Chapter 106: Abyssal Challenge
With the matter of Zhang Wei’s spiritual power settled, Su Yao picked up the remote and turned on the television. A news bulletin filled the screen, displaying a map of a massive weather system.
“…a major typhoon has unexpectedly changed course,” the reporter said. “It’s now heading straight for the Duwang metropolitan area. The storm formed with unusual speed over the open ocean in the region that used to be the Philippine Archipelago before it was submerged following the catastrophic failure of a flood-control project.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. She was looking at a perfect spiral of concentrated spiritual energy, visible even through the mortal broadcast.
She snatched up her phone and connected to Zhang Wei.
“The typhoon is unnatural,” she said. “It’s a spiritual event. A directed one. Pull all data from the deep-sea monitoring stations in that sector. I want a composition analysis of that water.”
“Xiao Ling, the Deep Prince just informed us. He says this is the work of the Deep Praetor. He believes the Praetor must have learned of your new title, ‘Deep Queen.’ He interprets it as a direct challenge to his authority over the abyssal realms.”
Su Yao’s gaze remained on the swirling mass on the screen. “A challenge? That’s it? So he sends a weather report. How mundane. Where is the Deep Prince now?”
“The Deep Prince is at the monitoring station and is agitated. He says the Praetor is dangerous.”
“Tell him to calm down. I’ve no interest in his abyssal politics. But if this Praetor wishes to make me his problem, I will solve it.”
She ended the call and phased from her apartment, reappearing in the government operations center. “Summon the Deep Prince. I require a briefing on this Praetor’s capabilities and weaknesses. If he wants a war for a title, I will give him one he will not survive.”
The air in the operations center shimmered and the Deep Prince stepped through, looking like any other junior agent in a too large suit. His tie was crooked. He clutched a digital tablet.
“You summoned me, Deep Queen?” He offered the tablet. “I’ve compiled the preliminary data on the Praetor.”
Su Yao took the tablet, scanning the information. “Summarize his capabilities.”
“The Praetor commands the leviathans of the trench. He can summon tidal forces that crack continental shelves. This typhoon is merely his opening gambit. His true strength lies in the pressure of the deep, a crushing force that can grind spirit and matter to dust.”
“And his weaknesses?”
“The Praetor believes the abyssal realms are his by right. And he is bound to the water. His power diminishes on dry land.”
Su Yao handed the tablet back. “Then we will drag his domain onto my shore and break it there. Prepare the coastal defense arrays. I will handle the leviathans.”
The Deep Prince adjusted his suit. “Deep Queen, a clarification. The leviathans are ancient, intelligent beings of immense spiritual mass. They are far more formidable than any Kaiju. The Deep Praetor’s jurisdiction over the Mariana Trench grants him command over the mightiest of them. They are extensions of his will.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “How many are we facing?”
“The Praetor rarely mobilizes more than three at once. But even one could devastate a coastline. Their scales can withstand depth pressures that would crush steel, and their attacks are infused with abyssal decay.”
“Then we will use their weight against them.” Su Yao turned to Zhang Wei, who was monitoring the typhoon’s approach on a large screen. “Redirect all available spiritual energy to the coastal barriers. I want amplification arrays placed at five-mile intervals. And get me a live feed from the trench. I need to see what we’re dealing with.”
The main monitor flickered. It then displayed a live feed from the deep-sea probe. The image was murky, lit by the probe’s own lights. But it clearly showed a colossal, serpentine form coiling through the black water.
Its body was a mottled brown and white pattern. Its head was distinctively blunt with a gaping mouth lined with rows of needle-like teeth. It strongly resembled a giant moray eel that dwarfed the probe.
“Leviathan-class,” the Deep Prince pointed a trembling finger at the screen. “The Abyssal Gulper. Its bite can sever spiritual connections and its hide deflects most energy attacks.”
Su Yao studied the screen. “It’s just a very large eel.” She turned from the screen. “Its size is a liability on the surface. It will be slow and ungainly. We will use that.”
Another monitor flickered to life. This feed showed a different entity rising from the trench. It had a rounded cephalothorax covered in chitinous segmented plates. Eight long multi-jointed legs tipped with barbed hooks propelled it through the water. A cluster of eight glowing red eyes stared from the front of its body.
Zhang Wei took a step back from the console. “What is that?”
“The Trench Stalker,” the Deep Prince said. “It wraps its prey in spiritual silk that drains energy and paralyzes the soul. Its legs can pierce any barrier.”
Su Yao observed the creature’s skittering movements. “An underwater spider? That is genuinely unpleasant. Target that one first. I don’t want it reaching the shore.”
