After Gong Changfa employed the schemes of "Man Tian Guo Hai" and "Zai Zang Jia Huo," he completely obscured the fact that his side possessed information about the meteorite. Instead, he incited other factions to act, using this opportunity to generously buy loyalty and bring the unruly elements within the Heavenly Selection Bureau under complete control.
On one hand, Gong Changfa possessed unfathomable depth of character. On the other, he had formidable strength; ordinary esper-users would meet a swift end if touched by him. Most importantly, Gong Changfa had influential connections within headquarters. With these three advantages, Gong Changfa quickly became the de facto captain of the Heavenly Selection Bureau, and the esper-users there had no choice but to obey his commands.
"Hmph, as long as I successfully bring back the meteorite, I will be China's greatest hero. No matter if it's Fengshen, Huoshen, or Leishen, none can compare to me, the true god!" Gong Changfa thought to himself, picturing himself being cheered by the masses. A smile involuntarily spread across his face.
At this moment, Gong Changfa was reveling in his own schemes. First, he had instructed Xu Huwei to monitor Shen Feng's situation, obtaining information about the meteorite's location. Then, he exploited the weaknesses of the Esper-Administration Bureau and the esper-users of Yuzhou, forcing them into cooperation. Finally, through "Man Tian Guo Hai" and sowing discord, he successfully instigated conflict among other potential enemies. With these plans unfolding so smoothly, Gong Changfa felt like a genius.
What did it mean to be resourceful? His series of intricately linked plans truly had everyone playing into his hands!
Gong Changfa lay on the deck, basking in the sun, silently awaiting the arrival of the container for the meteorite. Once the container arrived, ninety-nine percent of the task would be complete. Estimating the time, if things went quickly, the container would arrive in ten days.
However, at this moment, Gong Changfa spotted a green glass bottle appearing on the distant sea. The bottle was corked with a wooden stopper and contained enough air, preventing it from sinking. Thus, it drifted on the sea.
"Which little fool threw this message in a bottle, managing to drift all the way here? What good luck," Gong Changfa remarked, looking at the glass bottle in the water. He had no intention of retrieving it from the sea. Now that he had rare leisure time, wouldn't sunbathing be more comfortable?
Conversely, Lin Xi on the ship found the message in a bottle rather romantic. She couldn't help but say, "A small bottle, able to traverse mountains and rivers to reach us. This is fate. How many people in the world can encounter such a destiny?"
Following this, Lin Xi walked down the ladder to the lower deck of the warship and prepared to retrieve the drifting bottle that had suddenly appeared nearby in a small boat. After all, in this doomsday era, would anyone still throw message bottles into the sea?
In contrast to the leisurely demeanor of the people on the warship, the ferry was a different scene. Yue Hengyi and Qin Kevi were engrossed in each other on the deck, exchanging sweet nothings. The overwhelming display of affection deterred others from approaching, as getting close meant being inundated with their affection.
Ke Yiming was playing cards with a group of people, the atmosphere buzzing with excitement. Chang Haojie watched with great interest, planning to try it himself once they returned to Yuzhou.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng and Li Keyi were confined in a secret room. To prevent Xu Huwei from overhearing them, their communication was done through writing on paper.
Li Keyi first wrote on the paper, "I have investigated the red crystal you gave me and have reached a preliminary conclusion."
Shen Feng quickly wrote back, "What is it?"
"This crystal contains proteins from the zombie virus. Clearly, the sea beasts were also affected by the zombie virus, causing them to grow larger. Additionally, there is another component that seems very much like extraterrestrial elements, but I lack the equipment at the moment to confirm this!"
"Does this mean that this red crystal could potentially create esper-users?" Shen Feng continued to ask.
"Perhaps, but I don't recommend it. After dissecting the entire squid, no red crystal was found. Perhaps each sea beast contains only one crystal, and it's one less for each use. Until the true function of the red crystal is understood, it is not advisable to use it prematurely," Li Keyi quickly wrote.
Shen Feng pondered for a moment and wrote, "Then you continue to keep this crystal. Once its specific use is clarified, you can return it to me!"
As their communication was ongoing, a sudden, urgent sound echoed: "Guang guang..."
This sound, once heard, would feel familiar to anyone. The reason was simple: it was the sound of cymbals. Typically, during weddings and funerals, specialized bands would appear, and essential instruments included the suona and cymbals. The sound of cymbals was loud; once struck, the entire village could hear it.
Upon hearing the sound of the cymbals, both Shen Feng and Li Keyi were surprised. This was the signal Gong Changfa had arranged for meetings. In the event of an emergency, Yun Laizhe was to strike the cymbals. This made Shen Feng instinctively think of the golden snub-nosed monkeys he had seen in the mountains south of Yuzhou every time he saw Yun Laizhe playing the cymbals.
And now, with the cymbals being struck, it meant a difficult situation had arisen.
"Quick, let's go!" Shen Feng and Li Keyi quickly left the secret room in the cabin. Upon reaching the ferry's deck, they crossed to the motorboat and boarded the warship. At this point, everyone had gathered, their faces filled with confusion. There seemed to be no enemy attack in the vicinity, so why had everyone been summoned so urgently?
"I say, what is so urgent for you Heavenly Selection Bureau people? There's no danger in sight, so why the sudden clang of cymbals?" Fang Qinghao asked with dissatisfaction.
Gong Changfa's expression was solemn, his gaze sharp. He said earnestly, "Urgent? This is a million times urgent! Do you know we are surrounded by sea beasts? The fleet has come under attack, and the fleet may have to retreat!"
