Hearing the Black Mermaid elder's words, Old Seven's face twisted in instant frustration. "Elder, we can't let this slide! Our Captain Black Stone was captured by them! Are we just going to sit back and do nothing? We need to go rescue him!"
The Black Mermaid elder let out a heavy, helpless sigh.
"Right now, our tribe's strength isn't high enough for a direct head-on clash with humans.
Besides, Black Stone getting captured just proves he was too weak. Blame his own incompetence. Once humans drag a mermaid onto land, we can't even unleash half our combat power. How could we possibly rescue anyone?"
Merfolk possessed virtually zero combat capability on land. Though they could force themselves to stand upright on their tail fins, their gait was clumsy, agonizingly slow, and entirely useless for fighting.
"But... are we really just abandoning Captain Black Stone?" Old Seven pressed, still deeply unreconciled.
"We have no choice. Our primary objective right now is securing the other half of the treasure map.
Once we unearth the treasures of the Merfolk Palace, every last member of the White Mermaid Tribe will die, and humanity will be finished!
Our Black Mermaid Tribe will rule the world!" A cruel, ruthless grin spread across the elder's face.
Hearing this, Old Seven could only nod reluctantly. "Fine. When the time comes, I'm going to hunt down that hateful human and torture him to death myself!!!"
Right as those words left Old Seven's mouth,
the massive gates of the Black Mermaid stronghold exploded inward with a deafening crash.
Liu Yang's Glacial Submarine acted like a high-velocity siege shell. The heavy defensive gates shattered like fragile glass upon impact, erupting into a cloud of flying debris.
The earsplitting shockwave reverberated through the entire cavern, startling every single Black Mermaid in the base.
The elder's expression darkened instantly. "What's going on? Old Seven, did this enemy track you straight to our doorstep?"
Old Seven panicked, immediately shaking his head. "Impossible! How could he keep up with me? I swam the entire way at top speed, and there's no way he could map my route unless... unless Captain Black Stone and the others betrayed us!"
A muscular Black Mermaid nearby flared with rage, pointing a webbed finger straight at Old Seven's face.
"You're talking absolute garbage! We Black Mermaids would never surrender to humans. Furthermore, Black Stone is my cousin! You think I don't know what kind of man he is? Old Seven, you deserter! Slander my family again and I'll break your neck!"
Cowering under the sudden hostility, Old Seven stammered defensively, "I-I was just guessing, Big Brother Black Diamond! Don't fly off the handle. I wasn't singling out Captain Black Stone. Maybe it was one of the other survivors..."
"Hmph!" Black Diamond snorted with utter contempt, turning his head away in disgust.
Another warrior chimed in, "Cut the bickering, everyone! Let's go see what kind of lunatic has the guts to storm our gates. What if it's just a rogue whale that smashed into the entrance?"
"Right, right! This isn't the time for infighting. Let's check out the situation first!"
The elder nodded sharply. "Agreed. Rally every available warrior-move out!"
Led by the elder, the entire phalanx of Black Mermaid warriors surged toward the main entrance.
They collided head-on with Liu Yang, who was already stepping deeper into the territory.
As for the female Black Mermaid Liu Yang had captured earlier, she had been detached from the main force and sent elsewhere to handle separate objectives under his orders.
The moment Old Seven laid eyes on Liu Yang, his blood ran cold. His voice cracked with sheer terror:
"It's... it's you?!"
How in the world had this human caught up so fast? And where on earth did he get a submarine?
During their first encounter, the guy certainly hadn't been driving any submersible craft!
Moreover, unlike standard human submarines, this vessel was completely transparent, humming along without any visible mechanical propulsion. How was it even moving?
Noticing the fading injury on the man's shoulder, Liu Yang flashed a relaxed, confident grin.
"You're the only fish that managed to slip through my fingers today. Consider yourself lucky-you'll get to join your friends underground and brag about your brief escape!"
Old Seven snarled in fury, "Damn you! What did you do to Captain Black Stone and the rest of the squad?!"
"Them? They're already dead. But don't worry, you'll be joining them shortly."
The elder narrowed his eyes, glancing at Old Seven. "Is this the human who ambushed your patrol?"
"Yes, Elder!" Old Seven confirmed.
The centenarian Black Mermaid elder stared at Liu Yang, his expression turning grave.
Any young human capable of wiping out an elite hunting squad and tracking down their hidden stronghold within minutes possessed terrifying strength.
They had already captured the White Mermaid princess and were on the brink of unearthing the second half of the treasure map. They could not afford a catastrophic failure at the finish line.
Reluctant to tangle with such a monstrous opponent unnecessarily, the elder forced a diplomatic tone:
"Human friend, our Black Mermaid Tribe has no personal grievance with you. Why push things to bloodshed?
I'm willing to treat our previous skirmish as a misunderstanding. We won't pursue the lives of our fallen squad members. Let's just mind our own business and cross paths no further. What do you say?"
Liu Yang chuckled smoothly. "Sounds reasonable. Hand over your half of the treasure map, and deliver the White Mermaid princess to me. Then we can peacefully mind our own business."
"What?!" The elder's jaw dropped, shock crashing over his features.
How on earth did this human know about the Merfolk Palace Treasure map?
And how did he find out that the White Mermaid princess was in their custody?
Old Seven shrieked, "Damn it! Someone in the squad definitely ratted us out and gave away all our classified secrets! Black Diamond, you still going to defend your cousin after this?!"
Black Diamond gritted his fangs. "Even if the outsider knows, it wasn't my cousin who leaked it! There were over a dozen members in that patrol-any one of them could have spilled the beans! Why pin it on Black Stone?!"
"Enough! Shut up!" The elder roared, his patience snapping. "Since his target is the treasure map, negotiation is off the table. Prepare for battle! Attack! Today, either this human dies, or our entire tribe is wiped out!"