When Fang Qinghao woke up from his slumber, the sun was already high in the sky outside his window. He got up and rubbed his stomach, calculating the time. It was already time for breakfast. He glanced at the bed and found that Yue Hengyi was not there, likely having woken up very early.
Upon arriving at the mess hall, Fang Qinghao only saw Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan eating breakfast, discussing the use of their abilities while they ate.
"Where is everyone else? Why are they all gone?" Fang Qinghao asked, puzzled.
Guo Pinming pointed to the sky above and said, "They're having breakfast on the deck. As for the young master, he's probably still sleeping. Children are growing, so they need more sleep."
Fang Qinghao nodded, grabbed two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk, and headed to the deck.
When Fang Qinghao arrived on deck, he found a group of ability users fishing. There were many palm-sized fish in the buckets beside them, and they all had dark circles under their eyes, suggesting they had been fishing all night.
What confused Fang Qinghao the most was seeing Yue Hengyi and Qin Kewe pushing a food cart together. The cart was laden with fried dough sticks and white congee, with grape juice in the lower compartment. The two of them were chatting and laughing as they walked, their distance from each other very close.
"Brothers and sisters, it's time for breakfast. It's hard to catch fish now that we're sailing, so let's put aside what we're doing," Yue Hengyi announced loudly.
Shen Feng had already hooked a fish. His fishing rod was bent downwards, clearly indicating a large catch. He didn't have time for breakfast and shouted, "Just give me a bowl of congee. Cut the fried dough sticks and put them in. I'll come over to eat as soon as I reel this fish in."
Qin Kewe smiled helplessly, picked up a bowl, and served Shen Feng some congee. She cut the fried dough sticks and placed them in the congee, adding two spoonfuls of sugar. "Alright, your breakfast is here. Come and eat later!"
Ke Yiming's fishing rod also bent downwards. Fishing while sailing was very difficult. He had simply tied a string of fishhooks to the line and cast it into the water, hoping to catch anything. He quickly called out, "Xiao Yue, save me some fried dough sticks and soy milk! I'm about to catch a big fish too!"
Yue Hengyi nodded and began reserving breakfast for Ke Yiming.
As a result, Shen Feng pulled a leather shoe out of the water, and Ke Yiming pulled out a rag. It couldn't be said to be related to fishing, only that the fish were not cooperating well and hadn't hooked themselves.
Fang Qinghao was suddenly confused. Qin Kewe and Yue Hengyi had seemed so awkward with each other before, and others had kept their distance from them. Now, how had things suddenly become so warm and friendly? Had something unusual happened last night?
"Hou Xiaohua, what happened last night? Weren't you all keeping your distance from Yue Hengyi before? Why has your attitude changed so much now?" Fang Qinghao walked over and began to inquire. He had only slept for a while, and why had such strange things happened?
Hou Xiaohua shrugged and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to say, but this is someone else's family matter, and it shouldn't be publicized too much. You just need to know that Sister Qin and Yue Hengyi have cleared the air. That's all. I can't say more."
Hou Xiaohua wouldn't spread other people's family affairs all day; it wasn't appropriate, so he avoided the topic.
Fang Qinghao really wanted to know what had happened. It seemed like everyone's attitude had changed overnight, yet he was kept in the dark, knowing nothing. Asking others didn't yield specific information. All he could see was Qin Kewe and Yue Hengyi being inseparable, and everyone else seemed to have gotten used to it.
At noon, the fleet passed through the Bashi Channel and entered the Pacific Ocean. Instantly, all warships engaged their full power, the ships cutting through the waves and heading south.
After the initial novelty wore off in the first few days, everyone began to feel the boredom of long-distance ocean voyages. The scenery was almost unchanging, and the areas they could move within were limited. Shen Feng could occasionally fly into the sky to get some fresh air, but the others could only stay on deck or in the cabins, chatting. Although there were many books on board, most of them were dry and dull, and few people could get through them.
Ke Yiming brought out two decks of playing cards, which provided some diversion during their leisure time. However, playing only one game would eventually lead to boredom. Five days later, everyone wanted to lie on the deck and sunbathe or go back to their cabins to sleep. Other than that, there was nothing else to do.
Shen Feng had hoped to see sea monsters with his own eyes. He had heard that there were creatures a kilometer long in the sea, which were larger than warships. Only aircraft carriers could compare. If he really saw such a giant creature, he would definitely have to take a picture.
As a result, during the voyage at sea, all they could hear was the sound of the waves, and all they could see was the azure sea. Every day, apart from the change in light, it seemed as if the warships were stationary. Occasionally, when small islands appeared on the sea, many people would gather to look at them.
"Brother-in-law, I'm so bored," Chang Haojie said to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng was also bored. He had expected to encounter new things every day after setting sail, but during this period, apart from playing cards and fishing, there was nothing else to do.
"I have comics in my suitcase. You can read them if you want," Shen Feng told Chang Haojie.
Chang Haojie shook his head and said, "I've already read them twice. I want to play games."
"Playing games is not allowed on the warship. Sigh, let's just lie on the deck and sleep." Shen Feng said helplessly. He then threw all pretense of composure aside and lay down on the deck. The sun was scorching, and the deck was burning hot. It was a tropical region after all.
