Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 42 Counterattack
The UFO had already rotated its gun barrels, aimed at the Zhiyuan, and calculated the lead.

But just as they were about to fire, the observer reported that the Zhiyuan's course had changed drastically. The gunnery officer had to immediately adjust the data and recalculate, but when he issued the order again, he discovered that it would take seven seconds for the turret to rotate to the new firing angle and fire. Adding the delays in order transmission and control, the time he had allotted was simply not enough!
The gunnery officer was forced to add lead. This was a situation he had never encountered in previous naval battles; the gun barrels couldn't keep up with the demand at all—the opposing ship was simply too fast, both in its sailing and turning!

He somewhat complained that the captain had placed the enemy too close in order to increase the hit rate, even though he had agreed with the tactic when it was devised.

This caused a thirty-second delay. Just as the UFO's main guns finally re-aimed, Su Ming changed course again, turning 90 degrees to the left and returning to due east, heading straight for the stern of the UFO.

The artillery officer was so angry he wanted to throw his pen away.

The different generations of technology produced a playful effect.

Now that the Zhiyuan was even closer, the main gun barrels' rotation speed couldn't keep up at all. The UFO's gunnery officer resorted to the last resort: he staggered the angles of the four turrets to execute area coverage fire!
The four turrets, with a total of twelve cannons, fired in succession. The thick, alchemical shells shot out and struck the target after ten seconds of flight.

On the vast expanse of sea, plumes of water were instantly stirred up. Luck was not on the side of the UFO; only one shell hit the bow of the Zhiyuan, causing minor damage.

The Zhiyuan, like a joyful fish, glided through the waves.

The UFO's three twin-mounted secondary guns on its port side also joined the attack. However, against an opponent that was changing course at high speed, their accuracy was not good enough, and they only managed to create a dozen or so holes in the Zhiyuan's bony sail.

This minor damage was insignificant, and the Zhiyuan finally managed to close the distance, bringing it within the range of the magic's attack.

Violet quickly cast a detection spell.

"There wasn't much magical fluctuation, and there aren't any decent mages on that ship!" she told Su Ming the good news.

"Are you still able to fight?" Su Ming asked.

“Don’t worry, even without the support of the bone mark, the combat power in human form alone is enough!” Zi Jin said.

She started with two ice balls, destroying the secondary guns. Then, she fired four consecutive Sunfires, targeting the main guns one by one, precisely slicing off their barrels. In the night breeze, the girl moved with effortless ease, as if strolling in a garden, plucking all the teeth from this powerful battleship.

The officers and sailors opposite lay prone on the ground, completely daring not to make a move. If a few fireballs were to come from the other side, causing the ammunition in the cannons to explode, it wouldn't be impossible for them to be decommissioned along with the UFO.

Su Ming slightly adjusted the direction, and the Zhiyuan passed close to the UFO.

Violet threw out a series of magic balls again, carving the words "Zhiyuan was here" onto the ship's hull. Su Ming took out his phone and took a picture. Damaging this ship would offend the Star Empire, the strongest nation in the Western Continent; weighing the options, it was best to leave some room for maneuver.

An immense sense of joy emanated from the Bone Fortress, and the energy of the Bone Mark clearly recovered somewhat.

"Is this considered a tourist attraction?" Su Ming asked, somewhat puzzled. "The obsessions of the undead really aren't picky."

Enraged by this humiliation, the captain of the UFO ordered his sailors to take out their weapons, load gunpowder and bullets, and prepare to fire at the Zhiyuan. Violet swung her hand and slammed him into the sea.

****
In the operations room, Su Ming updated the layout of the sand table.

"The 'Squirrel Battle Group' and the 'Carrier Battle Group' have left such a large gap between them; it's a deliberate attempt to lure us in," Su Ming belatedly realized. "Catherine may not know the capabilities of the Zhiyuan, but that doesn't stop her from setting a trap. Truly impressive!"

As a reflection, Su Ming realized that he had been too confident in the performance of the Zhiyuan's wing sails and had also underestimated his opponents to some extent.

“You need to step up your game. I can’t beat Catherine. That High Priestess of the Inspectorate rose to power by stepping on corpses,” Violet said. “This isn’t the last time we’ll face her. Once Catherine finishes her postpartum confinement, she’ll definitely come back for a comeback.”

"You overestimate me," Su Ming said. What makes him think he can compete with the top commanders of this world? With his points from the warship world? "No, you are excellent, and the fact that we are still alive is proof of that," Zi Jin said, while glancing south. "Su Ming, a Songstress-class ship is circling around."

Five kilometers south of the Zhiyuan, a Songstress-class ship from the "Carrier Battle Group" activated its magical acceleration and sped outwards. Although its speed was lower than the Zhiyuan's, it was now traveling in the same direction, providing a very good parallel firing window.

"I can see it now." Su Ming confirmed the location on the radar and picked up his binoculars to observe carefully. As a cruiser belonging to the temple, the Songstress-class ship has a streamlined shape and its style is quite different from the Netherworld.

The first round of rune cannon fire was launched quickly. Upon seeing the flashes of light, Su Ming immediately steered the Zhiyuan northeast while significantly reducing its speed. Twenty seconds later, all the Songstress-class shells missed their mark, creating useless splashes in the Zhiyuan's original course.

Su Ming resumed its course and accelerated again.

“It’s not as fast as us. If we dodge another round of shelling, we can get out of their range,” Su Ming said.

The Zhiyuan has already crossed the enemy's blockade line. If they continue sailing out to sea, they will be able to break through completely.

However, the enemy ships might try to guess the direction of the Zhiyuan's evasive maneuver and launch a preemptive attack. Su Ming observed through binoculars, carefully tracking the bullet trajectories using infrared mode.

"If I fail to dodge, I can still intercept some of them," Violet added as a safeguard.

Without incident, Su Ming successfully maneuvered the Zhiyuan and dodged the second round of shelling.

Amidst the splashing waves, Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief; he had almost shaken them off.

The other Songstress-class ship was still eight kilometers away, and as for the Azure Sea Valley, its speed was even slower than the Songstress-class, it was still twenty kilometers away, getting further and further away. Considering the wind direction, the flying beast force on it could not catch up.

Tonight's battle is finally over!

However, Su Ming remained vigilant, continuing to monitor the enemy ship through his binoculars. He couldn't rule out the possibility that the enemy had overloaded their propellant, launching a bombardment beyond its maximum range. Such instances were not uncommon in naval warfare on Earth.

Spotting the words on the bow of the Songstress-class ship out of the corner of his eye, Su Ming adjusted the focus of his binoculars and barely made out, "This is its name, Fusang?"

"Is there a problem with the sacred tree of the East in ancient mythology?" Zijin asked.

“Azure sea, Fusang. I always feel that our two worlds share many things from the same origin,” Su Ming replied.

The ship shook slightly. Su Ming put down his binoculars, and the white bone mark seemed to stir slightly.

"What did you do?" Su Ming asked curiously.

“I was just about to ask you that.” Violet was equally puzzled; the Bone Fortress had never disobeyed before.

A certain force attempted to turn the Zhiyuan south, aiming it at the Fusang. Su Ming activated the White Bone Mark to suppress this agitation.

On the deck, Zijin suddenly gave a bitter smile. She had already sensed the reason. "Su Ming, what exactly did you bring to this ship from Earth?"

Su Ming was also deciphering the meaning within the white bone mark and thus understood the reason.

"It was just a name anyway," he murmured.

(End of this chapter)