Xiao Hei slowly sensed the mineral deposits concealed beneath the seabed. It had long since detected the few steamships above, which were well within its sensory range, allowing it to clearly perceive their presence. However, since Liu Hui himself had never encountered a true warship, he was momentarily careless, assuming they were merely ordinary cargo vessels and thus paid them little mind.

Suddenly, a burst of sonic waves struck Xiao Hei, resonating with a "thump-thump" sound against its body. Liu Hui froze for a moment, unsure of what had just occurred. He was unaware that the American naval vessels on the surface had activated their active sonar, initiating a location sweep on him.

"Sir, active sonar is locked; the target's exact position has been confirmed. They have ceased movement, but we haven't heard the sound of torpedo tubes flooding. It seems they aren't planning to attack us," the adjutant reported to the commander, breaking into a cold sweat. Activating active sonar to locate an enemy submarine on the high seas was a precursor to attack. The adjutant feared the Chinese submarine might retaliate. Yet, for now, it seemed the Chinese sub also held back, refraining from striking the American warships.

"It seems those Chinese soldiers are timid and fearful, worried about escalating conflict with us. They don't want to be the ones to fire the first shot; they haven't even reacted to our active sonar ping. In that case, maintain the active sonar lock and drop depth charges along their projected path to force them to surface," the commander said with satisfaction. He felt his gamble had paid off; China’s economy had grown in recent years, but they had lost the courage they possessed during the Korean War, completely unwilling to engage the mighty US Navy.

Liu Hui was still bewildered when several objects dropped from the ships into the seawater. These objects descended and detonated violently at a depth of five hundred meters. Though the explosions were some distance from Xiao Hei, the resulting shockwaves rippled through its body, causing it to heave and surge repeatedly.

"Could those vessels on the surface be warships, and these falling objects be the so-called depth charges?" Liu Hui started, but quickly realized he had been discovered. Not wishing for a needless confrontation, Xiao Hei exerted its tail and swam swiftly away into the distance.

What Liu Hui hadn't anticipated was that as Xiao Hei swiftly passed beneath the Zhongyun guided-missile destroyer, the crew was busy dropping depth charges, intending to corner what they believed to be a Chinese submarine. Just as Xiao Hei reached that spot, depth charges exploded violently beside it.

The depth charges dropped into the sea were numerous, their combined explosions enveloping a vast area. Xiao Hei happened to be right at the epicenter, its body instantly flung into a series of violent rolls by the blasts. Although Xiao Hei quickly stabilized itself, and the explosions caused it no physical harm, Liu Hui's anger erupted fully at that moment.

The South China Sea occupied by the Philippines, foreign companies brazenly extracting oil from Chinese fields, and now being attacked arbitrarily beneath the waves—all these negative emotions flooded Liu Hui's mind. Perhaps due to Liu Hui inhabiting Xiao Hei, some of his thoughts had taken on a bestial quality, igniting a fierce rage that demanded the destruction of every vessel on the surface.

Liu Hui immediately activated Xiao Hei’s sensory abilities, and the status of the warships instantly cleared in his mind. He identified the insignia of the US Navy on several of the vessels. The markings on the others, he didn't recognize, but their association with the US Navy confirmed they were not Chinese.

Having confirmed they were not allies, Liu Hui decided to sink the fleet. Xiao Hei had just undergone its second evolution, and here were these warships delivering themselves up for a test run. Liu Hui resolved to use these ships as targets to gauge Xiao Hei's true power. Regardless of who they were, provoking him would incur a heavy price.

"Sir, the Zhongyun appears to have hit the Chinese submarine," the adjutant suddenly exclaimed in surprise to the commander.

"How? Wasn't the submarine in this position? The Zhongyun was only dropping charges in the distance to intercept. How could it have hit the sub?" the commander asked, puzzled.

"Sir, look here," the adjutant pointed to the target position displayed on the active sonar screen.

"Impossible! Good heavens—I must be seeing things. The submarine was just here a moment ago; how did it suddenly end up beneath the Zhongyun and get struck by its depth charge?" The commander rubbed his eyes hard, finding it difficult to believe. One moment Xiao Hei was here, and the next, it was below the distant Zhongyun. Xiao Hei was moving at supersonic speed, a velocity far exceeding the commander's comprehension, making him doubt what he saw.

The instant Liu Hui decided to strike, Xiao Hei's body coiled, and then it shot upward like a projectile from a slingshot, rocketing at three hundred meters per second, aiming directly for the Zhongyun guided-missile destroyer.

