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Navigating between two giant worms was no easy task.
Especially when the two were only five or six hundred metres apart, it was like dancing on the edge of a blade – one slight misstep could lead to eternal damnation! Constant vigilance was required, keeping an eye on both one's position and the impact of the storm on the vessel.
Yang Yi was on high alert, skillfully weaving and manoeuvring for a full eight hours. A pile of Vitality Coconuts was scattered at his feet.
The refreshing effect of coconut juice only activated once every 24 hours, but there was no such limit on Vitality Coconuts – though drinking too many would reduce the effect and leave you feeling bloated.
Thanks to this, Yang Yi looked like an iron man, still maintaining over 70% of his energy.
Only he knew how uncomfortable he really felt.
“How much farther to the exit?”
Yang Yi's resolve began to waver.
But his will was as tough as steel. He quickly shook his head, pushing the thought aside and pressed on, gritting his teeth.
His private messages kept pinging, with messages popping up nonstop, mostly other players expressing their thanks.
During this time, many had escaped the stormy seas.
Their ships, generally slower, were blocked by giant worms near the exit.
It was only after Yang Yi’s warning that they mustered the courage to dash through when the gap was just right.
So, they were grateful to Yang Yi and sent him private messages of thanks.
Of course, there were also those who failed and got eaten by the worms. But dead men send no messages, and Yang Yi would never know about them.
At the same time, Yang Yi gleaned some information.
The area near the exit was a buffer zone, about fifty nautical miles long, where there were no giant worms, and the waves were much calmer.
So, as soon as you saw a large, open sea without giant worms, it meant the exit was near!
Yang Yi stared intently at the crystal ball.
There was no such open sea within a hundred nautical miles. Instead, there were always more or fewer giant worms...
The Nightmare was relatively fast, and with the help of the map, it should have been close to getting out...
Three more hours passed.
Finally, he saw a stretch of sea on the crystal ball without any black dots.
“Suna, we're almost out!” Yang Yi exclaimed excitedly.
But Suna didn’t show any sign of relief or joy. Instead, she reached out her hand, feeling something, then suddenly turned back.
“Don’t you feel like the storm has gotten weaker?”
Yang Yi immediately became alert.
By now, the storm had been a protective umbrella for the stranded ships.
If the storm weakened...it meant the giant worms’ sensory range would gradually increase until it fully recovered!
Yang Yi quickly checked the weather forecast.
Today’s Weather: The storm is calming down… Surprised?
Location: Sea of Origin (Storm Zone)
Remaining Sunlight: Unknown
Temperature: 12-18℃
Wind Speed: Level 9
The storm had indeed weakened; Yang Yi recalled it was level 10 when he woke up!
And the sky wasn’t as dark as before, with some faint light beginning to show.
Yang Yi, focused on steering the ship, had ignored these subtle changes, but now it felt like a sudden awakening. Cold sweat began breaking out all over him!
If this continued, the wind speed would soon drop to level 8, or even to level 4 or level 1.
By that time...the giant worms would reveal their sharp fangs and tear apart every ship in their path!
“Full speed ahead!” Yang Yi almost shouted, immediately abandoning his original cautious route.
He was now only about 80 nautical miles from the buffer zone. Rather than prudently manoeuvring around, it was better to choose the shortest possible route, even if it meant taking on some risks!
Because no one knew when the storm would stop!
But Yang Yi felt...it would come much faster than expected, making it inevitable to face attacks from giant worms!
In short, he had to hurry!
After another hour of sailing, the Nightmare finally reached the edge of the buffer zone, less than 40 nautical miles away.
There were far fewer giant worms here.
But the wind had already dropped to level 4, barely hindering the worms' senses.
Cursing filled the world channel.
Though it was just a small number of players, their foul language was relentless, cursing the system wildly.
“Damn system!”
“I'm screwed!”
“The bug found me; I’m done for…”
“Ahhhhh!!!!”
The same was true for Yang Yi.
Two giant worms were following closely behind, closing the distance steadily.
