Among several options, Han Ning preferred circling around the peripheral area to sail the ship back.
At this location, the water depth already exceeded 2.5 meters, and it might be even deeper further out.
Waiting for the urban water levels to rise enough for vessel navigation posed too great a risk.
It was crucial to remember that the monsters here hadn't been cleared out - they grew stronger each day. He couldn't leave the ship unattended here.
As for towing the ship back, first, they lacked heavy transport equipment.
Second, even in his fully transformed state, he couldn't possibly carry a dozen-meter-long vessel on his back.
After a few seconds of contemplation, he said:
"Lao Xu, you stay aboard and thoroughly inspect all critical systems. Make a list of essential spare parts and supplies you think we'll need. I'll protect you while we search other ships for replacements."
Then, through their Mental Link, he gave Snowflake clear instructions:
"Snowflake, scout the waters beyond the docks." "Awoo!"
By taking the outer route, he needed to assess safety conditions.
If monster density exceeded expectations, they'd have to find another way.
He and Snowflake shared "vision" - the wolf was essentially his extension, requiring minimal detailed commands.
...
Under dim lighting, Xu Ming crouched beside the diesel engine, gripping an oil-stained wrench with a furrowed brow.
He carefully followed the repair manual during his inspection.
"Boss, look here."
Xu Ming pointed to a dent inside the gearbox,
"This connecting flange is warped, and we're missing a critical damping gear assembly. Without it, forced startup would cause extreme vibrations. The drive shaft might snap or disconnect completely - that'd be catastrophic."
"What parts do we need? Specific models?" Han Ning asked.
Though mechanically inept, he knew replacements had to be found quickly.
Future diesel shortages were inevitable.
But this was a dock - ships everywhere meant no immediate shortage of diesel or other fuels.
Their priority was securing enough diesel to relocate the vessel somewhere safe.
Xu Ming flipped through the manual, indicating a clear diagram:
"This specific damping gear assembly model, plus matching flanges... We'll have to search similar-tonnage vessels, preferably workboats or tugs. Their transmission systems are sturdier - the parts might fit."
"Understood."
Han Ning nodded while simultaneously monitoring Snowflake's progress through their soul connection.
Following orders, Snowflake swam toward the dock's outskirts where the ocean should be.
About fifty meters beyond the berthing area, underwater visibility worsened.
Yet Snowflake's aquatic senses provided clear environmental awareness.
Contrary to Han Ning's expectations, these waters were eerily quiet.
The once-menacing Vortex Shell Crabs and bizarre Mirage Worms had vanished completely.
At three meters depth, monster density was drastically lower than the dock area.
Only scattered fish, Human-faced Jellyfish, and some unsightly mollusks moved through the water.
"Keep swimming deeper," Han Ning commanded.
"Woo-hoo~"
Snowflake swayed its body and accelerated.
When Snowflake reached a point approximately 100 meters straight from the pier...
Hum...
An intangible mental wave suddenly swept from the distance, crashing into Snowflake.
This wave didn't seem to come from any specific direction—it permeated every drop of seawater, omnipresent.
"Woo-hoo..."
Snowflake grew uneasy.
The Tri-color Crystal Scale on its forehead flickered faintly.
"Something's off." Han Ning clearly sensed Snowflake's unease through their Mental Link and instructed, "Swim a bit further out."
"Woo..."
Suppressing its instinctive discomfort, Snowflake continued swimming toward the source of the mental waves.
The deeper it went, the heavier the pervasive mental pressure became, relentlessly pressing against Snowflake's consciousness.
The glow from the crystal scale on its forehead flickered continuously, like a lone lamp swaying in a storm.
When Snowflake reached a point about 400 meters straight from the pier...
The strange mental waves intensified to their peak, and Snowflake refused to go any further.
But there was no need.
"This..."
The sight before them—whether shared through the Mental Link with Han Ning or witnessed firsthand by the bewildered Snowflake—was utterly staggering.
Ahead, the water was completely blocked by a nearly solid wall of gray-white mist.
This mist wall stood in stark contrast to the relatively thin fog outside.
And beyond this suffocating barrier, beneath the water's surface, lay a hellish scene.
Corpses.
Endless corpses.
They piled upon one another, forming mountains that filled the entire expanse, stretching beyond sight.
There were humans—limbs twisted and bloated, skin bleached and wrinkled from prolonged immersion, exhibiting the horrifying "Giant Corpse Phenomenon."
There were marine creatures—fish, whales, even grotesquely mutated crustaceans, their shattered remains jumbled together.
And many more unrecognizable, bizarrely shaped remnants of local organisms...
Upon closer inspection, these corpses were impaled by countless dark red, coral-like branches.
These branches, like thorny thickets sprouting from the depths of hell, crisscrossed densely, piercing deep into every corpse, pinning them to the seabed like specimens—or perhaps drawing sustenance from them like nutrients.
On some of the fresher corpses, the coral branches even pulsed faintly, like the veins of living creatures.
The entire seabed had become a forest of corpses and coral.
For some unknown reason, the Coral Monster Han Ning had defeated had escaped from here.
And they hadn't attacked Snowflake either.
Perhaps the Tri-color Scale on its forehead played a role?
"..."
Inside the cabin, Han Ning's expression darkened.
An inexplicable chill shot up his spine.
He finally understood why there were almost no human corpses in the waters near White Egret Port's berthing area.
This had once been a bustling tourist resort, teeming with visitors.
And why the density of other types of monsters in the waters wasn't as high as expected.
Because... they were all here.
Every living being swallowed by the floodwaters—whether human or otherwise—from the pier and beyond had ultimately converged in this death zone, isolated by the thick mist, becoming the breeding ground for these eerie Coral Monsters.
This deathly forest composed of endless corpses and eerie coral stretched far beyond Han Ning's wildest imagination.
The Coral Monster he had slain earlier seemed like a mere drop in the ocean compared to this mountain of bones and sea of corpses.
"Black Tide... the apocalypse..."
Han Ning murmured to himself, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of powerlessness.
Individual strength appeared so insignificant and trivial when faced with such terrifying spectacle.
"Snowflake... come back, come back immediately!"
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