Volume 2: Shenzhou Academy & The Battle of Venice
Chapter 141
Accepting the Blood Wave Bay Mission
Early morning. The sky hanging above the East Sea Military District Command Base was veiled in a drifting, sullen mist steeped in the leaden gray of the ocean.
Along the black-iron alloy breakwater, towering arcane lighthouses cast sweeping, rhythmic beams of bi-polar azure radiance that pierced through the damp, heavy fog. Farther out within the naval basin, dozens of majestic enchanted armored escort frigates lay anchored at berth. Their hulls were inscribed with protective ward arrays that pulsed in hypnotic synchronization with the churning breakers smashing against the stone embankment. Squadrons of coastal battlemages in navy-blue combat fatigues—shouldering arcane halberds and saturation lightning-fire launchers—patrolled the elevated gantries with resounding, synchronized treads, infusing the damp marine air with an atmosphere of iron discipline and the pungent tang of gunpowder.
Inside the Headquarters’ top-secret tactical briefing room, the stillness was so profound that one could clearly discern the faint, rhythmic hum of the magic stone power core operating the holographic topographic projection table.
“Is everyone present?”
A deep, resonant baritone laced with a metallic timbre shattered the silence. The speaker occupied the head of the long obsidian table, his burly, commanding frame resembling a crag of weathered granite. Over his broad shoulders draped a Lieutenant General’s uniform greatcoat bordered with radiant gold embroidery. His square-jawed countenance bore the jagged trace of an old saber scar extending from his left cheekbone down to the collar of his tunic, while his cold, hawk-like eyes swept piercingly across everyone present in the room.
This was none other than the Deputy Commander of the East Sea Military District and Supreme Commander of the Coastal Campaign—Lieutenant General Lu Haojun, a renowned Earth-element Advanced Archmage who had garrisoned the maritime frontier for two full decades.
“Reporting to the Lieutenant General! The special survey detachment from Shenzhou Magic Academy has assembled in full according to orders!”
Standing at attention in the vanguard, a young woman snapped a textbook Shenzhou military salute. The silver-plated heels of her combat boots clicked smartly against the polished granite floor, producing a sharp, resounding snap.
She was roughly twenty years of age, her figure tall and lithe beneath snow-white, sapphire-trimmed Ice-element light armor. Her lustrous black hair was pulled back into a crisp, high ponytail, accentuating an exquisite yet sharply contoured face. Her thin lips were pressed into a firm line, radiating incisive resolve and a frigid, unapproachable aloofness. Pinned to the chest of her cuirass was a gleaming insignia etched with a six-petaled snowflake and the numeral eighteen—the emblem designating the top thirty combatants on the Shenzhou Academy Battle Rankings.
This was Gu Ling—a second-year senior of the Ice Department, and Gu Xiaowei’s older cousin.
Flanking Gu Ling were the remaining four members of the squad: Lin Feng, clad in a sleek, dark-ink combat suit; Ye Qingwan, elegant and ethereal in an emerald-embroidered botanical mage’s robe; Xie Zhaoyuan, retaining the immaculate, aristocratic polish of a merchant tycoon’s scion; and Gu Xiaowei, who blinked innocently and poked her tongue out playfully toward her cousin, only to be promptly quelled by Gu Ling’s razor-sharp glare.
Lu Haojun gave a slight nod, his sleeve sweeping through the air.
Hummm——
A surge of dense, earthy-brown mana channeled directly from the general’s palm into the central control console. Instantly, the holographic sandtable at the room’s center ignited with brilliant luminescence. Thousands of glowing light particles coalesced into a three-dimensional simulation of a perilous marine zone located roughly fifty nautical miles southeast of the mainland coast.
It depicted an eerie, horseshoe-shaped bay flanked by jagged submarine reefs jutting outward like the fangs of primeval beasts. Most unnerving of all, the simulated surface water of the bay was coated in a sickly, greasy crimson hue—resembling a colossal, festering pool of blood spreading across the boundless ocean.
“Blood Wave Bay,” Lu Haojun rumbled, his thick forefinger pointing toward the deepest depression on the seabed. “Two weeks ago, our military district’s undersea geological survey squad discovered this subterranean mineral vein. Preliminary core drilling confirmed that this is an ancient Water Crystal Spirit Ore deposit dating back over ten thousand years. Its mana purity reaches the Brilliant grade.”
