The fleet's propellers were all clogged with plastic, making it impossible to sail for the time being. Thus, the fleet could only take a break at sea and would set sail again once the plastic was removed from the propellers.
After being salvaged, the squid was divided and stored in the cold storage. The parts that couldn't fit were sent to the kitchen. For dinner, they had squid meat, with braised and stir-fried squid being the most popular. However, as the soldiers ate the squid, tears welled up in their eyes. Two ships had sunk, and dozens of comrades had died, which was a cause for great sadness.
"I lost a few good friends to tiger sharks, and I'm truly heartbroken!"
"Me too. This morning they were alive and well, but by noon, they were gone."
"What if we encounter sea beasts again? I heard only poison can deal with them, but we don't have such weapons on board."
"Aren't there still the ability users? They'll deal with the sea beasts!"
"Forget it. Ability users are no longer like us ordinary people. We can't always rely on them for rescue, especially when we enter the divine realm. All ability users will enter the divine realm, and there won't be any ability users left to guard the ships!"
During dinner, the soldiers discussed continuously, thinking about the brutal battles of the past two days. Almost everyone was in a somber mood. The sea beasts were simply too powerful, and even warships struggled to cope. They didn't know if they would encounter sea beasts again in the vast ocean in the future. If the sea beasts attacked humans again, would they be able to resist?
Gong Changfa, Zhu Kai, and Xun Yan were eating in a private room. The three were core members of the Heavenly Selection Bureau and all were fifth-order ability users. Moreover, their abilities were the most impactful. Therefore, these three had special privileges and could dine in a private room.
Gong Changfa ate silently. The dishes on the table were similar to those served outside, although the kitchen could prepare more dishes if the three of them requested it.
Zhu Kai, however, was still watching the day's recordings with a camera. As he watched, he said, "As long as we can throw the sea beasts out of the water, our chances of winning are quite high. It's a pity that our Heavenly Selection Bureau doesn't have any ability users who can control water or fly."
"Eat quickly. What's so good about these recordings?" Gong Changfa was a bit displeased. The sea beast wasn't killed directly by his hands, yet Zhu Kai kept watching the video. Was he going to watch Shen Feng's supersonic attack method again?
Zhu Kai quickly put down the camera and said earnestly, "Captain, don't be so petty. We killed this sea beast together. The recording proves it! So, if this recording is released, you'll become famous!"
Zhu Kai was quite open-minded about the situation. The sea beast was already dead, and the captain had directly participated in the action. The first giant sea beast killed by humans was a matter of great pride, and it should be celebrated. Yet, the captain seemed displeased.
Gong Changfa frowned and thought for a moment but said nothing, continuing to eat.
In reality, Gong Changfa wished he had killed the squid himself. It was just that he only realized afterward that his fierce attacks had all landed on the squid's torso. If his attacks had hit the squid's brain, he would have been the first person to kill the sea beast.
Thinking about this, Gong Changfa felt a pang of regret. His attack power was so immense, yet such destructive force was only used to batter the squid's torso, failing to kill the sea beast. In the end, he could only watch as the title of the first person to kill a sea beast slipped further away from him.
"Damn it, the credit was right in front of me, but I couldn't seize the opportunity. What a shame!" Gong Changfa could only share the honor of killing the sea beast with others now. The true killer would receive the most attention, while participants were often overlooked.
"The fleet is about to set sail. Please be prepared." Suddenly, the ship's broadcast announced.
The soldiers dived into the water and scraped off the plastic from the propellers. Then, the propellers began to turn again, and the fleet continued its journey southward.
Shen Feng quietly found Li Keyi and said, "Um, do you have time tonight? I have something I'd like to consult you about."
Li Keyi was surprised that Shen Feng would approach her and felt a surge of curiosity. "Doesn't Shen Feng always care about his wife at home? Why would he want to talk to me alone at this time? Could it be... Shen Feng wants to have an affair?"
"I'm actually busy tonight, but if you sincerely invite me, I can only reluctantly agree." Li Keyi said indifferently.
Shen Feng quickly replied, "Then let's meet on the deck tonight. By the way, don't bring anyone strange."
This implied that Shen Feng wanted some private time with Li Keyi, which made her feel a little excited.
"Could it be that Shen Feng has finally discovered my charm and is preparing to pursue me? But he's already married." Li Keyi suddenly started to overthink.
After dinner, it was dusk. The storm at sea had passed, and the dark clouds had dispersed. One could see the sunset from the ship. A group of people stood by the ship, fishing. A fishing line was tied with many hooks. If they were lucky, the hooks might catch fish near the water's surface.
Unfortunately, most of the time, the hooks only caught things like leather shoes in the water. Fish were slippery and not easily hooked.
The fleet had been delayed for two precious days, and the commander was worried about being overtaken by other fleets. After all, especially the North American fleet, they were likely more familiar with the situation in the Pacific and were geographically closer. It was highly probable that North America would reach the South Pacific in a short period.
Fortunately, at this moment, news came from headquarters: "Apart from our fleet, the other fleets have also suffered attacks from sea beasts. It seems the sea beasts harbor deep hatred for humans and will try to attack any ship they see. No one knows how many giant sea beasts there are in the ocean, so your progress is currently the fastest."
