As the research vessel entered the territorial waters of the Neon Nation, Yang Lin continued to ponder his plan.
Although the Dolphin Bay incident had been exposed internationally, and the "Little Sun" had faced condemnation from various countries, leading to impending investigations by the International Marine Association and the International Animal Protection Association, Yang Lin knew this was hardly a significant matter for the notoriously shameless "Little Sun."
Unless they were hit by two more atomic bombs, they would likely carry on as usual. It was even possible that marine populations within their waters would face retaliatory fishing by Neon Nation's fishermen.
With this thought, Yang Lin immediately reactivated the passive ability of his Ocean Heart. To his surprise, as he channeled the Ocean Heart, the Kunbao Bao, which had been following the research vessel, suddenly resonated with him.
At that moment, his perception, previously limited to a radius of 500 kilometers, began to expand at an astonishing rate. Soon, it had increased more than tenfold.
Yang Lin suddenly remembered Kunbao Bao's innate talent, Deep Blue Heart. As the controller of the ocean, Kunbao Bao's abilities were clearly far superior to his own, a low-tier Neptune. When Yang Lin activated the Ocean Heart, Kunbao Bao acted like a signal amplifier, extending his range of influence.
Only now did Yang Lin truly understand what it meant to be the "real Neptune." A hint of joy flickered across his face.
After the initial surprise, he immediately used this ability to drive away the marine life in the entire Neon Nation's waters.
The next second, the seawater around the Neon Nation began to boil. Countless marine creatures leaped out of the water and swam away from Neon Nation's territorial waters.
Initially, the citizens of Neon Nation didn't think much of it. It wasn't until news of marine life migrations began to pour in from coastal areas that they finally panicked. This was especially true for the fishermen who depended on the sea for their livelihoods.
They had never witnessed such a bizarre phenomenon in their lives. By the time they realized what was happening, there wasn't even a crab to be seen in the water, let alone fish. In their desperation, the fishermen set sail, chasing after the disappearing marine life.
However, as they ventured into the vaster ocean, they were even more dumbfounded. All the marine creatures were doing the same thing: continuously migrating away from Neon Nation's waters. At this rate, within two days, the waters around Neon Nation would become a dead sea. They wouldn't be able to catch a single fish in their own waters.
When the fishermen relayed this situation back to the country, Neon Nation plunged into a state of immense panic, far exceeding the pre-earthquake anxiety. More than the fear of future fish shortages, they were terrified of the cause of this strange event. What could have possibly driven all the marine life to flee Neon Nation in such a frenzy?
Just then, videos from the Dolphin Bay incident began to go viral on Neon Nation's internal websites. Seeing the tragic events at Dolphin Bay, and recalling their own past cruelties towards marine life, the people of Neon Nation suddenly understood.
"The ocean is retaliating against us, it must be!"
"Is Neon Nation going to sink?"
"This is punishment from the ocean for our countless sins."
"I ate whale meat yesterday. Will I go to hell after I die?"
"No wonder the shark pods attacked those people. Even as a fellow citizen, I find their cruelty unbearable."
"Disregarding nature ultimately leads to nature's revenge. Is this nature's retribution for us?"
"We must stop our barbaric behavior, or we will face a catastrophic disaster like 80 years ago."
At this moment, the citizens of Neon Nation finally experienced remorse amidst their fear. Simultaneously, a religious group called the Church of the Whale God began to rise within the country. Countless people sought forgiveness from the ocean by praying to the Whale God.
While Neon Nation was in turmoil, netizens from other countries began to gloat. This was particularly evident on international forums. Of course, the most vocal were the netizens from the Dragon Kingdom, who had witnessed the grand spectacle of the collective marine migration through the live broadcast from the research vessel.
"Serves them right! Run, all of you! Don't leave them even a single clam!"
"Why don't kelp have legs? It pisses me off that they can still eat kelp in the future."
"Exactly. Though I suppose their future seafood buffets will be entirely kelp-based."
"Then would bringing a salted fish to Neon Nation be considered smuggling?"
"That would be a serious crime, punishable by execution."
"Can two pounds of sea cucumber buy a house in Neon Nation?"
"I hope these marine creatures never return."
"Indeed, human power is no match for nature. Neon Nation is truly reaping what it sowed."
"After this, it's not just Neon Nation, but a warning for other countries too."
"Heh heh, I bet people in Neon Nation will have to pray for the fish and perform a ritual before eating them from now on."
As everyone engaged in collective mockery, Yang Lin's research vessel had already embarked on its return journey. Originally intending to investigate the cause of the marine life's abnormal migration, they abandoned the idea upon learning that all marine life in Neon Nation's waters had fled. They knew that modern science could not explain the current situation, whether it be biology, geology, or climatology. Even an esteemed professor from the Dragon Academy of Sciences, accompanying them, remarked that Neon Nation was facing retribution. How could they investigate further?
Since Neon Nation's misfortune did not affect the Dragon Kingdom, the Maritime Bureau simply ordered them to return. On their voyage back, they encountered a large number of marine creatures migrating towards the Dragon Kingdom. Seeing this, the leaders of the Maritime Bureau were overjoyed, as these would become future marine resources for the Dragon Kingdom. With the addition of these marine creatures, it was equivalent to a decade of marine governance.
Yang Lin felt the same, but what excited him were not the migrating marine creatures, but the continuous system notification sounds.
"Ding! Host successfully saved the sperm whale clan, reward talent points *10."
"Ding! Host successfully saved the gray dolphin clan, reward talent points *10."
.......