Chapter 2: Nine Infants

The research vessel's cabins were distributed with three levels below and seven above, placing the main deck on the fourth level. The restaurant, boarding hall, and work area were all located on this level.

The crew and researchers, who had just been enjoying the view from the deck, quickly scrambled into the boarding hall. Although it was his first time dealing with such an emergency, Li Weiyi demonstrated remarkable composure. He calmly ensured all research team members entered the cabin before he himself was the last to leave the deck, locking the hatch securely behind him.

In those brief two minutes, the purplish-black, bear-like creature had already crossed three to four kilometers of ice plain and reached the underside of the Longji.

With a mighty leap, its massive and robust body ascended several meters onto the ship's gunwale, landing heavily on the deck with a loud thud. The floor of the boarding hall shuddered from the impact.

Observed up close, its body was covered in long fur, resembling a coat of purplish-black iron. Its eyes, larger than human fists, glowed purplish-red, and its teeth were sharp and serrated like a saw. Its facial features were already showing a disturbing resemblance to human ones. Even through the thick, specialized glass, its terrifying presence was palpable, sending chills down Li Weiyi's spine. Fortunately, the cabin windows were small, alleviating fears of it smashing through.

"Boom!" The bear-like creature suddenly charged, crashing into the recently closed hatch. The entire boarding hall rattled violently, and numerous cracks appeared in the specialized glass. Many research team members screamed in terror. The boarding hall descended into chaos as people scrambled to escape to higher decks, some taking the stairs, others the elevator.

The hatches of the Longji polar research vessel were constructed from alloy material with a multi-layered design, intended for cold protection, insulation, and wind pressure resistance. Even with the purplish-black, bear-like creature's immense strength, it couldn't break them open immediately. However, Li Weiyi observed that the ship's structure around the hatch had begun to deform. It was only a matter of time before it would be breached.

"Bring everything usable here to block the hatch!" Li Weiyi shouted. The boarding hall was loud and chaotic; everyone was focused on escaping the dangerous area as quickly as possible, and no one responded to him. All cabinets and equipment on the research vessel were designed to be wave-resistant and were securely fixed.

Li Weiyi finally managed to dismantle a storage cabinet in the boarding hall, intending to push it against the hatch, when Xie Jin, who had just arrived, snapped, "What are you doing?" Xie Jin and seven security team members, armed with stun guns, protective shields, and tear gas, rushed into the boarding hall. They were tall and robust, with firm, sharp eyes—elites selected through rigorous processes.

"Is he trying to dismantle the ship?" someone quipped.

"It's just a bear, why are you so scared?"

"Boom!" The purplish-black, bear-like creature impacted a fourth time. The area around the hatch was severely deformed, showing signs of tearing. The deafening sound was like artillery shells bombarding the hull. After seeing the massive creature outside the window, all eight security team members, including Xie Jin, turned pale with fright. Despite being elites, they felt suffocated and terrified. It was as if they were experiencing a primal suppression.

What kind of bear was this? It was more like a prehistoric monster—enormous, grotesque, and completely beyond comprehension. If it were photographed and reported...

"Click!" The untimely click of a camera shutter echoed through the boarding hall. The short man, who enjoyed reciting poetry and telling myths, had surprisingly not fled; he was standing by the window taking pictures. Facing the stares, he awkwardly put away his camera and explained, "I specialize in ecology and environmental biology. This is absolutely a new species never before seen on Earth, a truly astonishing discovery! With this finding, our polar expedition will undoubtedly cause a sensation nationwide... worldwide..."

"Boom!" The fifth impact struck, and the ship's hull around the hatch began to crack and tear, with the largest fissure reaching the width of a palm. Cold air poured in, horrifying everyone in the boarding hall.

"I'll help you push it." The short student shivered in fright and quickly ran to Li Weiyi's side, helping him push the storage cabinet against the hatch. But this was clearly not enough. Xie Jin had quickly reacted, immediately ordering all security team members to dismantle and move cabinets, tables, and chairs. This bear-like creature seemed like something mutated by nuclear radiation; the weapons they possessed were utterly inadequate against it. If it burst in, everyone on the research vessel would merely be its next meal.

"Whirring!" The sound of helicopter rotors echoed outside. While the bear-like creature was battering the hatch, the helicopter had been rolled out of the hangar. Now, the helicopter hovered in mid-air. Zhao Meng, wearing sunglasses, held a rifle, aiming at the purplish-black, bear-like creature.

"So there's an American-style net gun on board! We're safe now, just a false alarm." The short student relaxed, letting out a cheer.

The bear-like creature on the deck was highly perceptive. Sensing danger, its fur bristled like foot-long steel needles. It reared up on its hind legs and let out a hoarse roar at the distant helicopter. Its roar was louder than a lion's or tiger's, a high-pitched sound like thunder.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and the bear-like creature was hit in the head. Before anyone on the ship could cheer, the bear-like creature's even more enraged roar echoed across the ice plain. It ripped a metal fixture from the research vessel and hurled it into the air, attempting to smash down the helicopter. Fortunately, the helicopter ascended just in time, narrowly avoiding the projectile. Blood seeped from where the bear-like creature's head was struck, but the injury seemed superficial, merely a light wound.

"A rifle can't even penetrate its skull! Is it still a carbon-based life form?" The short student's scalp tingled, and his legs trembled uncontrollably, losing all the confidence he had just had in the net gun.

Li Weiyi's expression turned to worry. This bear-like creature was highly intelligent and capable of counterattacking; if the helicopter were hit, the consequences would be unimaginable. His senior brother was on the helicopter.

