novelraw Chapter 32 : The Fish Monsters' True Purpose
Chapter 32 : The Fish Monsters' True Purpose
The Fish Monsters' True Purpose
When Chu Tianxing and his group arrived at the main dining hall, all their other classmates had already gathered there.
Not only were all the students present, but also all the others, such as the ship’s crews and the security members.
Seeing the ship’s captain, Chu Tianxing couldn't help but frown slightly. "We're not sailing anymore?"
Before he could step forward to ask, the ship’s captain noticed everyone had arrived and clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention before speaking.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, listen up. I know you all have questions. Why did we stop the ship? Why aren't we continuing to sail and getting away from those monsters outside?
"There are two reasons.”
"First, we're currently in the middle of some kind of supernatural incident, and we know absolutely nothing about our surroundings. How far do these monsters' territories extend? Are there even more dangerous creatures lurking around us? We're completely in the dark about all of this. If we just sail blindly, we might encounter even greater unknown dangers.
"Second, rescue could arrive at any moment. If we carelessly change our position, it might be difficult for the rescue team to find us in time when they arrive, and we could miss our chance."
"So we have no choice but to anchor here and hold our ground while we wait for help. Does anyone have any other questions?"
A student raised their hand. "What exactly are those monsters outside?"
The ship’s captain spread his hands helplessly. "Sorry, I have no idea. This is my first time encountering creatures like this."
Another student asked. "Then where the hell are we right now? We can't still be in the same waters, right? There aren't monsters like this in the Great Ming's seas."
The ship’s captain shook his head in frustration. "That's... honestly, I'm just as clueless as all of you about where we've ended up."
A student said with disappointment. "But aren't you an old sailor, Captain? How come you don't know anything?"
The ship’s captain gave an awkward laugh. "Even though I've spent half my life on the ocean, this is the first time I've encountered anything like this situation.
"Actually, the security captain knows way more than I do. All the countermeasures we're taking right now are based on his recommendations. He's a professional with experience in similar incidents, so I trust his judgment."
Just as he was speaking, the faint roars of fish monsters and the sharp battle cries of crew members echoed from the direction of the passages.
Clearly, the fish monsters had broken through the bulkhead doors and launched their assault.
Chu Tianxing listened carefully to the sounds of battle coming from the passage, feeling quite puzzled.
If one were to say the fish monsters were hunting for blood and flesh, then the losses they were incurring would far outweigh the gains.
Just earlier on the deck, the fish monsters had already lost nearly two hundred of their number.
Furthermore, one of their "spellcasters" had been taken out by Chu Tianxing's surprise attack.
Even if the fish monster population was massive, spellcasters should still be extremely valuable and rare.
Otherwise, why would only one staff-wielding fish monster have appeared after fighting for so long?
They'd lost nearly two hundred ordinary fish monsters, several elite fish monsters, and one spellcaster fish monster, but their kill count was zero.
Under normal circumstances, any creature with even a shred of intelligence should have cut their losses and retreated by now.
After all, the ocean wasn't lacking in food sources.
While these fish monsters looked fierce and inhuman, the fact that they knew how to use tools and cast spells meant they had to be a species of intelligent beings.
Even if their intelligence is lower than that of humans, they are intelligent, and intelligent creatures operate on logic.
When intelligent creatures hunt, they definitely calculate costs.
If it wasn't worth it, forget intelligent creatures; even mindless predators would know when to back down.
Even if human flesh tastes like a delicacy to them, there is no justifiable reason for them to press on the assault when they are already suffering massive losses. This wasn’t the behavior of an animal hunting.
It reminded him of a do-or-die situation.
Just as Chu Tianxing was mulling over this, another fish monster climbed onto the deck outside.
This one had dark red scales and a bone crown on its head. It also carried a coral staff. The difference is in the head of its coral staff. There is a white pearl perched on the tip, and it gives off a bone-chilling cold.
Surrounded by several blue-scaled elite fish monsters, it stared intently at the entrance to the ship's passageway.
The area in front of the entrance was already littered with the corpses of ordinary fish monsters, piled up nearly waist-high, forcing the following fish monsters to first drag away their comrades' bodies before they could continue their attack.
But just as two fish monsters howled and charged forward, two gleaming spearheads shot out from the passageway entrance, viciously piercing through their hearts.
The spear points then quickly withdrew, and the two fish monsters collapsed silently to the ground, once again blocking the passage entrance.
The newly arrived staff-wielding fish monster watched this scene coldly without calling a halt. It just watched as the fish monsters continued their suicidal charges, once again using their corpses to clog the passage.
A nearby elite fish monster called out in strange, raspy tones.
If one could understand the language of the fish monsters, one would know that it was currently asking the staff-wielding fish monster a question.
"Lord Priest, the losses... are too great. The terrain... is not good. Do we continue?"
The staff-wielding fish monster replied coldly.
"Continue. This is a divine oracle. We must fulfil God's will even if we have to sacrifice our entire tribe. And all warriors who fight for our God will ascend to the divine realm after death and bask in God's radiance."
After a pause, it continued, "Send out warriors to find other entrances. If they can't find any, then break through those steel walls by force."
The elite fish monster hissed. "As you command... damn humans... using so much iron... to build one ship... how can iron... float on the sea? And where did they... get so much iron?"
After speaking, it went off to make arrangements.
As for the staff-wielding fish monster, it observed for a while before slowly approaching the passageway entrance surrounded by several elite fish monsters. At the same time, it began chanting an obscure, convoluted incantation, secretly preparing a spell.
***
"Can we hold them off?"
A student asked worriedly as they listened to the intense sounds of battle coming from the passage direction.
