Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

But perhaps neither Skadi nor Noah expected that the Deep Sea Church's target this time was not Skadi or Tulia, but Noah herself - so even if they did nothing this time, Amaya would come to them on her own.

"...Hmm?" Noah raised her head. After ending her daily bickering with Precious, she also sensed the murderous intent rising from Skadi. She tilted her head. Although this murderous intent was not directed at her, she still reflected on whether she had ever angered Skadi. Immediately, she spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry. I agreed to let you take me to visit Agor, but now you have to get involved in this..."

"No, I'm not angry." Skadi quickly shook her head. How could she blame Miss Noya for this? She loved her so much because she was gentle, kind, and willing to help others. The ones who were wrong were definitely those Deep Sea Cultists.

"...Is that so." Noah nodded. "Miss Skadi, why don't you go back first? I'll think about whether there's anything I've missed."

Noah felt a little embarrassed to ask Skadi to accompany him to find clues, so he asked Skadi to go back and rest first, but Skadi couldn't let Noah act alone, so she refused again.

"It's too dangerous for you to be alone. I am also your bodyguard now. If anyone else threatens you, I can protect you."

Although her words were a bit stiff, Noah understood the concern behind them, so she could only smile and nod.

"You're so reliable, Miss Skadi."

"……Um."

If Miss Skadi, who was suddenly praised, had a tail, it would have been shaking like an electric fan by now. But her resentment towards the Deep Sea Church became even deeper - now because of the city-wide martial law, even the restaurant she had originally planned to take Miss Noah to is closed... Plans cannot keep up with changes, and it can only be said that these people are really damnable.

While Skadi and Noah were taking action, Gloria and Laurentina had received the mission to search and rescue the missing fleet and had already left the city.

This was their first action after returning to Agor, and it was quite memorable. In the past, the deep-sea hunters basically went out at the same time. The characteristic of the Goletia team was that their tactics were very clear, and they were basically arranged in advance and assigned according to personal style, so they completed the tasks quickly and well.

But the situation of Ulpian's team at that time was another matter... When explaining the battle plan, Ulpian explained it in detail to others, but to Skadi, Ulpian only said - I believe in you, you decide the next action yourself.

To put it nicely, he is a top free man.

To put it bluntly... he was afraid that Skadi wouldn't understand the battle plan, so he simply let her judge the situation on her own.

Sometimes Skadi's spinal reflexes might be more accurate than her deliberate thoughts.

Ulpian believed that Skadi could complete the task even if he could not remember those complex tactical principles and strategies.

But this is also a kind of trust -

The entire Deep Sea Hunter team held Ulpian's team in high esteem, often carrying out dangerous missions. They always appeared in the most dangerous places, completing the most dangerous missions. It was precisely because of this that Ulpian was chosen as the ultimate assassin of the Sea God. In fact, most of the plan went smoothly. Teams One and Four risked their lives to open the passage, Team Two intercepted the incoming Sea God, and Ulpian led the way, quickly reaching the designated location, the core organ of "Number One."

But then the deep-sea hunters lost his signal.

Skadi thought that Ulpian had met a powerful enemy and was killed by a surprise attack. So Skadi took Ulpian's place and swung the sword.

But later, she learned that Ulpian had not sacrificed himself, that he had abandoned his duty.

As for whether Skadi had any resentment... maybe she did. At least Gloria felt that Ulpian had an obligation to apologize to Skadi... or he had an obligation to apologize to all the deep-sea hunters who participated in that battle.

Especially the victims of Teams 1 and 4...

However, she didn't know how to face Ulpian...

"Arrived at the coordinates." Gloria stopped swimming and stood on a coral.

"We're moving fast enough... but it seems we're still too late." Laurentina was still thinking about Skadi's date, but the scene before her still left her a bit dazed. "This place has become a giant landfill."

The wreckage of the underwater ship and the remains of the sea creatures intertwined. It was a brutal battle, seemingly a skirmish between the two sides. The underwater ship had clearly entered a dangerous engagement range, but they fought to the bitter end. Soaked in the seawater, the remnants drifting in the water resembled swirling snowflakes. People sometimes called it "sea snow," but such a beautiful name couldn't conceal its true nature—it was fragments of biological tissue, both sea creatures and humans.

