The battle had raged for an entire night. Under normal circumstances, the situation would have been dire for humans, as their vitality was clearly inferior to that of sea beasts. However, there was a glimmer of hope: only three sea beasts remained. Originally, sixty to seventy sea beasts had gathered, forming an incredibly powerful force. Even a combined fleet of countless ships might not have emerged victorious.
But now, due to the toxic substances in the sea, many sea beasts had perished. Others had been killed by humans on the ice. In the end, only three formidable, giant sea beasts survived; all the others had been eliminated.
"As long as we hold on, victory will be ours in the end. Everyone, be careful. We still have the advantage in numbers. Once we kill the last three sea beasts, our mission will be complete!" Andorf encouraged them.
Many, however, did not believe his words. Instead, they kept looking up at the sky. They all understood that besides the three giant sea beasts in the sea, they had an enemy in the sky. Shen Feng had been waiting for a long time, and now he was ready to reap his reward. Their own strength had been depleted by more than half, and Shen Feng was the only ninth-tier esper. They had no idea how terrifying he was, estimating it to be even more severe than the sea beasts.
Yet, things had progressed to this point, and they could only stubbornly proceed with their original plan. Otherwise, simply waiting would not improve their situation. Even if they had to face a powerful enemy later, as long as they fought with their lives, there was still hope of securing the meteorite.
Thus, people mustered their last ounce of strength and continued their attacks on the two sea beasts on the ice and the sperm whale in the sea.
The sperm whale in the sea possessed a unique advantage: it could envelop its body in thick asphalt. It was precisely this advantage that allowed it to survive in the toxic waters. The thick asphalt formed an armor around its body, impenetrable even to radioactive substances. It continuously spewed boiling asphalt, which, if it landed on a person, could scald them severely, even if not fatally.
Furthermore, the asphalt spewed by the sea beast was difficult to remove once it adhered to a person. A simple tear of the asphalt would also rip off the human's skin. This method of attack had already injured many. Some unfortunate individuals, due to their damaged skin, developed persistent high fevers. The reason was that the asphalt had absorbed a large amount of radioactive particles from the sea, causing severe harm when it landed on people.
"Tom, you shouldn't have used these toxic elements in the sea. Now none of us dare to go into the water, and we still have to guard against radiation attacks. You deserve to die!" someone couldn't help but complain to Tom, their tone extremely aggressive.
Tom sneered, "If I hadn't found a way to use this substance, the sea beasts would have escaped long ago. Moreover, half of the sea beasts died from these toxic elements in the sea last night. It can be said that without my methods, the sea beasts wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties!"
"Enough nonsense. There are only three sea beasts left, so hurry up and find a way to kill them. Especially that sperm whale in the sea, it's too detestable, always hiding at the edges and ambushing us. If we could go into the water, we would have dealt with it long ago!" Li Xiankang couldn't help but say.
At this moment, he only had three espers left under his command, and he himself had been injured. His left arm had disappeared, pierced by a sharp ice blade. It had bled profusely and nearly reached his heart. Fortunately, he had dodged quickly, but his left arm was still severed.
"There's no problem with acting now, but let's agree beforehand that once the meteorite is secured, there must be no infighting. We must gather everyone's strength to prepare for Shen Feng's arrival. If we can preserve enough strength, Shen Feng won't dare to act against us. We can then pull him into our ranks and form a research team to conduct research together, thus ending the battle. But if there's infighting, Shen Feng will have an opportunity to exploit and divide us!" Tom said earnestly.
He was still emphasizing the alliance, as if in his eyes, as long as the alliance was maintained, everything else would be easily resolved.
Everyone understood this well. It was best not to form alliances with these Anglo-Saxons from North America, as they would surely scheme behind your back. Acus, who had just disappeared, seemed to have been killed by this fellow. As his friend, one had to be extremely cautious.
"Since we are allies, we will not betray each other. Next, we will complete the final step, kill these three remaining sea beasts, and then snatch the meteorite from the octopus's tentacles!" He Qiuan said impatiently.
Now that his plan was about to be completed, he was very excited, only thinking about the warm welcome he would receive back in China upon its completion. He completely disregarded the fact that he had been acting unilaterally, and that not many people were actually blessing him.
Thus, people mustered their last ounce of strength. Although they had fought for more than ten hours and were extremely fatigued, they still needed to eliminate the remaining three sea beasts to achieve victory. Only then would the mission be considered successful.
Following this, various powerful espers charged forward, all targeting these three sea beasts. As for the sperm whale in the sea, people dared not act carelessly due to the toxic waters, so they could only engage in a war of attrition, at most throwing many items from the sea to attack.
However, the giant octopus on the iceberg and a domineering mantis shrimp were the primary targets for the people.
Gong Changfa took a deep breath and said, "There are too many radioactive particles here. Since I can attack in the sea, I'll go into the water. These radioactive elements won't harm me, as this is my skill. I'll deal with the sea beasts, and you can handle the two sea beasts in the sea."
Upon hearing this, the others quickly replied, "This is a good plan. Someone must keep the one in the sea occupied. Since you won't be harmed by radioactive elements, you should do this!"
Arrangements were also made for the two sea beasts in the sea. He Qiuan said, "Let's, the Chinese espers, handle this giant mantis shrimp. You others go deal with that giant octopus!"
At this time, there were still over forty Chinese espers left, and these forty-odd people were the elite. The rest had been killed in the previous battles. After hearing this suggestion, the others immediately separated. The Europeans and people from other factions went to attack the sea beasts, while the Chinese headed towards the mantis shrimp.
