On the Ark.

However, before Lin Ye could greet Swire, the soldier who had spoken earlier spoke up again.

"Longmen has arrived, so everyone is here now," the soldier said calmly. "However, Longmen, you are a little late."

Swire shrugged: "There's nothing I can do. I already said there's a traffic jam on the mountain road. Apparently, there's some kind of festival in the next city, and a lot of people are going there. We've tried our best to make it, and we weren't late, were we? Wasn't the agreed time for today?"

The soldier shook his head, not dwelling on the lateness, and simply said, "Come in. Now that everyone is here, the meeting can begin."

About ten people from Lungmen arrived. Lin Ye glanced at them and recognized several familiar faces, who seemed to be from the Guard Bureau.

Swire walked over to Lin Ye, nudged him with her elbow, and said, "What are you looking at? I'm the one leading the team this time, not that idiot dragon. Are you a little disappointed?"

Lin Ye was speechless: "Why should I be disappointed?"

“Who knows why, but if I had known Rhodes Island would send you, I would have brought Puke Dragon over no matter what.” Swire said in a low voice, “You don’t know, after you pulled out Puke Dragon’s sword last time, Puke Dragon seemed to have some existential doubts. It was so interesting.”

Lin Ye: "..."

"Alright, Lungmen delegation." The soldier coughed twice and said somewhat displeasedly, "You're all the last to arrive, so stop chatting."

Swire could only shrug and remain silent.

The soldier scanned the room again, and seeing that everyone's attention was on him, he nodded in satisfaction before slowly saying, "In that case, let's begin. First, allow me to introduce myself; my codename is Silver Sword..."

Lin Ye immediately covered his mouth.

Swire looked at him with some confusion: "What are you doing?"

Lin Ye shook his head and didn't say anything because he had bitten his tongue.

Silver Sword didn't notice Lin Ye's unusual behavior and continued, "My men and I arrived here three days ago. During this time, we conducted some simple investigations to explain the situation in Harlan Town."

As he spoke, he beckoned his assistant to step forward and spread a map on the floor.

"This is a map of Harlan Town." Silver Sword stepped on the map, explaining with his sword, "A week ago... to be precise, eight days ago, Harlan Town was struck by an earthquake and a tsunami. This type of natural disaster is not uncommon for coastal communities like Harlan Town; it happens every few years or decades. But this disaster is different from the past. As you all saw before you came, all the houses in Harlan Town, except for this one, have collapsed. This is enough to show that the level of this disaster is not low. So here's the question: there is a not-so-small village about ten kilometers away from Harlan Town, but the people in that village felt nothing. There was no earthquake, no tsunami. For them, that night was just an ordinary thunderstorm."

Lin Ye slowly lowered his hand, revealing a surprised expression.

“And what’s even stranger is that all the townspeople of Harlan disappeared that night,” Silver Sword continued. “My men and I have been searching for many days, but we haven’t found a single living person, not a single body, nothing at all. All we have is this ruin that you can see.”

At this point, someone asked, "Could it have been swept away by the waves?"

“I’ve never heard of any type of wave that can silently sweep away the residents of a small town,” Silver Sword said calmly. “Besides, tsunamis push people ashore, so the probability of finding their bodies on land is definitely much higher than finding them in the sea.”

The man fell silent.

“Moreover, residents living by the sea should have an extraordinary sense of disaster like tsunamis. It’s impossible that the people of Harlan Town were completely unprepared before the tsunami hit,” Silver Sword continued. “You can look at the map. Harlan Town’s transportation isn’t bad. There are two main roads leading out of the town, and five or six narrow paths that can be traversed by a single person. And there’s no sign of these roads being blocked. In other words, even if the people of Harlan Town were truly so oblivious that they didn’t notice anything amiss, they would still have plenty of routes to evacuate when the tsunami struck. But clearly, they didn’t evacuate; instead, they vanished without a trace overnight.”

Swire, standing next to Lin Ye, muttered to herself, "This sounds rather eerie. Could something have taken the people of this town away?"

Silver Sword looked at Swire and said slowly, "This is precisely why we've gathered here. Although I know you're all here for the treasures of the deep sea, I think we can start from this angle. To be honest, Ursus isn't very good at this, so I hope that an expert in this area will speak next."

Someone asked, "Who is the expert in this field?"

Silver Sword then turned his gaze to the Rhodes Island group: "Before we came, I heard from the General that the legendary strongest Deepsea Hunter is also in this team. So, Miss Skadi, who is she? Could you please tell me?"

When Silver Sword asked about Skadi, Lin Ye's heart tightened, but he remained calm and said according to the agreed-upon words: "Skadi is not here. She has gone to scout."

Silver Sword frowned: "She's not here? Scouting? What do you mean?"

