Drifting with the Current? No! Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Everyone was briefly knocked unconscious by the immense impact.

Only Cheng Shi, with his bright eyes wide open, steered the dilapidated raft that could barely be called a floatation device, struggling to navigate underwater.

Yes, Cheng Shi didn't faint.

In the instant the giant wave crashed down, he unleashed all his skills in advance, leaving himself ample room for maneuver.

This allowed him to withstand the enormous impact and remain conscious.

As for the others...

Oh well, it's just spitting out a little blood, it won't kill me.

Who told them not to be the captain!

When the battle line shifted from the mountains to the sea, Cheng Shi, transformed from a hapless Priest into a highly influential acting captain!

He only needs to cast an underwater healing spell on himself, and then share the underwater breathing effect with his teammates through the Shared Divine Grace, so that he can breathe the most air with the least amount of energy.

Moreover, Priest are the profession with the highest affinity for water elements, second only to water Elemental Judge. With skillful operation, they can control the "raft submersible" even in places without turbulent currents, becoming the navigator for everyone!

In fact, Cheng Shi has already been doing that.

Zhao Qian's physique was indeed the best; he was the first to regain consciousness.

When he felt that he could still breathe and saw Cheng Shi steer the raft further into the depths of the sea, he knew that his teammates had stabilized the situation.

He was very pleased.

It wasn't because Cheng Shi suddenly became reliable, but because the underwater healing didn't inexplicably make him pregnant.

The others woke up one after another, and when they realized they were in good condition, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The players' current situation is quite peculiar:

The "hollow logs" compacted by vines exhibited good sealing and buoyancy, so they were at the very top.

Several rattan baskets hung upside down under the bamboo raft, each containing a player. Although everyone was submerged in water, their breathing was not affected due to the remarkable healing effects of the water.

If I had to point out anything I wasn't used to, it would be that breathing air was now breathing seawater.

The sensation of inhaling murky seawater into my nasal cavity and then it disappearing was still quite unpleasant.

However, because the raft was so buoyant, it was still quite difficult for Cheng Shi to maneuver it at such a deep depth.

Fortunately, his teammates weren't lazy; they didn't just stand by and watch like he did when others were working.

Tao Yi immediately took a few vines from the scraps sticking out of the basket, folded them into square boards, tied them to her hands, and began to use her arms as oars for manual assistance.

Others followed suit.

Only Zhao Qian remained motionless, observing the surrounding situation.

Cheng Shi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and became somewhat interested in this captain.

This Believer in "war" gave him a strange feeling. Although he took on the role of commander on his own initiative, he hardly contributed anything except when necessary.

Of course, this conservative approach of Trials strength is used by many players, and it works very well in the current climate where there is little mutual trust.

However, Zhao Qian is somewhat different from them.

He doesn't seem like an absolutely selfish person; his eyes are full of desire for cooperation. Yet, he tends to do things that are rather "alone."

This subtle contrast... feels a bit awkward.

However, as long as he doesn't do anything detrimental to himself, he can be left to his own devices.

Cheng Shi chuckled, realizing he might be overthinking things, and continued playing Sun Ce.

Just Cheng Shi was controlling the bamboo raft and observing everyone, Tao Yi spoke up.

"Glug glug... Cheng Shi, aren't we going to float up... glug glug..."

"We can't predict the waves up there, and our little raft can't withstand a second wave this big. It's safer underwater."

"Glug glug... Really? Can your Divine Power handle this? I'm pretty good with water... Glug glug... If not, let me drive it for a bit..."

That won't do, I've just gotten hooked on it!

Cheng Shi thoroughly enjoyed being the captain; with this level of Divine Power expenditure, he could swim underwater for almost an entire day.

The premise is that the underwater environment remains calm and tranquil.

Cheng Shi didn't answer her directly, but instead asked with a smile:

"Why do you always have to spit water out when you talk?"

"Glug glug... Don't you think this looks a lot like a fish?... Glug glug... We're underwater people now... This is so much fun!"

"..."

Innocence defeated naivety, leaving Cheng Shi speechless.

The Storm raged on the surface of the water, but underwater it was quite An Jing.

Aside from having to avoid some debris and garbage blown ashore by the sea, the entire underwater journey is almost entirely safe.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long.

After diving in the sea for several hours, another accident occurred.

Although all the senses underwater are far less acute than those on land, Zhao Qian seemed to have sensed something and warned:

"Watch out, something's coming down below!"

Upon hearing the warning, Cheng Shi felt a chill run down his spine.

They are currently positioned in the upper-middle part of the ocean, just enough to avoid the Storm on the surface, but they can't see the seabed at all.

Logically speaking, after such a long period of time following the crashing of the giant waves, things that should have floated to the surface should have already risen to the top, and things that should have sunk should have long since left the area.

If at this point you might encounter something rising from the seabed, the danger is obvious.

"What is it? A living thing? Or a dead thing?"

"Cheng Shi, can we avoid it by turning? Let's put more effort into it and row faster."

"Below? I don't see it."

Cheng Shi at the very front, so he had the best forward view, but his downward view was about the same as everyone else's, and he couldn't see what was below him at that moment.

The seawater had swept over too much of the Surface soil, making it murky and severely obstructing visibility. Zhao Qian's ability to issue an early warning clearly wasn't due to his eyesight.

"I can't see anything! Can you sense what it is?"

Zhao Qian closed his eyes and released his Divine Power like sound waves. In just an instant, his face turned extremely ugly.

"There's no way to avoid it! It's coming from all sides, Cheng Shi! We're going to crash into it!"

"Call--"

As soon as he finished speaking, the raft was whipped into a spinning motion by the rapids.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Countless bubbles rose up, and now it really started bubbling.

"Everyone, protect yourselves! Healers, prepare for treatment!"

Without Zhao Qian saying anything more, the moment the spin began, Shared Divine Grace had already brought seven or eight healing spells to the entire team.

Cheng Shi's expression was solemn, and he dared not let his guard down in the slightest.

Because he had already clearly seen what was coming from below.

It was a colossal beast he had never seen before. Its flesh-covered skin and half-open, half-closed white eyes indicated that this enormous creature was already dead. It was like an inflated balloon rising from the seabed, floating upwards.

However, during its ascent, it collided with a player.

To say it was a collision is actually a bit inaccurate.

Compared to the size of the behemoth, the raft the players were on looked like a small fishing boat under a giant ship, its proportions severely skewed.

The impact of the raft hitting this behemoth was probably less significant than the effect of the rolling seawater.

However, such an impact would be devastating for the raft.

Fortunately, the bamboo raft did not collide with the giant beast. Instead, it was pulled forward by a huge suction force, and the entire raft disintegrated and fell apart under the force of the rapid current.

Everyone's faces turned extremely ugly, because they finally realized what Zhao Qian meant by "all around."

Tao Yi clung tightly to a vine-covered log, her eyes wide with horror, and asked incredulously:

"We... this is..."

Cheng Shi, holding Gao Yu tightly, frowned and replied in a deep voice:

"Yes, just as you thought."

Us...

It crashed into the belly of the giant beast.