Chapter 304: High Skies, Troubled Seas
by xennovelHigh above, two white seagulls seemed to burst forth from dark clouds.
In single file, fighter jets piloted by Ming Luo and Zhang Cheng had settled into steady cruise.
Gentle waves stirred the calm sea; these coordinates marked the outer limit set by Yenir.
Beep…
Beep…
The mechanical scan ticked rhythmically like a clock.
Both men fixed their eyes on the radar. On its dark green screen, the scanning pointer circled over the sea like a clock’s hand.
Nothing abnormal—nothing at all.
Aside from the reflection from nearby jets, within a 70-nautical-mile radius, there was no sign of any movement.
Sweat beaded on the hand gripping the joystick.
Ming Luo struggled to steady his breathing. At 4,000 meters, no matter how hard he scanned the sea with his eyes, nothing unusual emerged—only the eerily calm surface.
It felt as if they were the only souls in the world.
“Where is it?!”
“Where are those monsters?!”
Trembling with tension, he repeatedly questioned himself. He feared that a moment of carelessness might let the sea beast slip away—missing the perfect chance to strike.
His emotions were impossible to describe.
He feared the appearance of the sea beast, yet he dreaded its absence even more.
The former portended disaster, while the latter meant that doom had already descended upon them and Yenir.
False military orders! Unauthorized troop movements! Hostage-taking of committee members! Forced urban entry!
Each charge was a grave offense—the kind of mutiny that had occurred only a handful of times in China’s history.
If they hadn’t placed absolute trust in Yenir, they would never have come this far.
If the sea beast appeared and they rescued everyone, there might still be a chance.
But if not…
Almost on instinct, Ming Luo recalled the private system messages he had dismissed. From the moment the Military learned of their operation, everyone—from the head of the Action Team to former squad members—had been clamoring for him to stop his madness.
His old superior was utterly disappointed, demanding to know why he made such a foolish choice.
Even former teammates couldn’t believe that they had followed such an impossible judgment.
Yet only he and the remaining seven squad members knew just how extraordinary Yenir’s performance in the simulation had been—almost prophetic and flawlessly strategic.
It was nothing short of a miracle! Yenir seemed to know everything!
How could he not believe it? How could he possibly tell Yenir that he was too much of a coward to take the risk, unwilling to accept any responsibility?
“Captain!”
“Nothing… there’s nothing there!”
The voice trembled with panic.
On the adjacent jet, Zhang Cheng—two years his junior—panted heavily. The crushing pressure felt like a knife edge on his heart, leaving him breathless.
They had reached the time limit set by Yenir.
The nuclear missile, ready to be dropped at any moment, silently hung in the bomb bay.
“Should we scan further ahead? Could it be that we’re not over the right area?”
He dared not claim there was absolutely no sea beast.
Under extreme tension, Zhang Cheng’s face went pale as he couldn’t restrain his question.
He couldn’t imagine what fate awaited them if disaster failed to strike…
“No! We’re right here!”
“This is the maximum range Yenir set! Just hold on a bit longer…”
“If anything changes, Yenir will surely let us know!”
Compared to Zhang Cheng, Ming Luo appeared somewhat more composed.
He whispered the coordinates as if boosting his own courage, though the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner unease.
The next second, just as he was about to speak further, the cockpit radio suddenly flickered to life.
“Zzzzz-”
“Ming Luo, did you see it?”
A calm voice came from Yenir.
Listening to Yenir’s inquiry sent a shiver down Ming Luo’s spine.
Time seemed to slow down.
The radar in his peripheral vision still showed no response.
His mouth agape, he was rendered speechless.
How could he tell Yenir… that they still saw nothing?
No sea beast, no monsters, not even a torrential rain—just a cruel joke, like a lost flock of seagulls aimlessly circling the ocean.
Perhaps… they were truly mistaken.
A grim smile played on his face as Ming Luo took a deep breath. After a long, heavy pause, he forced himself to speak.
“Yenir… I…”
But before he could finish pressing the communication button,
a soft ticking shattered the silence, suddenly sounding off.
“Tick!”
“Tick-tick!”
On the radar, an abrupt white dot appeared.
What could that be!?
Eyes wide in shock, both men were stunned—the radar’s signal unmistakably announced that something had emerged!
They turned to scan the sea at breakneck speed, and in just 0.1 seconds both were overwhelmed by the sight.
No further radar detection was needed.
Even at 4,000 meters, the anomaly was visible to the naked eye.
The once calm, inky black sea now roiled violently. A massive, shadowy shape—about the size of a football field—was rapidly emerging!
Worse still, as if rising from the depths, countless black, angry waves—numbering in the thousands—followed close behind!
That was…
A sea beast!!
It was thousands upon thousands of mutant marine creatures surging through the water at breakneck speed!
“Tick! Detected high-speed object 1034…”
“Tick! Detected high-speed object 1771…”
“Tick! Detected…”
A piercing alarm tore through the cockpit as the radar dedicated to submarine detection blared relentlessly!
Red lights began flashing.
In sheer panic, Ming Luo snapped back to reality, trembling as he quickly pressed the communication button again.
His voice, hoarse from shouting, rang out!
“Yenir!!”
“Sea Beast!!”
“The sea beast is really here!!!”
……….
“Yenir, call off the resistance! Immediately recall the jets!”
At the defensive front, swords were drawn and crossbows were readied.
A host of Third-Stage Awakened fighters fixed their gaze on Yenir, with their Captain clutching his longsword tightly at his waist.
He heard Yenir’s inquiry.
Hmph.
Not ready to give up yet? You’re still asking if you saw anything?
Unconsciously, his gaze toward Yenir softened with a hint of pity.
There was no reply on the other end of the line.
He could only assume that Ming Luo, sent by Yenir, had seen nothing at all.
The Military’s analysis was spot on—Yenir had become so paranoid it bordered on the pathological! He was trapped in his delusions, unwilling to turn back!
“I’ll say it one last time—abandon that absurd folly…”
“Zzzzz-”
“Yenir!”
“Sea Beast!”
“The sea beast is truly here!!”
What!?
The leading officer halted in shock, listening to the distorted radio transmission as an indescribable bewilderment welled within him.
He heard it clearly—
The sea… the sea beast is here!?
How could this be!?
Before anyone could react further, all eyes were fixed in stunned silence as Yenir calmly pressed the communication button once more.
“Drop the bombs.”
“Blow them to hell.”