"A huge monster shot out from under the sea and sent the boat flying."

"Chairman, all I heard was Brother Biao’s last shout... something about a ’dragon.’ I was too scared, I didn’t have time to think. I just swam for it. I don’t know if I was just lucky, but the Sea Beast didn’t chase me." On the shore, a man with a deathly pale face and a runny nose sniffled, speaking with lingering fear.

Zou Jianghe’s face was devoid of expression.

He had brought a few of his trusted followers over as soon as he received the news last night.

The tide hadn’t gone out yet, and with the sea being so deep, it was too dangerous.

No one dared to go into the water.

The salvage and rescue operation had to be postponed.

It wasn’t until dawn, when the tide receded, that the wreckage of the boat floating on the surface washed up on the mudflats. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Zou Jianghe, this is all your fault!" He Biao’s wife shrieked, her finger nearly poking him in the face.

"My husband trusted you so much, and you sent him to his death!"

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen beforehand," Zou Jianghe said, his voice laced with helplessness.

Huang Tao supported him from behind. "Chairman, a two-character name that includes ’dragon’... it would have to be either a Fish Dragon or a Mosasaurus."

Zou Jianghe waved his hand dismissively. "None of that matters now."

Because the men were already dead.

He had never imagined that such a monster was hiding in the waters between two islands so close to each other.

’Who would have thought a big boss would spawn right next to the Gated Community’s starting point?’

Just yesterday, there had been no sign of any Sea Beast or Giant Beast activity.

Facing the families of the deceased, Zou Jianghe took a deep bow.

"This is my responsibility. I promise you all, I will kill this monster and avenge our fallen brothers."

After the crowd had gradually dispersed, Zou Jianghe found Qin Ziwen.

"Chairman Qin, there’s a Sea Beast roaming the waters around the Gated Community. For everyone’s safety, I hope our two sides can work together to kill it."

"I know," Qin Ziwen nodded. "I heard about what happened this morning. But it’s not that simple."

After a pause, Qin Ziwen continued, "If a Car-Mounted Crossbow is used to attack an animal in the water, the Crossbow Arrow’s kinetic energy will be drastically reduced once it enters the water. We have to find a way to lure it to the surface."

At this point, Qin Ziwen said, "However, we can handle the hunt ourselves. We won’t need to trouble you, Chairman Zou."

Zou Jianghe was silent for a long moment, then asked, "Can’t we cooperate? My side can contribute as well."

Qin Ziwen looked surprised. "Contribute in what way?"

The question stumped Zou Jianghe. He started to speak, then stopped, his mind racing through several possible replies.

But he rejected them all.

’It suddenly occurred to him that it didn’t seem to matter much to the Qin Alliance whether his Alliance Association was involved or not.’

In the end, he gave a dejected smile. "Then I’ll have to trouble Chairman Qin."

With that, he turned away, a desolate figure.

"Chairman." Nearby, a few high-ranking members of the Alliance Association exchanged glances and then hurried after him.

...

After Zou Jianghe left, Qin Ziwen gazed out at the sea. He also hadn’t expected a Sea Beast to be active in these waters at night.

’I have to find a way to deal with it, or at least a way to drive it off. Otherwise, our ships won’t be able to leave the island at all.’

Judging from yesterday’s incident, this Giant Beast in the sea has a strong desire to attack.

A beast that has tasted human flesh is more dangerous than one that hasn’t.

By the same token, a Sea Beast that has destroyed ships before is more dangerous than one encountering a ship for the first time.

It has experience destroying ships; it knows how to capsize them.

Having tasted humans, it knows what we taste like. It might even add humans to its menu.

But how to hunt the Sea Beast was another problem. Although the Beaked Eagle ate fish, he couldn’t just have it hunt a giant Sea Beast in the middle of the ocean.

Jia Liangcai said, "My Lord, this Sea Beast in the ocean is like a wall, temporarily cutting us off from the Gated Community on the other side. It’s not only stopping us, but it’s also stopping them from contacting us. If we can’t solve this, our range of activity will be limited to our current reef island and the areas accessible after the tide goes out."

Qin Ziwen replied, "Then we’re at a disadvantage. That large island on the other side should have other animals, and it has more trees, making it easier for them to build ships. The longer this drags on, the more it benefits them."

After a moment of thought, Qin Ziwen said, "We can’t just give them free time to develop. I’ll take the Beaked Eagle and fly over to check out the situation."

With that, Qin Ziwen first returned to his Home, went to the Ghost Ship Dock, and found Tao Fu.

At that moment, Tao Fu and the Ghost Boatmen were building a second ship.

Judging by the frame of its hull, the ship was about twelve meters long.

It was more than a size larger than the Keel Ship.

Pale blue Ghost Boatmen were crawling over the ship’s surface, hammering away relentlessly.

On the other side, the first Keel Ship they had built was resting on the ground. The plan had been to launch it this morning.

But after last night’s incident, the plan to launch the wooden ship was temporarily put on hold.

Because judging from what happened, a wooden ship of this class would have almost no defense against the Sea Beast.

Even though a ship over seven meters long was a bit bigger than Zou Jianghe’s Five-Meter Level wooden ship.

It was only a bit bigger.

Against a sea monster of unknown length and size class, a wooden ship that was only two meters longer was not a safe bet.

To be honest, Qin Ziwen felt that even a Ten-Meter Level wooden ship would have to rely on luck to withstand a twenty-to-thirty-meter-long Giant Beast of the sea.

So he gave Tao Fu a new set of requirements. "The ship needs to be heavier, and the hull plating on the bottom must be thickened. It would be best to add a layer of iron sheeting, and then apply multiple layers of waterproofing. That way, even if one layer is bitten through, it won’t compromise the entire vessel."

After hearing from his lordship about what happened last night, Tao Fu quickly nodded.

"Rest assured, My Lord, the techniques are no problem." After working with these Ghost Boatmen, Tao Fu’s confidence had grown considerably.

He had discovered that although the Ghost Boatmen couldn’t speak, they could complete basically any task he assigned them.

It was quite magical.

And perhaps because they were Ghosts, some of the more difficult forging techniques seemed to be child’s play for them, not hard at all.

Tao Fu’s role was more of a supervisor, responsible for constructing the overall frame of the ship.

Qin Ziwen said, "Besides that, I also need you to install several Heavy Crossbows on the ship. You know what a Whaling Ship is, right? Try to build it to those specifications."

Tao Fu hesitated, as he had never built a Whaling Ship.

But then he thought of the Ghost Boatmen, and of the Yanwu Military Equipment Supervisor’s powerful siege engine manufacturing capabilities.

Tao Fu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Good. Cooperate well with Li Tieshan. I hope to see your results as soon as possible."

After giving his instructions, Qin Ziwen mounted the Beaked Eagle and flew into the sky from the side of the Gated Community.

He headed toward the other island on this map. At the same time, he had Du Yu and the others at Home get ready to provide support at a moment’s notice. If he ran into a crisis, his only choice would be to open a Node and call for backup.

...

...