During the first testing phase, the fire-control radar was crushed to bits, the deck riddled with holes, and the storage compartments turned into swimming pools. The ship’s durability was at a measly 30% at the end of it all.
For the second test, the fire-control radar and the ship still sustained damage, but there was still 84% durability remaining after the on-site repairs were done.
This time around, the fire-control radar was fine and the ship was not even damaged; the ship’s durability indicating a shiny 100% figure after the on-site repairs were done.
Su Mo was sitting in the captain’ seat, laughing away like a child. No one would ever know what he had been through, or what kind of pressure he was put under.
Only Su Mo knew that the efforts he had put in these couple of weeks…
Was worth it!
As the Genesis ability was activated, the damaged portions of the ship’s deck seemed to come alive and recover. In just one minute, all the repairs were done.
Su Mo stared at the green-colored 100% indicator. The more he looked at it, the happier he was.
“Well, compared to having broken bones and amputated legs, this is pretty much the best result I can achieve!”
“I refuse to believe that I can’t get this ship to the Great Canyon with 100% durability!”
In his excitement, Su Mo’s intoxication dissipated through his sweat after the 15-minute ordeal.
At that moment, Su Mo sat in the captain’s quarters as he welcomed the start of his new life as captain of the ship.
[Identification complete. Welcome, Captain Su Mo]
[Destroyer system activated, operational control take-over initiated. Preparing for automatic launching sequence.]
[Please do not operate the ship while it’s being launched. Failing to do so will result in a conflict of data and a failure in the launch.]
[Fire-control radar navigation system pairing complete. Water levels are insufficient, awaiting subsequent data sets…]
…
[Launching protocol ready. Data synchronization complete. Activating the slideway. Anchor raised. Activating real-time image analysis…]
[Slideway activation complete, Data synchronization complete. Activating rear fenders…]
[Ship angle adjustment complete. Ship launch speed adjustment complete. Launching ship now, please do not operate the ship’s controls.]
As Su Mo stared at the green lines popping out on the screen, as the creator of this system, it felt as if he was controlling the ship himself.
Modifying the system all by himself ensured that it would always follow his own methods and instructions.
In terms of operating the ship, the system also carried out the procedures in a steady yet rapid manner, just like its captain.
Clunk…
Clunk…
Given his previous experience in launching the ship into the water, Su Mo was very patient this time around. He was also calm, not at all worried about the ship failing to get into the water.
The autopilot system differed a lot from human manual control; the best thing about it was how stably it controlled the ship!
If the data and OS were accurate, it would produce the same result without any mistakes even when running it over the ten thousand times…
Success!
Su Mo sat in his seat and fastened his seatbelt. He felt Hope One hurtle backward and then bounce back up. Before he could get up to check on everything, the messages had already been displayed on the screen.
[Hope One launch complete. The current water level is 5.36 meters. The depth of the ship in the water is currently 3.63 meters. Portside height is currently 16.89 meters. Starboard side height is currently 17.45 meters.]
[Hope One’s alignment check is complete: no errors found. Automatic launch system is relinquishing control. Thank you for using the OS.]
…
[Captain Su Mo, the autopilot system has been successfully connected to Hope One. Shall we depart toward the designated destination…]
Hope One had an roll stabilization system. As the ship floated on the water, Su Mo would not feel any rocking onboard unless it was on rough waters.
Yes, no rocking at all.
It became obvious when Su Mo took off the seatbelt and stood up!
He could see the bow of the ship rock back and forth from the movement of the water.
However, he could not feel anything at all onboard the ship. It felt as if his feet were floating in the air, not touching the deck at all. It was miraculous.
“No! Hold position!”
After turning off the autopilot system, Su Mo was not in a rush to depart just yet. Based on his previous experience and his last conducted test, he began to conduct an structural integrity diagnosis on the entire ship.
He brought four robot workers with him and they checked the ship from the main deck to the living quarters, and then to the storage compartments…
As they descended lower and lower, Su Mo examined every hazardous part that could possibly malfunction.
As he recorded Hope One’s condition in the captain’s diary, he noticed the first entry he wrote in that book.
“17th February, third test, Captain Su Mo’s log.”
“Watertight structural integrity, check. Fire safety, check. Temperature control, check. Electrical transmission, check…”
Every single aspect was thoroughly checked by both the human and his robot workers. After that, Su Mo made sure that the engine room’s heat dissipated adequately, and then went back to the storage compartments.
When all that was done, there was one more thing left to check…
Weapons!
