C17 My Hand Slipped

The little girl swiftly teleported back onto the warship after unleashing her move. Zhang Hai couldn't help but notice the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, which made him feel a twinge of guilt. Was he essentially employing child labor? However, his guilt quickly evaporated.

Dawn, huffing with annoyance, scampered over to him and affectionately rubbed its head against him, a smug smile spreading across its face. Zhang Hai glanced down, realizing that her sweat had transferred onto him.

"Humph, you miser. Only a thousand points? You've held me back from going all out," she pouted.

"Tsk, you've got some nerve," Zhang Hai retorted. "Your moves look intimidating, but the actual impact..." His words trailed off as a tremor shook the ground.

He looked up in astonishment to see the sea churning with massive waves. A colossal wave, towering dozens of meters high, crashed the warships into the depths. Several vessels were even swept up onto the harbor by the powerful tsunami, creating a scene of utter devastation.

"I can't believe it, that's incredibly powerful!" the little girl exclaimed with pride, practically beaming. If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging triumphantly.

"Now you see just how formidable I am," she boasted.

"You're incredible," Zhang Hai acknowledged.

Just then, the System's urgent voice cut through, "Captain, please begin the retrieval immediately. If you exceed the distance, there will be no second chance."

Zhang Hai sprang into action, foregoing any further banter. He frantically began salvaging the cores and materials from the sinking warships. Invisible beams of light swept over the vessels, whisking a wealth of items into the warehouse.

"Ding! Devil Hunting Level Warship blueprint is 100% complete. It can evolve into a Devil Hunting Level Warship and hatch Devil Hunters."

"Ding! Barbarian Blood Level Warship blueprint has reached 1000%. The Barbarian Blood Level Warship is now enhanced to +9 and can be upgraded to an Assault Barbarian Blood Warship."

These unexpected updates took Zhang Hai by surprise. He had assumed the Barbarian Blood Level Warship was already at its peak and that the blueprint's progress was merely symbolic. Now, it was clear there was more to it than he had realized.

As Zhang Hai continued to recall the warships, he opened the blueprint list and was surprised to see that the number of Barbarian Blood Level Warship blueprints was still on the rise.

This meant that there must be even more formidable Barbarian Blood Level Warships beyond the Assault Barbarian Blood Warship.

"System, what enhancements does the Assault Barbarian Blood offer?"

"Captain, the Assault Barbarian Blood Level has doubled all attributes. Speed, attack, and defense have all seen significant increases. Additionally, there's a special skill called Explosive Soldier. It allows all of your reserve forces to join the battlefield within 300 seconds."

Zhang Hai involuntarily gasped.

He had amassed a considerable number of Skeleton Soldiers, growing from the initial hundred to now eight hundred.

It appeared that with each evolution of a warship, he gained substantial capacity for additional reserve soldiers.

If these eight hundred soldiers were to merge with the Nether Energy Gravity Field, they could easily take on a melee battle against twenty warships of the same class.

Moreover, the enhancements to the warships' attributes were even more extraordinary.

The Barbarian Blood Warships were already the fastest, and now their speed had doubled, threatening to break all bounds.

"Captain, we've only increased the potential so far. To fully realize the improvements, we need to integrate more equipment. The warship's performance can only be maximized when each piece of equipment is upgraded to +9."

Zhang Hai felt a sinking feeling. He had strengthened his equipment at the beginning, but had nearly forgotten about it since then, as the enemies were too weak to inspire further enhancements.

Now, this oversight had become a bottleneck in his progress. Luckily, his recent gains were substantial.

The earlier flash of white light had shone over the area.

Those who were besieging the city gates noticed the light and, upon identifying its source, their faces turned pale.

"This is bad, we're under a sneak attack! Fall back to defend!"

In a flash, the attackers vanished from the city gates.

Losing the warship would spell disaster for them.

But when they took in the situation by the sea, they were drenched in cold sweat.

Zhang Hai had evolved into a new form.

The Devil Hunting Warship bristled with Devil Hunters, each armed with a bow and arrows.

Their arrows were tipped with tactical magic-patterned heads.

A single hit to the warship would trigger a massive explosion, far more dangerous than a Magic Bullet.

"Kid, who are you? Why are you attacking our warship?"

The speaker was an elderly man, a stranger to him.

Zhang Hai offered a chilling smile.

"Our Young Master Wang has made it clear: unless you cough up 300,000 gold coins today, nobody leaves this place!"

The crowd turned their icy stares in unison toward the other side.

Elder Wang erupted at the accusation.

"Kid, stop talking rubbish! Our Young Master would never engage in such acts!"

"Exactly! You're just trying to cause trouble and drive a wedge between us!"

Zhang Hai couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Clearly, these two were from the Wong family.

That brat owed him money and wanted him dead. Zhang Hai was determined to make him pay, one way or another.

"Hehe, relax. I merely mentioned that my Young Master's last name is Wang. I never said he was your Young Master. We're talking about two entirely different people."

To everyone else, his words were as good as admitting the truth without saying it.

Elder Wang was livid, yet he couldn't find the words to defend himself. Any attempt would only make things worse.

"Brat, I've got my eye on you. The Wong family won't let this slide."

"Oh, are you trying to intimidate me? Alright then, you, just you, old man, if you don't hand over ten thousand Refinement Crystals, I'll sink every warship here bearing the Wong name."

With that, he launched two Torpedoes.

Twin blasts echoed as the already tsunami-battered warship plunged beneath the waves.

"Oops, my apologies. Slipped my hand."

"You!"

Elder Wang was beside himself with frustration.

But upon reflection, a sense of relief washed over him.

At least he could distance himself from the incident.

Unbeknownst to him, the onlookers were watching with a mix of amusement and disdain.

They had already made up their minds about him.

This whole affair was orchestrated by the Wong family behind the scenes.

They certainly had the capability.

"I, I'll pay," he stammered, signaling someone to approach and promptly handed over more than ten thousand Refinement Crystals.

Others quickly did the same, yet a significant number still refrained from paying.

Their reluctance stemmed from the fact that their warships were no more. To pay now would be foolish.

Zhang Hai glanced at the two distinct groups.

On one side were those who had paid; on the other were those who valued money over their lives.

A dangerous curve formed on his lips as he snapped his fingers.

"Those without a ransom are to be slaughtered."

No sooner had he spoken than a flurry of arrows took flight.

Flames erupted, piercing the sky, accompanied by a chorus of screams.

The targeted area was obliterated, leaving a gaping crater where not a single intact body could be found.

And those who thought to escape? Against such tactical arrows, they stood no chance at all.