Chapter 99: Nicknamed "Shipbreaker"

Chapter 99: Nicknamed "Shipbreaker"

As the two ships pursued each other, the Javanese patrol boat's surveillance equipment continuously recorded and transmitted live footage via satellite signals.

Thus, the events that transpired on the Javanese boat were broadcast in real-time to the outside world.

At this point, it was impossible to completely suppress the news.

In the sky, Lu Heng gripped the talons of the reconnaissance eagle, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the tilted Javanese warship below.

Due to the stealth mode of the reconnaissance eagle, it appeared as if Lu Heng was floating alone in the sky, gazing down at the swarm of ants below, chattering in panic.

The Javanese captain, who had just been boasting about sinking the Universe Yacht, was now terrified, clinging to the cabin wall and calling for help.

Lu Heng's previous sword strike had sliced the warship in half with a single blow from the sky.

Such terrifying might had already scared the captain out of his wits.

Lu Heng asked loudly, "Do we still need to board the ship?"

In the bridge, the Javanese captain clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, chattering incoherently.

The short mutant who had been egging the captain on to fire the cannons immediately knelt and begged for mercy, "We were wrong, we won't dare again."

Lu Heng asked again, "Now, can we leave?"

The Javanese captain, upon hearing the translation from the side, hurriedly nodded and begged for forgiveness, wanting to send Lu Heng away as soon as possible.

...

After subduing the Javanese captain, Lu Heng returned to the Universe Yacht and set sail for home.

On the way back, Lu Heng took out two crystal cores, one a High-Rank Energy Core and the other an Exoskeleton Armor skill crystal core.

As the High-Rank Energy Core couldn't be used continuously, Lu Heng took it out for distribution.

As soon as Lin Zeyu saw the data of the crystal core, he immediately chose the High-Rank Energy Core.

Lu Heng and Su Muyu took the Exoskeleton Armor crystal core.

In terms of value, the High-Rank Energy Core was worth much more.

However, this distribution meant that Lin Zeyu and his team would share the High-Rank Energy Core, and Lu Heng didn't care how they divided it internally.

Lin Zeyu had his ways to make his team work for him.

On this hunting trip for the Bonebird, Lu Heng obtained the Swordsman essence and the Bloodline Blade Demon's sword.

It was a highly profitable venture.

Lin Zeyu was also very satisfied because he had leveled up after killing the Bonebird and then gained another level after absorbing the High-Rank Energy Core.

He had gained two levels on this trip.

If he had led the team to hunt demons himself, he might not have leveled up even after several attempts.

He realized that by following Lu Heng, his level was skyrocketing as if he were riding a rocket.

...

A day later, the Universe Yacht returned to the Binhai berthing area.

As soon as they reached the shore and an area with phone signal, Lu Heng's phone started ringing incessantly.

When he picked it up, he saw dozens of missed calls, all from his parents.

Just as Lu Heng was about to call them back, the phone rang again.

As soon as he answered, his mother's voice came through, "Son, is that you? Did you pick up the phone? How are you now? Say something..."

"I'm fine, don't worry," Lu Heng quickly reassured his mother.

During this trip, they only had satellite signals on the high seas, and could only use the satellite phone on the yacht, so it wasn't very convenient.

On the way back, since they were almost home, he went into the cabin and fell asleep.

He hadn't expected his parents to be so worried during his sleep.

Hearing her son's voice, Li Xiuyun breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "You scared us. Where are you now? Are you injured?"

"I just got off the boat, I'm fine. I'll take a taxi home soon," Lu Heng replied.

"What happened at sea? What's going on?" Li Xiuyun asked anxiously.

"Nothing much," Lu Heng pretended not to know anything.

"There's a video going viral online, supposedly from a foreign website called 'Non-Dead'. In the video, you're seen fighting with a warship. What's going on?" Li Xiuyun's tone was urgent.

Lu Heng was stunned, not knowing how to explain the situation.

There was definitely no phone signal on the high seas, but there was satellite communication, and advanced warships were equipped with satellite communication devices to access the internet.

In fact, during the pursuit with the Javanese warship, Lu Heng was aware that the ship's surveillance equipment was continuously transmitting live footage.

Therefore, it was impossible to conceal the news of the conflict with the Javanese patrol boat.

However, Lu Heng didn't expect the video to be uploaded to the internet.

While they were on the phone, Su Muyu searched for the video on her phone, found it, and passed it to Lu Heng.

The video wasn't very clear, but one could see a figure flashing in the sky, followed by a sword beam slicing down.

Then, the camera started shaking violently, and one could vaguely see the tilting of the lens and the breaking of the ship's hull.

Due to the distance, the figure wasn't very clear, and it might not have been recognizable if one wasn't familiar with it.

However, as parents, they could recognize their child from the silhouette, and the video's clarity was sufficient for them to identify Lu Heng.

Lu Heng laughed it off, saying, "Mom, what are you talking about? Did you mistake someone else for me?"

"What mistake? You've always been like this since you were young, always laughing when you lie. Come home quickly," Li Xiuyun kept nagging on the phone.

Lu Heng repeatedly agreed and then made an excuse to hang up.

"I need to go home quickly. I don't know how the video from the sea got uploaded online."

"What should we do now? Will there be trouble?" Su Muyu's brows furrowed, and her expression became tense.

"Don't worry, they fired first, and we were just defending ourselves..."

