The battlefield did indeed become quiet for a while after the fleet began electrifying the surrounding seawater. Giant sea beasts couldn't withstand the powerful electric shocks. In the water, piranhas seemed to have no enemies, but in reality, their natural predator was the electric eel. Once the electric eel powered up, it could instantly kill dozens of piranhas around it. Currently, the stopped fleet was like an electric eel surrounded by piranhas. Only by discharging electricity could they protect themselves. However, once the electricity ran out, it would be the sea beasts' final offensive opportunity.
Not long after the electrification began, dire news came from the frigate beneath Lin Xi's feet. "The cabin is leaking. Stop the electrification!"
Now that seawater was entering the cabin, and it was already acidic, continuing to electrify would even electrocute the soldiers trying to repair the leaks. Therefore, this ship had to reluctantly stop discharging electricity, while simultaneously pumping out water and repairing the vessel.
Unfortunately, the sea beasts had no intention of letting the people on this ship go. Taking advantage of the ship's leakage, the great white shark approached relentlessly, charging towards the frigate with the speed of a drawn bowstring.
"Be careful, the sea beast is coming!" Everyone present was startled by this scene, especially those on the frigate.
When the great white shark reached the front of the frigate, it suddenly unleashed its special ability, its entire front half instantly covered by plastic. There were many plastic microparticles in the seawater, a consequence of humanity's indiscriminate pollution of the environment. If the sea were not polluted by plastic, the great white shark's ability would be completely useless. But now, the great white shark could use plastic for attack at any time.
"Boom," the mountain-sized great white shark violently collided with the frigate. The outer wall of the frigate had already been corroded by the acidic water, and now, with the violent impact, even more leaks appeared.
As the great white shark hit the outer wall, the immense impact shattered the plastic protecting its front. These pieces of plastic floated on the water, varying in size and color, red and green. On the frigate, over a dozen large holes immediately appeared.
The acidified seawater surged into the cabin. Any soldier who came into contact with this acidic water would quickly develop swollen, red skin. Therefore, the personnel repairing the leaks had to wear diving suits to isolate themselves from the external acidic water before continuing their work. However, the seawater poured into the cabin like a fountain. All the ship's pumps were activated, and the "rumbling" sound never stopped. The accumulated water in the cabin was constantly being pumped out, yet the water level inside the cabin continued to rise.
People on the deck couldn't help but worry as they witnessed this scene. With the ship in this state, how much longer could it hold? The battle had only been going on for thirty minutes, and reinforcements were still an hour and a half away, but their ship was already on the verge of collapse.
Lin Xi could feel the waterline of the ship continuously rising, indicating that the ship was sinking. If it were to suffer further impacts, the leaks on the ship would undoubtedly multiply.
"Nie Yuying, quickly go find life jackets. Be ready to escape at any time!" Lin Xi, seeing the dire situation, quickly said to Nie Yuying beside her.
Nie Yuying immediately complied. They could no longer trust the ship beneath their feet. Their ammunition was severely depleted, yet the sea beasts continued their attacks. At this rate, the ship would eventually sink. It was best to put on life jackets first, otherwise, once they fell into the water, those who couldn't swim would be in serious trouble.
However, at this moment, a sea turtle from the side also swam towards them. All the other ships were still electrified, and any seawater that approached would be subjected to electric shock. But on this leaking ship, the high voltage had been shut off, so approaching this ship posed no threat of electrocution. The only downside was the corrosive nature of the seawater, which even the great white shark had to use plastic as a shield against.
The sea turtle, with its thick, tough skin, disregarded this. It closed its eyes and began to charge. The only exposed weakness of a sea turtle was its eyes, so as long as its eyelids were closed, its vital points were protected.
"Boom," the already leaking frigate was violently struck. The leakage immediately worsened, and the sea turtle's weight was in a completely different league from the great white shark's. After the sea turtle's impact, the outer wall of the frigate visibly dented. The ship tilted inevitably, and some soldiers lost their balance and fell into the sea, now struggling to swim away.
Lin Xi tightly gripped the railing, simultaneously putting on her life jacket. The tilt of the ship wasn't very significant, but after only the second impact, it had reached this state. If the impacts continued, even if the ship didn't sink, it would definitely capsize.
Seeing this, Nie Yuying also began to panic. He looked at Lin Xi and said, "What do we do now? The ship can't hold on much longer. If this continues, we'll fall into the water too."
Lin Xi frowned, remaining silent, but she knew they needed to find an opportunity to escape. However, if she could only swim, her speed was too slow, and the dangers in the water were unpredictable. If, like last night, a school of fish suddenly appeared in the sea, there would be no chance to escape.
The captain of the frigate had already ordered the soldiers below to find the inflatable boats and start inflating them. With a single command, everyone would have to board the boats and head for the other ships. Yesterday, one ship had been abandoned, and now, regrettably, the second ship was also going to be abandoned.
