Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 262 "Afu" Reappears, Sweeping Across the Seas and Attracting the Worship of All
That's the advantage of sending Gu Liyang; at crucial moments, he dares to make decisive decisions.

When the news reached the command center of the Cihang Engineering Department, unsurprisingly, the chief engineer immediately praised Gu Liyang for his timely and resolute on-site statement.

If a World Tree that so "loves" its own land were to stop growing or even degenerate out of concern for safety, then what difference would there be between us and the elves hiding in the dark forest?

I'm afraid I'll be dragged out and lashed out countless times in history class, and countless times professors, teachers, and YouTubers will recite in a somber tone: "That year, a few short-sighted, cowardly individuals made a decision that disgraced our ancestors..."

If that's the case, it would be better to die now to avoid being infamous for eternity!
The Chief Commander of the [Compassionate Voyage] Engineering Department issued an order: "Everything is for the sake of the World Tree's growth. We must spare no effort to ensure its absolute safety and prevent any interference."

To put it bluntly, the World Tree, which has been painstakingly cultivated, must not only grow, but grow freely and unrestrainedly, without causing any psychological trauma to [Sprout]!
This means it's not just about showing off muscles anymore; it's about delivering powerful blows.

At the subsequent closed-door meeting, Gu Liyang, deputy chief commander of the Cihang Project Department, first read out the instructions and then provided further explanation of their contents.

“The engineering command has given clear instructions. Our past principle was: ‘Do not fire the first shot, but also do not give the enemy the opportunity to fire the second shot.’”

“Now it’s different. We must tell everyone, especially our enemies, in the clearest and most unambiguous way.”

Gu Liyang slammed his fingers on the table: "For certain things that are clearly stated as bottom lines, not only are they untouchable, but we must not even glance at them. Any form of spying will trigger an unrestricted counterattack from us!"

The meeting room was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the timetable, which was marked in red in several places.

According to the latest calculations by the expert team, the World Tree will continue to grow until it is fully exposed to the view of space satellites in about fifteen to twenty days.

This short period of time is the window of opportunity for Dongxia to conduct strategic deterrence and draw global attention.

It was so tight it was almost suffocating.

The first step was to significantly escalate the standoff with bald eagles in the Tranquil Sea, even going so far as to fix bayonets!

The stated reason, of course, is to search for the "deep-sea explorer," the undead creature with the Eastern Xia number 0019 and code name "Afu," which has caused headaches for bald eagles and terrified neighboring countries.

For some time now, Arfu has certainly been busy. Faithfully carrying out the instruction of "periodic exposure to attract attention," it has been moving back and forth in this vast sea area, accomplishing quite a few "major things."

For example, after it had finished off a few soldiers on the Jasmine Kingdom's wrecked ship, it set its sights on a few wrecked ships in the port on its way north.

As for why it needs to be dealt with, don't ask. The answer is that "A-Fu" is in a bad mood.

"Afu" has a relatively simple intelligence; it will feel uncomfortable in the same way its trainers do.

Therefore, it decided to impose some minor punishment.

The target was an antique-class frigate that was over sixty years old.

Silently approaching the hull of the old frigate, "Afu" pressed its strong forelimbs against the hull and, with a very steady rhythm, made a "cut" every two to three seconds, quickly cutting open the rusty bottom.

Because the ship was docked in the harbor, most of the sailors had gone ashore to find some nightlife, leaving only a small number of soldiers behind. They were gathered in small groups, chatting and playing cards. The cabin was filled with smoke and a mixture of instant noodles, sweat, and foot odor.

Ah Ming, who was pushed out to be on duty, glanced resentfully at the cabin, leaned against the railing, and continued to scroll through his phone listlessly. On the screen was a video of a certain internet celebrity from the island twisting her waist and swaying her hips.

Suddenly, a private next to him listened intently and asked with some confusion, "Hey, do you feel the ship moving?"

"You're so difficult! The boat is moving normally, and the sea breeze is really strong. My hair is all messed up!"

"No, it's a very rhythmic vibration, listen!"

Amin spat out the betel nut in his mouth, put his ear close to the railing, and sure enough, he heard a regular sound.

"Damn it, the duty officer must be having 'ship sex' again! I heard he recently got a new batch of 'glucan supplements,' and he's in great spirits!"

"Don't be surprised! You're making a fuss over nothing!"

The sailors nearby burst into knowing laughter.

Officers who couldn't go ashore would often bring unidentified people aboard to "experience life," a practice the veterans had grown accustomed to.

"Damn! This tremor lasted a bit longer than usual!"

Amin took out another bag of betel nuts, but before he could tear open the bag, a sudden, urgent alarm sounded.

