novelnext Chapter 1462 739: Path of Conquest
Chapter 1462 739: Path of Conquest
The boiling sound arose.
The dead silent ocean surged relentlessly, waves never ceasing.
Under the spotlight, threads of pitch-black colors surfaced in the dark sea, swiftly spreading from afar like meandering fog or streams.
Unfazed by steel creations, they suddenly crashed into the leading warship, instantly provoking a nerve-wracking sharp scraping sound interlaced with the sound of boiling water, so eerie.
Screams resounded.
On the deck, the sailors from Dan City stumbled back in terror, as a gigantic creature had already leaped from the sea onto the deck, slithering around.
It was an ugly and enormous mutant fish, taller than a normal person, with layers of fangs inside its mouth opening outward like dense bristles; as its giant mouth opened and closed, it left scratches on the deck, and those bitten were directly severed at the waist, spraying blood and entrails.
Cannibal Fish!
These monstrous fish flailed and crawled chaotically across the deck; some dove back into the sea, while others turned into a pile of rotten flesh right in the chaotic gunfire, yet even with their brains and entrails shredded, those vacant eye pupils still stared fixedly at the nearby food, mouth agape, flailing upward.
Unable to comprehend death, unable to feel pain, no need to think, only instincts.
Their brains contained nothing but eat, eat, eat, even without brains they could still control their bodies through spinal nerves and other organs… Even bisected, the remaining upper half would continually squirm and bounce, preying on others.
More startling, amidst the nerve-wracking friction sounds, cracks rapidly appeared on the ship's hull under the ocean's countless mutant fish gnawing, and several watertight compartments had already been bitten open, starting to take in water.
Amidst the roar, the ship's artillery had begun firing indiscriminately, aiming at the sea, with giant cannibal fish continually surfacing only to be torn apart by their kin immediately thereafter, leaving no remains!
These monstrous things even eat their own!
"It's a herd!"
The captain arriving at the bridge stared at the radar screen, his expression knowing: "Guns are useless against these creatures, launch depth charges!"
Anyone living on the Endless Sea inevitably has to deal with these things; the Seven Cities, even if makeshift, need to find ways to survive, however dire the situation, never feeling entirely helpless.
Besides, until now, aside from a few unfortunate souls on the deck, no one has died!
Boom!
On the deck, the short, thick cannons thundered, a parabolic arc ensued, plunging into the black tide, moments later followed by a sudden eruption of fire from the deep sea and a muffled rumble expanding outwards.
A blast of air surged, shot into the sky, creating ripples, wherever the pale waves passed, the sea surface disturbed, floating countless corpses.
Depth charges!
Long discarded by the Federation and Empire from their arsenal, depth charges shone dramatically on the Endless Sea, innovated and upgraded, ushering in a new approach.
The design was still the original design, the usage was still the original usage, the only modification was the explosive load: stuff them in, yes, stuff them in, till they practically exploded!
Stuff them until there was no room left.
Launch them, once reaching a certain depth...
Boom!
Blast fish!
Under the violent changes in air and water pressure, countless forward-charging cannibal fish were instantly crushed, one shot leaving the sea surface soon covered in corpses.
Yet the depth charges kept coming, one after another, until the sea surface was increasingly thick with corpses, the stench mixed with burnt odor, nauseating.
The black tide voluntarily receded, the cannibal fish seemed aware of fear, no longer advancing.
Yet, the captain within the bridge showed no signs of pride or excitement.
Instead, he appeared increasingly solemn.
Herd...
Why call it a herd?
Because these monstrous things are the livestock herded by the mermaids!
Like raising cows and sheep, this enormous mutant fish herd is the army rations carried along during their march.
In battle, they are released as cannon fodder first; after dying, they are eaten locally, the survivors continue to be raised, and whenever needed they feast once more!
After discerning something amiss with the food ahead, having suffered such great losses, the mermaids, however mindless, wouldn't charge forward blindly anymore.
In the silent, eerily silent depths, pairs of phosphorescent eyes fixedly stared at the fleet above.
Too long has there been no movement.
Even leading one to suspect that the mermaids grew scared and fled.
In reality, that's impossible. Mermaids, these creatures, are too much like humans, with brains. Similarly, because they resemble humans, they bear grudges, entirely deserving the reputation of seeking vengeance for the slightest offense.
If a ship harms one of their kind, the scent left behind will provoke hatred and attacks from all mermaids.
With such a long period of inactivity, it only means these creatures are brewing something big!