The great white shark suddenly disappeared. Everyone could understand with a little thought that the great white shark was likely doing the same as last night. It had moved away from this area to drive schools of fish towards them. Sea beasts couldn't approach the ships freely, but these cunning beasts had learned to use the "drive the tiger to devour the wolf" tactic, driving schools of fish to attack the humans in the water.
Lin Xi finally spoke, softly saying to Nie Yuying, "When the critical moment comes, I will use my special ability. I will be very weak then, so you'll have to carry me and run, otherwise, I'll be fish food."
Nie Yuying nodded without hesitation and replied, "Don't worry, I will definitely do it. I will be able to escape with you then."
Besides Lin Xi and Nie Yuying, there were two other ability users from the Heavenly Chosen Bureau on this ship. These two were also gathered together, discussing their next move in hushed tones. When faced with danger, people always tended to seek suitable individuals for reliance, and ability users were no different.
Just then, the sea turtle's impact arrived again. The sea turtle's massive body slammed into the frigate, causing the frigate to tilt inevitably. The tilt reached a full thirty degrees. If they didn't grab onto something fixed, everyone would inevitably fall into the water.
This impact was even more devastating. A huge crack appeared on the frigate, a result of the collision. Seawater continuously poured into it. With such a large crack in the hull, it was irreparable. The soldiers quickly evacuated the cabin, preparing to find an opportunity to leave.
When seawater entered the engine room, it came into contact with the massive engines. The sudden change from high temperature to cold water caused an explosion.
"Boom," a deafening sound shocked everyone. A massive fireball erupted from the already tilted frigate. Soldiers nearby were instantly deafened. Such a massive explosion was enough to deafen people's ears.
Thick black smoke billowed from the engine room, and the tilted hull continued to sink. The fire mixed with the explosion sounds made the water surface exceptionally lively. Black smoke rose, and as the wind blew, the column of smoke formed by the smoke instantly tilted.
The still-hot engines continued to evaporate the seawater, and only the "hissing" sound of the water surface could be heard. White mist soon appeared on the water's surface, enveloping the entire ship in black and white fog, making it impossible for people in the distance to see the situation on the ship.
With the situation having reached this point, the captain knew that the ship beneath their feet was doomed to sink. He made the difficult decision: "Everyone board the boats and leave immediately. Scatter in three directions towards the other three ships. Do not crowd!"
With the order given, the soldiers immediately sprang into action. First, they threw the inflatable boats into the sea, then jumped into the water. Once on board, groups of a few people began to row frantically. There were also two speedboats tied to the ship. One small boat was naturally for the captain and his staff, while the other was seized by the two ability users.
These two ability users generously invited a few soldiers around them, saying, "Brothers, join us on the boat. The speedboat is faster!"
The soldiers were touched by the words of these two ability users. They hadn't expected that even during their escape, these originally aloof ability users would think of them. It was truly remarkable.
Lin Xi, watching this scene from a distance, cursed them inwardly for being despicable. Originally, the small boat would have gone to whoever could grab it. But these two inviting other soldiers to ride with them was equivalent to a de facto claim of ownership, leaving no reason for others to fight them for the boat.
Nie Yuying quickly asked, "Should we set off too!"
Lin Xi nodded and said, "Let's row first. My special ability can only be used at the last moment!"
Upon hearing this, Nie Yuying quickly threw the small boat off the tilting ship and then jumped into the water. Lin Xi also jumped in at this moment. The two of them got into the inflatable boat and immediately began to paddle vigorously. To find a safe place as soon as possible, they had to give it their all.
Lin Xi and Nie Yuying chose to head towards the cruiser. If nothing else, Gong Changfa and Zhu Kai on the ship alone could protect them. Furthermore, Xun Yan's abilities could also be useful at critical moments, making the cruiser the safest place.
However, at this moment, the sonar detected something underwater. Over a hundred large fish were swimming towards the fleet. These fish were also driven by the great white shark, and these large fish were ferocious tiger sharks!
Tiger sharks were known for their ferocity and brutality. They ate almost anything, whether it was sea turtles or other sharks. When extremely hungry, they would eat anything they saw, even gasoline barrels. And now, there were over a hundred soldiers escaping on the water. In the eyes of the tiger sharks, this was simply a gift from heaven. What were they waiting for? It was time to feast!
Lin Xi and Nie Yuying rowed their small boat for a few minutes, but the school of fish arrived in an instant. At this point, Lin Xi had no choice but to act. She punched the water's surface, causing the various colloidal particles in the water to condense, forming a gel over ten meters thick. A path had been created towards the distant cruiser.
After using this move, Lin Xi collapsed onto the small boat, weakly saying, "Hurry, carry me and run now."
Nie Yuying did not hesitate. He picked up Lin Xi on his back and jumped onto the gel, then began to run towards the distant cruiser. Now that these ships had stopped electrifying, otherwise, as soon as people approached the ships, they would be electrocuted on the spot.
The tiger sharks were very hungry. When they were driven towards the fleet, they immediately saw the small boats in the water, as well as some soldiers who were good swimmers and had abandoned their small boats, swimming in the water. In the eyes of the tiger sharks, these were simply delicacies.