"Captain, we've found the issue! Someone has installed an extremely concealed self-destruct module in the power system of the Far Ocean. It includes both a remote control function and a self-destruction program."
The Poseidon Corps was truly the most elite naval force of the Sun-Moon Federation. It only took them a few minutes to uncover the problem in the Far Ocean's power system.
Although the Demon Emperor had hidden her work well, neither the Star Luo Empire nor the Holy Spirit Cult could compare to the Sun-Moon Federation in terms of technology.
Her sabotage was no match for the expert technicians aboard the Poseidon warship.
"Uninstall it immediately! No matter what, we must ensure the safety of everyone on board the two ships!" ordered the Poseidon's captain.
This captain was none other than Chen Zeyu, the son of Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie, and a Hyper Douluo himself.
In his father's absence, he was the one in charge of the Poseidon Corps.
Chen Xinjie had long planned to pass on the position of Corps Commander to his son.
However, due to Chen Zeyu's current military rank being insufficient, many veteran officers within the Poseidon Corps were unconvinced of his leadership.
For now, no one dared to express their dissatisfaction openly because Chen Xinjie was still alive.
But Chen Xinjie knew that the moment he passed away, his son would struggle to secure his position in the Poseidon Corps.
This was one of the reasons Chen Xinjie assigned Chen Zeyu to lead the Sea Emperor warship in escorting the Far Ocean and Heavenly Sea —he wanted his son to accumulate more military achievements.
During this campaign against the Star Luo Empire, Chen Xinjie had already calculated how to help Chen Zeyu obtain the rank of General.
By then, he would be able to officially hand over the command of the Poseidon Corps to his son.
"Captain, uninstalling the module isn't difficult. However, there's another issue—we discovered a hard drive installed inside the control room. If we remove the module, the hard drive will automatically reinstall it. This is a major problem," one of the naval technicians reported.
"Can't we just destroy the hard drive?" asked Chen Zeyu.
"The hard drive is protected by a soul power shield. Our analysis shows that breaking it requires an Attack-type Hyper Douluo at the very least. However, if the shield is forcibly shattered, it might trigger an explosion, potentially destroying the ship's power system," the technician explained.
"Is there any way to safely deal with it?" Chen Zeyu pressed.
"We need powerful Soul Masters to use their soul power to reinforce and shield the power system's components. That way, even if an explosion occurs, the damage won't compromise the entire system," the technician suggested.
"A Hyper Douluo-level soul power barrier? No problem, I'll arrange for Title Douluo-level experts to assist you immediately," Chen Zeyu assured.
To escort the Far Ocean and Heavenly Sea vessels, several powerful individuals from the Battle God Hall had accompanied them, alongside the high-ranking experts from the Poseidon warship.
A mere Hyper Douluo-level soul power barrier was nothing to them.
"Captain, do you need any assistance?" Yali suddenly appeared behind Chen Zeyu and asked.
She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt over the leak of the Yuanyang's power system.
Like everyone else, she believed that the Star Luo Empire was responsible.
That also meant that Shrek Academy bore some responsibility.
She wanted to do everything she could to help, hoping to lessen her guilt.
"Holy Spirit Douluo, I hope you understand that the Far Ocean's power system is a military secret. No one outside of the Federation's high command is allowed access," Chen Zeyu refused immediately, shaking his head. He didn't want another security breach.
"I was being presumptuous," Yali smiled, realizing how unreasonable her request was. Even though she had no ill intentions, she understood why the Poseidon Corps would be wary.
She smiled to hide her embarrassment.
"We trust in your integrity, Holy Spirit Douluo, but regulations are regulations. I hope you understand," Chen Zeyu said politely.
Although Shrek Academy had recently suffered immense damage to its reputation, Yali was an exception. She had not faced much criticism or doubt.
As Yali watched, Chen Zeyu led three Title Douluo from the Poseidon warship and two Battle Gods from the Battle God Hall into the Far Ocean's power control room.
"I hope everything goes smoothly," Yali sighed.
Too many things had already gone wrong.
If anything happened to the Ships now, it would create unpredictable consequences.
But as fate would have it, the worst-case scenario unfolded.
Inside the power control room, Chen Zeyu instructed the other experts to form a larger soul power shield that enclosed both himself and the hard drive's protective barrier.
Standing within the barrier, he examined the protective shield around the hard drive.
"It's strong, but nothing extraordinary. Did the Star Luo Empire really think this little trick could sabotage the Far Ocean's power system? They're underestimating the Sun-Moon Federation way too much," Chen Zeyu sneered.
He gathered soul power into his fist and punched the protective barrier.
BOOM!
The soul power shield shattered instantly, sending out a blast wave. However, Chen Zeyu had anticipated this and activated his own blue soul power barrier, preventing the explosion from harming him.
Seeing this, a victorious smile appeared on his face.
But in the very next second, his smile froze.
The moment the Hyper Douluo-level barrier was shattered, an overwhelming surge of soul power erupted from within.
Because the explosion was contained within the defensive barrier set up by the five Title Douluo, it was compressed—intensifying its destructive force.
Then—
BOOM!!
An Extremity Douluo-level soul power explosion erupted.
Chen Zeyu was caught in the blast at point-blank range.
Before he could react, his body was torn to shreds.
He didn't even have time to scream.
"Captain!!"
The five Title Douluo turned pale with horror.
They had no idea what had just happened.
CRACK—
The next moment, their soul power barrier shattered.
The sheer force of the explosion sent all five flying.
BOOM!
A terrifying blast wave radiated outward, destroying the power control room. The sheer force caused the hundreds-meter-long ship's bow to tilt sharply downward.
Had it not been for the five powerful experts containing the explosion, the entire bow of the vessel might have been completely obliterated.
Yali arrived at the blast site instantly, but she was too late.
She only managed to rescue one person—a Battle God from the Battle God Hall.
A Hyper Douluo-level expert.
Even with Yali's top-tier healing abilities, half of his body had already been blown away.
If it weren't for her intervention, he would have died instantly.
"The Yuanyang is sinking! Everyone evacuate to the Tianhai and Poseidon warships! Hurry!"
With his last breath, he delivered his final warning.
Then, his head lolled to the side—he was dead.
"What... happened?!"
Passengers rushed onto the deck, staring in shock as the Far Ocean began slowly sinking into the ocean.
At the exact moment Chen Zeyu was torn apart, far above the sea, a rushing Chen Xinjie suddenly froze in mid-air.
An ominous feeling struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"Zeyu… could he be in danger?!"
"Damn Holy Spirit Cult! If anything happens to Zeyu, I will never forgive you!!"
His eyes turned bloodshot with fury.
Boosting his speed to the absolute limit, he and Yun Ming finally arrived over the vast ocean.
And the sight that greeted him made his eyes turn red with rage.