As Lu Heng spoke, he waved to Lin Zeyu, calling him over, "Do you know about the video online?

Lin Zeyu had already received the message and had been on the phone the whole time. He nodded and replied, "I understand. Don't worry, I can handle this."

Lu Heng wasn't too concerned in the first place, and after a brief conversation, everyone went home.

As soon as he returned home, Lu Heng was pulled aside by his mother to check if he had returned home safely.

After the inspection, Li Xiuyun took out her phone and played the video, asking, "Is this person in the sky you? This one, is it you?"

"With this battle damage quality, you can still recognize me?" Lu Heng retorted.

"Don't even think about lying. Counting the time in the womb, it's been almost twenty years since I've been raising you. How could you not recognize me? Come on, what's going on? How did you get into a conflict with a foreign warship? How serious is this? Will someone come to arrest you?"

Li Xiuyun had already considered various possibilities and thought of ways to deal with them. "I've discussed it with your father. If someone comes to arrest you, you'll hide in the countryside for a while."

Lu Heng was speechless and spread his hands, saying, "Mom, don't be so tense. They started it, and we were just defending ourselves. No one will come after us."

Moreover, during the pursuit, the Universe Yacht had even raised the national flag.

Seeing the flag of Xia Country, the other side still dared to chase and even fire at them. In this situation, even if they sank the other ship, no one could say anything.

...

As the Abyssal Invasion entered its fourth month, the strength of top-tier mutants was becoming increasingly formidable.

Demons that appeared around the world required powerful mutants to confront them.

This led to a rapid rise in the status of mutants.

This was different from the situation with mutants, whose world did not face the crisis of an abyssal invasion, which resulted in class conflicts between mutants and ordinary people.

One or two months ago, conflicts had indeed arisen between mutants and ordinary people worldwide, and there were even cases of religious countries trying to burn mutants at the stake.

However, as more and more abyssal monsters appeared worldwide, ordinary people were threatened by demons, while mutants could fight against them.

This led to ordinary people relying on mutants for protection, inadvertently aligning mutants and ordinary people on the same side.

Social conflicts are peculiar; when there is an external enemy, internal conflicts quickly disappear.

Some countries might even initiate wars or proxy wars to divert internal conflicts.

Currently, the abyssal invasion is an external conflict, and a fierce one at that, leaving no room for reconciliation.

Consequently, the conflict between mutants and ordinary people quickly vanished.

After the status of mutants improved, powerful mutants could receive preferential treatment from various countries.

Therefore, starting from the fourth month of the Abyssal Descent, top-tier mutants would gradually reveal their strengths and gain more influence.

Lu Heng was aware of this, so even though he knew he would be caught on surveillance cameras, he dared to take action.

However, Lu Heng did not anticipate that the Javanese officials would directly upload the video to foreign websites, intending to use public opinion for condemnation.

On his way back, Lu Heng had already viewed the online discussions on his phone.

Currently, the entire internet was abuzz with this topic, and a new meme had emerged: "Shipbreaker."

Everyone online was asking:

"Who is this 'Shipbreaker'? Is he human?"

"He looks quite human; could he be a demon that looks like a human?"

"It's definitely 'Shipbreaker'; one sword strike, and the warship was breached."

"Are mutants already this powerful now? That's incredible!"

"Does anyone know who this 'Shipbreaker' is? I'll pay a hefty price for information."

"This person looks like one of my classmates."

"Is 'Shipbreaker' a rank? Can someone tell me if there is such a rank?"

Starting from this topic, many netizens began creating their mutant ranks online:

"Second-tier rank 'Shipbreaker', rank ability, +50% ship attack."

"It's obviously fake; how can it only increase attack by 50%? One sword strike can cut through a warship; it should be at least 500%."

"That's too conservative; I think 5000% is more likely."

"Is it possible that this person's skill isn't specialized in ship attacks?"

"Does anyone know what kind of ship was cut in half?"

"That's a simple question. It's a Java Archipelago patrol boat, 45 meters long and 8 meters wide. It's equipped with a 30mm shipborne anti-aircraft gun, and if used to attack a ship, it would create a huge hole with each shot."

As the public opinion fermented, an unknown power entered the scene to guide public opinion.

"This mutant must have an antisocial personality, openly attacking a foreign warship on the high seas. He should be put on trial in a military court."

"That's right. I just saw someone identify him as a mutant from a certain Eastern superpower."

"The officials of the Eastern superpower are doing nothing, allowing such a dangerous mutant to roam freely."

"The people of that Eastern superpower are lucky to have such a dangerous mutant by their side; what's the difference between them and demons?"

"I have reason to suspect that this mutant from Xia Country is a traitor, a traitor, and everyone knows what that means."

The public opinion began to show signs of manipulation.

Lin Zeyu had originally planned to rest for a couple of days when he returned home, but he didn't expect someone to stir up trouble.

He had someone release the video of the Java warship chasing and firing at the Universe Yacht, clearly showing the Java patrol boat opening fire first, and the video even included a close-up of the bullet holes on the ship's body at the end.

This video quickly went viral across various online platforms.

Public opinion began to form two camps: one condemning the Java warship for pursuing a Xia Country yacht on the high seas, and the other, skilled in remote farming, continued to distort the facts and try to guide public opinion.

The two camps argued fiercely online, and the flames of the debate grew more intense.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end