CHAPTER 284: CHAPTER 282: PASSING BY

Swish swish swish....

These waves, not exceeding one meter in height, seem only somewhat large and wide ripples, at most affecting a larger area.

There’s not a hint of the unstoppable force belonging to a tsunami, such a terrifying natural disaster!

In reality.

Compared to ordinary waves and the equally destructive storm surges.

The latter two are primarily surface movements of seawater, while a tsunami involves the movement of the entire body of water. Don’t forget, this is the open sea with an average depth of 1200 meters, and some areas deeper than 6000 meters!

The amount of seawater stirred up by these "tiny" ripples is immeasurable! The energy they carry is equally difficult to gauge!

Even in the open sea, the wave crests are not high at all, but the wavelength (the distance between two crests) can reach several hundred kilometers, and when you look across the sea, it seems like there’s only this one wave.

Besides, the crest moves at an incredibly fast speed, even reaching 600-1000 km/h, ready to unleash its true power upon reaching the shore in a blink of an eye.

Meaning, the distance that would take the "Eternal Imprisonment Sacred Statue" three days to cover at normal speed, only takes them... one hour with this "tsunami"!

Faced with such a calamity, even if the Tyrone Kingdom dispatched cruisers and set up observation points on scattered islands, they would be of no warning use.

Because even the fastest Needle-tailed Swift’s speed limit is only 350 km/h, not to mention the Seagull that is only adept at long-distance flying.

The "wave" transmits faster than any bird’s flight!

When the cruiser crew and fixed observation stations spot the tsunami coming, it would be impossible to send messages back using Seagulls before the tidal wave arrives.

So, when they encounter obvious Tyrone Kingdom cruisers or fixed observation points built on islands halfway through, they don’t even bother to stop and deal with these small pests that posed no threat to them.

The best luck for these Tyrone Kingdom Navy members.

Was that before truly approaching the inshore, the tsunami’s destructive power hadn’t fully manifested, and merchant ships and cruisers scattered in this area didn’t suffer any losses.

However.

When the tsunami reached Aiven’s location, it was already very close to the coast, and even under normal sailing, "Storm Horn" would take only half a day.

As the sea became shallower, the accumulated energy began to release, and the wave height quickly rose to six meters, continuously increasing.

The destructive power had already begun to show.

Swish swish swish.....

"Is that... a tsunami?!!"

The high wall of water was formidable, like a thousand troops charging from the open sea.

With the further enhancement of Aiven’s spiritual power, the sea birds’ reconnaissance range expanded once again, with real-time transmission distance now reaching 70 kilometers. Combined with the birds’ inherently excellent vision, they spotted the unusual "wave crest" from over a hundred kilometers away.

Even with these reconnaissance advantages, there was no more than ten minutes of time left for "Storm Horn".

"Full left rudder! Change to windward side! Prepare to meet the giant wave impact!"

Having sailed the sea with Aiven for so long, the crew had accumulated rich experience in dealing with various dangers. Their skills might not be the best in their field, but their nerves were tougher than anyone’s!

Despite not anticipating the tsunami’s arrival, the crew showed neither doubt nor panic, everyone performed their duties.

Whoosh—

Especially with the Sailor Vid leading the sailors, in seamless cooperation with Helmsman Trish, "Storm Horn" carved a perfect white trajectory on the sea, completing a textbook-style turn.

The bow, adorned with the figurehead of the "Monsoon Goddess", proactively faced the oncoming surging giant wave.

This time Aiven did not take the helm himself, as his full attention was captured by the top of the giant wave, with a dark mass full of bizarre things!

Arrogantly swaggering without concealment, there were nearly a hundred sea monsters charging with the waves!!!

Giant clams, thrashing octopuses, brilliantly colored mantis shrimp, alien-like deep-sea fish, and massive turtles with two heads...

The common trait among them was their size, even the smallest sea monster was about the size of a Level 6 Battleship.

Trailing behind the sea monsters was a black pirate ship, no smaller than a Level 2 Battleship, also speeding through the sea.

Even without sails, Aiven immediately recognized its identity, the flagship of Pirate King "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins: "Eternal Imprisonment Sacred Statue"!

Bang—

"Storm Horn" rushed up the water wall, just five kilometers away from the nearest sea monster, its hard shell and wriggling tentacles clearly visible to the naked eye.

Even though the other side hadn’t made a move, the crew of "Storm Horn" couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

"This is too much of a gamble?!"

Standing beside Aiven, Milan also clearly noticed the scene atop the giant wave, mouth agape, jaw almost hitting the deck.

One couldn’t blame Milan for being surprised, at first, it was supposed to be a terrifying attack, yet suddenly it seemed to have escalated to a full-scale national war?!

To say it was an attack by Hawkins, now others would think it was the "Mother of Sea Monsters" Echet, ruling the Black Sea, declaring an all-out war on humanity?!

