As Ling Tian and the others were wondering why the power of the torpedo explosion was somewhat unusual, they suddenly felt a stinging pain in their eardrums.
Immediately after, they felt the ship beneath them as if it had taken flight.
Everyone looked out through the portholes and was instantly terrified. Their ship had been lifted by a giant wave tens of meters high and was now speeding forward on the crest of the wave!
"Torpedo number two was detonated. The data shows the explosion's power was normal..."
Everyone gasped, realizing how terrifying nuclear bombs were. They were now nearly fifty kilometers away from the underwater teleportation array, yet they were almost capsized by this massive wave. One could imagine the immense power of the nuclear bomb explosion at the bottom of the five-kilometer-deep sea!
Ma Xiongfei turned to Ling Tian, "Mr. Ling Tian, do you think this power is enough to destroy the underwater teleportation array?"
Ling Tian nodded, "An explosion of this magnitude, no array can withstand it. As long as those stone pillars are destroyed, that teleportation array will never be able to be reactivated!"
"Good, we will return here in a month to survey the seabed!" Ma Xiongfei said.
Their mission this time was to blow up the teleportation array. The reason for waiting a month to check was that the explosion, caused by the continuous use of two torpedoes, could be monitored by other countries.
Although an explosion occurring at this depth and location would appear no different from some undersea earthquakes on monitoring instruments, it was still possible that some countries might send ships and planes to investigate.
To avoid suspicion, they would leave first, but the work of re-exploring the seabed and confirming the destruction of the teleportation array's stone pillars had to be done!
The giant waves spread in all directions, and their ship was pushed along the crest, reaching speeds of over fifty nautical miles per hour.
Everyone on the ship was on tenterhooks, fearing that a single misstep would cause them to be capsized by the waves.
After all, being caught in these tens of meters high giant waves meant there was no chance of survival!
Fortunately, after riding the waves for hundreds of kilometers, the crest gradually subsided, and their ship's speed also slowed down.
Ma Xiongfei finally dared to order his subordinates to adjust their course towards the nearest port. They had also contacted Xuanyuan family's Yu Yu 66, which was originally only a few kilometers away from their ship, but the giant wave had pushed them tens of kilometers apart.
However, fortunately, Yu Yu 66 had also escaped unharmed, and everyone on board was safe. They would rendezvous at the nearest port.
A few days later, Ling Tian and the others finally arrived at the port. Calling it a port city was an exaggeration; it was dilapidated and mainly focused on fishing. Its scale was not much larger than a fishing village on the coast of China.
Yet, such a fishing village was very lively recently. The docks and berths were filled with large ships, and even the few not-so-large shipyards were very busy.
The overseas immortal ruins were attracting increasing attention. Large numbers of explorers had encountered danger around the area, and many ships had been damaged on the periphery.
Especially the first batch of espers who landed on the island and were captured had been brought back, and some information about the island had been leaked. Now, the island where the overseas immortal ruins were located had a name: Mermaid Island.
From this name, one could tell how much psychological trauma the mermaids had inflicted on humans!
Ling Tian bid farewell to Ma Xiongfei and the Xuanyuan family. The Xuanyuan family had lost over thirty people and had more than ten severely injured, suffering heavy losses.
They had no intention of getting involved in this mess anymore, and everyone was preparing to withdraw and return to the country for rest. Xuanyuan Jie would also return with them.
Ma Xiongfei and his group would rest for a while before returning to the sea area where the teleportation array was located to survey the underwater situation.
In a three-star hotel by the sea, Ling Tian met Aurora and Yu Gong Yui. The two women rushed to him with excitement upon seeing him return, hugging him tightly.
Ling Tian greatly enjoyed the feeling of soft warmth in his arms.
In Ling Tian's room, Aurora recounted the events of the past few days to him.
After boarding the Ice Queen and arriving at the port, they switched to two other ships and returned to Mermaid Island. Then, with the help of the Xuanyuan family, they transported all the captives and espers from the island back to the port.
These people had received excellent treatment and care. Some chose to leave, while over a hundred particularly capable espers chose to pledge their loyalty to Aurora.
The fact that these people had survived the battle with the mermaids fully demonstrated their strength, which made Aurora extremely happy.
Most of these people were loaded onto ships and sent to their newly established base, where they would undergo a period of treatment and training.
For any force to expand, it's not enough to just bring people in; they must undergo a long period of integration.
"Ling Tian, what are your plans next?" Aurora Kuiet asked.
Ling Tian thought for a moment and said, "Of course, I'm going back to that Mermaid Island.
I've been studying how to break through that ruin these past few days, and I have some ideas now. I want to try them out.
The formations in this ruin are very advanced. I believe the person who built this formation must have been a powerful being, and the legacy left by such a person would definitely be coveted!"
"I'm very sorry, Ling Tian, I can't go with you. I have to send these people back, arrange their treatment, and win them over.
Although Lancelot can help me, you know that some things must be done by me personally!"
Ling Tian nodded, understanding Aurora's decision.
Although Lancelot was trustworthy, winning over people's hearts was something Aurora Kuiet had to do personally. Otherwise, those newly recruited people would only have eyes for Lancelot.
People's hearts are unfathomable. If Lancelot were to have any ulterior motives, Aurora would be sidelined.
"It's okay, I'll take Ah Li with me!" Ling Tian said, resting his head on Aurora's shoulder.
At this moment, Yu Gong Yui turned to Ling Tian and said firmly, "Mr. Ling Tian, please take me with you. I promise, I definitely won't be a burden!"
Seeing Yu Gong Yui's determined expression, Ling Tian hesitated. He didn't want to bring Yu Gong Yui along. This wasn't a consideration of strength; Yu Gong Yui had already proven herself in the battle a few days ago.
Ling Tian was mainly worried about the secret of his spiritual realm space being leaked!