39: Captain...it...it's flying.

The true colors were revealed.

Longyuan's gentle and refined facade was shattered the moment he was rejected.

In its place was a naked, undisguised coldness and dominance.

"Hand over half of the supplies on your ship, and share control of this ship."

"This is your only choice."

"Otherwise..."

The final threat was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at the hearts of everyone in the Bridge.

The air solidified.

Gu Zhixia's knuckles, gripping the long spear, turned white, and her muscles tensed, entering the most extreme combat readiness.

Gu Nianqiu's small face was pale, clutching her sister's clothes tightly, tears welling in her phoenix eyes.

Just in this tense, ready-to-erupt silence...

Lin Mo suddenly laughed.

It was a low, slightly playful chuckle that sounded particularly harsh in the oppressive environment.

He leaned back in the captain's chair, leisurely looking at the arrogant man on the screen, and slowly repeated,

"Hand over supplies, share control?"

He nodded.

"Alright."

A bombshell!

As these two words left his mouth, Gu Zhixia sharply turned her head, her phoenix eyes filled with disbelief.

"Lin Mo! Are you crazy?!"

Longyuan on the other end of the screen was also stunned.

He had imagined countless reactions from the other party: begging for mercy, resisting, or threatening with feigned bravado, but he had never expected them to agree so readily.

A hint of a victor's arrogance returned to his face.

"It seems you are a smart person."

Lin Mo completely ignored Gu Zhixia, who was almost frantic beside him. He continued to speak unhurriedly to the screen.

"However, I also have a condition."

"Speak," Longyuan's tone became magnanimous, like an emperor granting a defeated foe's request.

"I want to be the commander of this maritime alliance."

Lin Mo's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"All the supplies of your Longxiang Fleet will be uniformly managed by me and stored on my ship."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Three seconds later...

"Hahahahahahaha!"

A burst of extremely arrogant laughter suddenly exploded from the loudspeaker!

Longyuan laughed so hard he bent over, as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century.

"Young man, have you been scared silly?"

He pointed at the screen, his face full of undisguised mockery and pity.

"You don't seem to understand the current situation, do you?"

"Your ship, it looks at most like my flagship, an SS-class."

"Could it be that you still have a way to fight against our entire fleet?"

Facing this merciless taunt, Lin Mo's face remained expressionless.

He just calmly looked at the gesticulating man on the screen and spoke lightly,

"I think it's you who haven't figured out the situation."

His voice grew cold.

"I'll reiterate."

"Either let me be the commander."

"Or, we go our separate ways, and we don't interfere with each other."

Longyuan's laughter stopped abruptly.

His confidant, Thunder Tiger, immediately leaned in, his voice rough and deliberately loud enough for Lin Mo and his crew to hear:

"Boss, don't listen to his nonsense! This kid is playing an empty fort strategy, trying to scare us!"

Another trusted subordinate with sinister eyes, Wang Ye, also chimed in:

"Boss, no need to waste words with him. He refuses a toast and prefers a forfeit. Let's give him a beating first, cripple him, and then we can talk slowly!"

All eyes focused on Longyuan.

His authority had been openly challenged by an unknown nobody, right in front of all his subordinates.

Longyuan's eyes were so dark they could drip water.

"Since that's the case..."

His voice carried a chilling killing intent.

"Then there's nothing to discuss."

Sizzle—

The communication was unilaterally cut off, and the screen instantly plunged into darkness.

The next second!

Rumble—!

The sea churned violently!

Outside the window, the dozen massive warships, as if infused with a furious soul, roared with deafening engines.

Their hulls plowed through white waves, forming a standard arc-shaped attack formation at a terrifying speed, their gaping muzzles completely sealing off all escape routes for the Natural Selection!

"It's over..." Gu Zhixia's face was ashen. She gripped the long spear tightly, her body trembling slightly from extreme tension.

"Wuwuwu... Brother Mo..."

Gu Nianqiu could no longer hold back. She let out a whimpering cry and threw herself into Lin Mo's arms, her small body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Lin Mo extended a hand and gently placed it on the back of her head, patting her soothingly.

He looked up at the aggressive, murderous fleet of steel outside the window, then at Gu Zhixia, who had already fallen into despair.

"Don't panic."

His voice was as steady as an ancient, unyielding reef, instantly calming the fearful atmosphere in the cabin.

Gu Zhixia looked up, her eyes full of confusion.

"They're going to open fire!"

"I know."

Lin Mo's voice remained calm.

He casually tapped the control panel, and a data display projected before them.

Below the hull durability, a new line of data appeared.

"[Electromagnetic Defense Barrier]: 100000 / 100000"

Lin Mo pointed at the glaring number.

"Our energy shield has a durability of one hundred thousand."

He then pointed to a fluctuating recovery value next to it.

"And it automatically recovers one thousand per minute."

He stated words that would make any enemy despair, in a calm, factual tone.

"We'll see if they have the ability to break through it."

Gu Zhixia's pupils were fixed on that string of numbers.

One hundred thousand!

And it recovers a thousand per minute!

This finally calmed her pounding heart a little.

Lin Mo's gaze swept over the fleet outside the window, which had completely surrounded them.

The closest frigate was less than a kilometer away. He could even clearly see the grimacing faces of the crew on its deck.

A cold arc curved at the corner of his mouth.

No operations were needed.

His will was the highest command of this ship.

"Flight mode, activate."

Hum—

A low, powerful roar emanated from deep within the Natural Selection's hull.

The sound was completely different from when it sailed on the sea, filled with an indescribable, terrifying power capable of tearing the sky apart!

The entire warship shuddered violently!

The next second.

To the horrified gazes of everyone in the Longxiang Fleet...

This massive black warship, which they considered their prize, slowly, gracefully, and forcefully lifted off the surface of the sea amidst a colossal surge of water!

Water cascaded like a waterfall from its sleek hull!

It was rising!

It was flying!

On the Bridge of the flagship.

Thunder Tiger was gripping the communicator, roaring with spittle flying: "All ships, attention! Target is making unusual movements! Prepare for a volley! Blow it to smithereens for me!"

Longyuan stood with his hands behind his back, a cruel sneer still on his lips, ready to enjoy a grand fireworks display.

Then, that smile, along with all the expressions on his face, froze.

His eyes widened little by little.

His mouth uncontrollably fell open.

A crew member pointed out the porthole, his voice trembling like a sieve.

"Cap... Captain... It... It... It's flying!"

Longyuan stared blankly.

Everyone on the Bridge stared blankly.

The entire Longxiang Fleet, hundreds of fierce warriors, at this moment, all seemed to be under a stasis spell, heads tilted back, mouths agape, minds blank.

Their prey, the solitary black battleship, now ascended slowly like a miracle, rising above their masts, casting a massive shadow over their heads, like a divine judgment.