Genshin Impact: I Am a Slime

The cold sea was deathly silent, with only the mournful sound of waves crashing against the ship's side.

The massive hull of the Death Star, like a steel ghost, used its absolute speed advantage to precisely intercept the Yermak's path from the flank, casting a deathly shadow over it with the menacing muzzle of its guns.

With the aid of a telescope, the sharp gaze of the Big Dipper pierced through the thin fog and swept across the deck of the Yermak.

However, the sight that came into view made her frown.

The foolish soldiers on the enemy ships, who were standing ready for battle, were by no means an elite force.

Through the seemingly standard-issue mask and the slightly worn gaps in the armor, Beidou captured dazzling details.

Strands of frosty white hair stubbornly peeked out from the edge of the mask. Some soldiers' arms or legs appeared unnaturally twisted or missing under the clumsy armor. You could even see figures leaning on makeshift crutches, struggling to stand upright.

Despite their best efforts to conceal themselves with armor and masks, their sluggish movements, hunched backs, and the white hair and deformities that could not be completely hidden, all spoke volumes, revealing their true identities like a silent cry.

These are a group of scarred and frail veterans!

The current situation is vastly different from the information Ningguang had previously revealed about the elite guards of the Fatui executives.

A chilling shock instantly gripped Beidou. Her arm, which was about to swing down, froze in mid-air, as if locked by invisible chains. The attack command in her throat felt like a red-hot iron, burning painfully but impossible to utter.

She abruptly turned her head, her gaze piercing Ningguang beside her like a torch. Her eyes no longer held simple trust, but were filled with surprise, questioning, and even a hint of resentment at being deceived.

Should we really unleash a barrage of cannon fire, powerful enough to tear steel apart, on a ship like this, laden with wounded veterans?

Ningguang met Beidou's scorching gaze. In those worldly-wise crimson eyes, an extremely complex emotion seemed to flash by, too fast to catch.

She didn't speak, but in that suffocating silence, she nodded very slowly, yet with unwavering determination.

Seeing this silent judgment, the last trace of struggle in Beidou's eyes vanished, replaced by a ruthlessness unique to the Sea Dragon King. She gritted her teeth, as if to chew up and swallow all her doubts, and roared at the gun emplacement:

"Target, enemy flagship! Fire!"

The order was like igniting the spark of destruction.

In an instant, the Death Star's side-mounted Return Machine roared first, and several beams of blazing white and golden elemental light tore through the night sky, like falling meteors, leaving long energy trails as they shot straight toward the merchant ship at the forefront.

The Xuan Yan Heavy Cannon followed closely behind, unleashing a deafening roar. The massive solid shell, engulfed in flames and smoke, whistled through the air like a crimson lotus thrown from hell, weaving with elemental light to form an impenetrable, all-encompassing barrage of death.

This web of death, composed of pure destructive energy, mercilessly poured down upon the flimsy, unprotected merchant ship.

The destructive power of these weapons prepared for the deep-sea monsters on the Death Star is far beyond what an ordinary merchant ship can withstand.
Just as the roar of Beidou's cannons had barely faded, several beams of light from the Returning Machine, imbued with the power of violent elements, pierced through the thin hull of the merchant ship at the forefront, like divine spears of judgment.

The sturdy wood was as fragile as rotten cardboard in the face of the elemental torrent, easily torn and vaporized. The light flow continued unabated, leaving several shocking charred holes in the hull before finally dissipating unwillingly on the distant sea.

The basalt cannon shells that followed, accompanied by a piercing death shriek, slammed into the already heavily damaged hull. The deafening explosions, along with towering flames and billowing smoke, heralded the ship's demise.

The veterans on board were not unresponsive.

When they saw the deadly streak of light hurtling through the air, their experience made them instinctively scream and turn the rudder to avoid it. But in the face of the Returning Machine's attack, which was comparable to the speed of light, this clumsy turn at sea was like child's play. When they realized that there was no way to avoid it, a desperate clamor instantly swept across the deck.

