Chapter 449: Stealing Food

At 10: 5, the sky brightened, and all the strangeness in heaven and earth vanished, leaving only hidden currents still churning beneath the deep sea.

Lin Xian and his squad departed from the underground base, soaring high above the sea toward the central district where the Infinity was moored.

"UniGa-1."

"Feeding ground," Xiang Ningjing analyzed. "No wonder such a massive island has no people—not even zombies. Could UniGa-1 be that world-class oceanic deity?"

"Most likely. That also explains why the Sacred City's giant decoy bomb triggered the creature—it confirms the oceanic deity's range is within a few hundred kilometers of this area." Lin Xian, clad in powered armor, flew ahead at high speed, his gaze fixed on the black waters below. Suddenly, he turned: "We're going elsewhere."

"Where?"

"Neptune." Lin Xian said calmly. "If I'm right, the Falcon Sea Clan has more secrets than they let on."

Boom boom boom~

Though daylight had come, the weather today was unnaturally gloomy, as if a storm was brewing—thunder rolled endlessly above the clouds. This sight reminded Kiki of yesterday's ordeal. She spoke up:

"No wonder the storm radiation here is so high—it's caused by underwater thermal nuclear evaporation lifting moisture into the air!"

"That makes sense."

Kiki frowned, concerned. "Lin Xian, now that I think about it—could the Galan Volcano eruption be connected to UniGa-1?"

"That's something you'll have to ask someone else."

"Who?"

"Ryan." Lin Xian said. "He seems to have some insight into undersea volcanoes."

Kiki sensed the unspoken implication and fell silent. The group headed directly west of the island, following yesterday's navigation route toward the waters where the Neptune was anchored.

"That monster caused such a massive tsunami—I hope their ship didn't capsize."

Lin Xian murmured. His worry was justified. Even before they drew close, he could already see the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier moored in the ocean's center. Beneath the gentle waves, the carrier was surrounded by floating debris—large supply vessels had capsized, and numerous small aircraft buzzed frantically above the surface. The situation was clearly dire. And this was only yesterday's damage.

The port side deck of the Neptune bore jagged scars in the morning light. On the tilted flight deck, Ryan directed mechanical teams in salvaging supplies. Erica, Azir, and their flight squad, along with several large vessels, struggled desperately to right the capsized supply ship. Nearly the entire Falcon Sea Clan had been mobilized.

"The swell's getting worse! Deploy the backup anchor chains!"

On deck, the former orchard lay in ruins. Survivors cleared twisted barrier cables. Vanessa, seated at the edge of the watchtower, operated a mobile terminal. Her small enemy radar chirped, locking onto a target.

"Ryan, you were right—they're here."

Vanessa leapt down from above, her feet generating an odd ripple before she landed smoothly. On the other side, Ryan, wearing sunglasses, approached with Gedi and Erica.

"Looks like they've made contact with Sacred City people."

Whoosh!

The shriek of thrusters tore through the air as Lin Xian's seven-person team descended directly onto the deck. Seeing the devastation around them, Lin Xian retracted his helmet. "Casualties?"

"A lot. A tsunami this big isn't something you joke about." Ryan adjusted his sunglasses and smiled at Lin Xian. "No wonder you're the Swordbearer—our recon drones saw that monster attack the west coast. Yet you're all unharmed."

Boom!

Suddenly, a cable dragging the supply ship snapped. It lashed into the sea like a whip, hurling up a ten-meter wall of water.

Seeing this, Ryan's face darkened. "Gedi, Vanessa—help!"

"Got it."

"No need." Lin Xian had already assessed the situation. He gave Kiki a glance.

"Understood." Kiki smiled faintly, launching into the air. She soared above the capsized supply ship, her eyes glowing with potent psychic energy. She raised her hand—terrible telekinetic force seized the entire vessel. With a sudden heave, the ship emitted a metallic hum. All tugboats and aircraft felt their pull accelerate. The supply ship groaned, then began to right itself.

Minutes later, with Kiki's aid, the capsized supply ship was fully upright. Water poured back into the sea.

"Thank you." Ryan looked at Vanessa and the others, shrugging. "Sometimes combat power isn't everything. Telekinesis is truly formidable. Yesterday's monster terrified us—it was a cosmic beast. Our aircraft carrier looked like a paper boat before it."

"You were lucky," Lin Xian said. "Do you know why I came to find you?"

Vanessa, Gedi, and the others fixed their gazes on Lin Xian, expressions varied.

Ryan smiled slightly. "Are you ready to cooperate with us?"

Lin Xian shook his head.

Ryan's smile froze. "Then what's your purpose?"

Lin Xian pointed at Kiki as she returned. "As you've seen—I saved your lives."

Ryan stared at Lin Xian, uncertain. "What do you mean?"

"Why would we need you to save us?" Erica frowned. "Forgive me, Captain Lin, but we're not the ones trapped on this island."

"Then why haven't you left, knowing Galan Volcano might erupt?"

Lin Xian's gaze was as still as deep water as he swept it over the core members of the Falcon Sea Clan. "For lattices? For forbidden artifacts? Or for what lies beneath Lidao?"

Ryan's expression changed. He looked at Lin Xian. "You've been to Lidao?"

"We took care of the Sacred City people along the way." Kiki crossed her arms, tilting her chin up. "This place has secrets. Don't you know something?"

Hearing this, Vanessa and the others exchanged glances. Ryan's face hardened slightly. He fell silent for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Lin Xian.

"Mind if we talk inside?"

"Fine."

Inside the ship's command room, Ryan said to Lin Xian: "We know about your battle with Sacred City forces in the city yesterday. Sorry we didn't help—we were in dire straits ourselves."

Lin Xian nodded. "I guessed as much."