The ocean contains numerous ions, many of which can transform into colloids. For instance, silver ions can become silver hydroxide colloid. In high school experiments, the chemistry teacher explained the principle. 138 Reading Network
Lin Xi's ability was to control gels. At sea, it could be considered her home ground. The ocean was teeming with various ions, and with a wave of her hand, she could condense countless colloids. Thus, at a critical moment, Lin Xi created a path forward. However, even this path was eventually torn apart by the school of fish.
These fish did not originally have long teeth, but now, countless fish had grown long teeth in their mouths. These teeth resembled those of South American piranhas. It could only be attributed to convergent evolution; to consume flesh, the fish had developed long teeth capable of tearing through gels and flesh alike.
The twenty-odd soldiers who had fallen into the water were all bitten to death by the pomfrets, leaving only bare bones.
At this point, the commander was furious and shouted, "Put the high-voltage coils into the water and electrocute these beasts!"
The cruisers and frigates complied, placing the coils in the seawater and then energizing them. The water surface immediately began to boil. Both jellyfish and pomfrets were electrocuted, and the light on the water's surface dimmed instantly. When the searchlights shone down, the scales of the pomfrets still reflected a cold glint.
Originally, the commander was reluctant to electrocute the fish, fearing that the high voltage would electrocute their comrades in the water. But now, with over twenty soldiers dead in the mouths of the fish, electrocuting the school of fish left the water surface densely packed with pomfret corpses, yet it still evoked a sense of unease.
It was initially believed that humanity could dominate the seas, but now it seemed that the ocean still held too many dangers. The fleet had lost one frigate and over twenty soldiers in the attack by sea beasts.
The commander suppressed his grief and ordered, "Continue forward. Now, no matter what happens, we cannot stop. Even if the ship leaks, we cannot stop. Prepare all the pumps. If there is a leak, pump out the water. The engine room must not stop for a moment."
At this point, everyone present was filled with grief, but no matter how sorrowful they were, the mission had to be completed. They could only bid farewell to their fallen brothers and the ships that were about to sink, and continue north to rendezvous with the reinforcements!
"The squid did not follow, nor did the sea turtles!" an observer reported after noticing the situation.
The commander did not feel optimistic upon hearing this report. He had previously thought it would be safer after the great white shark left, but unexpectedly, a school of fish had arrived immediately after, impacting the fleet. And now, with the great white shark still following them, the remaining two sea beasts might also pursue them.
The situation was indeed as the commander had guessed. As the fleet set off again, the sea was densely packed with pomfrets and jellyfish. The squid surfaced, using its tentacles to grab pomfrets and stuff them into its mouth. The sea turtle was similar, its head emerging from the water as it ate the pomfrets on the surface.
The pomfrets electrocuted by the fleet ultimately became dinner for the sea beasts. Both of these sea beasts had used their abilities, consuming a significant amount of energy. Therefore, replenishing their energy was crucial at this time. As for the great white shark still following the fleet, it had not used its abilities all day and had not consumed much energy, so it did not need to feed for the time being.
After nightfall, the soldiers began to take turns sleeping, with half going to the dormitories to sleep and the other half continuing their watch. It was nighttime, with a dark and windy sky. The great white shark did not choose to attack but silently followed the fleet. However, this silent pursuit caused worry among many in the fleet.
Judging by the great white shark's current actions, it had not given up on the fleet as a target. Its delay in attacking was merely in search of an opportunity.
The commander couldn't understand why these sea beasts were intent on attacking the fleet. Clearly, they could have coexisted peacefully, which would have been the best choice. Yet now, the three sea beasts seemed to be locked in a battle to the death with the fleet.
"These sea beasts must be intelligent. But if they are intelligent, they should fear humans. Yet why do they still fight us?" the cruiser captain pondered in his mind.
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." To defeat an enemy, the most important thing is to understand them. Without understanding the enemy, one cannot formulate corresponding tactics. Humans are very adept at understanding the psychology of their own kind, but they do not understand the behavioral logic of beasts very well. This was evident at this moment; no one knew what the sea beasts were thinking, nor could they devise a response.
Gong Changfa leaned on the railing, deeply worried about the current situation. He frowned, looking at the dark water surface in the distance, and said, "Originally, after becoming an ability user, I thought I was invincible. But now, it seems a few sea beasts can make us flee in disarray. The changes in this world are truly too rapid!"
Zhu Kai quickly advised, "Boss, don't be discouraged. You know, no one in the world has ever killed such large sea beasts. You have to look at it positively. At least among ability users, your abilities are among the top tier!"
Gong Changfa shook his head helplessly and said, "But now we are still relying on the rescue from the Ability Management Bureau. If I were truly strong, I could have killed the sea beasts directly. Why would I need to wait for help from others?"
Clearly, Gong Changfa had a chip on his shoulder. He was a very proud person. After becoming an ability user, he first established the Chosen Bureau and then plotted against the Ability Management Bureau, causing the ability users of the Ability Management Bureau to be sent far away. In his opinion, apart from failing to capture Mu Ying, everything was under his control. Yet now, shortly after setting out to sea, he had encountered such a major setback, which was a huge blow.
