Beneath the Bohai Sea

"The last one is dealt with. Do you need to rest for a bit?"

Xu Muchi's voice echoed in Gu Yan's mind.

"No need, let's head straight to the next location."

"Okay, but to improve efficiency, you head to the Bohai Sea first, and I'll go support Guangshi. Before we deal with the Herrscher, all high-end combat power, including you and me, needs to be gathered. Let's split up for now."

"Huh?" Gu Yan was very confused.

"You're going to provoke her?" He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but the direction things were going felt off. Humanity's hostility towards Herrschers seemed to have reached an unprecedented level.

Perhaps it's a good thing, he thought.

"It's not us provoking her, it's her threatening us."

"It doesn't matter, the outcome is the same. We'll have to fight anyway."

"Alright, let's move. Call me on the communication network if anything comes up."

With their speed, there was no time to waste. Gu Yan took to the air and headed north.

It had only been a little over ten days since the First Herrscher descended, and the world was already in chaos.

While traveling, Gu Yan's thoughts didn't stop. Judging from his last encounter with a Herrscher, they could fight against two Xu Muchi-level combatants simultaneously.

Since he hadn't interacted with any S-Class Ability Users, he didn't know their combat power. However, he estimated it to be similar to his own, and in terms of pure combat strength, perhaps even less. If that were the case, it would take more than five S-Class individuals to deal with a Herrscher.

And that was the Herrscher from last time. More Herrschers were still unknown, and it was also unknown if the First Herrscher had become even more formidable.

With a sigh, Gu Yan was filled with worry. If it took so many strong individuals to deal with just one Herrscher, what about later? What kind of impact could S-Class Ability Users make against the Great Honkai?

Unless, his own buffs could be applied to all strong individuals with no cost and infinite duration, that could double humanity's combat power.

It was a pity he couldn't do that.

Gu Yan's gaze drifted into the distance.

Would the Herrscher of Reason really be that easy to deal with?

Rongcheng was very far from the Bohai Sea. By the time Gu Yan arrived, it was already broad daylight.

There were no more tourists along the coast, and the fishing boats had returned. Only warships and fighter jets patrolled the sea and sky.

Only he possessed the ability to hover in the air without worrying about stamina.

Where numerous cannons were aimed, the sea was eerily calm, the water a faint, eerie blue.

"Who are you? Please show your identification."

As Gu Yan landed on a warship, he was immediately surrounded by vigilant armed personnel.

"Senior Xu Muchi asked me to come here to help." He raised his hands, indicating he meant no harm, but he didn't produce his Ability User ID.

After one of the Ability Users made an inquiry via communication, they nodded, and the others relaxed their suspicions.

"You're Gu Yan, Brother Gu, right? Please forgive us during these extraordinary times! Allow me to explain the situation."

The Ability User stepped forward, greeting Gu Yan with a smile. His face, etched with determination and experience, showed signs of fatigue. He was clearly a veteran of the Ability Department, who had been monitoring the sea situation here.

"My name is Li Shi." Gu Yan shook his hand and waited for him to continue.

"Brother Gu might not be aware, but it's not exactly classified. A team of our researchers flew to the Beautiful Country by special plane the night before yesterday and provided us with some information yesterday afternoon."

As he spoke, an image was transmitted into Gu Yan's mind.

"It's this picture. Those red spots are the areas where disasters have occurred worldwide. I'm sure you've seen those monsters. The disaster in the Beautiful Country two weeks ago was basically the same thing."

"As you can see, the most severe area within our country is the Bohai Sea region, which is here. However, while other cities suffered destruction, this place remained calm, except for what's beneath the sea."

"Beautiful Country's observations are transmitted every ten minutes. The energy fluctuations here are increasing, and something formidable might be brewing underwater."