“Brilliant grade?!” Xie Zhaoyuan gasped softly, his eyes widening as he fixated on the crystalline jade streaks shimmering beneath the coral shelves on the projection. As the vanguard heir of the Xie Merchant Guild—the southern hemisphere’s foremost magical resource consortium—he knew the astronomical value implied by that classification all too well. A mere fist-sized chunk of Brilliant-grade mana ore held enough raw energy to sustain an entire urban residential district’s defensive barrier for three consecutive months!
“Indeed,” Lu Haojun continued in a grim cadence, his weathered features darkening. “The emergence of an invaluable treasure should have been a blessing for Shenzhou. However, as you well know, pure elemental mana is an irresistible lure for mutated marine monsters. The energy fluctuations leaking from the subterranean vein have transformed all of Blood Wave Bay into a ravenous den of fiends.”
The general pressed another rune on the console. The holographic display shifted abruptly to replay optical and sonar logs recovered from a military reconnaissance submersible.
The glowing projection flickered, revealing a pitch-black seabed carpeted in blood-stained kelp and spectral anemones. Suddenly, from cavernous chasms among the jagged reefs, dozens of blood-red tentacles thick as ancient tree trunks lunged outward with terrifying speed. Every massive appendage was encrusted with gaping, circular suction cups lined with serrated, horn-like teeth. They clamped mercilessly onto the half-meter-thick alloy hull of an armored survey submersible.
Crrk-crack——!
Even though it was only an acoustic-optical simulation, the screech of structural steel being crushed and twisted like tin foil sent chills down everyone’s spine. A viscous, reddish-brown fluid erupted from the suckers, instantly hissing and smoking upon the reinforced plating as it dissolved the enchanted anti-magic wards within seconds. The next moment, the multi-hundred-ton submarine was dragged violently down into the abyss, leaving behind roiling plumes of crimson bubbles before the feed dissolved into harsh static.
“Crimson Tentacle Giant Squids,” Gu Ling muttered, her icy tone laced with killing intent. “A deep-trench cephalopod species whose mature specimens reach mid-tier Warrior rank. Their constriction strength far surpasses standard enchanted armor, and their suckers secrete a hyper-corrosive mana acid capable of dissolving reinforced metallurgy. Why would a trench-dwelling species migrate all the way up to the shallow coral reefs of the bay?”
“There isn’t just one or two, Ensign Gu Ling,” Lu Haojun said, regarding the academy’s elite prodigy with an approving glance before sighing heavily. “According to our arcane scouts, at least two full packs of Crimson Tentacle Giant Squids—numbering over forty beasts—alongside thousands of Demon-Husk Ghost Prawns and Mutated Sea Spiders have infested the subterranean cavern systems fringing the bay. Over the past ten days, they have ambushed and sunk two light-armored naval patrol cutters in rapid succession. Twelve of our finest soldiers have fallen. We could not even recover their remains.”
A somber, suffocating gravity settled over the briefing room. Ye Qingwan bit her lip slightly, her slender fingers tightening around the hem of her jade robe, while Gu Xiaowei’s eyes rounded in dread as she gripped Lin Feng’s arm.
Lin Feng remained standing firm as a monolith. His razor-sharp gaze scrutinized the stratigraphic fault lines and the simulated movement vectors of the crimson blips across the projection table. There was not a trace of panic or trepidation in his demeanor; his breathing remained steady and calm as an unruffled autumn pond.
Lu Haojun took measure of the five young mages before him, nodding before laying out the tactical objectives:
“Your squad’s assignment falls under the classification of an S-Rank Military Commission. Because the seabed topography of Blood Wave Bay is crisscrossed by thousands of primeval reefs and turbulent undercurrents, large warships cannot navigate anywhere near the shoreline. They can only drop you off at a perimeter distance of five nautical miles. Your five-man team is tasked with three core objectives:”
“Primary Objective: Infiltrate the subterranean cavern system along the bay’s fringe—designated by the military as the ‘Blood Wave Ghost Caverns.’ Accurately assess the density and ranks of the Crimson Tentacle Giant Squid packs, and verify whether a true Commander-class sovereign lurks within the oceanic trench.”
“Secondary Objective: Penetrate the mineral vein’s core, utilizing specialized extraction canisters to harvest at least three core samples of high-purity Water Crystal Spirit Ore to support research and fabrication of coastal defensive magic equipment.”
