Jiang Ye clicked the sonar function on the screen and adjusted it to wide-area scan.
The sonar's scanning range immediately expanded tenfold, revealing a vast expanse of the ocean on the screen.
Switching to wide-area scan meant sacrificing precision for coverage; small fish were no longer visible, only the larger ones.
Jiang Ye's gaze sharpened. Several large red dots instantly appeared on the screen – five in total. According to the scale displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, each red dot was as large as a bus!
The most critical point was that all five red dots were directly ahead, slowly approaching the fishing boat. It was like five old wolves stealthily closing in on their prey.
Escape or fight? Jiang Ye made a decision in two seconds. He would at least wait for these five behemoths to get closer and see what they were. If he couldn't win, he'd run immediately. The fishing boat's speed should be enough to outrun most creatures. The unknown was the most terrifying. He at least needed to know what kind of monster could cause such widespread panic in the ocean, otherwise, he would be on edge every time he went out to sea.
He regretted not stocking up on mines on the boat and could only rely on the military supplies he brought. He quickly lifted the storage box, brought a sack of blood grenades to the deck, and then pushed the six-barreled rapid-fire cannon to the bow. He had two belts of ammunition left, 1200 rounds. It seemed like a lot, but in a real fight, it would be gone in the blink of an eye.
The fog was still thick, only allowing him to see five to six meters ahead. This was a dangerously close distance.
Jiang Ye stared, his finger on the trigger.
Then, he heard heavy panting.
It wasn't one creature panting, but five, their breaths overlapping. The panting was mixed with the sound of spraying water, like high-pressure water jets.
Lights appeared in the dense fog, piercing the mist with a faint blue glow, quite conspicuous.
In the blue light, several dark shapes could be vaguely seen, resembling some kind of large fish, but there were human figures on the fish, not just one, but a large group, densely packed.
Finally, the giants broke through the fog and stopped beneath the boat.
Five colossal whales, each as long as a bus, with blue light emanating from the spots on their bodies, shining like streetlights. Their dark backs were covered with people. To be precise, only their limbs and bodies resembled humans. They were entirely purplish-black, with no facial features or hair, standing stiffly, their faces all turned forward, like drowned spirits gazing towards their homeland.
Each whale's back was covered with over twenty drowned spirits. They were like pirates on warships, and these spirits clearly had a way to control the whales. When the whales stopped, they all raised their flat faces and looked up at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye's pupils contracted sharply. He had seen these drowned spirits before. When he had just unlocked blood grenades from the Galaxy Mall, one night he went to the mine and saw a human figure who was then killed by a grenade and buried next to the base. The thing he had killed then was exactly like the drowned spirits on the whales' backs now!
He pulled the trigger and opened fire decisively.
The bullets swept across the whales' backs, hitting the standing drowned spirits. The 12.7mm caliber ammunition was fierce; many drowned spirits were cut in half, a single bullet piercing through three or four. Blood gushed out, splashing onto the whales' backs. The purplish-black drowned spirits leaped into the sea, not diving, but swimming towards the fishing boat with considerable speed!
Jiang Ye ran back to the captain's cabin, clicked on the screen, and the fishing boat instantly started, fleeing at full throttle.
He returned to the deck again. The drowned spirits and the whales had caught up.
He continued to sweep them with the six-barreled rapid-fire cannon. Groups of drowned spirits were killed in the sea, blood splattering everywhere, turning the dark blue water red. After firing a thousand rounds, the gun barrel was already glowing red. Jiang Ye unfastened the sack at his feet and pulled out blood grenades, throwing them over.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
Dense explosions erupted, and water columns rose from the sea. The five whales were successively injured and killed, their piercing cries echoing as they submerged.
The drowned spirits also suffered heavy casualties, floating on the surface of the sea.
The six-barreled rapid-fire cannon had cooled down. Jiang Ye continued to shoot, firing in bursts economically.
Drowned spirits were killed one by one in the sea. They weren't as terrifying as they looked; they were flesh and blood. However, their swimming speed was astonishingly fast, their arms spinning like propellers, matching the fishing boat's speed perfectly, always keeping up the chase. Jiang Ye thought that if these drowned spirits were thrown into an Olympic swimming pool, three of them would be on the podium, sweeping the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Finally, as they neared the shore, only one drowned spirit remained.
Jiang Ye returned to the captain's cabin, clicked on the screen, and cast the net!
The drowned spirit was caught in the net, struggling desperately. Jiang Ye immediately reeled in the net, and it was pulled up smoothly.
Jiang Ye quickly ran to the deck and aimed the six-barreled rapid-fire cannon at the drowned spirit in the net.
The drowned spirit tore at the fishing net with all its might. The sturdy net quickly deformed and then snapped. It was about to climb out.
Jiang Ye opened fire. With a single pull of the trigger, more than a dozen bullets flew out, more than half hitting the drowned spirit's body, piercing straight through. The bullets emerged from its back, and a large patch of blood exploded. The drowned spirit was kicked to the ground and lay still.
Jiang Ye stepped forward, lifted the fishing net along with the drowned spirit, and headed for the cargo hold.
He threw it into the trading bay and immediately scanned it.
Jiang Ye returned to the captain's cabin. He could only see the scan results on the screen.
But it was strange. The last time he encountered this thing, the trading bay had no reaction at all. This time, there was a reaction, but no result:
[Item: ???]
[Item Description: It's hard to tell what this is. Did you carelessly throw in some trash? It's recommended to burn it or bury it somewhere.]
[Estimated Value: 0 Yuan]
Jiang Ye was bewildered. This was the first time he had encountered something that couldn't be scanned. Even when he captured unknown creatures before, the trading bay could scan them as creatures and give him a hundred thousand yuan.
Could it really be a drowned spirit?
No, drowned spirits definitely wouldn't have blood and flesh.
The fishing boat had reached the dock. Jiang Ye maneuvered it to a stop.
He didn't sell the drowned spirit and kept it in the cargo hold for now.
After taking a shower in the boat's bathroom, Jiang Ye disembarked and returned to the base.
He first bought a Polaroid camera from the Galaxy Mall.
Taking the camera back onto the boat, he went to the cargo hold and took dozens of photos of the drowned spirit's corpse.
The camera kept printing, heating up as it produced photos.
Clutching the dozens of photos, he returned to the base, sat down, and opened the chat channel to send a message to Isabel.
Jiang Ye: I encountered a monster at sea. The trading bay couldn't scan it. What should I do in this situation?
Isabel: The trading bay couldn't scan it? How is that possible? Is the trading bay broken?
Jiang Ye: It's not broken. This is the second time. I encountered this thing a long time ago, and it couldn't be scanned then either. It still can't be scanned this time.
Isabel: What kind of monster? Is it dangerous?
Jiang Ye: Extremely dangerous. It swims as fast as the fishing boat, and they stand on the whales' backs in large groups, as orderly as an army. Their presence is like ancient naval boarding parties. I suspect this thing has a considerable level of intelligence, otherwise, how could it control the whales? I have photos here, I'll send you two.