The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

"Not bad, Miss Xiaoxing," after hearing Xiaoxing's words, Huangyan's remote control immediately flew in front of her and gave her a big kiss. "I didn't expect you to have such talent! You're much better than that clueless, stupid cat!"

"Hey, what do you mean by 'stupid kitten'?! You can't insult your companion like that! And I'm not 'completely clueless'! I can recite the multiplication table up to 7 x 7 = 49! I can do addition and subtraction, and I can even play the harmonica!" Fish shouted unhappily... and was ignored again.

"Uh...actually, I discovered my talent in this area a while ago. My family owns a factory in New Suva, which deals in ship repair and mechanical parts maintenance," Xiaoxing explained. "I've played with all sorts of parts like toys since I was little, so I'm quite familiar with machinery and components. And I really enjoy these things."

"Hmm, you have a particular fondness for assembling complex structures? That's quite similar to those guys from the past who would spend a lot of time assembling and painting large toys," Huang Yan commented. "Not bad, not bad. In this day and age, such a hobby is incredibly useful. But speaking of which, since your family owns a factory, why did you end up joining a war gang as cannon fodder?"

"Well... because my parents passed away," Xiaoxing said softly, fiddling with her fingers. "They were deceived by my uncle before they died, entrusting their factory and inheritance to him in his care. Less than a year later, I discovered that I had 'voluntarily' transferred all of that to him, and I had nothing left except the clothes I was wearing. After that, I wandered the streets for two years, and then..."

"What a typical unfortunate past," Huang Yan said. "But it's okay! As long as you follow me, you will never, ever suffer like you used to! If you're willing, I can also help you punish your uncle and take back your property..."

"Really?!" Xiaoxing asked excitedly.

"As long as you help me carry out the orders of the United Front Command, I will do everything in my power to get you fame, fortune, revenge, or anything else—to the United Front Command, any reward you want is nothing more than a trivial matter."

"Um...shouldn't we be heading out now?" Fish asked, trying to avoid further awkwardness. "It's getting late."

"Yes. There's a floor-to-ceiling window to the right here that can be opened, and behind it is a carbon fiber catapult rail. Please move 'Peregrine' onto it and secure it," Huang Yan continued, giving instructions. "The engine's battery is now fully charged. Once everything is ready, I will open the floor-to-ceiling window and activate the compressed air catapult. Remember to fasten your seatbelts."

Although the Peregrine Falcon, once assembled, boasted a wingspan exceeding twelve meters with its inflatable wings, resembling a giant Quetzalcoatlus, its weight was even lighter than that of pterosaurs with hollow skeletons, thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber tubing and rigid inflatable materials that are no longer readily available. With the power boost provided by their intelligent combat armor, Fish and Xiaoxing easily pushed the two Peregrine Falcons to their designated positions and secured them to the rails.

Then, as the two men entered the cockpit, one wall of the storage compartment slowly opened. Subsequently, with a dull thud of compressed gas being ejected, the two "Peregrine" aircraft were quickly launched into the air.

Since the "communication repeater" implanted with the deadly decoy had been destroyed several hours earlier, the horde of chimeras that had been drawn here had gradually dispersed—in most cases, low-level chimeras behave much like ordinary animals. While they can cooperate and attack together when they spot prey, and even employ coordinated tactics to some extent, once their target is gone, these creatures will not linger in the same place in large groups.

"Whoosh—ha!" Fish couldn't help but shout as the cold wind blew in—although he was a little scared when the "Peregrine Falcon" first appeared in the air, having no flying experience, that fear quickly turned into intense excitement. After all, ever since he could remember, he had instinctively longed to go to farther and higher places. And at this moment, that wish had finally come true for the first time.

"Meow hahahahahaha—" As the peregrine falcon began to soar and ascend on the wind, Fish's shouts turned into laughter—yes, at this moment, he felt pure joy. This joy came from the feeling of being able to move freely under the vast sky, to go wherever he wanted, a purest joy, engraved deep in his genes, originating from the simplest freedom.

Huang Yan didn't stop Fish's shouts and laughter, but waited quietly for a while. Only after his mood gradually calmed down did he begin to explain the operating techniques of the "Peregrine Falcon".

As a simple powered glider, this aircraft doesn't even have an instrument panel or windshield, just a lone control stick and a knob for adjusting engine speed. In the past, people who flew them around would wear special flight suits and receive relevant data and information directly through a helmet display. Now, Fish and Xiaoxing's smart combat armor can do the same.

Moreover, thanks to the neural interface of the armor, they don't even need to use a joystick; they can control the aircraft simply with their thoughts.

Compared to the aircraft itself, which is incredibly easy to control, teaching Huang Yan how to glide using updrafts, how to maintain balance, how to utilize the wind, and how to deal with the dangers caused by unexpected airflow changes took a little longer. Fortunately, Fish and Xiao Xing had already gained considerable knowledge of sail control during their time with the "Tidal Lightning" battle guild, so understanding the above points wasn't too difficult.

Just as the two were able to begin to control the "Peregrine Falcon," Huang Yan suddenly received a message.

"Gentlemen, I've discovered a very serious situation! Turn southeast by south immediately and proceed at full speed!"

"Shouldn't we go after the 'Black Storm'?"

"That matter can be put on hold for now, because the Joint Operations Headquarters has just added a secondary mission."

As soon as Huang Yan finished speaking, several lines of text appeared directly in front of Fish and Xiao Xing.

"Special additional mission from the Joint Operations Headquarters. Type: Rescue and protection of VIPs."

Mission Summary: We have just located a person of critical value, who is currently in imminent danger. Please take all necessary measures to protect the VIP (who will be marked upon encounter) and operate in conjunction with them.

