47: Abyss Gazer

The sudden scene truly startled Lin Mo.

In that deep darkness, a colossal, indescribable eyeball was silently approaching.

There was no roar, no oppressive aura, only a pure, cold gaze.

[SAN Value: 95%]

Lin Mo's temple throbbed violently, and a sharp, piercing pain instantly shot through his nerves.

"Ugh..."

Gu Zhixia behind him let out a muffled grunt. Following Lin Mo's gaze, her body instantly stiffened.

Her phoenix eyes, usually as sharp as knives, now showed a hint of unconcealed horror.

Her face visibly paled at a rapid speed, and the hand holding the long spear trembled uncontrollably.

"What... what the hell is that thing..."

In the kitchen, there was the crisp sound of a ceramic plate shattering.

Gu Nianqiu's small face was pressed against the doorframe, her large eyes, usually full of innocence and charm, were now filled with endless terror, her pupils contracting violently.

[SAN Value: 94%]

The SAN value was dropping much faster than when they faced the octopus earlier.

Lin Mo knew he absolutely couldn't afford to drag this out with this thing.

"Zhi Xia! Guard the deck!"

He roared, connecting his consciousness to the fire control system with unprecedented speed.

"Nianqiu! Go back to your room! Don't look outside!"

The next second, the entire Natural Selection seemed to be infused with a furious soul.

"High-energy laser!"

"Tracking missiles!"

"Full salvo!"

At the bow, the newly upgraded high-energy laser module instantly erupted with dazzling red light, enough to tear through the darkness!

A red beam of light, hotter than magma, carrying an aura of destruction, fiercely shot towards the giant eyeball!

At the same time, the missile launchers on both sides of the ship opened simultaneously.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of tracking missiles, trailing long plumes of smoke, roared out like an angry swarm, carving deadly arcs in the air, bombarding the giant eyeball from all directions!

[High-energy laser hit, dealing 400 damage to "Deep Sea Stargazer"!]

[Tracking missile hit, dealing 100 damage to "Deep Sea Stargazer"!]

...Boom! Boom! Boom!—!

Violent explosions erupted on the surface of the eyeball monster, splashing large amounts of putrid, dark green liquid.

[Tracking missile explosion, dealing 500 damage to "Deep Sea Stargazer"!]

A series of damage numbers flashed before Lin Mo's eyes.

However, the giant eyeball merely swayed slightly in the explosion's firelight.

It still had a full 50,000 Life points.

Its defense value was as high as 100.

Lin Mo's attacks had only caused it a minor scratch.

Just then, the giant pupil suddenly contracted.

Countless fist-sized, slimy small eyeballs shot out from the depths of its pupil like dense cannonballs, raining down on the Natural Selection's deck, covering it completely!

"Splat!" "Splat!"

The small eyeballs landed on the deck with a sickening, viscous sound, then bloomed like flowers, their centers splitting open into a mouth lined with tiny teeth, emitting threatening "hissing" sounds.

"Leave it to me!"

A fierce glint flashed in Gu Zhixia's eyes. Suppressing the surging nausea, she darted out of the cockpit.

Her figure moved swiftly across the deck, the hem of her black jk uniform skirt fluttering in the smoke.

The Six-Harmony Long Spear in her hand transformed into a silver lightning bolt.

Thud!

The spear tip accurately pierced a small eyeball, green liquid burst out, and the monster convulsed, turning into a puddle ofrotten meat.

[Killed Stargazer Larva]

"A bunch of disgusting things!"

Gu Zhixia gritted her silver teeth, sweeping her long spear, instantly smashing three or four pouncing small monsters to pieces.

But the number of those small eyeballs was simply too great, continuously launching from the giant mother body, almost covering the entire deck.

Inside the cockpit, Lin Mo's expression was incredibly grim.

A thin layer of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead, and the continuous drop in SAN value caused distorted phantoms to appear at the edge of his vision.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He controlled the weapon system, continuously unleashing firepower, painstakingly grinding down the "Deep Sea Stargazer's" health bar to 30,000 points.

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck him.

When the high-energy laser module was upgraded, the system had prompted that a new [Gem Slot] had been added, which could embed special materials to unlock hidden abilities!

At the time, the situation wasn't urgent, so he hadn't looked closely.

Now, it was the only way to break the deadlock!

His consciousness swiftly swept through the system warehouse, his gaze locking onto a bead he had acquired through a previous trade.

[seven-colored glazed bead: A strange gem containing unstable energy, which may resonate with certain high-energy equipment.]

