Chapter 716: Turn Tail and Flee

The grand army arrived at the coast.

"How many ships has the enemy sent? Have you been able to determine their numbers?" Kristina asked after she and Ming Yue boarded the aircraft carrier.

The Great Marshal of Biluo Island’s military command laughed. "Don’t be nervous, little Princess. The approaching ships are just cruise liners, fishing boats, freighters, yachts, ore carriers, and the like. I believe they are carrying Martial Artists, not soldiers."

Kristina’s eyes lit up, her tension vanishing in an instant. "How many Martial Artists do you estimate have come?" she asked.

"There should be over a million," the Great Marshal guessed. He had based his estimate on the number and passenger capacity of the ships detected by radar.

But he had miscalculated.

All the ships headed for Biluo Island were overloaded. Furthermore, they carried ninety percent of the world’s Martial Artists, including all the First, Second, and Third Grade novices.

The total number was over five million.

"It seems the Restorer Alliance, the hermits who have opposed the three Judicator Families for years, and the elites of the various nations’ Ancient Martial Circles have all come," Kristina said with a smile. After a moment’s thought, she commanded, "Relay my orders. As per the original plan, everyone is to board the ships."

"As you command!" The Great Marshal immediately went to relay the order.

Kristina walked to the edge of the aircraft carrier’s deck. Looking toward Tamwood City, her face was filled with the joy of impending victory.

Nearby, however, Ming Yue, with her hands tucked into her trouser pockets, inconspicuously sent a text message to Ghost Shadow.

Kristina had long anticipated a counterattack from Black Water Nation’s Ministry of Military Affairs, as well as an assault by Martial Artists from around the world. Thus, she already had a response plan in place.

And Ming Yue had already reported Kristina’s entire plan to Ghost Shadow.

"Little Princess, the enemy vessels are just ordinary ships," Ming Yue said probingly after sending the text. "Can’t we just use our aircraft carrier strike group’s long-range missiles, torpedoes, rockets, and air force to destroy all their ships from a distance? Is there really a need to engage them in close-quarters naval combat?"

Kristina smiled faintly. "What do you think the enemy will feel when they see us approaching with an aircraft carrier strike group to meet them?"

Ming Yue considered this for a moment. "Are you trying to scare them, little Princess?"

"Exactly!" Kristina nodded. "I want to make them despair. Then, I’ll destroy their ships and use our firearms to shoot the Martial Artists in the water."

"The little Princess is wise!" Ming Yue immediately put on an expression of admiration.

Kristina was thoroughly pleased by the flattery.

At that moment, Ming Yue saw a large number of Martial Artists boarding the aircraft carrier. These were the uninjured fighters under Kristina’s command, their numbers barely exceeding ten thousand.

"Ming Yue, give the order. The aircraft carrier strike group is to depart first, as soon as it’s ready," Kristina commanded.

"As you command!" Ming Yue acknowledged the order and went to relay it, though she couldn’t understand why Kristina was in such a rush.

Nevertheless, she sent this new piece of information to Ghost Shadow.

"It seems a harsh lesson from society is the only way people get smarter."

Standing at the bow of a luxury cruise ship, Ye Xiu chuckled and praised Kristina after reading the message from Leng Yue. He understood why Kristina was so eager to lead the aircraft carrier strike group out ahead of the main force.

It wasn’t a reckless grab for a quick victory.

Rather, the vanguard of the global Martial Artist army was close to reaching Biluo Island. With Kristina’s forces being so numerous, embarkation would take a very long time. If they waited for everyone to board before setting out, the enemy would have already landed on the island.

Kristina intended to lead the aircraft carrier strike group out first to intimidate the world’s Martial Artists, buying time for her main army to board their ships and catch up.

"Relay my command..."

Ye Xiu took out his phone and sent a very long text message.

At that moment, countless ships dotted the sea. Leading the massive fleet were fifty large, 40-meter-long luxury yachts. The opulence of these yachts far surpassed that of the luxury cruise ship Ye Xiu was on. They were also nearly twice as fast as the ocean freighters carrying the ’Take Down Ye Xiu Alliance’ and significantly faster than Ye Xiu’s own vessel.

This allowed these yachts to race ahead, leaving the vast fleet of other ships far behind in their wake.

"We’ll be at Biluo Island in half an hour. I can hardly wait."

On one of the yachts, Meng Yinwan, dressed in a bikini, sat elegantly inside the cabin, eating her breakfast. All the other women on this yacht were dressed just like her.

"Saintess, this is bad! You need to come out and see!" an anxious voice called from outside.

"What’s all the fuss about?" Meng Yinwan asked, rising lazily from her seat. Holding her wine glass, she strolled unhurriedly onto the deck.

"I see an aircraft carrier," a bikini-clad woman at the bow said.

"An aircraft carrier?" Meng Yinwan was startled and hurried over.

A high-powered telescope was set up at the bow. Looking through it, Meng Yinwan clearly saw the rapidly approaching aircraft carrier strike group.

"Damn it!" Meng Yinwan’s face turned pale with fright. She urged, "Quick, quick! Notify everyone in the Restorer Alliance! Turn around and head back! If that aircraft carrier launches even one rocket, we’re all dead!"

In an instant, the fifty luxury yachts that had been leading the charge suddenly executed sharp turns on the water’s surface, speeding back the way they came.

Kristina, standing on the deck of her aircraft carrier, watched this entire scene unfold through a telescope.

Meanwhile, someone posted on the Martial Artist forum: "I see an aircraft carrier strike group heading right for us."

The forum instantly exploded.

Massive numbers of ships heading for Biluo Island began to turn and flee. They knew their civilian vessels couldn’t possibly withstand a bombardment from a carrier strike group. If their ships were blown up, everyone would become a live target.

However, just as the countless ships were turning back toward Tamwood City, they suddenly noticed something strange. A single luxury cruise ship and over a thousand small yachts were still sailing toward Biluo Island like stubborn fools. The thousand or so small yachts, in particular, not only refused to turn back—they actually accelerated.

Confused voices rose on the Martial Artist forum. "Which country does that luxury cruise ship and those thousand-plus yachts belong to? Why aren’t they turning back? What are they charging in for?"

"Are they idiots? Do they think one luxury cruise ship and a thousand yachts can take down an entire aircraft carrier strike group?"

"I bet they won’t even get close before a few rockets from the strike group sink them all."

"Don’t warn them! Let them charge ahead and tie up the carrier group. It’ll buy us more time to escape."

"Right, right! Don’t warn them."

"Haha, I was worried I wouldn’t make it out. These guys are a godsend..."

The forum was filled with schadenfreude and the comments of onlookers. Not a single person seemed concerned for the lives of those on the lone cruise ship and the thousand yachts. Many even argued against warning them.

In reality, the captain of the luxury cruise ship was panicking badly himself. He had wanted to turn around long ago, but An Dongye’s cleaver was pressed against his neck, forbidding it.