He figured the Xi’an Base’s main reason for wanting to intercept their fleet was to get ahold of those potent herbs. Now that they had another option, they might just give up.
After all, the Xi’an Base wasn’t confident it could secure a decisive victory against the Aircraft Carrier Base’s fleet.
Ji Yizhi nodded slightly. "You’re right. The Xi’an Base is still more technologically advanced than we are. They should be able to quickly purify that inhibitor from the rainwater."
"But we don’t know if this inhibitor has any long-term side effects yet, so they probably wouldn’t dare use it rashly," Wang Jun said, rubbing his forehead. "We still need to be careful. They might still be eyeing our herbs."
"I wouldn’t be so sure," Ji Yizhi said, shaking his head. "These are the same people who once drank disinfectant to kill the virus in their bodies. God only knows how their minds work."
Wang Jun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Forget it. Let them do what they want. We just need to worry about ourselves."
Ji Yizhi nodded and changed the subject. "When will the River Bird Fleet get here?"
"At their current speed, it’ll probably take another three days or so," Wang Jun replied after a quick mental calculation.
"Travel by water is just too slow," Ji Yizhi lamented.
Wang Jun replied helplessly, "Even back when we had complete industrial infrastructure, we couldn’t make any breakthroughs in travel speed. It’s basically impossible now."
Ji Yizhi agreed wholeheartedly. "Yes, the days ahead will only get harder. In the short term, we can maintain the status quo with support from the Peach Blossom Base. But the aircraft carrier and all the other ships have a limited service life. If the floodwaters never recede, where will we be living in ten years?"
The various components on the ships would age and break down. Under the current circumstances, repairs and maintenance were becoming incredibly difficult. Coupled with a limited supply of spare parts, Ji Yizhi’s worries were well-founded.
Wang Jun nodded. "That’s true. But I believe humanity will always find a way."
Ji Yizhi paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Master is about to start the evening lesson. Are there any problems on your end?" Wang Jun asked, glancing at the time.
Ji Yizhi shook his head slightly. "No problems so far. Everyone has just started listening to Master’s lectures, so for now, they’re just passively absorbing the information. They haven’t yet developed the ability to think for themselves about it."
"Mm. Have them get ready. Anyone not occupied with urgent tasks needs to come to the lesson," Wang Jun instructed.
"Understood."
In the Peach Blossom Base, Ren Yuanyang arrived at the Cultivation Chamber to find Lu Jiamei and the others already waiting for him.
Ren Yuanyang greeted them and took out his phone.
"Chief, why are you getting your phone out? Isn’t class about to start?" Qin Haonan asked curiously.
"A few others will be joining the lesson," Ren Yuanyang said as he started a video call.
The faces of Wang Jun and two others appeared on the phone screen. Qin Haonan glanced over, surprised. "Captain Wang, you’re going to learn from our Chief too?"
Wang Jun smiled and nodded. "That’s right. We couldn’t figure out the Cultivation Technique from those old texts, so we have to rely on Master to show us the way."
"Master?" Qin Haonan paused, then grinned. "I like that title. I’ll call him that too!"
Ren Yuanyang was a little speechless. "It’s just a title. Don’t get hung up on it. Get back to your spot. We’re about to begin."
"Yes, Master!" Qin Haonan said with a grin, giving a cupped-fist salute before returning to his spot.
Ren Yuanyang began the lesson, leading them in their Cultivation.
Two hours passed quickly. Perhaps because Wang Jun and his group had joined, Lu Jiamei and the others were more focused on their Cultivation. Even Qin Haonan, who usually dozed off during class, managed to stay awake for twenty minutes—a definite improvement, considering he normally fell asleep within ten.
After the session ended, the group chatted for a while about their experiences and thoughts on Cultivation before returning to their respective rooms to rest.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, the early lesson began promptly at five o’clock.