The instinct for survival overcame orders, and many veterans did not hesitate to throw down their weapons and leap into the cold, bottomless Yunlaihai in the dead of night, trying to fight for that slim chance of survival with their flesh and blood.

Chaos spread like a plague, but the battlefield discipline ingrained in their very being also revealed at this moment.

The chaos lasted only a fleeting moment. The surviving veterans quickly suppressed their fear and, like wounded but fierce old wolves, began to use all their battlefield experience to find a way to survive.

Some followed suit and jumped into the surging waves, while others scrambled up the tall mast, trying to escape the deck that was about to become hell...

However, under the devastating first salvo from the Southern Cross Fleet, all struggles seemed futile and tragic.

The poor merchant ship, under the relentless onslaught of elemental light streams and heavy cannon fireballs, was like a broken doll torn apart by immense force.

The ship was blown in half from the middle, and burning fragments, along with mangled limbs and equipment, flew in all directions like fireworks. The raging flames greedily devoured every inch of the wreckage, and thick smoke billowed into the sky, turning the moonlight into an ominous dark red.

Amidst the agonizing groans of breaking, the shattered hull, still smoldering with flames and thick smoke, slowly and irreversibly sank into the cold, dark abyss.

The most ironic image flashed before the ship sank.

When the first shell accurately hit the cargo warehouse in the lower hold, the golden Mora, which carried countless acts of greed and sin and formed the core of the scam, poured out from the breach like a flood.

They shimmered with an alluring yet chilling light under the firelight, forming a dazzling golden waterfall before mercilessly plunging into the dark blue sea and disappearing without a trace, becoming the most expensive burial offering of this despicable deception, along with the sunken shipwrecks and vanished lives.

The delusion of boarding the ship was naive and laughable in the face of the overwhelming firepower of the Death Star.

The gunners of the Death Star had cold eyes. They didn't even need to wait for the smoke to clear. The muzzles of the cannons were already turning steadily and efficiently with the low hum of hydraulics and gears, locking onto the next merchant ship that was oblivious to its fate and was speeding towards them.

The Returning Machine's energy core hummed once more, the turret of the Dark Rock Heavy Cannon was reloaded, and the crosshairs of Death had already been aimed at a new prey.

On the deck of the Death Star, the Traveler and Paimon were utterly stunned by the sight before them.

Under the terrifying barrage of cannon fire from the Death Star, the massive merchant ship was like a toy crushed by a giant. It was torn apart by the Returning Machine's beam of light, blasted into pieces by heavy artillery shells with flames soaring into the sky, and finally sank into the abyss in two, with burning wreckage and dazzling golden light.

The entire process of this destruction was completed in the blink of an eye.

Paimon's small body trembled violently. She suddenly covered her mouth tightly with both hands, and her big eyes, which were always full of curiosity and vitality, were filled with an indescribable bewilderment.

She instinctively clung tightly to the traveler's cloak, as if it were her only support.

The traveler's pupils also contracted sharply, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the blunt sword too tightly.

Despite her extensive combat experience, witnessing a ship full of living people being wiped out in an instant at such close range, the sheer destructive power and the subsequent loss of life still had a profound impact on her.

The sea breeze, carrying the smells of gunpowder, burnt smells, and icy moisture, rushed towards me, but couldn't dispel the chill in my heart.

In stark contrast to them was Zhongli, who stood still on the hull of the ship.

His golden eyes calmly reflected the flames and smoke that had not yet completely sunk on the distant sea, as well as the tiny black dots struggling in the water. His indifference, born of past vicissitudes and a profound understanding of life and death, left his face expressionless.

Ningguang, the Tianquan star of Liyue who orchestrated this hunt, remained unmoved.

Her delicate face appeared particularly cold and stern in the flickering firelight.

She knew the power of the Returning Terminal better than anyone else; the ending before her was nothing more than the most predictable page in a cold, hard plan.

Ningguang's gaze swept over the whirlpool that was engulfing ships and Mora. Her eyes held no pity, only the confirmation of precise calculation and an unquestionable resolve. This destruction was the price she had approved. (End of Chapter)