277: Mermaid King

"Pang Long!" The fleet Commander, a Navy Senior Colonel, ordered in a deep voice, "Go up and communicate with her! Find out exactly what's going on! Stay safe and do not provoke her!"

"Yes!" Standing by his side, Pang Long—one of the four top experts of Jiangcheng and a powerful water-element Evolver—stepped forward. He channeled the energy within his body, condensing a pair of wings made of clear flowing water on his back. He took to the sky, cautiously flying toward that heart-stopping throne of icy waves.

"Respected Mermaid King," Pang Long felt the terrifying pressure naturally radiating from the other party. The surging, abyss-like water elements made the circulation of his own Superpower difficult. He struggled to keep his voice calm and respectful. "I do not know where my human race has offended you to lead you to bring an army against us. If there is a misunderstanding, please clarify. My human race is by no means unreasonable and will certainly investigate the truth."

"Humans, hypocrites!" The Mermaid King's voice was very pleasant, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness and anger. Invisible mental waves battered Pang Long's consciousness, giving him a splitting headache. "You have harmed my child! Hand over the murderer! I can refrain from killing the innocent!"

"Your Majesty, we truly have not seen your child. Please describe them more clearly so we can conduct a search," Pang Long gritted his teeth and persisted.

"You still dare to quibble!" the Mermaid King barked, waving her magic wand again. The giant ice whale beneath her feet opened its massive mouth in coordination. Deep within the currents inside the whale's mouth, a dying Mermaid Princess appeared. She had the appearance of a mermaid girl, but her tail and body were covered in horrific, jagged wounds as if sliced by a massive, sharp propeller. Pale blue blood seeped out slowly, and her life force was weak.

Pang Long's heart sank as he understood instantly!

It was very likely that when the Red Alert Legion's ultra-large transport fleet, carrying the "black great wall" mechas, passed through the Han River, they had accidentally injured this submerged Mermaid Princess! But he could never admit it—at least not now.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty! We will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly! Please give us a little time to find the true culprit, and we will surely hand them over to you for disposal!" Pang Long said quickly, attempting to stall for time.

"I will give you only the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn!" The Mermaid King's voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice as her wand pointed toward Jiangcheng. "Hand over the murderer and the weapon! Otherwise, the wrath of my aquatic army shall submerge your fleet and every human in that city!"

With that, she waved her wand, and a giant wave even more violent than before surged up, slamming hard against the outer perimeter of the fleet! Ships weighing thousands of tons rocked violently before this cataclysmic power, like fallen leaves in a gale. Personnel inside the ships were tossed about as if they were experiencing a magnitude ten earthquake!

"Pang Long! Come back first!" Seeing things take a turn for the worse, the fleet Commander immediately called out through the communicator.

Back in the command room of the flagship, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could drip water. The fleet Commander had already urgently reported the situation to the Jiangcheng Command Center.

Liu Yi's order: stall the beast tide and the Mermaid King at all costs! The Red Alert First Fleet is rushing over at full speed and is expected to arrive in a few hours; the bomber wing from Longxing City has already taken off; the airship, the kirov airship, has also urgently launched from Hongdu Base and is preheating to accelerate. As long as the reinforcements—especially the airship—arrive, the current crisis can be resolved.

"Find a way to keep stalling!" the Commander said to Pang Long.

"But she only gave us the time of a stick of incense..." Pang Long's expression was grim.

"Then prepare for battle!" The Commander slammed his fist on the table. "Do these beasts really think we're made of clay?!"

"Sir," Pang Long took a deep breath, his voice dry, "this Mermaid King... is too strong. According to the National Government's energy grading standards, she has likely reached Tier 3 Advanced, or even close to the peak! Such an existence... ten of me wouldn't be her match. There is a qualitative gap between her and me."

"Don't panic!" A ruthless glint flashed in the Commander's eyes. "The Red Alert Legion's airship is equipped with a High-Energy Matrix Laser Cannon capable of killing a Tier 3 Advanced target in one shot! What we need to do is buy time and stall her at all costs!"

Time passed minute by minute, each second feeling as long as a year.

Although the beast tide had temporarily stopped its advance, it had already surrounded the Jiangcheng fleet in tight layers. The other three top experts from Jiangcheng had also arrived on the ships, but facing the Mermaid King, dozens of Tier 3 sea beasts, and the boundless swarm below, a heavy mountain seemed to weigh on everyone's hearts.

"Humans—time is up! Hand over the murderer!" The Mermaid King lost her patience, her angry shriek ringing out again. She waved her wand, and an even more ferocious giant wave slammed directly into an escort ship, nearly capsizing it! This blatant display of force left everyone trembling with fear.

