Breadcrumbs fell onto the deck.
Zhang Nanhai didn't bother picking them up.
He just stared intently at the distant black dot that had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
That was the direction where the "President" had departed.
Fear gripped his throat like a pair of icy hands, making even swallowing difficult.
Meanwhile, dozens of nautical miles away...
On the deck of the "President", the scene was completely different.
The sea breeze was cool.
But Qin Yu's heart was burning hot.
As the final "Great White Shark" torpedo was automatically loaded into the launch tube by the mechanical arm, Qin Yu brushed the grease off his hands.
Click.
He lit a cigarette.
Taking a deep drag, the smoke ring slowly dissipated in the morning light.
"Brother Yu, our current firepower..."
Li Ruobing circled around the newly concealed torpedo launch base several times.
Her excitement hadn't faded yet.
After all, she had personally used a Gatling gun to blow up over a dozen ships and watched this massive weapon being installed.
"Isn't this... a bit too bullying?"
Though she said it was bullying, the smile on her face was brighter than anyone's.
Qin Yu leaned against the railing, looking at his steel beast that was now armed to the teeth.
He smiled.
"Bullying?"
"No."
"This is called truth."
Qin Yu flicked the cigarette ash, his eyes scanning the entire deck.
He opened the system panel and pulled up the current [Weapon Assets List].
The journey here hadn't been easy.
Starting from just a fishing rod, he could finally say with confidence now: I am the king of these seas.
"Let me show you our current assets."
Qin Yu pointed to an inconspicuous corner at the stern.
There stood a fishing rod so black it seemed to glow.
[SSS-Rank Sea King Fishing Rod]
This was his foundation.
"Don't let its dusty appearance fool you."
"When it comes to action, this thing can not only catch fish, but also ships, and people."
"Physical laws are a joke before it."
"If I want, whether it's Zhang Nanhai's flagship or that Mosasaur, I can drag them over by force."
Then.
Qin Yu's gaze shifted to the sides of the ship, where several inconspicuous protruding nozzles were located.
[SS-Rank Deep Sea Ghost Water Cannon]
"While those fools still think it's just big waves, this water cannon can cut their ships in half along with the keel."
"And it doesn't need gunpowder - seawater is the ammunition, with unlimited endurance."
Speaking of this, Qin Yu patted the massive turret beside him that was still radiating residual heat.
[S-Rank Deep Sea Guardian Plasma Cannon]
This was the real heavy firepower.
"One shot, no aiming required."
"High-temperature plasma can instantly vaporize all matter within a ten-meter diameter."
"Whether it's iron ships, rafts, or even that Mosasaur's scales - they're all like paper before this thing."
Li Ruobing nodded enthusiastically.
"I love using this one!"
"That pirate ship last time vanished with one shot, not even leaving any debris!"
Qin Yu smiled, his gaze turning to the surroundings of the deck.
Behind the sturdy guardrails, every five meters concealed a black metal tower.
[A-Rank "Storm" Six-Barrel Heavy Close-In Weapon System Turret]
Ten units in total.
Though only A-Rank, their strength lay in quantity and rapid fire rate.
"This is our 'impenetrable shield'."
"Six thousand rounds per minute."
"With all ten firing together, that's sixty thousand rounds of metal storm per minute."
"Not even a person—"
"—not even a fly could enter within a hundred meters of the 'President'."
"Even if a torpedo were launched, these could intercept it mid-course."
At that moment,
a faint mechanical friction sound arose.
Several pitch-black, palm-sized mechanical creatures resembling ants crawled along the ship's bulkhead, patrolling.
[S-Rank All-Terrain Black Ant Robot]
Also ten units.
"These little ones are the most insidious."
"They can dive, climb walls, and squeeze through cracks."
"If anyone attempts to board or sneak up at night—"
"—these ants can inject venom into their carotid artery within a second, or slip into their cabin and dismantle the engine."
Qin Yu looked up.
A small black dot circled in the sky.
That was the [S-Rank All-Weather Air Guardian: Skyhawk Guardian].
"The eyes in the sky."
"Equipped with two micro air-to-ground missiles."
"It serves as both scout and assassin."
"Coordinating with the newly acquired helicopter—"
Qin Yu pointed at the large machine.
[S-Rank "Black Hawk" Armed Helicopter]
"—this is what we call integrated naval-air combat."
"Plus this."
Qin Yu drew an exaggerated energy pistol from his waist.
[S-Rank Individual Armory]
It contained everything from laser daggers to individual thermobaric bombs.
"In close combat, we're not to be underestimated."
Finally,
Qin Yu's gaze settled on the two most prominent objects atop the ship.
