Surprise Attack on Snail Island

Su Ming dropped the towed sonar into the water. If that really was a zombie base, then the remaining octopus sea monsters were most likely in the vicinity as well.

Sure enough, half an hour later, the sonar detected three large underwater targets about 30 kilometers from Snail Island. They appeared to be in a dormant state, clustered together and suspended in the deep sea at a depth of about 600 meters.

"It's an old friend of ours!" Su Ming quickly confirmed using sonar data.

Last time they encountered these three sea monsters, they thought they were controlled by three necromancers, but it turned out that it was controlled by the Saint Rank Yexiya alone. Fortunately, Ice Beauty Yexiya was confirmed to be absent this time, otherwise Su Ming would almost have developed PTSD.

Su Ming slightly turned the White Triangle, pointing it at the target.

"We'll pass over the sea monster and drop bombs." He quickly marked it on the sand table. "If it goes smoothly..."

A direct surprise attack on Snail Island!

"Um!"

The zombies on the White Triangle were activated, and they brought out the alchemical explosive barrels from the ship's hold. Zijin and Su Ming installed and adjusted the fuses one by one. These fuses were equipped with mechanical water pressure gauges that Su Ming had bought on Earth.

The second plan Su Ming proposed to eliminate the sea monster—depth charges—was finally implemented today.

As they closed the distance, the active sonar mode was able to directly acquire the target. Beianqi quickly calculated the speed and trajectory, "Ten seconds to prepare."

The zombie gang rolled the alchemical explosive barrels to the edge of the deck and, as Beianqi's countdown ended, pushed them one by one into the sea. Hundreds of barrels of explosives sank into the seawater one after another, rapidly sinking in the air bubbles created by the explosions.

"It should take about two minutes to descend to the predetermined depth," Su Ming said, looking at the sonar.

The winds still howled in the Storm Sea, the sun was nearing the horizon, and dusk was approaching.

"Those collars on those pirates should be exploding by now," Beianqi remarked.

Zijin glanced at Su Ming and found that the latter's expression was normal.

Su Ming noticed her gaze. "Don't worry, even if you hadn't suggested it, I would have insisted on doing it anyway."

"How am I being uncompassionate?" the girl said with a gentle smile.

"I'm not crazy. Why would I let a criminal go free and allow more innocent people to suffer?" Su Ming replied irritably. "It's a pity that the orc spy got off easy; the collar only destroyed his tail."

The spy Anrelo would certainly communicate with his accomplices during the day, reporting that everything was as usual. Therefore, maintaining his "normal work" was beneficial in ensuring the surprise of the Sun Triangle operation.

Changing his collar separately would seem too deliberate; the three of them didn't want to lose their real prey for this small fish.

****

In the sunset on the beach, Anrelo, the orc spy mentioned earlier, sat quietly on the shore waiting for the White Triangle, idly playing with a string of small balls in his hand. Searching for these balls was easy for him; his team had already dutifully completed the required number.

As for the other three teams, at his suggestion, they completely gave up, which meant that Belladonna's group had to waste another day.

Re-search these three islands.

The sea breeze began to cool, Anrelo got up to stretch his legs, which had gone numb from sitting for so long. He stroked his tail.

When Belladonna put the collar on him, he used illusion magic to place his tail on his head, replacing the collar around his neck.

Fortunately, the enemy did not see through his illusion, which was his greatest advantage as the Fox Race's best infiltrator.

A loud crash suddenly sounded beside him, the shockwave violently knocking him to the ground. He coughed as he got up, looking blankly to his side. Half of his body was covered in blood and tattered fur, several fingers were missing, and his tail was also gone.

The intense tinnitus made him unable to hear anything. He looked up and saw the pirates running around in terror, exploding one after another, their blood splattering all over him.

Anrelo suddenly realized that he had been completely tricked. He looked up to the sky and let out a triumphant roar, mixed with resentment at being manipulated.

****

In the deep sea beneath the White Triangle, the pressure gauge on the alchemical explosive barrel pointed to the predetermined location, and muffled explosions echoed one after another in the deep ocean.

The sonar data indicated that all three sea monsters were hit by a massive explosion.

Depth charges don't need to hit the target directly; the high pressure transmitted by the seawater will crush their bodies and internal organs. Even zombies, when there are enough bombs, cannot withstand it. The three sea monsters struggled for a while, but eventually their movements ceased, and they continued to sink in the sea.

The three men high-fived in celebration in the driver's seat.

"The enemy must have noticed something's wrong with the sea monster. Let's launch a surprise attack!" said Beianqi.