A third monitor activated. Its screen revealed a leviathan that looked like a gargantuan leafy seadragon. The leviathan’s body was draped in flowing leaf-like appendages that undulated with the currents, glowing with a soft green light. Its head was tipped with a long needle-like snout. When it opened its mouth, it exposed a circular maw lined with concentric rows of serrated teeth.
The Deep Prince stiffened. “The Siren’s Frond. Those leaves emit a spiritual lure that mesmerizes prey, drawing them in until the teeth shred both body and soul. It’s a silent hunter, and the most difficult to detect until it’s too late.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “A pretty trap? Annoying.”
“Deep Queen, you’re mistaken.” The Deep Prince stepped forward. “The Abyssal Gulper is the priority. It can unmake a spirit’s connection to its own past and future with a single strike. The spider and the seadragon are hunters. But the eel is an executioner.”
Su Yao’s head turned toward him. “An executioner of fates. That changes the tactical calculus.”
She shifted her stance. Her focus locked back onto the monitor showing the giant eel. “Zhang Wei, make all arrays target the eel. Use maximum spiritual suppression. I want its advance halted before it enters the continental shelf. The spider and the seadragon are secondary. Contain them, but don’t engage fully until the eel is neutralized.”
Zhang Wei’s earpiece crackled. He listened for a second, then turned to Su Yao. “The Kaohsiung branch is engaging the leviathan on their flank. They are using Jiang Ziya’s fishing rod to hook it and pull it in.”
Su Yao’s eyes remained on the monitor showing the eel. “Jiang Ziya’s rod? Is it holding?”
“The line is taut. They report the leviathan is fighting the pull. It has not breached yet, but the rod is bending. They need reinforcement to secure it.”
The Deep Prince’s eyes widened. “That artifact can land any creature. If it’s struggling, this leviathan must be a true behemoth.”
“Prioritize the eel here,” Su Yao said. “But send a tactical team to Kaohsiung. I want that leviathan contained before it snaps a divine relic.”
Zhang Wei’s console lit up with a new report. He scanned it, then turned to Su Yao. “The Trench Stalker is down. The Royal Brunei Navy engaged and eliminated it.”
“The navy?” Su Yao asked.
“Their primary mission has always been to keep sea monsters in check and prevent incursions onto land. It’s just another day for them.”
The Deep Prince stared. “The mortals killed a leviathan?”
Zhang Wei folded his arms. “It wouldn’t be the first time mortals brought down something far beyond their weight class. An Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot once crippled a deep-sea leviathan that surfaced near a convoy.”
“That’s impossible,” the Deep Prince said. “Even if they had crashed two planes into it. Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams, let alone the scales and bones of a leviathan.”
Zhang Wei shook his head. “There was no kamikaze involved.”
The Deep Prince frowned. “Then how?”
“The pilot exploited the creature’s biology,” Zhang Wei replied. “He lured it to breach repeatedly, overheated its organs with sustained fire, and triggered an internal collapse when it tried to dive. Mortal ingenuity does not always rely on brute sacrifice.”
The final telemetry confirmed the kill and scrolled off the display.
“One less problem,” Su Yao said. “Redirect the resources we allocated for the spider to reinforce Kaohsiung. And have someone send the Royal Brunei Navy a commendation.”
Zhang Wei’s console chimed with an incoming alert. He scanned the message, then looked up at Su Yao. “The Siren’s Frond has been contained. A fisherman from the Lanfang Kongsi used a reinforced spirit net on it and decided to keep it as a pet. He says it matches his aquarium’s aesthetic.”
The Deep Prince stared. “A fisherman? He captured a leviathan? As a pet?”
“If he can control it, that solves our problem. Monitor the situation. If the seadragon escapes, bill him for the damages. Now, focus all resources on the eel. The typhoon is still advancing.”
Zhang Wei listened to his earpiece, then relayed the update. “The Kaohsiung branch reports success. They fully subdued the Abyssal Gulper and are planning a feast. Their director want to know if you’d like a shipment of eel meat delivered.”
“They are going to eat an entity that severs destinies?”
Su Yao considered this for a moment. “Tell them to send the head. I require confirmation of its termination. They can do what they wish with the rest.”
She turned her gaze from the monitors. “The Praetor’s vanguard has failed. His challenge is answered. If he is intelligent, he will retreat. If he is not, we now have a sample of his forces to study. His next move will be his last.”
The Deep Princeess stepped into the operations center. She bowed. “Deep Queen. The Praetor has admitted defeat. He acknowledges your supremacy and withdraws his challenge. The abyssal currents now whisper your title.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “He acknowledges me? I did nothing. The mortals and the Kaohsiung branch handled his leviathans. This is an empty victory.”
The Deep Prince adjusted his tie. “You commanded the strategy. Your presence unified the response. That is how sovereignty is won. The Praetor sees only the result.”