Bang—

The "Storm Horn" broke through the peak of the tsunami and slammed back into the water.

Meanwhile, the army of Sea Monsters and Pirate Ships had long ridden the wave and departed, leaving the "Storm Horn" to face the approaching second and third waves.

However, perhaps this marked the limit of the Sea Monsters’ abilities, as the sea returned to calm after three crests. Even the aftershocks no longer matched the previous intensity.

"Captain, what shall we do? Should we continue returning to port?"

If it were a natural tsunami, the First Mate would not have even asked.

Of course, we would immediately head for the deep sea, where the wave peaks are low and pose little threat to ships. But if we dare dock at the port to avoid them, we would be instantly shattered by towering waves of tens of meters.

Now since it is a man-made tsunami, with no further waves, docking would not pose significant danger.

But.

Aiven, as the Allied Forces officer tasked with this defense mission, had another consideration.

He knew the defensive strength along the Leiden River Valley very well, and thus understood:

After enduring a tsunami attack and then facing hundreds of Sea Monsters, even with a garrison totalling eight thousand men and dozens of Extraordinary individuals, it is absolutely impossible to hold!

In the previous defense plan.

The high command considered all possibilities, thinking that the most likely course was a sharp squad insertion operation, preparations were made accordingly, even if the Pirate Alliance gathered strong forces again, they ensured they would leave without returning.

But facing such an open and straightforward conspiracy.....

"Pirate King truly deserves the name. While at a disadvantage in strength comparison, decisively bringing in powerful reinforcements, using overwhelming force to suppress people. Who would have thought before that a powerful Kingdom could be at a disadvantage when facing a Pirate?"

This situation is not the originally imagined nail in the coconut shell, but a hammer capable of shattering the whole coconut!

If the "Storm Horn" returns to port to assist in the defense, it might face an unimaginably arduous battle.

However, along the Leiden River Valley, there are over twenty cities, large and small, with a population exceeding one million.

If allowed hundreds of Sea Monsters, extremely hostile to humans, to rampage, the consequences would be even more disastrous than the "White Whale Port Massacre"!

Moreover, within the Sea Bird Reconnaissance Network, Aiven could clearly see after the Sea Monster forces broke through the estuary, they left a squad of Sea Monsters to guard the estuary, all upriver.

Though the ultimate destination is still unknown, at least the situation at the estuary is not yet desperate.

Along with Major General Koverdale’s Great Knight guarding the fortress, this battle isn’t impossible.

Standing on the stern deck, Aiven issued orders to all crew with a serious face, every word landing like a hammer:

"Turn upwind! We return to support the headquarters!"

....

The timeline moves back tens of minutes.

For Water City Nisk, located at the Leiden River Valley estuary, it was a very ordinary morning.

Even if the weather was a bit overcast, it didn’t affect the enthusiasm of the visitors at all.

As a well-known water city, Nisk’s beaches are naturally a must-visit for tourists.

Moreover, thanks to the small towns "Patra" and "Ancona" located on the northern and southern sides of Nisk, assuming the fish supply for the city, the beach primarily devoted to tourism, remained a picturesque, poetic beauty.

From near to far in sight, the snow-white spray to clear sea water, from light blue to sky blue, then to a deep blue at the very horizon.

Chirp chirp chirp... chirp chirp chirp...

Snow-white Seagulls flitted over near-shore waters, many gathering around tourists feeding on the beach. In this harmonious city, the Elves of sky and sea were not afraid of people at all.

"Brother, do you think my sandcastle is pretty?"

A little girl with her brother was playing with sand on the beach, excited beyond measure having never seen the sea, not at all bothered by sand stuck to her radiant face.

The young man beside her, wearing an old shirt and suspenders, watched his sister play with a smile, occasionally reminding her to be careful and no wandering.

From the young man’s clothing, it was clear, the sibling duo weren’t from affluent or leisurely middle-class families.

Recently, a young man named Kurt, through his diligence and effort, successfully entered his hometown’s largest textile factory, becoming a textile worker with a relatively good income.

After working hard for a period, he finally saved enough for travel expenses, enabling him to bring his sister to see the beautiful Nisk of her dreams.

He even hoped his sister could someday leave the small town of their hometown, living in a large, beautiful city like Nisk, living worry-free like those noble ladies.

Though life often gets suppressed by reality, everyone has the right to pursue their dreams, right?

Arriving in Nisk, they couldn’t appreciate those needing artistic appreciation like painting and music, but the beach could certainly hold a child’s childhood delight.

"Hahaha..."

"Come and chase me, fool!"

At the moment, the beach not only hosted families like theirs from ordinary backgrounds, even children from wealthy families who clearly dressed finely, not stopping their frolic and play on the sand.

A carefree childhood was probably when their hearts were closest.