The mode of transportation for going out to sea was a white fishing boat.
A dozen or so eagle birds perched atop the cabin. Sun Zhichun was steering the fishing boat, while the other three people and a snake stood together at the bow.
“Wow! I’ve never been out to sea before!” Pang Cancan excitedly clung to the railing, extending her palm to catch the white waves stirred up by the boat. “Sister Su Su, have you ever been out to sea?”
Su Su nodded. “I have.”
Back then, it had also been a novel experience, but now, there was an added layer of anxiety and nervousness.
“Hiss!”
The black snake suddenly shrank several times smaller, nimbly slithering up the mast, using the height to gaze into the distant sea horizon.
Su Su looked up, squinting at that small curled-up figure, and suddenly realized—this wasn’t just Pang Cancan’s first time at sea, but also Xiao Hei’s first time.
Was it excited too?
Sun Zhixia was well aware of the dangers of the ocean and understood that their objective was to locate the Tier-6 seagull, so she was much more tense than the others.
At this moment, she stared intently into the distance, muttering, “It would be best if we encounter that seagull on the island…”
“What if we encounter it at sea?”
“If we encounter it at sea…” Sun Zhixia’s expression abruptly turned serious. “Then we have to be careful—it can use both wind and water abilities, meaning it could deliberately create a storm at sea.”
Pang Cancan gasped. “Then can this boat withstand it?”
“It can’t.” Sun Zhixia shook her head. “If we really run into a powerful storm, the boat will capsize, and we’ll all die.”
As soon as she said this, Su Su and Pang Cancan’s faces became notably grim.
Sun Zhixia reassured them, “That’s the worst-case scenario. If that seagull is resting on the island, it will be much easier for us to deal with it once we land.”
“Then how do we know if it’s on the island right now?”
Sun Zhixia didn’t respond. Instead, she blew a silver whistle.
With a loud flutter of wings, the dozen eagle birds soared into the sky, swiftly spreading out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, they became tiny black specks that soon disappeared from view.
“They’ll scout for the seagull’s location. If it’s in the air over the sea, they’ll lure it toward the island.”
“That’s so cool!” Pang Cancan exclaimed excitedly. “Sister! Can you teach me? Can my babies go on scouting missions too?”
“How far can your bugs fly?”
That single question instantly extinguished Pang Cancan’s enthusiasm.
She pouted. “At most, only about ten kilometers.”
Sun Zhixia dashed her hopes. “Then they’re not suited for flying over the ocean.”
This sea area was vast, with no places to land and rest. If those venomous insects got tired, they would have nowhere to stop, and they’d just fall into the water and drown.
Pang Cancan sulked, poking the back of her venomous insect.
Su Su comforted her. “It’s okay, your bugs have their own special uses.”
“What special use?”
“If the boat capsizes, at least we can step on it and not drown immediately.”
“By that logic, the eagle birds should work too, right?”
Sun Zhixia silently shook her head. “Not really. They rely on their wings to fly, and if a person stands on them, it would be difficult for them to lift off.”
Pang Cancan immediately brightened up again.
Seeing her like this, Sun Zhixia didn’t have the heart to shatter her confidence—if the boat capsized, that would mean the storm had already grown too powerful to resist. At that point, even a hundred or a thousand venomous insects would be swept away and thrown into the sea.
To be honest, she wasn’t optimistic about hunting the Tier-6 seagull.
But since her younger brother had already agreed to the task, she would absolutely fulfill her promise and do it properly.
Su Su raised her hand to shade her forehead and suddenly asked, “Zhixia, do you know how that seagull advanced to Tier-6?”
Sun Zhixia was momentarily stunned.
This was the first time someone of the same age had called her name so closely.
Since childhood, because of her dark complexion and the fishy smell from years of helping her family catch and sell fish, few people were willing to befriend her. She had even experienced subtle school bullying.
After dropping out, most of the people she interacted with were middle-aged uncles and aunts… If not for that, she wouldn’t have been deceived by Yu Zhenghong’s handsome face and smooth talk.
Sun Zhixia quickly snapped out of her brief daze.
She did, in fact, know something about why that seagull had been able to become a Tier-6 bird without anyone feeding it.
“There was a dockside tourist attraction in the neighboring city where visitors loved feeding large flocks of seagulls.”
“When the apocalypse hit, that scenic area was left without living humans—only wandering zombies remained.”
“Some seagulls, out of habit, still waited at the dock for food. That seagull was probably among them. At first, it couldn’t find any food, so it swallowed crystal cores that had fallen to the ground. After gaining abilities, it instinctively learned to peck open zombies’ heads and retrieve the crystal cores to eat.”
With its exceptional flight capabilities, it had likely scoured every city near this sea area. Who knew how many zombie crystal cores it had devoured? And yet, it hadn’t exploded and died.
This was a one-in-a-million probability.
After listening to Sun Zhixia’s explanation, Su Su looked up again, squinting against the glaring sunlight to gaze at the black snake coiled around the mast.
