The cockpit still smelled of burnt wiring and a faint, lingering plant-like odor.
"Stop smoking," Li Ruobing said, reaching over to snatch the cigarette from Qin Yu's mouth. "The circulation system just got fixed, and the filters haven't been replaced yet. Do you want us all breathing in secondhand smoke?"
Qin Yu shrugged and tossed the half-smoked cigarette into the trash. He leaned back into the leather seat, propping his legs up on the still-warm control panel.
"Report," he said, closing his eyes like a prisoner awaiting sentencing. "Let me hear just how much of my hard-earned assets that last shot blew away."
Li Ruobing didn't reply immediately. Her fingers slid across the tablet a few times before her cool, emotionless voice filled the cockpit, reciting nothing but cold numbers.
"First: S-grade Liquid Mithril. Original stock: 500 tons. To construct that temporary 'Absolute Defense Field,' 320 tons were consumed."
Qin Yu's eyelid twitched, but he didn't open his eyes. "Continue."
"High-energy Fuel. Originally 2,000 barrels seized from Odin. To forcibly activate 'Shipborne Form' and execute the final full-speed escape, 1,800 barrels were burned. We're down to the dregs."
She paused, glancing at the empty weapon bay. "Kiss of Death. Forced overload. Core temperature remains in the critical red zone. System alert: Shipborne Mode cannot be reactivated for the next 72 hours. Additionally, individual combat mode effectiveness is reduced by 30%."
Qin Yu finally opened his eyes. He sat up straight, his face darkening. "So, that one shot cost me billions in resources and crippled my only trump card for three days?"
"Not only that," Li Ruobing added, twisting the knife. "Hull integrity is down 15%. Power furnace wear has increased by 20%. And then there's the compensation for Elena's side. According to your rules: ten crates of canned food, two crates of water, and one B-grade weapon per person. That's another expense."
Qin Yu rubbed his temples. It hurt—not from mental energy overdraft, but from the sting of losing money. That was S-grade Mithril! In the Trading House, a single gram could buy a living person. And in that brief moment, he'd thrown away over 300 tons. This wasn't war; it was burning money for warmth.
"A loss," Qin Yu gritted his teeth. "A massive loss. If there's no kickback from this, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Kickback?" Li Ruobing sneered. "You're expecting that giant spinach to drop loot for us? We're lucky it didn't swallow us whole."
"That's because you didn't check the system logs," Qin Yu snorted.
Though it stung.
His eyes gleamed with shrewdness.
He reached out.
And pulled up the few prompts that had been buried under the flood of red alerts earlier.
[Battle Summary:]
[Repelled Abyss Sovereign-level Creature (Juvenile): Gluttony Vine!]
[Core Damage Inflicted: 35%!]
[Triggered "Plunder" Mechanism!]
[Plunder Value Obtained: 200,000 points!]
[Special Loot Obtained: Abyss Active Essence (S-Class) x10 vials!]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood of the Abyss!]
"Two hundred thousand points?"
Li Ruobing leaned in.
Seeing that number.
Her previously tense expression.
Eased slightly.
"That's more like it."
"Including the one hundred fifty thousand from Odin's wave earlier."
"The Plunder Value in your hands now."
"Has already exceeded three hundred fifty thousand."
"Three hundred fifty thousand..."
Qin Yu stroked his chin.
The earlier sting instantly faded quite a bit.
In the current exchange list.
A single S-Class Blueprint only costs ten thousand points.
Three hundred fifty thousand.
Was enough for him to replace all the core components of the "President."
"Not too bad of a loss after all."
Qin Yu tapped his fingers on the table.
"As for those ten vials of 'Abyss Active Essence'..."
He opened the item description.
[Name: Abyss Active Essence]
[Rating: S-Class]
[Description: This is the source of infinite regeneration for Abyssal Creatures.]
[Usage: Can be used to repair damage to S-Class or higher biological entities/vehicles.]
[Special Effect: Instantly restores 50% durability/health and grants the target a temporary "Activation" trait.]
"Good stuff."
Qin Yu's eyes lit up.
"This is practically ten extra lives."
Just moments ago, he was still mourning the loss of that bit of Mithril.
But now it seemed.
This wave.
Was trading "money."
For "life."
Worth it.
"Alright."
Qin Yu let out a long breath.
Shaking off all those messy emotions.
"Ruo Bing."
"Open the World Channel."
"I need to see."
"If we're the only unlucky ones."
"Or if it's just us."
Li Ruobing nodded.
Her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard.
"Beep."
A massive holographic screen unfolded in the center of the cockpit.
It was the World Channel.
The now-merged "Global Region."
Normally.
It was noisy here.
But mostly with people doing business, boasting.
Or recruitment ads from certain guilds.
But now.
The text on the screen.
Was scrolling frantically.
So fast it was impossible to read clearly.
Every single message.
Was filled with terror.
With despair.
[World Channel (Global)]
[Anonymous Player (Former Australia Region): Can anyone tell me what that is?! The sea is full of green stuff! My hull's been drilled through! Water's flooding in! Help!!]
[Jack (Former Americas Region): Oh God! I saw an island stand up! It ate the "Freedom" Destroyer! That's a destroyer! Five thousand tons of iron, chewed to pieces!!]