Upon hearing the news from headquarters, the commander finally relaxed. It turned out that encountering sea beasts at sea was not a problem unique to their fleet; other fleets were also troubled by sea beasts.
In the evening, Li Keyi quietly went out. Qin Kewei had already fallen asleep, so no one would know about her conversation with Shen Feng.
However, when Li Keyi arrived on the deck, Shen Feng was already there, with two chairs prepared by the deck lights and a small table beside them. There were drinks and fruits on the table, suggesting Shen Feng had been waiting for a long time.
"With so much prepared, what do you want to say?" Li Keyi sat down happily. Seeing that Shen Feng had prepared chairs, a table, fruits, and was by the lights, the atmosphere was perfect. Shen Feng's extensive preparations must have a hidden motive.
Shen Feng quickly said, "Please sit, please sit! The reason I asked to see you is about something. Actually, during the day, I found a crystal inside the squid. It's red. Can you help me identify it!"
As he spoke, Shen Feng took out the red crystal from his person. The semi-transparent crystal was about the size of a pigeon's egg, with irregular facets, shining under the light.
Upon seeing the item, Li Keyi's eyes lit up with desire. She took the red crystal in her hand and asked excitedly, "Such a beautiful gem, are you giving it to me?"
Girls all have a love for beauty, and shiny things are the most attention-grabbing. So, when Li Keyi saw the crystal before her, she immediately developed a fondness for it. If this were a gem, it would be wonderful to make it into a necklace.
Shen Feng quickly said, "I went to great lengths to obtain this. I just want you to analyze its composition. Don't keep it for yourself!"
"Hmph, stingy!" Li Keyi wrinkled her nose, looking displeased.
Then, Li Keyi looked at the blood-red, semi-transparent crystal and pondered carefully, but could not recall any information. No one had ever killed a sea beast before, so no one had ever obtained such a crystal. Without any data, Li Keyi was unable to accurately analyze the crystal.
"Give me a few days, and I'll investigate slowly. In the meantime, you can keep this gem in your care!" Li Keyi said.
Shen Feng could not object and could only agree to Li Keyi's decision. After all, he couldn't investigate the crystal's information himself, so it was better to hand it over to a professional.
The fleet had now sailed south of the equator, meaning they were in the Southern Hemisphere, but still within the tropics, so the weather was hot. Fortunately, there were no mosquitoes at sea, and the sea breeze at night was quite pleasant.
Seeing that Shen Feng was silent, Li Keyi asked, "Do you have anything else?"
Shen Feng nodded and said, "Nothing else, I just genuinely wanted to know what this crystal is used for!"
Hearing this, Li Keyi was quite dissatisfied and said listlessly, "I am a beautiful and talented woman, knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, opera, and martial arts. Is it a waste of my talents to ask you about this stone?"
Shen Feng heard this and quickly asked, "Oh yes, yes, I have another question."
Seeing that Shen Feng was finally becoming more perceptive, Li Keyi felt a bit happier. This was more like it. The night was beautiful, the moonlight was soft, and the stars were numerous. They should be talking about romance, life aspirations, and if possible, even matters of the heart.
However, Shen Feng asked, "Today I saw the Great White Shark use its ability, which is to manipulate plastic. There doesn't seem to be much plastic in the sea, yet suddenly giant plastic arms formed in the water. Where did all this plastic come from?"
In Shen Feng's opinion, plastic could only be artificially manufactured, so as long as there was no plastic, the Great White Shark's ability would be useless. However, after witnessing the Great White Shark use its ability during the day, it was completely different, which made Shen Feng feel puzzled.
Li Keyi realized she had expected too much from Shen Feng. If Shen Feng's emotional intelligence were truly that high, he wouldn't have such an ambiguous attitude towards her.
Then, Li Keyi calmly explained, "Actually, before the apocalypse, marine pollution was already very serious. There were microplastics dissolved in the ocean. These microplastics are abundant in the sea. Even fish and shrimp have microplastics in their bodies, and humans have microplastics in their bodies. These microplastics, when gathered together, can be manipulated as plastic."
Shen Feng was shocked by this. He hadn't expected marine pollution to be so severe that even human bodies contained microplastics. This meant that there were countless plastic wastes in the ocean, and the ocean had been severely polluted.
"In that case, it's trouble caused by humans themselves," Shen Feng said with a sense of helplessness upon learning the truth. If humans hadn't thrown so much plastic waste into the sea, the Great White Shark wouldn't have such a powerful ability.
Shen Feng and Li Keyi chatted intermittently, and time passed without them realizing it.
A week later, the Chinese fleet arrived at the Southwest Pacific Basin. This was still deep sea, with no large islands, and the surrounding waters were boundless. The fleet anchored outside the divine realm. A quick depth measurement revealed it to be over two thousand meters deep. The fleet could not proceed further. The path ahead required ability users to advance on their own.
"Everyone, the divine realm is ahead. Electromagnetic waves are chaotic within the divine realm, making it impossible to transmit signals, and precise instruments cannot be used. You are on your own from now on." The commander said to the group of ability users.
The members of the Heavenly Selection Bureau gathered to discuss their next actions, while the Ability Administration Bureau and Shen Feng discussed their actions together. It was clear that the two sides did not wish to cooperate in entering the divine realm.