Chapter 196: Underwater Wood, Bamboo Shoot Reefs
Not long after crossing the safe zone, the group discovered countless reefs scattered across the ocean.
The reefs were formed from ancient coral eroded by sea wind and sunlight over many years, their surfaces smooth and pale as though polished.
Normally, reefs like these should not have appeared near a shipping route. Any large vessel entering the harbor risked colliding with them. Most likely, because of Feiniao City’s declining economy, no one had bothered clearing them away in years.
“These are called bamboo shoot reefs,” Jiang Yu explained confidently, immediately slipping back into lecture mode. “Honestly, seeing this many at once is pretty rare.”
Mo Fan instantly became interested and walked over.
Among the entire team, he was probably the only person willing to listen to Jiang Yu endlessly ramble about geography and ocean ecology. Mostly because these were areas where Mo Fan himself lacked knowledge.
“Why are they called bamboo shoot reefs?” Mo Fan asked. “They don’t look anything like bamboo shoots.”
Jiang Yu handed him a pair of water vision goggles.
“Stick your head underwater and you’ll understand.”
Mo Fan was bored anyway, so he casually put them on and leaned over the side of the ship.
The moment his head dipped beneath the surface, his vision widened dramatically.
The sea water was a deep tranquil blue, countless tiny plankton drifting through it like dust floating in sunlight. Near the surface, the ocean remained bright and clear, but deeper down the blue gradually darkened until it became a vast abyss of blackness.
Within that darkness, Mo Fan saw enormous shadows extending upward from the ocean floor.
The reefs above the water were only the tips.
Below them stood gigantic stone pillars stretching upward like a forest of submerged mountains. Some nearly reached the surface. Others remained hidden deep below. Together, they resembled endless bamboo shoots growing from the bottom of the sea.
The sight was strangely magnificent.
“The bamboo shoot reefs keep growing every day,” Jiang Yu explained. “They absorb impurities, sediment, and waste in the ocean, gradually hardening into mineralized coral. Over time, they become huge reef pillars like these.”
Mo Fan lifted his head from the water and wiped his face.
“Interesting,” he admitted honestly. “First time I’ve seen rocks that grow like plants.”
He glanced toward the reefs protruding above the surface.
“These things are at least several hundred feet tall. Pretty spectacular.”
“They’re actually beneficial for ocean purification,” Jiang Yu continued. “Cities just hate them because they sink ships.”
Mo Fan nodded.
That made sense.
Even partially submerged reefs were deadly for larger vessels. If a ship failed to detect one beneath the waterline, the hull could be ripped apart instantly.
It was probably one of the reasons Feiniao City’s maritime development had stagnated.
“Turn away from that area ahead! There are dead bamboo shoot reefs there!”
Liu Meng suddenly shouted anxiously toward the sailors.
“Where?” the sailor in white frowned. “The detector isn’t showing anything.”
“Just steer away now!” Liu Meng barked urgently, his voice becoming hoarse.
Seeing how serious he looked, the sailor reluctantly altered the ship’s course.
A few moments later—
The vessel suddenly shuddered violently.
Everyone’s relaxed expressions disappeared instantly.
“What happened?” Ai Jiangtu asked sharply.
“A minor scrape on the starboard side,” a sailor quickly reported after checking. “Nothing serious, but if we hadn’t changed direction, the hull would’ve slammed directly into the coral beneath us.”
The sailors immediately looked at Liu Meng differently.
“Young man,” Zhao Jing exclaimed in surprise, “how did you know there were dead reefs there?”
Liu Meng scratched his head awkwardly.
“I go fishing with my uncle every day. He taught me how to judge reef locations a long time ago. Hard to explain exactly how…”
In truth, he relied on wave movement, sunlight reflection, and instinct honed through years at sea.
No one aboard understood the ocean better than fishermen like him.
“Pretty impressive,” Jiang Shaoxu said with a smile.
Liu Meng grinned proudly—
Then immediately froze.
At some point, Jiang Shaoxu had changed into a bikini.
The tiny pieces of fabric barely covered the important parts of her body, exposing large stretches of soft pale skin beneath the sunlight. Combined with her seductive smile and naturally alluring temperament, she looked less like a mage and more like a temptress vacationing at sea.
Poor Liu Meng had only ever seen bikinis on television before.
He instantly swallowed hard.
Jiang Shaoxu casually swirled a cocktail in her hand, completely treating the mission like a holiday. Her hips swayed slightly as she walked toward the deck before turning back with a teasing smile.
“Want to help me put on sunscreen?”
Liu Meng nodded stiffly, his soul practically leaving his body.
—
“We’re already far from land,” Ai Jiangtu said seriously while observing the surrounding islands. “Most of these islands are tiny. We should reach Rock Island soon, the place where the crew encountered the sea monsters.”
Unlike the others fooling around, Ai Jiangtu and Nanyu remained focused on the mission.
Based on Lin Junxian’s information, there was an entire tribe of sea demons inhabiting the area.
The biggest problem was uncertainty.
They still had no idea how many creatures there actually were.
More importantly, they were fighting in the ocean.
After asking around, Ai Jiangtu realized only three members of the team had experience with underwater combat. Their overall combat power would be severely restricted once submerged.
“We should establish camp first,” Nanyu suggested calmly. “After preparations, we can decide whether to activate the lure device.”
Ai Jiangtu immediately shook his head.
“Too risky.”
“We still don’t know the tribe’s size. If there are tens of thousands of sea monsters nearby and we attract all of them at once…”
His expression darkened slightly.
“We’ll die trapped in the middle of the ocean.”