“Tertiary Objective: The Hydro-Mirror Beacon Tower, previously anchored by our engineers atop the submerged cliff, had its mana transmission core sabotaged by the marine fiends. You must repair and reactivate this targeting beacon. Only when the beacon transmits its guidance telemetry can our military district’s long-range arcane artillery cruisers open fire from beyond the horizon, purging the swarm and paving the way for our engineering corps to establish a permanent mining fortification.”
Lu Haojun paused, his stern gaze locking onto each of them in turn: “This mission is perilous beyond measure. The threat of encountering a Commander-class entity is very real. You are the vanguard seeds nominated to the National Reserve Team, but if anyone among you doubts their resolve, you may withdraw right now. The military will not force anyone to stride into the jaws of death.”
Not a single person stepped back.
Yet right at that moment, Gu Ling took half a step forward. Snapping to attention, she turned her chilly gaze directly upon Lin Feng standing beside Ye Qingwan, her voice cutting through the air with uncompromising directness:
“Reporting to the Lieutenant General! I am fully prepared to accept this commission and execute our orders to the end. However, regarding the personnel composition of this survey squad, I request permission to lodge a formal objection!”
Gu Xiaowei gasped in alarm, frantically tugging at her cousin’s sleeve. “Cousin Ling! What on earth are you saying?!”
Gu Ling paid no heed to her younger cousin, her glacial eyes remaining pinned on Lin Feng’s unruffled face:
“General, I am aware that Lin Feng recently defeated Murong Xue to seize Rank 48 on the Battle Rankings. He undeniably possesses exceptional dual Lightning-Fire talent rarely seen among freshmen. But General, a flat arena on campus overseen by safety arbiters is worlds apart from a blood-soaked oceanic slaughterhouse!”
Her voice cracked like icicles shattering on stone: “Blood Wave Bay is a lawless expanse outside the defensive barrier. The submerged marine environment drastically suppresses Fire magic, underwater visibility is near zero, and the oceanic pressure can crush the uninitiated. A first-year freshman who has barely attended the academy for half a year has undergone no specialized deep-sea combat doctrine. If he is ambushed by an armored swarm and panics, leaking his mana aura or exhausting his reserves, he will not only seal his own doom—he will become a lethal liability dragging the entire team into a watery grave!”
Her words brought an agonizing silence crashing over the briefing room.
Xie Zhaoyuan frowned and stepped forward to speak on his friend’s behalf, but Lin Feng raised his right hand slightly, signaling for his companions to stay calm.
There was no flare of anger or wounded pride on Lin Feng’s chiseled features. On the contrary, the corners of his eyes curved upward in a faint, breezy smile. He took three unhurried strides forward, stopping directly opposite Gu Ling before the 3D holographic sandtable.
“Senior Gu makes an excellent point,” Lin Feng began, his voice calm, measured, and resonating with absolute clarity. “A novice who knows only how to flaunt his skills in a cushioned dueling ring will undoubtedly meet a gruesome end when thrust into the open ocean. Your vigilance is entirely justified when the survival of the squad is on the line.”
Gu Ling was taken aback by his composed demeanor. She had braced herself for the indignant bluster and wounded vanity typical of hotheaded prodigies, but the unfathomable depth within the youth’s dark eyes gave her the disquieting sensation of throwing a full-force punch into a mountain of soft silk that concealed an unyielding boulder beneath.
“However...” Lin Feng pivoted smoothly, his slender finger reaching out to point directly at an obscured corner of the Blood Wave Bay projection, “...if Senior Gu believes I am merely a fragile freshman who requires babysitting, then I fear you have vastly underestimated the discernment of both the Academy Directorate and the Military Command.”
Lin Feng tapped lightly upon a winding, zigzagging black reef ridge:
“Look closely at the structural fractures on the hulls of the two submersibles sunk in that footage. The plating was not crushed from the flanks; rather, the keels were snapped by a twisting shear force originating from a thirty-degree upward angle below. This proves beyond doubt that the Crimson Tentacle Giant Squids never launch their ambushes from open waters. Instead, they nest within the fissures of the benthic coral shelves, utilizing the convective underwater currents to mask the acoustic cavitation of their suckers.”
Gu Ling’s breath hitched. Her delicate brows knitted tightly as her eyes involuntarily followed the path traced by his finger.
