About to Depart

"I don't think it's possible either. The size difference 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 excitement. I really shouldn't have."

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

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

Large Sea Kings were 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 my fault for talking too much. If I hadn't said he ate too much and would wipe out the base's food supplies for the next week, he wouldn't have acted so impulsively."

"I just hope he comes back safely."

Everyone waited anxiously.

Time quietly slipped away.

In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed, yet there was still no sign of Xia Luo.

Everyone grew more and more 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?"

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

Just as everyone was panicking, a massive shadow suddenly appeared beneath the surface of the sea and slowly rose toward the water.

Water splashed as a tall figure appeared by the shore, dragging a gigantic tentacle as he struggled onto land.

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

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

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

Its enormous body lay across the beach, drawing amazed gasps from the crowd.

"Holy crap, that Sea King is huge! Judging by its size, it has to be thirty or forty meters tall and over a hundred meters long!"

"It looks about the same size 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, only a Medium Sea King. Aunt Mary, I lost."

Mary, the cafeteria aunty, 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 eagerly agreed, afraid Xia Luo would change his mind if they hesitated.

They had no choice. Xia Luo could eat far too much. His appetite was nearly enough to match the entire base's Marines combined. Ever since Xia Luo enlisted, the cafeteria uncles and aunties had been busy from morning till night almost every day. Their spatulas had practically smoked from use, and their kitchen knives had been replaced 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 wanted the job could have it!

Seeing the relieved smiles on the cafeteria workers' faces, 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, prompting Zephyr to transfer from admiral to instructor.

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

Of course, after becoming an instructor, Zephyr was still technically an admiral. He simply no longer participated in managing Marine affairs.

To put it plainly, it was an empty title—famous but 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.

Besides, he intended to ask Colonel Whiteman for an extended leave. He planned to leave for a while, perhaps two or three months.

Night quietly fell.

Inside the Marine base, several bonfires burned fiercely. Hundreds of Marines gathered around them, chatting and laughing in a lively atmosphere.

A large iron rack stood over each bonfire, with entire slabs of Sea King meat skewered on them. The racks continuously turned as the meat sizzled and dripped grease beneath the flames, filling the air with an irresistible aroma.

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

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

Recalling the sight of that Sea King earlier that morning, Colonel Whiteman suddenly spoke, his eyes filled with shock and curiosity.

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

No one in the entire Marine base could claim not to be curious about Xia Luo's strength. They simply never dared to ask.

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 I still had to struggle with all my strength to take it down."

"As for my strength..." He paused slightly. "I'm probably only a tiny bit stronger than you, Colonel."

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

Upon hearing that, Colonel Whiteman rolled his eyes on the spot. He did not believe a single word Xia Luo said. A tiny bit? More like an astronomical amount!

Colonel 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 request an extended leave. At least one month, at most two or three months."

Colonel Whiteman said 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 along the way. Also, I want to see whether I can find the pirates from back then. The massacre of my village must be avenged."

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

Therefore, Colonel Whiteman had no reason to object. After considering it briefly, he nodded in agreement.

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

At the end, Colonel Whiteman added, "But don't you go running around, kid. You must come back in three months!"

"Don't worry, sir. 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 genuinely afraid Xia Luo would suddenly leave for good. This was an outstanding Marine he had painstakingly nurtured.

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

Sigh, it was all Zephyr's fault!

He had clearly promised last time that he would contact me once he was done, yet I ended up waiting four years!

Was an admiral really that busy?