Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 861 - 22: Boarding Competition and Punishment (Three updates, 10,000 words)

Chapter 861: Chapter 22: Boarding Competition and Punishment (Three updates, 10,000 words)

An hour later, the destroyer was the first to reach the area marked on the handheld console. Tang Zheng did not let everyone familiarize themselves with the ship’s weapon systems; instead, he let them eat, drink, rest, and gather their strength, preparing for the second stage of the game that was to come.

With soldiers standing guard, Tang Zheng finally had the chance to be lazy and had a good sleep. Jing Xiang and Pang Meiqin really wanted to harass him, but unfortunately, Lu Fan was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping by his side, preventing the two women from taking action.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly on the sea surface, where a steamy mist rose, making one feel as though they were living in a steamer.

"Such beautiful seascape should be enjoyed wearing a bikini, applying sunscreen, and lounging on a sun chair on the deck to bask in the sunlight, not here organizing equipment, waiting for a skirmish," Pang Meiqin, who was in the bridge, said as she looked out at the sea where the water and the sky merged into one. She pursed her lips, feeling so bored it was driving her mad. "That loveless Tang Zheng can go die."

Gu Xueqi walked on the deck, deep in thought, poking the floor with a dagger, tracing a thin line.

By evening, three armed speedboats finally arrived.

"Ha, I’ll go say hello to them." Lu Fan, who was well-fed and idle, finally found something fun to do. He jumped onto the anti-aircraft gun and aimed it at the patrol boats that were slowing down.

Bang, bang, bang, in the midst of the loud sound of gunfire, the oversized shell traced an arc before crashing into the sea, causing gigantic columns of water to rise seven or eight meters into the air.

Dantai also ran to the stern deck and manned another anti-aircraft gun, firing warning shots.

"Have these two gone mad? They’ve got Power Armor; if they fly over here and shoot wildly, we’ll definitely be sunk," Sha Ou said, scratching his head, feeling that Tang Zheng should discipline Lu Fan. As for Dantai, the second-in-command of the team often felt invisible and lacked presence.

"Those two aren’t thinking about sinking the enemy. They’re just trying to scare the newbies, keeping those unlucky guys on edge so they’ll burn through a lot of energy and feel tired," Tang Zheng explained as he came out, instantly revealing Dantai’s intention.

Every victory in battle comes from accumulating little advantages, and Dantai was the kind of person who would bite the enemy every chance he got.

"Group Leader, could I borrow your telescope for a moment?" Shen Qingshuang actually understood Dantai’s intention but, being a newbie, she wasn’t sure about Sha Ou’s temper, so she didn’t speak up. Seeing that Tang Zheng seemed approachable, she quickly asked to borrow the telescope to gather some intelligence.

Tang Zheng assessed the composed man before him and handed over the telescope.

"Thank you." Shen Qingshuang’s attitude was neither humble nor overbearing, and once she started working, she was very focused.

"Those bastards, I want to sink them." Fire blazed in Fleischer’s eyes as he was about to launch an anti-ship missile, but Lena stopped him.

"He wants to keep you on edge. Don’t fall for it. They won’t dare to sink our ship because they won’t be able to escape," Lena reassured the panicked newbies, then turned to the slacker. "Don the Hellfire and fly a round; they’ll stop fire then."

Yannick had moved even faster, shooting out like a meteor. There was no choice; before the might of the destroyer, their small crafts stood no chance, and the newbies not being scared would be truly surprising.

Yannick blasted two Impact Beams toward the deck, careful not to kill anyone, as the situation had reached a stalemate. After all, once Hellfire was deployed, all four teams’ boats were as good as gone.

Lu Fan hopped down from the anti-aircraft gun and whispered to Tang Zheng, "It doesn’t matter if this one sinks; I’ve still got a cruise ship."

"Let’s see how it plays out first," Qin Yan said, not wanting to indulge in risky maneuvers.

The four boats stopped in the water, waiting silently. When the full moon rose, an aircraft carrier approached, and this behemoth of a steel warship, like a sea monster, immediately stunned all the survivors.

"Please board the aircraft carrier within five minutes and assemble on the forward deck. Anyone who is late will be deemed a failure and will be punished. Note, attacking other teams’ members is not permitted, nor is causing injuries, which will be punished."

The Blue Trojan once again issued the notice, and no one dared to linger. They sped towards the warship to board it, the female university student whose hand had been amputated as a punishment being a stark reminder that nobody wanted to follow in her footsteps.

The Conquerors all wanted to grab the top spot, which related to the acquisition of the Fearless title. Thus most of them did not bother with the newbies but rushed using their methods to the deck. After all, attacking newbies was forbidden and no one would die, but they weren’t too extreme, leaving someone skilled at piloting behind to bring the boat under the aircraft carrier.

"Tang Zheng, you take a few people and go first; I’ll take care of the main group," Dantai did not abandon the newbies, because doing so would definitely alienate these soldiers.

"I leave it to you," Tang Zheng said as he activated his Power Armor, holding Lu Fan, Yu Manli, and Ruan Feifei as he flew up first. These three women covered long-range, close combat, and mass killing; if a fight broke out, they could hold their own for a while.

All four teams prepared rope ladders, but the nearly 70 meters above the waterline was a challenging ascent for the untrained newbies.

Xu Changtai’s team did not leave anyone behind to maintain order, so the newbies scrambled into a mess, all wanting to be the first to climb up. The two German teams were quite orderly because the Conquerors maintained discipline, but predictably, the stronger newbies climbed first, while weaklings like flight attendants could only go last.