If there truly were a few rare creatures in nature capable of expelling crystal core impurities, then in its past life, perhaps Xiao Hei wouldn’t have exploded and died. Instead, it might have thrived in some mountain forest, becoming a powerful force.
If it had gone into estrus back then… maybe it would have found a mate in its territory… At least it wouldn’t have had to endure its estrus period while following her like it did now.
—Whooo—
A long whistle interrupted Su Su’s thoughts.
Half an hour after setting out, the dozen or so eagle birds returned in unison.
After whispering their reports to Sun Zhixia one by one, a hint of delight appeared on her face. “The seagull is on an island about ten kilometers away!”
This was the best possible news! At least they wouldn’t have to battle it over open water!
“Brother!” Sun Zhixia called toward the cabin, giving an exact island location. “Head that way!”
“Got it.”
The fishing boat changed course, churning up waves as it sped toward the designated island.
Before long, they finally caught sight of the island’s edge.
The fishing boat hadn’t even docked yet when a sharp screech rang out from above the cabin. Before anyone could react, several quick-witted eagle birds spread their wings and shot into the air, swiftly pursuing a dark figure flying away in the distance.
Sun Zhixia squinted, identifying it in half a second before stating with certainty, “That’s the seagull! It’s fleeing!”
No one had expected that merely approaching the island would startle the resting seagull into flight.
Chase? Or not?
Sun Zhichun, inside the cabin, gave an immediate answer—the fishing boat surged forward at full speed, charging in the direction the seagull had flown.
A dozen eagle birds led the pursuit in the sky, while the fishing boat chased from below. In the blink of an eye, they had left the island behind.
The expressions of those standing at the bow turned grim.
Things were unfolding in the exact way they had feared most—no matter what, once they caught up with the seagull, the battle would inevitably take place over the open sea.
“Gu—”
A sharp, clear seagull cry echoed through the sky, reaching everyone’s ears.
The fishing boat was getting closer.
Su Su could now make out the seagull’s appearance—it was only two to three times larger than an ordinary seagull.
Against the pursuing eagle flock, it appeared strikingly small.
“Whoo—”
Sun Zhixia blew a short whistle, and the leading eagle king immediately dived forward at full speed.
Pang Cancan refused to be left out, unleashing her army of venomous insects.
Trailing behind the eagle flock, the insects steadily closed in on the seagull at the front—
“Gu!!”
The seagull let out another piercing cry. Before its last note faded, the eagle king caught up to it!
Under the tense gazes of everyone watching, the seagull’s wings were ripped apart, nearly torn off by the eagle king’s vicious bite!
Stripped of its ability to fly, the seagull let out a despairing wail as it plummeted straight into the sea, sending up a massive splash.
Splash!
The utterly one-sided battle left everyone at the bow momentarily stunned.
Su Su instinctively felt—Something’s wrong!
Sun Zhixia also reacted quickly. “This isn’t the Tier-6 seagull!”
Based on size alone, it was impossible to tell if it was the real one—after all, all high-level battle pets could alter their body size to some extent.
But scent couldn’t be faked.
Her eagle birds had encountered the real Tier-6 seagull before and had memorized its scent. How could they have been misled by this one?
Within just a few seconds, Sun Zhixia’s expression kept shifting.
What was going on?
Why did a similar-looking seagull suddenly fly out from the island? Could it be that her eagle birds had been mistaken from the very beginning?
While everyone was still confused, the black snake coiled around the mast suddenly made a sound.
“Hiss!”
Su Su reflexively looked up.
At that moment, a seabird the size of an adult man’s palm had silently crept up behind the black snake.
Xiao Hei was still alert—it immediately turned its head and let out a warning hiss.
As if realizing it had been discovered, in a flash of lightning speed, the palm-sized seabird swelled into a massive, sky-darkening seagull!
In that instant, everyone finally saw it clearly—its wings were long and slender, its red beak thin and sharp, and its feathers bore only three colors: gray, white, and black.
“That’s the Tier-6 seagull!”
“Gu!!”
A sharp, piercing bird cry echoed through the air as the enormous wings swept down viciously, instantly snapping the mast of the fishing boat!
The black snake coiled on top had no time to react before its slender body was snatched up with pinpoint precision by the seagull’s thin, elongated beak—right at its vital seven-inch point!
“Hiss!!”
“Xiao Hei!!!”
The Tier-6 seagull had no intention of lingering. After capturing the prey that most attracted it, it turned and shot toward the distant sky.
The massive wings cast a shadow over the boat as they departed, and in the next instant, the blinding sunlight returned, flooding the deck.
“Brother! Chase it!”
Su Su could no longer hear anything else.
From the moment Xiao Hei was taken, she exploded with all her potential.
Blinding white light surged uncontrollably from her, pouring toward the massive seagull that flew higher and farther away.
Her vision locked onto only one thing—the small black snake clamped within that slender beak.
“Let it go!”
Su Su’s ability erupted without restraint, and her hoarse, furious cry tore through the air.