At such times, Laurentina would complain about why she was breathing underwater... The thought that the sea water she was likely to inhale might contain the remains of humans and sea creatures made her feel a little nauseous.

The sweet, fishy smell, wafted by the residual heat from the naval gunfire, drifted across the sea like snowflakes. The deep-sea hunter's keen sense of smell magnified every odor, and Laurentina couldn't help but cover her nose.

"This should be a common occurrence, Shark." Goletia, though also frowning, warned. "The Legion fleet uses numbers to contain the Sea Heirs, while the Deep Sea Hunters take advantage of this opportunity to bypass the front lines and eliminate the core of the Sea Heirs. This is our most familiar tactic."

"I know, but it still feels terrible when I think about it." Laurentina began to miss land at this time. At least she didn't have to worry about inhaling the wreckage of her comrades.

"An engineering carrier, more than ten battleships, and even more small vessels... Judging by the location of the wreckage embedded in the seabed, the fleet maintained its formation, not completely unprepared. The nearby rocks show signs of damage from gravity-generating devices. Immediately after the attack, they attempted to deploy an artificial force field, creating a vacuum fault to block the Haisi." Gloria began to survey the battlefield. As a top-tier war archon, she possessed the ability to reconstruct the battlefield. "But Haisi was faster than them, and the fleet didn't even have time to form a crossfire."

"The distance is too close... they have lost the optimal range for a firefight." Laurentina could also see the reason for the fleet's destruction.

But soon, the two of them also noticed something unusual.

"The fleet's destination is Nest No. 37, but judging from the situation at the scene, all the ships are heading towards Miliarum. Moreover, since the fleet has been completely wiped out, why didn't Hai Si take the next step?" Gloria frowned and looked at Laurentina beside her.

"swordfish?"

"...Let's go down and take a look."

The two men dived, and the moment they touched the ship's hull, a dark glow suddenly burst out from the gap in the hull. But Gloria, prepared, reacted immediately, her longsho piercing the attacking sea creature's core, killing it instantly. However, it wasn't just one sea creature that was disturbed. Sea creatures emerged from the hull one after another. Although their numbers were certainly much smaller, it still proved to be a difficult situation for the two deep-sea hunters.

"——Sure enough, these things didn't leave at all."

"Swordfish, should we retreat?"

"Now? Right now?" Gloria chuckled. "Need I remind you how to fight, Shark?"

"Come on—let's make them a seafood platter. It's my treat."

The roar of chainsaws echoed underwater. The Hai Si probably never imagined that they, who were once invincible underwater, would one day be hunted down. Two furious deep-sea hunters, at a speed barely discernible to the naked eye, were wiping them out with terrifying efficiency. Their first instinct was to move towards other settlements. Numbers had always been the Hai Si's advantage, but this was what the two hunters wanted.

From the number just now, they had already discovered that the number of silent fleets here was wrong.

There should still be survivors - and these survivors should still be being chased by Hai Si.

Now these sea snakes acted like beacons, guiding the deep-sea hunters in the direction of the survivors. Sure enough, the two hunters hadn't been swimming along the sea snakes for long when they spotted an underwater ship entangled in them.

"Shark, I'll leave the rest to you."

Like a sharp sword, Goletia pierced through the sea heirs. Just as she was about to make contact with the ship's hull, she slowed down slightly and slipped directly through the hole in the hull. The sea heirs outside were naturally left to the Ghost Sharks, who specialized in annihilation warfare.

After entering the hole and dealing with Hai Si inside the ship at an extremely fast speed, Gloria rescued a non-commissioned officer from Hai Si's hands.

"Deep Sea Hunter?"

"Golatia." Golatia introduced her identity briefly. The other party had just been rescued and had not yet recovered from the state of surviving the disaster.

"I know you. Your Excellency, Archon, have the other ships returned safely to Miliarum?"

"..."

It turns out... they were the bait used to lure Hai Si away.

Gloria didn't know how to answer the other party's question. After all... from what she just saw, the main fleet should have been completely killed.

This ship is the most maneuverable ship in the entire fleet. They should have been prepared to make sacrifices and planned to lure away most of the Hai Si, but the Hai Si was much smarter than they thought and did not fall for it.

"How many of you are left?"

"Twenty-six people...less than one-tenth."

"..." Gloria fell silent again. This time, she finally realized something and said with a wry smile.

"I understand. Your Excellency, Archon...we have not completed our mission."

