"One hundred times?"
Qi Chun's chubby face trembled three times, his beady eyes filled with terror.
He instinctively glanced back at the [Floating Fortress] with a diameter exceeding three hundred meters.
Then he looked at the wreckage of the [Ragnarok] still being salvaged from the sea surface.
"Brother, don't scare me."
"One hundred times... wouldn't that be an island?"
"Or are you planning to rob the system's server?"
Though greedy, Qi Chun wasn't stupid.
In these waters, size usually meant two things:
First, it possessed vast resources.
Second, it could swallow you whole without spitting out even bone fragments.
Qin Yu didn't explain.
He flicked the still-smoldering cigarette butt in his hand into the sea.
Watching it get swallowed by the waves.
"Remember that 'big guy' we encountered last week?"
Qi Chun froze.
Then.
His already pale face instantly drained of all color.
Like bloodless pork.
"Gulp."
He swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
"You... you mean that..."
"The one that turned the entire sea into a primeval forest..."
"Botanical Onslaught?!"
Qi Chun would never forget that scene.
Tens of thousands of vines thicker than thighs emerged from beneath the sea.
Those vines weren't plants.
They were alive.
They slithered like snakes into ship hulls, into human bodies.
Once entangled.
Three seconds.
A living person would be sucked dry into a human skin.
"Brother..."
"That thing... isn't something humans can fight."
At this moment, Qi Chun genuinely wanted to cry.
Facing Fenrir earlier was a human-to-human struggle, at worst a bayonet fight.
But that plant monster...
It was a moving nightmare!
"Last time we didn't fight."
"Because it wasn't worth it."
Qin Yu patted the newly evolved [Netherworld: Death's Kiss] behind him.
The cold gun body transmitted a bloodthirsty craving to him.
"And last time."
"I didn't have a cleaver."
"Now."
"The blade is sharpened."
"It's time to harvest the crops."
Qin Yu turned away, no longer looking at the terrified Fatty.
His voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable command.
"You have ten minutes."
"Strip all usable parts for me."
"Especially those high-energy batteries, take as many as you can."
"After ten minutes."
"Those who don't want to die."
"Stay close to my ship's stern light."
With that.
Qin Yu jumped back onto the deck of the [President].
...
On the [President].
The atmosphere was equally tense and busy.
Though the battle had ended, the real inventory work had just begun.
"Brother-in-law! We struck it rich!"
Yao Qian held a tablet, its screen densely packed with data streams.
Her large eyes behind the glasses shone frighteningly bright.
"The system settlement is out!"
"Besides the 880,000 Plunder Value."
"We also scanned this from Fenrir's wreckage!"
Yao Qian proudly held up a palm-sized white fragment emitting extreme cold.
[Item: Eternal Frost Core (S-Class · Core Material)]
[Description: This is the essence left behind after the shattering of Fenrir's "Frostmourne."]
[Function: Can be used to enhance ice-based weapons, or serve as the cooling core for a "Cold Nuclear Fusion Reactor."]
"The energy density of this thing is three times higher than our current Reactor!"
"If we install it into the President's power furnace..."
"Our maximum speed could break 120 knots!"
120 knots.
At sea, that's not a ship.
It's a Missile skimming the surface.
"Install it."
Qin Yu waved his hand decisively.
"Ruo Bing."
"Here!"
Li Ruobing was polishing her somewhat dented war hammer. Hearing her name, she immediately straightened her back.
Even though she was still wearing that blood-stained, figure-hugging tank top.
It couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes.
"Did you have fun just now?"
Qin Yu asked.
"Nope."
Li Ruobing pouted, thumping her hammer on the deck.
"Those suicide bombers were too fragile."
"Turned into mush with one swing."
"Boring."
"That Fenrir too, you one-shotted him. I didn't even get a chance to go up and kick him a couple of times."
This woman.
Is a total violence maniac.
Qin Yu smiled slightly.
He opened the System Shop.
That string of numbers, a staggering 880,000 Plunder Value, was just a bunch of digits in his eyes.
Money.
Saved is just paper.
Spent becomes bullets.
"System."
"Exchange for [S-Class · Titanium Alloy Armor Plates] ×50."
"Exchange for [S-Class · High-Energy Particle Shield Generator (Shipborne Version)]."
"Exchange for [A-grade · Auto-Repair Drones] ×10."
"And also."
Qin Yu glanced at Elena, who was sitting in a corner tending to her wounds.
The general he'd just picked up.
Also a ruthless one.
"Exchange for [S-Class · Berserker Prosthetic (Left Arm)]."
"Cost: 650,000 Plunder Value."
"Ding! Exchange successful!"
As the system prompt sounded.
A pile of metal crates emitting a faint glow materialized out of thin air on the President's deck.
"Get moving."
Qin Yu pointed at the pile of supplies.
"Ruo Bing, you're in charge of the armor plates."
"Reinforce the bow for me."
"Since we're going to ram that big guy."
"Our head needs to be tough enough."
"Yao Qian, go handle the Shield and the power furnace."
