Shen Feng didn't hesitate upon hearing the question. He hadn't expected these countries to react so quickly, all beginning to vie for the meteorites. Time was of the essence, and they needed to accelerate their own efforts. He quickly said, "We'll eat on the warship once we get there. For now, let's get on board and catch up!"
Shen Feng knew what was important. The most crucial thing at this moment was to help the headquarters secure the meteorite in the South Pacific. If their minor issues led to other forces snatching the meteorite, it would be a catastrophe.
However, Guo Pinming hesitated for a moment and said, "City Lord, my ability requires a lot of steel. I had planned to prepare it after arriving in Hainan, but it seems we don't have that kind of time now. What should we do?"
Guo Pinming's ability was to manipulate steel, so the more steel he had around him, the stronger his combat power. If the battlefield were a steel mill, he was confident he could rival any ability user. But at sea, steel wasn't readily available. Although warships were made of steel, they couldn't casually extract steel components without risking the ship sinking. Therefore, Guo Pinming's biggest concern was the insufficient amount of steel.
Shen Feng looked at the reception personnel and said, "Please quickly notify the dockside to prepare a large quantity of iron ingots. Someone here needs them. This must be done immediately, understand?"
The reception personnel nodded quickly and said, "Understood. I'll contact my superiors right away. It will take us at least another hour to reach the dock, which is more than enough time to prepare the iron ingots!"
Following this, the reception personnel swiftly contacted their superiors, explaining the current situation: the need to transport a large quantity of iron ingots on the warship. Despite the urgent request, Hainan attached great importance to it, and a large amount of steel was quickly mobilized from nearby steel mills and delivered directly to the warship.
Upon exiting the airport, five military vehicles were lined up outside. They were entirely encased in steel, and even the exposed glass was bulletproof, demonstrating the headquarters' high regard for the meteorite, necessitating the use of such important military vehicles to transport ability users.
Shen Feng and the others boarded the vehicles and headed straight for the port. It was still midday. Although it was winter and the ground and leaves in Yuzhou would be covered in frost at night, indicating cold weather, Hainan was different. Located in the tropics, everyone took off their jackets upon alighting from the vehicles, unable to bear the heat.
Chang Haojie also complained, unable to help himself, "My suitcase is full of thick clothes that my sister prepared. I didn't expect us to go to the Southern Hemisphere. What are we going to do?"
Shen Feng shrugged helplessly. It seemed his senior sister, like Chu Chaoyan, had made a common mistake, packing thick clothes for Chang Haojie as well. Perhaps she had been looking at the cold scenery outside the window all day and habitually prepared warm clothing, forgetting that they were going to the Southern Hemisphere this time.
"Bear with it. If I get a chance, I'll find a way to buy you a couple of outfits!" Shen Feng said helplessly, shrugging.
Chang Haojie asked doubtfully, "What opportunity would there be to buy clothes? Aren't we heading directly to the South Pacific?"
Shen Feng pointed to the portable glider he carried in the car and said confidently, "Don't worry about that. I can fly. When we pass by some islands at sea, I'll go ashore to look for them. I'm sure we'll find clothing stores."
Upon hearing this explanation, Chang Haojie couldn't help but say, "Why don't I just go myself then? I can do that too!"
"Your speed isn't good enough. You can fly, but you're too slow!" Shen Feng said matter-of-factly.
Chang Haojie's ability to ride the clouds was already a significant advantage over countless others, especially at sea where there were no footholds except for ships. Chang Haojie could take off at any time. The sea was humid, and the rising water vapor could even strengthen his ability. However, the drawback was obvious: his speed was too slow. The warship wouldn't stop its journey; they would undoubtedly head straight for the South Pacific after preparing sufficient supplies. By the time Chang Haojie leisurely returned with the clothes, the warship would be long gone.
Shen Feng and Chang Haojie's conversation reached the driver's ears. The driver couldn't help but say, "Wind God, all living supplies will be fully prepared on the ship, so please don't worry too much. Clothes and other items will also be issued to you."
In the driver's eyes, these two had clearly never been to sea, let alone traveled on a warship. Otherwise, they would surely know that ocean voyages were fully equipped, with all provisions and other necessities already loaded, so there was no need to worry about living conditions!
Shen Feng chuckled awkwardly. It seemed he was being looked down upon. He felt like a country bumpkin who knew nothing about going to sea.
Although Shen Feng had previously traveled by boat in Lianyungang, that was only for coastal navigation. Even if the boat swayed slightly, it wasn't a big problem. But this was an ocean voyage, and the two were incomparable. It was normal for Shen Feng to be unfamiliar with the situation.
Upon arriving at the port, everyone was immediately led onto a destroyer, a large ship with a displacement of 100,000 tons, fully equipped with weapons. Escort ships were also present alongside the destroyer. As the destroyer set sail, the escort ships followed suit.
Shen Feng and his group were promptly taken to their cabins on the ship, two people per room. All the facilities in the rooms were fixed to the ship to prevent beds and other items from falling over due to the ship's swaying. Even the sides of the ship were surrounded by railings.
