Chapter 217 - 215: Special Squad
The *Sea Cape* slowly departed from Jinshui Port, sailing into the vast, boundless ocean.
Although Yang Shen had been raised by sailors, this was his first time actually going out to sea.
He wasn’t sure if he got seasick, but he hoped not.
If he did, his uncle would probably die laughing.
The *Sea Cape* was a large vessel. The sea was calm this close to the coast, so there wasn’t much rocking. The ship probably had over a hundred people on board, and its cargo hold was certainly filled with important goods.
But most of that had nothing to do with Yang Shen, or rather, the "special team."
Shen Juanzhou gathered everyone in a meeting room on the fourth floor, where Yang Shen saw the "entire current team" for the first time.
Inside the meeting room, the seats were arranged in a circle along the walls. This design was to prevent them from being tossed about by large waves; in fact, most things on the ship were bolted down.
This layout also allowed Yang Shen to take in everyone’s posture the moment he entered.
There were ten people in total. Shen Juanzhou stood at the front in a military uniform, a whiteboard before him. He was clearly about to explain something important.
Five of them looked like students; from what he’d been told, they were all upperclassmen from Jiangti.
They were all people under Xu Mo, and since they obviously knew each other, they were easy to pick out, clustered together as they were.
Among the other four, one was a woman in her thirties wearing a high-slit dress. She looked less like she was on a long-range mission and more like she was on vacation...
Beneath the dress was a swimsuit, her pale white thighs on full display, even revealing the curve of her rear.
A few of the male students couldn’t control their natural targeting systems, their gazes constantly drifting in her direction.
’A bikini under a high-slit dress? Is she planning to go for a swim at a moment’s notice?’
Sitting beside her was another woman of similar age, dressed in a simple, thin wool sweater and wearing glasses. She looked like a technician.
The third was a middle-aged man with curly hair. Yang Shen recognized him; he seemed to be Luo Sheng’s partner.
Back at Nanliang High School, he and Luo Sheng had been standing by when the local police were questioning him. Yang Shen recalled his name was... Zheng Tao?
As for the last one... it was, of course, Luo Sheng.
He sat in a corner with his gloomy aura but didn’t pay much attention to Yang Shen.
Including Yang Shen, the so-called special team now had 11 members. The rest were supposed to board at the Dongying Remnant Island.
After Yang Shen chose a seat, Shen Juanzhou said with a smile, "Let’s start with some introductions. Although our main mission is to support a scientific research project, we can’t rule out special circumstances during Exotic Realm exploration or deep-sea voyages. We should all have a general idea of each other’s Martial Arts strength and specialties."
"My name is Shen Juanzhou, Late-stage Innate. I’m not a front-line combatant, though. I’m mainly here to provide support."
Shen Juanzhou looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, yet he was already at the Late-stage Innate realm... Even at Jiangti, he would be considered exceptionally talented.
Yang Shen couldn’t help but think of the Yanjing Military Academy that Huo Jun had recommended long ago. Judging by his accent, Shen Juanzhou did indeed seem to be from the north.
Shen Juanzhou gestured toward the two women with an open palm. "Liu Xi, Early-stage True Gang. She has mastered techniques suitable for underwater combat and will be a great asset in the sea."
"Shi Jia, a technician. She’s an expert in Martial Arts Techniques research and the technical advisor for this mission. If I recall correctly, she’s at the Early Innate Stage. Both of them are employees of the Biological Domain Company."
The short-haired woman smiled shyly and said, "Hello, everyone."
’Early Innate Stage at thirty? That’s very ’research-oriented.’ She’s probably a non-combat type Martial Artist.’
Shen Juanzhou then pointed to the two detectives. "Zheng Tao and Luo Sheng. Both are at the Early-stage True Gang and are experts in criminal investigation. They’ll be of great use this time."
Luo Sheng showed no reaction, but Zheng Tao gave everyone a friendly nod.
Yang Shen’s mind stirred. ’Early-stage True Gang? That doesn’t match my assessment that Luo Sheng is at least at the Mid-stage True Gang.’
After that, Shen Juanzhou introduced the students. They were all at the Early Innate Stage—one was a first-year graduate student, and four were seniors.
Their strength level made it clear that none of them were from Qiangwu Academy; they were here as technical personnel.
As for their combat ability...
Yang Shen could only think of them as five Chen Beiwangs on a group outing.
Finally, Shen Juanzhou pointed to Yang Shen. "Yang Shen, Middle Stage of Innate, has mastered Fist Intent. He’s a special talent handpicked by Professor Xu, so don’t underestimate him~"
Yang Shen nodded to the group. Few responded, with only the five upperclassmen offering friendly gazes.
A small team of a dozen or so people actually included the military, a mega-corporation, police detectives, students, and a night-prowling aristocrat with a body carved from marble.
What a motley crew.
However, this also seemed to suggest the mission wasn’t too dangerous. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have assembled such a mixed bag.
Shen Juanzhou used magnets to stick a map to the whiteboard, then took out a marker and drew a few circles.
"We’ll arrive at the Dongying Remnant Island around tomorrow morning and dock at Jiuwu Port for no more than six hours. After that, we’ll depart for the Vast Sea Center. The total voyage is nearly 10,000 kilometers and will take 14 to 15 days."
"That island has currently been named ’Harmony Island.’"
Below, Liu Xi—the woman with the pale legs—couldn’t help but chuckle. "A place for developing an Exotic Realm is called Harmony Island. How ironic."
Mega-corporations played a significant role in the development of Exotic Realms, but there was no telling what their methods were really like.
