Chapter 1622
Chapter 1622 - 1618: The Gift of the Ocean
1,497 words
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8 min read
"A bit thrilling... How did this become an away game from a home game?"
Slipping carefully through a ditch, Lu Ping’an avoided another patrol of Fishmen.
Here, Fishmen Hunters were everywhere... Lu Ping’an spotted the familiar cave dwellings; these Fishmen were planning to settle here for good.
Within the range of Lu Ping’an’s Eye of Truth, there were Fishmen families large and small, often with one large Fishman leading a dozen or so small ones.
This didn’t seem like a good thing; it meant they were still planning to settle here.
Why? Wouldn’t water suit them better? Even as amphibians, Fishmen would prioritize living underwater, wouldn’t they? As far as Lu Ping’an knew, Fishmen could not live on land for extended periods—their skin would dry out and kill them.
Out of curiosity, Lu Ping’an thought...
"So that’s what’s going on, they’re quite ruthless."
Inside a cabin, in front of Lu Ping’an, was a dissected and clean Fishman.
The brain set to one side, the skin to another, the flesh elsewhere... The foul stench and the fishy smell filled the room, and the floor was covered in repulsive chunks of flesh, but Lu Ping’an revealed a sinister smile.
"Parasites, three known types, found in the brain, subcutaneous fat, and internal organs... Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder they’re so emaciated."
All sorts of disgusting parasites, some threadlike, some bar-shaped, and some resembling the larvae of moths... A normal ocean would not evolve such creatures, and foreign species often have a short-term exemption in the Biological Chain; such a rapid natural evolution targeting them is obviously unrealistic.
"Diseases, uh, too many to differentiate. I fear this Fishman’s natural lifespan isn’t even a tenth of what it used to be; they’ll live at most another two years..."
While Lu Ping’an’s medical knowledge wasn’t sufficient, Big Cat’s was.
"Haemangiomas, respiratory system killer viruses, skin peeling, digestive clogs, keratin (skin, nails) rot... all new viruses I’ve never seen before, and they specially target the Fishmen species, or rather, mainly amphibious life forms. These viruses need Fishmen as hosts for cultivation, and the technology is quite advanced; it won’t harm humans for a short period of time, which should be part of their technological reserves."
In this moment, looking down at the victim on the floor, Lu Ping’an himself felt a bit of sympathy.
Bearing so many diseases, life could be even more miserable than death, and with parasites continuously drawing off nutrition and lowering resistance, it was even worse.
"...Chris, what do you think about their methods? Aren’t they afraid that Earth’s oceans will become completely toxic, and the entire ecosystem will collapse with it?"
These viruses and parasites are clearly targeting outsiders now, but Lu Ping’an also knows that these things can mutate. Who knows what mutations will emerge when they gather together.
Given enough time, viruses that specifically target humans and overcome the barriers of the ocean are indeed possible. Lu Ping’an once again thought that those people were too extreme; one must not end up with the classic science fiction ending where instead of being destroyed by aliens, humanity kills itself with its own folly.
"Don’t underestimate these Foreign Invaders... You’ve probably fought too many easy battles in the Exotic Realm, with the locals filling the ranks. Do you really think humanity can outperform them? To be honest, Earth is weaker. The mainstream are modern people accustomed to a life of peace and comfort, and the Basic Hardware of those who become professionals is also relatively weak."
If the strength of races could be roughly indicated by numbers, humans would be set at 1, while the Saphire people with "Divine-Blood" and "Dragon’s Blood" would be 3 to 4. The Long Hand Clan would be only 0.6 on land but at least 5 in the sea.
As previously mentioned, Zero-order professionals who have just advanced, haven’t shown any difference in strength from ordinary people; they just have one or two subtly effective Professional Abilities with extremely limited usage.
A common Zero-order, the transition to a first-tier might start at a minimum of half a year, and those who can complete accumulative training within a year are already Elite (like an average college degree); that’s when they truly start.
At that time, a first-tier Battle-profession equipped with a range of gear, can start to contend with Alien Races... but in fact, Alien Races have their own Extraordinary Systems as well.
Humans are not naturally wild beasts, which is why the Eastern Country carries out the "Xuanwu Plan (Human Species Evolution)" in secret.
Lu Ping’an recalls in his memory that his party rampaged through world after world, rarely at a disadvantage....His weakest moment was starting as professionals of third-tier or above, and most of his members were elites, one in a thousand (from special programs at top universities), with their growth potential and talent maxed out.
Compared to the ordinary local residents, calling them all war machines is no exaggeration, and with Lu Ping’an acting as an accelerator, their progress over these past few years equates to the level that other professionals would take three or four decades to achieve, in addition to various "specialties." Their weapons and consumables are maxed out, and the speed of their combat power upgrade is simply at a level of cheating.
"....Lu Ping’an, you who is satiated does not know the hunger of the starving. Imagine, a team of ordinary Fishmen come ashore, and if one or two of them are extraordianry standard, even if a small border city manages to defend itself, the losses will be significant, and the surrounding towns and villages could be slaughtered by them."
This is the most terrifying aspect—when squads of Fishmen emerge from the extensive coastlines, rivers, and even underground water caves, and begin to re-enact in the Eastern Country what they did in Sakura Island, blooming like flowers in the center...Perhaps it won’t fall, but the losses will be very horrific, causing serious social panic and insecurity.
Once social order collapses, rebuilding it is not a short-term matter, and without a stable rear base, the Eastern Country’s coordination and industrial advantages would be drastically reduced.
"Perhaps, indeed it’s not the time to think long-term..."
Frankly speaking, the collapse of the island chain and the South Pacific is happening at a pace far beyond Lu Ping’an’s expectations. Originally, Lu Ping’an thought they could hold out for at least three years, but in less than three months, it turned out like this.
Lu Ping’an fell silent, perhaps those senior big shots see deeper and are more despairing of the current situation, hence they become increasingly extreme.
"Think positively, look at these things, Lord Xiuyi’s strategies are indeed effective."
Hearing this, Lu Ping’an also smiled, although this smile was somewhat hellish.
Perhaps, the current situation in Sakura Island, the direct cause might be the present state of the ocean, resulting from the malicious Curse of those extraordinary big shots.
"...Collect more samples, let me see their Resistance."
Lu Ping’an saw countless Fishmen trying to claim this island as their new habitat, does this not prove that they no longer dare to nest in the sea.
Then, their most troublesome trait, their extreme Reproduction capability, would be greatly limited.
They can indeed breed on land.....but do they have enough food and resources? Are they going to learn terrestrial Planting? The fish in the sea are probably eaten reluctantly, followed by a body full of diseases till death.
This is not merely limiting the enemy’s expansion; the rules of the Exotic Realm inherent in these beings imply that their quantity and Power sinking equate to a continuous invasion into this world, narrowing the distance between the two worlds.
"They must reproduce on land, and if they obtain a large amount of Nutrition supplies on land, it’s no wonder they attack Sakura Island like mad.....They must secure more resources in order to continue this War, and from Australia’s Ben Island.....it’s too far."
Now, Lu Ping’an reopened the map, looking at the various skull icons, yet he felt completely different.
He previously thought that those Advanced Combat Powers were really obedient, scattering all over to attack. Looking back now, isn’t this their old habit?
"Each of these areas, are their Territories, right? They are staking claims to their own kingdoms..."
With this, perhaps some matters can be reassessed.
This means that many of them might no longer be so "loyal", and Warlords who have secured territory may not necessarily attack formidable enemies without incentives.
"....Although this Island Country is beyond salvation, maybe, we can still save our border line. Perhaps, we can make it so that this island can never unite."
— End of Chapter 1622 —