NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58 - The Gunner Is In Place
Chapter 58: The Gunner Is In Place
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Paddle! Raft! Elves are coming from the island!”
Such a voice sounded from outside the window.
Kang De’s expression turned cold. “They came so quickly.”
He seemed to have underestimated the decisiveness of these elves.
Burn the ship? Then paddle over!
This news did not only reach Kang De, but also the Goethe officers as quickly as possible. In a moment, Captain Oswald’s voice sounded on the deck.
“Mr. Kang De! Mr. Kang De!”
The captain called out anxiously.
“I’m here! Wait!”
Kang De replied loudly. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let’s go to the deck!”
The parrot led the way. Kang De and the animals broke through to the deck from another path. The captain had already climbed onto the main mast observation deck and was looking into the distance.
Kang De looked around and did not see Knight. “Where’s Cleveland?”
“The knight is leading the team to eliminate the stubborn elves!” The captain replied, “It’s good that you’re safe and sound. Now, I’ll command the sailors to resist these elves who swam over from the island. Please leave!”
Kang De looked up and replied, “There’s no need. My companions and I can help in the battle!”
“With all due respect, sir, other than the order of the princess to protect you, although you’re brave and powerful, you don’t seem to have any experience in naval battles. On such a narrow battlefield, experience and cooperation are more important than pure courage!” The captain shouted, “Therefore, please return to the cabin!”
These words were mature and reasonable. Unfortunately, Kang De was not someone who blindly listened to authority. His family had once taught him that if he was not convinced, he did not have to give in.
He said, “Captain, you don’t have enough people. If things develop to the point of a naval battle, the situation will not be optimistic. I have a better suggestion. Do you want to hear it?”
The captain frowned.
In front of a great enemy, the situation was urgent. If it was the subordinates on the ship who questioned his orders and argued with him, they would most likely be thrown into the sea.
However, this Cathayan was not his subordinate, and it was the person the princess had ordered him to protect.
Most importantly, he was very good at fighting.
Moreover, his animal companions were also very good at fighting.
He even suspected that Kang De was a Druid because only a Druid could nurture so many damned animals… Under such circumstances, he could not clash with a powerful force.
When he thought of this, he suppressed the displeasure in his heart and said, “The situation is urgent. If you have any ideas, I’m willing to listen to them, but please be quick.”
Kang De replied, “The answer is very simple. Our side is at a disadvantage in numbers and can’t let the elves board the ship. In that case, we’ll eliminate the other party on the way to charge… with the ballista on the ship!”
There were five huge ballistae on both sides of the Wayne Wings, and ten on the second deck.
When Kang De boarded the ship, he was shocked by these big fellows because this ballista was indeed very powerful. It was even more complicated than the Roman torque ballista. The talent of the elves for shooting was indeed displayed to the extreme. These ten ballistae had rotary cannon mounts, gear transmission structures, and various accessories that he did not know but could guess their use… Just from the structural process, it could be said to be a masterpiece of pure mechanical structure.
Let’s put it this way. If such a thing appeared on Earth, it would definitely be pursued and collected by enthusiasts. In this world, it should be a terrifying war weapon for the elves.
Then the train of thought was very simple.
In the US-Russia war, the Alloy-1 team and the SEAL team dived into the Hudson River and raided the Oscar II class nuclear submarine. After snatching control of the submarine, they poured its full load of long-range cruise missiles on the surrounding Russian fleet, forcing them to retreat from the east coast of the United States. This action of using the enemy’s weapons to attack the enemy was a very classic tactic.
If they could do it, so could Kang De.
When the captain heard Kang De’s plan, disappointment and anger flashed through his eyes.
He had thought that this Cathayan was eloquent and would definitely have a valuable opinion. He did not expect it to be such an idea.
However, considering the other party’s ability and combat strength, he still patiently explained quickly, “It’s a very good idea, but it’s not practical. Firstly, our manpower is not enough to raise the sail and change the direction of the ship. Under such circumstances, there are less than three ballistae that can successfully shoot the target.”
“Secondly, there’s not enough ammunition. There are only three bolts per ballista. The other ammunition is stored in the arsenal. That’s one of the strongholds where the remaining elves are resisting stubbornly.”
