In the vast ocean, numerous fleets remained anchored in a certain sea area, maintaining vigilance and suspicion towards each other. Their formations subtly outlined a circle, within which lay the Divine Realm. The meteorite was located in this very sea area; whoever found it would rule the world.
The concept of ruling the world was something no nation had ever achieved. Even before the apocalypse, it was a situation of one superpower among many. However, it was no exaggeration to say that any force that obtained the meteorite could control this world! Currently, espers were extremely rare. Even with the existence of esper potions, only special individuals could use them; ordinary people had no chance of becoming espers in their lifetime.
But the meteorite was different. With the meteorite, one could acquire extraterrestrial elements, thus cultivating tens of thousands of espers. Once an army of espers appeared, zombies and mutated beasts would be no match for them!
Therefore, the numerous fleets, in their pursuit of the meteorite and to prevent it from falling into the hands of others, were all poised for action, waiting for the moment the meteorite appeared to commence battle!
However, on this very day, a large number of colossal sea beasts appeared on the periphery of the Divine Realm, encircling all the fleets and even the Divine Realm itself.
"Splash..." The sound of waves continuously echoed from the sea surface, the sound generated by the breathing of the colossal sea beasts. When the sea beasts surfaced, every movement caused the surrounding seawater to surge. The crashing waves produced rhythmic sounds.
Almost simultaneously, the fleets of the five major powers discovered they were surrounded. Black shadows appeared on the sea, some revealing only a tip of the iceberg, yet their appearance was enough to inspire awe. Other sea beasts remained hidden in the water, showing no intention of surfacing, but sonar could detect their presence. In an instant, over a hundred colossal sea beasts appeared on the periphery of the Divine Realm, surrounding all the fleets.
At this point, the people of the five powers finally remembered that on the sea, humans were not the strongest; it was the sea beasts. Compared to the combat power of the sea beasts, humans at sea were heavily reliant on the ships beneath their feet. Facing the sea beasts that could appear at any moment, all the soldiers felt a sense of unease.
When the captain arrived on the deck, he saw the black shadows emerging from the water. These shadows had blocked all the fleets' forward paths. The only remaining exit was the Divine Realm behind them, but entering the Divine Realm meant certain death!
Looking at the numerous colossal beasts on the water, the captain couldn't help but ask, "How many of these sea beasts are there? I see no less than ten!"
Previously, just three colossal sea beasts had already brought disaster to the fleet. If Li Keyi hadn't devised a tactic to kill the squid on the spot at sea, scaring away the remaining two sea beasts, the fleet would likely have suffered heavy casualties in subsequent battles.
Now, as the captain observed the sporadic black shadows in the surrounding sea area, his worry grew more pronounced. He knew that facing the attack of so many colossal beasts, he was unlikely to escape unscathed, and even this mission would be difficult to complete.
At this moment, a guard came to report, saying, "Captain, there are twenty-three colossal sea beasts around us, all large monsters. The longest is eight hundred meters in length; they are mutated blue whales!"
Upon hearing this, the captain almost fainted. Twenty-three sea beasts! Such a number, even a fraction of them could defeat them. And now there were twenty-three! How could they fight? The gap in strength was evident, and it was no longer a time when weapons and equipment could compensate for the disadvantage.
The chief of staff also quickly inquired, "Do you know why these sea beasts are surrounding us? Sea beasts are intelligent creatures. Why would they surround us without reason? And in such large numbers, we haven't offended them, have we?"
The guard shrugged, unable to answer the chief of staff's question.
The captain also regained his composure, gritting his teeth and saying, "There's no chance of escaping now; we can only hold our ground. The fleet will form a triangular formation, with the frigates at the front to defend against attacks from both sides. Also, try to notify the espers in the Divine Realm to either take the meteorite and run quickly or leave the Divine Realm. The meteorite has already been buried, and we can come back to salvage it next time."
"But we can't enter the Divine Realm to deliver this message! We can't notify the espers now!" the guard quickly said.
Affected by electromagnetic waves, electrical appliances could not be used in the Divine Realm, and humans would fall unconscious upon entering. This made it very difficult to deliver important messages to the espers. For a long time, the espers had sent one-way messages to the fleet, but now, when it was necessary to notify them, there was no way to do so.
The captain thought carefully and quickly said, "There's always a way; we can't give up now. At this moment, use wine bottles as drift bottles, put in a note, and throw them into the sea. We are currently north of the Divine Realm, and the north wind is blowing. The drift bottles have a chance of reaching the espers."
Upon hearing the captain's idea, the guard immediately understood and said, "We'll do it right away, but please instruct on what to write on the note, Captain."
The captain said, "Write it in Chinese. Foreigners generally won't understand it. As for the content, write this: The situation has changed, sea beasts are attacking. Decide quickly. If you stay, finish the fight swiftly, do not delay. If you leave, return quickly and await the next operation."
The guard then followed the instructions. While the sea beasts were still surrounding them and had not yet launched an attack, they first sent the external news into the Divine Realm.
