The train brought the group to Sea City. Qin Feng opted to check in at the same hotel as he did last time.
Despite the intense battle that took place not long ago, the hotel had long been restored, and the city was as vibrant as always.
The ordinary civilians were not really concerned about the power struggle among the top guns. To them, as long as the leader was dominant enough to protect them from being invaded by ultra beasts, it did not actually matter who was in power.
Of course, it would be better if the new mayor was not a tyrant that ruled with autocracy and taxed the people excessively. No one would risk their lives revolting if the authority did not oppress its people.
Hence, Sea City remained largely the same. Qin Feng and Bai Li rested well on the first day in this bustling city.
The mission of Sea City was announced the next day.
“Mayor Qin, pleased to meet you. I am the leader of the Sea City’s garrison troop A. My name is Yang Ping, and I welcome you on behalf of our city.”
Qin Feng measured the man in front of him. He was an E3-tier.
“Nice to meet you.” They shook hands and their eyes met. Both of them could feel the skepticism and reservation in each other’s minds.
“We are in a state of emergency now. The sea beast tide has already started and will probably hit the shore by noon. Instead of wasting your time taking on lesser opponents along the coastal zone, your command is more desperately needed at the frontline. I am here to escort you to the shelter island,” Yang Ping said convincingly with a firm tone. He had probably rehearsed the speech several times.
Qin Feng raised his eyebrows and asked, “Shelter island?”
Yang Ping avoided Qin Feng’s gaze and explained, “That’s right. The island is well-equipped too. That’s the only place your true strength would flourish.”
Qin Feng sneered.
Of course, he knew about the truth of this shelter island.
Beyond Sea City lay a seemingly boundless ocean.
At the center of the vast sea, numerous rifts would open up about the same time each year in the middle of the storm and tsunami, delivering powerful beasts through the crack to the earth.
This was no secret to Qin Feng, who had reached A-tier in his past life.
The beasts came from diverse dimensions and thus behaved differently. But one thing was for sure, which was that the strong would always prey on the weak. Thus, weaker beings would constantly migrate to seek for survival. Only the strong ones would get to retain their habitats.
The competition among the beasts upon the arrival of new species was the reason behind the sea beast tide, whereby the losers would be extruded closer and closer to the land.
In other words, beasts that appeared on the shore would be the weakest, such as G-tiers and F-tiers.
On the other hand, E-tier creatures were often seen near the shelter island. As its name suggested, the island served as a natural fortress to bar the E-tier beasts from entering the coastal region.
People from Sea City would only dare to visit the island after the sea beast tide since the E-tier sea beasts would have returned to the ocean by then. Materials left behind by the beasts on that island had benefited ample Sea City residents over the years.
Thus, Qin Feng was amused when Yang Ping said that they were going to battle on the shelter island. But he did not show it and instead nodded. “Sure. Let’s go then.”
Yang Ping could not believe that Qin Feng was so easily tricked. He concealed his delight and led the way into a luxurious command vehicle. The car left Sea City and headed to the wilderness.
They reached the actual seaside after half an hour. Sandy beach stretched infinitely on both sides, and the raging sea at the far side completed the stunning view.
“Wow!”
Bai Li was apparently fond of the magnificent ocean. The artificial seaside built inside Sea City was only a laughable pool as compared to this wonder.
In the midst of the waves, beasts were clearly seen. At such a distance, they could come ashore at any time.
The command vehicle hovered in mid-air once it entered the sea. The base of the car transformed and turned into a speed boat.
The calmness on Qin Feng’s face had never changed along the way as if he already knew what to expect.
Bai Li, on the other hand, was full of questions.
“Where’s the shelter island?” She asked.
Yang Ping grinned and explained, “We will reach soon. Please bear for a while longer.” He sized up Bai Li carefully. From what he had heard, this girl never left Qin Feng’s side. There were also rumors claiming that she was a powerful aptitude user.
No matter how he looked at them, these two appeared to be teenagers to him. How strong could they be?
Nonetheless, he dared not loosen up. Yang Ping knew that he should not underestimate Qin Feng just because he was young. The guy would not gain such a prestigious reputation if he did not have something up his sleeves.
Yang Ping was relieved that both Qin Feng and Bai Li did not seem to be suspicious.
The speed boat traveled for another two hours and the shelter island was finally in sight.
The island has a larger area than Sea City. It was shaped like a giant crescent and spanned around the city, shielding it from the ocean.
There was only a single building on the island—the Blackstone Fort.
The fort was built on high ground, about fifty meters above sea level. The wall of the fort was thirty-meter-high, making the building an imposing structure when viewed from afar.
“That’s Blackstone Fort, which also functions as a watchtower. Word would be sent to Sea City immediately from here when the first tide of sea beasts lands on this island,” Yang Ping explained.
Qin Feng grinned and asked absent-mindedly, “Are the E-tier beasts going to linger on this island?”
Yang Ping answered hastily, “E-tier sea beasts usually do not like to stay on shallow waters due to their large body size. That’s why this island could bar them from advancing further into the coastal region. Besides, after aggressive reclamation over the years, the land on this island has been greatly expanded. So it’s not very often to have an E-tier beast on the island.
His explanation seemed to be on point but Qin Feng knew that he did not actually answer his question. To Qin Feng’s knowledge, beasts carried by the tsunami were not necessarily those that resided in the sea. There would also be beasts walking straight out from the rift.
Thus, not all monsters preferred to stay in the seawater as Yang Ping had claimed.
Qin Feng chose not to expose him and walked up to the fort.
A battalion was stationed inside the fort. However, everyone appeared to be extremely restless. They had lived in Sea City for decades and thus understood that it was too late to retreat now. Their chances of survival were close to nil once the sea beast tide were to hit the island.
They cursed their own fate. This bunch was the former subordinates of the previous government. Being sent here meant that someone had finally decided to cut them loose.
Before Qin Feng could take a breather from the long journey, a panic shriek from the soldiers was heard coming from the fort.
“Enemy assault! Enemy assault!”
“E tier! It’s Islet Tortoises.”
“Gosh! They are huge!”
“Can we chase them back?”
“That’s impossible with the weapon in hand!”
The battalion was completely flustered. Being the first-line defense of Sea City, these guards certainly lacked composure.
Yang Ping was shaken when he heard the news too.
Everyone knew that even if an aptitude user was assigned as E-tier, not many could actually face an ultra beast from the same tier alone.
Especially a beast with a giant figure.
He, too, was in a panic due to the sudden emergence of the enemy. After all, he and Qin Feng were the only two E-tiers on the island now.
Despite that, he maintained his composure and bellowed, “Stop this shameful uproar at once. Can’t you see that I and Mayor Qin are still around?!”
The members of the battalion instantly shut their mouth but could not help the quiver. They were half-terrified, half-angered.
Yang Ping turned to Qin Feng with a smile and offered, “Why don’t we go and take a look, Mayor Qin?”
“Lead the way!” Qin Feng stood up and paced forward confidently.