Chapter 61 Exercising Professional Expertise

"Very well."

Han Ning nodded in agreement.

The group took a brief rest to tend to their injuries, rehydrate, and eat. Those who were too badly injured to move were assisted back by their slightly less wounded companions.

Association President Wu and the others were also heavily injured, but as the commanders, they chose not to retreat. Instead, they regrouped the remaining combat-ready Awakened and cautiously advanced toward the berth area.

By this point, the floodwaters were deep, with the surface reaching chest-high across the vast majority of the area. Everyone employed their own unique abilities to navigate the waters.

The churning white mist gathered once more. Even with Han Ning's Gold-Melting Eyes providing extended vision, the fog deeper ahead remained as thick as paste, severely limiting visibility. Clearly, the death of the coral monster had not caused the mist to dissipate in the least.

The remaining monsters along the route had not fully retreated either. Stray armored crabs, distorted human-faced jellyfish, and even a few massive leeches lurking in the bottom sludge still launched relentless, fearless attacks.

"Two armored crabs at three o'clock!"

"Something's rising from the bottom, watch out!"

Yu Na's warning cries rang out from time to time.

"Xuebing, clear the path!" Han Ning gave the order.

"Roar!"

The tricolor crystalline scale on its forehead flashed, occasionally releasing an invisible mental screech that caused the approaching monsters to freeze in their tracks. At other times, it opened its mouth to project concentrated beams of three-colored light, piercing through the monsters' carapaces and bodies.

The other Awakened assisted Xuebing, desperately fending off threats attacking from the sides and rear. Enhanced fists and kicks, jets of fire, high-speed water cannons, and all sorts of bizarre attack methods—the flashes of various Awakened abilities lit up the dense fog.

Finally, after passing through a stretch of water floating with container wrecks and construction debris, an expansive ship-mooring area—the former harbor—appeared before them.

Across the turbid water surface, vessels of various shapes and sizes were quietly moored. Most of them were half-submerged, with only parts of their hulls exposed. Their hulls were covered in silt, algae, and unidentified barnacle-like creatures, making them look utterly dilapidated.

The masts of some vessels were snapped and their hulls listed to one side, while others had been turned into nests by massive aquatic beasts. One could clearly see creature sizes comparable to armored crabs crawling across ship hulls. Slimy-skinned leeches clung near the waterlines of the vessels, slowly writhing. A few fish with ferocious jaws, bearing a close resemblance to the tuna they encountered earlier, even swam in patrols near the gunwales.

Left unattended for nearly a month, this place had truly become a monster nest.

Yet regardless of everything, upon seeing these vessels large and small, a surge of excitement lit up the faces of most people.

"We finally found ships..."

"We're saved!"

Low murmurs echoed through the squad, and the oppressive weight of the past few days seemed to dissipate slightly at the sight of the ships. As long as there were ships, it meant that even if the city was swallowed by floods, they could still hoist their sails and set course for wherever land might still exist.

Han Ning's gaze swept across the chaotic harbor, his brow furrowing slightly. His knowledge of sailing and vessel models was limited to Xu Ming's previous descriptions; looking at these ships now, he found it difficult to instantly distinguish which ones were usable and which were superior.

"President Wu, Boss Lin," Han Ning turned to the two individuals who were currently directing the others to clear away the remaining monsters nearby, "I have some matters to attend to and need to head back for a moment. You all proceed with the exploration first."

"What?"

President Wu was taken aback, about to ask further, only to find that Han Ning had already swum far away, vanishing across the water surface with just a few powerful strokes at an astonishing speed.

"This..." President Wu looked toward Lin Qianqian, inquiring about the situation. Did he just run away?

Lin Qianqian pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "I recall that Han Ning has a friend in the navigation field—a normal person. He's probably going back to pick up this friend to help identify the ships."

"Sigh, how distant of him. We have quite a few experienced sailors in our team; why would he need to make a trip back?" President Wu sighed.

Lin Qianqian smiled and remained silent.

After a brief deliberation, President Wu issued an order: "Everyone rest in place, maintain vigilance, clear out the remaining monsters, and wait for Mr. Han's return! Without him, it's simply too dangerous for us to venture deep into the berth area rashly."

Though anxious, the crowd understood the stakes. Everyone had clearly witnessed the combat power Han Ning and Xuebing had just displayed. They had no choice but to suppress their excitement, building a temporary defense line leaning against half-submerged containers and building wreckage, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

Time ticked away second by second.

Just ten minutes or so later, *splash!*

Ripples spread across the water behind them, and a figure clinging to Xuebing's back broke through the surface, looking remarkably like a sea-patrolling yaksha.

That person was precisely Xu Ming.

With Xuebing broadcasting psychic energy to drive away the surrounding fog, Xu Ming, being a normal person, suffered no harm whatsoever. It was just that his face was somewhat pale, clearly terrified by Xuebing's newly increased swimming speed.

Seeing Han Ning return, the rest of the group perked up instantly.

Wobbling with a weak physique, President Wu hurriedly jumped from the debris into the water, his tone respectful, "Mr. Han, you've returned! And who is this?"

Han Ning had already noticed that President Wu's group hadn't moved an inch since his departure, staring eagerly and waiting for his return. He found it amusing inwardly, though he didn't feel much about it. If these people regarded him as a savior, then why shouldn't he regard them as bait? It was purely mutual utilization.

"A friend of mine," Han Ning replied casually. "Let's move out. Yu Na, come over to my side."

Yu Na glanced at Lin Qianqian. Seeing no reaction from her, she obediently trotted over behind Han Ning. She had been living well following Han Ning all this time, and since Lin Qianqian, her closest superior, gave tacit approval, she naturally preferred sticking with Han Ning over the less familiar President Wu and others.

"You're in charge of protecting Old Xu. Xuebing, go ahead and clear out any monsters approaching from the front."

"Old Xu, help me pick out the vessels."

"Is everyone clear on this?" Han Ning asked the two humans and one lizard in his small group.

"Mm-hmm!" "Awooo!"

A translucent blue halo enveloped Xu Ming, providing double protection.

As Han Ning and his group led the way swimming toward the harbor, the main force finally began to paddle forward slowly.

Xu Ming was a sailor by trade and possessed excellent swimming skills. As he swam, he narrowed his eyes, straining to examine the vessels half-hidden in the fog.

"Boss, President Wu, look!"

He pointed toward a sleekly designed white-hulled vessel nearby, rattling off the models and specifications of the moored ships like firing beans:

"That one is a 'Blue Water 46' monohull sailboat, roughly 14 meters long, with a fiberglass hull and an auxiliary diesel engine."

"This type of boat is designed specifically for offshore voyaging; it has great stability and relatively reasonable space. If we can get the engine running, it's definitely a prime choice."

"However... looking at its waterline, the lower cabin might have taken on water. We'll need to inspect it."