"Um!"

The White Triangle cut through the white waves, heading towards Snail Island. It arrived just as dusk was falling, the timing was perfect.

Night combat may present visual obstacles for the enemy, but it is a complete advantage for them, who are equipped with radar and sonar.

Using a low-light telescope, Beianqi surveyed the island. From this distance, she could already see numerous buildings. Many orcs were frantically rushing out, carrying supplies.

"They probably wanted to board the ship and escape," she said.

"Clear the building first!" Su Ming said.

"Alright. 3.2 degrees to port, 24.3 degrees elevation, one incendiary shell!" Beianqi quickly announced the firing angle, and the MK71 heavy gun then opened fire.

At a distance of 13 kilometers, the shell would take about thirty seconds to travel. The girl held up her binoculars and continued to observe until a wisp of fire rose into her field of vision.

Beianqi quickly adjusted her firing parameters and began rapid fire. In just two minutes, the island facing them was engulfed in flames. The strong winds in the Storm Sea intensified the fire. The vegetation on the island was also ignited, spreading rapidly in all directions and to the other side.

The orcs panicked even more. They abandoned their supplies, quickly climbed onto the ship, and hastily set sail.

With a favorable wind and strong winds, coupled with magical propulsion, the orc transport ship quickly increased its speed to 18 knots and fled westward towards Water Chestnut Island.

This location was 80 kilometers from the main island of Water Chestnut Island. Su Ming calculated it and decided to let them run a little longer. The White Triangle leisurely circled Snail Island, executing those who hadn't had time to board one by one before starting to pursue at a speed of twenty-five knots.

To prevent any from escaping, they left hundreds of zombies on the island before leaving.

The steamship's ability to travel at high speed regardless of wind direction gave it an absurd advantage over sailing ships. Twenty minutes later, the White Triangle easily outpaced its opponent by fifteen kilometers.

The White Triangle held the upwind position, allowing its cannonballs to be fired with the wind. If the enemy mage wanted to attack, they would have to fly over against a Force 7 headwind. From this position, they couldn't reach Water Chestnut Island, and retreating wouldn't allow them to return to Snail Island.

Su Ming was confident he could kite his opponent to death!

"Fifteen kilometers is a bit far; the hit rate will be much lower," said Beianqi. "Can't we get closer?"

"We have plenty of shells, safety first," Su Ming said. "Laser range: 15.32 kilometers!"

Beianqi nodded. The opponent might possess the combat power of Grand Magus Mage; it would just consume more ammunition, so she would save herself the trouble if possible.

She repeated the previous procedure: first, she would test fire one shot, correct the trajectory, and then fire several more in rapid succession. Then she would observe the point of impact, repeating this cycle. The powerful balancing ability of the anti-roll device significantly reduced the White Triangle's swaying. So much so that in these sea conditions,

The MK71 can achieve high accuracy even at such a long distance.

Although the second round of rapid fire missed, it resulted in a cross-shot, Beianqi was overwhelmed with shock at having launched an effective attack at this distance for the first time.

"I'm going to be spoiled rotten by you all!" she lamented.

A shell finally hit its target; a sharp white flash streaked through the night as the shell shattered in mid-air.

All three of them wore expressions of surprise.

"Saint Rank?" Su Ming murmured.

"Saint Rank." Zijin's eyes narrowed slightly as she confirmed.

The MK71's shell has a muzzle velocity of Mach 2.2, and even after traveling 15 kilometers, its speed would still be at least half of its original speed. A single metal shell weighs 117 kilograms, and only a Saint Rank warrior is capable of intercepting such a projectile!

"That fluctuation is Ice Beauty Yexiya!" Beianqi had also fought her at close range, so she recognized her. She said incredulously, "But wasn't she at Water Chestnut North Port this morning?!"

Su Ming quickly increased the radar's rotation frequency and switched to short-range air-to-air mode. The Saint Magic Swordsman's flight speed was far beyond that of Grand Magus!

Fortunately, the radar was clear; Ice Beauty hadn't launched a surprise attack, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Has your intelligence network been infiltrated?" Zijin asked Beianqi. At the same time, she also cast several detection spells to confirm that the area within a one-kilometer radius of the White Triangle was still safe.

"Unlikely—I'll investigate later!" said Beianqi. She fired a volley of shells, this time hitting two targets.

They were also intercepted by Yexiya.

Su Ming quickly reviewed the battle situation. From dropping depth charges to attack the three giant octopuses to shelling Snail Island, the White Triangle took half an hour to travel. As the controller of the sea monsters, Yexiya would have noticed immediately, but she chose to use this time to transfer supplies and evacuate from Snail Island by ship.