"Damn it!" The fleet Commander watched the friendly ship struggling in the massive waves, his eyes nearly splitting with rage, yet he was helpless. If the Mermaid King went all out, the entire fleet probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

"Your Majesty the Mermaid King! We are searching with all our might! Please grant us a few more moments!" Pang Long had to fly near the Mermaid King again, shouting almost imploringly.

The Mermaid King's beautiful yet icy face remained expressionless as she pointed her staff toward the silhouette of Jiangcheng: "Half a stick of incense. If I do not see the murderer by then... you and every living being in that city shall perish beneath the water!"

At this desperate moment, a calm and powerful voice rang out across all communication channels of the Jiangcheng fleet like heavenly music:

"Jiangcheng Fleet, this is the Red Alert Legion First Fleet. Our forces have arrived in the nearby waters. Targets have been locked. Requesting confirmation of the final coordinates of all your vessels to avoid friendly fire. Over."

It was Liu Jiang! The voice of the Red Alert First Fleet's Air Wing Vice-Captain!

"Red Alert Fleet! This is the Jiangcheng Fleet! Coordinates have been finalized and sent! Repeat, coordinates confirmed! Our forces are fully prepared, please fire at will! Repeat, fire at will!" The Jiangcheng fleet Commander practically roared his response, his voice filled with the excitement of a narrow escape.

"Received. All units of the First Fleet, take orders!" Liu Jiang's voice was as steady as a rock. "Open all vertical launch cells! Rapid fire for three minutes, expend half of the missile stockpile! Target the core area of the Han River beast tide and high-value targets! Fire!"

On the distant horizon behind the Han River, the silhouettes of the Red Alert First Fleet's warships loomed. Immediately following, on the deck of every Red Alert warship, the covers of the dense vertical launch systems slammed open! It was like a beast baring its fangs!

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!!!!"

Countless dazzling trails of exhaust tore through the gloomy sky! Land-attack cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-air missiles... like a storm of reverse-flying meteors, they streaked across the sky with deathly shrieks, lunging at supersonic speeds toward the crowded beast swarm in the Han River!

The first wave of missile rain descended with a roar barely a dozen seconds after the order was given!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!"

The deafening sounds of explosions merged into a single roar, instantly replacing all other sounds on the river! With the Jiangcheng fleet as the center, the river surface for several kilometers around turned into a boiling purgatory!

Terrifying fireballs rose one after another. High-pressure shockwaves blasted river water into the sky, which then rained down mixed with bits of flesh and blood. Countless sea beasts, regardless of size, were easily shredded and vaporized under this indiscriminate saturation strike! Even the thick-skinned Tier 3 sea beasts were left dazed and battered by this sudden, dense missile storm that was impossible to dodge.

The Mermaid King was also shocked by the terrifying long-range firepower displayed by the humans, but she reacted extremely quickly, instantly condensing multiple layers of thick ice crystal shields in front of her. However, dozens of heavy missiles specifically locked onto her arrived almost simultaneously. The kinetic energy from the supersonic penetration and the violent explosion of the internal charges instantly shattered her magnificent ice throne! The flames and shockwaves of the explosion sent her flying back several hundred meters, and her energy raiment showed signs of damage.

"Now is the time! All units fire! Target: the Mermaid King!!" The Jiangcheng fleet Commander seized this fleeting tactical opportunity and roared into the communication channel!

The twin-mounted 180mm main guns of the two Jiangcheng fleet destroyers, which had long been prepared, let out earth-shaking roars! The fire and smoke spewing from the muzzle brakes were like the breath of giant beasts! Heavy tungsten alloy armor-piercing shells exited the barrels at several times the speed of sound, tracing short trajectories before striking the Mermaid King—who had yet to stabilize herself in mid-air—almost simultaneously! These naval gun shells, designed specifically to penetrate heavy ship armor, possessed kinetic energy and destructive power far beyond that of ordinary tank shells!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four dull thuds like rolling thunder followed in rapid succession! The deep blue shield automatically triggered on the Mermaid King's body flickered violently before shattering, and ice crystal scales were blasted everywhere! She let out a muffled groan of pain, her body pushed even further away by the massive impact.

The attack did not stop! From the launch cells on the hulls of the two destroyers, two thousand-kilogram-class heavy anti-ship missiles trailed long plumes of fire like the javelins of the Grim Reaper, accurately catching up to the flying Mermaid King and detonating with a roar!

"BOOM—!!!"

An even more violent explosion completely engulfed her, the intense light momentarily blinding everyone. As the smoke cleared, the Mermaid King was seen blown over a thousand meters away. Her originally magnificent ice crystal tail was charred black, scales were upturned, and pale blue blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Her aura had clearly withered significantly.