Shen Juanzhou smiled. "Harmony Island is 45 square kilometers. Personnel from nine nations are currently stationed there, but most lack the ability to build or explore independently, so they operate under one of the three major parties: us, Europe, or Magna."
"These smaller nations are just joining the fun, serving as an ’atmosphere squad’ to create a harmonious image of joint development. You can ignore them. Some have only sent one or two observers."
"After we land on the island, our main task is to assist the research institutions."
A female senior raised her hand. "Can you give us a general idea? The information our professor gave us was very brief."
Shen Juanzhou replied, "To be honest, I’ve been away for a month, so I’m not briefed on the specific progress over there. Long-range communication is complex and tedious. It’s impossible to send back large amounts of data for detailed explanations. We only receive short directives and supply lists."
"I’m only responsible for getting the team there. However, all of you should expect to enter the Exotic Realm, and possibly even the deep sea around Harmony Island."
Hearing the words "deep sea," Yang Shen’s heart stirred...
Meanwhile, Zheng Tao was staring at the map, somewhat lost in thought...
Six months ago, he and Luo Sheng had come to the Vast Sea, and an island they passed seemed very close to Harmony Island.
Of course, "very close" was relative to the scale of the Vast Sea. In reality, it was still over a thousand kilometers away...
Since the full team hadn’t assembled yet, not much was said on the first day of the voyage. The main purpose was for everyone to get to know one another.
Yang Shen, meanwhile, quietly used his daily "Life Chart Inspection" on Luo Sheng’s partner, Zheng Tao.
He couldn’t forget the hidden danger Luo Sheng represented and thought it best to confirm beforehand whether this man was in on it.
"Zheng Tao: Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation (Approximate)"
"Life Chart: Food and Comparison Mutual Generation"
"Food and Comparison Mutual Generation: Does not vie or snatch; maintains harmony with family and closeness with friends."
Yang Shen frowned slightly... ’This can only be considered a neutral Life Chart. Harmony with family and closeness with friends... Who the hell knows what kind of family and friends he has.’
’A murderer can be family, and Luo Sheng can be a friend...’
However, his strength being slightly lower than Luo Sheng’s meant he was someone Yang Shen could handle with relative ease.
After that, the meeting dismissed. They would wait for the last few people to board at the Dongying Remnant Island before discussing anything further.
There were many empty rooms, as the ship seemed to be primarily carrying cargo and equipment. Yang Shen was assigned a single cabin.
It was small, only about ten square meters, but it was fully equipped with a bed, a desk, and a toilet.
After unpacking his luggage, Yang Shen had nothing else to do, so he went out for a stroll around the *Sea Cape*.
And secretly dropped many "small pebbles."
In the cracks of the deck, in the corners of hallways, under carpets, in the ceiling of the restroom...
He had come fully prepared this time. Since he was going to be on a ship for over ten days, how could he not set up a "Yang Family’s Underground Array"?
The black substance from the Curse Engraving could also be used as Array Materials, but it would only last for a few hours once separated from him. That’s why he had specifically prepared so many small pebbles.
This task alone took him three hours. The ship was just too big...
He also paid special attention to the floor where Luo Sheng was staying.
However, when the array was activated, it allowed him to discover some strange cargo in the ship’s hold.
Large amounts of scientific equipment, various conventional supplies, weapons, and gear... all seemed reasonable.
After all, for a 10,000-kilometer journey, it made sense to bring extra supplies if there was space.
But one compartment held all sorts of live animals.
Chickens, ducks, geese... and even some pigs, all tended to by dedicated personnel.
With modern naval technology, they shouldn’t need a live food reserve... He had no idea what their purpose was.
In particular, there was a tank filled with freshwater fish... This was just absurdly bizarre.
’Who goes out to sea and worries about a shortage of fish?’
Dinner was in the third-floor mess hall. There were over a hundred people, all regular crew members. With so many faces, no one knew anyone else. Yang Shen simply had a quick meal, not even spotting anyone from the special team. He wondered if he had missed them.
Afterward, he returned to his room.
His uncle was right; going out to sea really was boring.
His phone had no service, and contacting land required applying for satellite communication. Yang Shen decided to just sit cross-legged and begin his Cultivation.
Before his fight with Jiang Xin, he had reached the Middle Stage of Innate, and his Qi and Blood Value had hit 1806. Now, five days later, it had reached 1904.
Gaining 20 points a day was truly like a small update patch every week.
He had also grown another centimeter, reaching a height of 187 cm.
This was a pleasant surprise for Yang Shen. It meant he still had a chance to reach 2.5 meters. When the time came, he’d buy a five-meter coffin just to scare the hell out of any grave robbers.
’Oh, right... My goal is to become part of the Immortal Race. I probably won’t be able to die...’
On this long journey, whether on the ship or on the island, he would not give up on his Cultivation. He had already picked out a spot to practice his Martial Arts at sunrise.
And so, the night passed uneventfully. Yang Shen immersed himself in Cultivation... only occasionally checking on the status of his array.
The next day, before the sun had fully risen, Yang Shen left his room, reaping the rewards of a night’s work, and headed for the top of the ship’s superstructure.
Taking the winding stairs was a hassle, but that was no obstacle for a Martial Artist. With a few leaps from his own floor, the fourth, Yang Shen reached the roof.
He had to admit, the endless ocean was a visually stunning sight. At least, after only one day at sea, Yang Shen hadn’t grown tired of it yet.
But just as the sun began to rise slowly from the sea and Yang Shen prepared to perform a unique "Rising Sun Body Forging," a faint shape appeared on the other side of the horizon, far in the distance.
Yang Shen turned to look... an irregular black line...
The Dongying Remnant Island.
They had arrived.