98: Global alert! A scourge behemoth from the abyss!

Natural Selection, top deck.

Sunlight pierced through the thin clouds, casting a golden glow with a hint of warmth unique to high altitudes.

Lin Mo had changed into casual clothes, comfortably reclining in a beach chair, savoring the rare tranquility after his revenge.

"Brother Mo, big sister, you've worked hard!"

Gu Nianqiu approached with light steps, like a fluttering butterfly, carrying a tray.

On the tray were two special fruit juices, freshly squeezed from the recently harvested [Agility Fruits], emitting a greenish glow, with bubbles constantly rising and bursting against the glass.

"Try my new 'Gale Juice'!"

Not far away, Gu Zhixia had also long since shed her cold combat uniform.

A refreshing black athletic skirt made her long, straight legs appear even more stunning.

She was leaning against the railing, meticulously wiping her beloved high-frequency vibrating particle rifle with a soft velvet cloth.

Hearing the sound, she didn't turn her head, merely extended a fair, slender hand.

Gu Nianqiu giggled and steadily handed her a glass of juice.

Gu Zhixia took a sip.

The sweet juice, mixed with a strange energy, slid down her throat, seemingly diluting much of the fierce killing intent that lingered in her bones after the battle.

She glanced at Lin Mo, who was lying in the chair with his eyes closed, resting, and an almost imperceptible curve touched her lips before quickly disappearing, her tone still its familiar cool crispness.

"That's it?"

"I thought that broken tree had more capabilities; it wasn't even enough to warm me up."

Lin Mo opened his eyes, looking at her tsundere demeanor—clearly thrilled inside but insisting on acting tough—and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Times have changed."

This simple sentence made Gu Zhixia's wiping motion pause slightly.

She recalled the last time they, the three of them, were chased by an overwhelming barrage of tentacles, with nowhere to run.

Yes.

Times have changed.

The colossal entity that once made them despair now, in front of Fafnir and two Dragon Soul mechs, didn't even qualify as a decent whetstone.

"Oh, right!"

Gu Nianqiu suddenly remembered something. Her big eyes blinked at Lin Mo, full of curiosity.

"Brother Mo, didn't we see a very, very big floating Skull Island high up in the clouds before? We only saw it for a moment, it was so scary!"

She paused, then asked in a soft voice, with a hint of anticipation.

"Can we... can we defeat it now?"

Lin Mo's gaze instantly deepened.

He certainly remembered.

That Skull Forbidden Zone, suspended above ten thousand meters of cloud sea, was the first and only place where they were forced to flee in a panic.

Just being watched by the distant entity had caused severe mental damage.

That thorn still hung in his heart.

Not seeking revenge was not his style.

"Not yet."

Lin Mo shook his head, but a light named "plan" flickered in his eyes.

"That place is too high-level, but once we upgrade Natural Selection to Platinum-grade, it should be about right."

"You're really still thinking about getting revenge, aren't you?"

Gu Zhixia raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile, her eyes flowing with an admiration she herself hadn't noticed.

Lin Mo smiled, said nothing, and simply closed his eyes again, enjoying this last moment of peace before the storm.

However, this peace did not last long.

A system alarm, sharp enough to tear eardrums, blared without warning in the ears of all survivor players simultaneously!

[Global Emergency Announcement: Warning! 'Abyssal Rift' has shown abnormal fluctuations; a deep-sea behemoth codenamed 'Throat Ripper' has broken free and is moving rapidly towards the Initial Sea Zone!]

[This target is extremely dangerous and possesses ultra-long-range, highly corrosive strike capabilities! All survivor players are advised to immediately evacuate the 'Vortex Trench' area near coordinates (792, 351)!]

[Repeat! Please evacuate immediately!]

Before the echo of the global announcement faded, Lin Mo's game panel showed the world chat channel instantly exploding, scrolling like a waterfall.

[Passerby A is not A: Holy crap! What's going on? The official system is issuing an alarm personally? This is a first!]

[Old Wang's Neighbor Taishan: Don't go! Everyone, don't go to the Vortex Trench! Our 'Rage' guild's exploration fleet just got there and saw a monster as big as a small island emerge from the sea! It spat out a mouthful of green phlegm, and the bow of our B-grade alloy frigate was directly melted in half! Like a candle!]

[One Shot One Whimper: Holy crap! Is that real or fake? A B-grade warship can't even withstand one hit? What kind of damage is that?]

[Old Wang's Neighbor Taishan: It's real! More real than pearls! That thing is called 'Throat Ripper', the name isn't wrong, it has a row of huge, opening fleshy sacs on its neck, and it sprays stuff from there when it attacks! It's too disgusting! We ran back scrambling, and the brothers who were a bit slower, both them and their ships, were gone! Not even a bubble!]

[Living off Scraps: Hiss... sounds like a World BOSS. Who can beat that at this stage? I'm out, I'm out, staying alive is important.]

[I Just Want to Farm: Shivering, good thing my little island is far away. Good luck, big shots, I support you spiritually.]

Panic spread like a plague among all survivors.

The behemoth named "Throat Ripper" had, merely by appearing, already used its absolute power to deter ninety-nine percent of the players who harboredlucky.

However, on the deck of Natural Selection, the atmosphere was completely different.

"Deep-sea behemoth?"

Gu Zhixia put down her particle rifle, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, but her eyes sparkled with an eager excitement.

"Sounds like it'll be tougher than that broken tree that just stood there taking hits."

"Brother Mo..."

Gu Nianqiu's small face was filled with worry.

"The system even issued an alarm, it must be very dangerous. Shouldn't we... shouldn't we just not go?"

Lin Mo did not answer immediately.

He stood up, walked to the edge of the deck, his gaze seemingly piercing through ten thousand miles of cloud sea, looking towards the turbulent waters at the coordinates announced.

Dangerous?

Of course, it was dangerous.

But for him at this moment, that World BOSS, which was world-ending in the eyes of others, was more like... a giant, walking treasure chest that had just escaped from a bank vault.

A perfect "sacrifice" that could provide massive experience, rare materials, and most importantly—allow Natural Selection to complete its next advancement.

"Nianqiu."

Lin Mo turned back, looking at the Little Girl's anxious face, his tone calm but with an undeniable confidence.

"The real danger isn't facing a powerful enemy."

"It's choosing to stand still when there's an opportunity to grow stronger."

He reached out and gently ruffled her head.

"Besides, we're not going to die."

A curve of 'everything is under control' appeared on Lin Mo's lips.

"We're going to... pick up a package."

His voice, delivered through captain's authority, commanded.

"Set course, destination, Vortex Trench."

"Full speed ahead."

Boom—!!!

The massive black hull sliced through the clouds in a trajectory almost like teleportation, charging fiercely towards the center of that storm!