Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe-Chapter 63 - 61: The Confident "Navigator

Edward opened the envelope his attendant handed him.

The envelope contained basic data and intelligence on the target Silver ship.

It included the ship’s displacement, size, serial number, equipment, and—for Edward—the most important piece of information: the "core frequency."

Most people paid no mind to a statistic like "core frequency."

However, this was the most crucial piece of data for Edward’s Navigator skill.

"First, let me take a guess?"

"When a Silver ship is built, the core used is a Sailing Crystal. The fluctuation frequency of a meteorite core is between 4253 and 5762. Since this Silver ship’s serial number is 23333, which is about the median for Silver-class vessels, its core fluctuation frequency should be around 5100."

"Heh, it’s 5138. I was right. It matches the information you provided. The margin for error is small."

Edward looked up, his expression clearly begging for praise.

Demon Sword ignored him completely.

"How long will it take to find it?" she asked.

"There are about twenty Silver ships in the world with a similar frequency. This submarine of mine is quite fast; fifteen days will be plenty of time. It’s a good thing you’re looking for a Silver ship. If your target were a Bronze-class vessel, I wouldn’t have been able to accept this commission... The workload would be far too great."

"Besides, I’m doing this as a favor. I’m not even getting half a Sea Crystal Stone in payment, you know."

Edward complained.

"Twenty of them? Are you going to pay each one a visit?"

Demon Sword ignored his complaints, having no interest whatsoever in what benefits Edward might receive.

After all, the Black Society had paid a heavy price: 150 Pure Dome Crystals.

’Besides, half an hour has passed, and he still hasn’t even invited me to sit.’

’This blondie has no grasp of even the most basic etiquette.’

’Crude and sleazy.’

"Of course not. I’d rather not make that many enemies." Edward put down the documents and looked at Demon Sword with a confident smile. "We just need to sit here in the submarine and confirm from a distance, underwater. Those Silver ships won’t be able to detect us. By the way, you can recognize your Black Society’s target drifter, right?"

"What do you think?"

"Good. Ah, Miss Demon Sword, this Navigator skill of mine can only perceive meteorite fluctuations and use the stars to pinpoint a location; it’s completely lacking in combat ability. For the time being, my safety will be completely in your hands, Miss Demon Sword."

"Michael is comfortable with you running a mission alone?"

"It shows our trust in our partners, Miss Demon Sword."

"Just call me Demon Sword."

’Even the air feels sleazy,’ Demon Sword thought.

"Alright, Miss Demon Sword. By the way, you’ve been standing for half an hour," Edward asked quizzically. "Is this some kind of training for combat-type Awakened?"

...

...

...

To make it easier to kill the attacking Ocean Sea Beasts, Shi Ming used the day’s third upgrade from his Brain of Creation on the submachine gun he had retrieved from the captain’s quarters of the *Yellowstone*.

Though the submachine gun looked battered and broken, he could still feel its substantial weight in his hands.

A nameplate engraved with "Lighthouse 101" was affixed to its frame. The plate’s unique metal had still corroded under the water pressure, leaving only the lettering discernible.

’This was the gun the captain of the *Yellowstone* had displayed in the most prominent spot, right alongside the King Slayer Saber. It had to be extraordinary.’

[Thomson M9711-Type Submachine Gun]

[Level 4]

[A classic, high-powered submachine gun and a core piece of Lighthouse firearm technology! Its bullet weight can reach 350 grains, its rate of fire can reach 700 rounds per minute, and its effective range is 180 meters. Its power is extraordinary! It is capable of inflicting effective damage against some sea beasts and Awakened with lower Defense Power.]

[Unfortunately, it has been corroded by seawater and is now nothing more than a piece of scrap metal!] 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[Upgrade requirements: High-Level Sea Crystal Stone x3, Iron Ore x10, Any Broken Chip x1]

This was exactly the kind of weapon Shi Ming needed.

Upgrade!

A minute later, as he felt the submachine gun before him transform from a dilapidated wreck into a brand-new weapon, a system prompt appeared in his vision.

[Upgrade Successful.]

[Thomson M9711-Type Submachine Gun+]

[Level 5]

[Utilizes vector mechanics recoil control technology and hydraulic buffering, reducing the corresponding recoil while also becoming lighter! Overall weight is only 5kg! Bullet weight can reach 350 grains! Rate of fire can reach 700 rounds per minute! Effective range is 200 meters. Its power is extraordinary! It can now inflict fatal damage against some sea beasts and Awakened with lower Defense Power!]

[Upgrade Requirements: High-Level Sea Crystal Stone x10, Iron Ore x20, Any Broken Chip x3]

’Not bad, not bad.’

’Before this, my only ranged weapon was that system-rewarded pistol. Though light and easy to carry, it really fell short against Awakened. Plus, its potential was low, with very little room for growth.’

’Never mind anything else, last time against Chunyi, I fired three shots with that pistol and didn’t deal any damage whatsoever.’

This upgraded submachine gun felt like he’d traded a peashooter for a cannon.

’This was the result of getting it to Level 5, after all.’

’It’s lighter, has less recoil, and is easier to control. Its power has also been boosted, enough to be fatal to some low-defense Awakened. A typical D- or C-rank Awakened only has an average Defense Power of about 20. I doubt they could survive a spray from this Level 5 submachine gun.’

’If I were to face an Awakened like Chunyi again, I wouldn’t even need to engage him directly. I could easily blow his head apart from a hundred meters away!’

’Of course, its actual power still remains to be tested.’

Shi Ming picked up the 5kg submachine gun.

The gun came loaded with plenty of bullets, and since it used a common type of ammunition, there were many more in the ship’s storage hold.

Amid the shrouding mist, he settled the submachine gun’s stock into his shoulder.

About thirty meters away floated a rather large Mist Jellyfish. While not a D-rank Ocean Sea Beast, it would be a good target to get a feel for the weapon.

Shi Ming’s pupils narrowed to a focal point. The instant he locked onto the target, his steady finger squeezed the trigger.

The upgraded vector recoil system converted the violent kickback into a dull, downward pressure. With a BANG, the gun’s frame barely jumped three millimeters in Shi Ming’s grip as three copper-jacketed steel-core bullets shot out of the muzzle in a tight triangular grouping.

In the blink of an eye, the bullets struck the jellyfish, causing a murky red mist to erupt.

A jellyfish’s body was gelatinous, meaning they generally couldn’t be killed by bullets. Ordinary rounds would just pass through their bodies, leaving only a momentary cavity and failing to inflict effective damage.

But this Level 5 gun was no ordinary weapon.

HISSS!

The instant it was hit, the enormous Mist Jellyfish’s bell contracted and turned a deathly pale. Its countless tentacles slapped convulsively against the surface of the sea, kicking up a salty mist thick with various kinds of slime! It was in its final death throes.

Shi Ming squeezed the trigger again, and the hyper-velocity bullets seared incandescent tunnels through the jellyfish’s body!

THUMP!

The Mist Jellyfish stopped convulsing. Its bell, like a glass dome stripped of its frame, collapsed into the inky seawater and began to slowly sink.

Shi Ming lowered the submachine gun.

’The power is immense, just as I’d thought.’

’Looks like tonight’s jellyfish salad is sorted.’