National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

The air remains somewhat hot and dry for a short period after the high temperatures subside.

Crimson Sean probably swam at his peak pace ever—

With a "whoosh," it disappeared, leaving only a few ripples of white.

Ivan looked around warily, then glanced at Nathan and Aurora with a complicated expression.

They both looked speechless.

Carlos, carrying a mop, pushed open the door of the observation cabin. After confirming that the enemy was gone, he and his dog Chongchong stepped out of the door.

The six "strings" tied to the mop... are probably the only dignity left for Crimson Flame Sean!

"cut......"

Cross looked down at his bare upper body and muttered in dissatisfaction:

"We all swim in the sea, and we've been shirtless for centuries. Nobody has an extra scale. Why are you clutching your chest while running... what are you pretending to be, some innocent young man?"

"...I already said it's anger-induced hair loss syndrome."

He casually took off the dark red python-patterned gloves, smoothed out the wrinkles, folded them neatly, and put them in his pocket.

They then opened the sealed swimming pool to let the seven fish and two horses see the light of day again.

"However, the treatment is very successful now. Without the source of stress, he will recover soon."

Aurora found it both helpless and amusing.

He very cooperatively made the sign of the cross on his chest, silently mourning the ninth-floor bandit who had lost his hair and self-respect.

[This speed of diagnosis is astounding; it's like Hua Tuo (a legendary Chinese physician) has been reborn!]

[Coffin Guy is too ruthless! You burned that guy bald!]

[And they only care about shaving, not about how long it grows...]

[The physical exorcism failed, so the spiritual exorcism succeeded, hahaha!]

Where did that red-haired guy say before he came?

He reminisced for a moment—

"Full speed ahead."

【Deep Sea Shadow】quietly increased the frequency of its serpentine rudder swing, accelerating the entire ship eastward.

With the battle over, the most important thing left is, of course, to cook rice.

However, the number of live animals on the ship has exceeded the limit again, and the grills and ovens brought from Golden Anchor Town are not enough.

At this critical moment.

In less than ten minutes, to the astonishment and awe of the fish, Klaus conjured up a giant barbecue grill, four meters long and featuring a double-layered pull-out structure, by the poolside.

"Using Luna titanium alloy is a huge waste of its potential."

He obsessively measured the spacing between each eyelet of the grill.

"But it can be used as a base..."

"Stop talking nonsense, I've started a fire!" Ivan was starving and skillfully used a flint to ignite the dry grass.

Flames shot up, and the iron mesh that had been erected quickly began to smoke.

The soft flesh of various clams and shellfish is still very fresh, pale yellow or jade white, some tender and smooth, some chewy, and they are neatly arranged on the iron mesh.

Several mermaids stood in front of the grill.

At first, I was quite apprehensive, but as the surface of the clam meat, roasted at high temperatures, turned from translucent to creamy yellow, and the edges curled slightly, gleaming golden...

The juices were released from the heat, dripping onto the red-hot wood, sizzling and releasing white smoke mixed with a fresh aroma.

"Hoo—cough cough!"

Even as they coughed from the choking, these mermaids kept taking deep breaths—

Really fragrant!

"Waaaaah~ I haven't eaten in a year..."

Bimu Brown's eyes welled up with tears, and large tears fell from both sides of his head.

"That's nothing... Slurp~ I haven't eaten in three years!"

Green rolled his eyes.

Ivan was applying oil to the wire mesh with a brand-new horsehair brush when he heard this, and his hand trembled violently.

"My God?! What kind of prison doesn't provide food? Won't a lot of people starve to death?"

Pufferfish Blue stared intently at the shrinking, discolored clam meat and explained, "We won't starve. As long as there's water, we'll be fine. We'll automatically enter hibernation mode and survive by filtering out small shrimp."

Hearing this, Nathan nodded.

This does align with the metabolic patterns of some deep-sea organisms.

He leaned against the ship's side, propping his chin up with one hand, listening thoughtfully to the casual conversation between the other two species.

Blue Star.

The command center members watching the live stream also looked at the mermaids with some sympathy.

"To be honest, this completely goes against the evolutionary laws of higher intelligent beings... It is very likely an adaptation to extremely barren environments."

Li Shu pushed up her glasses, thought for a moment, and then spoke earnestly.

"Vanasha, the leader of the Naga race, once called our forefathers 'despicable ants driven into the sea.' Could it be that the original inhabitants of the Ocean Era, in order to survive, violently recombined their genes, forcibly incorporating the characteristics of marine life into their genetic chains?"

This also explains why most of these 'mermaids' have such bizarre appearances...

Even after defeating the enemy, the system is quite stingy with the evolution points and loot it provides.

This proves that they are not the result of proper evolution or mutation, but rather a Frankenstein's monster with a chaotic genetic chain!

The command center fell silent for a moment.

Everyone thought of the same thing without prior agreement:

If one day... Earth also faces such an irreversible and desperate situation, will they be forced to make the same choice for the continuation of civilization?

"Everyone."

A steady voice broke the heavy and stagnant atmosphere.

Pei Canghai stood in front of the control panel, his back ramrod straight:

"Regardless of Gaia's purpose, with the advent of the Ocean Era, we have already taken the lead on a tangible path of evolution."

He slowly and firmly surveyed the people in the hall.

"Don't fear the unknown. Do your best in everything you can, and then believe... that everything that happens is for my benefit."

The phrase "Everything that happens is for my benefit" is like a shot in the arm.

The air started flowing again.

The analysts hurried back to their seats, and the sounds of keyboards clicking and paper turning filled the air once again, with data cascading down the screens.

Pei Canghai stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking up at the largest screen.

A barbecue is being cooked upstairs, creating a lively and smoky atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the modern yet tense command center.

A figure silently approached.

The person who came had heavy dark circles under their eyes and messy hair.

"Friday, huh?"

Pei Canghai didn't turn around. "Has that kid from Saturday been in contact with you lately?"

His tone was casual, as if he were asking about the neighbor's child.

On Friday, he rubbed his temples helplessly, looking like he had a stomachache, a headache, and pain all over.

"Don't even mention it, that guy has now infiltrated French territory."

"Oh?"

"They say they're dragging their feet and not giving a clear answer, so we're going to give them some fun and drop some bombshells."

He sighed on Friday:

"I told him to keep a low profile, and he replied, 'Got it, you're busy'...and then I lost contact with him."

Pei Canghai couldn't help but smile.

"Nonsense, tell him to be careful and not to overdo it."

"If he's willing to listen to advice..." Friday looked utterly hopeless, but still added, "But he's still somewhat reliable."

After a brief chat, Friday's expression turned serious.

"By the way, regarding Monday, the 'Penglai' project has been secretly launched."

Pei Canghai nodded slowly, his gaze returning to the ship sailing through the waves in another world on the screen.

"understood."