[Yamamoto Kazuo (Former Sakura Region): Damn it! Don't go near the green fog! Inhaling it causes mutation! My first mate just tried to strangle me with his own intestines! He's gone mad! Everyone's gone mad!]
[Aisha (Former Middle East Region): Our desalinator is broken! The water is full of spores! The filters can't stop them at all! People who drank the water are vomiting green liquid!]
...
Tragic.
So tragic.
This was no Chat Channel.
This was practically a global misery competition.
Qin Yu looked at those messages.
His expression gradually turned grave.
"It seems."
"This is a disaster of complete coverage."
He pointed at several pieces of information.
"Look."
"Australia, the Americas, the Sakura Region."
"Every single area."
"They erupted almost simultaneously."
"What does that mean?"
Li Ruobing frowned.
"It means the root systems underground."
"Are interconnected."
"Exactly."
Qin Yu nodded.
"This is a network."
"A network covering the entire global ocean."
"What we just fought."
"Was merely a 'bud' that surfaced."
"The true main body."
"Is still down below."
This sent a chill down Qin Yu's spine.
If that were the case.
Then in the future.
There would be no absolutely safe zones at sea.
Just then.
A bold, gold-bordered, pinned message.
Suddenly popped up.
It was a privileged message sent using an "S-Class Megaphone."
Only those ranked in the top ten on the leaderboard.
Were qualified to send such messages.
[ID: Solomon (Former Top Ranker of the Middle East Region)]
[Content: Fellow survivors, I am Solomon. In light of the full-scale outbreak of 'Abyssal Plants,' I propose establishing a 'Human Survival Community.' Any captains with B-Class or higher vehicles are welcome to gather at coordinates (1452, 8890). We possess an S-grade Flamethrower Blueprint, the only effective weapon against the plants.]
As soon as this message appeared.
A flood of supportive replies followed.
[Player A: Solomon is awesome! I'm going too!]
[Player B: Flamethrowers? Perfect! Fire counters wood, that's common sense!]
[Player C: Finally, someone is stepping up! Unlike some people who only know how to steal!]
Qin Yu looked at the message.
And scoffed.
"Flamethrowers?"
"To fight the Abyss?"
"That old charlatan."
"Is he trying to die faster?"
Given the level of regeneration speed they had just witnessed.
Ordinary fire.
Would be nothing more than a sauna for it.
Unless it was a Rule-Class destructive strike like the "Kiss of Death."
Or the S-Grade Mithril fire from Qi Chun's furnace.
Otherwise.
No matter how many people went.
They'd just be delivering themselves as food.
"And look at this."
Li Ruobing pointed at another pinned message that had just appeared.
[ID: Black Widow (Former Top Ranker of the Americas Region)]
[Content: Just now, an extremely terrifying energy fluctuation erupted from the direction of the Chinese Region. It was a radiance only S-Class or higher weapons possess. Someone was fighting the Mother Body of the 'Gluttony Vine.' And... it seems they won.]
This message.
Instantly ignited the entire chat.
[What?! Someone soloed the Mother Body?!]
[Really? We can't even handle the small fry, and someone went after the BOSS?]
[The Chinese Region? Isn't that... that man's territory?]
[Are you talking about... Qin Yu?]
The tide.
Instantly shifted.
Those who had been crying and wailing just moments ago.
Immediately began discussing this mysterious "Godslayer."
[It must be him! Who else but that lunatic who robbed Odin could have such firepower?]
[I heard he has a sniper rifle that can pierce through the Earth!]
[But... after such a huge commotion, how much ammunition could he possibly have left?]
Just then.
A discordant voice appeared.
Not pinned.
But scrolling at an extremely fast rate.
Clearly an organized group of trolls.
[Anti-Qin Alliance-01: Don't be fooled, everyone! He was just defending himself! Moreover, according to our observations, after that shot, his ship lost all power. Now is the time when he's at his weakest!]
[Anti-Qin Alliance-02: That's right! He must be loaded with treasures right now! Odin's inheritance, plus the equipment dropped from the boss just now! Kill him, and you'll be the richest player in the entire server!]
[Anti-Qin Alliance-03: Coordinates locked! In the southeastern waters of the China region! Whether you want to survive or get rich, this is your only chance!]
"Hah."
Qin Yu looked at these clowns.
The killing intent in his eyes.
Slowly gathered.
"It seems."
"If I don't speak up."
"Some people really think I'm a sick cat."
He's at his weakest?
True.
"Kiss of Death" is out of commission.
The ship is a bit damaged.
But in his hands.
He still has 350,000 Plunder Value.
And the ten bottles of S-Class Repair Fluid he just obtained.
These people.
Really think he's survived until now.
Just by relying on a single gun?
"Fatty."
"You just said."
"That ruin."
"Where is it?"
"Huh?"
Qi Chun was stunned for a moment.
His thoughts clearly couldn't keep up with Qin Yu's sudden shift.
"R... ruin?"
"It's right ahead!"
"About thirty nautical miles."
"It was originally an undersea volcano."
"Just now, due to tectonic movement, it surfaced."
"I detected a strong energy reaction inside."
"It seems like... the remains of some kind of Ancient Armory."
"Armory?"
Qin Yu smiled.
He smiled even wider.
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