50: The monster enters the scene! A chaotic finale!

Gao Qiang's warning about the Leviathan's approach was like a scoop of ice water thrown into a boiling oil pot, instantly freezing the intense command and alarm sounds within the Deep Blue Fortress's command center.

Lin Feng's gaze was fixed on the signal track transmitted by "Sea Eye-3" on the screen—that enormous light spot, representing the terrifying creature's energy, was cutting into the battlefield from the deep sea at an astonishing speed, heading directly for the rear of the Ark Fleet!

"Order all units! Cease active attacks on the Ark Fleet! Full defense! Evasive maneuvers! Retreat to the home port!" Lin Feng's voice was like ice, carrying an undeniable resolve. Faced with an existence of the Leviathan's caliber, any human fleet's firepower seemed pale and weak; self-preservation was the only option!

Almost at the same time the order was given!

Woo——————!!!!!

That familiar horn sound, as if from ancient primordial times, filled with rage and majesty, once again tore through the deafeningsound of gunfire on the sea surface! This time, the sound was incredibly close, as if exploding right in their ears!

Behind the Ark's massive fleet, the sea area, previously churned by the warships' wakes, suddenly bulged into a gigantic, suffocating water mound! Immediately after, the seawater exploded as if boiling! The Leviathan's terrifying body, like a moving mountain range, broke through ten thousand acres of blue waves, appearing with a roar!

Its colossal back was like an island covered in dark green carapace, scarred yet radiating a heart-stopping primal power. Its molten-gold compound eyes lit up in the murky mist, like six cold suns, instantly locking onto the most energetic and noisiest areas of the entire battlefield with the fury of being disturbed—the four Abyss Fortress-class battlecruisers, especially numbers 3 and 4, which had just fired their main guns and whose energy fluctuations had not yet subsided!

"Oh my God… what kind of monster is that?!"

"Deep… Deep Sea Behemoth! Mentioned in the intel…"

"Fire! All weapons! Fire! Stop it from getting closer!" The Ark Fleet's communication channels were instantly drowned in screams of terror and chaos!

However, it was all too late!

The Leviathan's massive head suddenly tilted back, and the thick armor covering its abdomen lifted like a trapdoor, revealing the terrifying, giant cannon-like biological cavity beneath! Deep Blue destructive light furiously converged within it!

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

Five ultra-high-pressure water columns, thicker and more concentrated than those that had previously destroyed the typhoon's core, like Deep Blue spears of divine punishment tearing through the sky, instantly crossed several kilometers! Target: Abyss Fortress numbers 3 and 4!

This time, the Ark's proud heavy armor and energy shields (if any) were rendered useless in the face of absolute power!

Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!

The water columns precisely struck Abyss Fortress number 3's bow main gun turret, bridge command center, and engine room! Like a hot knife through butter, the sturdy alloy was instantly pierced and torn! Violent secondary explosions followed immediately! The entire massive warship, like building blocks hit by a giant hammer, snapped sharply in the middle! Flames and thick smoke shot into the sky! Countless fragments and human remains were thrown into the air!

Abyss Fortress number 4 suffered equally terribly! Two water columns penetrated its midship and stern thrusters respectively! The massive explosion directly tore it into three sections! The wreckage burned fiercely on the sea surface and rapidly sank!

With just one attack! Two Abyss Fortress-class battlecruisers, symbolizing the Ark's highest military power, were transformed into burning steel tombs under the wrath of this ancient behemoth!

The entire battlefield instantly fell into a dead silence! Both the Ark's surviving ships and the Deep Blue Fortress's defenders were completely awed by this unimaginable destructive power!

But the Leviathan's rage was far from appeased! After destroying the most prominent targets, its molten-gold compound eyes swept over the other ant-like ships on the sea surface. Its massive tail suddenly swung!

Rumble!!!

Mountain-toppling giant waves, like moving mountains, slammed into several nearby, terrified Ark destroyers and frigates! Hundreds of tons of warships were flipped and smashed like toys before this might of nature! In an instant, several more piles of burning wreckage appeared on the sea surface!

"Retreat! Entire fleet! Disperse and retreat! Get out of this sea area!" The Ark Fleet Commander completely broke down, issuing a desperate and shrill retreat order. What Purification Tide, what annihilating Deep Blue, all became a joke in the face of absolute power! The remaining Ark ships, like startled fish, no longer cared about formation, turning their bows and fleeing wildly in all directions!

The Deep Blue Fortress side was equally terrified! Although the Leviathan's main target was the Ark, the indiscriminate giant waveImpact and infrasound roars also caused the Deep Blue Blade and Iron Rock, close to the coast, to shake violently, increasing their damage!

"Commander! The Iron Rock… hull flooding is uncontrollable! Power lost! We… we can't hold on!" Zhao Tiezhu's hoarse voice sounded in the communication, filled with endless unwillingness. His warship had been heavily damaged in the previous shelling, and now, under the impact of the giant waves, it had finally reached its end.

"Abandon ship! Everyone abandon ship!" Lin Feng's heart bled, but the order was given without hesitation.

The Deep Blue Blade was also in peril! Captain Chen Hai looked at the scarred flagship, burning in several places, and turned to Lin Feng: "Commander! The flagship also…"

"Retreat into the harbor! Immediately!" Lin Feng said sharply, "Coastal defense forces, provide fire cover for the flagship's retreat! All remaining anti-air forces, beware of possible indiscriminate attacks from the Leviathan!"

