Chapter 781: Sea Monster [Bonus 1]
After surveying the area, Zhang Yi turned to Chen Jingguan and said, "We must strengthen our coastal defenses! Land-based enemies are basically non-existent now, so we need to guard against threats from the sea."
Chen Jingguan scratched his head. "But our armed forces were nearly depleted last time. And we're short on personnel too."
Zhang Yi replied calmly, "Don't worry about that. I've already requested a batch of weapons from Blizzard City."
He led Chen Jingguan back to the shelter and directly deposited a large quantity of weapons in the armory—over twenty massive coastal defense cannons, ample ammunition, and numerous other heavy firearms. With these weapons, they could intercept any hostile ships within 30 kilometers of the coastline.
Chen Jingguan was overjoyed at the sight of the arsenal and immediately promised to arrange their deployment and train his soldiers in operating them.
Later, Zhang Yi also acquired the icebreaker ship he wanted. Chen Jingguan assigned him several experienced sailors, and Zhang Yi set off from Tianhai City with the women from his household for some leisure time along the coastal waters.
Zhang Yi remained cautious, avoiding deep waters. The ship sailed along the edges of the coastal ice, allowing everyone to enjoy the sea view and try their hand at fishing. Though they didn't venture far, this outing still felt like an adventure compared to their usual routine, bringing smiles to everyone's faces.
Zhang Yi had all the fishing gear stored in his spatial inventory. Bundled in cold-resistant clothing, they braved the biting wind on the deck, using frozen fish chunks as bait to lure larger catches.
"What's going on? Did all the fish in these waters freeze to death?" Zhang Yi wondered aloud, stroking his chin.
Liang Yue stared at her hands in frustration, muttering, "These hands have wielded hundred-pound blades and shattered solid stone slabs. How can they fail to catch even a single fish?"
The veteran sailor aboard, Tian Shouyi—fondly called Old Tian—was a burly, bearded man in his forties. Chuckling heartily, he came over to explain.
"Mr. Zhang, the surface water is too cold—the fish have all gone deeper."
Leaning on the railing, Zhang Yi asked with a smile, "So to catch big fish, we'd have to go to the deep sea?"
Old Tian nodded. "Fishing here is tricky. We usually use trawl nets. But I wouldn't recommend going to the deep sea."
Zhang Yi smirked. "Don't worry. Right now, I'm more interested in enjoying the scenery." He glanced beside him, where Zhou Ke'er, Yang Xinxin, and the others clutched their fishing rods, eyes fixed on the ice-dotted water despite their reddened cheeks from the cold wind. The peaceful atmosphere was enough to satisfy Zhang Yi.
Old Tian nodded, relieved. But he couldn't help murmuring, "Though fishing near shore is tough, it's still strange that not a single fish has bitten after all this time..."
Unbeknownst to them, as their ship floated quietly on the water, a massive shadow slowly rose from the depths.
Liang Yue was the first to notice something amiss. "Huh? Why is the water turning dark?" She peered down and immediately stiffened, her pupils contracting. "There's something in the water!!"
Her sharp warning instantly drew Zhang Yi and Old Tian's attention. Zhang Yi turned and saw the enormous dark shape beneath the surface—so massive that even he was stunned.
The Leisure measured 62 meters in length, yet the shadow hadn't fully surfaced and was already nearly half the ship's size!
Old Tian yelled in alarm, "Dammit, it's a mutated sea beast!"
The women screamed and instinctively did the same thing—huddling close to Zhang Yi for protection. Only Liang Yue remained composed. Though shocked, her first instinct wasn't panic but finding a solution.
Old Tian and the crew scrambled to prepare. Against such a colossal creature, all they could do was brace themselves to avoid being thrown overboard—and pray.
"Everyone, get inside the cabin and strap yourselves in! Now, hurry!"
But Zhang Yi ignored Old Tian's warning. His right hand rested on the railing.
"First, use [Skywalk] to levitate the entire icebreaker."
A faint white glow enveloped the ship. Though it remained above the water, an unseen force now lifted it.
The entire vessel lifted from the sea's surface, hovering in place.
"Next—Absolute Barrier Between Two Realms!"
A brilliant light flashed in Zhang Yi's right eye as a massive spherical space instantly encased the ship. The vessel stabilized as if anchored on solid ground.
Old Tian gaped in disbelief. Looking outside, he realized the ship was now floating midair! The turbulent waves below couldn't affect it at all.
"A miracle... This is a miracle!" Old Tian and the crew stared dumbfounded at their leader. Though they'd heard of Zhang Yi's power and knew abilities could defy logic, this was beyond comprehension.
Zhang Yi leaped onto the railing, gazing down at the dark waters. Suddenly, a massive ice-blue eye locked onto him from below. Then three, five, ten—countless eerie eyes emerged across the creature's body.
"So this is a mutated sea beast?"
A sudden urge gripped Zhang Yi. He wanted to capture this creature—to study it.
A deep bellow erupted from the depths, resonating like a village ox's call but magnified a thousandfold.
Zhang Yi drew Holy Judgment with his right hand, dark matter swirling around the blade like black flames.
At that moment, the sea beast burst from the water, sending towering waves crashing upward! Had Zhang Yi not shielded the ship, the impact would have smashed a gaping hole in its hull.
Zhang Yi swung downward. Dark matter surged from the blade like an ink stroke across the horizon. His mastery over void energy had grown—he could now concentrate immense power into precise strikes.
The sea monster charged toward the ship, unaware it would never reach its target. Instead, its body split cleanly down the middle, as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.
Blood rained down, dyeing the sea crimson.
The bisected carcass crashed into the water, sending up another wave of blood-stained foam.