"The literal meaning." Lin Ye shrugged and said casually, "You don't know this, but Skadi is a very unique operator on Rhodes Island. She's unconventional, doesn't need teammates for any mission, and has a rather eccentric temper, so she doesn't get along with many people. Therefore, after discussions on our island, we decided to let Skadi scout the coastline alone, and she'll come back to report to us when she finds any clues."

Why weren't you consulted with us beforehand about this?

"This should be an internal matter for Rhodes Island..."

"Do you really think this is an internal matter for you?" Silver Sword interrupted Lin Ye directly. It was clear that he was very dissatisfied with Rhodes Island's "unilateral decision-making," and his words became serious and harsh. "Rhodes Island, I think you should know. A big reason why we let you join this project is that you have the most powerful deep-sea hunters in the world."

It's not that easy to fool them.

Lin Ye sighed inwardly, but he knew he had no choice but to try and smooth things over. If they were driven out of Ursus by the military, there would be nothing they could do. Lin Ye had considered this situation before coming here and had a prepared response, but it was a potentially offensive response that he didn't want to use, but now it seemed unavoidable.

So, Lin Ye took a deep breath, then steeled himself and slowly said, "We understand that, but we also know exactly what kind of combat style is best suited for Operator Skadi. In the fight against the Abyss, she is the strongest, without a doubt. Those who are too strong are always lonely, so if we're by her side..."

Silver Sword said somewhat impatiently, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that we're only holding Skadi back in this regard, so we might as well let her do it herself."

Lin Ye's words made Yin Jian even more displeased, and his brows furrowed tightly: "You mean, none of us are as good as her?"

“This is not my idea, it is his idea.” Lin Ye shifted the blame to Skadi. “You should know that Skadi once said when she was on Rhodes Island that everyone here is trash except for her when it comes to fighting the Deep Sea.”

Chapter 315 A Phone Call from Skadi?!

Lin Ye's words caused a huge stir, generating a great deal of reaction among the people in the room. Everyone's expression changed, with the most significant change occurring among the Sunset Merchant Guild members, whose faces practically screamed "displeasure" or "resentment." If it weren't for the Ursus soldiers holding them back, they probably would have already come forward to cause trouble for Lin Ye.

The Philin race member named Tianhuo also glanced in this direction, his golden pupils filled with displeasure.

However, these people weren't the key. Lin Ye had been paying close attention to Silver Sword's expressions, since the Ursus military was the most powerful force in this joint operation. If they angered Silver Sword, he could simply send them away, and there was nothing they could do about it. Therefore, Lin Ye could only gamble that the Ursus soldiers wouldn't be so petty, and that the people here truly couldn't do without Skadi and Rhodes Island's power.

Fortunately, he made the right bet.

Although Silver Sword's expression showed some dissatisfaction, after all, he had been inexplicably affected by the area-of-effect attack, his overall demeanor remained relatively calm: "Did that deep-sea hunter really say that?"

Lin Ye nodded: "Yes, she really did say that, but it was on Rhodes Island, and she said it to us."

As Lin Ye said this, he had only one thought in his mind: he hoped that Skadi would not know that he was smearing her image here. Although he felt that Skadi would not care too much, it would still be troublesome to settle accounts with her in the future. He did not know if an apology would be useful.

"She seems to be a very confident person," Silver Sword said casually. "If I could, I would really like to meet her."

Judging from Silversword's tone, it seemed he didn't intend to blame Rhodes Island for Skadi's "mistake," which put him at ease. However, he remained outwardly calm and simply smiled: "You will see her. We've already agreed that she will notify us as soon as she finds a clue."

"Would such a proud person really do as you wish? I have my doubts," Silver Sword said. "But it doesn't matter. Rhodes Island has more than just that Deepsea Hunter. I don't believe you can't provide help without her."

"That's what I was trying to say," Lin Ye said casually. "Even without her, we can provide plenty of help."

"That would be best." Silver Sword nodded, clearly not intending to pursue the matter of Skadi's absence. "So, is there anyone else here with similar experience who would like to speak?"

Just as Lin Ye was about to recommend Lan Du, Swire stepped forward.

“Since that deep-sea hunter isn’t here, let’s leave it to Lungmen,” Swire said. “We also have some excellent oceanographers who can give us their opinions.”

Silver Sword nodded: "That's very good."

Seeing this, Lin Ye remained silent. He watched as Swire snapped her fingers, and a Guardian officer wearing black-rimmed glasses stepped forward.

“This is our Guardian’s oceanography expert,” Swire introduced, “codename: Dream.”

"Childhood dream?"

Lin Ye found it a bit strange. How could a grown man have such an adorable nickname? Later, he realized he had misheard. The man's name was Youmeng, not Youmeng.

However, on the other hand, whether in Rhodes Island or Lungmen, there are clearly far more people using codenames than real names. Should he get a codename too? If he does, it has to be something unique, definitely not like this "Young Dream"—what's with this grown man acting cute?

Lin Ye started to let his mind wander again.

"Hello everyone, I'm Youmeng, an operator from the Guard Bureau," Youmeng said. "Let me explain things to you now."

