Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 64 Sea Storm
"We need to moor the boat downwind of the island and tie it with a cable," Zijin read from the instruction manual. "We have the cable ready."

"We need to secure all the cargo and miscellaneous items on the ship. Don't light any fires or cook during the storm." Su Ming looked at the things in the cabin; there were quite a lot, and securing them would be a bit of a hassle.

"So, we're supposed to be shaken around like canned food for hours?" Violet became a little worried after reading yet another book's description of the terror of storms.

"If there's an island, people don't need to spend the night on the ship. They can go ashore to build shelters and avoid injury or death." Su Ming also read a similar passage. "So, we're going ashore?"

Zijin thought for a moment, "These books are about how ships weather storms—is it possible that I'm not actually a ship?"

"Uh..." Su Ming also realized, "It really isn't!"

Once you open your mind, the problem becomes simple. Zijin suggested that the Zhiyuan simply run aground and then move it back into the sea after the storm. Su Ming objected, arguing that this would damage the propellers.

Therefore, the shape of the ship needs to be changed.

Su Ming extended the hull to both sides and flattened the bottom, turning it into a flat-bottomed boat. After significantly reducing the draft, he took advantage of the high tide to sail the flat-bottomed boat directly into the shallow bay on the island.

He then flooded the ballast tanks, and the Bone Fortress sank steadily onto the beach, looking just like an offshore drilling platform.

"Phew, we're safe now."
-
Calculating the time, it was exactly midnight in the United States on Earth. Su Ming lay down again and connected with the little troublemaker.

He first turned off his phone, packed his odds and ends into a waterproof bag, and then steered the little rascal into the sea.

The little rascal was a bit light, but luckily Su Ming had prepared in advance and carried a rock on its back. The seabed was uneven and full of mud and sand, so the little rascal stumbled and bumped its way along.

However, the distance wasn't too far; in about an hour, Su Ming found his way to the vicinity of the berth.

This is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, with a monohull like a regular warship. Su Ming disliked its hull, but was attracted to the sonar mounted at the stern: a CAPTAS 4 variable depth, active and passive towed sonar.

He wasn't sure about the sea monster's noise level, but it's impossible for it to be silent while swimming rapidly in the sea. He conservatively estimated that the sonar could detect it within a range of several kilometers. At longer distances, it could also be detected in an area where underwater sound converges.

This is the passive mode, which can also actively emit sound waves for echo detection; the actual effect remains to be tested.

As for the radar, the littoral combat ship is equipped with the Sea Giraffe C-band radar, with a wavelength between the S-band and X-band, which is not complementary to Su Ming's existing equipment. Coupled with its 35-kilowatt power consumption, it completely disinterested Su Ming.

He doesn't have ballistic missiles or air defense weapons that require guidance, and the sea giraffe might not be as easy to use as his current civilian version.

The little troublemaker climbed aboard the hull of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship. The ship was already decommissioned and had no crew.

The ship is very new, having been launched and decommissioned in just a few years. As a notorious scrap ship, this series created the spectacle of being built, delivered, and decommissioned simultaneously.

It is unique among all kinds of strange stories about settling accounts.

Su Ming broke down the door and entered the Freedom-class control room, where he found the sonar display screen and control unit. He also saw an operation manual with many scribbles and drawings on it, and even the password for the electronic dog.

A radar detector? Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. He quickly flipped through the pages and found that the device required a radar detector to unlock, and there was indeed a corresponding port on the device.

There was a logbook nearby. Su Ming opened it and found that it recorded the process of starting up the warship, which included a step of going to the management department to collect various equipment unlocking tools.

"Military stuff is such a hassle!" Su Ming complained. Civilian equipment is so much better; even the PLC controller's password is six eights. He quickly dispatched Miao Xin, and after a period of searching, Ghost found the management department mentioned in the manual in the middle of the base. There was no one there, so Ghost Miao Xin went straight into the warehouse and found a bunch of things in a cabinet with the corresponding hull number. Judging from the labels on them, it should be the ship's electronic dog and various other odds and ends.

Security in this warehouse wasn't particularly tight, but there were still two closed doors. The little troublemaker definitely couldn't break through them, leaving Su Ming somewhat perplexed.
-
Zijin called to him, and Su Ming returned to the Zhiyuan. The sky had already darkened; although it was afternoon, it was as dark as dusk. The wind speed had exceeded 40 knots, and the girl had already closed all the windows in the workroom.

The waves were blocked by the islands, and the waves entering the bay were greatly weakened, so the Zhiyuan, which was sitting on the bottom, did not shake at all.

"How's it going over there?" Violet asked first about Su Ming's progress on Earth.

"Not going smoothly," Su Ming replied. "We need to get some things, but the area is sealed off, and that troublemaker can't get in."

"I've finished the work you assigned me. Shall we discuss it together in a bit?" Violet said, putting on her coat.

Su Ming's instructions were to construct the engine platform for Steam Unit No. 1, as well as to position and secure the various components. The scholar could already understand simple blueprints and Arabic numerals—she was making rapid progress.

"A while?" Su Ming asked, somewhat puzzled. "What are you going to do now?"

"Let's go out for some fresh air," Zijin replied, tying her hair up tightly with both hands. Her hair was quite long, reaching past her waist, and she usually liked to wear it down, so she always had to style it before doing anything.

"A breeze?" Su Ming pointed to the increasingly gloomy sky outside the window. "A hurricane?"

The wind speed kept increasing, and in just a few minutes, the sound of the wind and waves heard in the cabin became more and more urgent, and the ship began to shake slightly.

“Yes.” Zijin tied her hair up and stood up. “See you later.”

"Hey, you're really going!" Su Ming exclaimed in surprise. "There has to be a reason!"

“I’m researching a spell to be used in a gale,” Violet replied. “It requires practice.”

"Are you going to engage some high-speed aerial target?" Su Ming guessed the application scenario.

"Yes, I'm worried we'll run into each other soon," the girl replied, opening the hatch.

The next instant, a gust of wind swept in, its howling filling their ears. Su Ming lost his footing, and Zi Jin nearly fell as well, both grabbing onto the doorframe at the same time.

"Why aren't you deploying the shield?" Su Ming asked via telegram.

Feel the wind!

Zijin tugged hard on the door frame, took a deep breath, and resolutely walked out, holding onto the railing of the passageway all the way to the gangway and climbing up the bridge tower.

Su Ming followed, the wind carrying what he could tell was either waves or rain, the water droplets stinging him, and he was instantly soaked.

"You'll catch a cold!" Su Ming said.

You will heal me.

(End of this chapter)