"I want this ship to become a hedgehog."
"An electrified hedgehog."
"Elena."
Qin Yu kicked a long, rectangular metal crate over.
It slid to a stop at Elena's feet.
"Install this."
"Don't hold back for my sake."
"When the fight starts later."
"I need you to be able to tear open that thing's hide."
Elena was taken aback.
She used her intact right hand to open the crate.
Inside lay a metal arm brimming with a sense of mechanical, violent aesthetics.
Black and red.
Each finger was a sharp alloy blade.
Moreover.
At the interface, one could even see flowing energy fluid.
[S-Class · Berserker Prosthetic].
On the black market.
This thing could buy a city.
"Boss..."
Elena looked up, her expression complex.
She had surrendered less than half an hour ago.
Hadn't even undergone a loyalty test.
And this man...
Dared to give her such a weapon of mass destruction?
"Save it."
Qin Yu seemed to see right through her thoughts.
"If I dare to use you."
"I'm not afraid of you betraying me."
"Because."
Qin Yu lit a cigarette, his gaze arrogant and sweeping.
"In this world."
"Only by following me."
"Only then can you live like a human."
"And not a dog."
Elena gritted her teeth.
She didn't waste words on empty phrases like "swearing undying loyalty."
Instead, she directly grabbed the Mechanical Arm.
And pressed it hard against her already ruined left shoulder.
Click!
Mechanical nerves connected.
Excruciating pain sent cold sweat streaming down her face.
But she didn't utter a sound.
The five alloy fingers suddenly clenched in the air.
Emitting a crisp snap.
As if crushing the very air.
"Thanks."
That was her only reply.
Ten minutes later.
On the sea.
The previously somewhat damaged President.
Was now completely renewed.
No.
It would be more accurate to say it had been reborn.
The hull hadn't grown larger.
But every inch of the deck was now covered in a layer of dark Titanium alloy.
At the bow.
A menacing Ram had been installed.
And around the ship's hull.
A faint blue particle Shield flickered in and out of sight.
Like an eggshell.
Enveloping the entire vessel.
"Set sail."
Qin Yu stood before the control console.
Gripping the helm wheel.
"Destination: coordinates (444, 444)."
"That... sea of death."
...
Meanwhile.
Five hundred nautical miles away.
In a stretch of eerily silent sea.
There were no waves here.
Because the sea surface was covered by a thick, green substance.
Was it algae?
No.
It was countless intertwined, writhing veins.
Like a massive green hide spread across the ocean.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Beneath the surface.
Enormous bubbles continuously rose.
Each bubble that burst.
Released a nauseating stench of decay.
At the center of this green expanse.
Floated an "island."
An island formed from corpses, sunken ships, and countless massive, tangled plant roots.
This was the true form of the Botanical Onslaught.
The very BOSS that countless players dreaded.
"Hungry..."
"Hungry..."
An indescribable low-frequency vibration.
Pulsed through the air.
This wasn't sound.
It was the radiation of thought.
At the edge of this "island."
A deep-sea Megalodon over fifty meters long.
Was thrashing wildly.
It was one of the overlords of this sea.
An A-grade mutated beast.
But before these green tentacles.
It was like a fly stuck on a spider's web.
Squelch!
Dozens of Vines covered in thorns.
Instantly pierced the Megalodon's skin, harder than steel.
Burrowed into its muscles.
Burrowed into its blood vessels.
Even burrowed into its brain.
ROAR—!!
The Megalodon let out one final scream.
Then.
Visibly.
Its massive body.
Began to shrivel.
Within seconds.
Only a pale skeleton remained.
Not a single shred of flesh left.
It was casually tossed into the sea.
Becoming another foundation stone for this "island."
But this Megalodon.
For this colossal entity.
Wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.
It was still writhing.
Countless green "eyes."
Opened within the gaps between the Vines.
They were bud-like structures.
Oozing with yellow acidic fluid.
It was searching.
Searching for higher-energy food.
Suddenly.
It stopped.
All the Vines.
All the tentacles.
In that instant.
Pointed in the same direction.
Southeast.
There.
An incredibly alluring scent.
No.
It was the scent of energy.
The scent of rules.
The scent of... the "key."
"Eat..."
"Devour..."
"Evolve..."
The sea began to boil.
That "island" with a diameter exceeding several kilometers.
Actually moved.
Defying the laws of physics.
No thrusters.
No sails.
It was like a giant jellyfish.
Using the countless tentacles beneath the sea to paddle.
Heading southeast.
Right toward Qin Yu's location.
Sweeping across the ocean.
Wherever it passed.
The seawater turned green.
Fish and shrimp perished completely.
...
On the President.
Qin Yu was staring at the radar screen.
The previously calm radar interface.
Suddenly displayed a large patch of red spots.
Not just one spot.
But a whole patch.
As if someone had splashed a bucket of red paint across the screen.
Moreover.
This red patch.
Was approaching them.
At an astonishing speed.
"Brother-in-law!"
Yao Qian's voice sounded strained.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard.
