novelraw Chapter 290: The Navy's Crushing Defeat
Chapter 290: The Navy's Crushing Defeat
Chen Qi looked at the detailed report of the incident.
Beneath the bright red characters spelling "Disgraceful Defeat" was a striking photograph taken from high altitude by frontline reporter Pelu.
Above the churning sea, at the strategic coastal stronghold, the pentagonal naval base with forty-meter-high walls billowed with scorching smoke. Five Black Sea Elephants, massive as mountains, had shattered the steel walls that had stood unbreached for a century!
Above the burning base, panicked navy personnel could be seen scrambling to escape. Pirates wearing black pirate outfits brandished cutlasses, their entire bodies emanating ominous black auras as they chased down navy personnel in white Storm Hammer uniforms like they were driving away stray dogs.
Atop the main building's dome of the naval base, the navy's hope, the man countless sailors relied upon, Navy Admiral White Seagull hung like a feeble little bird, his neck gripped by the Blackfin Crew's Seven Sea Pirates general, Black Death Doctor, who held him high in the air!
The Blackfin Crew's flag fluttered amidst the smoke. Navy Admiral Old White Seagull was drenched in blood, completely powerless to resist. The admiral's defeat symbolized the complete fall of the naval base.
Tens of billions of Shell Coins from the naval base, two legendary profession cards, a Hammer-affinity witch relic, plus countless supernatural resources, and one thousand physically strong navy personnel—all had become spoils of war for pirate general Black Death Doctor.
Coupled with the capture of a legendary combatant who became prisoner of the Black Whale Pirates, this could truly be called an event that shocked the entire sea!
This was a freshly published report that instantly stirred excitement among the many adventurers at Haibao Number One.
This was the unstoppable tide of the sea, affecting every one of them.In many people's impressions, the navy was still a force that could contend with the Blackfin Crew.
Once the navy fell, the probability of hunters like them from the Hunter Association being hunted by pirates would greatly increase.
The breaking of the Storm Hammer—this was a massive event signaling the navy's formal commencement of action. After this event, battles across the sea would intensify into white-hot conflict, with order losing balance.
Mr. White Seagull... Chen Qi fell silent for a moment. He had rather favorable impressions of Navy Admiral White Seagull.
The speed of events was developing much faster than he had imagined.
Unlike when he had accepted Old White Seagull's mission before, he was now a qualified third-tier adventurer.
With his current strength, although he couldn't yet dominate this war tide, he at least wouldn't be completely swept away by it.
But this was far from enough. He still lacked the power to command the tides and needed to quickly build his own vessel amidst these waves.
Chen Qi leaned back and gently tapped the table:
"As expected, the navy won't yield to this defeat. One of the Blackfin Crew's important islands, the Dragonflower Archipelago with its countless medicinal resources, will most likely be plunged into war."
The Dragonflower Archipelago was rich in resources, guarded only by the Dragon Tamer King, his flying dragon flocks, and troops, lacking strong military defensive structures.
The navy wouldn't pass up the opportunity to attack the Blackfin Crew. This was also his and Fen's chance to enter the depths of the Dragonflower Archipelago and seize the Moon Island Flower—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
However, compared to the battle-eager Chen Qi, Fen's mood at this moment was much more subdued.
Fen, wearing her white mask, hung her head low. Water Spirit No. 2 atop her head thoughtfully made a sorrowful expression, conveying its master's fear and sadness.
"Qi, are you really going to take the risk and make an enemy of the Blackfin Crew? You should know that the Blackfin Crew's purpose in attacking the naval base this time was most likely the witch relic mentioned in the newspaper..."
Collecting five witch relics would grant the power to open the Witch's Coffin, so gathering witch relics was indeed one of the Blackfin Crew's goals.
And Fen possessed two such relics!
Specifically, the Blade Witch's relic and the Flower Witch's relic.
Chen Qi detected her fear.
For a single witch relic, the Blackfin Crew was willing to deploy five Black Sea Elephants plus a monster among pirate generals like Black Death Doctor.
However, although the Flower Witch possessed two witch relics, the Blackfin Crew's pursuit of them had only reached the level of bounty notices, with no legendary figures actually launching pursuit against them.
Fen didn't feel lucky about this; on the contrary, she felt intense unease.
She vaguely sensed that she was like a little grass carp raised in a fish pond, waiting to be fattened up before the sea's ruler, the Pirate King Whale Father, would devour her in one bite.
The Blackfin Crew excelled at pursuit; the only unpredictable one should be the independently operating Blood Hunter... Just as Chen Qi was preparing to comfort her.
At that moment, a man with a mechanical arm approached, snapping his fingers familiarly and interrupting his thoughts.
"Bring me three glasses of your finest wine! Qi, long time no see! Your food boat business actually made it here! Business must be good!"
"???"
Chen Qi turned his head to look at this uninvited guest beside him.
He wore gray Artisans' clothing, had a sturdy mechanical right arm, wore goggles, and sported some prickly stubble on his chin.
Though young, his heavy dark circles already gave him a nearly-dead appearance.
Who are you? Chen Qi blinked, unable to immediately recall the other's identity.
Burry said disappointedly:
"You haven't forgotten me, have you! We met on Damarro Island! That food boat outside was built by me!"
Oh! That super big sucker who spent five million Shell Coins to buy the "Wyvern Charm" card!
Chen Qi suddenly realized, remembering who this was—Burry from the Ice Demon Pirates, that strange guy obsessed with finding a mecha to marry.
Wait, a mechanic—I wonder if this guy can upgrade equipment... Chen Qi gave Burry a slight smile:
"Of course I remember, Mr. Burry. I wonder, after obtaining the Wyvern Charm, if you found your ideal partner."
Except for Captain Palu who got treated like a slave by the crew, everyone in the Ice Demon Pirates was rolling in wealth!
The Ice Demon Pirates crew exploited Captain Palu, and Chen Qi planned to exploit the Ice Demon Pirates crew.
He happened to have some things on hand that needed dealing with.
Burry opened a bottle of rum:
"No, I met a dragonkin, but she looked down on me for lacking scales, and scorned that the Wyvern Charm on me wasn't enough. That's why I came here, to see if I could enhance my dragon attributes further."
Terrifying mechanophilia... Chen Qi resisted the urge to retort.
"This is Miss An?"
"No!"
Fen answered decisively, tilting her head in confusion, feeling the name sounded strangely familiar.
Chen Qi introduced:
"My food boat's current vice captain, an alchemist who enjoys farming."
His former vice captain, Water Spirit Number Three, was still missing.
Vice captain... Hearing Chen Qi say this, Fen happily nodded.
Burry's eyes lit up as he clearly detected Chen Qi's third-tier spiritual energy field:
"Oh, hello. Wait, Qi, you reached third tier! This is truly astonishing. If your beginner mentor knew, she would be very proud."
Hard to imagine—in such a short time, the former second-tier Transcendent who needed care from a beginner mentor now possessed the same rank and similar strength as me... Burry couldn't help but reflect that the Dimensional Tide was truly a wave both dangerous and full of opportunity.
Burry flexed his fists a couple of times.
Qi also has a teacher? Fen coldly interrupted their conversation:
"Ahem, sir, perhaps we should discuss the naval base attack incident and worry about the future of us third-tier Transcendents."
Burry said calmly:
"Worry about these things! Everyone, no need to worry! To be honest! I don't even know how we could lose on the Witch Sea! So many mechas from Beiguo are about to arrive—how could the navy lose!!"