Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As the Ferry gradually approached the stormy sea area, the choppy waters caused the vessel to sway violently, leaving many passengers inside the cabin gasping for breath.
These individuals were not inexperienced sailors; however, few had ever encountered a storm at sea. Who would willingly challenge a tempest in the ocean? That would be courting death.
Thus, seeing such a storm made them worry about their safety, and they couldn't help but feel frustrated that their assessment trip on the Ferry coincided with this maritime tempest.
There was another, more pressing question they had no answer to: where exactly was this Ferry taking them?
The Ferry did not halt its journey despite the passengers' concerns. On the contrary, it began to enter the outer edge of the storm. The fierce winds and towering waves made the vessel shake even more violently. The dark, oppressive clouds loomed overhead, with torrential rain and flashes of lightning creating an atmosphere of dread, igniting an urge to escape this place as soon as possible.
Humans cannot contend with nature. In such extreme conditions, none of the examinees in the cabin could guarantee their safety.
The Ferry felt as if it were sailing into the maw of a giant beast. Amidst the tumultuous storm, it faced imminent danger of capsizing. Once inside the storm zone, the waves crashed against the deck like a monstrous claw striking down. The intensity of the shaking was far worse than before.
Many passengers struggled to maintain their balance as they were tossed around like dumplings in boiling water. Lu Fei Fan, A Teng, and Niu Dali had managed to find some ropes early on and tied themselves to a pillar inside the cabin.
The crew members who hadn’t anticipated such violent waves were thrown from side to side. Several references were knocked unconscious after being flung against the deck, while those who could endure felt their insides churn violently, leading to endless bouts of vomiting.
Of course, among those references were some quick-witted individuals who hastily secured themselves with cloths and ropes to any stable structure they could find in the cabin, effectively binding themselves like zongzi to avoid being tossed about.
However, the severity of the cabin's shaking exceeded many people's tolerance levels, causing several to vomit until nothing but bile remained.
Lu Fei Fan, A Teng, and Niu Dali fared slightly better at first; they even managed to sing songs to lighten the mood on this stormy night at sea. But as the Ferry plunged deeper into the heart of the storm, Niu Dali and A Teng could no longer hold on and began retching uncontrollably.
Only Lu Fei Fan seemed relatively unaffected. Although he hadn’t been trained for such scenarios by his 'hero,' he quickly adapted to the swaying motion and observed his fellow references in the cabin. Very few could maintain their footing; however, one person caught his attention.
This individual was remarkable—dressed in a suit, they appeared almost deceivingly beautiful at first glance. If it weren’t for their Adam’s apple bobbing as they swallowed hard, Lu Fei Fan might have mistaken them for a woman. Their long black hair was disheveled behind them.
This person resembled a stunningly handsome man—indeed, a striking figure—calmly seated on the stairs leading to the second floor of the Ferry. The rocking of the ship did not seem to affect him at all. With his hands clasped under his chin, he sat quietly listening to the howling winds and torrential rain outside, as well as the relentless waves crashing against the deck.
Each crash sounded as if it might shatter this fragile vessel into pieces.
Inside the cabin, some people could no longer endure the torment and began to channel their Pulse Energy. Those who had awakened their Fuser were at least able to stabilize their bodies, while sitting in the cabin helped alleviate the rocking. Some individuals, more reckless, directly constructed a protective dome with their Pulse Energy, minimizing the impact of the turbulence.
Seated on the staircase was a long-haired man in a suit, observing the others as they activated their Pulse Energy shields to mitigate seasickness. His gaze was cold and indifferent, as if he were an outsider. What puzzled Lu Fei Fan was that this man emitted no aura of Pulse Energy and had not taken any protective measures; he sat there like a rock, unaffected by the swaying of the cabin. This caught Lu Fei Fan's attention, indicating that this person was not simple.
The scene inside the cabin was captured by a small camera in the corner and transmitted to a large screen in the command room of the ferry.
"Tsk tsk tsk, these fellows really can't hold back at all. They're already consuming their Pulse Energy when the storm has just begun. I doubt they'll last long," remarked a burly man with a beard, his physique reminiscent of a tiger's back and bear's waist. He wore a uniform from the Free Federation's Navy, with the insignia of a Second Lieutenant on his shoulder.
"Captain, why not let me take a few down to the cabin to toughen them up?" he suggested, turning to Zhong Nian, who sat in the main seat wearing a white Navy captain's uniform.
The captain had a somewhat fierce-looking face marred by three scars that appeared to have been inflicted by something sharp. He sat there bored, resting his chin on one hand while his military cap obscured much of his expression. His right fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest, seemingly ignoring the Second Lieutenant's request.
