1 roadside

Chapter 144 A roadside

"That's right, that's just a newly upgraded Tier 2 fortress; it definitely can't monopolize so many resources."

A hint of joy flashed in Langming's eyes as he looked intently at the Azure Ship, which was surrounded by three or five fortresses.

Like stars surrounding the moon, several people within sight harbored evil intentions.

If it were just about looting the remaining fortress corpses, that would be fine, but several of the ships were heading straight for the Azure's location, rapidly approaching.

"They say greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, but there are still many who are bold enough." Langming couldn't help but sigh as he circled the periscope 360 ​​degrees.

"Lang Ming, there are several more ships approaching from behind us. Should we—lay low for a while?"

Suddenly, a sound transmission pipe next to him rang out, and the sweet female voice belonged to Little Bird.

"Yes, it's best to avoid it for now and avoid a direct confrontation," Lang Ming said solemnly, before operating the dazzling control panel.

The Starfish then stumbled and turned diagonally backward, positioning itself in a distant but safe location, choosing a passageway that avoided being detected by others as much as possible.

The journey is longer, but it ensures that the Starfish can get close without running into other ships.

"I'm so hungry!" The girl at the other end of the pipe sighed. Langming could almost guess that she was longing for it again.

"Safety is the most important thing. Before you know the strength of your opponent, it is safest to avoid them."

You better remember this: this ship will eventually be yours, and I'll just be a figurehead lord.

"Your parents gave me this position, but I'm just watching over it for you. When you're old enough, perhaps I'll hand over the lord's title to you."

Langming continued to preach to her, seemingly engrossed in his words.

With a loud bang, the cover of the sound transmission tube was slammed shut, and she couldn't listen anymore.

"When will I grow up?" Langming shook his head helplessly.

The visible view at sea was not far, but at least he could now clearly discern the current situation of the Azure.

"Look, the Mole, the Sky-Reaching, the Crimson Owl, so many old enemies have come." Lang Ming sneered as he glanced at his colleagues, who resembled jackals and vicious dogs, and smacked his lips.

"Isn't a Tier 1 fortress that's just been upgraded to Tier 2 a highly sought-after asset? But you guys are really overconfident, do you really think you can wear it down by sheer numbers?"

He pondered this in his heart, and soon began to doubt his own assertion.

It is quite obvious that the Azure has not reacted or taken any action since it was discovered by them.

Logically speaking, it is inappropriate to fire warning shots or sound sirens to drive them away at this time.

But now, it's truly like an iron-clad turtle, completely silent, which is quite puzzling.

"Could it be that internal strife broke out inside the fortress that arrived first? Power struggles and coups are common on fortresses, but they are rare on first-tier fortresses. However, once it reaches the second tier, it's hard to say."

Thinking further into this matter, Langming couldn't help but pause, feeling as if he had just woken up from a dream.

The Starfish traced a curve, and although it moved slowly, it was ultimately getting closer to the fortress ruins of the Azure.

This provides a glimpse into more information about the Azure.

Upon closer inspection, one can vaguely see the chaotic and hurried scene of people crowding together on the hull of that enormous ship.

And this was the only thing they did after being surrounded by other fortresses.

Absolutely terrible; it doesn't have the kind of operational capability a Tier 2 fortress should have.

He slapped his forehead, as if he had discovered a tremendous secret.

"That's right, I knew a Tier 2 fortress like this couldn't possibly do nothing; it should have already issued warnings!"

"Hahaha, so that's how it is." Langming slapped his thigh, his gaze already shifting from the ruins of the fortress.

Finally, he presumptuously landed on the Azure, his eyes filled with fervent joy, as if he had been captivated by such incredible good news.

"Yes, yes, rather than using the scraps left after everyone's been eaten up, isn't there still a main dish to be made?"

Faced with a fortress that is embroiled in internal strife and has no time to attend to external matters, the only way to win is to seize it.

A highly profitable business.

Gradually, Langming's decision-making direction began to change, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity gave him the idea to go out and take a gamble.

He regretted his caution; if he went now, it might be too late.

But if we don't fight for it, won't we end up with nothing?

Thinking of this, he felt immense regret.

"There's still room for maneuver. This kind of incredible luck might only come once or twice in a lifetime, we can't let it slip away!" Lang Ming's eyes hardened, and then he said decisively.

"Little bird, tell the boiler room to increase the amount of coal being added to the boiler. We're about to start charging!"