On the Zhongyun, the sonar operator rapidly reported, "Sir, the sub below has launched an unknown weapon at us—its speed is incredible..."

Xiao Hei was moving too fast. It didn't even wait for the sonar operator to finish the report before slamming headfirst into the underside of the Zhongyun. Xiao Hei's head was impossibly hard, carrying massive kinetic energy, which instantly tore open a huge breach in the destroyer’s hull. Seawater poured in relentlessly.

"Sir, we've been hit! There's a massive hole in the hull. The breach is too large to repair, and water is flooding too fast. The ship will sink in under two minutes! Requesting permission to abandon ship!" The Zhongyun's adjutant stared at the data on his screen, his face turning ashen as he urged the commander to evacuate.

With a single impact, Xiao Hei had punched a massive rupture into the bottom of the 155-meter, 9,300-ton Zhongyun, sending it rapidly toward a watery grave. Xiao Hei shook its head slightly; the collision with the warship had caused it no discomfort whatsoever. Adjusting its bearing, Xiao Hei veered toward the other vessel, the destroyer Howard.

The Howard had detected Xiao Hei’s attack, but due to the incredible speed, it too could not evade the impact. Xiao Hei punched an equally enormous hole into its underside. Water surged in, and the Howard was clearly moments away from sinking.

Having swiftly eliminated two destroyers, Xiao Hei decided to finish the job: it rammed the accompanying US Navy recovery ship and the several dilapidated Philippine naval vessels, tearing massive holes in all of them. Xiao Hei’s speed was such that the ships had no time to react before being struck squarely.

The Philippine warships were utterly decrepit. Under Xiao Hei’s impact, they sank almost instantly. Because the Filipinos had no warning and the sinking was so swift, occurring late at night, not a single officer or sailor managed to escape; all perished beneath the waves.

In contrast, the American warships were built to a much higher standard. Although they too sank in very little time, the Americans managed to evacuate over a hundred sailors in that brief window. These rescued US Navy personnel huddled in life rafts, gazing fearfully at their surroundings.

The commander of the Howard stared, dumbfounded, at the carnage before him. He could never have imagined that merely trying to track that Chinese submarine would provoke such a devastating response. The enemy’s attack was utterly overwhelming, giving him no time to react. In an instant, his guided-missile destroyer—155 meters long, 20 meters wide, 9 meters deep, displacing 9,200 tons, capable of 30 knots, and crewed by 380 personnel, loaded with high-tech weaponry—was gone. He recalled that the ship carried two anti-submarine helicopters and numerous sophisticated weapons systems, none of which had even the chance to engage. Furthermore, the submarine's attack method was bizarre: they couldn't tell what weapon was fired, as it didn't explode upon impact, yet its sheer kinetic energy had utterly destroyed his fleet. Even now, it felt unreal, like a dream.

Equally stunned was Admiral Samoyed of the Zhongyun. Looking at the fifty-odd crew members left beside him, he felt tears welling up. Had the Chinese submarine attacked them? Did they have no fear of sparking a war with the United States? Yet, another question immediately struck him: if China possessed a sufficient number of these mysterious submarines, would the formidable US Navy even stand a chance?

Occasionally, American sailors could be seen in the water, signaling for rescue. The two commanders began paddling their life raft toward the survivors. After some effort, they managed to pull seven US Navy personnel aboard. As for the Philippine sailors, their ships sank so quickly that they were all pulled down into the depths by the powerful undertow, lost to the sea.

The two commanders sent distress signals to their command center and waited, still shaken, for fate's judgment. They expected the Chinese submarine to surface and take them prisoner, but after waiting, no sub appeared. This left them utterly bewildered as to the intentions of the Chinese.

Controlling Xiao Hei, Liu Hui had effortlessly sunk all the American and Philippine warships on the surface and instantly grasped the creature's true strength. Xiao Hei had used no special techniques, relying solely on its physical power to crush warships displacing nearly ten thousand tons, treating them as if they were made of paper. Xiao Hei showed no adverse effects after sinking the fleet, confirming that its power was terrifying; dealing with surface warships was like child's play.

Having understood this, Liu Hui was elated. As it was getting late, he abandoned any further plans to test Xiao Hei's full capabilities and ordered it to return home, ignoring the American servicemen floating helplessly on the surface.

