In the night sky, there were many colorful lights, mainly green, with occasional glimpses of blue and red. This was the aurora borealis, visible in the Arctic. If the sun had periodic eruptions, the aurora phenomenon in the Arctic would be even more brilliant, and at this time, many bright stars dotted the sky.
It was a beautiful night, but unfortunately, not many people could witness this magnificent sight.
A cloud drifted slowly across the sky, and on this cloud were many people. They were all prepared to attack the distant fleet under the cover of night. No matter the direction, as long as a gap could be torn open, the enemy would be severely damaged. After all, if the encirclement had a breach, it would no longer be an encirclement.
Missiles were continuously being launched. If these missiles hit a person, they would surely tear the body apart, leaving no intact corpse. However, people were now well aware that for cultivators, these missiles could be avoided by simply hiding. The arrival of ability users was imminent, and no one on the fleet was sleeping; everyone was observing the sky.
Many warships were lined up on the sea, surrounded by numerous broken ice blocks. These ships were constantly discharging hot water. The simplest way to eliminate ice was to release heat into the surrounding waters. Once the temperature of the sea rose, the ice would melt, preventing the formation of floating ice and facilitating the fleet's operations in the Arctic Ocean.
However, this method was extremely fuel-intensive. Even for nuclear-powered ships, boiling a large amount of water was not a simple task.
The ships were equipped with many searchlights, distributed in various directions. Some searchlights scanned the sea surface, while others continuously swept across the sky. These intense beams of light in the sky resembled spotlights, and wherever they passed, any enemies could be confirmed.
Tom was on one of the ships. He stated seriously, "The people of China have a very peculiar fighting style, which is to attack under the cover of night. Therefore, we must be extremely cautious tonight. Since we have launched missiles, we are bound to face retaliation. No one should sleep; we must wait until dawn!"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the distant ships detected something. The detection in the sky was not made by searchlights but by the radar installed on the ships. A cloud carrying many people was detected. Upon receiving the ultrasonic waves, the objects immediately returned to the ship, where they were eventually detected by the people on board.
"Beware, the enemy is here!"
All the ships instantly sounded a piercing alarm. These alarms were exceptionally harsh, capable of waking anyone from sleep. Soldiers were fully armed, holding many firearms, while others stood by the cannons, ready to fire the moment a target was identified.
Thus, the cannons on the ships had been automated. This meant that upon detecting an enemy, a few buttons needed to be pressed, and the cannons would immediately fire shells. Unfortunately, even with fully automated defense, combat often required human control. In such cases, manually operated cannons became very important. This was because machines could only operate according to programs, while human operators were better equipped to handle the complexities of the battlefield in critical situations.
Cannons fired many illumination shells into the sky, and a massive cloud in the distance appeared illuminated. Over a dozen warships in the vicinity immediately opened fire simultaneously.
Hundreds of barrels unleashed powerful firepower. Some of these shells were invisible in the sky, while others were specifically designed to correct trajectories. They streaked across the sky like strings of beans, and these beans were luminous. Every few shells, there would be one specifically for illumination, which would continue to glow after being fired. While its destructive power was not strong, it primarily served to correct trajectories and facilitate defensive operations.
In an instant, countless ships began their attack, and the cloud above reacted simultaneously.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning appeared in the sky. This bolt of lightning, as thick as a water tank, struck one of the warships, hitting its radar equipment and destroying it on the spot.
"To avoid being discovered, the first priority is to destroy the enemy's detection devices. This task is mine. As soon as I find a detection device, I will destroy it!" Jin Zijue declared.
It was already winter, and it was generally not the season for thunderstorms because the positive and negative charges in the air were not balanced, leading to friction and thus, not much electrical current.
Thus, in the famous poem, it was said, "When mountains are leveled, and rivers dry up, when winter thunder rumbles and summer snow falls, and heaven and earth unite, only then will I dare to be separated from you."
Therefore, the fact that it generally did not thunder in winter was well-known. Yet, now, in the Arctic region, lightning and thunder were occurring, with countless charges gathering, ready to strike at any moment.
Jin Zijue was a seventh-tier ability user, and he was now terrifying. With a casual strike, he could throw sharp lightning spears from the sky like a thunder god. Anyone struck by his lightning spears was destined to die, and destroying a radar device was naturally a simple matter.
"I will handle the defense. I have already created thick steel plates within the cloud, which can withstand artillery fire and can be continuously repaired. As long as we endure this period and destroy their detection devices, we will have absolute air superiority!" Guo Pinming also stated seriously.
At this moment, Wang Xiqiang took a deep breath and said, "If we can get closer, I will use my ability to gather countless salt crystals into a mass. Then, these ships will be unable to sail, as I will use salt crystals to freeze their propellers and immobilize them!"
Wang Xiqiang's ability was crystallization, and this ability was very effective at sea because he could crystallize salt in the sea at any time. While other things might be scarce in the sea, sodium chloride was abundant. As long as this ability was used, the fleet was bound to encounter danger.
Qin Kewei did not speak, but he had already made up his mind. As soon as the battle began, he would jump into the sea and use stones from the seabed to pierce the ships of these fleets, thereby inflicting heavy damage on them.
