super battleship

Chapter 1: Fusion

In a nearshore area of the South China Sea, an exceedingly dilapidated wooden fishing boat labored under the blazing sun to haul in its catch. The vessel, long past its prime, had faded from its original white to a mottled patchwork of its former paint. Its hull bore the scars of numerous collisions, hastily patched with a few planks and nails. The sea breeze made the rigging creak, and the boat swayed precariously, as if a strong gust could capsize it at any moment.

A seventeen-year-old youth, his arms strained and veins bulging, wrestled with the fishing net. His bronze skin, tanned from years under the sun, was slick with sweat, and his vest was drenched, leaving salt stains under the relentless sun. Although his muscles were well-defined, they appeared emaciated, indicative of severe malnutrition.

The boy's name was Nie Yun. This rickety fishing boat was the sole inheritance from his adoptive father, who was not his biological parent. An orphan, Nie Yun had been taken in by this old man at a young age. With a modest background, he had received only a primary education and naturally followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a proud fisherman.

To him, being a fisherman was honorable because his drunkard of a father had always said, “The laboring people are honorable, and fishermen are laborers, so fishermen are honorable!” Hence, when asked by his teacher about his future aspirations in primary school, Nie Yun proudly declared, “My ambition is to become a glorious fisherman!” This was met with uproarious laughter. It was only much later that Nie Yun learned the truth, leading him to curse the old man’s grave for an entire night before falling asleep, tear-streaked, on a stone.

“This net will decide if tonight’s meal is lavish or meager!” Nie Yun shouted a nonsensical chant, pulling the net with all his might. When he finally hoisted it up, he stared in dismay at the few small shrimp within, sighed deeply, and murmured, “No worries, a porridge with shrimp soup will do. The radio says it’s good for health!”

After a brief self-delusion, pushing thoughts of braised pork and fatty intestines from his mind, Nie Yun assessed the sky and began to stow the net, adjusting the sail for the return trip with swift, expert movements, reflecting his refined sailing skills.

The optimal fishing time had passed. Being in nearshore waters, he knew well that any further effort would be futile. The boat also had an outdated diesel engine, which his father had proudly dubbed the “Sea Wolf,” a hybrid fishing vessel of superior quality. However, to conserve the precious diesel, Nie Yun typically relied on the natural, pollution-free energy of the wind for navigation.

“I make such a significant contribution to the nation's energy conservation and emission reduction every year! How many people in the entire Rabbit Nation toil like me for the country and its people?” Nie Yun boasted grandly.

The “Sea Wolf” drifted slowly toward the mainland. Given its speed, it would likely reach port by evening. Nie Yun, having set the course, lay on the deck, chewing on a squid's tail while watching the clouds. As drowsiness began to overcome him, he yawned, ready to nap, when a glimmer caught his eye.

Startled, he looked toward the light to see a silvery fireball plummeting from the distant heavens, heading straight for the fishing boat. As it entered the atmosphere, the fireball shrieked in a terrifying roar, shrinking rapidly in the intense blaze until it was no larger than a fingertip.

“Heh, the radio always says that if you’re unlucky, you could be struck by a meteor. Surely I won’t be that unlucky?” Nie Yun's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and this thought flashed through his mind.

In the next instant, with a whoosh, the silvery streak penetrated Nie Yun's abdomen, piercing the unfortunate “Sea Wolf” and plunging into the deep sea. “Cough, cough!” Nie Yun coughed up a clot of blood mixed with internal organs, uttering his final words: “Damn it!” before his eyes rolled back, and he passed away at the age of seventeen years and ten months.

Yet, perhaps the heavens deemed Nie Yun’s life too tragic. At this critical moment, fate smiled upon the unfortunate child. The gaping, bloodied wound on his abdomen bore a sprinkling of silvery stardust, likely remnants of the meteorite. As the stardust mingled with his blood, it absorbed the crimson fluid at a visible rate, while the stardust seemed to proliferate rapidly, forming a silvery patch that eventually spread through Nie Yun’s body.

On a microscopic level, the silvery particles, magnified, revealed themselves to be ultra-micro robots, millions of times smaller than nanometers, with complex and intricate structures. After wandering the cosmos for eons, this near-extinct unknown entity had finally found a host, merging with it to secure its survival.

The silvery substance surged swiftly through his veins to his heart, then circulated throughout his body, turning everything it touched a gleaming white. Nie Yun’s endocrine, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems underwent a miraculous fusion and parasitism.

Ten minutes later, Nie Yun, submerged in seawater, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, gasping as if he had just faced a great terror. He looked down at his smooth, flat abdomen, now showing eight well-defined abs, and touched it with his fingers. Yes, it was still his original, resilient self!

However, the damaged clothing and the hole-riddled Sea Wolf clearly indicated that what had happened was no dream. What on earth was going on?

Wait, the hole-riddled Sea Wolf?

Damn it! Realizing the boat was slowly sinking, he quickly set aside his confusion and rushed to the cabin to retrieve boards and clothes to patch the breach, while painfully activating the diesel pump to remove water. If he didn’t act fast, he and his boat would end up as fish food.

His father had always cared for the Sea Wolf more than for him, often saying, “The Sea Wolf is my true son, you’re just adopted. How can you compare?” Thus, Nie Yun had always regarded the Sea Wolf as his closest companion. Seeing it so grievously damaged pained him deeply.

Half an hour later, Nie Yun had managed to patch the hole somewhat, though water still seeped from the edges. He had to continually operate the pump to keep the water level down. Ignoring the issue of clean energy, he pushed the engine to full power, and the diesel engine belched black smoke as it headed toward the mainland.