Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 115 MK71 Sea Trials
The next morning, the sky was clear and blue. The steam engine of the White Triangle had finished preheating and was belching out thick white smoke.

The propellers turned slowly, and the white warship left Willow Leaf Island, leaving a long trail behind it. The fleet was scheduled to assemble at six o'clock the next morning, so they weren't in a hurry; they had plenty of time.

After bidding farewell to the Five Fangs and the Blue Ark, Su Ming had his skeleton servants pilot the warship to the sea area thirty kilometers away.

The three men conducted a full system check on the MK71 heavy artillery and confirmed that everything was normal.

Beanie loaded five different types of propellants into the magazine, each with different proportions, detonation velocities, detonation pressures, and volumes of explosive gases.

"25 kg of propellant, 118 kg of solid warhead, load!" Beianqi issued the order; she was in charge of today's test launch.

"Loading complete." Su Ming completed the corresponding actions on the control panel. The MK71 is a detachable ammunition type, requiring the propellant and the shell to be loaded separately.

"Azimuth 85 degrees, elevation 10 degrees."

Zijin adjusted the turret and repeated, "Azimuth 85 degrees, elevation 10 degrees, done."

Beianqi pressed the launch button, and with a loud bang, the shell roared out and landed on the sea several kilometers away a dozen seconds later.

The laser sensor data showed an initial velocity of 443 meters per second and a distance of 4.7 kilometers from the impact point.

"To be able to hit this far with a direct shot, that's a terrifying weapon," Beanie exclaimed as she recorded the data.

"How much chamber pressure is left?" she asked Su Ming.

"About half the limit."

“I’ll go adjust the propellant charge and increase it to 35 kilograms,” said Beianqi.

After half a day of testing, the young artillery officer continuously changed the propellant formula and increased the loading to 43.8 kilograms. The muzzle velocity of the artillery shell also became 740 meters per second, and it could travel 23 kilometers at an elevation angle of 30 degrees.

"The first test is a complete success!" Beianqi jumped up and announced, "Congratulations, MaiMai is ready for actual combat! Any enemy ship will become MaiMai's cannon fodder!"

“Wait, when did it get this name?” Su Ming objected. “And it’s so soft and sweet.”

“The cat I had when I was little was named this,” Beianqi said, jumping up and down happily. “They look so alike, with the same black eyes and cannon muzzle.”

"Your cat must be very fierce."

The completion of the first test of the heavy artillery system does not mean the end of the work. Several problems were discovered during the process, and everyone discussed and devised solutions, with each person taking the lead in resolving them.

The White Triangle then began its journey towards the convoy's assembly point. By nightfall, Su Ming could already see the twinkling lights of ships ahead. A hot air balloon with a light floated overhead, guiding the ships in the distance.

Su Ming and Zi Jin climbed to the top of the bridge, where the flagship of the same fleet, the Golden Barrel, signaled.

“Su Ming, I’m starting to understand what you meant when you said that all the fear stems from insufficient firepower.” Zi Jin gazed at the dense fleet of cargo ships ahead. “If I had seen such a massive fleet before, I would have run as far away as possible.”

"You're not itching to rush up there now, are you?" Su Ming chuckled.

"Hmm." Violet pouted.

"No way, we're not afraid of naval battles, but we are afraid of a surprise attack by a large group of spellcasters."

Joking aside, the White Triangle didn't get too close, anchoring twenty kilometers away. Su Ming maintained radar alert for both air and sea conditions, activated sonar to monitor the water's sounds, and assigned two skeletons to stand guard at all times. "Someone wants to board and visit," Violet read the signal signal from the Golden Barrel, "They want to assess our capabilities."

“We can’t ignore the patrons’ face.” Su Xiang thought for a moment, “Why don’t we just show them off directly, without them having to board the ship themselves?”

"How do you demonstrate it—oh! You want to use that cannon!"

“It’s rare that Bei Anqi managed to get it working during the day,” Su Ming admitted. “Now is not the time to hide our talents.”

“Okay!” Violet agreed, and she called Beianqi out of the cabin.

"I'm very busy right now, there's something burning in the crucible," the girl called out to the two people upstairs as she walked to the hatch. She had been experimenting with gunpowder all day, and according to her, the propellant formula still had room for improvement.

A sudden boom echoed from the cabin. A flash of fire followed, accompanied by the sounds of tables and chairs overturning and glassware shattering, and thick smoke billowed out. The protective magic surrounding Beanie glowed faintly as she glanced back through the smoke: "Alright, now we don't need to keep an eye on the cauldron."

She wiped her hands clean and climbed up the gangway.

"Hey! Do you explode like this all the time?" Su Ming questioned, this was the third time today!
"It's alright. They usually don't let me touch gunpowder." Beian stretched and breathed a sigh of relief. "It feels so good to have the boss reimburse me."

“Employees who frequently cause accidents will be fired,” Su Ming said irritably.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful with the large portions." Angie waved her hand. "What did you call me here for?"

Su Ming pointed to the hot air balloon floating ahead, "Can we hit that target?"

"So we're going to use the missiles so soon?" the artillery officer girl said after observing with an infrared telescope. "The range is fine, but the target is too small, so the hit rate is not high."

"How about using high-explosive shells with delayed fuses to make the shells detonate in the air at close range?" Su Ming proposed a solution.

"The accuracy is still not enough, and the kill radius of high-explosive shells is limited."

Su thought for a moment, "How about we switch to white phosphorus bombs, or use delayed-fuze airbursts to destroy the balloons with white phosphorus splash?"

Beianqi gasped, "Which ship do you dislike? I'll make all its crew come over here and kowtow to apologize!"

Large plumes of white phosphorus, carrying unquenchable flames, drifted down from the sky, below which were densely moored wooden sailing cargo ships—the image alone was too beautiful to contemplate.

“They proposed testing our abilities,” Violet explained. “We had to demonstrate our capabilities.”

Beanie ran to the communications tower, connected to the Golden Barrel, and then explained the plan to them verbatim.

“Alright, it’s resolved. They said there’s no need for further investigation,” Beanie said, “and they are extremely grateful for your mercy in sparing their lives.”

****
The next day at dawn, the fleet set sail, with hundreds of large cargo ships raising their sails together, creating a magnificent scene.

The deck was teeming with sailors, shirtless, lined up to pull the sail lines or operate the winches. The rising sun cast a golden-bronze glow on their skin.

The White Triangle was the only exception. With its bare hull and empty deck, it drifted aimlessly on the sea. While other ships struggled to maintain a straight course, it weaved through the convoy like a street urchin.

(End of this chapter)