"My God, what is that thing?"
"Every era has a boat that comes here."
Just as everyone was stunned by the scene before them, a huge shadow swam past rapidly beneath the submarine.
"Mr. Mittel, I suggest you listen to this."
The operator in the control room, his face pale, pressed the play button.
A huge and long low roar echoed through the control room, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if something was constantly swimming around the submarine.
"What is it? A whale?"
"Bigger."
"It sounds like metal, maybe an echo from some rocks."
"Zhao, what do you think, Zhao?"
It was only then that Savage noticed Bai Qi was not in the control room at all.
The deputy next to him pushed up his glasses and said worriedly, "Is it my imagination, or is the sound getting louder?"
Everyone in the control room held their breath, feeling the surrounding silence like the prelude to a storm.
Suddenly.
Bang!
The hull shook violently, and a huge, glowing yellow stone ball appeared before them. Upon closer inspection, one could see the patterns on the stone ball.
At the same time, the submarine was as if grasped by an invisible hand, emitting a piercing squeal.
"What are you all staring at! Attack! Attack! And make the submarine accelerate away from the stone ball!"
Torpedoes were fired one after another, hitting the stone ball. Accompanied by a violent tremor, the submarine could finally move, quickly retreating backward.
Finally, the culprit that attacked the submarine appeared before everyone.
It was a giant arthropod, similar in appearance to a lobster but different. The stone ball they had just seen was actually the lobster's eyes. Its dark gray shell allowed it to blend into the surrounding darkness. The submarine was smaller than one of its claws in comparison.
Its size was almost comparable to Bogan at his peak.
Faced with such a colossal creature, everyone was terrified, but not a single person fled. They all remained at their posts. It wasn't because they were particularly brave, but because these people knew they were like sardines in a can. If they left the submarine or it was destroyed, the water pressure alone would crush them into mincemeat. They had nowhere to retreat, so they could only fight to the death.
However, the lobster monster was simply too large. The previous torpedo hit its vital point by chance, allowing the submarine to escape. Now, at a distance, the torpedoes struck the lobster monster, not even scratching it.
"Look! The Great Rift!"
Someone shouted, and everyone in the control room's gaze shifted to a screen. In the dark, cold sea, a strong light shot into the distance, and at the end of the light was the Great Rift they had been searching for.
As long as they passed through the Great Rift, the lost continent would be within reach.
But at this moment, the lobster monster also sensed the submarine's intention, quickly swimming to the front of the Great Rift and blocking Savage and the others' path with its body.
It was as if it was saying, "If you want to enter the Great Rift, step over me."
Savage was ruthless. Seeing that the torpedoes could not harm it, he immediately changed his strategy.
"Unmanned submarine, launch!"
With a command, unmanned submarines loaded with weapons emerged from the main submarine, like a swarm of angry bees, rushing towards the lobster monster. Torpedoes were fired relentlessly, bombarding the lobster monster from all directions.
But the lobster monster was like it had a golden body. No matter how fiercely they bombarded it, not even a bit of its shell was broken. On the other hand, with a single claw strike from the lobster monster, several unmanned submarines were blown up on the spot.
Savage had anticipated this. Releasing so many drones was not intended to defeat the lobster monster, but merely to attract its attention and lure it away, allowing the main submarine to successfully enter the Great Rift.
However, the lobster monster seemed to understand Savage's intentions. No matter how the numerous drones tried to lure it, the lobster monster stubbornly guarded the entrance to the Great Rift, refusing to move even half a step. As time passed, the drones suffered heavy losses.
Just as Savage was in a state of panic and helplessness, the lobster monster's body actually shifted to the left and then fell down as if it had lost its balance.
What was going on?
Did the lobster monster trip over its own feet and fall?
Of course not.
Bringing the view closer, one could see a person standing at the lobster monster's feet. This person was none other than Bai Qi.
Bai Qi had quietly left the cabin twenty-three when he was there and directly reached the outside through the Shadow Kingdom.
The immense water pressure did take some time for Bai Qi to adapt to. He had witnessed the lobster monster's appearance, its attack on the submarine, and its blocking of the Great Rift.
Since torpedoes and other means of attack could not harm it, Bai Qi decided to take action himself.
"It's so hard."
One had to admit that the lobster monster's hide was truly tough. Bai Qi, in his current human form, threw two punches, and his fists were aching from the impact.
Bai Qi's two punches also successfully attracted the lobster monster's attention. It swung its two large claws at Bai Qi.
"I'll fight you to the end!"
Facing the incoming pincers, Bai Qi did not dodge. He revealed his true form, raising both hands high and using sheer brute force to block the pincers of the lobster monster, which was several times his size. Then, he exerted force again with his arms, pushing the pincers away, and even causing the lobster monster to stumble back several steps.
Fighting the Fire Demon in the sea had many inconveniences. Not only could he not use his signature dragon's breath, but even his own strength could not be fully unleashed under the water pressure.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Qi leaped up and delivered another heavy punch to the lobster monster's head, knocking the monster, which was about to get up, to the ground again. He then stepped on the lobster monster and delivered a flurry of violent attacks.
Despite Bai Qi's fierce assault, only he knew that his barrage had not inflicted much substantial damage on the lobster monster. At most, it had bought time for the submarine to enter the Great Rift.
In the submarine, Savage, not seeing Bai Qi and noticing the lobster monster's peculiar behavior, immediately guessed that Bai Qi was responsible for buying them time. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone, accelerate forward and charge into the Great Rift!"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, Bai Qi, who was fighting the lobster monster, was not stubborn. If it could be solved with fists, that would be best, but if not, there was no need to force it.
Since physical attacks could not harm it, he decided to change his approach.
Bai Qi merged his hands and shot out a beam of light.
The beam directly hit the lobster monster, and then the massive lobster monster instantly disappeared, leaving behind only a palm-sized small lobster.