45: Leviathan awakens! A three-way stranglehold!

The ancient horn blast, emanating from the Abyssal and seemingly capable of freezing souls, swept across the entire battlefield like an invisible shockwave.

The raging storm, which had just subsided under the bombardment of electromagnetic cannons, was now replaced by a more primal, more suffocating terror.

On the sea, the twisted and damaged core metal structure of the "typhoon" bobbed and rolled in the waves like a dying steel sea urch, with electric sparks wildly arcing from its damaged parts.

The remaining forces of the Deep Blue Fleet stood firm: the Deep Blue Blade, though scarred from the previous impact, remained upright; the Iron Rock trailed thick smoke, its port side severely tilted, its power barely maintained; the Raging Waves was almost completely disabled, drifting like a huge piece of driftwood; the Claw, heavily damaged, struggled to guard two equally damaged but still cargo-carrying merchant ships; and the sea shadow, like a startled fish, violently adjusted its posture hundreds of meters underwater.

Everyone's gaze, both on and beneath the surface, was fixed on the sonar screens and the gradually calming, yet turbulent, sea area—the source of that terrifying biological energy signal!

Sunlight struggled to penetrate the torn cloud cover, illuminating the murky water in the core explosion zone.

The sea churned as if boiling, with huge bubbles constantly rising.

Then, an unimaginably massive, shadowy silhouette slowly ascended from the unfathomable depths, carrying an oppressive aura that seemed to crush everything!

First to break the surface was a mountainous, rugged spine, covered in thick, dark green-black carapace, with huge glowing fungi and strange tubular organisms growing in its crevices.

The portion of the spine alone that emerged from the water exceeded the length of any warship present!

It was covered in crisscrossing, terrifying scars, as if torn and healed by some ancient, immense force.

Then came the enormous, island-like outline of its head!

Its head was not a biological form in the traditional sense; it was more like a patchwork of extremely tough organic carapace and bone structures that gleamed with a metallic cold light, resembling a gigantic ram.

Six pairs of huge, emotionless compound eyes, like molten gold, slowly opened in the murky water, coldly scanning the tiny creations on the surface and the metallic wreckage (the "typhoon" core) that emitted an unnatural energy fluctuation that it found repulsive.

Its mouth was hidden beneath the massive bony ram, now slightly agape, revealing layers of terrifying teeth like a giant tunnel drill.

Each breath stirred up huge whirlpools and emitted a dull, thunderous roar.

Leviathan!

The legendary deep-sea sovereign! The ancient beast awakened by the "typhoon's" energy impact and the Deep Blue Fleet's bombardment!

Its molten-gold compound eyes first locked onto the "typhoon" core, which was emitting intense residual energy, like a poisonous sting embedded in the sea!

It was this thing that created the destructive storm and the huge explosion, forcibly rousing it from its slumber!

Woo—!!!

Another earth-shattering roar! This time, it was no longer the distant sound of a horn, but a primal fury filled with indignation!

Accompanying this roar, Leviathan's massive head suddenly tilted back, and the thick carapace covering its neck (if that enormous structure could be called a neck) flipped open like a trapdoor, revealing countless biological cavities beneath, resembling giant cannon barrels!

"Be careful!!" Lin Feng and Gao Qiang's warnings rang out almost simultaneously on their respective bridges!

The next second!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Several Deep Blue, ultra-high-pressure water columns, each over ten meters in diameter and condensed as if solid, shot out from those biological cannon barrels like spears of divine punishment!

The water columns' speed exceeded the speed of sound, carrying terrifying kinetic energy and unimaginable pressure, instantly piercing the air with a piercing shriek!

Target: the still-struggling "typhoon" core!

Pfft—!!!!

Solid alloy was like paper in the face of the biological high-pressure water cannons!

The water columns precisely struck the damaged parts of the "typhoon" core, instantly piercing, tearing, and then… utterly pulverizing it, like a hot knife through butter!

A violent secondary explosion occurred within the core, igniting the remaining energy and blasting twisted metal fragments and internal precision components into the air, as if a deadly metal rain was falling!

With just one strike! The Ark's proud ultimate weather weapon, the "typhoon," was utterly annihilated by the wrath of this ancient beast!

However, this was just the beginning!

The explosion's fragments and shockwave inevitably affected the frigate Raging Waves, which was closer!

Boom! Crack!

The already heavily damaged hull of the Raging Waves was struck as if by a giant hammer, emitting a series of heartbreaking metallic tearing sounds!

A huge gash appeared near the waterline, and seawater poured in frantically!

The hull began to tilt and sink at a visible rate!

"Raging Waves! Abandon ship! Everyone abandon ship!" The captain's desperate roar echoed through the communication channel.

On the Deep Blue Blade, Lin Feng watched helplessly as the frigate he had fought alongside was swiftly swallowed by the sea, his heart wrenched with pain!

The sea surface was full of struggling sailors.

And Leviathan, after destroying the "typhoon" core, slowly turned its molten-gold compound eyes towards another large energy and noise source in this sea area—the majestic Deep Blue Blade!

In its gaze, there was no trace of reason, only a pure… desire for destruction against those who had intruded into its domain and caused chaos!

"Report! Target… target has locked onto us! Biological energy readings are rising sharply!" The sonar officer's voice trembled with despair.

"Engines full power! Emergency evasion! All anti-aircraft fire prepare to intercept water columns!" Commander Chen Hai ordered hoarsely.