In just a few minutes, the sound of a horn creaked and squeaked from the distance, causing the moonlight to gradually dim, and the stars to slowly vanish.
The incoming sea breeze became thick, difficult to breathe.
Fog.
A massive amount of thick fog, like living creatures, rose from the sea and spread, accompanied by countless herds soaring from the ocean amidst the fog!
The mutant fish went completely wild at the sound of the mermaid's horn, freeing themselves from the ocean's constraints and soaring into the sky like birds.
Though slow in speed, the overwhelming scale was enough to make anyone shudder with fear.
"Alright, open fire then!"
Penarosa, carrying the axe and spear, yawned, unwilling to wait any longer.
Immediately, the silent fleet shook violently, unleashing full firepower. All shipborne weapons released with a burst, tearing through the thin fog, illuminating the night with scorching chains of projectiles, crossing like giant blades chopping through, effortlessly stirring fishy winds and blood rain, literally dyeing the fog red.
Blood like heavy rain, mixed with shredded flesh, scattered onto the sea, cruel yet spectacular.
However, Ji Jue paid attention not to the scene before him but to Penarosa, who looked indifferently down at it all. Upon him, a faint scarlet flame light rose, and the spiritual fire spread, faintly enveloping the entire fleet, flowing as one.
Thus, the makeshift Dan City Defense Fleet, numerous obsolete warships, and his guards, along with many Empire weapons, were all integrated into one, given support.
No extra actions or strength needed; he naturally became the backbone of the fleet, the source of morale.
No need for speeches, faces in the fleet were already flushed with excitement, and even in their boiling blood, they sang aloud.
Inherently, clumsily, they sang the Empire's military songs!
If this were a game interface, perhaps countless BUFFs were floating before everyone's eyes by now.
Morale boost, resilience boost, life boost, precision boost, execution boost…
Every aspect involved was now raised a notch!
Even a makeshift team, in his hands, could become an elite army, and one that could maintain structure even with a battle loss ratio over seventy percent!
How could we say there's no armor? With you in my uniform, the king engages, repairs my spear and shield, partners against the enemy...
Practically a mini Sacrificial Master!
"No wonder it's the Holy Tree Family."
Ji Jue applauded in admiration, an inner sentiment: "No wonder it's the Tree of Empire."
As one of the fourteen families that existed since the Empire's founding, the Holy Tree Family began as a local sect. With continual contributions from generations of family members, it has become a deep-rooted Empire giant in the Great City and Four Seas...
It's the pinnacle aristocratic gatekeeping family, unlike the Federation, the Empire never emphasizes electoral politics; they are part of the Empire!
Now, to maintain interests in the Seven Cities, they casually assembled a legion, taking the best path among the numerous Heavenly Destiny legion paths.
This composite path of Tian Yuan and legion, governing violence through rules, yet showcasing rules through violence, particularly excels in large-scale long-term group warfare.
Truly, one general's success comes at the cost of countless bones!
Only core Tian Yuan entities like the Holy Tree Family can pull this off. How could wild legions get family recommendations and sponsorships, graduate from orthodox military schools, earn medals, command troops in extended battles, and receive Empire's blessing, gaining recognition from Earth Emperor or Heavenly Governor?
The preconditions are too high. Lacking any of these, there's no way to execute the Path of Conquest. Others like Old Tang, no matter how profound the heritage or astonishing the origins, can't even touch the edge.
With such figures in control, Dan City truly sits in a position of superiority. If the Seven Cities were to start factional conflict and fighting, Penarosa merely sitting in the command post would turn that money-assembled defense fleet into a force that could roll over the battlefield.
Just by himself, he's an entire seasoned battle-hardened army!
At this moment, amidst the cannon fire, Penarosa seemed casual, glanced around indifferently, meeting Ji Jue's gaze briefly. He nodded slightly, smiled, and looked away.
The true purpose of tonight's reception was already fulfilled.
Only those ignorant of etiquette would secretly mess around; with the Holy Tree Family's foundation and prowess, most of the time, making clear their disposition was enough. Why else is there a need for intimidation and Killing Stick?
Brother, we've shared drinks, had meals, and the Holy Tree's courtesy is presented; whether to continue wrestling, that's up to you.
Ji Jue simply smiled, looking into the distance.
Amidst countless crumbled bodies, beneath the blood rain, gigantic figures seemed to emerge abruptly from the fog, concealed by the mist's hiding and distortion, until they were within a hundred meters, finally appearing in everyone's sight!