super battleship

Chapter 5: Repeat

That evening, Nie Yun spent all his savings on two barrels of diesel and a heap of scrap iron. Before dawn, he set sail aboard the Sea Wolf.

On the boundless sea, as the sun rose, its crimson rays bathed the Sea Wolf in a warm, golden glow. Nie Yun stood at the bow, arms outstretched, embracing the morning sun.

This was not a moment of poetic inspiration for Nie Yun.

“Ah~ How delightful! I never realized how pleasant basking in the sun could be. So warm and wonderful—ah, simply refreshing!” Nie Yun couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Why do I feel like I’m becoming more and more like the mechanical worms? Sunbathing even makes me lose my appetite. Am I still human? Hmm… this question is too philosophical for me!”

He turned around and couldn’t help but laugh. The silvery mechanical worms also seemed to revel in the sunlight, having climbed onto the sail, stretching out to soak up the sun's warmth.

After last night’s replication and repair, the Sea Wolf's keel had been fully restored, and the number of mechanical worms had multiplied several times over, now forming a mass as large as a grinding wheel.

The silver worms had taken over most of the sail, creating an abstract silver painting on it.

“Come on, my little darlings, devour with vigor! As the saying goes, many hands make light work—so more workers mean greater miracles! Clearly, we don’t have enough workers yet! We need more power! So, multiply vigorously! There is no family planning here—repeat, there is no family planning here!” Nie Yun waved his hand, and a swarm of silver worms surged towards the heap of scrap iron.

By noon, the two barrels of diesel were entirely consumed, leaving only some grayish powder from the scrap iron. The results were highly satisfactory. The Sea Wolf's sail was now completely occupied by the mechanical worms, who were sunbathing lazily while simultaneously reinforcing and repairing the sail.

Any passing ship that saw the glittering silver sail would likely mutter, “What a show-off!”

The Sea Wolf, with its decades of age and lack of maintenance, was far from pristine. Seeing that he had ample mechanical worms, Nie Yun decided to give the Sea Wolf a complete overhaul, intending to enhance it thoroughly.

At this moment, Nie Yun finally reached his chosen destination.

It was a deserted island, far from the mainland. Nie Yun had visited a few times before; here lay something he—or rather, the mechanical worms—could put to good use.

Navigating around half of the island, the Sea Wolf arrived at a sandy beach and slowly docked. Although uninhabited, the island held something Nie Yun coveted—a shipwreck!

On the white sandy shore, an old, dilapidated single-masted sailboat lay stranded, half-buried in silt. After years of weathering, its original appearance was barely discernible, covered in various types of algae.

It had long been visited by countless scavengers. Apart from the battered hull, there was nothing of value left.

Yet, what others saw as worthless, Nie Yun considered a precious treasure. As the saying goes, even a decrepit ship has some iron! For Nie Yun, who had mechanical worms, the ship’s hull itself was an excellent raw material!

Nie Yun moored the Sea Wolf alongside the wreck, secured it with a rope, and then, with a grand gesture, summoned the mechanical worms, which had just absorbed some solar energy. He watched with delight as the area where the wreck met the Sea Wolf seemed to melt away rapidly, while the contact surface between the two ships slowly transformed into something entirely new!

There’s nothing like a profitable venture to lift one’s spirits!

Armed with an axe, Nie Yun joyfully went ashore to gather wood… or rather, collect energy!

Soon, a bonfire was lit on the Sea Wolf once again. Nie Yun stretched and watched as the mechanical worms consumed the shipwreck, while the Sea Wolf swiftly transformed, looking as though it were being newly renovated. He grinned widely, beaming from ear to ear!

“Brother, I haven’t shortchanged you, have I? Don’t worry, when the opportunity arises, I’ll find a real iron giant to upgrade you! We’ll modernize you!” Nie Yun stroked the ship’s hull as if caressing a beloved.

It seemed he had already forgotten his original intention to preserve the Sea Wolf as a collectible antique. Men are indeed so changeable!

The familiar rustling sound at his feet pulled him back to reality.

He looked down to find that his axe had somehow lost its metal head, leaving only a wooden handle that was rapidly disappearing.

The rustling continued, and he turned slightly to see that his old, rusted anchor was also being coated in silver and was slowly “slimming down.”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Nie Yun was stunned.

Wait, did I just say something outrageous?

Nie Yun suddenly realized with a shock that he had just mentioned “no family planning”!

“Stop, stop! Cease reproduction immediately!” Nie Yun shouted, and, heartbroken, picked up the anchor, which had become so light that he could lift it with one hand.

“Ah~ After all these years, how could you suffer such a fate? White-haired sending off the black-haired—how could you leave me like this? Where will I find such a handy anchor again?” Nie Yun lamented with tears in his eyes.

Then, suddenly, he seemed to recall something, and with a shout, he tossed the “black-haired” anchor aside and ran into the cabin as fast as he could.

“Aah!” After a cry of despair, Nie Yun emerged from the cabin, disheartened.

“Everything is gone, all of it! How could you not spare even the pots and pans? I just bought them, they were still like children! Is there no sense of decency left?!” Nie Yun stared in outrage at the mechanical worms still consuming the shipwreck.

But the worms were indifferent to the pots and pans—if it was iron, they would consume it all!

At this point, he had no choice but to accept this harsh reality.

“Ah, at least leave me a pot to cook instant noodles. What am I supposed to eat?” Nie Yun sighed in despair.

As he thought this, a portion of the mechanical worms nearby quickly assembled into the shape of a pot.

Nie Yun was stunned. Could they really do that?

He picked up the gleaming “pot,” knocked on it, and it sounded solid and durable—perfect for cooking!

Nie Yun was overjoyed, “What you eat is what you become? Come, come, bring out my items!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a pile of pots, bowls, and pans appeared before him, identical to his original ones!

“Ha ha ha! Wonderful, wonderful! What are you waiting for? Eat up! Devour with all your might! There’s no family planning here—repeat, no family planning here! Ha ha ha!”

The maniacal laughter on the deserted island startled a flock of birds into flight.