One was a sphere emitting a soft glow.
[S-Rank Artificial Sun]
"At night, when activated, it illuminates several kilometers as bright as day."
"We can see them, while they're blinded by the intense light."
"That's visual dominance."
The other
was the silver eyeball that had just proven its worth.
[SS-Rank Mind Deterrence Matrix Radar]
"This is the real game-changer."
"And an offensive weapon."
"Because it attacks not the body, but the mind."
"Whether it's Yu Weiwei's charm or any fanatical devotees, all are ineffective before it."
"It can even reverse brainwash and cause mental shockwaves."
"Destroying both body and spirit—precisely this."
After this inventory,
Qin Yu felt even more assured.
This was no mere ship.
It was a mobile military base.
An absolute instrument of violence in the apocalypse.
"And the S-Rank torpedo system we just installed."
Qin Yu's eyes turned cold.
"Underwater, surface, air, mental, physical."
"Comprehensive, no blind spots."
"Zhang Nanhai?"
"Yu Weiwei?"
"Heh."
Qin Yu flicked his cigarette butt into the sea with a scornful laugh.
"They'd better pray they don't cross me again."
"Otherwise—"
"—I'll show them what true despair means."
Yao Xue approached with a glass of water. After hearing Qin Yu's rundown, she merely adjusted her glasses.
"Firepower overkill."
"However—"
"—in these times, overkill is better than underkill."
"This is the advanced treatment for terminal firepower deficiency anxiety."
Qin Yu laughed heartily, pulling Yao Xue into a shoulder embrace.
"You know me best, Director Yao."
...
Meanwhile, thirty nautical miles away.
In that hidden cove.
The atmosphere had reached peak tension.
The captain's cabin of Zhang Nanhai's flagship was littered with glass shards - the remains of his favorite bottle of red wine.
Now just trash on the floor.
Much like his current mood.
"Bang!"
Zhang Nanhai slammed his fist on the table, his knuckles cut by glass and bleeding freely, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.
On the table sat an old-fashioned radio.
Currently emitting crackling static.
"Talk to me!"
"Yu Weiwei! You bitch!"
"Say something, damn you!"
Zhang Nanhai roared into the microphone, veins bulging on his neck like earthworms.
"Is this your brilliant plan?!"
"Your so-called foolproof operation?!"
"Where's your suicide agent?!"
"Where's your explosives?!"
"Not only did that bastard Qin Yu survive the blast, he came after me with a helicopter and machine guns!"
"My hundred-plus brothers!"
"My Mosasaur!"
"All gone! Everything's gone!"
His voice cracked with tears, the breakdown after extreme rage.
In this region, he was someone to be reckoned with.
They called him "Dragon King."
Commanding hundreds of subordinates and over a hundred vessels.
When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Getting shit on from above, sprayed with bullets, then running away without even daring to fight back.
On the other end of the radio.
Silence for several seconds.
Then came Yu Weiwei's shrill voice.
All traces of her usual coquettish sweetness were gone.
Replaced by frantic frustration.
"Stop yelling at me!"
"Zhang Nanhai! You think you're the only one who suffered losses?!"
"You just lost some thugs and a beast!"
"What about me?!"
"My No. 097! That was my trained dog!"
"Taken over by that bastard Qin Yu!"
"Turned against me with nails to kill me!"
"Do you have any idea how that feels?!"
"My psychic energy backfired! Feels like hundreds of needles stabbing my brain right now!"
Yu Weiwei sat disheveled on her pink canopy bed, the fan in her hand snapped in two.
Her face was deathly pale, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
From the psychic backlash she'd just suffered.
"Qin Yu has psychic defense gear! Possibly even offensive capabilities!"
"Or an S-class detection radar!"
"My charm ability is completely useless against him!"
"Useless, you understand?!"
Yu Weiwei screamed hysterically.
Zhang Nanhai froze.
Though enraged, he hadn't lost his rationality.
"Psychic... reverse control?"
He collapsed into his chair, ignoring his bleeding hand.
"How is that possible..."
"Where did he get so much high-end equipment?"
"Helicopters, Gatling guns, and now psychic control?"
"Is this guy cheating?"
Both fell silent across the radio.
Only the static remained.
An emotion called "despair" began spreading between them.
If it were just firepower superiority, they could still rely on numbers, ambushes, dirty tricks.
But now.
Qin Yu had demonstrated overwhelming dominance across all fronts.
You try ambushing? He has radar.
You confront directly? He has helicopters and Gatling guns.
"You're resorting to underhanded tactics like using a honey trap? He has mental defenses."
"How are we supposed to fight this?"
"He's like a damn hedgehog!"