Li Shi sighed and glanced at Gu Yan, who seemed lost in thought, before continuing, "Our underwater equipment loses contact as it approaches the light source. Because of this, Ability Users and ordinary people cannot easily go down. We've also tried attacking the light source, but unfortunately, within a certain range, the seawater seems to transform into another substance, rendering our attacks ineffective."

"So, we can only wait and see?"

"That's right. Fortunately, this place is far from land, giving us enough time to evacuate the public and preventing major casualties."

Because of this, there weren't many combat forces stationed here. High-end combat power was busy reinforcing the devastated cities.

"How deep is the light source underwater?" Gu Yan asked thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the sea surface.

"72 meters. The Bohai Sea is relatively shallow, so the light source is at the seabed."

Gu Yan nodded. "I'll go take a look."

He retrieved the spear he had casually plundered from his Mustard Seed Space and hovered over the sea.

The system remained silent, and Plunder didn't activate, indicating the target was too far away or too weak.

Gu Yan reversed his grip on the spear, infused it with Honkai Energy, and hurled it with great force.

The spear turned into a silver streak and plunged into the sea, disappearing from view.

However, because it carried his Honkai Energy, he could sense its location. In his perception, the spear's speed did not decrease after entering the water. Around fifty meters below the surface, it collided with a barrier.

To his surprise, the spear shattered upon impact. The Honkai Energy that seeped into the barrier was then lost to his senses, as if it had been devoured.

"Do you want to go down and take a look?"

Actually, Gu Yan's inclination was to finish it quickly. As long as he went down, he could break the barrier soon. As long as nothing like a Herrscher or a Judgment-class Honkai beast was gestating inside, he could resolve it before it was completed.

Otherwise, once this thing hatched, having absorbed a large amount of Honkai Energy, it would bring immense disaster to the nearby warships and coastal cities.

But Gu Yan was accustomed to considering things from multiple angles. If he resolved this thing alone, many things would be exposed, perhaps bringing about numerous troubles.

Although he was very confident, there was always a chance, however small, that he might not be able to resolve it and would end up releasing it. This would undoubtedly be acting on his own accord. At present, the combat power in Bohai was insufficient, and it would soon fall, treating the lives of millions as mere weeds. This was not what he wanted.

Li Shi watched Gu Yan's actions from afar without stopping him. Gu Yan met his gaze and offered a polite smile. His eyes swept across the surroundings, the clear water and blue sky. If one ignored the danger, it was actually a beautiful scene.

No!

Why was he hesitating and being overly cautious about causing himself trouble? Just as Xu Muchi had said before, he was too sensitive. His original intention was to fight the Honkai, so why should he fear the influence of others?

The merging of two souls had made him conceited, making him believe that only he could be relied upon and that others would only hinder him.

Gu Yan chuckled self-mockingly.

What? Do you think you're a God?

Whether his strength was great or weak, he was still a human, even if he were to become a Herrscher in the future.

These victims were his own kind, not insignificant flowers and plants by the roadside. As an individual of the species, he could not and should not detach himself from them, whether as a hero or as an ordinary person.

Therefore, when faced with something that concerned the lives of countless people, he should not, at the very least, prioritize his own trivial interests.

Besides, whether his stepping forward would bring about negative consequences, This kind of headache-inducing problem was not something for a mere employee like him to consider.

"I've already reached Bohai, but the situation here is special..." Gu Yan contacted Xu Muchi, recounting what he saw and felt, as well as his speculations.

"I personally believe the barrier should be attacked, otherwise, there's no telling if things might take an unpredictable turn."

"Are you worried that Bohai's combat power is insufficient right now?"

"Yes."

"Are you capable of resolving it yourself?"

"Yes, but choosing whether to destroy it promptly to prevent the situation from escalating or to play it safe and wait for reinforcements is not a decision I should make." Gu Yan's gaze lowered, meeting the gaze of the green abyss.

Entrusting such decisions to superiors was the safest approach. He had some strength, but it couldn't compare to their judgment.

"You decide for yourself. I'll cover for you if anything comes up."

"Huh???"