Plop.
A small bottle was thrown into the sea.
Its cap was off.
In that instant.
An indescribable scent.
Not foul.
Nor fragrant.
But rather...
An extreme "freshness."
So fresh that a single whiff felt like it would make one's brain boil.
"This smell..."
Li Ruobing pinched her nose, her face full of disgust.
"It's even more potent than the socks I wore for a month."
"This is Dragon Saliva Incense?"
"To be precise."
Qin Yu stood at the edge of the deck, watching the small bottle sink rapidly.
"This is [Lure Agent: Ambergris] enhanced tenfold by the System."
"Not just sharks."
"Even if the rocks at the bottom of the sea gained sentience, they'd want to come up and take a bite."
As soon as he finished speaking.
The already churning sea surface.
Suddenly went still for a second.
Then.
BOOM!!
As if a depth charge had exploded on the seabed.
The sea surface within a ten-kilometer radius.
Instantly erupted.
Countless dark shadows.
Surged frantically upward from the deep waters.
They no longer attacked the President.
Nor did they care about the Floating Fortress in the sky.
All the monsters.
Even those with broken tails or blinded eyes.
Now had only one target.
That small, sinking bottle.
"The feeding frenzy has begun."
Qin Yu curled the corner of his mouth.
"Yao Qian."
"Now's the time."
"Lower that Mechanical Arm to the bottom!"
"Although that old tree stump is dead."
"Its garden."
"Is a treasure trove."
"It's been squatting here for so long; I don't believe it didn't bury something else in that mud."
"Understood!"
In the cockpit.
Yao Qian's hands flew across the keyboard.
The belly hatch of the President opened.
A thick, metallic-glinting Mechanical Arm.
Like a giant steel serpent.
Avoided the schools of fish frantically scrambling for the ambergris.
And plunged straight to the seabed.
...
Seabed Ruins.
The area had already been blasted into a massive crater by the earlier shot.
Silt was still churning.
The withered plant debris was scattered everywhere.
The spotlight at the tip of the Mechanical Arm lit up.
Its beam pierced the turbid seawater.
"Dig!"
"Right at the center of that crater!"
"That's where it usually slept!"
Qin Yu's voice came through the broadcast.
Zzzzz—
The drill at the front of the Mechanical Arm began rotating at high speed.
Plunging fiercely into the mud.
Once.
Twice.
This scoop brought up.
Not black mud.
But a...
Golden glow.
"Holy shit?!"
Qi Chun, watching from above, felt his eyes were about to pop out.
"Bro!"
"Did you bless that shovel or something?"
"You're digging up gold just like that?"
"Shut up."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, watching the images transmitted back on the screen.
That wasn't gold.
They were pieces of ore... emitting a faint golden light.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations on obtaining: Deep Sea Mithril (Raw Ore) *50 units!]
[Item Description: S-Class rare metal. A byproduct ore formed after long-term exposure to the Deep Sea Titan's own energy. Extremely high hardness and exceptional magic conductivity.]
[Use: Upgrading hull armor, Crafting high-energy weapon cores.]
"Mithril?"
Yao Qian exclaimed in shock.
"Brother-in-law!"
"This... this whole place is full of it?!"
On the screen.
At the bottom of that deep pit.
Lay a layer of these golden ores.
Like floor tiles laid by that old octopus for itself.
"Full of it?"
Qin Yu sneered.
"Then it's all ours."
"Dig!"
"Don't leave a single piece for me!"
"If you miss one, you won't sleep tonight."
"Got it!"
Yao Qian was more excited than anyone right now.
The Mechanical Arm seemed to have a motor installed.
Frantically "stocking up" at the bottom of the pit.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Chunks of raw Mithril ore larger than a human head.
Were thrown into the collection basket in the rear hold.
Just then.
"ROAR!!"
A muffled roar.
Came from the darkness to the side.
Immediately after.
A massive black shadow.
At a completely unscientific speed.
Slammed into the digging Mechanical Arm.
"BANG!!"
Sparks flew.
It was the sound of S-Class Alloy colliding with some kind of hard shell.
The entire President shook from the impact.
"Warning! Mechanical Arm damage 15%!"
"Warning! Hydraulic system alert!"
"What is that?!"
Li Ruobing grabbed her large hammer, ready to jump down.
"Don't move."
Qin Yu stopped her.
His gaze fixed intently on the screen.
The dust settled.
A massive creature, its entire body covered in bluish-black carapace... a crab?
No.
That was no ordinary crab.
On its back.
Grew sharp, barbed spikes.
Two enormous claws.
One flickering with fiery light.
One exuding a chilling aura.
[Monster Name: Bipolar Earth-Sundering Demon Crab]
[Level: SS-Class (Overlord)]
[Description: One of the deep-sea overlords attracted by the Dragon Saliva Incense. But it's smarter. It knows it can't snatch that bottle of medicine, so it has set its sights on your... ore.]
[Trait: Absolute Defense. Its carapace is harder than your ship.]