Youmeng's next explanation was quite eye-opening for Lin Ye. He introduced everyone to some deep-sea creatures he knew, along with their characteristics, hunting habits, and how aggressive they were towards humans. In Lin Ye's original worldview, the most terrifying creatures in the ocean were probably piranhas like great white sharks, but in this world, the deep-sea monsters seemed to have a Cthulhu-esque style, sending chills down his spine.

Half an hour later, Youmeng finished her explanation.

"These are all the case files in the Ocean Academy's archives regarding deep-sea creatures attacking terrestrial human communities," Youmeng said. "The most devastating one was the destruction of a small seaside town. But that incident didn't have as many suspicious points as this one; many people escaped from the town, and those who didn't escape were simply turned into corpses."

"So, this incident is something that has never happened before?" Silver Sword asked.

Youmeng shook her head: "You can't say that. Terra is just too big. It's impossible for the Ocean Academy to have data on the entire continent. But at least in terms of the database, this incident is indeed unique."

After listening to Youmeng's description, Shuangye said in a low voice, "It sounds like a ghost."

Chūmaru chuckled and patted Shimoba on the shoulder: "It's possible to be a monster, but impossible to be a demon. Look, even if I were a demon, I wouldn't do such a thing."

Shuangye rolled her eyes: "I was talking about ghosts and monsters, not the ghost race."

"Haha, why take it so seriously?" Chūmaru shrugged, looking relaxed. "Even a demon would die from a single slash."

Their whispers went unheard by others.

"Although it has never happened before, we are certain of one thing: if the Harlan town incident was indeed the work of deep-sea creatures, then those creatures must be powerful enough, or at least exceptionally unique," Youmeng summarized her statement. "Therefore, we must be sufficiently vigilant and united to deal with any potential dangers."

Silver Sword nodded, agreeing with Youmeng's point of view: "You're right. It's only natural to be vigilant when facing unknown creatures."

As Lin Ye listened to Silver Sword and Youmeng's conversation, he pondered how to find Skadi. Since they couldn't let outsiders know that Skadi was missing, they had to find clues themselves.

Just as he was struggling with this decision, his phone suddenly rang.

Who called him at this time?

Lin Ye took out his phone, and his pupils contracted slightly when he saw who was calling.

How could it be—Skadi?!

……

……

Author's BB: Ah, staying up all night to watch the S-series, especially FPX's match, was truly nerve-wracking. I could have finished writing this chapter by 11 o'clock, but I dragged it out until now. Fortunately, the little phoenix finally advanced, so I can go to sleep peacefully now.

Chapter 316 Men of Ursus Shouldn't Be Henpecked!

When Lin Ye saw the caller's name, he immediately thought he was seeing things. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he dared to confirm that the three words "Skadi" were indeed written on the phone screen.

Is this a call from Skadi?! But how could this be?! Didn't Kal'tsit say they couldn't get in touch with Skadi no matter what they did? A flood of doubts welled up in Lin Ye's mind at this moment. Lin Ye really wanted to answer the phone directly and ask Skadi where she was and if something had happened to her.

However, Lin Ye's intuition warned him that this call might not be so simple, and he shouldn't have answered it in this situation. Because he was standing near the front, the moment he took out his phone, it attracted a lot of attention. If these people knew it was Skadi calling… if Skadi was alright, that would be fine, but if something happened to her, then all their previous efforts would have been in vain.

Swire noticed that Lin Ye's expression was off, so she asked with some confusion, "Hey kid, what's wrong? Who called?"

Silver Sword also looked over. This made Lin Ye even more troubled. Although he knew that Swire meant well, asking this question at this time was indeed causing him trouble and drawing more attention to him.

What should I do?

Lin Ye racked his brains for a solution, and thankfully, his parents had given him a sharp mind. Soon, he came up with a plan, and he put on a bitter expression: "Sorry, you can continue the meeting. I need to go out and take a call."

"At a time like this?"

"Hmm... It's my girlfriend calling." Lin Ye pretended to have a headache, then looked at the men present with a "bitter smile," "There's nothing I can do, it's her birthday today, you know what I mean? Sorry, sorry, she has a bad temper, I'm doomed if I don't answer this call."

Swire looked surprised: "Someone like you has a girlfriend?"

"Um... I got it by licking it." Lin Ye apologized as he took his phone and backed away, trying to leave the room. "You guys continue your meeting, don't worry about me. I'm just a support staff member. I'll be back as soon as I finish this call."

Lin Ye didn't know if the people of Terra knew what the term "simp" meant, but they certainly knew what "henpecked husband" meant. Lin Ye had heard his father say when he was a child that there was nothing wrong with projecting an image of being henpecked in public, because it could help one refuse some social engagements that were hard to refuse and extricate oneself from some difficult situations.

So at that moment, Lin Ye used his father's wisdom to successfully make everyone present look at him strangely.