“Thirdly, it’s late at night. Our goal is only the elves holding the raft. They’re very scattered, and our gunner can’t accurately observe the exact location of the enemy. It’s very difficult to shoot.”
“In addition, without a spellcaster to inject energy into the special crossbow, our crossbow is only a simple crossbow. It can’t unleash an area-of-effect killing effect, and the difficulty of shooting has increased further. Do you understand?”
He sighed, “Thank you for helping, but now, I have to command the defense. If you really want to do something, you can help Knight Cleveland…”
Kang De said, “Parrot, wolverine, go help the knight… Don’t let those elves jump over the wall in a hurry and want to sink the ship or something. Otherwise, we won’t be able to snatch anything. Be careful.”
This statement was easier to convince them.
The parrot shouted, “Face the wind!”
A few small animals immediately ran in the direction of the cabin.
Seeing this, anger flashed through the captain’s eyes, “Mr. Kang De…”
Kang De ignored his anger. He calmly walked towards one of the ballistae. “Captain, do you plan to waste your time arguing with me, or do you plan to do something more meaningful? Please send me a few sailors who know how to operate the ballista. I’ll prove it to you.”
The captain’s sharp gaze almost turned into a blade that nailed Kang De.
Kang De only calmly looked back at him.
A moment later, the captain shouted, “Oliver! Bring your assistant and report to Mr. Kang De!”
Soon, a few Goethe people ran to Kang De and pounded their chests in salute.
Kang De took a look. Oh, it was an acquaintance. He had been beaten up by him previously and had seen the resources provided by the good person, Kang De.
“Mr. Oliver, right? You bumped into me today… If everything goes well, you’ll be commended by your country and my personal gratitude.”
Mr. Kang revealed a life-long smile. “You know.”
Mr. Oliver immediately revealed a smile that all men understood. “Just give the order!”
Kang De waved his hand, indicating that he should follow him.
Oliver had three assistants. The four of them operated the ballista. They came to the ballista with Kang De. He turned to him and asked, “The pillar… I mean Oliver, you’re the ballista operator?”
Oliver smiled proudly. “Sir, the best gunner on the Penguin.”
Kang De pointed at the huge heavy ballista on this base. “Can you use elf goods too?”
Oliver quickly replied, “Yes! Be it the Elven Ballista or the Human Ballista, they both used the technical design of dwarven engineers. The difference in performance during this period almost only stems from the difference in materials and small details. Although we can’t unleash the greatest performance of this ballista, we can control it.”
Kang De asked again, “I heard from the captain that we can’t shoot with the ballista. The greatest problem comes from the vision problem in the darkness and the energy injection problem of the ballista?”
Oliver said loudly, “Yes!”
He was not impatient at all.
After all, he was only a ballista officer on the ship. His rank was not high and he did not have the arrogance and prestige of a captain. Moreover, he had a mixture of awe and admiration for Kang De, far deeper than the captain.
After all, not only could Kang De fight, but he also had guts.
The former could win his respect, and the latter could make him a bootlicker.
Kang De nodded in satisfaction.
Oliver’s attitude pleased him.
“Then I’ll resolve the first problem.”
He took out a pair of sunglasses from his backpack and handed them to Oliver. “Try them on. Do you know how to use them?”
“This is a little like the wind-proof goggles of a Griffin Knight…”
Oliver put on these sunglasses. The muscular Goethe man instantly turned into a man in sunglasses. He exclaimed, “By the Sea God! Is this a magic accessory?”
In his vision, everything around him was suffused with a faint cold light.
It was as if he had the vision of a cat.
The enchantment of the talisman that could see in the darkness had already been drawn on the sunglasses by Kang De.
It was very useful.
Kang De asked, “With this, can you locate the direction of the elves and determine the shooting angle?”
Oliver said firmly, “Of course! With this, even if I can only use ordinary crossbows, I’m confident that I can maintain a hit rate of about 40% and directly nail the elf raft!”
“There’s no need because we have better crossbows.”
Kang De reached into his bag and held a magic crystal he had found in Master Rackles’ room. His mind spread out, and he extracted and decomposed it. A huge elemental power surged into his body.
He said, “Start loading the arrows now. Adjust the direction and positioning. Be prepared to fire. Hurry.”