"Huh? Didn't we just agree to wait and see?"

"My problem," Langming sighed helplessly.

"We can't wait any longer! If we wait any longer, all the good stuff will be gone! Spur the horse on, speed it up! Hurry!"

"Oh, okay." The little bird was surprised by Langming's sudden change in attitude, but didn't dare to ask any more questions.

After furrowing his brows slightly to express his confusion, he switched to the sound transmission pipe connected to the boiler room and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The lord said to keep adding coal to the boiler to increase the ship's speed; good work will earn you work points!"

The loud voice was deafening, and the many workers who were still engrossed in their work immediately sped up their tasks, shovels flying through the air in their hands.

They painstakingly filled the furnace with food, making it bulge, afraid of losing even a few work points.

The Starfish didn't have much coal reserves, which could only support them for a few voyages. Once they ran out of coal, they would trade at the nearest outpost.

It has always been the same.

But now, Langming can't worry about that anymore.

Add as much as you can, just enough to maximize the fortress's speed!

Large amounts of pulverized coal were added into the high-temperature, high-pressure furnace. After the massive amount of fuel poured in, the flames inside suddenly surged and licked the metal partition of the boiler.

Steam, large amounts of steam, hissed and bubbled out, spreading through the fortress's various pipes under the immense furnace pressure.

The most important energy was concentrated in the Starfish's tail rotor, which spun extremely fast beneath the surface of the sea, cutting through the hidden undercurrents and urging the fortress to surge in another direction.

The pressure gauge began to rise sharply, fluctuating and shaking, before finally settling at a new reading.

"If we can keep this up, there might still be a chance to fight back!" Lang Ming smiled happily, his heart pounding.

Encountering such a good thing inevitably made him feel somewhat detached from reality, and even his body gradually became lighter.

Just as Langming was still enjoying the rich rewards the Starfish had gained in this battle, a deafening cannon shot rang in his ears, making the Starfish tremble and causing the pipes on the bunker to creak.

"Has someone finally lost their composure?" Lang Ming suddenly became alert and casually activated the second-hand defense system on their fortress, which could only defend against some low-intensity attacks.

Since you get what you pay for, the quality of a full-length shoe is always inconsistent.

Because the defense's coverage area is so small, it's hard to believe it's even effective.

"Is it that Tier 2 fortress, or someone else?" Langming's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Detective, report the situation!" he shouted toward the observation deck.

"Reporting to the lord, that second-tier fortress is not making any noise. It's the sonic cannon of the Crimson Owl, which is very close to us. It's useless except for making a loud noise."

It was probably just to intimidate other fortresses; therefore, it can be inferred that there was no intention to attack.

"Phew~" Lang Ming's expression relaxed a bit, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"How much further?" he asked casually.

"There are still about 3.5 nautical miles left. We seem to be the furthest away, but the other forts are closer, the closest being only 2 nautical miles away."

Their scout said somewhat embarrassedly, his Adam's apple trembling slightly.

"Looks like you're planning to board the ship and rob it directly. Hmph, you're even more greedy than I thought."

Langming muttered to himself, his hands gripping the helm tightly, sweat beading on his skin.

"Then I need to consider boarding the ship. Am I an Iv.2 evolved being, or a normal evolved being with the Heavenly Wave Breathing Technique?" He stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Then, with a pounding hand on the steering wheel's central shaft, he whispered fiercely, "There's a chance!"

Just as he was deep in thought, another extremely violent explosion occurred.

Compared to the previous show of force, this one rang out much faster, its thunderous explosion nearly shattering his eardrums.

"Is it one of those idle idiots causing trouble again? They could be doing something else entirely; making noise is so pointless!"

Langming was annoyed by these repeated tricks, and as if seeking revenge, he picked up the periscope and pulled it down to look inside.

"Lord, Lord—" the scout suddenly called out to Lang Ming, his voice trembling and somewhat wooden.

"I know—I know, it's that bastard stirring up trouble again. You hurry up and come with me to find that idle guy."

Lang Ming said impatiently, "I'm currently holding back a lot of anger and don't know where to vent it."

The investigators persisted, relentlessly pursuing him. Although the sound was distorted due to the transmission of the pipes, the fear and surprise in their words remained undiminished.

