Chapter 64: A Chill Raced Through Every Bone

Among several options, Han Ning was more inclined to make a detour around the outer perimeter and steer the boat back.

Because by this point, the water depth was basically over 2.5 meters, and it might be even deeper further out.

If they kept waiting for the water level inside the city to rise high enough to sail a boat directly, the risks would simply be too high.

He had to bear in mind that the monsters here had not been completely cleared out, and they grew stronger with each passing day; he could not rest easy leaving the boat here.

As for dragging the boat back manually, firstly, they lacked heavy-duty transportation equipment.

Secondly, even in his fully transformed state, he did not have the capability to carry a ship over a dozen meters long inside on his back.

After pondering for a few seconds, he said:

"Old Xu, stay on this boat, carefully inspect all critical equipment, and list every essential part and supply you deem necessary. I will protect you as you go to other ships to look for replacement parts."

Following that, through their mental link, he transmitted clear instructions to Xuebing:

"Xuebing, go and scout the waters outside the pier." "Awooh!"

Taking the external route meant he needed to assess the safety.

If the monster density exceeded his imagination, he would have to seek alternative methods.

He shared a "field of vision" with Xuebing, meaning Xuebing was essentially his avatar, requiring no excessive instructions.

...

Under the dim light, Xu Ming squatted beside the diesel engine, holding an oil-stained wrench in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.

He cross-referenced the repair manual and conducted a meticulous inspection.

"Boss, look here."

Xu Ming pointed to a depression inside the transmission housing,

"This connecting flange is deformed, and a crucial buffer gear set is missing. Without it, forcing a start would cause violent vibrations, and the drive shaft might directly snap or detach, and then we would be completely finished."

"What parts are needed? The exact model?" Han Ning asked.

He did not understand machinery, but he knew he had to find a substitute as soon as possible.

The future shortage of diesel was a hard fact.

However, this was a pier, filled with boats everywhere; for the moment, there certainly was no shortage of diesel or other fuel oils.

They would secure ample diesel first, pilot the boat to a safe location, and figure things out from there.

Flipping through the manual, Xu Ming pointed to a clear diagram on the page:

"It's this specific model of buffer gear set, along with the matching flange... We'll have to try our luck on other ships of the same type or similar tonnage. Engineering vessels or tugboats would be best; their transmission systems are likely sturdier, and the part dimensions might match up."

"Understood."

Han Ning nodded, while simultaneously splitting a portion of his mind to perceive the situation on Xuebing's end through their soul link.

Complying with its master's command, Xuebing was swimming toward the outer perimeter of the pier, in the direction that should have originally been the open ocean.

About fifty meters away from the berth area, underwater visibility became even lower.

Yet, relying on its underwater perception, Xuebing could still clearly "see" its surroundings.

To Han Ning's surprise, this body of water was exceptionally quiet.

Those aggressive vortex-armored crabs and bizarre mirage-insects had vanished without a trace.

With the water depth reaching three meters, the density of underwater monsters was far lower than that in the pier's berth zone.

Only sporadic fish-like creatures, human-faced jellyfish, and a few ugly snails glided through the water.

"Keep swimming deeper," Han Ning issued the command.

"Woo-how~"

Wiggling its body, Xuebing accelerated its swim.

When Xuebing swam to a straight-line distance of nearly a hundred meters from the pier:

Hum...

An invisible wave of mental fluctuation suddenly swept in from afar, striking Xuebing.

This fluctuation did not seem to originate from any specific direction; rather, it felt as though it permeated every single drop of seawater, omnipresent.

"Woo-how..."

Xuebing grew somewhat uneasy.

The tricolor crystalline scale between its brows flickered faintly.

"Something's strange." Xuebing's emotions were clearly captured by Han Ning, who commanded, "Swim a bit further out and see."

"Woo..."

Suppression of its instinctive discomfort allowed Xuebing to continue swimming in the direction from which the mental fluctuation emanated.

The deeper it went, the heavier that pervasive mental pressure became, constantly pressing down on Xuebing's consciousness.

The light of the crystalline scale between its brows flickered continuously, resembling a solitary lamp swaying in a gale.

When Xuebing reached a position about four hundred meters in a straight line from the pier:

That bizarre mental fluctuation grew to an extreme intensity, and no matter what, Xuebing refused to swim forward another inch.

Yet, there was no longer any need to.

"This..."

The scene before them filled both Han Ning—who shared the field of vision through the mental link—and the ignorant Xuebing with unprecedented shock.

The waters ahead were completely blocked by a grayish-white wall of fog that had nearly taken on a tangible, physical form.

This wall of fog stood in stark contrast to the relatively thin mist outside.

And behind this suffocating wall of fog, beneath the water's surface, a hellish spectacle was revealed.

Corpses.

Endless corpses.

Stacked layer upon layer, piled up like mountains, they nearly filled the entire body of water, extending all the way into the depths where vision could no longer penetrate.

There were humans with twisted, bloated limbs, their skin soaked pale and wrinkled, exhibiting horrifying signs of post-mortem gas bloat.

There were various marine life forms—fish, whales, and even twisted, mutated crustaceans—their shattered remains mixed together.

Along with the mutilated remains of many bizarre, unidentifiable native creatures...

Looking closely, these corpses were pierced by countless dark red, coral-like branches.

Those coral branches resembled a dense, intertwined jungle of thorns growing from the depths of hell, stabbing deeply into the interior of every corpse, pinning them to the bottom of the water like specimens while simultaneously drawing nutrients from them.

On some of the fresher corpses, one could even see the coral branches pulsing faintly, like the blood vessels of a living creature.

The entire seabed formed a forest composed of remains and coral.

Yet for some unknown reason, the coral monster Han Ning had defeated earlier had escaped from this place.

Nor did they launch an attack on Xuebing.

Perhaps the tricolor scale between its brows had played a role?

"..."

Inside the cabin, Han Ning's expression turned grim.

An inexplicable chill surged straight from his spine to the top of his head.

He finally understood why almost no human corpses could be seen near the berth area of Bailu Port.

One had to remember that this place used to be a resort area, teeming with tourists.

Why was the density of other types of monsters in the waters not as high as imagined?

As it turned out... they were all right here.

All the living creatures swallowed by the flood across the entire pier and even the wider region, whether human or other organisms, had their remains ultimately converge upon this death zone isolated by thick fog, becoming the breeding ground for these bizarre coral monsters.

The scale of this death forest—composed of endless remains and eerie coral—and the terrifying quantity of it far exceeded Han Ning's imagination.

The coral monster he had previously slain was, compared to this mountain of corpses and sea of bones, merely a drop in the ocean.

"The Black Tide... The apocalypse..."
Han Ning muttered to himself, an indescribable sense of powerlessness washing over his entire body.

Individual strength appeared so minuscule and insignificant in the face of such a terrifying spectacle.

"Xuebing... come back, come back immediately!"