Oliver carried out Kang De’s order without hesitation.
In the hearts of these Goethe sailors, Kang De was very prestigious. Not only was he able to fight, but he was also an admired resource owner. The reverence of men was sometimes that simple.
Kang De saw the shocking beauty of the mechanical design of the other world.
This ballista was the product of pure mechanical work. It was completely driven by human strength and relied on the mechanical structure to the greatest extent to do the best in this aspect… Earth would definitely be able to design such a thing, but there was no need. Therefore, this was the first time Kang De had seen such a thing.
It was too exciting.
It was simply a man’s romance.
He watched as a few Goethe men continuously turned unknown handles and push bars, adjusting the direction of the ballista. The ballista had a firing seat, like an anti-aircraft gun from World War II. Oliver sat on it, adjusting some small accessories, continuously giving orders, and staring into the distance to observe.
The gunner was in place.
The two assistants placed the thick and long crossbow bolt in the firing slot and pulled the upper bar back and forth. The transmission structure that worked back and forth stretched the thick composite crossbow string back until it was stuck.
After Oliver finished marking, he looked at Kang De.
Kang De pressed his hand on the arrowhead of the crossbow.
A huge element surged out and pushed the enchantment.
Then, he retreated and nodded at the other party.
Oliver looked up to observe and made the last adjustment. Then, he suddenly stepped on the trigger.
With a muffled sound, the ballista vibrated. The crossbow bolt whistled out and swept into the distance.
There seemed to be a remnant light spot in the air.
“Maintain your strength and advance quickly on this foundation!” Myron ordered in a low voice. Some of the surrounding rangers squatted on the raft, and some simply jumped into the sea. The precious space on the raft was used to store bows and arrows. Although the elves’ craftsmanship had a certain waterproof effect, not touching water could undoubtedly maintain the greatest shooting performance.
They were anxious to avenge themselves and were worried that the Wayne Wings would fall into the hands of the enemy and embarrass the entire Royal Navy. The belief that the elves were invincible in the world maintained their high morale. They were anxious to return to the Wayne Wings and kill all the bold invaders.
As the commander, Myron was continuously encouraging the soldiers, “There’s no need to be afraid. Our comrades must be resisting in blood, and we don’t have to worry that the enemy will use our ballista. How can they see in the dark? The casters can’t mobilize their magic power, so they can’t activate the special crossbows. Even if they have a way to fire, they’re no threat to us. Speed up and board the ship! Kill them all!”
At this moment, a familiar buzzing sound approached.
Myron subconsciously shouted, “The crossbow is attacking!”
With a bang, the huge crossbow bolt shot into the sea, causing huge waves. Before the elves could mock this accuracy, blue lightning surged and erupted!
The seawater conducting electricity surged. Terrifying lightning suddenly spread, and the surrounding seawater turned into a lightning pool!
The elves in the sea immediately suffered. Before they could scream, they were electrocuted until their entire bodies were numb and they sank straight into the sea. Although the wood could not conduct electricity, a lot of seawater still splashed up! The water floating everywhere carried sharp lightning, and many elves on the raft were electrocuted into the water!
Adjutant Myron’s eyes widened and his mind went blank. Although he was not attacked by the electric current, everything in front of him still shocked and confused him. This was the Holy Seal Islands. Why could the special crossbow be activated?
However, in the next moment, he was shocked awake.
Now was not the time to pursue this problem.
Instead…
Regret and fear swept through his heart. He shouted, “Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
Ordering his subordinates to charge desperately could not be considered a bad idea, because the ballista had the smallest angle to shoot, but he had already seen the Wayne Wings raising the sail.
This meant that the Goethe people had already grasped the maneuverability of the ship.
Therefore, he could only retreat.
Adjutant Myron roared, “Retreat! Retreat!”
His face was covered in water droplets. It was unknown if they were seawater or tears, but he had undoubtedly made the wrong decision. Many elves died because of this, and unwillingness and pain gnawed at his heart.
Facing this attack, the elves were in chaos. Some wanted to save their companions, but some were confused. After hearing Myron’s order, everyone was stunned for a few seconds. After all, they were not especially elite.
At this moment, the second crossbow bolt attacked.
Myron’s eyes widened as he roared, “Retreat! Run! Ahhhh!”