"What? How do you know that? Don't scare us!" Yue Hengyi exclaimed.
Gong Changfa then produced a green glass bottle and a piece of paper in his hand, saying, "This is a note from the fleet outside the Divine Realm. Based on the speed of the ocean currents, this bottle was sent at least five hours ago. This means the sea beasts have surrounded the Divine Realm without our knowledge."
Lin Xi also chimed in, "I fished this out of the water. It seems there are many more message bottles in the sea. I retrieved three or four, and they all contained the same message."
Everyone fell silent at this moment. The thought of sea beasts surrounding the Divine Realm five hours ago felt like a mountain pressing down on them, making it impossible to breathe.
Gong Changfa said in a deep voice, "Shen Feng, Qin Kevi, let's discuss our next course of action now and prepare early!"
"What is there to discuss? Pack up and run!" Shen Feng immediately said. "Our large group barely managed to kill one sea beast without incident. Now, who knows how many more behemoths are outside the Divine Realm. We definitely can't fight them. Let's flee quickly, bury the meteorite in the seabed deeper, and retreat. At worst, we can come back to salvage the meteorite later!"
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, everyone nodded in agreement. Fighting at this juncture would be unwise. The most appropriate course of action now was to escape as soon as possible. As for the meteorite, it was best to bury it in the sea for the time being.
Qin Kevi quickly added, "This is a good idea. If there are too many sea beasts, we will definitely not be their match. We can only escape now. Moreover, I suspect the sea beasts may be seeking revenge. We killed one sea beast earlier, and two others escaped. We thought they were afraid of our strength, but now it seems they might have gathered to seek revenge!"
Qin Kevi's words served as a wake-up call for Gong Changfa. He immediately understood that the greatest danger was not the fleet, but their own esper-users. Sea beasts possessed the intelligence to distinguish who killed their companions, and the squid had been killed by their esper-users.
"Captain Qin, please go underwater with Fang Qinghao and bury the meteorite deeper. Make sure to mark it so we can find it when we return next time. We can't let others discover it easily!" Gong Changfa said quickly.
Qin Kevi did not hesitate. He immediately put on the heavy diving suit, handed the chain to Yue Hengyi beside him, and leaped into the water with Fang Qinghao.
At this time, Gong Changfa continued to issue commands: "Everyone, pack what you need, especially the satellite phone. In addition, bring some dry rations and drinking water. Discard all non-essential items. Once Captain Qin surfaces, we will retreat immediately!"
Everyone understood the importance of the situation. The martial world was treacherous; if things went south, retreat was the way. It was not shameful to be unable to defeat an enemy, but the most frightening thing was to be unable to defeat them and also unable to escape. In such a case, even one's life would be forfeit.
Shen Feng grabbed Chang Haojie's arm and said seriously, "When we retreat, we won't go by sea. We'll fly away. Take the satellite phone, and maintain contact after leaving the Divine Realm!"
Upon hearing his brother-in-law's instructions, Chang Haojie quickly found the satellite phone and kept it with him. To prevent losing it, he even tied it to himself.
However, at this moment, Li Keyi suddenly noticed that the distant sea area had turned dark, and her expression changed drastically. She quickly said, "Be careful, the sea beasts are coming!"
Li Keyi was very sensitive to changes in light. Any alteration in the ambient light would attract her attention. The sunlit sea surface, which was originally shimmering, appeared as a stretch of azure water. But now, the sea surface had suddenly turned dark. Coupled with the previously obtained intelligence, there was only one conclusion: giant sea beasts were approaching!
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed. Was it already too late to retreat? They had almost finished all their preparations.
Escaping now was impossible. In the sea, sea beasts were significantly faster than humans. Even warships might not be able to match the extreme speed of sea beasts.
Gong Changfa quickly said, "Everyone, be quiet. Don't speak. You all know how to play dead, right? It's no different from playing dead right now."
The members of the Heavenly Selection Bureau immediately stopped their actions. On the side of the Esper-Administration Bureau, Yue Hengyi nervously looked at the chain in his hand. Qin Kevi had only been underwater for a short while, and unexpectedly, the sea beasts had arrived. If a battle were to break out underwater, Fang Qinghao and Qin Kevi would be in grave danger.
About ten dark shapes appeared on the sea surface, circling the warship and the ferry. The esper-users on the ships were all surrounded by the sea beasts. If the sea beasts wished, they could launch an attack at any moment, and everyone's palms began to sweat.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Chang Haojie immediately began to ride the clouds, taking Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan into the sky. Even if the ships were attacked, the three of them would not fall into the water.
Shen Feng silently put on the portable paraglider, with the satellite phone attached to his waist. If the situation turned unfavorable, he could quickly ascend into the sky. Li Keyi stood by the railing of the ship, watching the situation at sea, feeling uneasy.
More than ten giant sea beasts were swimming in the sea. Although their heads were not visible, their massive bodies absorbed light, causing the sea beasts to appear dark. At the center of the encirclement were the warship and the ferry. Waves crashed against the ships, creating a lapping sound.
Following this, the figures of these sea beasts suddenly disappeared, and the sea surface returned to its azure hue.
Upon witnessing this, everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the sea beasts had no intention of attacking them. This was truly a blessing in disguise.
Gong Changfa couldn't help but pat his chest and say, "Fortunately, these sea beasts were not targeting us. This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."
Yue Hengyi quickly shouted, "Quick, help me pull them up! The sea beasts suddenly disappeared, they must have submerged. We are safe now, but Sister Qin is still not safe!"