Li Weiyi looked around, spotted the weapons on Xie Jin and the others, and urgently asked, "Why aren't you using the tear gas?" Without a word, he snatched one from Xie Jin, opened it, and threw it out through a crack in the hatch. Instantly, thick smoke billowed outside. Although Xie Jin was displeased, he understood the critical situation and refrained from reacting. Instead, he grimly ordered everyone to deploy all the tear gas.

On the helicopter, Zhao Meng, now enraged, continuously pulled the trigger. "Bang! Bang! Bang..." The bear-like creature had already learned its lesson and understood the bullets' power. It stopped trying to endure the hits and began to dodge rapidly. It could cover three to four kilometers at a cheetah's fastest sprint speed, so its reaction time for jumping and dodging was naturally exceptionally swift.

Fortunately, Zhao Meng's excellent marksmanship, combined with the tear gas's interference, allowed him to successfully drive the creature away from the research vessel before emptying two magazines.

Li Weiyi immediately rushed to the helipad, helping Zhao Meng and the others push the helicopter back into the hangar. "It hasn't left," Zhao Meng said, "It's observing from a distance and could launch a second attack at any time." Zhao Meng's expression was grim. As the Longji was a research vessel, its ammunition was quite limited, with only three bullets remaining in the magazine.

"Now we can only hope for a miracle!" Zhao Meng exclaimed. "From up in the air, I just saw dark clouds and strong winds in the distance; a blizzard is approaching." Zhao Meng reminded Li Weiyi to be careful, then rushed to the bridge to discuss borrowing a gun with the captain. Laboratory 705 had one shotgun. But whether it could inflict any damage on the bear-like creature, Zhao Meng had no confidence whatsoever.

The bridge was located on the tenth deck, the highest level of the entire research vessel. When Zhao Meng entered the bridge, Captain Gao Xin, First Officer Xie Tianshu, and five research team leaders, including Professor Xu, were already gathered inside. The atmosphere was solemn. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the electronic chart and seabed monitoring system screens ahead. The screen displayed a 3D image of a marine creature beneath the ship.

It showed: A marine creature, even larger than the Longji itself, moving slowly alongside the research vessel at a depth of a hundred meters, following its direction of travel. It must have been two hundred meters long and possessed nine thick tentacles. It was unimaginable what powerful undercurrents such a massive creature could stir up while moving underwater.

"We just dealt with a mutated bear-like creature, and now there's another one from the seabed," someone said. "How can such enormous life forms exist on Earth?" Everyone in the bridge was utterly stunned.

"Could it be a colossal squid?"

"This is many times larger than any colossal squid!"

"The largest known marine creature, the blue whale, is only about thirty meters long and weighs nearly two hundred tons. But compared to this, it's like a newborn infant. I'd estimate this deep-sea giant weighs at least ten thousand tons."

Professor Xu, a biology expert, adjusted his glasses and stared intently at the screen, shaking his head. "Look, each of its nine tentacles has a human-shaped head, and its body trunk resembles a giant ox. It's incredible; this is absolutely another new species never before seen on Earth."

"That's Jiuying." At the bridge entrance, an elderly man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit appeared. He was the head of Laboratory 705. No one knew his name; everyone simply called him Director Yang.

"Jiuying?" Professor Xu had never heard of such a creature.

Director Yang walked into the bridge, stood before the screen, and said in a low voice, "Jiuying is a fierce beast from mythology, recorded in the 'Ben Jing Xun' chapter of 'Huainanzi.' Legend says it roams the North Sea, its cries resemble those of a crying infant, it has nine heads, devours people on sight, and can spray water and breathe fire. However, I never imagined it would be this enormous."

Just as a research team leader was about to reprimand him for "talking theology instead of science," Director Yang bowed deeply to everyone and apologized, "I'm sorry, everyone! These fierce beasts were very likely drawn here by that thing in Laboratory 705. I apologize for bringing you all into this danger."

Zhao Meng, a straightforward person, had long been simmering with anger. "What exactly are you researching in Laboratory 705? You must give us an explanation today."

Captain Gao Xin, who apparently knew some inside information, looked at Director Yang. "The situation is already extremely dangerous. Both land and sea are being targeted by abnormal fierce beasts. No one knows what we'll face next. I believe we need to tell them the truth."

Director Yang nodded. "Let's all go to Laboratory 705... you'll see for yourselves."

Li Weiyi returned to his cabin and retrieved an ancient four-foot sword from a wooden box under his bed. It felt heavy in his hand, with an ebony scabbard. He drew the sword out half a foot, revealing a blade that looked like brass. Li Weiyi knew very well that this sword was definitely not made of brass; it was a treasure of the Chan sect, second only to the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish. He had never seen the old sect master sharpen or clean it since childhood, yet it remained perpetually sharp and free of rust. The Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish was the sect leader's token, but in his opinion, it held only symbolic meaning. The true premier divine weapon of the Chan sect, he believed, was this Yellow Dragon Sword.

He sheathed the sword. Li Weiyi carried the sword downstairs and headed to the boarding hall. Although Zhao Meng had told him not to consider himself a security team member, having enjoyed the benefits of that status, he couldn't possibly hide when danger arose. How long could he hide? When the nest falls, no egg remains unbroken.

The boarding hall hatch was already tightly barricaded with crates, cabinets, tables, and chairs. Most security team members were guarding here, armed with various weapons, standing by in full readiness. Seeing Li Weiyi descend the stairs, surprise flickered in their eyes.

"This university student has some courage and responsibility!" For the first time in over a month, they gave him a positive evaluation.

The light dimmed, and the sky grew overcast. A blizzard was approaching. Outside the shattered cabin windows, the wind, which had been a whisper, gradually turned into a roar, then swept across the entire ice plain.