"Stealing my ore?"
Qin Yu laughed in anger.
Flicking his cigarette butt into the sea.
"When I was stealing from others, you were still a fertilized egg in your mother's womb."
"Yao Xue."
"This crab's shell is hard."
"Hit it with the 'Softening Agent' for me."
"Ruo Bing."
"Those two claws are yours."
"I think that pair of claws looks good. Perfect to take off and install as auxiliary arms for the ship."
"Aye, aye!"
Yao Xue immediately pressed a red button on the console.
[Launch Tube Three: Ready!]
[Loaded: High-Concentration Acid Corrosion Solution!]
"Whoosh—"
A green torpedo.
Trailing a long tail.
Plunged into the water.
Accurately striking the giant crab's back.
"Sizzle—"
No explosion.
Only the teeth-grating sound of corrosion.
That layer of bluish-black carapace, touted as Absolute Defense.
Instantly billowed white smoke.
Becoming pitted and scarred.
"SCREECH!!"
The Demon Crab let out a pained shriek.
Just as it tried to flee.
"Too late!"
Qin Yu had already shouldered [Kiss of Death].
"Since you're here."
"Leave your life behind."
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out.
The bullet precisely drilled into the gap corroded by the acid.
"Squelch!"
Green crab roe.
Exploded everywhere.
The massive Demon Crab.
Twitched twice.
And moved no more.
[Ding!]
[SS-Class Bipolar Earth-Sundering Demon Crab slain!]
[Plunder Value Obtained: 5000 points!]
[Loot: Bipolar Crab Claws (one pair)!]
[Loot: ??]
"Hmm?"
Qin Yu's eyes sharpened.
What was that question mark?
He saw.
From the exploded abdomen of that dead crab.
A bead rolled out.
A bead...
of earthy yellow color.
It was unremarkable.
Even looked like a clump of mud.
But as soon as the mechanical arm approached.
The surrounding seawater.
Suddenly became viscous.
Gravity.
Seemed to have increased a hundredfold in that small area.
"What is that?"
Qi Chun's voice trembled.
"Bro."
"I feel like my fortress is going to sink."
"That thing... it's pulling me in!"
Qin Yu didn't speak.
He sensed a familiar aura.
That was... the scent of rules.
"Pull it up!"
"Hurry!"
Yao Qian gritted her teeth.
Trying to reel the mechanical arm back.
But that bead was too heavy.
The motor of the mechanical arm groaned under the strain.
"Creak, creak, creak..."
"Increase the power!"
Qin Yu roared.
"Ruo Bing!"
"Go help!"
"Use the manual winch!"
"Yes!"
Li Ruobing threw down the sledgehammer.
Rushed to the aft deck.
Her long legs, clad in Black Silk Stockings, tensed.
Both hands gripped the winch.
"For your mother... lift!!"
"Snap! Snap! Snap!"
The steel cable stretched taut.
Making a brittle sound as if about to snap.
Finally.
That earthy yellow bead.
Along with the massive dead crab.
Was forcibly dragged out of the water.
"Boom!"
It crashed onto the deck.
The entire ship sank half a meter.
Qin Yu immediately stepped forward.
Reached out.
And grabbed the bead.
The moment it touched his hand.
He felt as if he wasn't holding a bead.
But a mountain.
[Item Name: Earth's Core (Pseudo)]
[Quality: SSS-grade (Special Material)]
[Description: This is the core nurtured for a thousand years inside a crab that sought to evolve into an "island." It contains terrifyingly potent earth element rules.]
[Special Effect: Ever-Growing Soil.]
[With just a single grain.]
[It can spontaneously generate infinite soil.]
[This is... the cornerstone for establishing land!]
Seeing these lines.
Qin Yu's hand.
Trembled slightly.
Ever-Growing Soil.
Establishing land.
In this world of nothing but water and ships.
What did these four words mean?
It meant.
He no longer had to drift.
He could...
Build an island!
"Good stuff."
"Truly good stuff."
Qin Yu took a deep breath.
Carefully placed the bead into the lead box.
Alongside those pieces of Ocean Soul Crystal Mother.
"This crab."
"Was also a deliveryman."
"Not only did it deliver a body of meat."
"But also a land deed."
"Brother-in-law!"
Yao Qian suddenly shouted.
Her voice sharp.
"Stop marveling over there!"
"Below!"
"Look below!"
"We've dug it up!"
"We've hit the big haul!"
Qin Yu whipped his head around.
Looked at the screen.
The deep pit on the seabed.
Had been completely excavated.
Revealing the bedrock at the very bottom.
And embedded within that bedrock.
Was a...
Door.
A door only the size of a palm.
Yet radiating a dazzling blue light...
A teleportation gate?
No.
It was a miniature model.
Like a... bonsai.
But within this bonsai.
There were mountains.
And water.
Even miniature clouds and mist swirling about.
"What is that?"
Li Ruobing leaned over.
Utterly bewildered.
