When the cracks on the sea turtle's shell instantly healed, everyone present was shocked. The massive cracks on the shell, estimated to be tens of centimeters wide, had revealed the flesh beneath. However, in just a few breaths, the cracks were as good as new, as if it had never been injured.
Even a gecko that lost its tail to escape needed time to recover from its injuries, but the sea turtle's recovery speed was unimaginably fast.
The captain of the escort ship, witnessing this, trembled slightly. His pupils contracted as he stared at the giant sea turtle, muttering, "Such terrifying regenerative ability. Why does a sea turtle possess such potent recovery powers?"
The scene unfolding before him had completely shattered the captain's worldview. He had become a captain through years of rigorous study and training, understanding various oceanic phenomena and possessing some knowledge of marine animals. Many creatures, like crabs, geckos, and octopuses, had regenerative abilities. However, for these animals, regeneration required substantial energy expenditure and a significant amount of time.
Yet, here was a colossal sea turtle, having sustained such extensive damage. In the blink of an eye, all its wounds had vanished. This was utterly incomprehensible to the captain, making the world seem entirely unfamiliar.
At this moment, a message came from the cruiser: "According to data from the Yanjing Laboratory, many of the giant sea beasts possess special abilities. It appears this sea turtle can also use a special ability, specifically for body regeneration!"
Hearing this, the escort ship's captain immediately reacted. A spark of life returned to his eyes. He slammed his hand on the table and declared, "Yes, that must be it! This sea turtle deliberately exposed its shell above the water to draw our fire, and its terrifying regenerative ability is entirely supported by its special ability!"
"What should we do now? Should we continue attacking the sea turtle? I'm worried this sea turtle is intentionally depleting our ammunition, creating an opportunity for the other two sea beasts!" a nearby staff officer hesitated, unsure whether to continue the assault.
The captain paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Continue the attack! Mutated beasts also expend energy to heal their injuries. I refuse to believe the sea turtle has an inexhaustible supply of energy! Furthermore, the sea turtle has a fatal weakness: its head! If we sever its head, we can achieve victory!"
The captain then ordered his subordinates to continue the attack. The ship's cannons aimed at the sea turtle's back, firing repeatedly. Shells bombarded the shell, while over a dozen fighter jets overhead continuously attacked, strafing with bullets and launching all their missiles.
The sea turtle's shell, subjected to concentrated fire, immediately cracked open, exposing its vulnerable internal organs. However, in mere moments, the shell healed completely, once again protecting its insides.
Using sonar, the observer discovered that the sea turtle kept its head submerged, never exposing it above the water. Attacks from the surface could only target the shell. Although the shells constantly covered the shell, they could not penetrate it.
It was estimated that the shell of this giant sea turtle was at least tens of meters thick, composed entirely of bone. Bullets would merely embed themselves within it, while shells could create gaps and cracks, but within seconds, the shell would regenerate. With such astonishing regenerative capabilities, the shells were no longer able to inflict damage on the sea turtle's internal organs.
"Now, the only way to harm the sea turtle is to hit its head. Otherwise, it's completely impervious to damage!" the staff officer frowned and said to the captain.
The captain immediately responded, "Launch underwater missiles! We must hit the sea turtle's head!"
The soldiers promptly acted, using sonar to locate the sea turtle's head and launching underwater missiles after aiming.
Sea turtles differed from their terrestrial counterparts. Land turtles could retract their heads into their shells, but sea turtles could not. The sea turtle's physical structure meant it could not retract its head to evade danger; it could only escape and dodge.
However, the sea turtle's speed was still too slow. Although its body was streamlined, it was considerably slower than marine beasts adept at swimming, such as sharks and squid.
Facing the attack of the underwater missiles, the sea turtle beneath the surface could only twist its head, attempting to evade the incoming projectiles. As a result, the underwater missiles struck the sea turtle's head and neck. A massive explosion occurred, and the sea turtle's head was blasted with a large hole. Fortunately, its brain remained unharmed, and the sea turtle quickly used its special ability to heal all its injuries.
Having suffered such a significant blow, the sea turtle dared not approach rashly. However, it continued to swim around the escort ships, drawing fire from the air and the vessels, relying on its formidable regenerative ability to withstand the damage.
On the cruiser, Gong Changfa witnessed this and became anxious. He said to his team members, "This is not good. This sea turtle is clearly acting as a decoy, deliberately drawing fire. The real threat lies with the shark and the squid. We must be wary of the sea beasts on the flanks!"
Beside Gong Changfa were two of his trusted aides, Zhu Kai and Xun Yan. Observing the fierce battle on the sea, they both felt a great sense of threat. They had heard that sea beasts could use special abilities, and initially, they hadn't thought much of it. But now, this sea turtle, which merely possessed a strengthening type of special ability, was tying up most of their attention. Furthermore, it could withstand powerful firepower without being killed, which was simply astounding.
"Captain, should we make a move now?" Zhu Kai asked first.
Gong Changfa shook his head. "This is not our domain on the water. Even if we act, it may not be effective. Let's wait and see. The battle at sea primarily relies on the fleet. We have almost no advantage when fighting sea beasts!"
