Dong!
Another dull thud resounded, much louder than before, causing the merchant ship to sway. Faintly, the sound of a pained screech could be heard mixed in.
Gat listened closely, then suddenly waved his hand.
"Rear starboard, nine o'clock direction!"
Before his shout even faded, the lookout tower at the top of the mast had already aimed the searchlight over.
Shano stumbled as he was bumped by the rushing sailors. By the time he finally squeezed to the side of the ship, the pale beam had already cut through the night, vaguely revealing the outline of that thing.
Everyone gasped in shock.
It was a colossal creature several dozen meters long, resembling both an eel and a sea serpent. Underneath the water-blue fin, its entire body was covered in iron-gray scales that reflected a cold, eerie light.
"What... what the hell is this thing?!"
A young crew member exclaimed in panic.
"It's a Sea King Species, you idiot!"
"Damn it! When did Sea King Species start appearing on this route!"
"Fire the cannon! Hurry and scare it away!"
"No way! It's right next to our ship, we need to distance ourselves first!"
Amidst the chaotic noise, Shano gripped the railing tightly, forcibly suppressing the subconscious fear and hesitation welling up inside him. He squinted and quietly stared downwards.
Having grown up in Cocoyashi Village, this was his first time seeing a Sea King Species.
The adrenaline rush fueled his excitement, at this moment making his vision seem much sharper.
Or maybe it was the perfect angle, piercing the ink-black night, allowing him to clearly see the appearance of this Sea King Species.
Its bloodshot, crimson eyes had thin, snake-like black slit pupils, and ferocious fangs interlaced and stretched, nearly covering its neck...
The more he looked, the more something felt wrong; the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
"King of the Near Sea?"
He hesitated, furrowed his brow, and uncertainly muttered to himself.
In his memory, the King of the Near Sea often roamed around the Goa Kingdom area, which was far from here. Could it be that after being scared away by the Supreme King, it changed its activity range directly?
Or perhaps it's not the same one, just from the same clan?
Dong!
The dull booming sound resounded across the sea once more. This time, many sailors clearly saw that it was the Sea King Species actively using its abdomen to slam into the ship.
What's it doing?
Including the old captain Gat, everyone was somewhat puzzled and uncertain. If it was hunting, several people on deck would have been swallowed by now, or it might have already flipped the entire ship.
But this Sea King Species seemed to have no such intention.
"Hey, look over there!"
An observant sailor pointed somewhere, exclaiming in alarm, "There's something in that monster's belly!"
Dong! Dong! Dong! As they all looked over, the frequency of the Sea King Species' impacts suddenly increased, becoming more rapid. The merchant ship rocked more and more violently, and the screeches from below the surface grew increasingly pained. Each time its back arched, an unnatural bulge in its stomach was briefly exposed.
The skin around the bulge was densely covered with scars and bruises, featuring blunt injuries, scratches, and numerous infected, swollen pustules.
Something seemed lodged in its organs, causing it unbearable pain, driving it to constantly seek hard objects to ram and scrape against, trying to force it out.
In the end, it had caused itself to become this battered and bruised.
Islets, giant rocks, ships... Judging from the myriad wounds, it's possible all these were targets it tried, yet it still couldn't resolve its problem.
"This is truly a big problem now."
Gat's face turned ashen.
At this rate, the ship would inevitably break apart and disintegrate. All the cargo and sailors aboard would be doomed to sink into the sea.
The snapping of cargo box ropes and the dull thuds of collisions after losing order had already been echoing from the bottom deck.
The old captain suddenly turned his head, gazing at the pallid face behind the helm. The young helmsman was practically hanging onto it, preventing himself from being flung off.
"Still can't widen the distance?!"
He roared, just as another wave of salty foam crashed onto the deck, drenching everyone completely.
"No, Captain!"
The helmsman shouted in despair, "This thing is the agile type, and our ship's speed can't possibly match it. As soon as we open any distance, it closes right back up!"
"Damn it!"
Gat spat.
He tossed away his pipe, suddenly drew the sword from his waist, gripping it tightly. When he looked again at the Sea King Species, a hint of crimson madness appeared at the corner of the old man's eyes.
Alright, alright, so there's no way out, treating me like a pushover, even if I can't bring it down with me, I'll break a few of your teeth before I die!
Even if he seemed benevolent and kind to everyone now, like an old nice guy, back when he was younger, he was a veteran who fought in wars to defend the kingdom, who had slashed and shot his way out of the piles of corpses drenched in the stench of blood!
"Those in charge of logistics, take that kid named Shano and hide in the safe cabin below, perhaps there's still a chance of survival!"
"All remaining combat personnel, get ready to risk your lives with me!"
Gat gritted his teeth, "To hell with it, at worst..."
"Mr. Gat."
Shano's calm voice suddenly interrupted his blood-boiling battle cry.
Hm?
Gat instinctively turned his head, only to be taken aback as he saw the young man clenching his fists, staring eagerly at the sea's surface.
"Aim the starboard cannons at the Sea King Species' belly and fire a few rounds. Leave the rest to me, I have a way to calm this creature down."
"What kind of joke is this!"
Gat's face darkened, he snapped in anger without even thinking, "Hurry and hide in the safe cabin! Is this the time to play hero, you brat? What kind of ridiculous idea is that!"
"Is there any other way?"
Shano abruptly turned his face back, his voice rising sharply in pitch, "I know what you plan to do! Jump over and get yourself killed, slash it a few times before dying to show you're not cowards. What's the point? Treat it like a long shot and let me try, what does it hurt?"
"And also!"
As he shouted back, he tore off his thick coat and shirt, revealing a sharply defined and muscular body.
His chest, exuding an explosive sense of power, reflected a hard, cold glow in the night, and just a slight twitch of his leopard-like back muscles instantly carved out grooves like knife cuts.
"My mom might have forgotten to tell you something, sorry."
The black-haired youth turned his side to him, his clean and youthful face incongruent with his current low and steady voice.
"In the entire Cocoyashi Village, there isn't a single man who can fight better than me."
"..."
Gat's eyes widened instantly.
The few days of brief contact, in his impression, this was clearly a thin and frail bean sprout, and the Wooden Sword he carried around was more like a child's plaything, laughable.
Who would've thought, only now did he realize, it was simply the overly bulky love of autumn and winter that sealed away the true physique of the other party.