Departure Imminent

"I don't think it's possible either. The difference in size is too great, and their strength isn't even on the same level."

"Xia Luo is too impulsive. I hope he knows when to back down."

"I should've talked him out of it earlier. Instead, I was too busy watching the show. I really shouldn't have."

For a moment, everyone spoke up, convinced that Xia Luo could not succeed.

They could accept Xia Luo catching small Sea Kings near the shore. After all, he was incredibly strong; even Colonel Whiteman admitted he was no match for him. But this time was different. Trying to deal with a Large Sea King in the ocean was practically impossible.

A Large Sea King was at least several hundred meters long and weighed thousands of tons!

How could a human possibly deal with such a colossal creature, especially in the deep sea?

At that moment, one of the cafeteria aunties said regretfully, "Sigh, it's all because I talked too much. If I hadn't said he ate too much and cleared out a week's worth of food supplies for the base, he wouldn't have acted so impulsively."

"Let's just hope he comes back safely."

Everyone waited anxiously.

Time quietly slipped away.

In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed, yet Xia Luo was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone grew increasingly anxious, like ants on a hot pan.

"Oh no, oh no! Don't tell me something happened to him?"

"What do we do? What do we do?"

"Hurry, let's head out to sea and look for him!"

Just as everyone was panicking, a huge shadow suddenly appeared beneath the surface, slowly rising from the water.

Water splashed as a tall figure emerged by the shore. He dragged a massive tentacle behind him as he trudged toward land with difficulty.

"Yo, everyone. You're all here."

"Quit staring and come give me a hand! We're having extra tonight, my treat!" Xia Luo shouted.

Before long, with everyone working together, they finally hauled the Sea King, weighing over a thousand tons, onto the shore.

Its enormous body stretched across the coastline, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.

"Holy shit, what a huge Sea King! Judging by its size, it's at least thirty or forty meters tall and over a hundred meters long!"

"It looks about as big as one of our warships."

"Sea Kings really are strange-looking. Its upper body looks like a cow, while its lower body looks like an octopus."

"I don't know how else to put it. All I can say is, freaking awesome!"

Soaked from head to toe and panting heavily, Xia Luo shook his head with a wry smile.

"Sorry, everyone. I didn't find a Large Sea King. I only found a Medium Sea King. Aunt Mary, I lost."

Mary, one of the cafeteria aunties, quickly waved her hands. "Hey, hey, hey, don't say that. You're already amazing. A Medium Sea King—I've never even seen one before."

Xia Luo smiled. "A loss is a loss. A bet is a bet. From now on, I'll eat a little less every day."

"Deal!"

The cafeteria aunties readily agreed, afraid Xia Luo would change his mind if they hesitated.

They couldn't help it. Xia Luo could eat far too much. His appetite was almost enough to match the entire base's Marine force. Ever since Xia Luo enlisted, the cafeteria uncles and aunties had been busy from morning to night nearly every day. Their spatulas had practically smoked from overuse, and they had replaced their kitchen knives again and again!

If Xia Luo had not promised to pay them extra every year, they would have quit long ago. It was exhausting. Whoever loved the job could have it!

Looking at the smiling, relieved cafeteria workers, Xia Luo was happy as well. In a few months, it would be Sea Circle Calendar 1490, and the Marine Elite Training Camp would be established.

Perhaps the Marine Elite Training Camp was already being prepared. It just so happened that something had occurred to Zephyr's family, which was why Zephyr had transferred from admiral to instructor.

Zephyr had been promoted to admiral in 1486, then transferred to instructor in 1490. Only four years had passed, making him the shortest-serving admiral in Marine history!

Of course, after Zephyr became an instructor, he was technically still an admiral. He simply no longer took part in managing Marine affairs.

Put simply, it was just an empty title—rank without authority. Well, Zephyr had voluntarily given it up himself.

Back to the present.

The reason Xia Luo was being so considerate was not because he truly sympathized with the cafeteria workers' hardships, but because the Marine Elite Training Camp was about to be established.

In addition, he planned to ask Colonel Whiteman for a long leave. He intended to be away for a while, perhaps two or three months.

Night quietly fell.

Within the Marine base, several bonfires blazed brightly. Hundreds of Marines gathered around them, chatting and laughing amid the lively atmosphere.

A large iron rack stood over each bonfire, with an entire chunk of Sea King meat skewered on it. The racks turned constantly, and under the scorching flames, grease sizzled from the meat as its rich aroma filled the air.

"Xia Luo, you're becoming more and more like a monster. You actually managed to hunt a Medium Sea King in the sea."

"How did you do it? Also... I'm curious. Just how strong are you now?"

Remembering the scene when he had seen that Sea King that morning, Colonel Whiteman suddenly spoke, his eyes holding both shock and curiosity.

Lieutenant Colonel Kana and the others beside him immediately perked up their ears.

Everyone in the Marine base was curious about Xia Luo's strength. It was just that no one had dared to ask before.

Xia Luo had already prepared an explanation. He smiled faintly.

"It wasn't as exaggerated as you imagine. When I encountered that Sea King, it was extremely weak. I don't know what it had gone through, but even so, I still had to go all out to kill it."

"As for my strength..." He paused slightly. "I'm probably just a little stronger than you, Colonel."

As he spoke, Xia Luo made an "OK" gesture, leaving only the tiniest gap between his thumb and index finger.

Colonel Whiteman immediately rolled his eyes. He did not believe a single word Xia Luo said. A little stronger? More like a billion times stronger!

Whiteman's reaction was exactly what Xia Luo had expected. He chuckled.

"Colonel, I'd like to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

"I'd like to take a long leave. At least one month, maybe two or three."

Colonel Whiteman asked in surprise, "That long? Where are you going?"

"My strength has recently reached a bottleneck. I want to travel around for a while, and visit my hometown while I'm at it. Also, I want to see if I can find those pirates from back then. I can't leave the massacre of my village unavenged."

Xia Luo's reasons were reasonable and sufficient. Besides, he had been in the Marines for four years and had barely taken any leave, much less requested it.

Therefore, Colonel Whiteman had no reason to object. After thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

"Fine. I'll give you three months. West Blue has been peaceful lately anyway. New pirates don't dare put to sea, and the old ones are just a bunch of insignificant trash. Nothing to worry about."

At the end, Colonel Whiteman added, "But don't go running around, kid. You have to be back in three months!"

"Don't worry. I'll definitely come back." Xia Luo nodded seriously.

The Marine Elite Training Camp was about to be established. How could he possibly run away?

"Good." Colonel Whiteman secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid Xia Luo might suddenly disappear. This was an outstanding Marine he had painstakingly trained.

Thinking of that, the resentment in Whiteman's heart grew a little stronger.

Sigh, it's all Zephyr's fault!

He clearly promised last time that he'd contact me once he finished dealing with things. Who would've thought I'd end up waiting four years!

Was an admiral really that busy?