Lin Feng did not pause. His voice continued at an unhurried, razor-sharp cadence, like a surgeon’s scalpel peeling back the hidden anatomy of the battlefield layer by layer:
“Secondly, while the acidic fluid secreted by their suckers boasts formidable anti-magic corrosiveness, it is fundamentally a high-alkaline organic compound derived from deep-sea crustaceans. In benthic seawater temperatures below twenty degrees Celsius, the chemical decomposition rate of this acid decelerates substantially when exposed to sub-zero cryo-mana. If Senior Gu uses Ice Lock to seal off the corridor ahead of time, their acid will solidify into inert, waxy crystal precipitates within four seconds before it can ever make contact with our diving armor.”
“Thirdly, who ever claimed that Lightning magic is rendered useless underwater?” Lin Feng stared straight into Gu Ling’s eyes, a cold, piercing glint surfacing within his deep pupils. “Seawater is a superb electrical conductor. Only the foolish would carelessly discharge diffuse, scattering bolts across the open brine and electrocute themselves. My Yaksha Lightning possesses the distinct property of condensing thunder into needle-like filaments. So long as it pierces through the eyes or the siphon of a Crimson Tentacle Giant Squid, the electrical current will trace directly along its motor neural pathways, paralyzing its entire muscular system. The suckers will release instantaneously without requiring physical blades to sever them.”
“And most crucially of all...” Lin Feng’s knuckle struck the marked entrance of the Blood Wave Ghost Caverns with a resounding click: “...the feeding cycles of these cephalopods are tethered to the oceanic tides and the mana pulsations of the Water Crystal Spirit Ore vein. Every six hours, when the tide recedes to its lowest ebb, the subterranean vein releases a low-frequency harmonic resonance that induces a temporary, semi-dormant torpor in their nervous systems lasting roughly thirty minutes. That is our golden window of opportunity to slip past the cavern gates and reactivate the guidance beacon without shedding a single drop of blood!”
When his final syllable faded, an absolute, pin-drop silence reigned throughout the command room.
Gu Ling stood frozen in place. Her sharp, aloof eyes were wide with unvarnished astonishment, her chest beneath her light armor heaving in rapid, shallow breaths.
Every tactical deduction, every biological nuance of the marine beasts, every elemental synergy, and even the exact subterranean tidal cycles... None of this could be unearthed from any standard freshman curriculum. Only seasoned marine beast hunters who had weathered countless bloody baptisms across the untamed ocean could possess such millimeter-precise tactical acumen!
The youth standing before her was no naive eighteen-year-old student; he was a battlefield veteran possessing the razor-sharp wit, cold composure, and strategic vision of a seasoned commander!
Clap... Clap... Clap!
A series of crisp, rhythmic claps from Lieutenant General Lu Haojun broke the heavy stillness.
The grizzled officer’s scarred face softened into a rare, hearty grin. “Magnificent! A truly flawless analysis! You live up to Dean Xiao’s personal recommendation in every regard. Gu Ling, do you have any further questions regarding Lin Feng’s qualifications as a squad member?”
Gu Ling bit her lower lip. A faint flush of embarrassment brushed past her fair cheeks, but the unyielding integrity and respect for strength ingrained in her military discipline swiftly prevailed.
She drew herself up into a rigid posture, then turned toward Lin Feng and bowed deeply in solemn respect:
“It was I who was the frog in the well, measuring capability merely by academic seniority. Lin Feng... your analytical prowess and practical battlefield knowledge far exceed anything I anticipated. For this mission, I place my complete trust in your coordination!”
Lin Feng smiled faintly, accepting her apology with graceful magnanimity. “Senior Gu is too modest. Once we descend into the ghost caverns, your peerless mastery over glacial frost will serve as the squad’s most steadfast shield.”
Seeing the tension dissolve smoothly, Gu Xiaowei let out a long breath of relief, casting a mischievous wink at Ye Qingwan, who smiled softly and shook her head in amusement.
“Outstanding!” Lu Haojun stood up, his commanding presence radiating throughout the chamber. “In two hours, the low tide of Blood Wave Bay will commence. Report immediately to the quartermaster armory to draw your specialized deep-sea mana diving suits, then board the armored warship Rock Whale for deployment. Remember this well: your lives are precious treasures of Shenzhou. Complete the mission, and return alive!”
“Sir——!”
The five youths snapped to attention in unison, their resolute chorus echoing off the reinforced walls of the tactical chamber.
