As the Southern Hemisphere blazed with heat, the Northern Hemisphere remained cloaked in white, winter having arrived. This year's winter was even colder than usual. North of Shanhaiguan Pass, heating had ceased, forcing residents to rely on fires for warmth. Fortunately, the vast forests of the Greater Khingan Range provided ample firewood.
In the south, snow had fallen in many places, heralding the harshness of winter and keeping people indoors.
Chu Chaoyan was in the City Lord's mansion, poring over documents. Despite the arrival of winter, the work never ceased. Issues of road construction, factory establishment, transportation, and even keeping warm all required her decision.
Inside her office, with the air conditioning on, Chu Chaoyan felt no chill. Warm air continuously flowed into the room, allowing her to wear only a light garment and brave the cold winter.
"Honestly, all these documents require my personal decision. I'm exhausted. When will Shen Feng return?" Chu Chaoyan grumbled while reviewing files, her secretary daring not to answer.
Chang Jianyi was nearing her due date and had taken up residence in the hospital, attended by nurses. Luo Qing stayed by her side constantly, so Chu Chaoyan hadn't seen Chang Jianyi for several days.
Just then, someone rushed in from the liaison office. "Madam, there's news from the south. It seems to be a report from Minister Guo Pinming. Please take the call immediately!"
Chu Chaoyan's face lit up with joy. "They've been gone for a month with no news. Finally, there's a response. And Shen Feng isn't calling me himself, making someone else relay the message. How infuriating!"
Despite her complaining tone, the smile on Chu Chaoyan's face was evident to all. Shen Feng had been gone for over a month, and Chu Chaoyan missed him dearly. However, due to the secrecy of his mission, constant communication was impossible, forcing her to suppress her longing. Now that news had finally arrived from the south, Chu Chaoyan was overjoyed.
Arriving at the communications room, Chu Chaoyan picked up the receiver and asked, "Hello, what is it? This is Chu Chaoyan."
Guo Pinming's voice came from the other end. He said in a deep tone, "Madam, please have everyone else leave. This matter is very important and cannot be known by too many people."
Hearing this, Chu Chaoyan felt a sudden unease. She quickly asked the staff in the communications room to leave and then whispered, "What exactly happened? Where is Shen Feng? Why isn't he calling me?"
Guo Pinming then replied with difficulty, "The City Lord... he's missing! He's been missing for two days, and the eldest young master is still in a coma. Currently, only Qi Ling Shan and I are unharmed, but the fleet is preparing to return. What... what should we do?"
Chu Chaoyan was struck by the devastating news as if by lightning. She stood frozen for a long time, unable to accept the reality. She couldn't understand how Shen Feng, a perfectly healthy person, could go missing. Shen Feng could fly and walk on water; his survival ability at sea should be considerable. Yet, he was missing. And how had Chang Haojie fallen into a coma? What had happened?
"How could Shen Feng go missing? Tell me quickly! I don't believe you. You're lying to me, right?" Chu Chaoyan asked agitatedly.
Guo Pinming did not dare to conceal anything and quickly recounted the entire incident over the phone.
...
As the fleet slowly sailed towards the battlefield, Shen Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that the Divine Realm, along with the Blue Whale, had moved away from the battlefield. Once the fleet arrived, they could quickly leave the sea by boat. He was grateful for Ando Fu's desperate outburst, which had caused the poisonous gas from the seabed to leak out. Otherwise, all the espers at sea would not have survived.
Natalie had not died but had fallen into a coma. When she finally woke up, the first person she saw was Ando Fu.
"Who are you? Why are you holding me? Let go quickly!" Natalie exclaimed, startled when she opened her eyes and saw an old man before her. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was being held by this old man, and she panicked.
Natalie's homeland often heard tales of wealthy old men, many of whom were fond of preying on young girls. She immediately connected her current situation to these stories, thinking that being held by a strange old man meant she would inevitably be molested next.
However, the old man spoke then, his voice hoarse. "Shut up. I am Ando Fu!"
Natalie carefully observed the old man before her. She noticed that he was completely bald, his face covered in wrinkles, making him look like a man in his sixties. He had a small mustache above his philtrum. Recognizing this characteristic, Natalie identified him as Ando Fu.
"Heavens, Ando Fu, how long have I been asleep? Why do you look so old now?" Natalie asked quickly.
At that moment, Natalie suspected she had become Sleeping Beauty, perhaps having slept for twenty years. Otherwise, why would she see Ando Fu looking twenty years older upon waking?
Ando Fu explained, "I overused my abilities, shortening my lifespan. My body is now like that of a sixty-year-old. In any case, we are temporarily saved. Once the fleet arrives, we can leave. You are lucky to have my protection; you're still alive!"
Natalie was deeply moved that Ando Fu had protected her in the end. In her excitement, she blurted out, "If you're willing, I'll marry you when we get back!"
Ando Fu was stunned, his aged face filled with disbelief. He had thought that with his aged body, no one would ever like him. But now, it seemed he had captured another woman's heart.
"Alright, as long as we can get back, we'll get married." Ando Fu readily agreed. After all, he was only a young man in his twenties, his mentality always youthful. Though his body had aged, he still yearned for everything a young person experienced, including love.
Natalie's affection for Ando Fu stemmed from gratitude, and Ando Fu's acceptance was a natural consequence, perhaps a result of sharing hardship.
As the fleet slowly approached, many soldiers appeared on the ships. These soldiers looked at the tragic battlefield with shock, witnessing the devastation at sea, with debris and corpses everywhere. Few espers had survived, and even those from the Heavenly Chosen Bureau and the Esper Administration had suffered heavy casualties.
