But this time, it wasn’t the sound of wood breaking—it was a dull, heavy thud.
The hull only trembled slightly, its Durability completely unchanged!
"We blocked it!"
Su Qingyue shouted in delight. Though her face was pale, her eyes shone with excitement.
"Good."
Lin Ji spoke rapidly, giving no one a moment to catch their breath.
"Tang Ling!"
"Here!"
The overall-clad girl wearing glasses instinctively straightened her back.
"Don’t just stand there! Show me what you can do!"
"Hold the crossbow in one hand to stay alert, and use the other to repair the ship!"
"There are planks in the storage over there. Use your Assembly Talent to restore the Durability we just lost! Even if it’s just reinforcement, I won’t allow this ship to fall apart!"
"Y-yes!"
Tang Ling gritted her teeth. Though she was annoyed by this bossy man, she had to admit his orders made perfect sense.
Holding the Mechanical Crossbow in one hand, she grabbed a spare plank with the other and activated her talent.
The wood in her hands seemed to turn into clay, quickly filling the damaged areas of the hull.
"Shen Manyun!"
Lin Ji turned to the teacher who had just been retching.
"Don’t just stand there—eat!"
He casually tossed her a pack of bread and half a bottle of water.
"Replenish your energy now!"
"Someone will definitely get hurt later. You’re the only doctor—if you collapse too, we’re truly finished!"
"I don’t need you to fight. Your job is to stay alive and keep enough energy to heal!"
Shen Manyun caught the bread, her eyes slightly red.
She nodded firmly, tearing open the packaging without a care for her appearance and swallowing large mouthfuls.
The feeling of being needed and protected warmed her heart.
"Gu Yihan!"
Finally, Lin Ji’s gaze fell on the long-legged beauty.
Gu Yihan was already poised for action, her Storm Hunter Bow fully drawn, her eyes sharp as an eagle’s.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked in a low voice.
Lin Ji pointed to the tall mast.
"Climb up!"
"Use your Lightness Talent and take the high ground!"
"The bottom of the ship is frozen—that beast can’t ram it, so it’ll have to surface to attack!"
"The moment it dares to show itself, no matter what part, shoot it dead!"
"Understood!"
Without another word, Gu Yihan moved swiftly.
Her D-grade Lightness Talent activated.
She darted up the four- to five-meter-high mast like a nimble swallow.
Her long, toned legs, tightly wrapped in yoga pants, clamped firmly around the mast to stabilize her body.
Though the position was somewhat embarrassing, it was exceptionally stable.
From her elevated vantage point, her field of vision instantly widened.
The entire dark sea lay before her, unobstructed.
"Hah..."
After arranging everything, Lin Ji let out a long breath.
He gripped the green Multi-Function Engineer Shovel tightly, standing at the very front of the bow.
That was where the Sea Monster was most likely to launch a frontal assault.
And the most dangerous position.
As the captain and the only man, he had to hold this line.
As for Bai Taotao...
The little girl was huddled behind a supply crate, watching everyone nervously.
Lin Ji hadn’t assigned her any tasks.
Although she possessed the Affinity Talent, capable of pacifying sea monsters,
Lin Ji didn’t want to use it.
Or rather, that was his final trump card.
If they truly couldn’t win, it wouldn’t be too late to have her overexert her ability to drive it away.
For now...
He wanted to kill!
This was the first sea monster after the novice period!
Killing it would not only grant Evolution Points but might also drop rare materials!
Fortune favors the bold!
This time, he was going for it all!
"Roar..."
As if sensing the obstruction of the attacks below,
a low, angry growl echoed from beneath the water.
The sound pierced through the ice and the ship’s planks, making everyone’s eardrums ache.
It was getting impatient.
"It’s coming!"
Gu Yihan suddenly shouted from the mast.
"Port side! Three o’clock direction!"
"There’s a splash!"
Lin Ji instantly turned, holding his entrenching tool horizontally across his chest.
On the dark sea surface, the previously calm waves suddenly churned violently,
like boiling water.
Splash!
An enormous black shadow burst out of the water!
Sending sprays of water into the air.
At that moment,
under the moonlight, everyone clearly saw the monster’s true form.
"Hiss..."
A collective gasp echoed in unison.
Even though Lin Ji had mentally prepared himself, he couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.
Was that... a shark?
No!
It was an abomination!
It had the streamlined body of a great white shark, four to five meters long, with a dorsal fin as sharp as a blade.
But on both sides of its body, it actually had two rows of sharp, long legs resembling those of arthropods!
Like... a hybrid of a shark and a centipede!
Even more terrifying was its head.
Inside its gaping maw, fangs interlocked, and on its forehead, a still-beating human eyeball was embedded!
Large, murky, and filled with malice!
It stared fixedly at the people on the deck with that single eye,
as if looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
[Warning! Encountered a mutated creature!]
[Name: Parasitic Demon Shark (LV3)]
[Description: An ocean overlord corrupted by the Ancient Aura, possessing extreme aggression and a thirst for vengeance.]
[Weakness: The parasitic eyeball on its forehead!]
LV3!
Lin Ji’s pupils contracted slightly.
Most survivors at this stage were still weaklings, yet an LV3 monster had appeared directly?
Was this the difficulty of the "Great Culling"?
"Screech—"
The monster let out a sharp shriek, its arthropod-like legs slapping the water’s surface.
As if treading on water, it lunged straight toward the deck!
Its speed was astonishingly fast!
"Shoot!"
Lin Ji roared.
Twang!
He didn’t even need to remind her.
Gu Yihan on the mast had already released her fingers.
An Ice Arrow, carrying the howl of the wind, shot like a meteor toward the monster’s single eye!
Thud!
That was the sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Gu Yihan’s shot was incredibly precise.
The Ice Arrow, radiating a chilling cold, struck directly into the Parasitic Demon Shark’s large, murky eyeball on its forehead!
"Did... did it hit?"
Tang Ling’s hands trembled as she gripped the Mechanical Crossbow, disbelief evident behind her glasses.
That was a fast-moving target!
And at night, no less!
Was Gu Yihan’s archery skill truly this terrifying?
"Awooo—!!"
A heart-wrenching, agonized shriek pierced the night sky.
The demon shark, whose parasitic eye had been shot out, instantly fell into a frenzy.
That eye was not only its weakness but also the central hub controlling its body.
Now pierced by an Ice Arrow, the bone-chilling cold instantly froze its pain receptors, but what followed was utter rage!
Boom!
Its massive body slammed against the water’s surface, using the recoil to leap out of the sea!
Like a black torpedo, it opened its fang-filled maw, reeking of foul wind, and lunged straight at Lin Ji at the bow!
Its target was clear.
This man!
"Lin Ji! Watch out!"