The fleet was continuously firing shells, but then the sky was filled with continuous lightning and thunder. Lightning kept falling. These lightning bolts were extremely fast, striking the ships and precisely hitting the radar stations, directly destroying the radar's detectors and rendering the radar unusable. This was a very ruthless move, preventing people from detecting aerial situations. Moreover, if anyone was near the radar, they would immediately be struck by the stray current, causing them to convulse and fall to the ground, unable to survive.
Upon discovering this situation, the fleet commander immediately found Tom and said, "We should retreat quickly now. The enemy's advantage is too great, and it is nighttime, so our fighter jets are not suitable for takeoff. Without air superiority, and with a long night ahead, we are not suited for prolonged combat. If we continue fighting, all the people on our ships will die!"
"Don't worry. Our most important task now is not to defeat them but to hold them back. Don't forget, we still have European allies. These people are probably heading towards the iceberg under the cover of night. As long as we seize the meteor, nothing else matters. Even if we suffer heavy losses, I will replace as many ships as you need!" Tom sneered.
Although he had anticipated that the enemy would attempt a surprise attack at night, he would naturally not be without defenses. His countermeasure was to hold back those who came to sneak attack, and then have others sneak attack the iceberg fortress. After all, their powerful forces were dispersed, and the interior must be empty. As long as there was a sneak attack, it would surely achieve good results!
At this moment, in the distance, Lin Yue on the iceberg suddenly heard some unusual sounds. Although they were very subtle water sounds, he could distinguish them. Mixed within these water sounds were the breathing sounds of some people. Even though they were very faint, they were still captured by him.
"Beware, the enemy is approaching. All personnel, be on alert!" Lin Yue shouted loudly.
Then, someone asked Lu Xian, "In what direction are the enemies? Don't you have any sense of them?"
Lu Xian was kept by his side not because of his strong combat power, but because his ability could accurately locate the enemy's position, and it was three-dimensional. Whether the enemy appeared from the sky or the sea, as long as there was a thermal change, he would sense it.
However, at this moment, Lu Xian said, "I have no sense of anything now. I don't even know which direction the enemy is coming from!"
Mu Ying thought for a moment and understood, saying, "This is very clear. The enemy must have figured out your ability and acted in reverse. They must have smeared themselves with many cooling substances, such as ice, to lower their body temperature so that you cannot detect them."
Yu Renshu stood up and addressed everyone around, "At this point, no matter what, we must face the danger. We are all grasshoppers on the same boat and should fight together. It doesn't matter if they are from Yuzhou or other places. I am going out to intercept the enemy now. Whoever is willing to fight with me, let's go together."
Ke Yiming said with a wry smile, "Before, I had to risk my life following He Qiuan. I didn't expect that I would still have to risk my life following you all. It's unexpected."
Even so, he stood up. As he stood up, Yun Laizhe beside him also stood up, along with many other ability users. They all prepared to defend against the enemy's sneak attack.
Yu Renshu, along with the ability users, braved the risk of missile bombardment and moved to the seaside. Then, with a push of his hands, he struck a pose, and the surrounding seawater was drawn in, forming waves over ten meters high that swept towards the distant ships. At this moment, the people on those ships had been discovered because as long as they made breathing sounds, Lin Yue would be able to detect them.
"Charge! Snatch the meteor from us! Don't give this thing to the yellow-skinned monkeys! It can only reach its full potential in our hands!" Many ability users charged forward with red eyes. They could no longer care about exposing their targets. They threw away the cooling equipment on their bodies and rowed their boats closer to the iceberg. At the same time, the distant missiles stopped bombing, lest they accidentally injure their own people.
Yu Renshu spotted a familiar figure – the bald Andorf. He was actually here and leading the charge. Yu Renshu immediately felt a sense of foreboding. This guy was terrifying because his ability was also a nature-based ability, representing earthquakes. With such a powerful individual appearing here, Yu Renshu might not be able to stop him.
As she had predicted, when the massive wave struck, Andorf punched the air, and instantly, this colossal wave split into two, failing to land on the rubber boats.
"The best way to block this perverted guy is to use long-range containment. Never engage in close-quarters combat with him!" From the distant mountain, Mu Ying also reminded him. In fact, she also wanted to join the fight, but she had to stay by Shen Feng's side. If anyone dared to approach Shen Feng, Shen Feng, who was currently unable to resist, would be in trouble if his body was destabilized and he became an idiot.
She could only offer reminders but could do nothing else.
Yun Laizhe, however, was dismissive. "My defense is super strong. I have survived many times at sea with my ability before. I don't believe this guy can do anything to me!"
After saying this, he immediately charged forward. Around him, countless pieces of brass were swirling, forming an extremely strong defensive shield. The shield also had many barbs, and if anyone collided with it, they would quickly be pierced and turned into a sieve.
As a result, Andorf struck with a punch. His palm was pierced on the spot, bleeding profusely. His entire right hand was almost crippled. However, he seized the opportunity, got close, and instantly unleashed his ability. A powerful shockwave was immediately transmitted.
"Crack..."
All the bones in Yun Laizhe's body instantly cracked. His entire face turned ashen, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, immediately falling to the ground with vacant eyes. He had died just like that.