Chapter 152 - 151: Mass Breakthrough

Chapter 152: Chapter 151: Mass Breakthrough

Hearing Han Ning’s orders, the four surviving ships struggled to adjust their positions. They drew close to one another, barely managing to secure themselves together using thick ropes and their remaining anchors to form a relatively stable, temporary platform.

"Have another group of strong swimmers dive into the water to collect the Energy Crystal Stones we couldn’t harvest earlier. Those Elite Black Snakes definitely still have them in their bodies.

"Once you get the Crystal Stones, everyone needs to absorb them immediately to boost our strength. As for the Black Snake Swarm, I’ll cover you."

Han Ning’s words acted as a steadying anchor, bringing a deep sense of security to everyone’s hearts.

"Listen to Mr. Han! Let’s get moving!" Chairman Wu echoed. After a brief moment of silence, the crowd sprang into action.

A group of Awakened with lighter injuries or faster recovery rates, such as Lin Qianqian and Vice President Zhao, rallied their spirits. They took up their weapons again or manned the remaining Squirting Cucumbers at the bow and stern, keeping a vigilant watch over the surrounding waters. Although the leader was dead, there were still a massive number of ordinary Black Snakes and Elite Black Snakes prowling beneath the surface, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Another group of Awakened, highly skilled in swimming, leapt into the floodwaters under Long’s leadership. They quickly dove down, weaving and searching through the sunken wreckage and floating snake corpses.

"Yinyin, stay right by Uncle Han. Daddy still has things to do," Xu Ming said, leaving his daughter by Han Ning’s side. He then jumped into the water alongside Professor Ye and Yu Na, swimming toward the Wind Chaser Sailing Ship to salvage any remaining usable supplies.

"Dad! Uncle Han... where did Daddy go?" Xu Yinyin cried out, watching her father swim away. She subconsciously hugged Han Ning’s thigh, her voice trembling.

"Don’t be afraid, Yinyin. Your dad is fine and will be back soon. None of us will be in danger." The tragic and horrifying scene had completely terrified the little girl. Han Ning rubbed her wet head and offered a word of comfort, letting her cling to him.

He hovered his hands over the water’s surface. Countless water vines made of deep blue liquid Energy shot out from beneath his feet. These vines were extraordinarily agile, precisely striking down any Black Snake Monster that attempted to approach the diving team.

One after another, Energy Crystal Stones stained with foul blood were retrieved by the underwater team and passed up to the various ships. These Crystal Stones varied in size and shape, but they all contained pure yet violent Energy. Soon, at least several hundred stones were piled into small mounds on the deck, emitting alluring Energy Fluctuations. It was important to note that these were all Energy Crystal Stones harvested from the bodies of Elite Black Snakes.

"Start the ships first and head toward the mountains. Have one group stand guard while the other absorbs the Energy. We’ll take turns.

"Chairman Wu, you’ll be in charge of commanding them from here on," Han Ning said, handing over the command.

"Understood," Chairman Wu nodded, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Brothers who are heavily injured or have weaker strength, absorb the Energy first! The rest of you, wait a moment!"

The crowd, who had long been unable to wait, immediately sprang into action. Sitting or standing, they grabbed the Crystal Stones and gripped them tightly in their palms. They circulated their internal Energy with all their might, guiding the surging power within the stones to flood into their bodies. As the Crystal Stones were absorbed one by one, massive amounts of Energy were drawn into them. Every single Awakened started to undergo a transformation.

The fabric of Xu Ming’s trouser legs tore silently as his bulging muscles expanded. His spinal joints let out faint cracking sounds, and the weathered, sun-darkened skin on his torso and legs began to turn pale and smooth like jade.

Soft golden light flowed down Professor Ye’s arms like liquid gold. His entire body flickered with radiance, as if the light were about to melt him entirely into pure brilliance.

Deep within Yu Na’s faint blue eyes, it looked as though whirlpools were spinning. Two clusters of ethereal flames spilled from her eye sockets, burning erratically. Waves of obscure Mental Power continuously radiated out from her body.

Chairman Wu had his eyes tightly shut. From the pores of his skin, thin streams of a strange substance, swirling with rainbow-colored halos, were released. This substance formed a completely transparent bubble that enveloped him. Even more bizarrely, when several bubbles connected with one another to cover a small area, the light in that space subtly distorted. The figures inside grew blurry before completely disappearing from view.

Vice President Zhao gripped an Ink Blue Crystal Stone tightly with his only remaining right arm, siphoning the Energy within. The blood vessels beneath his skin throbbed rhythmically, revealing dark red, lava-like patterns.

Long was different from the others. Submerged in the floodwaters, his entire being seemed to melt, losing its physical outline as his body transformed into a blurry, distorted humanoid figure made of flowing water. He blended perfectly with the surrounding environment, making even his aura impossible to detect.

Rings of wind ripples spread out from Yu’s legs, making his legs themselves appear blurred. With a stomp of his feet, air currents swirled beneath him. Without needing any external support, he was lifted by the airflow, stepping upward into mid-air, one step at a time.

Cai held an Energy Crystal Stone in one hand, his eyes fixed on a dagger lying near the edge of the deck. As his pupils contracted, the dagger actually trembled slightly. Then, slowly and shakily, it lifted off the deck and hovered in the air.

The Crystal Stone in Brother Yu’s hand melted, turning into a stream of light that flowed into the insect wings on his back. That massive pair of insect wings quivered violently, their high-frequency buzzing becoming ear-piercing. The moment the light from the Ink Blue Crystal Stone merged with him, the base of his wings bulged and tore open. A new, smaller, and sharper pair of insect wings, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, extended from beneath the original pair. With all four wings flapping simultaneously, his body left behind a series of afterimages in mid-air.

On the deck, the glow of Energy flickered rhythmically like breathing. Those ordinary Awakened who had been stuck at a bottleneck trembled violently under the impact of the massive amount of Crystal Stone Energy, their surrounding Energy Fluctuations growing incredibly powerful.

"BUZZ!" An Awakened who specialized in creating Ice Cones held his hands in a loose grip as freezing air spilled outward. Over a dozen Ice Spears, flashing with a bone-chilling frost, materialized above his head.

Another Support Awakened, who previously could only faintly sense the direction of air currents, closed his eyes to focus. A look of sheer ecstasy appeared on his face.

"I can sense areas much further away now! I can hear every sound carried by the air currents within five hundred meters!"

One after another, Energy Fluctuations rippled outward like waves on water. Over twenty Awakened erupted with auras far surpassing their previous limits. Among them, about twelve Awakened exhibited absolutely astonishing Energy Fluctuations. Han Ning could tell at a glance that these individuals were undergoing their first qualitative mutation in abilities, reaching an equivalent of Level 5 or higher. According to the Level classification used by Chairman Wu and the others, this was the Vice President Level. This meant that Biyun Resort had just gained twelve more Vice President Level Awakened!

With these twelve individuals, the top-tier combat power of the entire Awakened team had been significantly elevated. Combined with the many members whose abilities had been notably enhanced, the overall strength of the surviving fleet had improved by at least two tiers. However, despite these breakthroughs, the general mood was far from joyful. These Crystal Stones had been bought with the lives of their fallen comrades. The battle had been incredibly tragic.

"Once you’re done resting, resume your watch! Our destination is the mountain range to the northeast!" Chairman Wu’s voice rang out at that moment.