Kui Niu

"Are you trusting me a little too much? I never said I was capable of predicting the future, did I?"

Gu Yan was covered in black lines. How did the ball end up in my court again?

Previously, it had been Xu Muchi who insisted on sending him into the Ability Department. She had been extremely considerate with information confidentiality and wake-up calls. So after all that, this was a capitalist encountering a high-yield leek?

Now she wasn't even doing the cutting herself anymore. She wanted him to handle it on his own?

"You have the ability to solve it, and I believe in your ability. Isn't that simple?"

Gu Yan was rendered speechless.

Thank you for thinking so highly of me.

"I understand. Thank you."

Xu Muchi was truly decisive. She had even said that she would take responsibility if anything happened.

Gu Yan shook his head helplessly, but a moment later, his expression turned serious.

So his operation had effectively been approved. In that case...

Heh heh heh!

Prepare to die, little thing!

Gu Yan plunged into the water. The icy seawater engulfed his entire body, and he could no longer feel the sunlight. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was profound darkness.

As sunlight entered the sea, the water shifted from deep blue to pitch-black from the surface downward. Meanwhile, the depths emitted a cyan glow that severely interfered with Gu Yan's vision.

Although he was still human, with his abilities, underwater breathing and deep diving were ridiculously easy.

Ability: Water Control!

The water flowed under Gu Yan's control, dragging him rapidly downward.

There was no scene of schools of fish swimming around underwater. The surroundings were utterly silent, with only the light serving as a point of reference. In such an environment, anyone with a fear of the deep sea or claustrophobia would break down in minutes.

Li Shi was momentarily surprised when he saw Gu Yan enter the water. He had already made the danger perfectly clear, and in his view, this was not a wise choice.

But perhaps the capable were simply bold. After all, who would be young, immensely powerful, and still willing to gamble with their own life?

"Don't interfere with Gu Yan's actions. When necessary, all of you are to cooperate with him."

Xu Muchi's communication suddenly came through, making Li Shi freeze for a moment.

He was from the Ability Department's headquarters, so he naturally knew how much weight this senior carried. He was stunned that she had issued such an order.

"Understood!" Although he was puzzled, obeying orders was a fundamental quality.

With that single sentence, nearly half of the command authority over the Bohai Sea had practically been handed to Gu Yan!

At the same time, underwater.

The high-frequency vibrating currents wrapped around the Honkai Energy within them, enveloping the source of light. Any object that entered would be pulverized. That was right—this was the "barrier."

But the lack of a physical form could not stump Gu Yan. Since it was made of vibrating water currents, he would use Water Control to wrestle with it. As long as the currents stopped, the barrier would collapse on its own.

He could have chosen to endure it by force, but having water currents with such a high vibration frequency wrap around his entire body would certainly not feel pleasant.

With a thought, the Honkai Energy within his body rapidly supplied energy to his Water Control ability. The currents under Gu Yan's command grew in volume as well. He became the master of this stretch of water, freely manipulating everything within his domain.

Of course, this was because he had occupied the advantageous time and terrain, and Water Control had already reached its limit. It could not be strengthened any further.

The barrier's range was not very large, so breaking through it was not difficult.

The coverage of Water Control was already sufficient. As long as he stopped the vibrations, then...

"Moo!"

A sound like muffled thunder exploding beside his ears came from inside the barrier. Even Gu Yan felt a sharp pain in his eardrums.

The thing inside seemed to have realized his intentions. The barrier instantly expanded several times over. Gu Yan's ability was overwhelmed, and the water currents under his control also slipped from his grasp.

He was not surprised by this situation. No matter how much strength you had, could you strangle a cow with noodles?

The cyan glow dimmed, and the Honkai Energy in the water was suddenly drained away, converging toward the source of light.

Wrapped in the high-frequency vibrating currents, Gu Yan was not seriously affected. However, the currents penetrated every corner of his body, leaving him completely numb.

He could not remain underwater any longer. He burst out of the water, and only then did the sensation of being cleaned by ultrasonic waves disappear.

The people aboard the many warships had clearly heard the sound as well. One by one, they tensed up, fingers resting on triggers, while the dark cannon muzzles looked ready to unleash their firepower at any second. However, being on the sea, they had not experienced it as directly as Gu Yan had.

"Moo!"

Another bellow like muffled thunder came from underwater, its sound even sending ripples across the calm surface.

Ding! Plunder successful. Obtained the buff: Resurrection. Honkai creature upgraded to LV48.

A trace of surprise surfaced in Gu Yan's eyes.

LV48? Had it already reached the Emperor-class?

But he did not panic. As long as a Herrscher did not appear, it was still acceptable.

In fact, this Honkai beast was indeed Emperor-class. However, because Gu Yan had interfered during its gestation, it could only be considered one of the weaker Emperor-class Honkai beasts at present, far weaker than Surtur.

But the might of an Emperor-class creature was not something a lower-ranked Honkai beast could compare to!

"Get away from here!"

Gu Yan transmitted the message to Li Shi while remaining on guard against the Honkai beast's attack.

The warships began to retreat. It was still underwater, its dim cyan glow stretching out as its enormous outline appeared and disappeared.

'December 12, 250 A.R., 8:15 a.m. The second Emperor-class Honkai beast, Kui Niu, was born in the Bohai Sea of Huaguo.'

Boom!

The enormous, hornless bull's head broke through the surface first. Cyan-gray fur covered its entire body, while its hill-like back emerged as well. Its body was 140 meters long, not counting its tail.

Its eyes had no whites, only an eerie, deep purple hue. Its limbs, whose existence was uncertain, remained submerged underwater.

The bull's head did not turn, but everyone aboard the warships felt as though they were being watched.

What kind of monster was this?

"Open fire!"

The warship cannons had already been aimed at Kui Niu. At this command, countless shells fell like a sudden rainstorm. Under such firepower, even a genuine mountain would have been flattened.

"Moo!"

However, Kui Niu opened its mouth. The cyan glow at its neck suddenly brightened, and its muffled-thunder bellow rang out again. Invisible ripples spread, shattering the waves and clouds.

Boom!

Every attack exploded prematurely the moment the ripples swept over them, failing to harm Kui Niu in the slightest. They merely added a few different colors to its bellow.

Gu Yan remained in the air and would not attack until the warships had retreated beyond a safe distance. Moreover, Kui Niu's attacks through the air were far weaker than they had been underwater, so naturally, they could not hurt him.

Because he had ordered the warships to retreat slightly in advance, the people aboard them were not injured either.

Li Shi stared blankly at the giant bull. The turmoil in his heart was no less intense than the waves created when Kui Niu broke through the water.

"This is the Bohai Sea. A gigantic bull-shaped creature has appeared in the sea!" He uploaded a picture and the information to the communications network at the same time, and the previously chaotic network unexpectedly fell silent.

"We've attempted bombardment, but it caused no damage. The monster's roar is extremely powerful, and the shells were intercepted by the sound waves."

More information came in afterward.

"What is that thing? A bull larger than a warship?"

"I'm almost done here. I'll head over to provide support soon!"

"Silence!"

A voice full of authority rang out, and the communications network fell silent once more.

"Li Shi, share your vision with me. I'll take over command of the scene."

"Understood!" Li Shi naturally knew whose order this was and immediately shared his vision one-way.

Visual sharing placed an enormous burden both on the Mental-Attribute personnel maintaining the network and on the owner of the viewpoint. Therefore, this form of communication was generally only conducted between two people and required approval.

In other words, one-way sharing was an exclusive method for higher-ups to take over command.