"I'm sorry, Commander. This ship is the only one left in the fleet, and you, the twenty-six of you, are the last survivors. However, this is by no means your fault. I will report your heroic actions truthfully, and you deserve medals."

Gloria sighed, saying that things in the world are unpredictable, and that is how it is.

The main fleet was completely annihilated, but the bait managed to hold on to the end thanks to its maneuverability...

Perhaps this is the most ironic thing for the captain.

Chapter 52: Do you want to go catch jellyfish together?

"Now your mission is over. What you need to do is return home immediately. Your experience will give birth to another group of excellent warriors. This is the best compensation for your regret of not saving your colleagues. Now, your battle is over." Without any sentimentality, Gloria directly asked these survivors to return home in the name of the temporary supreme commander. Before they came here, they had cleared the sea silt on the road, and the underwater ship was not completely damaged, so their return journey was safe.

"Yes... Your Excellency, Archon." The captain did not object. The only twenty-six of them left were no longer able to fight. In the ocean, Agor was no longer the master.

Originally, Gloria planned to cover their return to the city, but she just discovered some strange things. In order to dispel her doubts, she decided to explore the area again with Ghost Shark.

After sending away the twenty-six survivors, Laurentina asked curiously.

"Why did you suddenly decide to stay?"

"Don't you think these Haisi have become even more cunning?"

Gloria touched her chin and pointed at the surrounding area.

"This is the original Argor route, explored countless times. These crew members may even know it better than they know their own homeland. However, the Hai Si actively hide in these gaps, even unknown to these crew members. When we found the destroyed warship, these Hai Si were even hiding in the wreckage... Just imagine, if it wasn't us who came, but a recovery team, what would the result be?"

Gloria's words made Laurentina shiver all over just thinking about it. This obviously exceeded their understanding of Hai Si.

Logically speaking, even if Hai Si was cunning, he wouldn't have considered it so carefully. After all, Hai Si's nature was still more like a difficult beast, not a clever enemy.

Not only can they ambush passing underwater ships, they even use the wreckage of underwater ships as hiding places and plan to ambush the recovery fleet. These seamen are a bit too smart.

If these Hai Si had this kind of brains before, their assassination plan would never have succeeded.

"...Haisi suddenly has a brain, this can't be a good thing."

"It's hard to say... Haisi's activities have been intensifying recently, and I don't know what this portends. But this matter may be closely related to the Channel Project. And... Ulpian also warned me that now is definitely not the best time to return to Agor. I'm guessing that he also has some elements of this in mind."

"Captain Three said that?" Laurentina had never heard of this before. "No wonder Swordfish, you didn't mention Captain Three's intelligence at the council meeting."

"Yes, I have such concerns, but more importantly, I trust him."

Goletia said firmly.

"Of course, I believe you, Shark. So don't tell Skadi about this for now. She doesn't have your feelings, and it would be bad if something goes wrong."

"I understand. I know my limits."

Laurentina nodded. She completely understood Goletia's concerns. After all, Skadi wasn't one to keep secrets. She was already furious just over the suspicion leveled against the Third Captain. If she knew what the Third Captain had said, she might even go and confront Clemenza, sword drawn.

Although Clemenza probably wouldn't mind, the less trouble the better...

The two quickly returned to the site of the wrecked underwater ship. After a wave of clearing, the sea snakes had been completely decimated. Although Laurentina still disliked the smell, they could only use their subjective initiative to search for the scent of sea snakes using the five senses enhanced by deep-sea hunters. Following the scent, they soon came upon a massive nest.

The structure of this nest resembles a giant honeycomb, stacked layer by layer, formed from secretions from the sea urchin's outer shell. In reality, the so-called sea urchin nest is not a true nest, but rather a living structure formed by the interconnected and differentiated formation of numerous sea urchins. It can be said that the sea urchin nest is a living organism until the outer layers of sea urchins become inactive. Sea urchins have a social structure similar to that of termites or bee colonies, with specialized occupational groups evolving into distinct types, a fact that has long been established.

These nests are called "Hive Worms." Their shells are incredibly strong, deflecting even the most fortified weapons. However, with the exception of a charge like the one from Goletia, which boasts the power of a main gun, virtually nothing can withstand it. The nests constructed by these worms are filled with countless hollows, and within these hollows, "Worker Bees" swarm. Their combat effectiveness is modest, their primary function being to transport nutrients, much like red blood cells transport oxygen in blood vessels. They devour flesh and blood, transforming it into nutrients for the swarm, supplying them to the growing "larvae" within.