Generally, no one would truly expect drift bottles to reach their destination, as the efficiency was too low. They might even be washed back by the waves halfway. But at this moment, it was the only way to contact the espers in the Divine Realm. They hoped the northern currents would carry the drift bottles to the Heavenly Chosen Bureau or the Esper Management Bureau. As for the decision, it would depend on what the espers thought.
"Plop," "plop," beer bottles were thrown into the water. The caps of the beer bottles were sealed with corks. These drift bottles immediately began to drift southward.
The captain watched the drift bottles in the water, his brow furrowed. This was the best method he could think of, and he wondered if the espers would successfully receive their message.
Besides the Chinese fleet, the other five fleets were also surrounded by sea beasts. Except for the direction of the Divine Realm, the surrounding sea areas were all blocked. Moreover, the soldiers were on ships, and for them, this was a situation of having no way to heaven or earth. Once the battle began, most of them would not last long; perhaps the battle would end within a day.
Soldiers who reacted promptly were quietly writing their wills, not holding out hope for survival. They had already witnessed the powerful strength of the sea beasts when they encountered them at sea before. They had tenacious vitality, immense voices, and were not easily killed. Furthermore, the colossal sea beasts also possessed the ability to use espers.
From noon until afternoon, for over four hours, the sea beasts continuously roamed, as if waiting for something. They were not in a hurry to attack.
However, at dusk, the battle officially began. The sea beasts from all directions started their assault on the fleets. As if receiving an order, they executed this command at the same time, which was almost unbelievable.
"Prepare for battle, launch underwater missiles to force the sea beasts away, and be ready to activate the high-voltage coils at any time," the commander issued the order.
All the fleets were attacked by sea beasts at this moment. As mountain-like sea beasts charged towards the fleets, countless soldiers felt fear, especially the European and American fleets, which had not participated in naval warfare for a long time. Faced with this situation, they could only manage to fire a few cannonballs. The main bodies of the sea beasts were underwater, and cannonballs were completely ineffective in harming them.
"Boom..." Ten minutes after the battle began, a North American frigate was immediately rendered useless and sunk by a sea beast.
The sinking of the frigate was not the work of ordinary colossal sea beasts, but a four-hundred-meter-long octopus. After the octopus surfaced, it condensed a laser beam, causing the surrounding light to dim. Subsequently, the laser beam was fiercely fired, directly hitting the frigate.
The people on the ship did not expect the sea beasts to have such capabilities. Hit by the rapidly fired beam, the ship subsequently exploded violently.
"My God, why is this happening?" The North American commander was stunned after witnessing this scene. Looking at everything that appeared before him, he felt as if he were dreaming.
His massive frigate, with tens of thousands of tons of displacement and world-leading armaments, was sunk by a single laser beam fired by a sea beast. If this continued, his fleet would not be able to contend with the sea beasts.
The sea beasts' attacks were exceptionally fierce, and they no longer concealed their abilities. The espers they had previously been reluctant to use were now being displayed without reservation, with bursts of fire appearing on the water surface.
The Chinese side also encountered a tricky situation. The soldiers on the ship suddenly smelled a foul odor, a smell that was very familiar. Wasn't this the smell from a toilet?
"Who the hell shat their pants? We're all heroes who died in battle anyway, so who's still shitting their pants at this moment?" Some impatient soldiers, upon smelling the odor, couldn't help but curse. Having chosen to join the army during the apocalypse, they had prepared for sacrifice. To suddenly shit their pants at this moment was too embarrassing!
The other soldiers also smelled the odor and quickly said, "We smell it too, but how can shitting your pants produce such a strong odor? This smell is really pungent!"
As everyone was in doubt, someone saw gas bubbles emerging from the water and immediately shouted, "There's something going on underwater! Gas is emerging from the water, quickly put on gas masks!"
In the Earth's rock strata, many gases have been preserved. Some gases can be used as resources, such as natural gas. However, some gases are toxic, especially those containing sulfides and cyanides. If they leak out, any person or animal that inhales the poisonous gas will be poisoned to death.
The soldiers discovered that these gases were emerging from the sea. Fearing a toxic gas leak from the seabed, they immediately sought gas masks to wear.
However, at this moment, a giant king crab in the distance revealed its eyes on the water surface, and then a fireball was launched.
"Boom..." A large fire immediately erupted on the sea surface. The raging flames engulfed the Chinese fleet. The scorching heat and the foul odor continuously assaulted the soldiers on the ship.
At this time, everyone realized that the foul odor in the air was not some other gas but ammonia. This substance is most commonly produced in toilets, and the smell most people perceive comes from ammonia. When ammonia reaches a certain concentration, it can burn or explode.
The fleet, enveloped in flames, felt the scorching heat. This was not the most critical issue; the steel ship walls could withstand the high temperature of the flames, and there were heat-insulating materials on the ship, making it difficult to catch fire. The most critical issue was the scarcity of oxygen. The sea area around the fleet was surrounded by ammonia gas. After burning, it violently consumed the oxygen in the air, causing the soldiers on the ship to feel dizzy, a symptom of oxygen deprivation.