After thinking for a moment, Liu Yang simply began deducing the future directly.
The mermaids were an unknown species, and their main base was a place Liu Yang had never been. Not knowing what dangers he might encounter, he had to run a simulation first to find the optimal solution before taking action.
"My lord, you'd better make a decision quickly. The Black Mermaid you injured may have already returned to the main base. Your abilities might be exposed by now, and you could face retaliation from the Black Mermaid clan. They'll also be on high alert."
The female Black Mermaid couldn't help but speak up when she saw Liu Yang staring blankly into space.
Liu Yang had been zoning out for a minute, but he had already deduced three possible future timelines in his mind and ultimately found the best approach.
He returned his attention from the simulation, confidence showing on his face as he spoke.
"Alright, I know what to do next. Take me to the Black Mermaid clan's main base."
During the deduction, Liu Yang learned the location of the Black Mermaid base and gained a clear understanding of their strength.
Even their strongest mermaid warriors only possessed basic attributes three to four times those of an ordinary human. They didn't even have supernatural abilities.
However, in the water, even an awakened superhuman probably wouldn't be their match.
The water was the mermaids' home turf, providing a massive boost to their combat power.
But to Liu Yang, they were still far too weak. As long as he breached their main base, he could slaughter the entire Black Mermaid clan in less than half an hour.
He had even pinpointed the location of the Black Mermaid clan's half of the treasure map.
Simultaneously, Liu Yang had used the simulation to find the best method for entering the water.
He didn't panic at the thought of underwater combat at all!
The Black Mermaid spoke up worriedly, "My lord, are you really going? Without warships or submarines, humans can't possibly be a match for mermaids!"
Liu Yang smiled confidently. "I'm not an ordinary human. Just do as I say."
"Okay." The Black Mermaid nodded, slipped into the river, and began swimming continuously toward the ocean.
Liu Yang flew through the air, trailing right behind her.
He actually already knew the location of the Black Mermaid base. The only reason he had this captured Black Mermaid lead the way was because she still had some lingering use.
Soon, after swimming for over ten kilometers, the Black Mermaid entered the ocean. A few kilometers later, they arrived at a small island.
The cave network beneath the island was the Black Mermaid clan's main base.
The interior space of this base was massive. The entire underside of the island seemed to be hollowed out, containing a complex, intricate network of caves that practically formed an underwater town.
The Black Mermaid stopped. "My lord, it's right here. How about you wait above while I go down and steal the treasure map?"
Liu Yang shook his head. "No need, I'll go down with you."
As he spoke, thick layers of ice began to envelop Liu Yang's entire body, forming what looked like an ice submarine. The cylindrical vessel was two meters in diameter and roughly five meters long.
This meant the submarine's volume was approximately 3.14 × 1² × 5 = 15.7 cubic meters.
Since one cubic meter of air could sustain a person for roughly two hours,
Liu Yang could breathe inside this submarine for at least 30 hours!
Furthermore, Liu Yang could directly manipulate ice swords remotely from inside the submarine, striking enemies on the outside. This meant his combat strength wouldn't be diminished in the slightest, even deep within the seawater!
The Black Mermaid watched Liu Yang's actions, utterly stunned. She had never expected him to be this powerful.
She had just claimed that humans were no match for mermaids without submarines or warships, and the lord simply manifested an ice submarine out of thin air?
This was simply too badass!
With a massive boom, Liu Yang's frozen submarine slammed into the water, kicking up a colossal spray across the sea's surface. Once submerged, it surged forward like a cannonball, moving many times faster than military submarines!
Even modern torpedoes topped out at under 100 kilometers per hour.
But Liu Yang could control his ice submarine to operate at speeds of several thousand kilometers per hour!
He simply chose not to do so right now. Afraid that the captured Black Mermaid wouldn't be able to keep up, he kept his speed matched to hers.
However, Liu Yang also noticed the difference between manipulating ice in the water versus the air.
Achieving the same velocity underwater required far more mental energy!
This was likely due to the water's drag being significantly greater than air resistance.
But Liu Yang's current mental energy reserves were already dozens of times higher than an ordinary person's. The one thing he wasn't lacking was mental energy!
Just as Liu Yang and the female Black Mermaid headed for the Black Mermaid clan's main base, the injured male Black Mermaid had finally returned home.
The other mermaids in the base were shocked to see him injured. They asked, "Old Qi, what happened to you? How did your shoulder get hurt?"
Old Qi clutched his wound, his face twisted in pain. "We were hunting sturgeon when we suddenly ran into a human. I threw my harpoon to ambush him, but I never expected him to be so strong. He ended up piercing me with my own harpoon.
"Right after that, the captain and the rest were all captured! I ran back as fast as I could to report it!"
The other Black Mermaids exchanged shocked expressions. "How is that possible? Does the other side still have access to high-tech weapons in the apocalypse? Based on pure physical strength, our mermaid race completely outclasses humans!"
Old Qi shook his head. "That guy isn't an ordinary human. He can fly! And he seems to be able to directly manipulate ice! We're no match for him!"
"He's that strong?!" the other Black Mermaids gasped. "We have to report this to the elder immediately and figure out a countermeasure! Wait, you fled back to the tribe while injured. Could the other side have tracked you?"
Old Qi shook his head. "No, they were busy dealing with the captain and the others. I slipped away secretly; there's no way he could have tracked me!"
"That's good. Let's go see the elder together." The Black Mermaids led Old Qi toward the Black Mermaid elder's residence.
Soon, they explained the entire situation to the Black Mermaid elder.
The Black Mermaid elder—a scrawny figure with a wrinkled face and a long, white beard—immediately flared with anger upon hearing Old Qi's description.
"Foolish humans, actually daring to make enemies out of our Black Mermaid clan! It won't be long before they face their destruction!
"As soon as I extract the location of that half of the treasure map from the White Mermaid Princess, our Black Mermaid clan will rise!
"For now, everyone must stick to hunting in the deep ocean. Do not go deep into the inland rivers, and stay as far away from humans as possible!"
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