Chapter 610 - Crab Tide
Chapter 610 Crab Tide
Han Fei wasn’t interested in a level-39 Basalt Conch at all even if it meant a hundred points. They had to catch five hundred Basalt Conchs in order to be promoted as a captain.
Besides, he couldn’t be promoted yet. After all, he hadn’t been through any battles yet, and it was his first day at work.
Even if he caught five hundred Basalt Conchs, he would have to pay them for equipment, spiritual fruits, and other items that he needed. In such a case, he would have to kill a thousand Basalt Conchs for a chance of promotion.
But actually, there weren’t a thousand Basalt Conchs for him to kill at all. If a thousand Basalt Conchs were indeed here, it would mean that a major fish tide had taken place.
Han Fei asked Gu Daliang to store the Basalt Conch. Everybody was about to disperse and continue their picking, when Han Fei stopped them.
He said, “Let me ask you, is this how dangerous the Skeleton Shore is?”
“Of course not. This place is called the Skeleton Shore not because of the dangers on the shore, but those in the sea after the ebb, particularly the waters near the coastline.”
Han Fei asked, “What dangers are out there?”
Wu Xiaoxiao added, “The Skeleton Shore is full of scavengers. Deep in the sea, there are Red Coral Soldier Crabs, Blue-Striped Armor Lobster, Red Ape Lobsters, Tide Calling Crabs, and Big Sword Water Fleas… Once you enter the sea, they will swarm at you.”
Leng Hui nodded. “Sometimes, they’ll swarm at you even if you’re not in the water when they lay their eggs on the shore. At that time, hundreds of thousands of them will be out there on the shore and in the water.”
Hearing that, Han Fei understood a lot of things.
So, it was still a matter of numbers. Not many terrifying creatures were really at the Skeleton Shore…
Han Fei couldn’t help but ask, “Let me ask you, what’s the most valuable creature here?” You Lingyun replied, “There are many valuable creatures. The armor of the Blue-Striped Armor Lobsters, the pincers of the Tide Calling Crabs, and the big swords of the Big Sword Water Fleas are all worth more than a hundred points. However, there is one particular creature named Trivariant Golden Ginseng in the sea. It contains ten times as much energy as Yellow-Blooded Sea Cucumbers. Each of them is worth eight to ten thousand points. But it’s extremely rare.”
Han Fei couldn’t help but gasp hard. A dozen times more energy than a Yellow-Blooded Sea Cucumber ?That’s good stuff!
Han Fei grinned and said, “You Lingyun, you mentioned yesterday that it requires 300,000 points to exchange for the four-star title, right?”
You Lingyun nodded. “That’s right. It’s easier to reap more points in the deeper parts of the sea, but it’s also too dangerous for us to explore. After all, we’re just Hanging Fishers.”
Han Fei already learned that, although You Lingyun and the others were junior Hanging Fishers, they weren’t really good at the Thousand-Mile Fishing Technique. For example, they didn’t notice the Basalt Conch he found earlier, and their perception range was much smaller. Or to put it more frankly, they were just weak. These junior Hanging Fishers weren’t as strong as Han Fei expected.
It seemed that the level of an intermediate Hanging Fisher was a major breakthrough, and they were a lot stronger.
At this moment, Han Fei didn’t plan to continue scavenging with them anymore.
He didn’t really want to keep a high profile, but it seemed inappropriate to him that those people were scavenging on the shore when the vast sea was right out there.
Han Fei said, “Can you…”
Du! Du…
Han Fei was about to ask if they could set sail, when he heard loud alarms.
You Lingyun’s expression suddenly changed. “Not good. The 31st squad found something in the sea and sent an alarm to the watchtower. Retreat and prepare for defense.”
Han Fei was confused. “Wait a moment, the 31st squad went into the sea?” Leng Hui corrected him, “Our mission is to scout the sea. We’re here only for scavenging, so there’s no need to enter the sea.”
Han Fei was greatly reassured to know that he could enter the sea. With his massive perception range, he could always just dive into the sea, find the good stuff he sensed, and then jump back.
He had thought that the so-called reconnaissance mission was scavenging like he was doing at the moment.
As for the alarms, Han Fei didn’t consider them a big deal.
It wasn’t the first day that the Eighth Battalion was stationed here. Since a hundred squads had been reduced to 66, it was not hard to infer that such things happened all the time.
It could be more or less dangerous, but not too much.
As horns were sounded from the watchtowers, red plumes of smoke rose to the sky. Han Fei knew that it was a signal of gathering.
Han Fei had already returned to the shore with You Lingyun.