“There are only three hours left on the Divulgence of Heaven’s Secret talisman. It’s more than enough to enter the Great Canyon and traverse at least half it’s length.”
“But if I get involved in combat, I won’t be able to exit just like that. I only have one more try at testing this out, so I’ll have to fight no matter what!”
Currently, Hope One had four upgraded combat agents, which meant that they could cover all four directions of the ship.
Besides, Hope One also had a hundred thousand rounds of machine gun ammunition onboard, so Su Mo was not worried about the foreign races trying to board Hope One for the time being.
However, since he was up against the foreign races, he did discount the possibility of the situation devolving into a close-quarters battle.
Otherwise, if he somehow ran into a foreign race creature with some sort of “decapitation” ability, that would mean trouble.
Su Mo put on the armor that he had prepared earlier and took out the three-pointed two-edged sword from his storage space.
Su Mo heard a humming sound as his electric boots connected with the steel plate beneath his feet. He strode back to the bridge.
On the screen, the OS was completely connected and synchronized with Hope One.
The fire-control radar continuously swept the surrounding area and created a map display. Such brazen scanning and transmission of data would have easily been detected by enemy sensors had this been done on Earth.
However, in this wasteland, it was nothing more than an exciting experiment.
Within these two kilometers, it was as if the ship possessed the eye of God. Even the terrain underwater could not escape the scanning and imaging of the radar.
With this data on hand, the OS could analyze the directions and trajectory of the journey to ensure safe and smooth passage.
After some tweaking, and making sure that all the devices were in their best condition, Su Mo sat in his chair, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
“OS, initiate autopilot system, activate the engine at full power, maintain maximum cruising speed.”
“Destination…”
“The Great Canyon!”
This OS was different from the AI most people had access to; it was bought directly from a government source and its response rate was very quick.
The moment Su Mo issued his commands, the screen displayed the OS’s response almost immediately.
[Commands accepted, destination confirmed, autopilot initiating in…]
[3…2…1…]
The engine revved up and kicked into action the moment the countdown ended, but the ship’s initial speed was limited by its weight and size.
Hope One was soon stably speeding across the waters.
The ship required a whole minute to accelerate. It continued to do so up to a speed of 45 knots to ensure a comfortable ride for the people inside, wherein they would only feel a slight sway onbaord the vessel.
Through the porthole, Su Mo could see the scenery around him passing by quickly. In just half a minute, Iron Rock Mountain had already become a distant shadow.
“My goodness, travelling at 45 knots is amazing!”
When driving an Earth Tiger, Su Mo could only maintain a speed of 60 yards per second, but now that he was driving an 80-meter long ship, he could reach a speed of 80 yards per second.
That euphoric feeling could never be felt by anyone who was driving a car!
Of course, it was also a “luxurious” feeling and experience that most captains dreamt of having!
The OS display on the dashboard issued another reminder according to the logic protocol that Su Mo set for it after three minutes. It took its time observing and calculating the balance of the ship.
[Autopilot activation complete, ETA 1 hour and 19 minutes.]
[Roll stabilization system activated, ship balance currently at 92.30%.]
[Captain Su Mo, please put on your earphones, the OS will send you data in real-time. We hope you have a pleasant journey!]
Right after that, a small cover slowly opened, revealing a pair of earphones underneath.
That pair of earphones were a high-end pair of Bluetooth earphones bought from the trading market; its properties were even graded “Excellent”.
As long as it was used within an 80-meter radius of the transmission source, it could clearly receive all notifications and messages even when separated by the metal barriers around the ship.
Su Mo lightly picked up the earphones and placed one earphone securely in his left ear. He then released his safety belt and stood up.
Through that tiny earphone, Su Mo could receive real-time notifications in one-minute intervals. It could also communicate with the OS to alter Hope One’s piloting mode.
If some intruder managed to get on board Hope One and attempted to wrest control of the vessel using the dashboard on the bridge, they would be in for a nasty surprise because of this feature.
Su Mo held the three-pointed two-edged sword in his hands and looked at the ETA. He then slowly walked out of the watertight door and shut it behind him.
“Both humans and foreign races can still barely save themselves and survive this disaster thanks to the information provided by the game panel…”
“These poor, ordinary mutant creatures, however…”
Thanks to the army of the foreign races, there were no mutant creatures within at least a two hundred kilometer radius of the basin.
As Su Mo observed the enormous trees filled with mud and floating on the water, some of the seawater was black in color. It was at that moment, he realized…
How terrible it would be for those who were lucky enough not to be crushed by the waterfall, but drowned in the end.