Meanwhile, the transport team that had delivered the herbs the day before departed from the Aircraft Carrier Base, heading back to the Dawn Base.
"Captain, don’t you think the captains are being a little overcautious? Besides our base, no one else can get their hands on fuel. How are they supposed to ambush us if they don’t even have any?"
The captain glanced at the crewman and said grimly, "We can’t let our guard down. What if they decide to just burn all their fuel to come after us? They’re descended from pirates, after all."
"Yes, sir!" Although the crewman wasn’t convinced, orders were orders.
Two hours passed quickly. Suddenly, the scout on watch cried out, "Attention! Unidentified fleet spotted ahead! Turn to the front-left, now!"
The captain rushed out to take a look. After observing the unidentified fleet, he narrowed his eyes and said, "So they’re still up to their old tricks."
"Captain, is that the force from the Xi’an Base?" a crewman beside him asked.
The captain nodded. "It must be them."
"Then what’s our plan?"
"We stick to the plan, of course. We’re going to lead them on a merry chase," the captain replied grimly. "Maintain a safe distance, but get in there and provoke them a little."
"Yes, sir!" all the pilots responded in unison.
The Xi’an Base force had spotted them as well and immediately gave chase, opening fire with their cannons to try and slow the speedboats down.
The Dawn Base pilots were exceptionally skilled. They executed all sorts of evasive maneuvers on the water’s surface, and the shells couldn’t touch them.
On the rare occasion a shell grazed a hull, a Gold-Type Evolver would repair the damage instantly, keeping the speedboat fully operational.
The Dawn Base speedboats didn’t flee. Instead, they maintained a relatively safe distance, circling and harassing the Xi’an Base fleet.
They even launched the occasional rocket to harass them.
The Xi’an Base force was furious. Every time they dispatched their own speedboats to close the distance, the Dawn Base boats would just zip away. The Xi’an boats didn’t dare pursue too far, knowing their opponents packed a serious punch.
But as soon as the Xi’an speedboats returned to their fleet, the Dawn Base boats would close in again, even firing rockets at them!
"FUCK! They’re just toying with us!" the Xi’an Base captain roared. "After them! Don’t let them get away!"
The speedboats took the lead, with the other ships following close behind.
Seeing the enemy fleet take the bait, the Dawn Base captain gave his order: "Maintain a safe distance and continue on course."
"Yes, sir!"
And so, the Dawn Base speedboats led the Xi’an Base fleet on a chase in circles across the open sea.
Two hours later, a logistics officer on one of the Xi’an Base ships rushed over. "Captain, we’re low on fuel! If we keep this chase up, we might not have enough to get back to base!"
The captain’s brow furrowed. Watching the speedboats still zipping around his fleet, he cursed, "How the hell do they have so much fuel when we have so little?"
"Captain, this isn’t the time to worry about that," a staff officer at his side cautioned. "We should break off the pursuit. I’m worried this is a delaying tactic. They’re using a few speedboats to pin us down while they wait for their larger warships to arrive and wipe us out."
The captain froze, the color draining from his face. He immediately ordered, "Cease pursuit! We’re pulling back!"
"Straight back to base?"
The captain immediately shook his head. He picked a location on the map and ordered, "Retreat to this position!"
He didn’t dare retreat directly to their base; that would expose the Xi’an Base’s location.
When the captain of the Dawn Base transport team saw the enemy retreating, he immediately reported to Long Zhan. "Captain, they’re pulling back. Should we pursue? We might be able to find the location of the Xi’an Base!"
Long Zhan considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Even if we found it, we couldn’t launch an attack. It would be a waste of resources, and victory wouldn’t be guaranteed. You led them on a chase for over two hours and made them burn a lot of fuel. You’ve already achieved your objective. As long as they’re not pursuing you, come straight back."
"Yes, sir!" the captain replied.
After ending the call with the captain, Long Zhan was just about to share the news with Ren Yuanyang when he received a message from him.

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