"Is that the old tree's toy?"
Qin Yu didn't speak.
His pupils contracted.
[Omniscient, Eye of Vanity].
Was frantically analyzing the data of this object.
Streams of data flashed through his eyes.
Finally.
It condensed into a line of text.
[Item Name: Lost Ecological Garden (Core)]
[Quality: ??? (Ancient Technology/Rule Product)]
[Description: This is not a toy. This is a folded space. This is... a complete, self-sustaining ecosystem.]
[As long as you provide it with sufficient energy.]
[It can unfold.]
[Covering your vehicle.]
[Whether it's acid rain, radiation, or extreme cold outside.]
[Within this ecological garden.]
[It's eternally spring.]
[All things grow.]
Qin Yu felt his throat go dry.
Eternally spring.
All things grow.
In this post-apocalyptic world.
They ate expired canned food.
Drank filtered urine (though he didn't have to).
But that didn't mean he didn't yearn for fresh vegetables.
Yearn for that feeling... of stepping on grass.
"Yao Qian."
Qin Yu's voice was hoarse.
"Bring it... up."
"Be gentle."
"If you so much as chip a corner of this thing."
"Selling you wouldn't cover the cost."
"Understood!"
Yao Qian's face was also one of reverence at this moment.
She controlled the Mechanical Arm.
As if cradling a heart.
With utmost care.
She pried the glowing bonsai.
From the crevice in the rock.
Just as the Mechanical Arm cradled the core.
And prepared to ascend.
A sudden change occurred.
The school of fish that had been frantically fighting over the Dragon Saliva Incense.
Suddenly stopped.
That bottle of Dragon Saliva Incense.
Had already been swallowed by a mutated humpback whale.
But it didn't swim away.
Instead, it turned its massive head.
Staring fixedly at...
The glowing bonsai in the Mechanical Arm's grasp.
Not just it.
All around.
Dozens of pairs of crimson eyes.
Lit up simultaneously.
Those were predators lurking in the shadows.
They instinctively sensed.
That bonsai.
Was more precious than that bottle of Dragon Saliva Incense.
More alluring.
Within it.
Was a vitality... they had never seen before.
"ROAR————!!"
The humpback whale took the initiative to attack first.
Opening a maw large enough to swallow a bus.
A visible sonic blast.
Shot directly towards the Mechanical Arm.
"Seeking death!"
Qin Yu was furious.
That's my vegetable garden!
You dare touch it?!
He grabbed the [Kiss of Death].
Didn't even use the scope.
Relying on instinct.
He fired a shot at the sea surface.
"Ruo Bing! Raise the shield!"
"Qi Chun! Bombard them for me!"
"If anyone dares touch that Mechanical Arm."
"Blow their ancestral graves out of the water!"
"Yes!!"
"BOOM!!"
The bullet from the Kiss of Death.
Arrived later but struck first.
Directly piercing through that sonic blast.
And drilling into the humpback whale's mouth.
"BANG!"
The massive whale's head.
Exploded like a flower.
But this didn't frighten the other monsters away.
On the contrary.
The smell of blood drove them even more frenzied.
A creature resembling an eel.
But with human hands.
Charged out from the side.
Fast as a bolt of lightning.
Its target was clear.
Not the Mechanical Arm.
But the steel cable connecting the Mechanical Arm!
As long as it bit through the cable.
That treasure would fall!
"Trying to intercept?"
Yao Xue's cold voice rang out.
She stood by the ship's railing.
Holding a strangely shaped scalpel in her hand.
It was something Qin Yu had given her from a previous prize draw.
[S-Class: Soul Dissection Scalpel].
"Since your hand reaches so far."
"Then let's chop it off."
With a flick of her wrist.
The scalpel flew from her hand.
Drawing a bizarre arc through the air.
"Thud!"
The strange fish had just opened its mouth.
The blade plunged precisely between its eyes.
No blood.
The fish stiffened instantly.
Its soul had been severed.
"Retrieve it!!"
Yao Qian screamed.
She pushed the thruster to its limit.
The mechanical arm, carrying the glowing bonsai,
broke through the water's surface.
"Clang!"
It landed steadily on the deck.
In that instant,
a fresh, earthy fragrance
instantly swept through the entire warship, which had been filled with the smell of blood.
That was...
the scent of life.
"Hah..."
Qin Yu let out a long sigh.
Looking at the unharmed bonsai,
he smiled.
"Now,"
"everything's complete."
"We have soil."
"We have land."
"We have minerals."
"This isn't just surviving the apocalypse."
"This is clearly..."
"This is asking me to build a nation,"
"right here on the sea."
He raised his head,
gazing at the beast tide still frantically surging around them.
The killing intent in his eyes
did not diminish but instead grew stronger.
"Since we've got the treasure,"
"there's nothing left to hold back."
"System,"
"pour those five hundred tons of fuel"
"into the sea for me."
"Since they love excitement so much,"
"I'll throw them..."
"a bonfire party!"
"Ignite!!"