Then the Orcs' wolf-foxes must have misjudged the speed of the White Triangle at full power and the range of the Mk71 cannon.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Yexiya never intended to engage the White Triangle in battle!

"If we get within ten kilometers, how much can you improve your shelling accuracy?" Su Ming asked Beianqi.

"Still getting closer?" The girl's eyes widened. "Aren't we going to escape?"

"We won't run away," Zijin replied firmly. She had already figured out the crux of the matter. "Ice Beauty is definitely not in good condition, otherwise she would have made her move long ago. Strike while the iron is hot and finish her off!"

Beianqi still felt it was too risky. She pressed her hand to her chest. "I am willing to avenge my comrades on the Five Fangs, and I am not afraid to fight to the death, but the opponent is, after all, Saint Rank being!"

"It's precisely because she's Saint Rank being that we can't let her go," Zijin said. "We've already offended her terribly. If we don't seize this opportunity today, we'll only face greater danger later!"

Offending a Saint Rank being is troublesome. Beianqi asked the crucial question, "How do we kill her? We can't hit her with artillery anymore, not even with the Mk71!"

There's no doubt about this; we can't afford to be complacent. After the last battle, Su Ming and the other two conducted extensive reviews and targeted analyses, and their opponents will likely do the same. In this world where survival is paramount, those who don't take battle seriously have already been ruthlessly eliminated.

Those who are perfunctory have no right to survive on the battlefield!

Although Yexiya is not known for her defensive abilities, the difference in their levels still makes it difficult for them to inflict sufficiently fatal damage on her.

"My attack power is barely enough," Zijin said. "Although I haven't fully completed the ' Natural Rhythm ' domain yet, I've already been able to advance beyond my current level to a certain extent."

"That's right, you Divine Favor Scepter." Beianqi clapped her fists together. "That's a weapon given by the gods!"

Zijin shook her head. "The Divine Favor Scepter can't kill people. During the Battle of Agate Sea, I shaved the Fusang bald and not a single person died; last time, during the Battle of Wheat Awn Sea, I attacked a pirate with Solar Flame, and when that pirate was pulled out of the sea, he was still alive, and there was even some Magic Power protecting him."

This was the first time Beianqi had heard of such a thing—a divine warrior who couldn't kill?

"Legend has it that weapons Divine Favor are a sign of divine mercy towards humanity," Su Ming said. "Not killing is reasonable—does that mean even the six-pointed star can't be used?"

Zijin pulled the bone staff from her head, unfolded it, and the Staff of the End appeared in her hand, emitting a ghostly light.

"I've modified it a bit recently," she explained to the two. "I have a move called ' Shadow The End ' that can kill Yexiya, but you have to destroy her defenses first."

"The Anzio anti-materiel sniper rifle can also provide damage if the opportunity arises," Su Ming added.

The three discussed their coordinated plan, during which Beianqi maintained suppressive fire on the transport ship. Occasionally, a shell would hit its mark.

Yexiya intercepted them all, showing no intention of flying over to attack them.

"Stop for a moment, let's replenish the ammunition first," Su Ming said.

The MK71's automatic loading system relies on a bottom-mounted rotary drum magazine, with a maximum capacity of 75 rounds. It was reloaded after the attack on the island, and now it's used up half of its ammunition again.

Zijin arranged for the strongest zombies to carry the ammunition, and the cannonballs in the ammunition drum were replenished again in just over ten minutes.

"Alright, let's begin!"

The White Triangle increased its speed by 10 knots, quickly closing the distance to the transport ship to 10 kilometers. It remained diagonally alongside the Orcs, keeping them to its right front and maintaining its absolute superiority.

Beianqi's accuracy quickly rose to 30%. She increased her rate of fire to the maximum of 12 rounds per minute, and the opposing team began to frequently flash white lights indicating interception.

This is a game of numbers; if the pressure from artillery exceeds the opponent's tolerance limit, the opponent will have no choice but to attack.

If Yexiya remains inactive after firing 75 shots in one round—then let's fire another round!

But this did not happen. Three minutes later, a white figure appeared angrily atop the transport ship.

It flew in at breakneck speed.

As expected of Saint Rank expert, her flight speed easily exceeded 40 knots. Considering she was flying against a Force 7 sea breeze, this speed was astonishing! There must be other mages on the transport ship, but their speed would be significantly slowed down under these weather conditions.

The enemy has been successfully divided!