An hour later, Xiao Hei returned to the small island where Liu Hui was stationed, looking energetic. After swimming swiftly for over two hours, the creature showed no signs of exhaustion; it seemed to possess an inexhaustible reserve of strength.

Liu Hui guided Xiao Hei to bring its head closer so he could examine it carefully. He discovered that after colliding with the warships, Xiao Hei's head bore not a single scratch. Moreover, its black scales shone with an even deeper luster, almost metallic. Liu Hui rubbed his eyes, suddenly noticing that the skull marking between Xiao Hei’s eyebrows had vanished. That mark had been left by Gu Yuezi of the Maoshan Sect after Xiao Hei killed him. To his relief, the mark had disappeared completely following Xiao Hei’s second evolution.

This finally put Liu Hui at ease. With the skull mark gone, the Maoshan Sect could no longer track Xiao Hei, meaning Liu Hui no longer had to fear them finding him.

Feeling secure, Liu Hui began the journey back. He climbed onto Xiao Hei's back, and the creature swam northward in a semi-submerged state. Half an hour later, standing on Xiao Hei’s back, Liu Hui could already see the lights of Hong Kong. Taking advantage of the darkness, he ordered Xiao Hei to cautiously avoid maritime traffic and slip quietly to the waters outside Budao Ao. Liu Hui slipped into the sea and swam ashore, while Xiao Hei returned directly to its resting trench.

Once ashore, Liu Hui retrieved a dry set of clothes from his storage space, changed out of his soaked attire, and stealthily returned to his home via the route he had taken earlier. Lying in bed, he was filled with joy. Xiao Hei had successfully undergone its second evolution, its power skyrocketing, easily sinking several large warships. Although he didn't know the exact combat strength of the sunk US ships, he was certain of one thing: Xiao Hei’s combat effectiveness was immense; if those warships got close, they would surely sink. He recalled Xiao Hei’s first evolution, when it had collided head-on with an American Seawolf-class nuclear submarine in the deep sea. Back then, Xiao Hei hadn't managed to sink the Seawolf and had been bounced back, disoriented and battered. Compared to that earlier state, the current Xiao Hei was worlds apart—a completely different tier.

Liu Hui couldn't help but feel immense anticipation for the Zerg modification technology. If Xiao Hei was this formidable after just the second evolution, how terrifying would it become after the final evolution?

Overwhelmed by the sheer power of Xiao Hei, Liu Hui drifted off to sleep without realizing it. He wasn't awakened until the following morning by his mother, who told him guests had arrived for New Year's visits and he needed to get up quickly.

After washing up, Liu Hui entered the living room to find a large crowd of New Year callers—all employees from his company. Since Liu Hui and the employees lived in company dormitories, they were all very familiar with each other through casual visits. During the New Year, exchanging greetings was customary.

The employees rushed to offer their greetings upon seeing Liu Hui, thanking him for the better lives he had brought them. Liu Hui cheerfully exchanged congratulations with everyone. For those with children, he handed out red envelopes one by one; the atmosphere was warm and harmonious. Liu Hui appeared amiable and approachable, betraying no sign that he was the head of a major corporation.

Soon after, Hu Xian'er also arrived to pay her respects. Liu Hui's mother was delighted to see her, pressing a large red envelope into Hu Xian'er’s hand. Hu Xian'er took it with profuse thanks.

"Boss, did you have a good night last night?" Hu Xian'er asked with a bright smile.

"Very good, but it feels strange without you around," Liu Hui replied honestly.

Liu Hui’s mother chimed in with a laugh, "It can't be helped this year; Xian'er has to return to her own family for the holiday. But next year will be better; we can celebrate New Year's Eve together."

Clever Hu Xian'er instantly understood the implied meaning in Liu Hui’s mother’s words. She glanced sideways at Liu Hui, only to find him still looking simple-minded, showing no reaction at all, which caused a pang of disappointment in her heart.

Many people flowed in and out of Liu Hui's house throughout the morning to exchange greetings, including the high-ranking executives of his company, who brought their entire families. Hu Xian'er helped attend to the guests, making the entire morning bustling and lively.

While chatting with the visitors, Liu Hui secretly monitored news related to the South China Sea. However, since China had already entered a long holiday period, there were no new reports about the South China Sea on the news websites. Liu Hui then turned his attention to international news. It wasn't until evening that he spotted an insignificant report on the American BBC news site.

