Chapter 235 Long Live the Mermaid

This was a super-giant squid, easily forty to fifty meters long, with two pupils gleaming with an eerie red light. The massive Tiger General-class warship, the *Sea Star*, seemed like a slightly larger toy in its presence. It was ensnared and immobilized by just a few of its tentacles, unable to move an inch.

A Ghost-level sea monster... the bane of all fleets in these waters!

If this group of pirates had such a powerhouse, how could they be content with just a single Tiger General-class warship?

Old Wang and Karida instantly understood; while they weren't without combat strength, once a Ghost-level beast got close, the power of the Tiger General warship would be rendered useless. The enemy's main Tiger General-class ship was merely a decoy to draw the *Sea Star*'s fire and attention, while the real threat lay in the sea monster lurking beneath the waves.

"It seems it really is the Half-Orc Pirate Crew, and their captain, the madman Caisis, is here too. Legend has it he controls a Ghost-level sea monster; there’s no chance of victory for the sea races..." Karida frowned slightly. If she hadn’t been injured, she wouldn’t have feared, but now...

The pirates moved swiftly, already boarding the ship in various ways. Their goal wasn’t destruction but plunder; both cargo and captives could fetch a good price. Lakfor knew the battle was lost, but still led his men in resistance.

Suddenly, Karida felt herself being picked up again, "Wang Feng, what are you doing!"

"Brother Da, we’re running, of course!" Wang Feng carried Karida and jumped into the sea directly. What the hell, knowing they were bound to lose, would they stay to be captured?

Since ancient times, when all else fails, retreat is the best strategy!

But as soon as they jumped, Old Wang realized something was wrong. A fierce gust of wind came, and a massive tentacle smashed down toward them. Karida suddenly unleashed her soul power, and with a boom...

The tentacle struck Karida squarely, and the two of them fell into the water with a splash. Instantly, Wang Feng felt as if every bone in his body was about to shatter. His head spun, and the sound of rushing water filled his ears and nose. The briny seawater jolted the dazed Old Wang back to consciousness.

His right hand had been holding Karida, but the moment they hit the water, his mind went fuzzy, his grip loosened, and Karida vanished. Although Karida had forcefully blocked the sea monster’s attack, the residual force was enough to nearly incapacitate Wang Feng. His soul power was suppressed the instant it activated. The power of a Ghost-level sea monster wasn’t just in its soul power but also in its terrifying physical strength, which alone could crush most creatures. Without Karida, that blow could have killed Wang Feng.

Don’t challenge a boss without your buffs active; don’t even look at it.

At that moment, the mermaid mark on his chest began to heat up. His body, which felt as if it had shattered, started to recover rapidly. The oppressive feeling disappeared, and it was as if his entire skin could breathe. His vision and senses became clear and expansive.

Wang Feng didn’t have time to savor the benefits of the mermaid mark. A golden eye flashed in his vision, and his full-spectrum sight activated. The originally pitch-black seabed suddenly revealed a complex scene. He saw countless debris floating in the water, with various objects or people continuously falling and then shooting through the water, creating several-meter-deep channels before gradually slowing down due to water pressure, stopping, and even bouncing back. The marks of their entry into the water were clearly visible, indicating the astonishing force upon impact.

Not far away, the terrifying figure of the giant squid was clearly visible in the depths of the sea.

Its body was like a mountain; what they had seen on the surface was just the tip of the iceberg. The part of it hidden underwater was even larger, with its oval-shaped body likely stretching over forty to fifty meters long. Its massive tentacles extended into the depths beyond Old Wang's insect eyes. Fortunately, the creature was preoccupied with playing with the Seastar, paying no attention to the fallen 'insects' like Old Wang.

Finally spotting Karida, who had been knocked unconscious by the earlier impact, Wang Feng hurriedly swam towards her. Just a few meters away, Old Wang suddenly went dark. "What the hell is going on?" Biting his tongue, Wang Feng forced himself to stay alert, grabbing the sinking Karida and using his back to brace against a cargo box. He had always thought Clara's blessing was useless, but today it saved two lives. Hail the mermaid!

Wang Feng held Karida in his arms, feeling her weak breath. He knew how severe that blow must have been, surely worsening her injuries. Damn, he usually had good judgment, but this time he made a critical mistake. Actually, Karida could have managed on her own.

Wang Feng tried to channel soul power. His insect god seed was a universal soul seed, and in the water, Karida looked like a goddess. Perhaps in her weakest moment, she added an extra touch of feminine beauty. Wang Feng was momentarily lost in thought, but then he steeled himself and kissed Karida. It wasn't really a kiss, just to help her breathe—yes, CPR, not taking advantage of her. Feeling Karida's breathing stabilize, Wang Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The battle on the surface was nearing its end. While the fighting could continue, the people of Lakufu had already surrendered. Mercenaries were like that; they wouldn't fight to the death when faced with a clear disparity in strength. Surrendering meant they might be sold as slaves, but at least they would live.