"You're the one!"

With a thought, Lin Mo dragged the [seven-colored glazed bead] into the high-energy laser module's slot on the fire control system's virtual interface.

Buzz—

As if hot oil had been dropped into cold water, the entire weapon system instantly emitted a violent hum!

[Embedding successful! High-energy laser module resonates with the seven-colored glazed bead!]

[Unlocked Special Skill: Overclock]

[Overclock: Within 10 seconds, increase the high-energy laser's attack speed by 1000%! Cost: After the skill ends, the high-energy laser module will overload and be disabled for 180 seconds.]

Ten times attack speed!

An unprecedented gleam burst forth in Lin Mo's eyes!

Just then, as if sensing a threat, the giant eyeball suddenly let out a silent shriek.

An even stronger mental shock, like a tsunami, swept over them!

[Warning! Encountered super strong mental shock! SAN Value -10%!]

[Current SAN Value: 78%]

Lin Mo's body violently shook, and his vision instantly went black, but he bit down hard on his tongue, the excruciating pain forcing his consciousness to remain clear.

Now!

"Vaporize... for me!"

He roared, pouring all his mental energy into it, and fiercely activated [Overclock]!

Buzz—!!!

At the bow of the Natural Selection, the red laser emission core's brightness surpassed the sun in an instant!

The next second, it was no longer a single beam of light!

Instead, like a breached dam, it transformed into a densely packed storm of red light beams, dozens of shots per second, pouring madly onto the giant eyeball at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

The piercing sound of air being torn apart merged into a single roar, like the roar of Death itself!

For the first time, extreme fear appeared in the pupil of the giant eyeball. It wanted to dodge, but the death barrage made of light had already completely enveloped it!

[-400! -400! -400! -400! -400! ...]

Within one second, ten damage notifications furiously flooded the screen!

The "Deep Sea Stargazer's" remaining 30,000 Life points melted away at an astonishing speed, like ice under the scorching sun!

Twenty-five thousand... ten thousand... five thousand... zero!

In just a few seconds, the massive eyeball monster didn't even have time to let out a cry of despair before it was completely pierced, torn, and vaporized in the furious laser storm!

Boom—!!!

Its massive body, like a punctured balloon, exploded into a sky full of blood rain, and all the small eyeballs on the deck instantly turned to dust in the aftermath of this destructive power.

The world fell silent.

The eerie whispering that had lingered in his mind also vanished with it.

In the center of where the monster exploded, a dark golden light orb quietly floated on the sea surface, exuding a mysterious and alluring aura.

[Killed Lv10 Deep Sea Stargazer, obtained Red Cryptic Gem × 1]

[Warning: High-energy laser module overloaded, entering 60-second disable countdown.]

Lin Mo gasped for breath, collapsing into the captain's chair, feeling as if his mental energy had been completely drained.

He used the grappling hook module to retrieve the gem, then finally let out a sigh of relief.

Gu Zhixia stood on the deck, leaning on her long spear, a little slow to react as the monsters that had been everywhere instantly vanished into thin air.

She looked towards the cockpit, her beautiful phoenix eyes filled not only with the relief of surviving a disaster but also with profound shock.

"You... what was that just now...?"

Just then, the kitchen door was gently pushed open.

Gu Nianqiu's small head peeked out. She didn't rush over as usual, but just stood there blankly, tear stains still on her small face, looking outside timidly.

"Brother Mo... is that big eye... gone?"

Lin Mo walked out of the cockpit, quickly went to her side, knelt down, gently wiped away her tears, and said in the softest voice possible:

"Yes, it's gone. I chased it away."

Gu Nianqiu sniffled, looking at the unharmed Lin Mo and Gu Zhixia. The fear in her eyes gradually replaced by reassurance. She reached out her small hand, tightly hugged Lin Mo's neck, and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Waaah... It was so scary... I never want to see it again..."

Lin Mo gently patted her back, an indescribable coldness and resolve surging in his heart.

He returned to the cockpit, where Gu Zhixia was already waiting.

"Radar and communications will take another 23 hours to recover," Lin Mo's voice was low and firm. "Who knows how many more monsters like this are in this black fog."

Gu Zhixia tightened her grip on the long spear in her hand, her phoenix eyes burning with an unprecedented determination and fighting spirit.

"It's okay," she looked at Lin Mo, then glanced at her sister peeking from the kitchen doorway. "Next time, I will protect her."

"And you," she smiled faintly, a trusting smile, "will protect all of us, right?"