Chapter 368: Rocket Assault Boat
Snow Bird Harbor.
Inside the sewer.
Bing Xiao and the others stumbled and panted, finally coming to a halt.
He tapped the sewer wall once more, revealing a small shipyard.
There were no torches in the shipyard, but cultivated glowing moss provided a dim blue-green light.
Spring Boxer could barely make out the shape of a ship hidden within the dock.
The ship's design was peculiar.
It resembled an arrow magnified many times over.
The bow resembled a bullet, the hull a long cylindrical body adorned with various totems, and the stern resembled a grass skirt covered in yellow-green thatch.
Bing Xiao introduced it to the others: "This is a rocket assault boat. As you can see, it is a beastman warship."
“Beastman?” Spring Boxer expressed his surprise, “What kind of alchemy technology could they possibly have?”
Bing Xiao quickly glanced at Xiong Ju.
Xiong Ju felt nothing.
Though he was a beastman, he was born and raised in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom and lacked the typical beastman mindset.
Bing Xiao finally replied to Spring Boxer, "You're right; beastman alchemy isn't as advanced as ours. But they do have their own unique techniques."
"Like this ship you see here, it uses the totem painting technique of beastman shamans. The kingdom's alchemy techniques can't detect it."
"We have sufficient funds to prepare better ships. But magic ships using the kingdom's or common alchemy techniques are likely to be detected."
“We have hidden four or five rocket assault boats in the sewers of Snow Bird Harbor, but they have never been exposed.”
The human ringleader nodded in realization: “I see.”
He then asked, “Are we going to escape Snow Bird Harbor using these ships?”
Bing Xiao nodded: “That's correct.”
“Snow Bird Harbor is surrounded by land on three sides and only faces the sea on one side.”
“Traveling by land is too slow, and there are numerous checkpoints, making it difficult to evade pursuers.”
“But taking the sea route is different.”
“We can escape the Ice Sculpture Kingdom or, after leaving Snow Bird Harbor, take a detour and head toward other ports.”
Xiong Ju worried, "But the magician towers in Snow Bird Harbor must have already been activated. And the patrol fleets..."
Bing Xiao smiled slightly, “It seems you don't understand rocket assault boats.”
“These magic ships are disposable consumables, and their most distinctive feature is their straight-line speed, which is extremely swift!”
“The rocket assault boats we've prepared are all silver level, but their maximum speed can reach 35 knots.”
"35 knots?!" Everyone was shocked.
Silver level magic power ships typically had a normal speed of less than 25 knots. The rocket assault boat's speed was 10 knots faster, which was quite impressive.
Gold level magic power ships typically had speeds of 28 or 29 knots, with most below 30 knots. The underwater speed of the Deep Sea Monster Fish was only 32 knots.
A silver level rocket assault boat could reach 35 knots, surpassing even the Deep Sea Monster Fish. One could only imagine how fast it was!
Although Xiong Ju, Spring Boxer, and others were all gang members, they had lived in harbor cities for years and had a decent understanding of speed concepts.
When they heard the unimaginable speed of 35 knots, they were both surprised and delighted.
However, Bing Xiao poured cold water on their excitement: “Don't get too excited.”
“The rocket assault boat needs time to accelerate to reach its maximum speed.”
"Even when it reaches maximum speed, it can only maintain it for a short time. By the time the rocket assault boat sinks, we'll be out of the magician tower's attack range, but we won't have completely left the patrol fleet's patrol area."
Spring Boxer asked, “What do we do then?”
Bing Xiao stared at him: “The magic ship coming to pick us up has already reached the designated location.”
He then scanned the others: “The most dangerous part of the journey is the next segment.”
“Space is limited in the rocket assault boat. Spring Boxer and I will go together, the two of you will go together, and the remaining rocket assault boats will also be activated to serve as decoys.”
“The assault boats will emerge from the sewer and be exposed at the dock.”
“As soon as we surface, the magician tower's attacks will rain down on us.”
“Our assault routes will not be consistent, which will help split up the enemy forces.”
“This boat is for the two of you. Spring Boxer, come with me.”
Bing Xiao guided Xiong Ju and the human ringleader onto the rocket assault boat.
The boarding method for this ship was also unique, with a beast totem opening its mouth to reveal the interior space.
Once the totem closed its mouth, the exterior of the assault boat remained seamless and without any gaps.
Xiong Ju and the human ringleader entered the narrow, cramped cabin, leaving barely any room to move.
Especially Xiong Ju, with his imposing build, was squeezed inside, forced to bend his head and hunch his back, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
The two were stunned. The human ringleader hurriedly asked, "Wait, old gang leader, where's the steering wheel? Without it, how can we maneuver the ship?"
Bing Xiao scoffed, “Even if I gave you the steering wheel, could you operate it?”
“Do you have any experience maneuvering a sea vessel?”
The human ringleader fell silent.
Bing Xiao continued, “Considering this, that's why we opted for rocket assault boats.”
“Once these boats launch, they're like arrows fired from a bow—they won't change direction; they'll charge straight ahead.”