The massive sea monster had vanished, and the Seastar, lifted high, fell from the sky, splashing into the sea and causing a huge wave. Then, lightning illuminated the sky for miles around.

This was the Floating Light Thunder Array from the pirate ships. Water conducts electricity, and this was originally invented by the human navy to defend against diving sea creatures. Of course, it was ineffective against ghost-level sea monsters, but now it became a powerful tool for the pirates to clear the sea. With the lightning flashing, many black shadows that had been moving on the surface instantly froze.

Several shell boats cruised through the lightning-lit sea, the pirates having finished plundering the cargo ships and now sweeping up the survivors stunned by the Floating Light Thunder Array, pulling them onto their ships.

Old Wang had already pulled Karida close to the surface, but seeing this scene, he dared not show his head. Going out would mean certain death. Hopefully, the pirates would just leave. Actually, this was quite nice; at this moment, Brother Da was the gentlest... huh?

Suddenly, Karida opened her eyes underwater. Their eyes met, inches apart, in an intimate embrace. In the next moment, Wang Feng felt a strong aura of killing intent...

"Brother Da..." Wang Feng tried to explain, but only bubbles came out as he flailed his hands.

Karida glanced at Wang Feng and then looked up at the surface. A large net was being cast over them. Karida did not struggle; it was too late to escape now. This fool, staying in such a dangerous place...

Feeling the iron net quickly closing in, before either of them could react, they were abruptly hauled upwards, once again entangled together. Wang Feng couldn't help but wish that time would stop at this moment...

It was now dawn, and on the distant horizon, a red sun was slowly rising, casting a golden glow over the sea. The deck of the Half-Orc Pirate Ship was piled high with all sorts of newly salvaged items; useful ones were kept, while the useless were thrown back into the sea. The pirates were all excited; this haul was even richer than they had imagined, and it came without much effort.

On the left side of the deck, two to three hundred people were huddled together, mostly burly sailors or mercenaries, among them were Rakfor and Hagen. On the right side, about thirty to forty women who had been on the voyage were also squatting, all bound and gagged, drenched from head to toe. The morning sunlight brought no hope to them; their eyes were filled with fear and despair.

Being captured by pirates usually meant one of three fates: being a noble and paying a ransom, being sold into slavery, or meeting a grim end. The third fate only came at the hands of mad pirate gangs, and unfortunately, the Half-Orc Pirate Gang was one of them.

The two to three hundred people sat in silent despair, Rakfor and Hagen's teeth chattering uncontrollably despite not feeling cold. Over a hundred pirates were bustling about on the deck, their laughter and banter filling the air. A towering half-orc with a full beard sat in the center of the deck.

Half-orcs were the offspring of humans and orcs, a rare occurrence among the four major races of the Nine Heavens world, where intermarriage did happen. However, these half-breeds were often shunned by both parent races. Their features tended more towards human, though most had thick beards, unlike orcs whose bodies were covered in fur. They inherited the robust and tall build of orcs, sometimes even surpassing them in height.

This half-orc stood nearly two and a half meters tall, making the large beach chair beneath him look like a small stool. Several boxes were placed under it to prevent the chair from collapsing under his weight.

He held a cup of bright red wine in his hand, smiling as he watched the continuous retrieval of items from the sea, clearly in a good mood.

This trip had been a great success, with several ships loaded with soul crystal ores, especially the nearly sunk Tiger General-class warship, which had thirty of the latest superconducting soul crystal cannons on each side. Despite some sinking to the bottom of the sea, twenty-three were still recovered, along with a large number of soul crystal shells, enough to upgrade his Half-Orc Pirate Ship.

At sea, strength was everything, and these items were harder to come by than money.

Creak, creak, creak...

The steel crane turned, lifting another large net of items from the water.

"Left, left!" The bare-chested, muscular pirates shouted loudly.

Splash...

The net was lowered to about one or two meters above the deck and opened, spilling out a myriad of items. A few strong pirates moved forward to sort through them, suddenly their eyes lit up. One of them laughed and said, "Ha, there's a woman, and she's a beauty! Boss, we're rich!"

He reached into the pile, but instead of grabbing the soft, delicate hand, a sharp glint appeared in the eyes hidden by the debris. The slender hand grabbed the pirate's arm, clamping down like an iron vice, and pulled hard. The over two-meter-tall man stumbled, followed by a swift kick.

Boom!

Crack!

The pirate's chest was caved in, and he flew backward without a sound. The surrounding pirates were stunned for a moment before the sound of various strange weapons and firearms aiming at Karida broke the silence. Old Wang also emerged from the net, damn, this didn't look good.