The article mentioned that the USS Howard, which was participating in joint military exercises with the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea, had suffered a mechanical failure, leading the US military to suspend the joint drills. All US warships had reportedly returned to base, though specific details were omitted. The official Philippine website carried a similar announcement, stating the US-Philippine joint exercise had successfully achieved its objectives and thus concluded, offering no useful details either.

Several hours later, a follow-up report appeared on the BBC, stating that the White House would dispatch the President's Special Assistant to China to meet with Chinese leaders, purportedly to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival.

As the person directly involved, Liu Hui understood the situation perfectly. He had destroyed several of the US military's most advanced warships overnight, and afterward, they couldn't find a single clue about the attack. They assumed China had developed a new weapon that posed a serious threat to the US Navy, prompting the immediate halt of the South China Sea exercises and the dispatch of a special envoy for communication, aiming to prevent conflict stemming from misjudgment. As for the sunken ships, the US naturally dared not admit their loss; they were simply reported to be undergoing major repairs at the base to prevent the American public from demanding a declaration of war against China.

In the following days, Liu Hui’s family enjoyed the rare Spring Festival holiday. During this time, Liu Hui conducted a comprehensive series of tests on Xiao Hei at home.

Liu Hui first directed Xiao Hei to swim southeast of Hong Kong, through the Balintang Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and into the Pacific Ocean, where Xiao Hei continued swimming eastward.

Holding a world map, Liu Hui could determine Xiao Hei's exact location based on its bearing and distance. When Xiao Hei reached the vicinity of Wake Island in the Pacific, Liu Hui's ability to sense it became intermittent. Liu Hui immediately recognized this as the limit of his control radius. At this point, Xiao Hei was already five thousand kilometers away.

Clarifying the maximum range of his control over Xiao Hei filled Liu Hui with excitement. This five-thousand-kilometer radius allowed him to command Xiao Hei across a territory spanning nearly 78.5 million square kilometers—an area approaching half the size of the Pacific Ocean. If he factored in his own mobility advantage, Liu Hui could direct Xiao Hei’s combat operations across the majority of the world’s seas.

Next, Liu Hui ordered a depth test. When Xiao Hei dove to a depth of eight thousand meters, the immense water pressure had no adverse effect. Xiao Hei could maneuver freely at the eight-thousand-meter floor, perceiving objects within a hundred-meter radius and sensing events within three thousand meters. However, since the deepest part of this particular trench was only eight thousand meters, Liu Hui could not determine Xiao Hei's absolute diving limit.

While sensing mineral deposits within the Earth's crust at eight thousand meters, Xiao Hei unexpectedly discovered oil-bearing layers in that oceanic region. However, the concentration of these oil layers was low compared to the oil field it had encountered in the South China Sea. Moreover, being at an extreme depth of eight thousand meters, current technological conditions made extraction unfeasible.

Blacky swam back through the deep sea, never expecting a colossal octopus to suddenly appear on the seabed. Perhaps Blacky had unintentionally trespassed onto its territory, for the gigantic cephalopod immediately launched an attack. The massive octopus extended its dozens of meters-long arms, coiling tightly around Blacky’s body, intending to drag it back into its cavernous lair. Blacky merely gave a simple flick of its tail, which, surprisingly, resulted in dragging the entire giant octopus out of its den. Then, Blacky wrapped its own massive form around the creature; in an instant, it strangled the colossal octopus, twisting and tearing its body into several sections. Unconcerned by the gore, Blacky pounced upon the remains and began to devour the carcass. That day’s giant octopus was enormous, almost comparable in size to Blacky itself, yet it was instantly annihilated, its very flesh becoming nutrient-rich sustenance for Blacky.

Liu Hui had spent the past few days utterly engrossed in studying Blacky, finding that creature's sheer power utterly captivating. Outside, time slipped by swiftly, and almost in the blink of an eye, it was time to return to work. On the very first day of official business, Chen Changsheng of the Scientific Research Institute sought out Liu Hui and invited him into the Institute’s dedicated laboratory.

“Director Chen, why have you summoned me? The company is just starting up, and I have so many matters requiring my attention,” Liu Hui remarked.

“Boss, I’ve called you here because I have something important to tell you. Come with me first,” Chen Changsheng chuckled mysteriously, ushering Liu Hui into a room. He then closed the door firmly. The chamber inside blazed with light, illuminating more than thirty researchers standing together, their gazes fixed on Liu Hui with intense, burning focus.

“What… what are you planning?” Liu Hui gasped, instinctively tightening his **.