"My lord, that second-tier fortress that was 'in turmoil' has suddenly launched a counterattack, and the Crimson Owl, the closest to us, has sunk—"

"What!" Lang Ming stood up in shock and couldn't help but shout.

Scattered, old fortresses approached the Azure from all directions, their engines revving high, swarming around it like flies and maggots drawn to the scent of a wounded beast's blood.

The engine noise was like the maddening chirping of wings, which inevitably aroused a sense of annoyance.

When Li Ran led the city defense troops on patrol, all he saw was this scene: those fools who were like moths to a flame.

They genuinely believed that the Azure was a piece of fat meat they could eat, and they couldn't hide their greed as they moved closer to the Azure's huge body, their hidden greed surging out unsaid.

They just wanted to tear off a piece of meat that they shouldn't even dare to dream of, and chew it slowly.

"Captain, the civilians have all been settled; we can prepare for battle!"

A soldier wearing Tier 1 bearskin armor jogged toward him, saluted, and reported to his superior.

"The city's garrison is now entirely at your command!"

Li Ran nodded slightly, then walked gracefully towards the edge of the deck, extending his index finger to measure the distance.

Aside from the furthest one at 3.5 nautical miles, where it's uncertain whether it's even possible to hit, the two closest targets at long range are definitely a one-hit kill.

"Artillery crew, listen to my orders and deploy in the standard formation. Shells are precious, but the lives of those worthless bastards are not."

"Make sure you all hit your targets! If you miss even one, I'll use you all for training!"

The gunners took their positions, three of them as always, one turning the dial to adjust the aim.

The loader deftly opened the gun chamber, lifted the cover, and loaded in the dark gold shells that emitted a faint, eerie glow.

Finally, the gunners adjusted the launching angle; through long-term training, their artillery skills had become second nature.

What's more, it's easier to shoot a moving target than to target a guy who's only 2 nautical miles away.

Li Ran sucked on his index finger, and when he extended it, he only felt a slight coolness on his fingertip.

Southwest wind, force 3 or so, excellent shooting conditions.

"On your marks!" He raised his rifle, pointing it upwards.

"put!"

As the command was given, several loud "booms" resounded, and ten Tier 2 cannons were already aimed at those who were trying to take over the Azure.

Several mouthfuls were released simultaneously, sending chills down one's spine like a thunderstorm.

The bullet floated in the air, gradually beginning to take on an unusual appearance, with a long, snake-like tail vaguely visible winding and twisting within.

The front of the serpent transformed into a ferocious, menacing maw, with two gleaming white fangs and eerie eyes emitting a dim purple light on its head.

Its trajectory was also quite peculiar. After climbing to its peak under the impact of the cannon muzzle, it inexplicably began to fine-tune its course during the subsequent dive.

It pounced fiercely on its prey.

"Boss! The intelligence is wrong. Didn't we just see internal strife on this fortress? How come they still have the strength to counterattack?"

"Retreat! Retreat!" the lord of the Crimson Owl roared in terror. "Activate the defense system!"

In a panic, the Crimson Owl hastily opened a red protective shield, completely encasing the fortress.

The serpentine shells fell to the ground with a thud, their long hissing sound as they rubbed against the air like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake.

While still in mid-air, the snake's mouth spewed out a dark purple mist, and the pervasive purple aura surrounded the fortress's protective shield.

Immediately afterward, the moment the purple aura made contact, the entire passport began to dim and even became covered with cracks.

It couldn't hold on for more than a few seconds, collapsing instantly like shattered glass.

The Lord of the Crimson Owl stared wide-eyed, his pupils dilating, and his heavy breathing became increasingly rapid.

Having witnessed the shells fall on the ship, even the afterimages of the venomous snakes became incredibly solid.

It landed silently on the deck of the fortress, plunged straight in, pierced through the fortress's outstretched branches, and bit off an enormous, massive gash.

Wherever the snake's shadow reached, it hissed as if corroded by strong acid, and expanded rapidly in all directions.

The keel was eroded and broken, disintegrating piece by piece. The horrific destruction had created a huge hole in the Crimson Owl, allowing endless seawater to rush in.

"It's over! It's over! It's all over!" The captain of the Crimson Owl cried silently, his voice almost gone.

Why did he have to be so foolish as to hit this old man? Why was he so greedy and didn't he know to stay away from this monster?!

Greed, and more greed, cost him everything.

But now, all he can do is kneel on the ground, regretting that he was blinded by greed, and wallow in self-pity.