Xun Yan, also by Gong Changfa's side, suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Right, do you guys still remember Lin Xi's ability? Can't she use gel? Next time the squid uses strong acid, let Lin Xi set up a gel barrier around the ships. Wouldn't that block the acid water from the outside?"
Gong Changfa thought it made sense and said, "We can try it next time, but whether it will work is another matter!"
Zhu Kai looked up at the night sky but could see nothing. The clouds were dense, and it was pitch black all around. Apart from the lights on the warships, it was like being in a dark space, with no visible path or enemy.
"Where are those guys from the Ability Management Bureau? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Zhu Kai said, as if sighing.
The fleet was not attacked throughout the night, but by dawn, it could no longer advance. It wasn't just one ship; all four ships present had the same issue.
The captains received this news and quickly ordered an inspection of the engine rooms. However, they found no anomalies within the engine rooms. If there were no internal problems, then the issue must be external!
The soldiers immediately went to the deck to observe. The first thing to observe was the great white shark that had been following behind. This creature was the most suspicious. The ships' inability to sail was most likely the great white shark's doing; it was difficult to find any other explanation.
However, the great white shark was still swimming leisurely, its dorsal fin exposed above the water like a high flag. The observers quickly reported, "I've been observing this shark all night and can confirm that the large shark has not approached the fleet and has been following from a distance!"
This made the situation even stranger. How could the ships suddenly become unable to move?
Finally, Zhu Kai, with his sharp eyes, spotted colorful objects floating on the sea surface and exclaimed, "Look, what are these small pieces on the sea? It seems we haven't seen them before, but why have they appeared now?"
The soldiers didn't know what these things were and could only retrieve the small fragments floating in the water. Upon picking them up, they discovered they were pieces of plastic, all colorful plastic. They were very light, which allowed them to float on the water.
At this point, the captains had conferred. While keeping watch on the great white shark, they ordered soldiers to dive down to the propellers to investigate.
The great white shark still showed no signs of action. Even when it saw humans diving into the water, it continued to patrol, appearing unhurried.
When the soldiers put on their oxygen tanks and dived into the water, they reached the propellers and immediately felt a sense of dread. Wrapped around the propellers were colorful objects. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was plastic. These plastics had formed a clump, tightly jamming the propellers. This was why the fleet could not move forward.
"What? The propellers are tangled with plastic?" the commander exclaimed upon receiving this news, even doubting if he had heard correctly. How could the propellers be tangled with plastic? Where did so much plastic come from at sea?
However, the soldiers were adamant about what they had seen. They even produced some plastic fragments found on the surface and said, "The propellers are indeed tangled with plastic. These fragments are proof. These fragments were likely shredded by the propellers, and more plastic is still wrapped around the propellers. The propellers are currently unable to rotate because they are jammed."
"Have someone clear the plastic from the propellers first! As for where the plastic came from, that requires further discussion!" the commander decided, ordering the plastic to be cleared from the propellers.
Gong Changfa looked at the fragments on the water surface, a bad premonition forming in his mind. He couldn't help but say, "Could it be that this great white shark's ability is actually to control plastic?"
Zhu Kai remained silent, shrugging his shoulders. Xun Yan, however, shook his head vigorously and said earnestly, "Impossible! I've never heard of an ability to control plastic. First of all, we need to know that abilities can control substances in nature. Whether it's steel or water and fire, they can only be controlled after they exist. As for this plastic, only humans can manufacture it. How could it be controlled?"
Gong Changfa still felt uneasy and said, "But this is the only explanation for the current situation. Otherwise, how could the propellers be tangled?"
Propellers can be tangled by many things: water weeds, fish, shrimp, clothes, or even fishing nets. However, no one had ever heard of propellers being tangled by plastic. Even if tangled, it's impossible for the propellers of four ships to be tangled simultaneously. Such a coincidence couldn't exist in the world.
Xun Yan also frowned and thought for a moment, then fell silent. Plastic is a polymer, but it is not naturally occurring. It is a byproduct of the petroleum industry and, to some extent, represents human civilization. However, plastic is ultimately composed of elements. In this sense, it is possible for it to be controlled by abilities, especially since lightning can be an ability controlled by humans, so plastic is not out of the question.
Clearing the propellers was not an easy task. Soldiers, carrying oxygen tanks, dived into the water and used tools to scrape off all the plastic attached to the propellers.
This all had to rely on manual labor. As time ticked by, suddenly, sonar detected two colossal figures approaching from behind the fleet.
It turned out that the sea turtle and the squid had caught up again. Subsequently, the three sea beasts once again surrounded the fleet. The two sea beasts had feasted the previous night and, after recovering their strength, took advantage of the fleet's stop to pursue them directly.
"Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't they arrived?" The soldiers were stunned upon seeing the sea beasts. After the fierce battle of yesterday, they knew the prowess of the sea beasts. One sea beast had powerful regenerative abilities, while another could corrode ships. Their own ammunition had been heavily depleted, and now they were facing an encirclement by three intact sea beasts. The situation had become truly perilous.
The only glimmer of hope remaining in everyone's hearts was the reinforcements from the north. There were two teams on this voyage. They had sent distress signals yesterday, but there was still no sign of them. If these people didn't appear soon, their situation would be truly dire.