Seeing the beds, Chang Haojie couldn't help but shake his head slightly and say, "These are clearly cradles!"
Shen Feng and Chang Haojie shared a room, as they were the closest. Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan naturally stayed together. The remaining individuals were paired up. Qin Kewei and Li Keyi, who were already at odds, had no choice but to share a room since they were both women. To avoid awkwardness, Li Keyi planned not to return to the room except for sleeping.
Shen Feng and Chang Haojie went to the deck to breathe in the fresh air. The warship had already left the port. Alongside the destroyer, five escort ships were following, clearly having set sail together.
Seeing so many ships accompanying them, Chang Haojie couldn't help but ask, "Brother-in-law, wasn't it said that only ability users can move in the Divine Realm? Then why did the headquarters deploy so many ships?"
Before Shen Feng could answer, someone walked over and explained, "Who says our enemies are only sea monsters? When necessary, we might have to deal with other enemies!"
Shen Feng turned his head and saw Ke Yiming standing beside him. That guy was lucky to have a room all to himself.
Chang Haojie, however, was still unclear and asked, "Besides encountering giant mutated beasts at sea, are there any other dangers?"
Ke Yiming smiled and explained helplessly, "Of course, there are humans! Think about it carefully. Basically, all major powers have dispatched fleets to salvage the meteorite. It's possible someone else will get there first. What should we do then?"
Although Chang Haojie lacked experience, he was quick-witted and immediately understood. He said, "I get it. If someone else gets the meteorite first, we'll have to take action and snatch it back. Is that what you mean?"
Ke Yiming nodded and said, "That's right. Although the headquarters hasn't explicitly stated it, everyone knows that if so many warships are deployed and we can't retrieve the meteorite, it's equivalent to watching others obtain it. Then, if other countries gain countless ability users, their strength will dominate the globe!"
Chang Haojie also understood. No matter what, they had to successfully seize the meteorite and not let other countries get there first. If they couldn't obtain it, then what they couldn't have, others shouldn't have either.
Suddenly, at this moment, a soldier came to inform them, "Gentlemen, the mess hall has prepared lunch for you. The captain heard that you hadn't eaten and prepared this. Please proceed to the mess hall."
Shen Feng's spirits lifted upon hearing this. The three then headed to the mess hall to have lunch. It was already four o'clock, which could be considered dinner time.
Ke Yiming was very pleased and said, "If we calculate it this way, we'll still have a late-night snack tonight. The treatment is quite good."
The group arrived at the mess hall, where a sumptuous spread of dishes was already laid out. Lobsters and scallops were common, while braised hairtail and stewed yellow croaker were also eye-catching. A large basin of rice was steamed, indicating that the chef knew ability users had large appetites and had specially prepared a lot of food and dishes to ensure everyone was full.
Shen Feng and Chang Haojie had mostly stayed in Yuzhou and rarely ate seafood. With countless seafood dishes placed on the table, they immediately began to eat heartily.
Shen Feng ate thirteen bowls of rice consecutively, and the dishes in front of him were constantly replenished. Finally, he was full, his stomach slightly bulging. He still felt unsatisfied and drank a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup before returning to the deck.
Fishing was possible on the deck, but it was difficult to succeed while the ship was sailing. At night, the ship would anchor, and if the ability users had leisure time, they could choose to relax by fishing.
The warship first headed east. After passing through the Bashi Channel, it officially entered the Pacific Ocean. Although it appeared to be taking a detour, this was the shortest route to the South Pacific. If they chose the shortest route on the map, one-third of the path would go through the Southeast Asian islands, with numerous straits one after another, which would actually slow them down.
Shen Feng changed into a set of comfortable clothes and intended to take a nap. However, it was a tropical region, and it was still daytime. The room was extremely stuffy. Shen Feng lay on the bed for a long time, unable to sleep, so he had no choice but to get up and go to the deck to feel the breeze.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Li Keyi quietly found Shen Feng and whispered, "Shen Feng, want to watch a good show? Come out quietly from the port side cabin door tonight, without making a sound. We'll quietly watch a good show!"
Shen Feng asked doubtfully, "A good show? What good show?"
Li Keyi smiled and said, "It's the melodramatic love story between Yue Hengyi and Qin Kewei. A thrilling conversation between a 'green tea' girl and a 'simp.' Oh, you don't know about this yet, do you? I'll let you listen to a recording, and you'll understand immediately."
After speaking, Li Keyi took out her phone and played her previous recording for Shen Feng. Shen Feng understood what was going on, but he hadn't expected Yue Hengyi to be so persistent.
It turned out that Li Keyi and Qin Kewei were sharing a room, and Li Keyi happened to overhear the conversation between Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi. It was simple: tonight, in the dead of night, they would meet on the deck to clear the air.
Li Keyi had intended to eavesdrop alone, but thinking of such a good show, how could she enjoy it by herself? Thus, Li Keyi found Shen Feng, partly to invite him to watch the show, and partly to have some time alone with him.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng became a little gossipy. He also wanted to know what developments there were between Qin Kewei and Yue Hengyi, so he immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll be there then!"