Two hours later.
The sun gradually dipped behind the western coastal mountain ranges, yielding to a fiery, blood-red dusk that draped across the boundless ocean.
The enchanted armored warship designated Rock Whale, spanning over sixty meters in length, cleaved through the swelling waves as it surged southeast. Its fortified ash-gray hull sliced across the roaring sea, while glowing pale-green hydro-barrier wards pulsed along its flanks to part the surging swells and minimize fluid drag.
Standing on the forward deck, the gale-force sea wind whipped violently against the squad’s clothing. By now, all five members had donned specialized deep-sea mana diving suits reinforced with ultra-light titanium alloy plating, issued directly from the military armory. Strapped to each person’s back was a high-capacity Water-element mana stone canister supplying pure, breathable oxygen for twelve continuous hours. Sheathed at their waists were enchanted armor-piercing daggers, waterproof dimensional storage pouches, and specialized containers for mineral core samples.
“Look ahead... We’ve entered the territorial waters of Blood Wave Bay!” Xie Zhaoyuan pointed toward the horizon, his voice dropping into a tense, wary rasp.
The squad cast their collective gaze outward.
The spectacle unfolding before their eyes sent a frigid shiver down everyone’s spine.
The azure hue typical of the coastal seas had vanished entirely. In its place stretched a vast expanse of water dyed a murky, viscous crimson—resembling watered-down blood churned together with foul silt—reaching endlessly toward the somber horizon. Swelling breakers of dark, coagulated blood rolled continuously, crashing with thunderous roars against jagged, barren black limestone crags that jutted from the sea like the broken fangs of an ancient titan beast.
The air was heavy with the suffocating, briny stench of rotting marine carcasses and decaying demonic kelp. The ambient temperature seemed to plummet precipitously; chilling winds howled through the hollows of the sea cliffs, producing eerie, mournful wails that sounded like weeping wraiths trapped within an oceanic tomb.
The Rock Whale decelerated smoothly, holding its position roughly half a nautical mile outside the perimeter reefs of the bay.
The warship’s captain strode onto the deck, his expression grave as he addressed Lin Feng and Gu Ling: “Comrades, ahead lies the reef graveyard and lethal vortex currents. The warship cannot advance another meter. The entrance to the Blood Wave Ghost Caverns is located directly at the foot of that skull-shaped sea crag over there, roughly thirty meters beneath the surface. I wish you all the best of luck!”
“Let’s move!” Gu Ling tightened her grip on the hilt of the Ice-element shortsword at her hip, her gaze resolute as she signaled to the squad.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Five nimble figures vaulted from the deck like hunting falcons, plunging cleanly into the thick, blood-colored brine.
Bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped their forms. Thanks to the protective barrier hum of their diving suits, their vision quickly adjusted to the gloom, aided by the azure luminescence cast by their enchanted visors. Swimming in a tight arrowhead formation, Lin Feng and Gu Ling took point, Xie Zhaoyuan and Ye Qingwan guarded the flanks, while Gu Xiaowei was safely shielded in the center.
Descending thirty meters into the deep, the pitch-black coral reef loomed into view like a sunken spectral forest. Antler-like coral branches, crimson as exposed bone, bristled upward from the benthic sands.
And dead center within the sheer submerged rock face, a yawning, pitch-black chasm over fifty meters in diameter gaped wide. The dark crimson seawater was continuously sucked into the cavern’s depths, spawning violent, twisting undertows—resembling nothing less than the ravenous maw of a prehistoric sea leviathan, lying in wait for prey to march willingly into its jaws.
Thick streams of bloody bubbles percolated from the abyssal darkness, accompanied by the faint, horrifying scraping and squelching of countless demonic suckers slithering in the eternal gloom.
Right as Lin Feng’s boot touched down upon the stone ledge at the threshold of the demon cavern, his chest convulsed violently.
Boom——!
The Primordial Dragon Pendant concealed beneath his diving armor suddenly erupted with scorching, volcanic heat, thumping wildly against his ribs!
An overwhelming premonition of lethal peril, sharp as ten thousand piercing needles, slammed directly into Lin Feng’s Sea of Consciousness. It was a dire, life-and-death warning from the ancient Artifact Spirit:
Deep within the bloody darkness of this submerged chasm, there lurked far more than a mere pack of Warrior-class squids...
Something a hundred times more terrifying was stirring awake!