"It's too late!" Lin Feng's pupils contracted sharply; he saw Leviathan's massive head tilt back again, and those terrifying biological cannon barrels began to charge again!

Deep Blue light gathered within the cavities!

At this critical moment!

"sea shadow! Now!" Lin Feng roared into the communicator!

"sea shadow understands! Abyssal Piercer, launch!" Gao Qiang's steady and decisive voice came through!

The sea shadow, which had been lurking in the shadows beneath the giant beast, like a deep-sea assassin, revealed its deadly fangs at this moment!

Two slender Abyssal Piercer heavy intelligent torpedoes, trailing long wakes like two deadly vipers, shot towards Leviathan's relatively vulnerable underside—where the carapace gaps were larger, and faintly visible, pulsating organs emitting vast biological energy could be seen!

Puff! Puff!

The torpedoes precisely drilled into the gaps in the carapace!

The high-explosive warheads detonated violently within the giant beast's body!

Boom! Boom!!!

Dull but violent explosions came from underwater!

Leviathan's massive body trembled violently!

A huge roar of pain shook the entire sea area!

Two large, bloody wounds were blown open on its underside, and dark green blood gushed out like fountains, instantly staining a large area of the sea green!

The biological water cannon attack originally aimed at the Deep Blue Blade was also forcibly interrupted!

"Well done, Gao Qiang!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted excitedly from the Iron Rock.

"Now! Full fleet! Maximum speed! Retreat! Retreat!" Lin Feng seized this fleeting opportunity and ordered sharply.

Leviathan was wounded, but far from killed!

Its anger would only be more terrifying!

The Deep Blue Blade's engines roared, turning its bow and cutting through the waves.

The Iron Rock followed closely.

The Claw, escorting two heavily damaged merchant ships, struggled with all its might to escape this deadly sea area.

The sea shadow, like a ghost, immediately dived deep after releasing its torpedoes, using the murky water and the beast's blood for cover, silently fleeing into the deep sea.

However, how could Leviathan's wrath be so easily appeased?

It gave up chasing the fastest Deep Blue Blade, and its massive head turned towards the slowest, largest targets—the two ten-thousand-ton merchant ships, Harvest and Hope, desperately trying to escape!

Woo—!!!!

With a roar full of pain and rage, its massive tail swung violently!

That mountain-like giant tail stirred up overwhelming waves, slamming fiercely into the Hope, which was lagging behind!

"No!!!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes were splitting with rage!

Boom!!!

Like the sky falling and the earth rending!

The ten-thousand-ton Hope, under the impact of Leviathan's giant tail, instantly broke into two like a fragile matchbox!

Ship fragments, cargo, and countless desperate figures were swept into the monstrous waves, disappearing from sight!

"Hope… sank…" In the communication channel, only dead silence and suppressed weeping remained.

The people on the Harvest, witnessing this divine punishment-like destruction, fell into utter despair and madness, accelerating recklessly, but the beast's gaze had already locked onto it!

At this final, desperate moment!

On the Deep Blue Blade's bridge, a look of grim determination flashed in Lin Feng's eyes!

He slammed his fist onto the control panel: "'Thunder' system! Overload mode! Target: Leviathan's head compound eyes! Intercepting fire! Shoot!"

"Commander! Overload will severely damage the gun barrels! It might even…" The weapons officer said in terror.

"Execute order!" Lin Feng's voice was beyond question.

Buzz—!!!

The "Heaven's Punishment - Type I" electromagnetic railgun emitted an unprecedented, terrifying hum, like a dying giant beast!

The gun barrels instantly turned crimson!

The surrounding air was ionized, crackling with loud bangs!

"Fire!!!"

A destructive beam of light, several times thicker and almost pure white compared to before, shot out with a furious energy that seemed to tear everything apart!

Its speed was so fast that it even surpassed the limits of visual capture!

This light beam did not aim at Leviathan's vital points (Lin Feng knew it couldn't be a one-shot kill), but instead fiercely grazed the top of its massive head, piercing several of its molten-gold compound eyes!

Pfft! Pfft!

Like giant lava lamps being shattered!

Dark green viscous fluid and shattered crystalline tissue splattered everywhere!

Leviathan let out the most shrill, painful roar since the battle began!

Its massive head thrashed wildly, the intense pain temporarily depriving it of the ability to attack precisely!

"Now! Go!" Lin Feng roared.

The Harvest, with its last ounce of strength, under the escort of the Claw, finally broke out of the most dangerous sea area.

The Deep Blue Blade and the Iron Rock also escaped the giant beast's effective attack range.

Lin Feng took one last look at the hellish sea area: Leviathan churned the water wildly in pain and rage, stirring up hundreds of meters high waves; dark green blood and the wreckage of merchant ships and warships floated on the surface; the crack in the sky was slowly being swallowed by regrouping dark clouds, and the sunlight was about to disappear again…

He slowly closed the communication screen to that hell, his voice low and hoarse, filled with endless exhaustion and heaviness:

"Announce to the entire fleet… the 'Coral Route' mission… is over."

"We… are going home."

The battered fleet, with the sole remaining merchant ship Harvest, covered in scars, and bearing the immense grief of the lost Raging Waves and Hope, and countless brave sailors, embarked on a long and silent journey home, silently escorted by the sea shadow.

The roar of the Devil's Triangle gradually faded, but Leviathan's molten-gold compound eyes and destructive giant tail, as well as the Ark's cold "Doomsday Judgment" declaration, were etched like brands deep into the soul of every survivor.

The war had just entered a more brutal chapter.