“So, there are no components for steering the direction.”
“I understand,” Xiong Ju nodded.
Bing Xiao said, “When the time is right, I will activate all the assault boats, and then we will charge out together.”
After making arrangements for Xiong Ju and the Human ringleader, Bing Xiao led Spring Boxer as they jogged to another shipyard.
The two followed the previous method, activating the totem, and entered the rocket assault boat.
The interior space of this ship was similar to the previous one.
However, neither Bing Xiao nor Spring Boxer had Xiong Ju's build, so the space felt much more spacious.
Bing Xiao pulled out a crystal ball from his chest.
This crystal ball had been given to him by the suicide squad who had rescued them earlier.
Bing Xiao infused it with his battle qi and mentally manipulated the crystal ball.
The crystal ball quickly displayed the scene of the magician tower, then flickered, showing the dock, and flickered again, revealing the gang members in the dimly lit streets.
Spring Boxer was startled: “These people...”
His eyes turned red.
He recognized many familiar faces.
These were all veteran gang members, like Bing Xiao, who had retired.
There were also many die-hard gang members.
These people were about to cover their retreat, and their fate was predictable.
Bing Xiao didn't turn around, but he knew what Spring Boxer was thinking: “Many of them were betrayed by traitors and have been hiding in the city these past few days.”
“They'll follow us and escape together.”
“This is their best chance to escape.”
“So that's how it is!” Spring Boxer's eyes lit up, “But how will they get out?”
Bing Xiao laughed: “Our Bayonet Gang has ships, but most of the ones on the surface have probably been seized.”
“There are still some ships in secret that can leave the harbor.”
“The number of ships might not be enough.”
"But it doesn't matter. I believe that for this golden opportunity, they will resort to any means necessary—stealing or looting—even if it's just a fishing boat. As long as they can break out a short distance and be met by the magic ships arranged for them, they'll have escaped to safety!"
“Next, let's stir up chaos throughout Snow Bird Harbor.”
As soon as Bing Xiao finished speaking, the crystal ball erupted like fireworks, with a series of explosions unleashing waves of fire and heat.
Countless citizens screamed in terror, panicking and fleeing in all directions.
The ground trembled faintly.
The entire Snow Bird Harbor was plunged into chaos.
Bing Xiao laughed triumphantly, “This should keep the city Lord busy for a while.”
Spring Boxer stared in disbelief at the horrific scene in the crystal ball, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
Bing Xiao said, “Don't worry, the explosion sites were carefully designed.”
“The main purpose was to create chaos while minimizing civilian casualties.”
“Especially among the lower classes.”
“Most of the bombs were planted in areas close to the city government palace, where the residents are either wealthy or noble, and their homes already have strong defensive capabilities.”
“Due to the tight schedule, to ensure secrecy, our bombs couldn't be placed at critical locations.”
“But when these people panic, they will inevitably seek help from the city Lord.”
“The city Lord cannot ignore these people; they are his political base.”
"In my estimation, the city Lord will likely dispatch the city guard to stabilize the situation, with the defensive focus on those wealthy districts. This way, we’ll face far fewer obstacles.”
Bing Xiao explained at length, and the image in the crystal ball shifted to the dock.
At the dock, the ships of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were bustling with activity as they hurriedly set up defenses.
The dragonman youngster had already sent a message back, and he himself was on his way back swiftly.
Zong Ge led most of the mercenaries out to sea for training and had not yet returned. Tripleblade naturally stayed close by, accompanied by the silver level gunner Chi Lai.
Fortunately, the dwarf Men Shi had stayed behind.
In recent days, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had recruited many dwarves from outside.
As one of the eight harbors, Snow Bird Harbor was home to a diverse formation of races, with dwarves being particularly numerous.
This was evident from the leadership of the Bayonet Gang: the dwarf population is so large that the gang had appointed a dwarf ringleader to serve as a bridge between the gang and the dwarf community.
As a dwarf, Men Shi was seen as a symbol by the dragonman youngster, playing an irreplaceable role in recruiting dwarves and soothing newly joined dwarves.
At this moment, Zi Di was still aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
However, the alchemy puppet impersonating her had already flown to the mast, overlooking the surroundings from above.
Men Shi boarded the flagship's deck, looked up at her, and hurriedly called out, “Magician Yao Ma, please come down immediately.”
In an emergency, the magicians had to hide themselves to prevent being ambushed by enemies.
But Zi Di, relying on her alchemy puppet form, shook her head and said, “Let me cast a reconnaissance spell first.”
As soon as she finished speaking, all the sewer outlets along the dock's shoreline erupted simultaneously, spewing thick, emerald-green oil.
The oil quickly covered the water surface near the dock, and one by one, elemental forms emerged from the oil, attacking randomly in all directions.
Zi Di's pupils contracted slightly: “This color... it's the swamp oil elemental!”
“Do not use firearms, and do not use rockets.”
“This swamp oil not only ignites easily but may also cause explosions!”