"Hmph, toughen them up? Da Gang, don't forget what our mission is," retorted a female Second Lieutenant nearby. Her face was cold and stern, her short hair giving her an air of briskness.
Da Gang seemed slightly displeased and argued back, "Mission is mission; it's dead and unyielding. I'm just taking a few people to toughen them up; it counts as part of the assessment. Besides, there's nothing in this mission that says we can't personally assess these references."
"Perhaps if you go down there, it won't be an assessment anymore? I think you're just bored and want to find someone to pass the time with in the cabin. I can already foresee several references either dead or severely injured being reported back," the Female Lieutenant countered firmly.
"Nonsense! Do I look like someone who would casually cause trouble for the captain? I'm Wu Taohua! You shouldn't always target me! I only peeked at you once while you were bathing—why are you so confrontational about it?" Da Gang replied with confusion.
"You say that again..." Wu Taohua said angrily as she placed her hand on her holstered pistol.
"What? Want to fight? We never settled things last time; hey hey, I'm itching for a good brawl," Da Gang said as he cracked his knuckles, clearly eager for some action.
"Hmph, fine! My Fei Hua Luo Yu Jue just broke through to the ninth level yesterday; I was looking for someone to practice on," Wu Taohua said nonchalantly as she lowered her hand from her pistol.
Hearing this, Da Gang's face turned pale for a moment; it seemed he had suffered at her hands before and hesitated slightly. Nevertheless, he forced himself to maintain bravado and retorted, "Hmph! What’s there to fear? My Pulse Energy training is all about resilience; I doubt your shallow skills can even tickle me."
“Alright, let’s head out to the deck and give it a try?” Wu Taohua seemed to know her simple-minded rival well, continuing to provoke him with a smile.
At that moment, the captain suddenly spoke up.
“Alright, everyone calm down.” The captain's magnetic voice carried a hint of indifferent authority. Shortly after, he seemed to operate something, and a Virtual Screen popped up in front of him, displaying a square-faced man with a stern expression—Zhong Nian.
The captain instructed him, “Navigation Officer, keep an eye on the course. Avoid any reefs and waves; we don’t want the ship capsizing.”
“Don’t worry, Captain. Even if there are monstrous waves in this storm zone, Lao Xia will steer the Ferry steadily,” he replied with a grin. He then turned to the crew in the cockpit and shouted, “Stay alert! If anyone makes a mistake, I won’t let them off easily!”
Soon after, a loud and synchronized response echoed from the cockpit.
“Yes, sir!”
The captain closed the Virtual Screen window and began tapping his fingers methodically on the control panel, seemingly searching for something. Just then, a piercing alarm blared through the Command Center!
Beep beep beep—
“Warning! Warning! Warning!”
The electronic voice resonated throughout every cabin of the Ferry, including the main passenger cabin where Lu Fei Fan and others were located. They were still adjusting to the Ferry's swaying when this sudden alarm left them puzzled.
“Military drill?” A Teng observed as sailors rushed out onto the deck corridor, some even donning life jackets in a flurry of activity as they hurried to their positions.
Inside the Command Center.
“What’s happening?” Da Gang quickly asked the operator at the front console.
“The radar is showing an unidentified object approaching us from ahead!”
“Moreover, it’s approaching us at a speed of one hundred fifty nautical miles! No, the speed has increased to two hundred nautical miles!”
“The number of targets is over five hundred! They are only one hundred thirty-five nautical miles away from us!”
“Use the Reconnaissance Fish Ball to see what it is!” Wu Taohua decisively issued the order, and many people in the cabin began to feel a surge of anxiety.
Outside, the ocean churned violently, with huge waves crashing in the storm. Lightning occasionally illuminated the dark and turbulent sea, while the ferry swayed like a leaf on the water. At that moment, two special hatches on the left side of the ship suddenly opened, and with a bang, two silver spheres were launched into the distance.
The two silver spheres shot out over a hundred meters before plunging into the sea.
Once they hit the water, these spherical reconnaissance machines darted away with lightning speed, resembling two extremely agile special fish rushing toward the area where a large number of unidentified objects were approaching.
Inside the swaying Command Center, two massive Electronic Virtual Screens stood on either side of everyone, displaying images relayed back from the thrown Detector spheres.
In the images, visibility in the dark ocean currents was low. Fortunately, the Detector had special searchlight capabilities, and with flashes of lightning from the storm clouds above, it was enough to illuminate the seabed a hundred meters below the surface.
As the reconnaissance images became clear on the screens before everyone, they were met with a shocking sight that left them speechless!
Comment 0 Comment Count