Chapter 256: Sculptures in the Mysterious Sea Area, An Old Acquaintance Again?

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Sculptures in the Mysterious Sea Area, An Old Acquaintance Again?

Completely oblivious to the commotion on the surface, Leila and her team were steadily approaching the depths of the Mysterious Sea Area.

Under the guidance of the Killer Whale, the faint light gradually grew brighter.

"Look! There’s something over there!"

Ao Ke excitedly pointed at the object emitting the bright light ahead. However, Leila, who was at the very front and had noticed it much earlier, was not as thrilled as he was.

"Everyone, stay alert. It’s better to be safe than sorry," Leila warned over the comms.

For some reason, Leila felt that their exploration of the Mysterious Sea Area was going a bit too smoothly. Even though their group had discussed the plan day and night, and even rehearsed it in advance—making their smooth progress seem justified—Leila still felt uneasy. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, so all she could do was urge everyone to be as vigilant and careful as possible.

"We are about to approach the light source. Stay safe."

At this point, it was no longer the Killer Whale leading the way, but rather a vanguard of ten submarines. They piloted the vessels toward the light source, their tension mounting with every inch they closed.

"Strange. Why is there only a statue here and nothing else?" someone questioned.

The statue in question depicted a man clad in flowing robes, cradling a totem-like seal in his hands.

"That totem looks a bit familiar." Leila furrowed her brows, trying to recall where she had seen it, but the more anxious she grew, the more the memory eluded her.

Instead, an unfamiliar voice crackled through the communication device, directly identifying the totem’s origin. "It’s the Beast God."

The Beast God was once the faith of the Beastmen. Rumor had it that the Beastmen’s strength originated from the Beast God—a divine blessing. Yet, in the long river of time, the existence of the Beast God had gradually been forgotten. People only remembered the mighty Beastmen, not the deity behind them.

"The Beast God? The thing resting at the bottom of the Mysterious Sea Area is actually the Beast God?" Ao Ke was completely baffled. How could the entity responsible for his brothers’ disappearance be related to the Beast God?

"No, this statue isn’t the Beast God. I was only talking about the totem seal." No matter how one thought about it, the Beast God couldn’t possibly take on a purely human form, let alone wear a robe to act all mysterious and secretive.

"Argh! Whatever it is, I just want to know how to find my missing brothers!" Ao Ke exclaimed. Discussing these meaningless things now was simply a waste of time. Ao Ke had neither the time nor the patience to sit here and trace the history of the Beast God with them!

"Let’s go take a look first," Leila said. She didn’t object to Ao Ke’s outburst. Their primary mission this time was indeed to save people; everything else should be cast aside, or at least, not prioritized.

"I’ll take some people down to investigate. Once it’s confirmed safe, the rest of you will move," she ordered. As a Federal Colonel, Leila naturally took the brunt of any potential danger, always charging at the forefront. Fortunately, with the Light illuminating the depths, everyone’s fear of the Mysterious Sea Area had somewhat subsided.

"Leila, how about I go down instead?" Hearing Leila voluntarily take on the responsibility made Ao Ke feel a bit awkward. He felt it was more appropriate for him to do this sort of thing; at the very least, his swimming skills were definitely better than hers.

"Don’t argue about this now." Leila flatly rejected his proposal and assigned him a new task. "If we encounter danger and rescue is impossible, do not hesitate—evacuate everyone immediately."

It wasn’t that Leila was playing the lone hero. She simply felt that compared to total annihilation, having someone successfully escape to deliver the news would give the trapped individuals a real chance of survival.

"...Alright, be careful," Ao Ke agreed. Understanding the principle of living to fight another day, he didn’t argue with her any further.

After sorting out their next moves, Leila took the two companions from her submarine and exited the vessel. They had all put on their diving suits before setting off, so now they only needed to grab their diving gear.

"Everyone else, stay on high alert! If you notice anything unusual, inform Leila and the others immediately!"

The people remaining inside the submarines were now Leila’s eyes, tasked with escorting her and watching over the blind spots she couldn’t see.

Meanwhile, the Sea Ship, which had long been surrounded by the Rebel Army and Fierce Beasts, could no longer afford the luxury of contacting Leila’s team.

"The Rebel Army is attacking the Sea Ship with Fierce Beasts! Leila, Ao Ke, and the others won’t be in danger, right?!" Goring shouted at the top of his lungs, but no one could answer his question.

Instead, a voice rang out from the Rebel Army’s battleship. "Liang He, we meet again."

The voice, as chilling as a venomous snake, was directed straight at Liang He’s location. Recognizing who it belonged to, Liang He slightly raised an eyebrow, appearing far calmer than the other party had anticipated.

"If I remember correctly, your name is Ace."

Minister Ace had previously gone to the Greenfield Star alongside Valken, intending to take Liang He away, only to be counter-killed by her. Later, right before their battleship self-destructed, Ace made a desperate leap out of the blast radius and disappeared without a trace.

"I really didn’t expect you to be so tough to kill. Even the self-destruction of the battleship couldn’t take you out," Liang He remarked. He was probably one of the very few who had managed to escape her killing intent. This realization truly made her a bit displeased.

"Haha! That’s right, it’s me!" Ace sounded extremely delighted to be remembered by Liang He. If he hadn’t even left a name in her mind, it would have ruined the joy of revenge.

"However, I’m not here to take you away this time."

Minister Ace had barely escaped with his life. Because Liang He had blown up the battleship, leaving no survivors but him, he had been subjected to severe interrogation and held accountable. Harboring an intense hatred for Liang He, Minister Ace had endured the Rebel Army’s brutal punishments and pulled through.

"I am here... to kill you!"

His words caused Liang He to raise her eyebrows in surprise. As far as she knew, the Rebel Army had always wanted to recruit her. Why was it different this time? Had they finally recognized the reality that she would never choose to join them, adopting an "if I can’t have you, I’ll destroy you" mentality?

"You want to kill me? What a pity. The person who almost died by my hands last time seemed to be you," Liang He mocked. When it came to stabbing enemies right in the heart, Liang He was a professional. Even faced with a battleship aiming its weapons at her from the sky and surrounded by countless marine Fierce Beasts, she didn’t yield an inch.

"Heh! There’s a saying on the Blue Star—’you won’t shed a tear until you see your own grave.’ It suits you perfectly."

Perhaps feeling that his own negligence last time had nearly led to total annihilation, Ace, who had painstakingly taken on this mission, specially took the time to study Blue Star culture. Whether it was actually useful or not, it certainly sounded intimidating when throwing out threats.

"You only learned a fraction of our culture, yet you have the nerve to show off your meager skills in front of an expert." Scorn filled Liang He’s eyes; it was as if she didn’t take Ace’s threat seriously at all.

"Ace, you gave me a proverb, so I’ll return the favor," she continued. After all, it was impolite not to reciprocate. "Calamities sent by Heaven may be avoided, but calamities brought upon oneself are inescapable!"

Since she had accidentally let him slip away last time, there was no way she would let him escape again! It didn’t matter if Ace couldn’t understand the proverb; all he needed to do was wait for his death.

"Lanton!"

"SCREECH!"

At Liang He’s summon, the Canglan Hunting Eagle abruptly spread its wings, grabbed her shoulders, and soared into the sky.

Seeing this, Ace ordered without hesitation, commanding the battleship to lock its Energy Cannons onto Liang He and Lanton to bombard them.

"Haha! You rejected the path to salvation and walked right into your own doom! Liang He, you are dead meat!"