When Jiang Ye arrived at the beach, the battle had already concluded.
The ground was littered with shell casings. Over three thousand rounds had been fired in mere minutes, and the Gatling cannons had turned red. Shao Wanzheng was pouring water from a bottle onto them, steam hissing and rising.
All five police officers had arrived, along with over a dozen auxiliary police. They had held the line and, fortunately, suffered no casualties. However, they were clearly shaken, breathing heavily as they gathered and saluted Jiang Ye.
Three whales lay beached on the shore. The blue markings on their bodies were slowly dimming, like deactivated fluorescent paint. Bullets had ripped through their bellies, and blood had stained a large area of the shallow sea. The stench of their entrails could be smelled from a distance.
A total of thirty water ghosts lay dead on the beach, most of them missing limbs. The Gatling cannons’ rounds were so powerful that any hit resulted in tearing. Jiang Ye walked over and examined each grotesque corpse. He noticed these water ghosts were stronger than the ones he had seen before; their muscle fibers were almost visibly defined.
Shao Wanzheng stayed by Jiang Ye’s side, his expression grim. These water ghosts attacked with great speed and in groups, with the ones in front shielding the ones behind from bullets, charging directly into the gunfire. If not for the heavy weaponry, they would have been overrun moments ago.
"How did you discover the water ghosts?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Many people were bathing at the beach and saw blue lights appearing on the sea surface. They ran to the police station to report it," Shao Wanzheng replied. "I happened to be on duty, so I called for backup and rushed here with weapons. We arrived just as the water ghosts were coming ashore."
"That was too close," Jiang Ye said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He began distributing assault rifles to the auxiliary police, one for each, with ten magazines. "Get them from the factory."
"Understood," Shao Wanzheng said, turning to leave immediately.
Jiang Ye surveyed the water ghost corpses again. They were exactly as Shao Wanzheng had described, their fallen trajectories clearly indicating the Gatling cannons. The water ghosts had charged ferociously but were repelled by the intense firepower.
More and more residents from the coastal town were arriving, drawn by the commotion. Their faces were filled with fear, and they gathered, whispering amongst themselves.
"Everyone, please return to your homes. Tonight and tomorrow morning, I will post some notices in the group," Jiang Ye shouted.
After speaking, Jiang Ye headed straight for the base vehicle.
Opening the chat channel, he sent a message to Xu Yan.
Jiang Ye: Something happened. Water ghosts came ashore from the sea, and we just repelled them. I want to build a defensive perimeter along the beach. Do you have any suitable plans?
It was already very late, but Xu Yan replied immediately.
Xu Yan: Defensive fortifications are easy. Baiyi Real Estate started by building fortifications for the army. But what weapons do you have on hand?
Jiang Ye: Assault rifles, and Gatling cannons. You can think of them as large-caliber machine guns. For explosives, we have blood grenades and sea mines. The most powerful are rocket launchers.
Xu Yan: The firepower is decent. More than enough to deal with a few water ghosts.
Jiang Ye: I'm worried about the water ghosts increasing in number. Thirty came tonight, which might just be a vanguard. These beasts have social organization and might launch a large-scale landing attack. If hundreds or thousands surge forward, it will be difficult to defend.
Xu Yan: Alright, I’ll stay up tonight. I’ll be there in three hours to survey the coastal terrain.
Jiang Ye: Thank you so much! You’ve saved my life!
Closing the chat interface, Jiang Ye found he couldn’t sleep.
He opened the Galaxy Mall and bought five rocket launchers in quick succession.
He also bought over a hundred rockets, neatly stacked on the first floor of the base vehicle.
He drove the vehicle directly out of the yard and to the entrance of the police station.
The police station was lit up, but the lobby was deserted. Only Shi Zhi Zi was on duty; everyone else had gone to the coast.
"Town Mayor!" Shi Zhi Zi stood up, looking at him with a hint of panic.
"I got some rocket launchers. Contact some auxiliary police to help unload them," Jiang Ye said. "Rocket launchers can only be used by official police officers."
"Yes, yes, I’ll contact them now."
Shi Zhi Zi sat down and began typing. Within five minutes, three auxiliary police officers arrived, all carrying the newly issued assault rifles. As instructed, they carried the rockets and stored them in the police station’s warehouse.
After the rockets were unloaded, Jiang Ye opened the Galaxy Mall again and bought seven more Gatling cannons, along with 140,000 rounds of ammunition.
There was so much ammunition that unloading took over half an hour. The police station’s warehouse was packed to the brim. The two Gatling cannons that couldn’t fit were placed in the corridor, emitting a dark, gun-oil scent.
The sound of a spaceship landing echoed from the coast.
Jiang Ye drove the base vehicle towards the coast. Ten construction team spacecraft had just landed, and some robots had already emerged, scanning the terrain everywhere.
Many residents were still gathered by the sea. Upon seeing the construction team’s spacecraft, their expressions visibly relaxed.
They didn’t know what these spacecraft were for, but they were advanced technology, and their presence provided a sense of security.
Xu Yan was still in her black suit, but her hair was unusually disheveled.
She walked towards Jiang Ye, holding a tablet, yawning exaggeratedly.
"Manager Xu, thank you for your hard work!" Jiang Ye greeted her enthusiastically. "Thank you so much! On behalf of all three hundred residents, I welcome you!"
Xu Yan smiled. "You’re exaggerating a bit. The preliminary terrain analysis is complete, and the defensive fortification plans are ready. Which one do you prefer?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Ye nodded vigorously.
Xu Yan opened the tablet, maximizing the screen brightness, illuminating both her and Jiang Ye’s faces.
The terrain of the entire town and the surrounding coast appeared on the screen.