“In the face of disaster, humans are the same as these mutant creatures.”
“If we don’t develop fast enough, we would also suffer the same fate one day.”
Su Mo sat at the bow of the ship beside the golden-red flag. The look in his eyes was sharp as a blade as he stared calmly at the seawater beaten back by the ship.
In the dark of the night, Hope One was like a gigantic monster, charging forward through the ocean.
With its legendary status, the defensive properties of the steel plates were astounding. Even if they were met with an obstacle, they would be undamaged and unscratched.
The spotlight was like the eye of the monster, controlled by the system, and coupled with the system’s image analysis, it sent a real-time image of the surroundings.
Under such a terrifying speed, time passed rather quickly as well!
Before Su Mo could properly enjoy the “speeding” feeling of the destroyer, he was informed through his earpiece that they were approaching the Great Canyon.
This time, the engine room had a heat-dissipating system installed, so its current temperature was 72 degrees. There was no need to worry about a fire at all.
Hope One’s cruising was at its best condition, it could switch to offensive mode at any time.
“The location Pei Shao gave us is completely under water, but it’s not a big problem. The ocean can obscure our vision, but it cannot evade the radar’s detection!”
Su Mo listened to the information given to him via the earpiece. He knew that they were just one kilometer away from the entrance of the Great Canyon.
Su Mo got to his feet and stepped on his trident. He then held the handle of the machine gun in his hands, calmly looking in the direction ahead of him.
The aliens had two ambush spots. One of them was at the entrance, and another was located 72 kilometers inside of the canyon.
Based on the radar’s detection, there were no aliens at the mouth of the canyon so far, but Su Mo did not let his guard down, always ready to open fire!
Honk…
Honk…
The system activated Hope One’s siren, blaring the horn throughout the entire Great Canyon.
It was a taunt, when Su Mo noticed no movement inside the canyon, he gave the command to drive Hope One directly inside.
Five kilometers in.
Hope One passed the entrance of the first ambush point, but it did not scan any enemies around it.
Thirty-one kilometers in.
Hope One exited the first ambush point, still, there was nothing to be seen.
Fifty-four kilometers in.
Hope One drove through the entrance of the second ambush point, but no movements so far.
Sixty… sixty-five… seventy…
Su Mo watched as Hope One exited the second ambush point out into the sea.
Still, the canyon remained peaceful as ever, there was no response from the radar at all. Su Mo frowned as he stood at the bow of the ship.
The aliens might fool Pei Shao, Zhong Qingshu, and the naked eye, even himself, but they could never get past the radar undetected, they can’t hide from the future!
From start to finish, it seemed like there were no aliens hiding in wait, nor was there any resistance to stop Hope One from entering the battlefield. The ship sailed through smoothly which was very much different from what Su Mo had expected. That made him feel like the aliens were not stopping him but hoping that Hope One would journey through faster and smoother!
“If they’re not here to stop me, where did the twenty-thousand aliens go, then…”
Su Mo broke into a cold sweat as his skin had goosebumps.
He commanded for the ship to stop in its tracks. Su Mo sat down as his mind raced, thinking backward to reach an inference as to what was going on.
He thought about when he caught wind of the twenty-thousand aliens and the reports from the intelligence team.
Because he had Connie as his spy, plus he had first-hand information and Zhong Qingshu’s analysis, Su Mo had come to a conclusion and never thought about,
The possibility of where the aliens would be if not the Great Canyon!
“If the aliens didn’t want to stop me from going out to sea into the battlefield, they must have other methods and objectives to hurt me and damage my morale.”
“If that’s the case, which is more important to me right now?”
Since he travelled from the future, there were only two possibilities given his situation right now. If the answer is not “A”, then the real answer would be obvious!
From boarding Hope One, defending against the disaster, and then smoothly going out to sea, Su Mo tried to recall everything every single detail, much like a tape rewind.
“The marshlands, Great Canyon, Hope Village, underground?”
“Damn, the aliens have a mastermind behind them. I was never their target!”
“Then, their target should be…”
“The underground shelter!!”
At that moment, Su Mo shuddered and stood up immediately when he thought about the Underground Shelter!
All of the information, questions and the unknown suddenly had their answers revealed in this very moment!
“They want to cut me off from increasing my powers and prevent me from ever developing the shelter!”
“They have analyzed my behavior and powers from the start, they knew that I would accomplish the objective to move the shelter and not modify it!”
“That means, the aliens can move the entire shelter after I left. It was a completely safe and easy move for them!”
