Genshin Impact: I Am a Slime

Beidou's command, like a cannonball, exploded on the deck of the Death Star.

"Wait... Beidou! Stop!"

Ningguang was jolted awake almost instantly from the lingering echo of Zhongli's words about law and contract, and shouted angrily.

But Beidou's commands were swift, and the Death Star crew, who had already locked their guns on the Yermak, reacted even faster.

Ningguang's shouts still lingered in the sea breeze. Several blinding streaks of light, tearing through the night, accompanied by the roar of gunpowder and the sharp whistling of the return crossbow bolts, transformed into several death trails heading straight for the Yermak, where Pantalone was located.

In naval battles, Beidou never pins its hopes on the opponent's mercy. Long before the two sides temporarily cease fire and confront each other, she had already quietly ordered the helmsman to move the Death Star into the optimal firing range of the Returning Star.

This is precisely BeiDou's usual tactic: to ensure that it can deliver a devastating blow at any time from a distance where the opponent cannot effectively retaliate.

At this moment, this preparation turned into the most deadly arrow.

Ningguang's horrified gaze followed the streaks of light as if she could foresee the explosions and debris that would erupt when they crashed into the Yermak.

"Huh? Stop?"

Beidou then turned his head, his brows furrowed, his face filled with confusion and a hint of annoyance at being suddenly stopped.

"Ningguang, what are you saying?"

Despite his verbal skepticism, Beidou's captain's instincts prompted him to react immediately.

She suddenly waved her hand, her voice once again drowning out the sea breeze:
"Cease fire! Everyone, cease fire!"

The tense loading action on the deck froze instantly, but the elemental light arrows that had already been released and the cannonballs that had been fired would no longer obey any orders. With an indomitable will to destroy, they continued to roar toward the Yermak.

On the Yermak, the sudden attack plunged the deck into hellish chaos, and even the well-trained Fools soldiers could not hide their instinctive panic.

"Protect the Enforcer!"

"Take cover! Find cover!"

"Damn Liyue people, you've betrayed us!"

Sharp alarms, chaotic shouts, and the clatter of metal filled the air. Some soldiers instinctively rushed toward Pantalone, trying to form a human wall with their bodies, while others, driven by the instinct for survival, dropped their weapons and frantically searched for any vulnerable cover. The scene was a complete mess.

In the midst of this chaotic scene of people and horses falling, three figures near the cabin entrance remained eerily calm, like the eye of the storm.

Zhongli looked at the several beams of death light tearing through the night sky and rushing straight towards him. His deep golden-amber eyes showed no panic, only a barely audible sigh.

With a slight movement of his feet, the Emperor instantly unfurled an indestructible jade shield centered on him, the pale golden barrier shimmering with the rich radiance of rock element.

Given his apparent strength, intercepting this artillery fire should not have been difficult for him.

However, at that moment, Famas, who had been in a lazy posture, suddenly raised his eyes, his crimson pupils precisely locking onto the several streaks of light that were tearing through the air.

The cannonballs and crossbow bolts caught in its sight seemed to be violently pushed by an invisible force, their speed suddenly soaring to an irrational level, almost leaving sharp afterimages in the air.

Carrying terrifying kinetic energy far exceeding conventional limits, the streak of light transformed into a destructive meteor, hurtling towards the Yermak.

"Crack!"

The shield shattered with a piercing cracking sound upon contact. The jade barrier, strong enough to withstand ordinary artillery fire, shattered like glass under the terrifying speed boosted by Famas, turning into golden stardust that filled the sky. The unabated artillery fire slammed through the thick wooden walls of the ship's cabin.

"Bang!!!" Splinters of wood rained down like a storm, sharp wood chips mixed with gunpowder smoke, flying wildly in the confined space.

Several sharp pieces of wood even grazed Pantalone's temples and Zhongli's robe sleeves, piercing sharply between their silent, locked gazes.

Zhong Li frowned, his amber eyes turning to Famas, his calm voice carrying a rare hint of coldness: "Famas... what are you planning now?"

"Find some fun so Ningguang doesn't see us."

The boy tilted his head, a wicked smile leaping in his crimson eyes, as if he were merely brushing away a speck of dust.

Pantalone showed no panic at the nearby explosion. He gracefully brushed the wood chips off his shoulder, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhong Li, and a meaningful smile slowly curved his lips.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Zhongli..."

Pantalone's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the billowing smoke and dust, carrying a hint of strange inquiry.

"A few days ago, I sent a debt collector to Wangsheng Hall to have a fine coffin made for me. I wonder if the coffin is finished yet?"

Zhong Li met the turbulent undercurrent in the banker's eyes, his expression returning to its usual calm, though his tone remained firm and authoritative:
“The ancestral precept of the Wangsheng Hall is not to use coffins for those who are not yet forty years old. Mr. Pantalone is in his prime, and this precedent cannot be broken.”

"Ah……"

The big banker chuckled softly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cracked wooden planks of the ship's hull beside him, his eyes unfathomable.

That's a real shame.

The deafening gunfire shattered the tranquility of the sea. The shells fired by the Death Star struck the Yermak with pinpoint accuracy, producing a terrifying roar. Wood chips and metal fragments flew everywhere, and the sturdy hull rocked violently.

On the deck, the Fools soldiers who had been holding Zhongli hostage were the first to be hit. Under the sudden and fierce bombardment, chaos ensued. Screams, curses, and the sound of metal twisting were mixed together, and the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

The soldiers were either thrown into the air by the shockwave or hit by flying shrapnel, looking disheveled and in no mood to carry out their mission. The entire upper deck was filled with smoke and panic.

On the Death Star, Ningguang, through the telescope tube, clearly saw the shell slam into the hull of the Yermak. The sight of this anticipated fatal blow still made her knuckles holding the telescope tube turn slightly white, and her pupils suddenly contract.

For a fleeting moment, she was stunned, and perhaps the image of Zhongli's calm, amber eyes and the figure of him being carried into the cabin flashed through her mind.

However, this hesitation was fleeting. Ningguang took a deep breath, and the sea breeze, carrying the smell of gunpowder, filled her lungs.

Her gaze instantly returned to its usual deep, still calm, as if the momentary tremor had never occurred. She then lowered the binoculars, turned to Beidou beside her, who had been itching to speak, and spoke in a clear, decisive voice, brooking no argument:

"Continue the attack, Beidou, target Pantalone's flagship, sink it!"

Beidou took the telescope, his eyes still burning with the fighting spirit he had when he saw the Yermak hit, but Ningguang's order made him frown. One second he was watching Zhongli nervously through the telescope, and the next second he ordered the enemy ship where he was to be bombarded.

This capricious attitude irritated the straightforward Beidou. She was about to question him, but in the end she just clicked her tongue and shook her head to clear her mind.

"I heard you all! Fire hard! Target: Yermak!"

"Don't conserve ammunition, concentrate your firepower and sink it completely!"

Beidou suppressed his impatience, and his booming voice, like a war drum, once again echoed across the deck of the Death Star, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing determination.

The crew roared in response, and the cannon fire intensified, aimed directly at the Yermak struggling in the waves. (End of Chapter)