Everyone's first thought was that this old, dilapidated ship must have some kind of problem with one of its lines! Led by the sergeant, several soldiers entered the cabin, cursing and swearing.

Amidst a series of alarms, seawater began to flood into the lower decks of the warship, already reaching above the sailors' ankles!
"It's leaking! It's really leaking!" someone shouted first, their voice filled with disbelief and panic.

The seawater was pouring in with increasing force, not a trickle, but a raging torrent; some circuits began to crackle, and the lights flickered on and off.

Chaos erupted on the ship, with screams and cries filling the air.

Damage control? Forget about it. They can't even move a large toolbox, and the so-called damage control procedures have long been forgotten.

After tearing seven or eight holes in the bottom of the ship, "Afu" left without taking the initiative to attack. Fortunately, there were still a few veterans on the escort ship who managed to lower the lifeboats in time, and everyone jumped out, thus saving their lives.

A post-incident review revealed that there were 93 personnel on duty on the frigate that day, but only 36 were actually on duty, and 42 were rescued.

Well, not a single soldier died; the extras were special service personnel brought aboard by the officers.

The news sent shockwaves through the surrounding area.

Having breathed a small sigh of relief, "Afu" headed north again, returning to the waters near the four-clawed sea snake.

Its main feature is that it's non-stop and slippery, making it impossible to leave any room for error.

Here, it did something else that attracted worldwide attention: it destroyed a large whaling ship.

This was somewhat of a coincidence; strictly speaking, "A-Fu" didn't do it on purpose.

The Four-Clawed Sea Serpent is the largest whaling and whale-eating nation on the entire planet Earth, bar none.

Despite the massive protests from Blue Star animal protection organizations and environmental conservation groups, the official Blue Star whaling commission not only ignored the precarious situation of the whale population but also intensified its efforts. First, it used various pretexts under the guise of scientific research to carry out large-scale hunting and killing. After the International Court of Justice ruled that its actions were illegal, it simply withdrew from the Blue Star Whaling Commission and restarted large-scale commercial whaling.

What is particularly hard to understand is that they not only hunt adult whales, but also pregnant mothers and calves, revealing the greedy nature of their people to the fullest extent.

Why do you need a reason to do evil?

That day, while Afu was underwater, he landed on the belly of a humpback whale.

The reason for doing this is twofold: first, to save effort, and second, to use the whale's massive body to conceal their actions.

Afu doesn't like to operate in very deep waters, as the pressure is too great and it consumes a lot of its already limited dark energy. However, it is easy to be spotted in shallow waters, so it often hitches a ride on larger fish.

It sensed a ship approaching, and Afu buried its head even deeper.

The poor humpback whale hadn't even realized what was happening when a whaling cannon shot came, the harpoon pierced through, and it exploded. "Afu" had been attacked.

Upon seeing the national flag on the ship, "Afu" activated its first defense principle without hesitation.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, in the seawater stained with the blood of humpback whales, "Afu" leaped up, climbed up the tug of the whaling gun, and pounced directly onto the deck.

At this moment, although Afu was only a small ball curled up under the whale's belly, once it stretched out, it was already a behemoth with a body length of over twenty meters. At the same time, it also had agility and speed that were completely disproportionate to its body length.

The ship's cameras clearly recorded this scene.

Afu landed lightly on the slippery foredeck, which was covered in whale blood and carcasses, making almost no sound. His body, covered in a dark keratin layer, gleamed with a chilling light in the sunlight.

"A monster...a monster!" Someone let out a shrill, distorted scream, breaking the brief silence.

Of course, there was also a hint of excitement mixed in with the panic.

Whaling ships are not like ordinary civilian ships. If they can fight whales, why can't they fight this monster?

Thus, the two sides engaged in close-quarters combat.

"A-Fu" won.

Its first attack was on the whaling gunners, the very culprits who had attacked it. With a single stride, several crew members at their gun positions were cleanly cleaved in two. Their flying corpses crashed into the foredeck, and blood splattered like ink on the ship's walls and deck, creating an unexpected harmony with the whale blood.

The rifle bullets and harpoons fired by the catchers, when they hit "Afu", not only failed to cause any effective damage, but also further intensified Afu's "automatic defense" program.

"Afu" let out a low hiss, its limbs like a reaper's harvester, each swing bringing a storm of blood and gore. Limbs and severed bodies flew everywhere, and the entire ship was instantly transformed into a blood-red inferno.

Several crew members tried to hide behind the huge whale carcass, but Afu rammed into it, and the whale carcass, along with the crew, crashed onto the deck, turning them into their favorite "anime" shapes.

While committing the killings, "Afu" was also venting his anger by violently dismantling things.