It was unbelievable how these long-bodied worms could swim so fast in the sea!
Suna noticed the danger too and immediately ran to the stern of the ship.
“What are you doing?” Yang Yi shouted at her.
“I’m going to detach the claw hook from the Astrologer. It could buy us some time!”
“This…”
Yang Yi was surprised but didn’t try to stop her.
Because it was indeed a good idea.
The giant worms had no visual organs and would most likely attack the unmanned Astrologer, delaying them.
But this meant Suna would be left without a ship...
There was no time to worry about that now. Surviving was the top priority!
Suna made a decisive move, detaching the claw hook from the Astrologer.
The Astrologer was already slower than the Nightmare, and without the hook, it fell behind, becoming the prey of the two giant worms as expected.
The two weren’t allies; they even started fighting over the prey.
Taking advantage of this, the Nightmare quickly put some distance between them.
But Yang Yi didn’t relax.
With the Astrologer gone, the crystal ball wouldn’t display the map anymore.
Yang Yi could only rely on his memory to navigate.
He remembered there was another giant worm ahead that he had to face head-on!
This route was the best one Yang Yi had chosen!
If he had taken another route, there would have been not two, but a dozen giant worms chasing him!
Rather than facing a dozen, it was better to desperately fight against one!
“Suna, you’re steering next. Just keep the course steady!” Yang Yi said seriously. “When I tell you to jump into the sea, don’t hesitate – jump immediately. Don’t stand there frozen at the bow!”
Suna nodded and took over the helm.
Yang Yi took a few steps forward, standing at the bow.
The Nightmare had no weapons, powerless against the giant worm, like fish on a chopping block.
And Yang Yi wasn’t counting on any miracles to evade the giant worm’s attack.
So, he had to take a gamble, testing whether the giant worm’s head was harder or if the calibre of his prized flintlock was bigger!
He switched into his sharkskin swimming suit, ready for action.
Soon, a black shadow appeared.
Once past that shadow, the relatively safe buffer zone wouldn’t be far.
Yang Yi switched his flintlock to cannon mode, smirking coldly.
“Come on, let’s make a bet!”
With the storm no longer interfering, the giant worm's sensory range was astonishingly large. It quickly locked onto the Nightmare and swam towards it.
Yang Yi was highly tense, his grip on the gun so tight that his fingertips turned white.
He was far from being a sharpshooter.
So, the distance had to be close enough to guarantee a hit.
There would be only one shot!
Failure would mean death!
As it approached within 300 metres, Yang Yi could judge the size of the giant worm.
It was about three metres in diameter, not the largest among the giant worms, and about forty metres long above the surface.
It lowered its body, charging straight ahead, opening its razor-sharp jaws that gleamed like a guillotine, ready to slice the Nightmare in half with a single blow.
“Suna, jump into the sea!” Yang Yi shouted in a commanding tone while aiming the gun at the giant worm’s head.
He could see its mouthparts clearly – two rows of hairy, jointed limbs, like the appendages of an arthropod, curled up like a spider.
These limbs could grab prey and deliver it to the mouth, where rows upon rows of sharp teeth would crush it.
And its prey was the Nightmare.
Faced with this life-and-death situation, Yang Yi became calm and focused, taking deep breaths.
He looked at the giant worm so intently that he could almost smell the salty, fishy odour emanating from its body...
It also meant that Yang Yi and the giant worm were now close enough!
Less than ten metres!
Now!
Yang Yi pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The powerful recoil sent Yang Yi flying backward, his right arm, holding the gun, numb with pain as he crashed into the captain’s cabin behind him.
The gunshot was deafening, like the roar of thunder, challenging the power of nature.
Its power was astonishing, no less than that of a cannon.
The shot hit the giant worm's head directly, blowing it apart.
The mouthparts and skull fragments flew off, scattering over the sea.
But the giant worm’s momentum didn’t stop – it crashed into the Nightmare.
【The Nightmare was hit directly, Durability -600, Hull Breached...】
The flimsy Nightmare was split in two by the worm’s impact…