Just as the Deep Blue Blade, trailing thick smoke, struggled towards the home port entrance, the Leviathan seemed to lose interest in the remaining "little bugs." Its massive head turned towards the Deep Blue Fortress, and its molten-gold compound eyes seemed to penetrate the buildings, landing on the depths of the island—where a faint energy fluctuation, both familiar and repulsive to it, remained after the previous bio-geothermal core explosion.

It let out a low, warning roar, and its massive body slowly sank, stirring up a huge vortex, finally disappearing into the dark deep sea, leaving behind only the hellish battlefield wreckage floating on the surface and a deathly silence.

The naval battle… ended in a way no one could have predicted.

---

The Deep Blue Fortress port gates slowly closed, isolating the tragic scene outside. The scarred Deep Blue Blade, like a blood-soaked beast, lay quietly at its berth, its hull covered in charred bullet marks and huge dents, steam and black smoke rising from its damaged areas. On the dock, medical personnel and rescue teams bustled like ants, carrying seriously wounded from the ship, the air filled with the strong smell of blood, charring, and the pungent scent of disinfectant.

Inside the command center, the atmosphere was as heavy as solidified lead. On the giant electronic sand table, the red lights representing the Ark Fleet had scattered and disappeared, leaving only a few dim markers representing sunken wreckage. And the blue lights representing Deep Blue's forces had also dimmed by more than half—the Iron Rock had sunk, the Raging Waves had sunk earlier, the coastal defense core positions were completely destroyed, anti-air forces suffered heavy losses, the flagship was heavily damaged… The casualty figures were even more shocking.

Lin Feng stood before the huge floor-toceiling window, his silhouette appearing particularly lonely and heavy. Outside the window was the last of the Iron Rock's bridge, slowly sinking, and the burning Ark warship wreckage floating on the sea. The sunset was blood-red, staining this sea of death a mournful dark red.

"Reporting, Commander…" Chief of Staff Chen Hai's voice was hoarse and tired, breaking the silence, "Preliminary battle damage assessment…"

"Read it." Lin Feng's voice was low, devoid of emotion.

"Ship losses: Iron Rock frigate sunk, Raging Waves frigate sunk, two high-speed patrol boats sunk… Deep Blue Blade heavily damaged, repair period at least six months, and the 'Thunder' system completely scrapped… Claw moderately damaged…"

"Coastal defense losses: 'Eagle's Beak Cliff' missile base, 'Iron Rock' coastal gun battery completely destroyed, other coastal defense firepower losses exceeding 60%, anti-air network 70% destroyed…"

"Personnel losses: KIA… 1328, seriously wounded 587, missing… 211…" As he read this number, Chen Hai's voice clearly choked.

"Technical losses: Energy research area… completely destroyed, Dr. Su Qing and her core team… all… confirmed killed in action… related research data… largely incinerated…"

Every word was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart. This was a war without victors; both sides paid a heavy price.

"Also…" Intelligence Chief Zhou Rui stepped forward, his face solemn, "We intercepted chaotic communication fragments from the Ark's surviving fleet. They also suffered heavy losses, two Abyss Fortresses sunk, multiple capital ships sunk or heavily damaged. Their high command seems to have… had a fierce argument. Some voices accused the hardliners of provoking the war and incurring 'divine punishment' (referring to the Leviathan), calling for a ceasefire and even… contact with us to jointly address the deep-sea threat."

Jointly address the deep-sea threat? Lin Feng's lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile. Blood feuds, how could they be so easily resolved? But the Leviathan's existence truly was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over all humanity.

Just then, the communications officer suddenly reported: "Commander! sea shadow reports! While assisting in rescuing Iron Rock personnel in the water, in the nearby sea area… they salvaged a relatively intact piece of armor wreckage from Abyss Fortress number 3's bridge! On it… there appear to be internal structural diagrams and some encrypted data interfaces! Commander Gao Qiang believes it may be of extremely high value!"

Wreckage from an Abyss Fortress? Lin Feng's eyes suddenly narrowed! This might be the most valuable trophy Deep Blue had gained in this brutal war!

"Order the sea shadow to protect that wreckage at all costs! Immediately transport it secretly back to base!"

"Yes!"

"And," Lin Feng turned around, his gaze sweeping over all the tired and grieving officers in the command room, "Notify all department heads at the base to hold an emergency post-war meeting in one hour."

"Our warriors bought us a temporary respite with their lives and blood."

"But the war is far from over!"

"The Leviathan's threat, the Ark's hatred, are all still there!"

"The Deep Blue Fleet will not sink into the ruins!"

"We will be reborn from the ashes! We will forge sharper swords in blood!"

"Objective: Reverse-engineer Abyss Fortress wreckage technology! Accelerate Sea Wolf-class submarine construction! Restart energy research (based on any potential remaining data from Su Qing)! Evaluate the risks and possibilities of contact with the Ark's doves!"

"Deep Blue's path to hegemony is destined to be paved with blood and fire! But this time, we must not only win the war…"

Lin Feng's gaze turned to the blood-red sea outside the window, towards the deep, unknown distance:

"We must also… uncover the secrets of this deep sea and ancient times! And grasp our destiny in our own hands!"

The setting sun, like blood, reflected off the scarred fortress and warships, and also reflected the unquenchable, star-like fighting spirit and determination in Lin Feng's eyes. The smoke of the great naval battle had not yet cleared, but a grander and more arduous journey, concerning the survival and future of human civilization, had quietly begun amidst the ruins and bloodshed.