At this moment, they were all prepared.
You Lingyun said, “Captain, we’re officially senior scouts, but in battle, we’ll be warriors and need to fight on the battlefield. We’ll need to be familiarized with each other for better teamwork.”
A boat was quickly coming back from the sky above the sea. The person on the boat was exactly Guo Wen who lost the fight the previous day.
At this moment, he roared, “A tide of Tide Calling Crabs is coming! Everybody, be prepared for battle!” Du! Du…
The seawater was surging with obviously greater waves. Lumps were rising from the depths of the water.
As the red smoke rose to the sky, boats were flying to this place from all directions.
At the beginning, there were only a couple of them. Then, there were dozens, until hundreds were gathered here.
In the end, more than five hundred boats arrived, each carrying a squad. Plus the Eighth Battalion which was stationed on the Skeleton Shore in the first place, there were more than six hundred squads, totaling up to more than three thousand people.
Han Fei was quite amazed by their efficiency. It took no more than a hundred breaths for the reinforcements to arrive after the red smoke was released.
Han Fei stared at the sea and asked, “We’ll stay here?”
Leng Hui replied, “We’ll charge along with the guardians later.” “Who are the guardians?”
“The guardians are warriors who fight on the front lines all year around. Those who failed the match of the 36 towns and who only have one star will be assigned to the legion of guardians. They won’t be qualified as scouts until they get two stars.”
Han Fei frowned. “Are you saying that there are actually a lot of advanced and peak-level Dangling Fishers among the guardians?”
You Lingyun gazed at Han Fei and said, “Few of them are advanced Dangling Fishers. Some of them are peak-level Dangling Fishers, but most are junior Hanging Fishers who have just made a breakthrough.”
Han Fei realized what the stars represented. Those with different stars would be trained in different ways.
For example, those with one star and zero stars would be warriors in the front line who must fight head-on battles. They could grow quickly in such a way. Then, after they advanced, they would become scouts, who didn’t need to fight all the time. However, reconnaissance wasn’t a simple task but training of a higher level!
When they became captains, it meant that they would be qualified to lead a five-member team.
Han Fei’s start point was quite high. He had arrived as a captain. Although he was still a new captain, it was still his responsibility and obligation to protect his teammates in a battle.
People were dropping from the sky like dumplings. Most were holding their weapons, but nobody had fused with their spiritual beasts yet.
Some of them, who had three and even four stars, were obviously strong. They were asking everybody to line up on the beach like chains of pearls.
Behind Han Fei, all the scout squads had been gathered.
Han Fei saw a bald young man standing in front of everybody. The four-star badge on his badge suggested his identity.
You Lingyun leaned over. “He is Zong Han, the commander of the Eighth Battalion. He’s a strong armorist and just advanced to be a peak-level Hanging Fisher three months ago.”
At this moment, Zong Han roared, “All captains, step out!” All the 66 captains left the lines. Han Fei wasn’t an exception. This was an unfamiliar land. He had to play by the rules here. Zong Han glanced at Han Fei and then moved his eyes past him. “All captains, lead your squads to assist the guardians. Go to wherever is under the heaviest pressure. Remember, be swift and smart!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everybody roared at the same time. Zong Han didn’t look at Han Fei again but simply ordered them to disperse.
Ten kilometers away…
A mass of shadows were crawling to the shore like an overwhelming tide. Han Fei couldn’t help but wonder if three thousand people were enough to hold back so many crabs.
However, when the Tide Calling Crabs were five kilometers away, the guardians ahead all fused and attached their spiritual beasts and charged forward with a roar.
Han Fei should’ve admired those people for their bravery and fearlessness.
But for some reason, their valiance made Han Fei realize that there must be something on the Skeleton Shore that attracted the creatures to move to the shore from all over the island. They couldn’t have just been here to lay eggs.
They must be here for something more than procreation. Han Fei decided to talk to Luo Xiaobai later and discuss with her about what caused the war between the sea and the island.
While thinking, Han Fei had already charged out with You Lingyun and other teammates.
You Lingyun said, “Captain, this is the first time you’ve fought a sea battle. You must be careful. This isn’t a drill. Even though the Tide Calling Crabs aren’t strong, you won’t know where the next attack will be from if you’re surrounded by them.” Han Fei nodded. “Got it, let’s stay here for now. Leng Hui, since you’re the fastest, you can approach the front line and inform us if any part on the line of defense needs help. Nobody is to fight without my order.” “Yes, sir.”
Having taken orders from Luo Xiaobai all the time, Han Fei felt rather great to be someone else’s captain.