Waves crashed like mountains against the gravity field, sweeping some esper into the water while others were flung high into the air. Yue Hengyi held Qin Kewei tightly, choosing to face the colossal waves with his back. The fifty-meter-high wave struck, directly flipping the mattress.
As the wave hit, Yue Hengyi suffered a violent impact and lost consciousness. However, even in unconsciousness, he did not let go.
The gravity field failed to stabilize. With the threat of gravity gone, the sea beasts surrounded them once more. Now, only thirty-odd espers remained on the sea. Once they were killed, no one would survive the operation to salvage the meteorite.
Shen Feng floated on the surface of the water, searching for Chang Haojie. "Xiao Jie, where are you?"
Without the five-times gravity field, Shen Feng could finally use "Water Walking." He stepped on the waves, searching for people at sea. The one he cared about most was Chang Haojie, his brother-in-law. Having followed him for two years, Chang Haojie was like a younger brother. If anything happened to him, Shen Feng would regret it for his entire life.
Fortunately, at this moment, Li Keyi's voice reached him: "Shen Feng, we're over here!"
Shen Feng quickly rushed over, only to find Li Keyi slapping the waves, keeping Chang Haojie afloat. Chang Haojie's mouth and nose were full of blood, and he had lost consciousness. It seemed he couldn't withstand the impact of the giant waves. Fortunately, although unconscious, Chang Haojie was still alive.
It was also fortunate that Li Keyi was by Chang Haojie's side. After grabbing him, she prevented him from sinking into the water.
"Shen Feng, you take him and go first. I can turn invisible, and I'll be fine for a while. If possible, after you send Chang Haojie to the ship, come back and get me!" Li Keyi said with a smile, though the smile seemed a little forced.
Shen Feng was very grateful to Li Keyi. If she hadn't grabbed the unconscious Chang Haojie, he would likely have sunk to the bottom of the sea by now. Shen Feng quickly replied, "I will definitely come back to save you, don't worry!"
With that, Shen Feng grabbed Chang Haojie's arm, pulled him out of the water, carried him on his back, and strode on the waves towards the distant cruiser.
Li Keyi watched Shen Feng's retreating back, a bitter smile on her face. Then, she used her esper ability and turned invisible on the sea.
"Will you really come back to save me?" Li Keyi murmured to herself before disappearing.
Shen Feng carried Chang Haojie towards the cruiser. Regardless, this was their only refuge. Although the sea beasts were still watching covetously, and the fleet would eventually be sunk, delaying it for a moment might still turn things around.
Andorf also surfaced. He had lost his last support; the ship's deck had been completely shattered by the giant waves. Natalie floated on the water, but her face was down and her back was up. It was unknown if she was alive or dead. At this point, endless despair enveloped Andorf.
"I never expected to die at sea at such a young age. Heh heh, I thought I could achieve great things and become an important figure in human history, but it seems that's impossible now. But even so, I will make my final moments spectacular!" Andorf muttered to himself.
After saying this, Andorf's gaze gradually became resolute. The most feared thing for humans is death, and very few people in the world can face death squarely!
However, once someone dares to face a bleak life squarely, dares to face the flowing blood squarely, then the courage in their heart will erupt completely. The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage, and the hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage!
As Andorf used his esper ability, the water surface began to vibrate slightly. This vibration was keenly sensed by the sea beasts, causing them to panic. Finally, after the blue whale issued an order, the sea beasts did not flee in disarray but continued to stay in their original waters.
The waves in the sea churned continuously, and the waves became larger and larger. Waves of five to six meters were everywhere. Andorf was right; using his esper ability at sea could only trigger a tsunami, and tsunamis in the deep sea had little effect on sea beasts.
For humans, a five to six-meter tsunami was already a catastrophe, but for sea beasts, it was nothing, not even a tickle.
But at this moment, a loud roar came from the seabed: "Boom..." This roar was no less than the blue whale's cry, a sound like mountains collapsing and the earth cracking, sweeping through the surrounding sea area for tens of kilometers. Some unconscious espers were also awakened by the roar.