"Rest assured, we can definitely hold them," the captain reassured them before adding, "But we should also prepare for the worst-case scenario if our defenses fail. Everyone should arm themselves and be ready for anything."
He immediately directed the crew to distribute the ship's weapons and equipment.
The Great Ming had very strict weapons control.
However, since ships might encounter unpredictable emergencies at sea, they were allowed to carry weapons.
The cruise ship that Chu Tianxing and the others were on had quite a few cold weapons, such as knives, axes, spears, and staffs, along with high-quality riot shields for protection.
But there obviously weren't enough to arm all the students and crew members.
So they distributed the proper cold weapons based on martial arts skill level, giving them to students and crew with strong fighting abilities.
The others carried captured fish monster weapons and makeshift weapons DIY'd from various tools and kitchen implements.
Martial artists are people who could easily spit stone monuments with their hands, much less break someone’s bones or crush their internal organs. Obviously, equipping them with weapons—however crude they are—makes a world of difference.
Moreso when their opponents are fish monsters with tough scales and strong physiques. Killing a dozen or so bare-handed drained a lot more stamina than killing them with weapons. Not to mention that they have to fight a prolonged battle.
But with a sharp weapon in hand, they could take down dozens while barely breaking a sweat.
Chu Tianxing also received a single-edged saber reminiscent of the one used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
It looks like an ordinary single-edged saber, but thanks to modern craftsmanship and technology, it is of high-quality.
It definitely lived up to the phrase "cuts through iron like mud."
In the hands of someone who knew how to use it, it could slice through steel rebar as thick as a pinky finger in one stroke. What kind of ancient armor could withstand such a weapon?
The fish monsters outside possessed scales that were no less tough than leather armor, and the strength of their muscles and bones also far surpassed that of humans.
Yet they still could not withstand a casual slash from the security team members.
Whether it was scales, muscle, or bone, everything split apart at the touch of the blade.
This wasn't just because the security team members were strong enough, but also because their weapons were genuinely excellent.
However, the weapons on the ship obviously couldn’t hold a candle when compared to the ones used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern Depot.
The cold weapons used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Eastern Depot, and military were even more refined in both craftsmanship and materials than the weapons on this ship.
Chu Tianxing gripped the single-edged saber and gave it a few practice swings to test the feel, then nodded with satisfaction and sheathed it again.
Of course, he knew how to use saber arts—more than one, in fact.
Although there weren't many famous saber masters in the Legend of the Condor Heroes, there were still Zen Master Kumu's Arhat Saber, the South Mountain Saber of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, and the Soul-Severing Saber of the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River.
They all seemed to be nothing more than second- or third-rate skills fit for minor characters, but when paired with Chu Tianxing's Intuition, even second or third-rate blade work could unleash considerable power.
Besides, he could also use the single-edged saber to execute sword moves.
Although the two weapons weren't the exact same thing, certain moves could still be adapted.
After everyone was armed, they practiced formation coordination in the main dining hall.
Students in the Great Ming started learning formation and drill training from elementary school.
There was even battle formation coordination training in PE class.
So forming ranks and arrays was familiar to everyone.
Even with this emergency practice session, they looked pretty decent.
Just then, an alarmed shout came from the passageway, followed by a security team member's panicked yell.
"Oh shit, another one of those red-scaled fish monsters showed up! It can also fire energy attacks! I'm getting frozen solid..."
The security captain's voice immediately followed. "Quick, drag him back! Get someone else up there! Find a way to take out that red-scaled fish monster!"
"Can't do it, Captain! The distance is too far. The fish monsters outside can't get in, but we can't get out either! That red-scaled fish monster has several blue-scaled ones guarding it... Oh no, it's about to fire another energy attack..."
Hearing the alarmed cries from the passage entrance, everyone in the hall who had been practicing formations couldn't help but change color.
Meanwhile, Xiao Hu, Gao Yuan, and the others who had personally witnessed Chu Tianxing's surprise attack that took down a red-scaled staff-wielding fish monster couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Chu Tianxing.
"Are there any bows and arrows on the ship?"
Chu Tianxing, who had already developed level archery skills and could pull off twin-arrow shots like young Guo Jing, immediately asked the captain without hesitation.
"You know how to use a bow and arrow."
The ship’s captain was taken aback and instinctively asked back, then immediately nodded. "The armory happens to have an antique-style recurve bow, but no one knows how to use it. I'll send someone to get it right away."
He immediately ordered a crew member to fetch the bow.
Archery training was excessively time-consuming. Furthermore, when it came to ranged attacks, firearms had a longer range, greater accuracy, were easier to practice with, and possessed more power. So nowadays, except for a few archery enthusiasts, martial artists have basically stopped using bow and arrow techniques.
The antique-style recurve bow on the ship was just sitting in the armory, ready to be taken out for any tourist who might be interested in trying it for amusement.
Now that Chu Tianxing was asking for bow and arrows, and with the captain's keen eye, he could naturally see that the students with the highest martial arts skills all seemed to look to him as their leader. Since that was the case, the captain raised no objections and directly had his man bring the engraved recurve bow and a quiver of feathered arrows to Chu Tianxing.
Chu Tianxing took the bow in hand, tested the feel, slung the quiver over his shoulder, and was just about to head toward the passage when a loud CLANG came from the wall on the left side of the dining hall.
Glancing to the side, he saw that the soundproofing panel on the left wall was already bulging and cracked, and on the steel plate underneath the panels, a fist-sized bulge had appeared.
Seeing this, a student's face paled. "Oh no, the monsters got smart. They figured out how to break through walls!"
But Chu Tianxing just looked away and continued walking calmly toward the passage. "No rush, they won't break through for a while. Ling'er, you stay here with Xiao Hu, Gao Yuan and the others to guard this place. I'll be right back."