Giant Whale

"An underwater volcano?" Shi Yang's expression turned serious as he listened. At his feet sat the fresh giant crab he had bought from Wang Yu.

"Wasn't this all surveyed before the town was built? If an underwater volcano with a danger rating above Level Three existed here, how could they have permitted an Island Town to be established?"

Shi Yang looked toward Garrison Commander Lu Pan, his tone carrying a trace of accusation.

This made Captain Lu Feng, standing behind Lu Pan, frown in displeasure.

"Young Master Shi, before the town was built, the capital also sent people to assist with the investigation. No signs of volcanic activity were found anywhere in the thousands of kilometers of sea surrounding the island.

The current heat release may have been caused by other factors. We will need to investigate further to know for certain."

Lu Pan waved a hand, cutting off Lu Feng before he could continue. After thinking briefly, he said, "In truth, the possibility of an underwater volcano reawakening cannot be ruled out."

He looked at Shi Yang and continued solemnly.

"The Silver Belt Sea here is quite unusual. It contains abundant treasure materials and sea beasts, yet it is also an unpredictable Poison Sea. There are vast numbers of unknown fungal colonies beneath the seabed, which posed great obstacles to our survey work.

Indeed, many deep-sea regions were never fully explored. However, after prolonged observation, it was confirmed that this area was safe enough to build an Island Town.

Furthermore, given this place's special geographical position, you should know that this island is an important frontier of our Nanxi Empire's territory on Fragment Star No. 5.

If we do not occupy it, Canaan and Ximos may turn it into one of their outposts. That would be greatly disadvantageous to us!"

Shi Yang drew a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he shook his head with a light laugh. "Forget it. I'm just a mere captain—why am I worrying about all this for nothing?

Let's talk about the mission instead. Once this tide ends, my support mission will be over too, right?"

Garrison Commander Lu Pan nodded reassuringly. "I never expected that when I requested aid from the capital this time, they would send a Shi Family genius like you. A one-star captain at twenty-five—given your current strength, this is indeed foolproof.

In previous years, the duration of tides like this was unpredictable. Sometimes they ended after one or two days; other times, they would not end even after eight or ten days. There is no pattern to it."

Shi Yang sighed at once. "So I might not be able to go back anytime soon."

Lu Pan nodded.

"All right, then call me if you need anything. You don't mind if I steam a crab first, do you?" Shi Yang suddenly picked up the crab at his feet and licked his lips.

He had not eaten a decent meal throughout the past two days of travel.

Captain Lu Feng widened his eyes slightly. He felt that this man from the capital was far too frivolous and lazy, even somewhat arrogant. His words and actions made it seem as though he had not taken Island Town's safety seriously at all.

He was the complete opposite of the military's emphasis on strict discipline, and Lu Feng disliked him for it.

Lu Pan merely smiled calmly. "Of course. You are the final safeguard. We will only call upon you at the most critical moment."

"That's wonderful." Shi Yang was overjoyed. Feeling that this saved him a great deal of trouble, he suddenly found the Island Town's Garrison Commander much more pleasing to the eye.

Lu Pan even had someone set up a temporary shelter and prepare a large pot for Shi Yang to cook with.

Shi Yang did not stand on ceremony. Happily praising Lu Pan for knowing how to handle matters, he began preparing the giant crab in his hands.

"They say Shi Yang, the Shi Family genius, possesses astonishing martial arts talent. Among his peers in the capital, few can compare to him. His future minimum achievement will be becoming one of the Nanxi Empire's pillars of strength. Who would have thought that upon meeting him, he would turn out to be such a lively and unruly person?"

After walking some distance away, Lu Feng could not help snorting at Lu Pan.

Lu Pan smiled. "He is only twenty-five, yet his cultivation already far surpasses yours and mine. With such accomplishments, there is nothing wrong with him being somewhat high-spirited in his youth.

As long as he does not make any major mistakes in the future, the Shi Family will certainly elevate him to an extremely high position. A young genius like him is not someone we can casually offend, whether for ourselves or for the Lu Family.

If he has come to earn merit, then all we need to do is cooperate with him. With him here, even if several more Ghost-Faced Four-Legged Fish come, we can rest easy."

Lu Feng listened in silence. After a while, he nodded and said nothing more.

"Also, the capital has accepted my request. Once this tide has passed, they will send another survey team to assist us in conducting a deep-sea exploration.

If an underwater volcano truly has reawakened, we must make preparations early. We cannot gamble with the lives of Island Town's two hundred thousand residents!"

Lu Feng nodded.

For a long while afterward, everyone was still discussing what that suffocating torrent of heat had been. It caused no small amount of unrest.

Quite a few Martial Artists were already thinking of backing out.

Just then, great numbers of creatures from the deep sea burst from beneath the waves and landed on shore.

Thousands upon thousands of Fine Leaf Fish and Water Mushroom Spiders surged forward one after another, as though fleeing disaster.

The sight left everyone dumbfounded.

A lonely, netherworldly cry rang out, and the surface of the sea continuously swelled upward.

Boom!

The Giant Whale they had seen before suddenly burst through the waves. Its gaping maw resembled a bottomless abyss, swallowing all the seawater and countless fleeing deep-sea creatures.

It leaped as high as a thirty-story building, like a colossal curtain blocking everyone's view.

The giant beast's sudden appearance was soul-stirring!

After swallowing in one gulp, the Giant Whale crashed back onto the surface. It was as though countless bombs had detonated at once, and the rising waves surged onto the shore like a tsunami.

Many Martial Artists did not have time to react before they were swept off their feet.

He Tie, Zhang Yi, and the others were no exception. The seawater hurled them back, leaving them utterly dazed.

They had barely steadied themselves when they heard Sun Chengshan roar, a rare occurrence.

"Run!"

He Tie opened his eyes and saw a strange species of fish twisting its body like a water snake as it lunged toward him. It resembled a variant of the Green Spotted Snake, its open mouth wide enough to swallow half his body.

A foul wind rushed into his face!

He Tie's expression changed drastically. At the critical juncture between life and death, his mind went blank. He sprang up in an instant, turned, and ran.

He knew full well that this snake was not something he could handle.

Earlier, he had personally seen many Martial Artists become meals for these sea snakes.

Among the martial arts school disciples, sea snakes like these were terrifying dangers that made people pale at the very mention of them. Once bitten, there was no chance of surviving.

His speed as he fled for his life had already reached the limit of his potential, yet the sea snake still quickly caught up to his heels.

Fortunately, a figure swept past him head-on just then, sending the pursuing sea snake flying with a sweeping kick.

"Junior Brother Wang!" He Tie cried out in delight.

The newcomer was Wang Yu, who had been closest to him.

Wang Yu did not charge forward again. Instead, he waited until Song Hezheng and Sun Chengshan arrived, and the three of them cautiously worked together to kill the sea snake.

Seeing the swarm of Water Mushroom Spiders and other sea beasts surging ashore, the three covered the other disciples' rapid retreat.

"M-Master, that enormous whale won't come ashore, right?" Zhang Erdan asked, shrinking back.

"No. Even if it did, it would get stranded. It wouldn't be that stupid."

The moment Sun Chengshan finished speaking, the unsettled sea beside the shore exploded once more.

That Giant Whale really did charge straight onto the beach, crushing an unknown number of Fine Leaf Fish and Water Mushroom Spiders on the sand.

Even several Ghost-Faced Four-Legged Fish that had come ashore were directly crushed to pulp, as though a massive cruise ship had lost control and slammed into the coast.

The entire island seemed to tremble.