149: Shh, it's eating.

The sea surface looked as if a pressure cooker had been placed underneath, completely boiling over.

Gurgle, gurgle—

Countless bubbles began gurgling upward, each popping with a strong, foul odor.

The four pirate ships frantically turned around.

Their hulls swung sideways, even colliding with each other.

"Run! Run now!"

"Forget the boss! There's something down there!"

The moment the words were spoken.

A muffled boom loud enough to shatter eardrums into powder exploded without warning on the sea surface!

BOOM—!!!

The sea surface abruptly swelled, and a black peak pierced through the water.

Everyone stared, and their scalps tingled with horror!

It was a mouth!

A colossal abyssal maw over fifty meters in diameter, filled with rotating teeth like a meat grinder!

Layer upon layer!

Seawater poured into that mouth, forming a terrifying whirlpool.

"Help—!"

The nearest pirate ship, along with the machine gunner pulling the trigger on board, shattered in an instant.

The terrifying air pressure generated by the closing of the massive jaws forcefully compressed a modified steel ship over ten meters long into an iron-and-flesh ball just a few meters wide!

Squeak—

A sound that set teeth on edge.

The modified steel ship erupted in a burst of flame under the grinding of the giant teeth.

Then it turned into countless fragments floating on the sea.

Immediately after, this behemoth fully surfaced.

It was actually a... rotting whale the size of an aircraft carrier?

Its body was covered with huge, barnacle-like eyes.

Each eye rotated independently, emitting a terrifying, eerie green light.

Embedded in its back was a sunken ship from World War II, like a grotesque crown.

In Chen Du's mind, that notebook frantically flipped:

"[Abyssal Demon Whale]!!"

"[Level: Overlord (Growth Stage)]"

"[Note: Though not fully grown, it is still a top predator of the ocean. Its breath is a storm, its gaze is the abyss.]"

"[Suggestion: Vanish immediately, or become part of its excrement.]"

Chen Du's pupils sharply contracted.

This is still the Growth Stage? How big would the adult form be?

"Cap... Captain! It's... it's looking over here!"

Xia Lai's voice trembled, her mechanical arm involuntarily clattering.

Dozens of huge eyeballs rolled and swiveled!

Finally, they locked firmly onto the entity with the strongest presence in this sea area—the styx ferry No. 0819.

The suffocating feeling of being targeted by such a giant made several girls on the deck go weak in the legs, collapsing to sit on the floor.

"Don't panic!"

Chen Du shouted sternly, his voice like a great bell, startling everyone awake.

He grabbed An Nuonuo, who was trembling like a quail.

"Look at me! Stop shaking!"

"An Nuonuo! Activate your talent to its maximum! Block all scents and sounds on the ship! Now!"

"I... I understand! Wuwuwu..."

An Nuonuo, crying as if her heart would break, exerted all her strength.

She thrust both hands outward forcefully!

Hum!

A transparent barrier thicker than ever before slowly enveloped the entire ship.

At this moment.

Chen Du's eyes turned fierce, his pair of golden eyes flashing with a chilling cold light in the darkness.

"Shadow—Absolute Domain!"

Boom!

The shadow beneath his feet suddenly began to flow!

Like living asphalt swamp, it savagely and violently rolled upward!

There was no sound, but everyone felt the light being "eaten."

In just three seconds.

The entire No. 0819 was wrapped in a pitch-black, non-reflective shadow cocoon.

From the outside, this sea area seemed to have suddenly lost a piece, a blind spot appearing out of thin air.

"Reduce engine power! Cut all power sources! Everyone, shut up!"

Chen Du ordered again.

The newly evolved "Manic Shark Form" had already been deactivated.

The ferocious ram retracted, and the ship's eerie blue lights all went out.

Dead silence.

Absolute dead silence.

The entire ship was like a lifeless, rotten piece of wood, floating quietly with the gentle waves.

A hundred meters away.

The Abyssal Demon Whale let out a low roar.

Just the sound wave stirred up waves over ten meters high, slamming hard against the hull of No. 0819.

Thud!

The ship rocked violently!

Lin Keke almost screamed in fright, but Xia Mo beside her, quick-eyed and fast-handed, covered her mouth.

Xia Mo's beautiful eyes were filled with ice, making a fierce throat-slitting gesture.

Lin Keke nodded desperately.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't dare make a sound.

The Devil Whale's huge eyeballs swept back and forth across the sea surface.

Just now, it had clearly smelled a very enticing scent, so why had it suddenly disappeared?

This sense of disappointment made this not-so-intelligent overlord exceptionally irritable.

Unwilling, it swung its tail fin, powerful enough to destroy a building.

Whoosh—!

Monstrous waves surged!

The remaining three pirate ships were utterly unlucky.

This monster couldn't find its primary target and had a huge case of "wake-up anger"; these little flies became the perfect targets for venting.

Smack!

A thick tentacle like a pillar shot out from underwater, directly smashing the second ship!

Then the third, the fourth... This was simply a one-sided massacre!

Or rather, a casual game.

Explosions, screams, and the sound of twisting steel rang out right next to No. 0819.

Thud!

A human leg that had been blasted off even slammed against the air barrier!

Then it slowly slid down, leaving a long trail of blood!

"Ugh..."

An Nuonuo, seeing the severed limb right before her eyes, went limp, her eyes rolling back as she was about to faint.

Blood gushing from her nostrils stained the bow on her chest.

Fortunately, Chen Du was by her side, pulling her into his embrace.

"Don't be afraid, that's someone else's blood."

The man's strong and steady heartbeat gave An Nuonuo immense reassurance.

She bit her tongue, using the pain to stimulate her nerves, forcibly reinforcing the nearly collapsing barrier a bit more.

"Hold on."

Chen Du whispered in her ear, "Once it's full, we can leave."

Ten minutes later.

The screams on the sea surface finally ceased.

Only floating debris and oil slicks remained.

The Abyssal Demon Whale let out a satisfied belch, seemingly content with this meal.

It suspiciously glanced at the empty spot where No. 0819 was, then slowly submerged.

The whirlpool appeared again.

Only when that terrifying silhouette completely vanished into the deep sea's darkness did everyone dare to breathe heavily.

"Whew..."

Tang Ran plopped down on the floor, drenched as if pulled from water:

"So this is an Overlord Rank... How are we supposed to compete? I thought we were done for just now!"

"This will be the norm from now on."

Chen Du released the nearly exhausted An Nuonuo, handing her over to the approaching Ye Qiu for care.

He walked to the bow and lit a cigarette.

Gazing at the now calm sea surface, his eyes were tranquil.

"Remember."

"On the Sea of Despair, you're either the hunter or the prey."

"We're not qualified yet, but that doesn't mean... we never will be."

He turned around, exhaling a smoke ring.

"Alright, enough reflecting on life."

Chen Du snapped his fingers, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

"Engines, low-power warm-up. We'll glide over quietly."

"Also, Xia Lai, take a few people with nets to scoop up those floating objects."

"I saw they had shotguns; they probably haven't sunk yet. Even a fly's leg is meat."

The women: "..."

Just now it was life and death, and now you want to loot the corpses?

Truly worthy of you, Captain—a top-tier opportunist!