Many people in tropical regions had never seen snow in their lives. It was only after the internet became widespread that these locals learned what snow looked like.
Chang Haojie also lay down on the deck to sleep with Shen Feng. To avoid the sun's rays, they both wore sunglasses.
Soon, they fell asleep on the deck. In such hot weather, there was no other choice but to sleep.
The weather at sea changed very rapidly. It started with a clear sky, but then it turned cloudy, followed by lightning and thunder. Soybean-sized raindrops began to fall from the sky, waking up Shen Feng and Chang Haojie, who were sleeping.
They quickly went into the ship's cabin and discovered that all the ability users were in the command center.
Everyone had a grave expression. After hearing the news from the front, they all felt the pressure descending.
"What's going on? Why is everyone so tense? Is there a storm?" Shen Feng asked, seeing the solemn expressions of everyone in the command center.
Guo Pinming explained, "City Lord, we received a distress signal from the Heavenly Chosen Bureau, which departed two days before us. They reportedly encountered an attack by mutated beasts at sea. There were three monsters, all hundreds of meters long. They have been fighting for half an hour, but they have suffered heavy losses and are requesting support."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude, thinking, "Serves you people right for sneaking ahead. Now that you've encountered danger, you can't handle it, can you?"
The captain, a man in his forties, looked at the ability users in the command center with a stern expression and asked, "Now, our comrades have been attacked, and we must go to their aid immediately. What are your opinions, gentlemen?"
Guo Pinming remained silent. Qi Lingshan pointed to Shen Feng and said, "We'll all listen to the City Lord."
As for the Ability Administration, they all looked towards Qin Kewe. Nominally, Qin Kewe was still the captain of the Ability Administration, and she was the one who should make the decision.
Qin Kewe first looked at Shen Feng and asked, "Mr. Shen, what is your opinion? Should we go to the rescue?"
Now, there was only one decision to be made by everyone: whether or not to go to the rescue. The relationship between the Heavenly Chosen Bureau and the Ability Administration was not good to begin with. However, they were all on a long voyage, and once they encountered danger, they should help each other. If they only focused on preserving their strength, other factions would take advantage.
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "I'm indifferent. However, I want to remind you that it's raining heavily now, and the environment is not good. Moreover, it's still a two-day journey to the team ahead. Even if we rush there, it might be too late!"
After Shen Feng finished speaking, Ke Yiming immediately chimed in, saying directly, "Why bother saving anyone at this point? Don't forget our mission is to salvage the meteorite. The most important thing now is to reach the Divine Realm as soon as possible and salvage the meteorite. That's the best course of action. Besides, if the thirty-odd ability users from the Heavenly Chosen Bureau can't handle the situation, do we need to go and help them?"
Ke Yiming's words represented the thoughts of several members of the Ability Administration. It was just three mutated beasts that had caused the Heavenly Chosen Bureau and an entire fleet to request aid. Their own ability users numbered only eleven. Even if they rushed over, their help would be minimal. It was better to head to the South Pacific as soon as possible.
However, at this moment, the captain spoke up, "Gentlemen, please listen to me. Regardless of any grievances you have with the Heavenly Chosen Bureau, we are at sea now. If we don't unite, who knows if our fleet will also encounter mutated beasts? If that happens, who will help us?"
Although the captain did not explicitly say it, his words were clearly directed at Ke Yiming. Ke Yiming's selfish ideology was completely abandoning the brothers in the fleet ahead. If their own forces rushed over, they would undoubtedly be of great help. Yet, Ke Yiming actually advised everyone not to go to the dangerous area, which was inappropriate.
Ke Yiming shrugged and said, "Alright, alright, I misspoke. If you want to rescue them, then set off quickly. It's a two-day journey. By the time we reach the battlefield, who knows what it will be like?"
The captain said solemnly, "Now that we are encountering sea beasts at sea, the idea of self-preservation is wrong. Therefore, I have decided to go to the rescue at the fastest speed. This is not only my decision, but also the decision of the headquarters in Yanjing. I ask everyone to row together and overcome the difficulties!"
What other opinions could others have? If they disagreed now, it would be abandoning their companions. Moreover, the ability users present were also becoming curious. What did these giant sea beasts look like? Were they really as huge as small mountains?
Subsequently, the cruisers and frigates immediately accelerated and set off towards the direction of the Heavenly Chosen Bureau.
Shen Feng found Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan and said to them, "According to Luke Wen's speculation, these giant sea beasts can all use abilities, so do not underestimate them. Therefore, for your own safety, stay with Chang Haojie at all times. If you encounter danger, immediately ascend into the sky with clouds. I will also carry a paraglider at all times."
Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan did not dare to be careless. Combat at sea was completely different from combat on land. Once they fell into the water, they might be eaten by sea beasts. No one knew what was under the water. In this situation, Chang Haojie could take them into the sky, so their self-preservation ability was fine.
"City Lord, we can protect ourselves. What about the Ability Administration?" Guo Pinming asked cautiously.
Shen Feng looked at the group of ability users gathered in the distance. They were clearly discussing subsequent operations. On the other hand, Li Keyi sat alone. She was not a member of the Ability Administration, and when it came to group formations, Li Keyi had no sense of belonging.
"They will have their own methods. We don't need to worry too much. Prioritize our own safety!" Shen Feng said calmly.