"What happened? What happened?" Everyone looked around, trying to see what had happened.
Then, a large amount of gas suddenly erupted from the seabed. Countless gases mixed with dust rose to the surface. In an instant, the sea surface was filled with all sorts of smells, from the smell of rotten eggs to the smell of bitter almonds. The pungent odors filled the air, and for a time, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of espers coughing.
Shen Feng, running on the sea, turned back immediately after hearing the roar, only to find waves of stench coming from the sea. He dared not delay and continued to approach the cruiser. When he reached the vicinity of the cruiser, he saw Guo Pinming and Qi Lingshan looking out from the ship.
"Protect Chang Haojie!" Shen Feng threw Chang Haojie into the air with force, and Guo Pinming quickly caught him.
"Make sure to get Chang Haojie back safely, understand?" Shen Feng shouted, and then prepared to return to the battlefield.
Qi Lingshan said to Shen Feng, "City Lord, why are you still going back? I found a small boat on the cruiser, let's just leave by boat. The battlefield is so intense, let's not interfere!"
Qi Lingshan didn't understand. They clearly had a chance to escape now, but Shen Feng still wanted to return to the battlefield. Wasn't that courting death? Their side was weak and couldn't possibly be a match for the sea beasts. Returning would achieve nothing. Why go back?
Most importantly, the sea beasts' attention was currently focused on the center of the battlefield. If they let others attract the sea beasts' attacks first and then abandoned the pawns to save the king, seizing this rare opportunity was crucial.
Shen Feng stood on the waves, paused for a moment, and then said, "I know escaping is the top priority, but in life, one cannot let down the expectations of others. I promised someone I would go back to save her, and I will keep my word!"
"City Lord, you no longer have a glider, and you could die at any moment. Don't do anything foolish!" Qi Lingshan continued to persuade.
Guo Pinming suddenly took a few lifebuoys from the ship and threw them out with all his might, saying, "City Lord, take the lifebuoys and go. Be careful!"
Shen Feng turned back and smiled, picked up two lifebuoys, and headed back to the battlefield. At this time, the sea was filled with all sorts of foul odors, some of which were so pungent they stung the nose. Even Shen Feng couldn't help but cough when he smelled them.
"Damn it, what happened on the battlefield? Why is there such a strong stench?" Shen Feng couldn't help but say.
As Shen Feng smelled these foul odors, his head felt a little dizzy. Although his stamina was still sufficient, he felt particularly dizzy now.
"Li Keyi, Li Keyi, where are you?" Shen Feng couldn't see Li Keyi's figure and could only call out loudly. This call caused him to inhale more gas, and his dizziness worsened.
Fortunately, Li Keyi appeared voluntarily at this moment. She deactivated her invisibility, and a cloth was covering her face. "Shen Feng, quickly cover your nose with a wet towel. The air is poisonous. Don't inhale too much gas, or you'll die!"
Shen Feng then understood why he felt dizzy. It turned out he had inhaled poisonous gas. But why would there be poisonous gas at sea for no reason? It was truly baffling.
Shen Feng quickly tore off a piece of cloth from his body, dipped it in water, and covered his nose. Although it couldn't completely block the poisonous gas, it wouldn't be easily inhaled.
"What exactly happened? Why is there suddenly so much poisonous gas in the air?" Shen Feng couldn't help but ask.
Li Keyi shook her head helplessly and said, "Andorf used his esper ability, causing an undersea earthquake, which not only triggered a tsunami but also broke the underground rock strata. There are many poisonous gases beneath the rock strata, and these poisonous gases have leaked out. Now, the entire battlefield is enveloped by poisonous gas."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng shook his head in shock. "This is truly not simple. Andorf, that little mustache, wants to drag everyone down with him even before he dies. Now the sea is filled with poisonous gas, isn't that killing his own teammates?"
As he spoke, Shen Feng handed the lifebuoy to Li Keyi. Li Keyi put on the lifebuoy, and finally didn't have to swim continuously.
