super battleship

Chapter 19: Firing the Cannons

After about ten minutes, Nie Yun felt re-energized and finally withdrew his hand from the flames, ending his recharge session.

Turning his gaze to the bundle of crabs, octopuses, and other seafood hanging from the main mast, he couldn’t help but chuckle. These unlucky creatures were caught inside the newly surfaced Sea Wolf, unable to escape before Nie Yun took control of the ship, becoming the first captives of the new Sea Wolf.

"These should last me quite a while. Ah, the logistical support is excellent! Now, let me take a tour of my new baby!"

Last night, Nie Yun had been too busy finding a hidden spot and dealing with the unfortunate grounding to explore his new ride.

The newly reborn Sea Wolf was a Spanish-style, large triangular sail ship with three decks: the main deck, the middle deck, and the lower deck.

It was originally armed with 51 cannons—25 on each side, distributed between the main deck and the middle deck, with one more at the bow. However, these cannons had all been devoured by the mechanical bugs, leaving behind only the empty cannon ports.

The main deck had a sterncastle, with the captain's cabin at the topmost level, offering an excellent view. The ship’s wheel was located just in front of the captain’s cabin.

It was clear that this Spanish-style warship had an aristocratic flair. The captain’s cabin was spacious, with traces of once luxurious decorations still visible, though now mostly rotten.

The mechanical bugs had been busy cleaning the ship's exterior and repairing the damages. Apart from consuming the dozens of cannons, they hadn’t had time to clean the ship's interior.

Nie Yun casually directed the mechanical bugs to devour everything inside the captain’s cabin and restore it as much as possible.

"Hmm, this place is nice. I'll live here from now on! Oh, and have them knock down the walls of the adjacent rooms to make a big suite. Since I'm the only one on the ship, there's no need to worry about space!

Hurry up and clean it out, I want to move in by tonight!" Nie Yun's satisfaction with the spacious captain’s cabin was off the charts.

Who would have thought that just yesterday, he was living in a cramped fishing boat cabin, and today he’s in a presidential suite?

At that moment, the mechanical bugs sent him a signal. Nie Yun turned and looked at the bed in the captain’s cabin.

The wooden bed frame had rotted and collapsed. As the mechanical bugs continued to clean, they uncovered a small wooden box. The box wasn’t large, only about the size of two palms, but it was partially decayed, revealing a glint of gold inside.

Nie Yun's eyes lit up!

He stepped forward and opened the box. Although it seemed like the box had originally been locked, and the key was likely long lost on some skeleton, the box was now in such a fragile state that Nie Yun easily snapped the lock and opened it.

Immediately, a dazzling golden light nearly blinded Nie Yun.

"Gold… coins!" Nie Yun's eyes were now fixated on the box full of gold coins, unable to see anything else.

This must have been the dead captain’s private stash, right? What a generous guy!

If a single silver coin can fetch 10 million, how much are these nearly 100 gold coins worth?! How many ships could I buy with this?!

Holy cow, I'm going to be rich!

Nie Yun’s mind was filled with this single thought.

He started to fantasize about the Sea Wolf leading a fleet of hundreds of large fishing boats to hunt in the Pacific! He was one step closer to becoming the greatest fisherman!

Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, he carefully poured the gold coins into a new metal box assembled by the mechanical bugs, then ordered them to lock the box with nine locks!

"Remember, without my order, no one—absolutely no one—is allowed to open this box! This box holds my entire fleet, absolutely no mistakes are allowed!" Nie Yun sternly commanded the box.

Mechanical bugs: "..."

***

With the first stop already yielding such a bounty, Nie Yun practically floated into the next area of exploration.

“La la la, la la la, the sky is so blue, the clouds are so white, oh sea! You are such a treasure trove!”

“Oh! Look at these lovely cannonballs, simply mesmerizing… uh…” In his excitement, Nie Yun had started singing an aria but abruptly choked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat when he casually opened a hatch.

Cold sweat instantly covered his forehead!

What appeared before him were crates upon crates of tightly packed black powder cannonballs...

The shiny black cannonballs, despite enduring centuries of time, still exuded a menacing aura. At least, Nie Yun was thoroughly scared.

"Quick… quick… quick, get these cannonballs out of here! No, no! Slowly… slowly move them, don’t bump into them, even the slightest mistake and we’ll both be blown to pieces!" Nie Yun's lips turned pale as he stammered out his commands, trembling with fear.

Even though black powder's explosive power isn’t as strong as modern explosives, the sheer quantity of it here was enough to send the Sea Wolf and its captain to the heavens if accidentally ignited.

It took a full hour for the mechanical bugs to move all the cannonballs from the ammunition hold to the shore, far away from the Sea Wolf, stacking them into a small mountain.

“Phew! Good thing I found them in time. Who knows if these centuries-old relics would have exploded. Yesterday, I was practically sitting on a powder keg—scared the life out of me!”

After the scare, Nie Yun began to observe the cannonballs from a safe distance.

Earlier, he had been too terrified to take a closer look. Actually, a large portion of the cannonballs were solid iron balls, with only about thirty percent being black powder shells with fuses—around a hundred in total.

These ancient cannonballs were round, unlike modern artillery shells that were later redesigned into round-tipped cylinders to improve the gas seal in the barrel.

The earliest explosive cannonballs used burning time fuses, filled with black powder or incendiary substances. The ones before Nie Yun were classic examples of those early shells.

The distance was now safe enough that Nie Yun wasn’t worried about being caught in an explosion. He then ordered the mechanical bugs to disassemble and reforge the cannonballs.

Afterward, he commanded the mechanical bugs to move one of the explosive shells far away from the pile and ignite the fuse in an open area.

About three seconds later, a loud "boom" echoed as smoke and dust filled a five-meter radius—its destructive power comparable to that of a hand grenade.

"Hmm, not bad at all!" Nie Yun clicked his tongue in approval.

Then, excitedly, he ordered the mechanical bugs to assemble a cannon. The silver cannon gleamed in the sunlight, looking both fierce and formidable! Without a doubt, it was a work of art for war!

As for what he planned to do next, it was obvious. Firing cannons is the ultimate thrill for any man, and Nie Yun was no exception!

He aimed at a nearby cliff, loaded the cannon, and lit the fuse!

Of course, Nie Yun carried out these actions from a safe distance—he valued his life very much.

With a thunderous “boom,” the cannonball whizzed through the air, and seconds later, a water column erupted at the base of the cliff!

"Uh, that range… is kind of embarrassing…"