Underwater, the shared sensory vision from Snowflake clearly displayed the surroundings—no large obstacles or dangerous creatures within a hundred-meter radius for now.
"Let's move!" Han Ning said solemnly.
"Woo!"
Xu Ming sounded the horn, its deep, drawn-out blare piercing through the rain.
He abruptly pushed the throttle lever all the way forward.
Boom!
The auxiliary diesel engine roared to life with formidable power, propelling the heavy hull forward as it sliced through the water.
At the same time, the strong southeastern wind filled the towering main sail and foresail, the white canvas instantly billowing like a full moon.
The force of the sails combined perfectly with the diesel power.
The "Wind Chaser" sailboat abruptly lifted its bow and accelerated instantly.
The prow plowed through the murky, dark green waves, leaving a long white wake as it headed toward the mist-shrouded southeast.
Hoist the sails and set sail!
With Snowflake responsible for detecting underwater conditions ahead, the fleet easily avoided various obstacles and soon left the dock, passing through the Mist Zone.
Once free from the suffocating Mist Zone, the downpour immediately pounded down on them, yet the visibility improved significantly.
The turbid water stretched endlessly, with dense raindrops splashing tiny ripples across the surface.
"Grrr!"
Not long after leaving the Mist Zone, Snowflake sent an alert from ahead.
"Something's underwater on the starboard side—avoid it."
Before Han Ning could finish speaking, a monster resembling a giant catfish, covered in dark blue scaled armor, burst from the muddy depths and charged at Snowflake.
Snowflake had anticipated this, but it refused to dodge.
Because behind it was its master's ship.
The two beasts collided, the resulting undercurrent causing the boat to sway slightly.
The monster, having missed its strike, slammed its massive tail against the water, churning up murky waves over two meters high. At the same time, it spat a high-pressure Water Arrow straight at the cockpit.
Snowflake roared and swatted the Water Arrow apart.
The Tri-color Crystal Scale on its forehead flashed as an intangible Mental Shriek pierced the monster's consciousness.
The giant catfish stiffened, and Snowflake seized the moment to open its jaws wide, biting off half of the creature's head.
Such attacks were clearly not isolated incidents.
Almost simultaneously, the other boats were also assaulted.
The monsters outside the Mist Zone differed in form from those within.
Some resembled enormous lobsters, their shells incredibly tough, wielding massive claws capable of releasing Electric Arcs.
Others moved like water snakes, incredibly fast, capable of launching Ice Cone-like energy attacks underwater.
Beyond these ferocious aquatic beasts, the voyage itself was exceptionally arduous.
Xu Ming remained hyper-focused, constantly adjusting the course based on Han Ning's warnings.
The Awakened on the other boats clearly had similar methods, diligently avoiding hazardous zones.
"Large concrete block underwater at 12 o'clock—evade now," Han Ning warned promptly.
"Hard left fifteen degrees," Xu Ming muttered to himself, spinning the wheel rapidly.
Han Ning also stayed ready, prepared at any moment to entangle sudden underwater hazards like protruding steel bars or GG-brand wreckage.
The boats painstakingly navigated through the labyrinthine waters on the city's outskirts, their speed drastically reduced.
...
A journey of just a few nautical miles took a full two hours.
.
Thanks to Snowflake continuously clearing out monsters underwater, the fleet managed to leave the monster-infested waters relatively intact.
After a series of skirmishes, a familiar landscape finally appeared to the east of the fleet.
Numerous collapsed low-rise houses were submerged in the water, and the outlines of some villages could faintly be seen in the distance.
"It's the outskirts of Dashicun!" Xu Ming wiped the rain from his face and exclaimed joyfully.
Here, though they occasionally encountered monsters, their strength was noticeably weaker compared to the outer waters. Most were just Crocodile Lizards and the like.
Han Ning stood at the bow of the ship, scanning the flood-ravaged land.
Collapsed houses, floating debris of furniture, half-submerged utility poles—everything was in disarray.
Looking at the collapsed houses around him, he vaguely recalled something.
He had rarely visited this area before, only stopping by once to eat at a street-side stall while entertaining out-of-town friends.
"Seems like the Agricultural University is north of Dashicun..."
Han Ning murmured to himself.
He remembered that in the northern part of Dashicun, there was an undergraduate institution called Egret Agricultural and Forestry University.
An agricultural university likely housed a seed bank.
As a Druid, the importance of a seed bank was self-evident to him.
It was a critical resource for future food security, plant optimization, and possibly even cultivating special crops.
But... the Agricultural University was in the complete opposite direction from returning to Azure Cloud Resort.
"Since we're here, we might as well make a detour."
"Lao Xu, change course."
Han Ning commanded without hesitation,
"Northwest direction, to Egret Agricultural and Forestry University!"
"Agricultural University? Got it. I've been there once."
Xu Ming didn't hesitate at all and began calculating the water currents and wind direction, turning the heavy helm.
The massive hull of the Wind Chaser slowly pivoted on the water, breaking away from the main fleet's route and heading northwest.
In the wheelhouse of the trailing fleet, Chairman Wu noticed the Wind Chaser's abrupt change in direction and immediately leaned out the window, shouting:
"Mr. Han Ning! What's going on? Why the course change?"
His voice was quickly swallowed by the wind and rain.
But Han Ning, as a superhuman, had astonishing hearing and still caught Chairman Wu's question.
Han Ning's voice carried through the storm: "I'm heading to the Agricultural University to retrieve something. It doesn't concern you. Proceed as planned."
"Agricultural University?"
Chairman Wu thought of Han Ning's ability to summon Vines and guessed his intentions.
"Understood! Please be careful, Mr. Han Ning!"
Without further questions, Chairman Wu immediately issued orders to the fleet:
"All vessels, maintain course! Proceed to the original rendezvous point! Full speed ahead!"
With so many people under his care, they had numerous needs to address.
The fleet urgently needed to find a relatively safe anchorage for thorough repairs, and the crew also required rest.
They lacked Han Ning's capabilities, and following him to the Agricultural University now wouldn't be of much help—it might even lead to additional losses.
Returning to safety for repairs was the top priority.
In the murky rain-soaked waters of Dashicun's outskirts, the fleet split in two.
Under Xu Ming's control, the Wind Chaser plowed through the turbid waters, heading toward Egret Agricultural and Forestry University.
The deeper they ventured northwest into Dashicun, the clearer the outlines of urban buildings became, and the water level visibly receded.
The once deep waters that could easily submerge the ship's hull gradually disappeared, replaced by shallow areas littered with floating debris and remnants of furniture.
Xu Ming kept his eyes fixed on the water's surface, his brow furrowed as he continuously adjusted the course to avoid half-submerged cars, GG-brand skeletons, and low walls.
"Boss, the water depth is dropping rapidly—it's already less than three meters... Ahead, the entire underwater area is filled with collapsed houses and street facilities. The depth there probably won't even reach two meters."
"The 'Wind Chaser' has a draft close to two meters, and we're fully loaded right now. If we go any further, we risk running aground at any moment."
"Stop the ship," Han Ning ordered decisively.
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