Note: Other personnel surrounding the VIP are considered secondary protection targets and may be provided with assistance as appropriate, but may be sacrificed to protect the VIP if necessary. After a successful rescue, the recovery of important items may continue, provided the VIP's safety is guaranteed. Any use of force is permitted.

"So it's about rescuing someone." Fish swallowed hard. "But who is that person? What's their name? What do they do? There has to be some reason for sending us to rescue a stranger, right?"

"The Joint Operations Headquarters typically only provides the minimum information necessary to complete a mission," Huang Yan explained. "As for why this is done, the headquarters naturally has its reasons. As executors, your task is to carry out the orders."

"Alright..." Fish muttered, simultaneously controlling the "Peregrine Falcon" to fly southeast at a low altitude of three hundred meters. At this altitude, the ancient buildings submerged in the sea resembled mangroves flooded during the rainy season, appearing in small groups above the surface. Many of these buildings had long since succumbed to the relentless march of time, becoming collapsed ruins. Others, however, still barely retained their original appearance, like towering tombstones, recording the prosperity and extravagance of the previous era.

Because a large portion of the automated equipment maintaining the city continued to operate after the departure of the original humans, and could even self-repair and produce using production lines, the natural erosion of the ruins was not complete. Although many areas are now lush and green, the flowers, grasses, and trees growing from the deposited sand have transformed the ruins that emerged from the water into verdant islands, unrecognizable from their former state. However, the closer one gets to the former center of this metropolis, the more relatively intact buildings there are. Birds nest on the balconies of high-rise buildings hundreds of stories high, and tiny shrubs and tall grass sprout from the gaps in what used to be rooftop sports fields, like strange hairs.

Between two rows of giant towers, in the "strait" formed by the submerged eight-lane highway, Fish even spotted a group of Riss's dolphins with mottled, light-colored skin—in the atoll city, seeing these large oceanic dolphins is generally considered a symbol of good luck. However, just as Fish was about to descend and get closer to the dolphins, a shell suddenly landed in the sea not far away, creating a large splash.

The dolphins that had been frolicking and playing just moments before immediately scattered and fled.

"Be careful!" Huang Yan said. "The trajectory calculations indicate that the shell came from 4 kilometers to the northwest."

"And it's probably not aimed at us," Xiaoxing said, opening the combat armor's communication channel. "It's a large-caliber grenade; it's pointless to use it against small aerial targets like us."

"The guy who fired that shot must have been targeting the person we're protecting," Fish said. "He's probably nearby."

This time, Fish's guess proved quite accurate: shortly after the second shell flew overhead, blasting a cloud of rubble and dust against the wall of an abandoned building, a small motorboat suddenly emerged from behind a row of tall buildings and came into their view. The moment the boat appeared, flashing red circles appeared on Fish and Xiaoxing's helmet displays.

Sure enough, the person they were protecting was on that ship!

Unlike large sailing ships that employ more traditional monohull designs, this small boat is a trimaran: on each side of its slender, arrow-shaped main hull is a long, thin balance pendulum to enhance wave resistance and ensure safe navigation in high sea states. Two retractable masts, which can be raised and lowered as needed, are laden with full sails. The exhaust fumes from the small funnel at the stern of the hull, and the white trail left underwater by the high-speed propeller, suggest that its power is remarkably robust compared to its displacement of only a few dozen tons.

In the heart of the trans-Pacific empire, small to medium-sized catamarans or trimarans like these are not uncommon. They are often used as light fishing vessels or as short-distance commuter boats for short-distance travel between islands, just as the dark-skinned Polynesian ancestors did thousands of years ago.

In contrast, warbands, adventurers, and mercenaries disliked this type of ship because it was too fragile and unsuitable as a combat vessel. However, the ship was equipped with some weapons, including a harpoon gun at the bow and a set of twin 20mm machine guns on a metal platform at the stern.

However, at this moment, no one was operating these weapons—not because the people on board didn't want to retaliate, but because firing them would be useless: the large sailing ship chasing the small trimaran was none other than the previously "missing" "Waves." Although not as powerful as the warship's flagship, the "Black Storm," this armed sailing ship's armor was still quite robust, far beyond the capabilities of the small boat's small-caliber weapons.

In fact, although the Wave was constantly pursuing the small trimaran, the observant Fish noticed that the relationship between the two was not simply one of pursuit and escape: while the small trimaran was using the towers and other tall buildings as cover and relying on its own agility to avoid the Wave's 105mm main guns, it was also occasionally using the "Qin King circling the pillar" tactic, using these buildings as cover to actively try to get closer to its opponent.

At first glance, the small sailboat's deliberate approach to the other vessel might seem tantamount to suicide. However, the seemingly superior "Wave" would repeatedly evade the smaller boat once it realized it was getting too close, striving to maintain a distance of at least two kilometers. The two vessels then engaged in this back-and-forth, circling maneuver, making the chase resemble a mating dance of bees during their breeding season.

"That's strange." After circling once in the Peregrine Falcon, Fish became increasingly puzzled. "Why is this happening?"

"That's a good question," Huang Yan said. "Anyway, the mysterious fugitive we're protecting doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, and we still have some time. So, why don't you two use your little brains and think about it?"

"This... um..." Fish looked puzzled, and Xiaoxing also fell into deep thought: Judging from the firepower comparison, although the small trimaran could indeed unleash the firepower of its small-caliber self-defense weapons after approaching the opponent, the "Wave" not only has hull armor and gun shields, but also has more small-caliber guns than the small ship. In close combat, it should theoretically have an advantage! Torpedoes? At least that small ship doesn't seem to be equipped with such weapons. So what exactly is the "Wave" hiding from? It can't be that it's afraid the other side will board it, can it?

Wait... boarding... Fish suddenly realized something as he thought of that word.