High above, the soaring seagull abruptly froze in midair—its body momentarily stalled as if caught in an unseen grip.
The fishing boat surged forward in pursuit.
All the eagle birds and venomous insects swarmed toward the seagull.
Sun Zhichun also stepped out of the cabin.
“Hiss!!”
Yet, the black snake clamped in the seagull’s beak did not struggle.
Taking advantage of its close proximity, a blazing blue fire erupted from its body, engulfing the massive predator that had attacked it!
Its wing feathers caught fire, burning fiercely.
The eagle birds and venomous insects had already begun tearing into the seagull’s wings.
“Gu!!!!!”
The giant seagull struggled frantically, but it could not move forward even an inch.
It seemed to realize the invisible force that was binding it—and with furious despair, it let out a sorrowful, ear-piercing screech.
A violent storm erupted.
This wind was even more overwhelming than Yu Zhenghong’s tornado, instantly whipping up a fierce tempest. Towering waves crashed down, slamming mercilessly toward the small white fishing boat.
Su Su had already pushed her abilities beyond their limits, her face turning even paler than paper.
As the surging sea threatened to sweep over them, if not for Sun Zhichun grabbing both her and Pang Cancan in time, everyone at the bow would have been thrown into the ocean.
“Brother!”
“I know!”
This was the tacit understanding between the twin siblings. The moment Sun Zhixia called out, Sun Zhichun unleashed his full power.
A clear water barrier enveloped the entire fishing boat, forming a gigantic water sphere that bobbed and swayed amid the raging waves. Though no one could stand upright amidst the violent turbulence, at least they wouldn’t be tossed into the sea.
However… Su Su was already dizzy and disoriented, and her ability was forcefully interrupted.
Regaining its mobility, the seagull shook off the eagle birds and venomous insects, clutching the still-burning black snake in its beak as it once again soared into the sky.
A monstrous wave surged forward.
The fishing boat was thrown to the peak of the wave’s crest.
Su Su clung tightly to the cabin doorway, her blurred vision barely catching a glimpse of the giant seagull’s retreating silhouette.
No—
She lunged toward the highest point of the bow, pouring the last remnants of her power toward the sky.
“Xiao Hei!! Kill it!!”
Her voice might not have reached, but her ability did.
The seagull’s body froze mid-flight once again.
It tried to swallow the still-burning prey trapped in its beak, but no matter how hard it bit down, it couldn’t pierce through the snake’s scales.
That was when its prey seized the opportunity.
The black snake flipped over completely, its head now facing directly into the dark depths of the bird’s beak.
“Hiss!!”
By now, all the feathers on the seagull’s wings had been completely burned away.
And at that moment—
The most powerful blue fireball shot straight into the seagull’s mouth.
Simultaneously, the Eagle King caught up and ruthlessly pecked out the seagull’s eyes.
“Gu!!!”
A bloodcurdling, agonized shriek tore through the sky.
The venomous insects had been gnawing away at it all along, and now their toxins began to take effect.
The next moment—
Boom!
The fireball detonated inside the seagull’s body.
The giant seagull was completely annihilated.
Its broken body plummeted toward the sea.
Just before it crashed into the waves, its beak finally released its grip— and the black snake also fell into the water.
Splash!
Before the seagull’s corpse could fully sink beneath the waves, a gigantic python burst up from the ocean depths.
In one swift motion—
It swallowed the seagull and its crystal core whole.
Splash! Splash!
The elongated snake body rose and fell amidst the churning sea for several moments before it finally disappeared beneath the ocean depths.
The giant seagull was dead, and the raging waves stirred by its abilities finally calmed.
To protect the entire boat, Sun Zhichun had been battling against the combined force of wind and water abilities for more than ten minutes, pushing his energy to its absolute limit. The instant everything ended, he finally collapsed, completely drained, onto the deck.
“Brother!”
Sun Zhixia rushed toward Sun Zhichun, who lay unmoving on the wooden planks.
On the other side, Pang Cancan was sprawled over the railing, vomiting uncontrollably.
As for Su Su, who had been closest to the bow—her abilities had been completely exhausted. Her head spun, her face was deathly pale, and in the lingering small waves that rocked the fishing boat, she—light as a sheet of paper—was effortlessly swept over the railing and thrown straight into the sea.
Cold seawater swallowed her petite figure.
Before anyone could react, Su Su sank rapidly.
She still retained a sliver of consciousness, but her entire body—including her limbs—refused to obey her commands. She could only allow herself to descend deeper and deeper.
Oxygen grew scarcer.
Her skin grew colder.
Her eyelids drooped in exhaustion. Just as she was about to lose consciousness completely, a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind.
In the narrow, blurry vision that remained, she could only make out a few strands of floating black hair near her cheek.
Dark. Thick. Silky.
Her vision dimmed even further.
At the very last moment, she managed to glimpse a thick, muscular snake tail swimming alongside her.
Xiao Hei…
Feeling safe, Su Su let her eyes close completely and sank into deep sleep…