"Detected ultra-high-energy biological reaction!"
"This energy fluctuation..."
"Is ten times stronger than Fenrir before!"
"And..."
Yao Qian looked up, her face pale.
"It seems... it's coming straight for us!"
"It's accelerating!"
"Estimated contact time: 15 minutes!"
"Coming for us?"
Li Ruobing tightened her grip on the shotgun, frowning deeply.
"Has this thing become sentient?"
"Can it smell us from five hundred nautical miles away?"
"It's not smelling us."
Qin Yu spoke calmly.
His hand.
Subconsciously touched his pocket.
Where he kept the second Ocean Soul Crystal Mother he had just obtained.
"What it's smelling."
"Is this."
Rules attract rules.
Monsters attract monsters.
That's only fair.
"Old Qi!"
Qin Yu picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Stop dawdling back there!"
"Take your floating altitude to the maximum!"
"Open all the weapon ports for me!"
From the other end of the walkie-talkie.
Came Qi Chun's voice, choked with tears.
"Brother! I see it!"
"The radar is about to explode!"
"That thing... how is it so fast?!"
"Is it surfing in the ocean?!"
"Enough talk."
Qin Yu hung up the walkie-talkie.
Turned around.
Looked at the three women on the deck.
Yao Xue had already changed into a sleek combat uniform.
Holding a medical kit in her hand.
It was for saving lives.
And also for killing (it was filled with toxins).
Yao Qian was adjusting the newly installed automated turrets.
Li Ruobing was smearing some kind of high-explosive grease onto her warhammer.
Elena was testing her new mechanical arm.
Making a teeth-grinding friction sound.
No fear.
Only fighting spirit.
That was enough.
"Listen."
Qin Yu's voice wasn't loud.
But it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"This battle."
"There's no strategy."
"No need for honor."
"That thing is too massive."
"Ordinary guns and cannons won't even scratch it."
Qin Yu pointed at the menacing ram on the ship's bow.
"What we need to do."
"Is like a nail."
"Drive straight into its heart."
"And then."
"From the inside."
"Blow it to pieces."
"Madman..."
Li Ruobing licked her lips.
A flicker of fervor flashed in her eyes.
"But I like it."
"Prepare for impact!"
Qin Yu violently pushed the throttle forward.
"Vroom——!!"
The S-Class power furnace roared like a beast.
The newly installed Eternal Frost Core instantly released terrifying energy.
The thrusters at the stern.
Two streaks of blue exhaust flame, each over a hundred meters long, shot out.
The bow of the President lifted high.
It carved a straight white line across the sea surface.
Like an arrow released from its bow.
It charged toward the approaching green tsunami.
"It's here!"
Only ten minutes had passed.
At the horizon, where the sea met the sky.
A green line appeared.
It was a wave.
A towering green wave dozens of meters high.
And within that surge.
Countless thick tentacles.
Writhed wildly in the air like a swarm of demons.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
"Ugh..."
Qi Chun retched over the intercom.
"This is... too disgusting."
"Fire!!"
Qin Yu roared.
Not at the crew.
But upward.
At the Floating Fortress behind them.
"Old Qi! Empty all your missiles!"
"Clear a path for me!"
"Alright... got it!"
Though terrified.
When it came time to fight for their lives.
Qi Chun didn't hesitate.
The bottom of the airborne Flying Saucer.
Instantly opened over a dozen launch ports.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!!"
Hundreds of micro-missiles.
Trailing long plumes of smoke.
Blanketed the green tidal surge.
"Boom boom boom boom boom!!"
Flames shot skyward.
The explosions were deafening.
The thick vines were blasted apart.
Green sap rained down like a downpour.
But this did nothing to halt its advance.
The severed vines.
Regrew within seconds.
Becoming even thicker and more robust.
"It's useless!"
"Its regeneration is too fast!"
Yao Qian shouted.
"Who told you to kill it?"
Qin Yu gripped the helm wheel tightly.
His gaze sharp as a blade.
"I just need it..."
"To open its mouth!"
At the very moment the missiles carpeted the area.
That colossal plant island.
Seemed enraged.
The previously sealed central region.
Suddenly split open into a massive maw.
Like a man-eating flower.
Or a gaping Abyss.
Countless barbed tongues extended from within.
Attempting to swallow those annoying flies in the sky.
"Now!"
Qin Yu's pupils contracted sharply.
"Hold on tight!"
"We're going..."
"In!"
He slammed a red button beside him.
[Skill: Savage Charge (Vehicle Version)]
[Activated!]
The speed of the President.
In that instant.
Broke its limits.
The particle Shield blazed with intense light.
The entire ship.
Transformed into a blue meteor.
Ignoring the wildly lashing vines around it.
Ignoring the corrosive acid spray.
Straight.
Precisely.
And recklessly.
It plunged headlong into that newly opened...
Gaping Abyss!
"Schluck!!"
It was the sound of flesh tearing.
It was also Qin Yu's first...
Roar to this Wasteland World.
"Rot..."
"In its belly!!"
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