as he dived, avoiding the closing net. He reached the seabed and prepared to leave, but then he remembered something.

The Marine warship had cannons. If he left from the side, he would definitely be bombarded by them.

I should go around.

Xia Qiu immediately swam toward the bow, intending to take a detour before leaving.

Whoosh.

Xia Qiu swam to the bow, changed direction, swung his body, and headed into the distance.

But at that moment, there was a splash.

"What was that sound?"

Xia Qiu looked behind him and saw a figure rapidly closing in.

What was that?

Xia Qiu saw that it was a person holding harpoons, chasing after him from the surface.

He wanted to hunt Xia Qiu in the sea?

But if he wanted to catch him, he could not possibly be unaware of Xia Qiu's size, right?

In other words, he knew Xia Qiu's size and still entered the water to capture him.

I can't let my guard down.

Xia Qiu hurriedly swam farther away, swinging his body as he sped into the distance.

Splash.

But Xia Qiu's turn had cost him time. The man rapidly closed in on Xia Qiu, actually matching his speed and appearing on the surface above him.

A shadow fell over him, filling Xia Qiu with a sense of foreboding.

At that moment, the man above suddenly dove into the sea. With a kick of his legs, he accelerated again and lunged toward Xia Qiu.

Whoosh.

Xia Qiu swung his body and sped away, increasing his pace.

At that speed, there was no way the other man could catch him underwater.

But just as Xia Qiu pulled ahead of him, the man raised his arm and viciously hurled the harpoon in his right hand.

Whoosh.

The harpoon crossed the distance between them, cutting through the seawater and instantly striking Xia Qiu's tail.

Pfft.

The harpoon pierced the joint between Xia Qiu's tail fin and body. Its five steel spikes broke through his scales and sank in more than two inches.

"Ah!"

Agonizing pain surged through him. Xia Qiu's body stiffened, and in the next moment, the man grabbed the harpoon embedded in Xia Qiu's body, kicked off with both legs, and charged forward again. Then he raised his right arm and drove down the other harpoon.

This time, the harpoon was aimed at Xia Qiu's back.

Sensing him closing in, Xia Qiu hurriedly turned sideways to evade, but his massive body limited the speed of his turn.

Pfft.

The harpoon scraped past Xia Qiu's body, but one spike still struck him.

Splash.

That spike directly tore through his scales, leaving a bloody mark along Xia Qiu's side.

He had been stabbed again.

Xia Qiu gritted his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot.

I can't escape.

His tail fin was injured, so he could not shake the man off. If the man followed him and attacked a few more times, his fighting strength would only keep dropping.

How much strength would he have left then?

I can't let him wear me down.

Then I'll fight.

I'll kill you, then leave.

Xia Qiu clenched his teeth, turned around, and began his attack.