Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 116: Diverting trouble to the east
It wasn't until Beanie said the new propellant was ready and needed testing that Su Ming had the skeleton steer the ship to the outer perimeter of the fleet, specifically choosing a spot where the Golden Barrel could see it.

The three men dropped several wooden barrels at sea as targets, then drove ten kilometers away and fired several shots at the targets, creating towering columns of water on the sea.

Of course, Beianchi did not demonstrate the actual reload speed of the MK71, but rather slowed it down by more than twenty times.

“It’s almost done. The muzzle velocity has reached 780 meters per second, and the propellant charge has been reduced to 41.7 kilograms. The maximum range should exceed 30 kilometers,” said Beianqi. “Next, we need to make the firing tables. I’ll first calculate a theoretical set, and then calibrate it using actual data.”

Beian returned to her cabin and continued working. Su Ming couldn't teach her how to use a computer in a short time, so he gave her a function calculator, and soon the sound of "zeroing" keys echoed in the workspace.

The Golden Barrel quickly contacted them, apologizing for yesterday's events and inviting them aboard for a banquet.

Zijin and Su Mingxiang refused without hesitation, citing that they were too busy to attend to the escort mission.

The first day of escorting the convoy passed peacefully with favorable winds, allowing the fleet to travel 350 kilometers in a single day and night—a remarkable speed for large cargo ships. However, by the afternoon of the second day, the easterly winds gradually shifted to northerly winds, causing the fleet's speed to immediately decrease.

The Golden Barrel sent a communication requesting the White Triangle to move to the upwind north side for surveillance.

The radar detected no suspicious vessels within its range. However, Su Ming didn't say much and had the skeleton steer the ship to the north. In the age of sail, wind was the decisive factor in maneuverability. If an enemy attacked, they would inevitably approach from the upwind direction.

With routine ship handling no longer requiring his personal involvement, Su Ming finally had time to study long-wave radar. Through reading various materials, he realized his previous lack of knowledge.

So-called anti-stealth radar is not simply related to frequency, but rather combines phased array and resonant technologies to expand the radar's ability to detect stealth targets in new dimensions. The technical details of this are top secret, and there are currently no easy ways to obtain them.

However, there were some gains; cross-scanning at different frequencies was indeed effective. Objects that were not obvious in the X-band and S-band were likely to be visible in other bands. After all, compared to Earth, the cloaking technology in this other world was primarily designed to detect magic.

Su Ming found a suitable device: a very high frequency (VHF) weather radar. This type of radar utilizes the principles of atmospheric refractive index changes and the scattering of electromagnetic waves by free electrons to monitor atmospheric activity over a wide area.

It can also barely detect ships at sea, but its resolution and accuracy are poor, although its coverage is decent. If combined with existing radar, it might be able to detect the enemy earlier if it were to encounter an ambush by the UFO.

After selecting the products, Su Ming, as usual, arranged for Miao Xin to pick them up at his door, still from a Vietnamese supplier. In fact, if you don't compare it with a certain giant, Vietnam, backed by a complete supply chain, can be considered a small giant in the civilian shipbuilding industry, with a production capacity even three times that of the United States.

Miao Xin boarded the train smoothly. She had memorized the timetables for the entire country of Vietnam over the past few days to minimize her need for internet access. Her previously acquired SIM card was locked, and Wi-Fi wasn't readily available.

"Not bad!" Su Ming praised. "Do you remember what happened before?"

Miao Xin shook her head. "Master, I have the common sense I had as a human, and I know I'm a ghost. But I can't remember the specifics of my experiences."

Miao Xin's consciousness was becoming more and more autonomous, so Su Ming decided to try again.

Here's a task for you: Don't call me "master" anymore.

[Okay, master. 】

****
Su Ming continued his research into magic.

In the Violet Library, Su Ming discovered a book about eye-type magic and began reading from the section on psionic vision. Initially, the book explained how to improve psionic recognition abilities and increase field of vision, but then it began to explain how to deal with interference and shielding.

Su Ming studied very diligently, but later on, the book's content suddenly turned into color filling for images created by psychic vision.

Normally, psychic vision displays images in black and white, using grayscale to represent the distribution of psychic energy. The author states in the book that this is a huge waste of its penetrating power.

The creator showcased a modified version he named "Perspective," which expands grayscale images into color and eliminates the fogging effect caused by psionic energy fluctuations, making the image clearer and more pleasing.

As soon as Su Ming saw the specific spell, he noticed someone standing behind him. He turned around and, sure enough, it was Zi Jin.

Knowing that these books were from scholars' collections, Su Ming knew he couldn't hide them, so he simply spread them out on the table.

"Hmph, up to no good again," Zijin said with an unfriendly expression.

"What's wrong? The defogging and anti-interference effects are quite good." Su Ming shamelessly argued, "Academic research shouldn't be abandoned because of minor setbacks."

"Then go ahead and research it." The girl snapped her fingers, and a series of runic lights enveloped her. "Anyway, I've already improved the spell to block vision!"

Su Ming looked up and found that Zi Jin's entire body was covered by tiny colored squares, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

He was shocked. "What the hell is this?!"

"How about it? Not bad, right?" Zijin said proudly.

This isn't about the effect; how did she even know about mosaics, and how did she imitate them so perfectly? Su Ming's mind raced. He glanced at the laptop on the table and knew something was wrong.

He immediately turned on his computer and checked the video playback history. Sure enough, the part marked as learning material had been accessed and watched for nearly half an hour.

"Why are you looking at this?" Su Ming sighed. He had initially taken this computer from the shipyard, and when he discovered these documents, he was filled with gratitude towards the man who had taken them. Later, to make room for industrial software, he deleted a lot of documents, keeping only the best of the best.

"It says 'study materials' on the label, of course I'll look at it," the scholar said, puzzled. "There's a lot I don't know about humans, and I plan to spend more time learning about it." Previously, Su Ming had downloaded some popular science books on physiology and placed them on the desktop for the girl to read. However, he hadn't expected Zi Jin to learn how to find hidden folders so quickly.

"No, please don't learn these things." Su Ming covered his face. "These are all bad examples."

Zijin was even more puzzled, "Then why is it classified as learning materials, with something like lily observation records?"

Su Ming was speechless, but then an idea suddenly came to him: "You should consult Bei Anqi about this!"

The blame is being shifted eastward, and besides, how could Angie's words possibly lead Violet astray?
The scholar actually went to consult with Angie, and the two girls' chat lasted until midnight. Su Ming, trying to mend things, moved the folder and added a password.

The next day, when the female mechanic saw Su Ming, she suddenly grabbed his collar and pinned him against the bulkhead.

"What did you teach Sister Elisa?" Beanie asked angrily, her cheeks flushed. The girl had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well the night before.

“If I said it was an accident, would you believe me?” Su Ming argued.

"There are things even more outrageous than pornographic books and pictures!" Beianqi rebuked righteously and sternly, "And yet I so admire your world!"

"Well, it's human nature for a gentleman to pursue someone," Su Ming explained. "It's the same in every world."

Beau Angie snorted, "Then why are they girls with girls?"

"..."

Beian released Su Ming's collar. "What a bizarre world." She glanced at Su Ming sideways. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"...never been in a relationship since birth."

Beianqi showed a pitying expression, "Never even been in a relationship?"

"Hey, I've had crushes before, if you count it," Su Ming said, displeased. "Why are you asking this just to mock me?"

"How about I introduce you to my sister?" Beianqi revealed a sly smile. "She's very pretty!"

"You're willing to betray your sister just to get your hands on my technology?" Su Ming patted his collar and said irritably, "And what upsets me even more is that you're unwilling to do it yourself."

Instead, Beianqi sighed, "You really don't understand the allure of these devices." She looked up at Su Ming, her tone calm, "I know how to judge people to some extent. You couldn't possibly accept a suitor like me who clearly has ulterior motives, could you?"

Su Ming didn't know how to respond, and even felt a little ashamed. What he took for granted was the goal this girl was willing to pursue for her entire life.

Su Ming led Bei Anqi to the workroom and handed her two booklets that had been printed and bound the night before.

One of the books, titled "Ship Fluid Mechanics" on the cover, was a bit thick.

The other book, much thinner, is titled "Tightened Barrel" on the cover. It describes a reinforcement process for a double-layer barrel. A second barrel is added over the single-layer barrel. Because the outer diameter of the inner tube is larger than the outer tube, the outer tube needs to be heated and expanded before it can be fitted. After cooling, the outer tube tightly grips the inner tube, generating prestress to counteract the chamber pressure, thus giving the barrel better performance and longer service life.

“My work is far less valuable than these rewards.” Beianqi clutched the two booklets tightly and bit her lip.

Su Ming shook his head, "Only a small portion is payment; the rest is a thank-you gift to you."

Before Beianqi could speak, Su Ming gestured for her to listen to him first. "That night, before we discovered the Five Teeth, it had a firing window of more than a minute. You deliberately made a mistake, locking the artillery system, which caused Yesia's surprise attack plan to fail."

Beaujolais asked, somewhat puzzled, "How do you know all this?"

“I read the memories of those souls,” Su Ming explained.

Thinking of her comrades who sacrificed their lives on the Five Tooth, Beianchi paused for a moment before speaking again, "Actually, I know what I'm doing. If I had really sunk you then, I would have been immediately silenced by Yesia. By choosing to create an opportunity for you, perhaps the legendary Chestnut Owl scholar could change the tide of our fate."

"No matter what, it's a fact that you saved me," Su Ming said. "We are the ones who need to repay you, but it's really inconvenient to give you more at this stage."

Looking at the book in her hands, Bei Anqi bowed and said, "Then I would be impolite to refuse!"

Su Ming reached out to stop her, "We'll still need your help with many things." He looked at the girl and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Then let's discuss the second matter."

"Go on," the mechanic said, already flipping through the booklet in his hand.

"When will you take me to meet your sister?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)