A few hours later, at sea.
The sea was vast and calm.
Only the occasional sound of waves lapping against the hull could be heard.
Xia Jin’s projection sat at the bow, quietly admiring the scenery.
The sky was azure, and the air carried the scent of the ocean.
“The sea in this world isn't much different from Earth's oceans.”
She checked the current sailing speed; it was actually quite fast. The ship was covered in propulsion organs underneath, pushing the ten-thousand-ton biological carrier to nearly 35 knots.
Nearly 64 kilometers per hour, comparable to driving a car on land.
Of course, if both sides were fighting with aircraft carriers, the bonus from this speed would be relatively limited. However, when it came to artillery exchanges, that was a different story.
High speed was advantageous whether retreating or pursuing.
However, considering the vastness of the sea, at a speed of 1,500 kilometers per day, it would still take many days to reach other continents.
Some mutalisks were lying on the deck with nothing to do, lazily soaking up the sun.
Having nothing better to do, Xia Jin picked up a larva to pet.
From her aesthetic perspective, it was hard to call the larva cute, but it was fun to watch it intentionally act adorable to please the Queen.
Especially since it did whatever she commanded.
The Carrier Bug sailed eastward for a full forty-eight hours.
During this time, Xia Jin further reduced the production of land-based Zerg to produce more for the sea and air.
She knew that the final battle for the Kingdom had consumed fifty to sixty thousand scourges, and the fight against the Empire would only require more.
Without naval and air superiority, being attacked from above by the enemy would lead to even more disastrous losses.
Furthermore, seizing air superiority could effectively suppress enemy intelligence.
By using a powerful naval fleet to establish safe islands across the sea and leaving new hives there, the Zerg could stage a comeback even if they were unexpectedly wiped out one day.
Yes, Xia Jin was currently considering her contingency plan.
War could be taken slowly. Being sandwiched between the magic beasts and humanity's greatest Empire was dangerous no matter how she looked at it. Since their current average strength couldn't match them, she had to play it safe.
The Carrier Bug was currently escorted by six biological small ships, followed by ten of the Kingdom's largest vessels.
Those Kingdom ships were only sixty meters long, which was the current limit.
They were currently carrying hydralisks, which handled anti-aircraft duties for the time being.
The biological small ships were equipped with additional 100mm howitzers to boost firepower and draw enemy attention.
The air force on the carrier was the true core of naval warfare.
Along the way, the fleet spotted Haipuai Island from a distance.
The island was massive, nearly 4,000 kilometers from east to west and 2,000 kilometers from north to south. Its shape resembled... a tadpole?
Barely, one might say.
To avoid trouble, Xia Jin’s fleet turned slightly northward, maintaining a distance of over 200 kilometers before heading east again.
They encountered a storm midway, but fortunately, no major issues occurred.
At a certain point, a scourge flying over fifty kilometers away spotted an unknown merchant fleet.
“Not from the Empire.”
Judging by the flags and the ethnicity of the people, Xia Jin was certain of it.
Without a second thought, she ordered the attack.
Instantly, a hundred scourges and twenty mutalisks took flight. The scourges even carried a zergling into the sky.
As the Zerg approached the target, the mutalisks decisively fired glaive wurms from an altitude of 2,000 meters at the ships below.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Because the distance was too great, the merchant guards on the exploding ships were left in a state of helpless rage.
Under the cover of firepower, the scourges approached rapidly and dropped the zergling from a height of about ten meters.
Once the terrifying Tier 6 creature landed on the deck, a gruesome slaughter began.
Having been bombarded by the Tier 8 mutalisks, two of the smaller merchant ships sank directly. The larger ones only maintained their basic sailing state thanks to their thick iron plating, but the casualties on board were already immense. The zergling's subsequent attack allowed it to seize control of the entire vessel at the cost of only one death.
That single loss was caused by a Tier 6 guard using a cannon to ambush it along with a group of warriors.
After the battle ended, the zerglings used their sharp scythes to force several people into a corner.
A group of men and women sat in terror inside the cabin, huddling against the wall as they watched the horrifying creatures staring back at them.
Just as they were at a loss for what to do, one of the zerglings suddenly used its sharp blade to carve several words into the wall: “Our people will arrive shortly.”
“???”
They can communicate?
Unfortunately, no matter what they said afterward, the creature didn't respond.
Soon after, the main fleet arrived, and two elf bugs boarded the ship.
After some questioning, she learned that these people were from the continent on the other side.
“Oceanic trade? 13,000 kilometers.”
This merchant fleet had sailed all the way from the Northern Continent on the opposite shore, heading to a port city built by the Empire on Haipuai Island to trade.
“This is a trade route. About a dozen fleets travel between the two sides every month. We're just a small fleet.”
“A small fleet, huh?”
Looking at these merchant ships, which were over 200 meters long, Xia Jin thought they weren't small at all.
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