“I didn’t even draw my blade.” Su Yao retorted and turned to Zhang Wei. “What are the administrative implications of this acknowledgment?”
Zhang Wei scanned a document on his screen. “It appears the abyssal territories under the Praetor’s control are now nominally under your jurisdiction. There will be paperwork, trade agreements, resource management, border disputes...”
Su Yao sighed. “I don’t want to manage an underwater empire. Tell the Praetor his surrender is rejected. He can keep his responsibilities.”
The Deep Princess clasped her hands. “That isn’t how it works, Deep Queen. The acknowledgment is binding in abyssal law.”
“Then you handle it,” Su Yao said, pointing at the Deep Prince. “You’re now my viceroy for abyssal affairs. Try not to start another war.”
Su Yao’s gaze focused on the Deep Princess. “Why is the Praetor using you as a messenger? Why does he not deliver his surrender himself?”
“My uncle does not wish the other deep ones to know the full circumstances of the surrender. He fears it would shatter their morale.”
The Deep Princess clasped her hands. “He only told the truth to me, and to you. But he has told the rest of the court that a prolonged battle would lead to the complete extermination of our kind. This way, he preserves his authority and prevents panic.”
The Deep Prince nodded. “A strategic retreat framed as a necessity for survival. It’s politically astute.”
“Politics. It’s the same in every realm, full of posturing and lies.” Su Yao waved a hand. “Fine. Let him keep his fiction. As long as he stays in his trenches and does not send more oversized pets to my coastline, I don’t care what stories he tells his court.”
She turned to leave the operations center. “The matter is closed. I’m going home. Don’t bother me with any more abyssal paperwork unless the entire Mariana Trench decides to declare war.”
Su Yao phased back into her apartment. The scent of salt still clung to her clothes. She stopped. Wang Liang stood in the center of her living room, his arms crossed. The air around him simmered.
“You,” he said. “You lied to me. You aren’t Xie Jing.”
Su Yao walked past him to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. “Technically, I’m. Xie Jing and I’ve officially exchanged identities. She is now Su Yao, and I’m currently Xie Jing. So when you confessed to ‘Xie Jing,’ you were, by the current legal and spiritual definition, confessing to me. I simply rejected you under the correct alias.”
Wang Liang stared at her. “You exchanged identities? Like changing coats?”
“It’s a common strategy for managing public perception and avoiding unwanted obligations. You should try it sometime.” She took a sip of water. “Your love was so deep you failed to notice you were courting an administrative loophole.”
The smoke around him dissipated into a haze. “This is absurd!”
“Yet it’s the reality you must accept. You vowed to find a new wife. I suggest you begin your search with someone who has a stable and verifiable identity. Now, if you’re quite finished, I’ve abyssal trade agreements to ignore.”
She gestured toward the door. “And you owe me for the emotional distress of your theatrical performance. I will send you the bill.”
Wang Liang sighed. “I can’t pay your bill. I’m broke. I’ve no wealth left.”
Su Yao set her glass down with a soft click. “That is a much larger problem than my fictional bill. It will be harder to find a new wife when you’re broke. Financial instability isn’t an attractive trait in a prospective husband. How do you expect to court anyone without resources?”
Wang Liang stared at the floor. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“Clearly,” Su Yao said. “Your priorities are disordered. First you fail to recognize your wife. And now you reveal you have no means to support a new one. I suggest you focus on securing an income before pursuing romance. Now, leave. I’ve no interest in mentoring you in basic life skills.”
“It isn’t my fault! Xie Jing changes her appearance as often as the tides. How was I supposed to recognize her? She could look like anyone!”
Su Yao took another sip of water. “A weak defense. If you were truly connected to her, you would recognize her spiritual signature. Your love was clearly skin-deep.”
He slumped. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Obviously,” Su Yao said. “Now, unless you’ve a plan to rectify your financial situation, this conversation is over. I’ve more pressing matters to attend to than your romantic failures.”
Wang Liang nodded, turning to leave. “I will find a way.” He vanished into a wisp of smoke, leaving Su Yao alone in her apartment once more.
Su Yao clenched her fist. The air in the apartment crackled with suppressed energy. I should have provoked him into attacking. Then I could have defended myself and finally had a decent fight.
Wang Liang was a demon king commanding a legion of ghosts, a powerful adversary she had been denied. Su Yao had also missed the leviathans and the Deep Praetor.
She paced across the room. Why did I let him walk away? I could have easily insulted his failed kingdom or his poverty to start a battle.
But hunting him down now would appear as if she were initiating a conflict. Next time, I won’t hold back. I’ll push until he strikes first, then I can enjoy crushing him without any bureaucratic repercussions.
Her phone buzzed, shattering her focus. She picked it up. Please let this be a real crisis.