The sturdy deck crumbled like paper under its claws, easily ripping apart navigation antennas, searchlights, and radar domes. It even bit the base of the ship's jackhammer with its jaws, and with a loud metallic twisting sound, the robust steel structure was ripped off and slammed onto the island superstructure, eliciting a desperate wail.

The whaling ship became a floating slaughterhouse, and this time, it was not the docile whales that were being slaughtered, but the whalers themselves.

This one-sided massacre did not last long. Once the creatures on the deck were cleared out and it was confirmed that all those who had attacked it had been dealt with, "Afu" leaped lightly with its massive body, making a perfect splash, and almost silently plunged into the seawater.

Several hours later, more than twenty warships and search ships surrounded them, only to find a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, along with survivors who were too terrified to speak coherently.

The video of this attack went viral again on the internet, and then, something unexpected happened.

Although Afu has appeared repeatedly and attacked many times, it has never made any move to harm civilians. On several occasions, fishing boats spotted it at close range, but it swam away as if it didn't see them.

The patterns in the cases of being attacked by Afro were quickly identified.

Pollution, whaling, attacks!
What is this? This person deserves to die!
Punishing the wicked and eliminating evil? Without harming the innocent!
At this moment, "Afu" is not terrifying to many ordinary people, but rather full of a certain "divinity".

Thus, a folk worship of "Afu the Sea God", "the protector of the ocean", and "the judge of sins" spread like wildfire.

Initially, it was only online that a meme-filled "Afu Cult" community emerged, where young people photoshopped various sacred halos onto "Afu" and wrote all sorts of outrageous doctrines.

"Believe in Afu, and you will have eternal life!"

"Ah Fu is all smiles, he won't fail the exam!"

"Master Afu is the best at dealing with all kinds of stubborn people and dismantling all kinds of dissent!"

"Ah Fu, Ah Fu, may the sea god bless you!"

What started as just a joke or a playful remark quickly took a strange turn.

Legitimate religious groups have entered the fray.

The Shinto branch of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent was the first to declare that Afu was the incarnation of the "Great God of Tsunami," a god of punishment and purification from the deep sea, and incorporated him into the sacrificial system.

Buddhist groups from some Southeast Asian countries claim that Afu is a guardian deity of the "Dragon Clan" recorded in Buddhist scriptures, who manifested due to the accumulation of evil karma in the world, to punish evildoers and warn sentient beings.

Even some primitive religions in remote areas have come forward to claim kinship, saying that Afu is a descendant of a certain primordial beast in their mythology.

This trend grew stronger and stronger, and soon it was no longer limited to online memes and far-fetched religious associations. In the real world, many fishermen and coastal residents, especially those communities suffering from overfishing and marine pollution, began to spontaneously and sincerely worship "Afu".

They erected simple memorial tablets next to the shrine in their homes, and placed various "Afu" deity statues or paintings that they had urgently ordered from a certain Ukrainian e-commerce platform. On fishing days or special festival days, they would burn incense and pray for "Great God Afu" to bless them with favorable weather and a bountiful catch.

By the way, I curse those damn polluting companies to have terrible luck.

People who live by the sea hate the ocean the most, as it is no different from cutting off their livelihood.

Later, based on certain inexplicable psychological conformity, the divine role of "Afu" was further expanded.

People face the sea, or to the small statue of Afu in their homes, and devoutly make all sorts of wishes—hoping to win the lottery, hoping to find their ideal partner, hoping to be cured of intractable diseases that modern medicine struggles to treat…

In an instant, a brand new god was rising from the sea.

Of course, for a group of countries led by the bald eagle, the desire to exploit this creature's psychology has become increasingly urgent.

A large number of ships poured in from all over the planet, beginning a further search along the route taken by "Afu".

Then, Robert, the war zone commander in charge of the bald eagle, received a report that caught him completely off guard.

"We can't move forward, there are so many ships coming from the other side!"

Robert flicked the ash from his cigar nonchalantly. "Tell those guys to get lost. We're on a scientific expedition for the Great Bald Eagle. Get all irrelevant ships out of the way!"

"I'm afraid that won't work, Commander. The other side has already sent a clear message; they are carrying out an important marine research mission. We need to leave!"

Robert looked at the liaison officer in disbelief, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

What kind of ship is on the other side?

"Commander, there's Jiang Kai, Lü Yang, Ren Hai, and that damned Dong Diao, circling around right here. It's practically seen all our underwear!"

Robert clenched his fist, then decisively released it a second later.

"Connect me to the Octagon's communications. I need to report to the War Department. Until then, keep the kids on the front lines in check!"

Suddenly, the once tranquil sea was filled with turbulent waves, and tensions rose and fell.

(End of this chapter)