Qin Kewe placed Fang Qinghao on a lifebuoy and carried Yue Hengyi on her back, awaiting the fleet's arrival. She looked around, her heart filled with sorrow. Only three people remained from the Esper Administration: Ke Yiming, Hou Xiaohua, and Jiang Kui were nowhere to be seen, likely dead.
On the Heavenly Chosen Bureau's side, Gong Changfa and Xun Yan were together. Lin Xi was still hidden within the hydrogel. Only these three Heavenly Chosen Bureau espers remained; the rest were missing.
Espers from other factions had either died or were injured, and the remaining ones had all fled.
The soldiers did not know what had happened on the battlefield, but the sheer number of remaining espers was enough to imagine the ferocity of the conflict.
"When wind and thunder rise from the earth, spirits are born from white bones!" the captain murmured, looking at the surviving espers. He sighed, realizing that the plan to salvage meteorites would likely be impossible for several years to come. The sea beasts that even espers could not contend with were now humanity's greatest enemy at sea.
Upon the fleet's arrival, Shen Feng helped Li Keyi onto a ladder. Li Keyi turned her head and gave Shen Feng a brilliant smile. "You really kept your word. I thought you were going to abandon me. Fortunately, you came back to save me. You're not heartless after all."
Li Keyi had initially believed that Shen Feng, after taking Chang Haojie, would not easily return. After all, if he had decisively left, his chances of survival would have been much greater. However, Shen Feng had ultimately returned to the battlefield. Thanks to Ando Fu's change in the tide of battle, everyone had survived by chance.
Shen Feng stood on the water, his figure swaying with the waves. He crossed his arms and said confidently, "Who do you think I am, Shen Feng? Would I abandon you so easily?"
Li Keyi was about to say something more when her pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had seen something terrifying. She quickly shouted, "Shen Feng, get up quickly! There's something in the water!"
Shen Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He looked down and saw that the seawater beneath him had turned black. Something was surfacing from the water. Shen Feng quickly dodged.
Unexpectedly, Yue Hengyi, who was lying nearby, also slowly woke up. He felt touched when he realized Qin Kewe was carrying him, thinking that even after falling into the water, Sister Qin had not abandoned him. This was true love. However, Yue Hengyi then noticed something rising from the water.
Yue Hengyi's first reaction was to push Qin Kewe away. He forcefully broke free from Qin Kewe's grasp, pushing the Qin Kewe on the water away with his hands, while he himself involuntarily retreated.
Coincidentally, he bumped into Shen Feng, who was preparing to dodge. This caused Shen Feng to momentarily falter. In that split second, a large mouth appeared from the water, and in the nick of time, both Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi were swallowed.
Li Keyi saw it clearly. It was the sea snake that had been guarding the perimeter of the Divine Realm. She hadn't expected the sea snake to have been lurking in the sea, and it had seized this opportunity for a surprise attack.
Finally, Li Keyi walked onto the ship in despair, sat down on the ground, and stared blankly, her eyes vacant. She muttered, "That's right, how could I forget the sea snake's physiology? Sea snakes breathe with lungs, not gills. Therefore, sea snakes, like humans, are not afraid of poisonous water. How could I forget that? How could I forget this?"
Li Keyi watched helplessly as Shen Feng was swallowed by the sea snake before her eyes. Then, the sea snake disappeared without a trace on the water's surface. This greatly stimulated Li Keyi.
Li Keyi's feelings for Shen Feng were rather reserved, as she didn't want to make things difficult for him. She was also very grateful for his help. However, the man she deeply loved was devoured by a sea beast in mere seconds, making it difficult for her to accept the reality.
Guo Pinming, witnessing this scene, immediately panicked. He rushed to find the captain and said, "Quickly use sonar to detect the sea snake's location! Hurry and pursue it! Quickly rescue the City Lord!"
The captain quickly ordered the use of sonar but found that the sea snake was fleeing south at high speed, covering hundreds of meters in an instant.
"Hurry and chase! The City Lord must not be harmed!" Guo Pinming roared, almost screaming. He knew that everything he had now was thanks to Shen Feng. Even his abilities were acquired after using an ability potion. Shen Feng had also forgiven him for his mistakes, for which Guo Pinming was very grateful.
Upon discovering that Shen Feng had been swallowed by the sea snake, Guo Pinming immediately wanted to mount a rescue.
The captain looked troubled. "Let's rescue all the espers in the water first. As for the escaping sea snake, we will contact headquarters and track it via satellite."
Guo Pinming wished he could jump into the water himself to rescue Shen Feng, but his abilities were entirely unsuitable for underwater combat. Now, he could only stand on the ship and watch helplessly, silently praying, "City Lord, you must not be harmed!"
Meanwhile, Qin Kewe, carrying Fang Qinghao, walked onto the cruiser and then knelt on the ground, covering her face and starting to cry. She couldn't accept the current situation. They were so close to being rescued, and then Yue Hengyi was eaten by the sea snake while trying to protect her.
"Didn't we agree you'd propose when we got back? You liar!" Qin Kewe choked out.
The espers also boarded the ship. These individuals were fortunate that the sea snake's target was not them, otherwise, they would have been the ones missing now.
Gong Changfa sat to the side, took off his wet clothes, and wrung them out. His face was filled with dejection. Although he had seen many people die and should not be so sentimental, he couldn't help but sigh, "Of the ten great espers in the Battle for Yanjing, two have fallen in the South Pacific. What a pity! What sorrow! What a lament!"