Facing the giant mantis shrimp, the Chinese espers breathed a sigh of relief. Now that only one sea beast remained, even if it was powerful, so many people were enough to take it down.
Just as He Qiuan was about to say something, Yun Laizhe interrupted, "Shut up. Don't say anything else from now on. Don't try to command us anymore. In my opinion, it's better for Brother Wang to be the commander. You are too selfish and don't value our lives as lives! You are only executing your so-called goals!"
As he spoke, Ke Yiming led his subordinates closer to Wang Ao Ye. Wang Ao Ye understood what this meant. This was clearly an attempt to make him a temporary commander, which was a very tempting position. It was also a means of winning people over, although it wasn't explicitly stated, the intention was clear.
So Wang Ao Ye spoke, "If everyone thinks I am suitable to be the commander, then I will accept this position. From now on, everyone must obey my orders. I will not harm you and will kill this sea beast with minimal casualties. First, we need to create a diversion!"
He Qiuan discovered that the command authority that originally belonged to him had been taken over by someone else. His face instantly darkened. He quickly looked around, only to find that his own subordinates were also looking down, not meeting his gaze. His most trusted brother, Gong Changfa, had also gone into the water.
"Did I really make a mistake? Why has it come to this point of being abandoned by everyone? Clearly, everything I said and did was for the good of all humanity!" He Qiuan felt a sense of unease.
Before the volcanic eruption, and before Southeast Asia suffered devastating damage, Wang Ao Ye was also a significant figure. He could be considered a major force on the Chinese continent, as he could stably acquire energy and food. With these two things in hand, he would receive widespread attention and be in the spotlight wherever he went.
Although his influence had shrunk significantly after the volcanic eruption, his foundation remained. As someone who had led the way for many years, it was only natural that he gained people's trust as commander.
"Brother Yun Laizhe, find a way to use your bronze lock to trap the six legs of this mantis shrimp. Brother Li Xiankang, immediately use a diamond cage to stop its forward momentum. Brother Ke Yiming, you will be our main attacker. Create a sea of fire to engulf this sea beast. I will have people cover you. We will then slowly roast this sea beast with heat!" Wang Ao Ye immediately made arrangements.
"What about me? What can I do?" He Qiuan quickly asked.
"Oh, Yan Sheng! ... You can watch from the sidelines. Since you are good at close combat, don't take risks now!" Wang Ao Ye said very politely.
Sometimes, one could judge the relationship between parties by their titles. If the relationship was good, they would naturally address each other as brothers. If the relationship was not good, they would use more distant terms. At this moment, do not mistake others for respecting you; it could also be a form of mockery.
He Qiuan also noticed that Wang Ao Ye always used the word "brother" when addressing others, but when addressing him, he used a nickname. The closeness or distance of their relationship was self-evident.
"From now on, only by achieving merit and proving that what I did was right can I regain everyone's true opinion of me. Therefore, my plan absolutely must be carried out!" He Qiuan said.
Subsequently, with the perfect cooperation of the Chinese espers, they finally killed the mantis shrimp. With remote control, someone specifically influenced the mantis shrimp's movement trajectory, while Ke Yiming used fire to slowly roast the giant mantis shrimp. The air was filled with the aroma of cooked meat, attracting many people. If they hadn't known that this crab contained potent poison, some people would have already rushed to tear into it.
Seeing this situation, the Chinese espers finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ice blocks, not caring if it was extremely cold. They could only take this opportunity to recover their strength and await further changes.
On the other side, many European and American espers, along with people from various other factions, were attacking the giant octopus. They suffered many casualties because, strictly speaking, this octopus was a ninth-tier esper. Anything on people's bodies, such as keys or buttons, could easily be affected by the electromagnetic field, thus becoming a means of attack against humans. One could easily be electrocuted by the metallic items on their bodies.
When many people noticed that the metal ornaments on their hands were becoming scorching hot, they understood that they were already within the octopus's electromagnetic influence. If they didn't discard these gold ornaments, they would soon be scalded to death by the heat generated by the electromagnetic field.
Therefore, before attacking the octopus, people first threw away all their metallic items. Otherwise, the subsequent battle would have resulted in heavy losses. Whether it was keys, rings, or earrings, they were all removed and thrown into the sea. At that moment, whether it was gold or platinum, it was less important than their lives.
At this point, over a hundred people swarmed forward and finally killed the giant octopus using their abilities. To kill the octopus completely, simply severing a few of its tentacles had no effect. Even if all its tentacles were cut off, it didn't matter, because the octopus's vitality was extremely tenacious. As long as the octopus's torso and brain were not attacked, its tentacles could grow back.
Finally, Andorf, under the cover of the others, charged forward. Only he could directly attack the opponent's brain with shockwaves. He also consumed ten years of his lifespan and punched the octopus's massive head. The shockwave instantly transmitted outwards, instantly destroying the octopus's primary brain.
Andorf instantly became much older, looking like an old man, yet everyone knew that he was younger than most people present.
After the octopus's main brain was killed, its many tentacles continued to attack the people around them. This was because the octopus's tentacles also contained many nerve systems called secondary brains. After the main brain was killed, these secondary brains would remain active for a period of time, but without any thought. They could only control one tentacle each and would die after a while.
When the people saw that the giant octopus had finally been killed, they breathed a sigh of relief. However, before they could celebrate, a voice echoed from the sky: "Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to me! This meteorite is mine."