Chapter 257: Heavy Difficulties

Not knowing how the captain’s navigation tower was faring, Ye Su looked toward the distance, but to his disappointment, the sky above was completely blocked by the octopus.

Helpless, Ye Su fired a shot at a node on the octopus dense with blood vessels. The laser gun pierced directly through the octopus's body, and a fierce, high-pressure jet of water surged in.

Furthermore, that gap was quickly torn open under the high pressure, but the leaking stopped soon after. Looking at the arc that had partially caved in, Ye Su immediately guessed that the octopus must have blocked it with its tentacles.

He had the heart to open two more holes, but considering the situation, the giant octopus had likely already taken everyone down into the deep sea. If the octopus didn't die, the people on the ship would likely drown.

Thus, Ye Su decided to first find the captain to see if there was a solution. He moved toward the stern along the narrow space between the containers, and the woman behind him followed calmly.

Soon, the two arrived at the cabin door at the stern. By the light, they could clearly see the thin mist drifting beneath the ship; he figured this mist was gas produced by the high temperatures of the ship being corroded.

Unsure if it was poisonous, the two held their breath and quickly ducked into the cabin door.

The two easily found the captain and the others inside the cabin; clearly, everyone had come to the cabins below the deck to take refuge.

"Captain!"

As soon as Ye Su greeted him, Celine rushed up and hugged Ye Su.

"Ye, you actually left me behind! I was so scared! I was afraid something would happen to you."

Ye Su had no choice but to hug Celine and comfort her. Soon, Celine realized this was inappropriate in front of everyone and hurriedly let go of Ye Su, blushing.

At this moment, Celine saw the woman following Ye Su and immediately grew jealous, asking:

"Who is she?"

"She’s a stowaway with us. I don't know her name either, but she was willing to come up and help. I couldn't exactly refuse."

Hearing Ye Su’s words, Celine’s expression softened by three parts.

"You two talk first; I have matters to handle with the captain."

Seeing Ye Su had finished his private business, the captain first thanked him for his heroic performance earlier, then the conversation fell into pessimism and despair.

"I never expected this voyage would end in the belly of a fish. Although long-term sea travel always carries such risks, who knew it would be such a massive fish."

"Captain, now is not the time for pessimism. We are still alive, aren't we?"

"I tested it just now; we should be being taken into the deep sea by the octopus. But right now, we need to figure out how to make the octopus surface. Otherwise, even if we kill it, we are dead in the deep sea."

Hearing Ye Su’s words, the captain thought for a moment and said: "Actually, you could say an octopus has two weaknesses. One is a relatively short lifespan, but looking at this massive body, clearly that expert opinion is unreliable."

"Another is that an octopus's respiratory organs are actually inside its body. We can destroy its gill glands, forcing it to surface to breathe."

Hearing the captain’s words, Ye Su’s eyes lit up, but he turned back and asked:

"But the octopus will definitely roll violently then. I’m afraid we won't be able to handle it. What if the octopus dies and we capsize?"

Hearing Ye Su’s words, the captain laughed: "You know the principle of a gyroscope, right? We can find a way to fill half the octopus's abdomen with water. Then, no matter how the octopus rolls, the ship will only move vertically downward according to gravity, though there will be heavy winds and waves inside the abdominal cavity."

Hearing the captain’s words, Ye Su understood immediately. However, the feasibility of these methods remained to be tested, and they only had one chance.

At this time, Ye Su asked: "By the way, Captain, why are you all down here? I remember you went to the command center earlier!"

Mentioning this, the captain couldn't help but sigh. Old Qin stepped forward to explain:

"The navigation tower was collapsed by that octopus, so everyone had to hide in the cabin to take refuge."

Old Qin’s words immediately made everyone in the cabin feel stifled. The collapse of the navigation tower also meant the compass systems above were destroyed.

Even if everyone luckily escaped from the octopus's belly, without satellite navigation, returning to the coast safely could be described as fraught with danger.

It wasn't just the danger of getting lost, but also the reefs in the sea; traveling an unknown route always makes one feel uneasy.

Looking at the low morale of the people in the cabin, Ye Su clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention.

"I see you are all thinking quite far ahead. We are still in the belly of a giant beast, surrounded by danger, and you aren't worried? It seems everyone is very confident about escaping this crisis!"

Hearing Ye Su’s banter, everyone immediately realized that what they were facing right now was how to escape from the giant beast's belly.

Everyone emerged from the shadow of the navigation tower being destroyed. Recalling Ye Su’s banter, they couldn't help but show awkward smiles.

However, morale was finally up, so everyone could actively seek survival in the coming environment and not drag their feet.

"Since that’s the case, Captain, pick a group of people to go with me to find the octopus's gill glands and force it to surface."

The captain picked a few sturdy young men from the security department, but none of them understood the octopus's structure very well.

At this moment, an old man stepped up and said:

"I will go with you. I studied marine biology in the past. If you don't mind, I can point the way for you."

Ye Su looked at the suddenly appearing old man with some doubt. One had to know that their mission was already dangerous; bringing an old man along, one moment of neglect and a life could be lost.

Seeing this, the captain hurriedly explained: "Professor Bill is an expert in marine biology and is acting as our ship's doctor. With his help, you should be able to reach that place faster."

Ye Su was somewhat moved; after all, this octopus was just too big, and relying on a few people to act blindly definitely wouldn't work.

At this time, Bill seemed to see Ye Su’s concerns and spoke up:

"Rest assured, I won't hold you back."

Having his thoughts seen through, Ye Su felt embarrassed to say he was afraid Bill would get into trouble. After thinking for a while, he said:

"Professor Bill must know this operation is very dangerous and could even lead to death. Why do you still want to go with us?"

After speaking, Ye Su stared straight at Bill, waiting for his answer. Bill touched his white hair, and the wrinkles on his face deepened with his smile.

"You know I am a marine scholar, and my lifelong pursuit is to study marine life. And such a giant octopus, dozens of times larger than the biggest giant squid, is right before my eyes. If I cannot study it personally, I think I will regret it for the rest of my life. Even if it means death, I want to die on the path of exploration!"

Bill’s words immediately made Ye Su feel a sense of reverence. He hadn't expected this man over sixty to have such great ambition; his earnest heart for the Dao was admirable.

"Fine, since Professor Bill has already said so, if I were to stop you, it would be somewhat unsatisfactory."

Ye Su was about to lead the team away when he was stopped by the woman from the Yuebang country.

"I want to go too!"

Ye Su stared at the woman, and she stared back unyieldingly.

Ye Su said: "You should know that we cannot guarantee we will return from this trip. If you follow, you might just be throwing your life away."

"If you fail, staying here is death all the same. Besides, one more person means one more source of strength. On the way here just now, you should have seen my skills. I have the ability to protect myself in a crisis, and if I unfortunately die, I won't hold you responsible."

Ye Su had no choice but to agree. Just then, Celine also ran over and said:

"I, I want to go too!"

Ye Su immediately felt a headache coming on and hurriedly said: