Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 119 Heavy Artillery Sharpness (5K)

Unfortunately, the pirate ship had to wait, as the omnidirectional bow gun MK71 was always a firing window!
"Enemy leader ship, One-Eyed Dragon, pre-aiming with guns! Laser rangefinding!" With the distance reduced to five kilometers, Beianqi gave the order.

"One-Eyed Dragon, 4.984 kilometers away," Su Ming reported.

The pirate flagship was in the center of the fleet. The lead ship of the column, the Cyclops, was a highly capable gunboat and was considered a high-threat target. The scholar estimated the azimuth and pressed the rotary button.

As Zijin manipulated the system, the programmable logic controller (PLC) on the control panel performed calculations within milliseconds, and a dozen indicator lights on its output unit lit up sequentially. These level signals were amplified step by step by relays, and the contactor quickly closed the circuit.

Numerous oil and air valves open and close, instantly switching the main motor from pre-drive to operating mode. The nearly 20-ton turret of the MK71 heavy artillery accelerates to an astonishing speed of 30 degrees per second in half a second, and then brakes to a sudden stop upon reaching the designated position.

Then the hydraulic equipment was activated, and the huge barrel rose about 13 degrees in one second before being locked in place.

In just three seconds, the massive device completed its preparation with astonishing speed, awaiting the assassination order.

Beianqi had already calculated the firing parameters in real time: "Azimuth 42.3 degrees, elevation 12.2 degrees, high explosive round, fire!"

Violet acted quickly, entering the data almost as soon as Beanie finished speaking. The MK71's turret rotated slightly and tilted down a little.

She snapped her fingers, creating a magical dust.

Lacking a primer, Beanche used fire-type magic crystal powder as a substitute. Firing requires releasing magic to activate the ignition array on the breech.

With a loud bang, the propellant exploded in the chamber, and the 117-kilogram shell shot out of the muzzle at 2.3 times the speed of sound.

"Tch!" Seeing the bullet trajectory, Beianqi knew the first shot had missed. Somewhat dissatisfied with her performance, she revised a constant on the firing table, then adjusted the lead based on the new values ​​from the observation and aiming system, and gave the firing parameters again: "Azimuth 44.2, Elevation 12.1, Fire!"

Immediately after launch, thousands of modern electromechanical switches activated. The propellant cartridge was ejected, the ejector rod pushed the breechblock into the chamber, locked it, and the breechblock closed.

The bottom rotating drum stop mechanism is unlocked, the loading mechanism lifts the new shell, rotates it through the basket to the rear of the gun, then lifts it to the turret, where it is loaded into the slide by the swing arm and ready for use.

At that moment, the thrown cartridge hit the deck with a dull thud that went unnoticed.

This series of complex loading actions did not affect the fact that after the Violet corrected its firing angle, the MK71's massive turret once again completed the adjustment of the new firing angle within 2 seconds and fired rapidly with a snap of the fingers.

The second shell of the MK71 roared out of the barrel, while the first shell was still flying in the air.

The gunnery officer of the Cyclops was very puzzled. Shouldn't they at least check the impact point before firing a second shot? Such amateurish performance. Wasn't the intelligence report that the opposing gunnery officer was "Wheat Flower" Beianqi?
At this moment, he mistakenly thought that the MK71 was a twin-barreled cannon with its barrels close together. Otherwise, the five-second firing interval would have shattered his worldview and caused him to suffer a SAN value of at least 1D100.

The pirate gunner's firing parameters had been issued, and the gunners of the Cyclops were vigorously cranking the handles on the cannon's base to adjust the firing angle.

The first 203mm shell flew over the pirate ship's foredeck and hit the sea to its port side, creating a splash. A subsequent explosion sent a high column of water soaring into the air.

All the pirates trembled at the sight of such immense power! They wondered about the cannon's rate of fire. The pirate commanders were all focused on this question.

Generally speaking, the greater the power of an artillery piece, the slower its reloading, but there's always the possibility that the White Triangle might have some unexpected design features.

"If the reload time is really less than two minutes, just as the intelligence from the inside suggests, then this battle will be difficult to win today," the pirate commander muttered to himself.

But a third plume of smoke rose, and the bow gun of the White Triangle fired another shell!

Fear began to spread in the commander's heart. Could it be that it wasn't actually a twin-barreled cannon, but just this rate of fire?

"God, please don't play such a joke!" All the pirates prayed silently in their hearts.

But they couldn't worry about that now, because the second shell finally finished its flight, kissing the side of the Cyclops. The 203mm shell drilled a small hole in the wooden hull, penetrating deep into the cabin, before exploding with a bang, blasting a large hole in the other side of the ship.

Thick smoke billowed out from all the hatches and portholes. A series of smaller but frequent explosions occurred inside the ship, the propellant from the pirate ship's detonation.

"Damn! It almost went through!" Su Ming was very surprised. Overpenetration is a concept only for armor-piercing shells, but now it was only a hair's breadth away from being hit by a high-explosive shell.

Is this the epoch-making crushing power of modern artillery over sailing warships? He wondered to himself. He began to doubt his choice; was 203mm caliber a bit too much?
"The distance was too close, and the missile velocity was too high," Bei Anqi analyzed. "We need to reduce the amount of propellant used in future launches."

Deep down, she was extremely relieved. Before the battle, she had considered all sorts of scenarios, but she never expected to make a mistake at such a crucial moment. If she had actually managed to break through, the battle would have been impossible to continue, as penetrating wounds were not effective at killing enemy ships.

The White Triangle will be forced to withdraw from the battlefield and can only return after the amount of propellant cartridges is reduced, along with the enormous workload of recalculating the firing tables.

If that happens, then you've really ruined a winning hand!

The third shell struck the Cyclops in the middle and aft section, exploding at the stern. But nobody cared anymore—the ship was finished.

Beianqi patted her face, clearing her mind of irrelevant thoughts and focusing her attention.

"Whiskey, rangefinding! Pre-aiming!" she continued, her voice low and hushed.

No one fought back. The pirates were terrified by the incomprehensible rate and power of the White Triangle's cannons; all the pirate ships were turning frantically, and the battle formation was instantly thrown into chaos. The poor Whiskey was almost shot in two, but not a single pirate gave it a second glance.

Su Ming and his team's calculations were flawed; they failed to recognize that against a weapon like the MK71, which was three generations behind, the attacked would crumble instantly. The tactically disciplined artillery duel they had envisioned did not materialize.

From the perspective of the pirates as victims, their muskets couldn't even reload as fast as the enemy's giant cannons, so what was the point of firing!

Beanie decided to take drastic measures, sending the Triangle directly into the center of the pirate fleet, placing herself within the pirate ships' encirclement.

This time, finally, some pirates dared to fire back. Violet ran to the top of the bridge and intercepted the shells that were hitting her. These metal spheres, traveling at only 200 meters per second, gave her ample time to shatter them in mid-air with magic.

Su Ming took over the gunner's job, working with Bei Anqi to quickly hunt down the enemy. The White Triangle was like a weasel that had barged into a chicken coop, with chickens flying around in panic. Bei Anqi would select a ship, fire two shots at a time, and then, without even checking the results, move on to the next ship.

The high-speed calculations left the girl's forehead covered in sweat. The MK71 heavy artillery was like an irresponsible scumbag, flirting with one after another, leaving behind only ruins.

Soon, the area around the White Triangle became quiet. The pirate ships were either smoking or on fire, and most of them had raised white flags. The remaining pirates were clearly not unwilling, but their ships were on the verge of sinking, and the pirates were all trying to escape.

The pirate ships further away had already fled, some choosing to sail south with the wind. Sailing warships didn't have the concept of turning back; they simply went whichever way the wind blew.

However, some short-sighted pirates continued eastward, pursuing the cargo ship convoy at full speed.

Today the wind is from the northwest, providing the best tailwind angles to the east and south, allowing for speeds of up to 12 knots. This group of pirates heading east is trying to catch up with the clumsy cargo ship. They're taking a desperate gamble, intending to seize the vessel and take hostages.

Beanie was confident that she could take out the pirates with artillery fire, which would give them time to chase down the group that was fleeing south.

However, there were too many cargo ships on the firing axis, and considering the employer's mental health and the immense power of the MK71's single, lethal shot, Beanche abandoned the idea.

It's definitely not because of the security betting agreement that stipulated that if the cargo ship suffered losses, half of the compensation would have to be paid.

“MaiMai’s shells travel too fast. If they miss, they can easily damage the cargo ships behind them,” she explained to Su Ming and Zi Jin. “The most troublesome thing is that if a shell misses, it will still hit the waterline. One shell can definitely take down a ship!”

"It's up to you to decide," Su Ming said.

The White Triangle left a white arc in its stern as it turned and gave chase. The pirates were almost upon the cargo ship when they discovered the skeletal vessel hurtling towards them like lightning. It moved faster than the wind, its bow cannon like the menacing eye of a demon, eyeing the flock of lambs with ill intent.

In a panic, five of the pirate ships changed course and scattered in flight. The other two, realizing they couldn't escape, accelerated relentlessly, closing in on the nearest merchant ship. The merchant escort ships, which had initially fled the fastest, had now turned back and bravely engaged them in battle.

"You're quick to snag a bargain," Su Ming mocked.

"In warfare, of course, you either run away when the wind is against you or take advantage when it's in your favor." Violet casually swatted away an incoming cannonball; this was practically the pirates' last stand.

The White Triangle chose to pursue the five fleeing pirate warships. After taking down three of them, it discovered that its three escort ships were being completely overwhelmed by the two pirates, and the battle was a pitiful sight. Even a cargo ship was being entangled by the pirates.

Beanie almost cursed, but she had no choice but to order the White Triangle back. She positioned herself at an angle and, through the gaps between the cowardly escort ships, fired a shell into the bow of the pirate warship, which pierced through to the stern and exploded.

Another pirate ship had already thrown out more than a dozen cables to hook onto the cargo ship and was boarding it one by one. In this situation, it was impossible to fire cannons. Violet left the lookout tower and flew over. With a few light blades, she cut all the pirate's cables. Then she accelerated and circled around, preparing several high-level spells to use her range to pick off the enemy.

Several powerful spellcasters on the pirate ship had completely suppressed the guards on the cargo ship, but upon seeing the arrival of the Bone Sea Monster, they immediately raised their staffs and knelt down.

"Sir Siren, spare our lives! We are willing to surrender!"

It was as if the violet had punched empty air.

[Zijin, you haven't gotten used to your rising fame yet!] Su Ming laughed at her.

"Hmph!" The girl waved her hand and cast a spell, sending one of the deadliest pirates flying into the ocean. Other pirates, unaware of the situation, quickly knelt on the deck, trembling with fear.

Beianqi observed the distribution of the enemy ships. The pirate ships fleeing south were already far away and no longer needed to be considered. After all, the White Triangle's duty was escorting, and it couldn't truly abandon its battle position.

However, the two ships that had just passed by were still within acceptable limits. Beianchi quickly calculated this and ordered, "Turn 110 degrees to the left, full speed ahead!"

The two pirate ships were initially relieved to have escaped death, but the White Triangle, traveling at a speed of 28 knots, told them: No, you didn't!

After a twenty-minute high-speed chase, the first pirate ship was caught up. They decisively raised the white flag. Beianchi had no time to surrender; she fired in succession, breaking all the masts and destroying all the lifeboats.

Fifteen minutes later, the second ship was caught up. This time, Beianchi did not order a cannon blast, but directly threatened the other side to surrender. The pirates quickly agreed and knelt on the deck.

Beanie activated two mechs housed in the stern and jumped over to suppress them. Violet controlled a group of zombies to board the ship, binding all the pirates. She then untied the sail ropes, connecting them one by one to the White Triangle, and towed it back to port.

Su Ming checked the radar, confirming that the battle was over.

"It's over." He stretched and relaxed. Maintaining such high concentration during battle was exhausting, with so many things to do.

"Combat status lifted, command transferred." The commander, having completed his mission, reclined in his chair and reached out to Su Ming.

The two high-fived and smiled at each other.

"Is this your first time experiencing combat like this?" Beanie asked him.

Su Ming wasn't surprised that he was noticed; he was extremely nervous at the beginning, especially when he charged towards the pirate fleet's battle line.

Whether it was the Battle of Cui'an Cliffs or the Battle of Manao, the fiercest battles took place at night. Charging a group of cannon-wielding warships into battle under the bright daylight was truly awe-inspiring.

“For me, this was the most boring naval battle I’ve ever participated in.” Beanie smoothed her hair, which was damp with sweat, and fanned herself by pulling at her collar. “Mai Mai is incomprehensibly strong! I’ve been called a mathematical genius since I was a child, but I never thought that one day I would be unable to keep up with the rate of fire of a cannon.”

Su Ming looked away. Because of the weather and the fact that she didn't need to do any physical labor, the girl didn't have any cloth strips wrapped around her.

“In my world, ballistic aiming with this kind of modern equipment is done with computer assistance,” he explained. “You’re quite proud that you can keep up with it just by doing mental calculations!”

The MK71 was certainly equipped with a ballistic computer, but the vacuum tube hardware from fifty years ago, the magnetic core memory with a capacity of kilobytes, and the completely incomprehensible assembly language were far beyond Su Ming's knowledge.

This is even more outrageous than writing online articles on bamboo slips.

****
Zijin came down from the lookout tower and returned to her cabin. Su Ming reached out his hand to her, and the girl gently patted it.

"What's wrong?" Su Ming noticed that her complexion wasn't very good.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired and not feeling well."

"Come to the work area, I'll check it for you," Su Ming said hurriedly.

The two walked up the steps to the workshop. The girl sat down at the table and rubbed her stomach with her hand.

Su Ming calculated Zi Jin's workload for the day. Although intercepting the shells had taken a toll on her, and there were many other things to do afterward, she shouldn't be this exhausted.

"Where do you feel unwell?" Su Ming asked. He first took a quick check of his heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, but found nothing abnormal.

"My stomach hurts, but it's not my stomach," Zijin said, pressing her lower abdomen. "Then my back hurts, I feel nauseous, and I feel tired."

Su Ming contacted Miao Xin and had her consult an online doctor.

Miao Xin typed this information into her phone, and the more she typed, the more familiar it seemed. [Master, could you ask her when her period is?]

Su Ming directly linked the skeletal imprint in his sea of ​​consciousness with Miao Xin's ghostly imprint, establishing a three-way communication connection. [Alright, you can communicate now.]

The two girls greeted each other, and Miao Xin repeated her question.

"Period?" Zijin was slightly taken aback. "Can I have it too?"

The three of them looked at each other.

So this is your first time?

So, this is my first time?

The two girls said at the same time.

With his limited knowledge, Su Ming roughly knew that the girls in his class would start having sex in elementary and middle school. He opened a popular science book he had downloaded earlier and checked it out. Although this time was a bit late from the perspective of physical age, it was still within the normal range.

The growth process of Elisa's form, in particular, was exceptionally arduous.

"Zijin, let me teach you some things and details that you need to pay attention to," Miao Xin said.

"Please wait a moment," Su Ming interrupted. "Let me sort things out. First, can we confirm the situation?"

Zijin also opened her laptop and was flipping through a science book, [I think].

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. "Should we ask Bei Anqi about this?"

"No," Violet refused. "The fact that Elisa's form is human cannot be revealed."

Su Ming was puzzled.

"Many things I've told you are unknown to the outside world," she explained. "Even now, they still believe that Elisa's form is a kind of advanced shapeshifting magic, or a special creation combined with alchemy—basically, all sorts of wild guesses they can come up with."

The birth of Violet is known to be unusual, so no outsider currently knows her true form as Elisa. In an environment where the whole world is hostile, every detail will be seized and exploited by the enemy. Ensuring that the enemy cannot fully understand Violet's true nature is useful.

After all, Beianqi was only a "hired" member.

"Understood. I remember that individual channels can be established between the imprints." Su Ming had the zombie bring over a book titled "Principles of Communication." "You should be able to talk to me without me."

"It's useless." Zi Jin pressed down on the book. "There is indeed a technique for direct communication, but Miao Xin and I don't have the power to cross dimensions."

Su Ming's hand froze. [So you have to drag me along, make me act as a forwarding router?]

【certainly! 】

Master, we can pretend you don't exist.

Su Ming covered her face, "...You guys continue."

(End of this chapter)