"A hedgehog wearing body armor and carrying a rocket launcher!"
"Hah..."
Zhang Nanhai let out a long exhale.
The madness in his eyes didn't fade with fear, instead growing more venomous.
"Yu Weiwei."
"We can't just let this go."
"If we don't eliminate this Qin Yu, we won't even get scraps in this district anymore."
"You saw it yourself."
"His overbearing personality."
"He stole my dragon today, tomorrow he'll be taking your people."
Yu Weiwei snorted coldly on the other end.
"No shit."
"Of course I know."
"That bastard even tried to shove a fan in my mouth..."
"If I don't get revenge for this, I don't deserve to be called Yu Weiwei!"
"But Zhang Nanhai, don't think you can use me as your pawn."
"Direct confrontation is out of the question."
"You saw that helicopter of his - it's practically cheating."
Zhang Nanhai narrowed his eyes.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the blood-stained table.
"Who said anything about direct confrontation?"
"Qin Yu is strong."
"But no matter how strong he is, he's still human."
"And humans have weaknesses."
"Humans need to eat, drink, and sleep."
"Moreover..."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Zhang Nanhai's mouth.
"Aren't there several women on that ship of his?"
"That Li Ruobing used to be rank two in District 9527."
"And those Yao sisters."
"They're his weak points."
Yu Weiwei snorted.
"Weak points? I'd say they're his reverse scales."
"If you touch his women, he'll blow up the entire sea."
"Besides, those women aren't easy to deal with either. That Li Ruobing has some nasty tricks up her sleeve."
Zhang Nanhai shook his head.
"I'm not telling you to capture those women."
"What I mean is..."
"We can Craft a 'trap' he can't refuse."
"A situation where he has to bring those women out of that turtle shell of a ship."
Zhang Nanhai lowered his voice.
It carried a sinister tone.
"In two days, the system-announced 'Mist Ruins' will open."
"It's the first major dungeon after the server merge."
"Full of high-level resources."
"With Qin Yu's insatiable greed, he'll definitely go."
"And that dungeon supposedly restricts vehicle entry."
"Only individual exploration allowed."
Hearing this, Yu Weiwei's eyes lit up.
"Vehicle restrictions?"
"You mean his ship, his helicopter - none of them can be brought in?"
"Exactly!"
Zhang Nanhai viciously crushed the half piece of glass in his hand.
"Once he leaves that ship."
"Once he's without that helicopter."
"He's just an ordinary guy with some high-level equipment."
"Then..."
"Let's bring that Qi Chun along too."
"Hasn't he been wanting those Thruster upgrade materials?"
"Qin Yu must have them."
"And that poison user ranked fifth."
"We'll form a team."
"Ambush him right in the dungeon - catch the turtle in the jar!"
"I refuse to believe he alone can take on all the elites from our entire district!"
Yu Weiwei fell silent for a moment.
Seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
But soon.
She remembered No. 097's twisted face, remembered Qin Yu's words: "Get lost."
That sense of humiliation erased her last shred of hesitation.
"Fine."
"Count me in."
"This time, I'll personally dig out his heart."
"Let's see if it's black."
"But Zhang Nanhai, let's make this clear beforehand."
"If we kill Qin Yu."
"His fishing rod belongs to me."
"And that psychic treasure goes to me too."
Zhang Nanhai sneered coldly.
He cursed this greedy bitch in his heart.
But his response came smoothly.
"No problem."
"I only want that ship."
"Deal."
The two had reached a filthy agreement.
Driven by fear and greed, a net targeting Qin Yu was quietly being woven in the shadows.
...
"Achoo!"
Aboard the President.
Qin Yu sneezed loudly.
He rubbed his nose.
"Who's talking about me?"
"Must be that octopus-head or that slutty fish again."
Li Ruobing walked over carrying a case of ammunition, grinning playfully:
"Whoever it is."
"If they dare show up, I'll let them experience my new 'massage' technique."
"The physical kind."
Qin Yu smiled.
But remained silent.
He gazed at the gradually dispersing clouds in the distance.
On his system panel.
A new countdown was ticking.
[Time until Mist Ruins opens: 47 hours 59 minutes]
[Tip: This is a high-risk area. Team formation is recommended.]
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.
Team up?
Unnecessary.
In this world.
Only the weak need to huddle together for warmth.
The strong.
Always walk alone.
"It seems."
"There's a new dungeon to farm."
"Hope it drops something decent."
"Otherwise, where am I supposed to use all this ammunition?"
Qin Yu stretched lazily.
Then turned toward the control room.
"Yao Xue, make preparations."
"Time to sort our loot and get ready for the next carnival."
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