Strictly speaking, worker bees are just a digestion transit station.

Then there are the [Sentries] and [Warriors] who are responsible for standing guard.

The entire sea snake's nest is a self-contained ecosystem with strict division of labor and considerable meticulousness. Not only can they adapt to the environment, they can also transform it. The "Abyss" spread everywhere is proof of this. These strange blanket-like traces have covered a considerable portion of the sea area and are subtly changing the seabed ecosystem. There is no doubt that sea snakes are destructive to the ecology. Wherever they go, not to mention scales, even plants will be devoured.

What will remain will only be various sea urchins that imitate their ecological niches and functions as replacements.

Devouring, assimilating, adapting, and reproducing—if we only consider its ability to survive, Hai Si is indeed a perfect creation.

Observing carefully from a distance, Gloria and Laurentina soon discovered a new creature among the sea creatures they had never seen before - a group of jellyfish-like creatures. Their almost harmless appearance seemed out of place among the sea creatures, and even quite beautiful. They were not fast in the sea water, and their bodies were extremely small. There were not many of them, and they had no aggressive organs. The only thing that might threaten them was the string of silk threads dragging behind them.

"What's this?"

"I don't know...but I can only confirm that these things are also Haisi. As for what their function is..."

"It... doesn't look threatening at all."

"Judging the danger level of an enemy by their appearance is quite amateurish."

Gladia frowned.

"This new species of sea urchin requires careful exploration... Each sea urchin has its purpose, and there are no useless sea urchin populations. Shark, have you taken note of this?"

"Okay, I remember it." Laurentina and Gloria did not have any recording instruments in their hands. At this time, Laurentina's sculpture skills were needed. As long as she returned to Agor, she could use 3D printing technology to vividly restore the structure and appearance of this new type of sea creature.

"Then—let's retreat first..." Although Gladia wanted to test the waters, she decided to retreat first to be on the safe side. After all, she still had Laurentina with her.

The two recorded the coordinates and immediately moved away from the newly formed Haisi nest. This distance was already very dangerous. They would definitely need to deal with the nest here first in the future. Otherwise, it would likely threaten the city after it grew stronger.

But they didn't notice that after they turned away, the little jellyfish seemed to be aware of Laurentina and Gloria's spying. They stretched out their tentacles, entwined and connected with each other, and a strange blue light was transmitted from their bodies to each other. Then, deep in the nest, in that dark environment, there was a strange bubble. It's not accurate to call it a bubble, it's more like... an embryo.

The outside of the embryo is surrounded by countless silk threads. The [worker bees] are supplying nutrients to the embryo, while the [jellyfish] seem to be transmitting some kind of message through countless silk threads.

The blue light concentrated within the embryo, and soon the faint blue glow illuminated the entire nest.

puff...

A tiny hand-like shape suddenly appeared on the embryo's outer membrane, as if trying to break through the solid outer layer. With the internal struggle, the egg finally broke through. Then, a little girl, covered in mucus and with the umbilical cord still attached to her belly, broke through the egg that nurtured her and directly bit off her own umbilical cord with her mouth. The birth of this newborn did not cause any commotion, but under the witness of many sea children, this strange girl finally opened her eyes.

-

"……Well……"

Noah suddenly covered her head, feeling as if her head was pierced by a sharp needle. The sudden and severe pain made her whole body hunch over.

It was like ten million banshees were singing Ode to Joy in her mind, giving her a splitting headache.

"What's wrong!?" Skadi felt nothing at all. She quickly squatted down and tried to support Noah. Fortunately, the pain came suddenly and went away suddenly. Noah's headache lasted only about a second. She was a little confused and released her perception, but felt nothing.

How should I put it... It was like a stun bomb suddenly exploded next to me...

It was the first time she experienced this feeling, and it even made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"I'm fine..." Noah stood up. In the blink of an eye, her clothes were soaked with cold sweat. The feeling she had just had was definitely not an illusion, but she had no idea where it came from. "I don't know what just happened..."

"Should we go see a doctor?" Skadi asked worriedly, "Could this be a side effect of the previous surgery?"