Xun Yan, looking at the three-way battle, grew increasingly anxious. "What is the intention of these sea beasts? Why are they attacking us? They've clearly suffered, and they should know we are not to be trifled with, yet they continue to attack."
Gong Changfa hesitated. "Perhaps we have encroached upon their territory. Many marine animals possess territorial awareness, especially these large sea beasts. When we entered their waters, they began to attack!"
"But three sea beasts in the same area? Isn't that too strange? Isn't it said that two tigers cannot share the same mountain?" Zhu Kai still couldn't understand.
Gong Changfa shook his head, unsure how to answer, as he himself did not know the reason.
From a strategic perspective, the fleet and the sea beasts were in a stalemate. Neither side could decisively defeat the other, and no substantial damage had been inflicted. However, the fleet had already consumed a significant amount of ammunition, while the sea beasts, apart from the sea turtle using its special ability, had not yet deployed theirs. If this continued, the balance of power would shift.
Fortunately, at this moment, the cruiser contacted headquarters and learned that the Special Ability Administration was en route with a fleet to provide support. This brought a sigh of relief. Now, if the two fleets could unite, the pressure from the sea beasts would be greatly reduced.
"Notify all captains to use underwater missiles to repel the sea beasts. Do not conserve ammunition. Then, turn north and rendezvous with the fleet behind us!" the cruiser's captain commanded. Their initial departure was to reach the vicinity of the Divine Realm ahead of time to salvage meteorites. However, they encountered an attack by sea beasts at sea. The safest course of action now was to rendezvous with the fleet behind them. Once their fleet's strength increased, they would be better equipped to deal with the sea beast attacks.
Upon receiving the order, the captains did not hesitate. The underwater cannons fired underwater missiles one after another, creating white trails beneath the water. Under the barrage of numerous underwater missiles, all three sea beasts were forced to retreat. The great white shark needed to avoid damage to its gills, the sea turtle was concerned about its head, and the squid followed suit, dodging.
Seizing this opportunity, the fleet quickly commanded the ships to turn around and head back along their original course. If they waited for reinforcements, they would have to wait two days. By returning the way they came, they could shorten the travel time by at least a day.
Seeing the fleet attempting to escape, the three sea beasts immediately pursued. The great white shark was the fastest. Sharks relied on speed, and now, it even overtook the fleet, patrolling ahead of them, but its attacks were delayed.
Closely following was the giant squid. The squid darted through the water, its body propelling forward with each expulsion of water, keeping pace with the warships.
The slowest was the sea turtle, which paddled with its four limbs, increasing its speed slightly. It could only barely keep up with the warships. In this regard, the sea turtle posed the least threat.
The great white shark, blocking their path, suddenly charged towards the fleet, seemingly intending to obstruct their forward progress. The escort ships ahead quickly fired underwater missiles, forcing the great white shark to retreat. The great white shark dared not withstand the underwater missiles with its body.
However, the great white shark suddenly submerged, disappearing from sight. The crew on deck could not see the great shark's location.
Fortunately, the ship's sonar detected the great white shark. After diving, it quietly approached the foremost escort ship, seemingly intending to launch a surprise attack from underwater.
The captain, with a sense of helplessness, ordered, "Activate the high-voltage coils and energize them!"
The high-voltage coils were submerged, releasing powerful electric currents. As soon as the great white shark approached, it was struck by electricity, causing its body to convulse, forcing it to retreat in disarray.
Xun Yan quietly said to Gong Changfa, "Boss, I heard we're supposed to rendezvous with those people from the Special Ability Administration. What do we do?"
Gong Changfa heard this and sneered, "What are you afraid of? The Special Ability Administration doesn't have more people than us, and they wouldn't dare openly confront us. At most, there will be some mutual taunting. For now, we'll avoid them at sea, and later, we'll deal with them at our own pace!"
Zhu Kai seemed uneasy. "Didn't we play a few tricks in Yanjing before? They should know by now. It's possible they might confront us directly."
Gong Changfa was not overly concerned about this. He confidently stated, "So what if they know? Aren't we praising them? It's headquarters that assigns them dangerous missions, not us. They can't possibly turn against us over such a minor issue."
After Gong Changfa's analysis, Zhu Kai and Xun Yan found it reasonable. The reason they had used the tactic of "praise to destruction" against the Special Ability Administration was because it was a subtle method. Now, seeing the members of the Special Ability Administration, there was no need to feel guilty.
A storm brewed at sea, with waves constantly surging. Besides using sonar to detect the situation underwater, there was no other recourse. Fortunately, the surrounding waters were deep, allowing the ships to navigate safely without encountering hidden reefs.
The great white shark continued to patrol in front of the fleet but failed to impede their progress. The squid followed a護衛艦 at a leisurely pace without making a move. As for the great sea turtle behind the fleet, it could only barely keep up, making an attack impossible.
Seeing this, the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that as long as they could rendezvous with the fleet to the north, there would be a chance to deal with these three sea beasts, and then they would truly be safe.
However, at dusk, a message came from an escort ship on the west side: "The ship's cabin is leaking!"