It was also thanks to Andorf using his esper ability that the sea was in chaos, and the sea beasts had no opportunity to attack humans. This allowed Li Keyi to wait for Shen Feng's return.
However, Li Keyi had a different perspective. She said seriously, "I actually think this is our chance to escape. Many poisonous gases are soluble in water, like cyanide. Once dissolved in water, they become highly toxic! We are at sea and won't drink water, but sea beasts live in the sea, constantly replenishing water and expelling salt. If these sea beasts don't want to die, they can only stay away from this sea area."
Shen Feng quickly looked north and indeed saw the blue whale, as large as an island, slowly retreating. It seemed the blue whale had also sensed the danger.
As poisonous gases continuously emerged from the seabed, the surrounding sea area also became highly toxic. The sea beasts could not approach for a short period. If they wanted to escape, now was the most opportune time.
"This is a blessing in disguise. Let's go quickly!" Shen Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that returning to the battlefield would be a matter of life and death, but now it seemed that Andorf's triggering of the underground poisonous gas leak had instead forced the sea beasts to retreat, increasing their chances of escape!
At this moment, Qin Kewei's voice came from not far away: "Shen Feng, Shen Feng, can you give us a lifebuoy? Please, you don't need it, but we really need it now!"
Shen Feng turned his head and saw Qin Kewei struggling to keep two people afloat on the sea not far away. Fang Qinghao couldn't exert any strength, and Yue Hengyi had fallen unconscious. Qin Kewei, dragging two people at sea, had exhausted her strength.
Shen Feng couldn't bear it and threw the lifebuoy he was wearing over. He could walk on water, but others couldn't. Now that Li Keyi also had a lifebuoy and wouldn't sink, he might as well help them as much as possible.
"Shen Feng, thank you, thank you. When we left last night, I originally intended to call you, but they all advised me not to, so I listened to them. I'm sorry!" Qin Kewei was both grateful and guilty. She hadn't expected that when she fled, she didn't call Shen Feng, but in the critical moment, she still received Shen Feng's help.
"Alright, let's not talk about what happened in the past. Let's hurry to the ship!" Shen Feng didn't need Qin Kewei's gratitude and then prepared to take Li Keyi to the cruiser.
However, at this moment, the satellite phone on Shen Feng's waist rang. He found it very surprising. Wasn't the electromagnetic wave in the divine realm said to be chaotic? Why could he still make calls now?
Shen Feng casually picked it up and answered, only to be surprised to find that it was Guo Pinming calling: "City Lord, the fleet's communication has been restored, and everyone has woken up. Once the blue whale leads the sea beasts away to the north, the situation here will immediately return to normal. Wait, the captain said they will come to pick you up immediately!"
"An unexpected joy! I didn't expect the fleet to return to normal!" Shen Feng laughed. He was completely relaxed now. He had originally thought he would have to take a small boat to New Zealand to avoid the limelight, but now that the fleet had returned to normal, they could return with the fleet, provided they wouldn't be attacked by sea beasts on the way back.
Li Keyi pondered after hearing the content of the call. After Shen Feng finished the call, she said, "I think the meteorite has been eaten by the blue whale, so the divine realm is within the blue whale's vicinity. The reason the fleet lost its navigability was because the blue whale approached. Now that the blue whale has left, the divine realm has also left!"
"So, if we want to obtain the meteorite in the future, we must kill this leading blue whale?" Shen Feng retorted.
"That's right!" Li Keyi nodded in agreement.
The restored fleet then moved towards the battlefield. The espers were deeply moved by this sight. Looking around, there were very few espers left on the sea, only about twenty people. Back then, nearly two hundred espers had entered the divine realm, full of spirit. Now, only one-tenth of them remained, dejected. The contrast was heartbreaking.
"We're finally alive! Wuwu!" Some espers couldn't help but cry out in sadness. They hadn't cried on the battlefield, but now that they were relaxed and felt the hope of survival, they were so excited that tears streamed down their faces.