Chapter 395 – Living Ship
The navy taking on the army is a scene that is not easily seen in the history of warfare.
However, once it was accomplished, it was the scene of a one-sided massacre.
While the enemy cannot walk on water, due to the nature of this ship, it is possible to use weapons without the constraints of weight.
“If there were no sea monsters, would the infection war have progressed like this? “Build a large-scale camp on the coast and hold a sit-in with naval gunfire support.”
I imagined the battleships retired after World War II returning to active duty and cutting through the waters. It would be quite possible.
“Not only the battle, but many things have changed. Many governments would also have survived. Instead of running away, you can establish a base at sea and continue command.”
Artemis said while sipping black tea.
After wiping out the main infectious agent, there is a lull, and it is time for tea.
“No matter how numerous and dangerous the monster is, isn’t it ultimately the same as a warrior in the era of cold weapons? “If the sea had been healthy, no country would have become isolated.”
The most lethal thing in the infection war is not the initial tremendous infectiousness, billions of walkers, tens of billions of wild infections, or enhanced variants.
Marine monsters played a significant role in cutting off trade, supply routes, and connections between countries.
“It’s terrible.”
On the screen, reconnaissance drones continuously transmit the situation at the bombing site.
“It’s surprising to see the reaction of a veteran who has gone through countless battlefields.”
“Because this feels a bit different from the horror of a battle scene. “I felt like I was in a chicken factory where a cockerel fell into the grinder.”
Small fragments of flesh, eyes, fingers, etc. Roll throughout the ruins. Intestines are hanging like dried herbs on collapsed walls and windows.
It was much more gory than the result of a typical gunfight.
Slurp.
However, my wife, who is a matriarch, doesn’t mind and enjoys the refreshments.
Like a lieutenant colonel who likes the smell of napalm in the morning, her hobby is dissecting infectious agents.
As someone with nerves of steel (which may or may not be a metaphor), he doesn’t mind this arrangement.
“Try this too. “I applied the newly developed jam.”
I calmly take a cookie.
The brown cookie picked up by my white fingers stopped in front of my mouth.
Artemis has tuberculosis and hates having foreign substances on her hands.
There are only two cases where I am willing to accept what is asked and hold it in her hand.
One is when they try to feed me food like they do now. Instead of using a fork or chopsticks, pick it up with your bare hands.
The other one is… I will omit the detailed explanation.
Yum!
“How does it taste?”
“It’s not too sweet and has a deep scent.”
“It’s flavored with something else instead of sugar.”
I picked one up and put it in her mouth, and she happily accepted it.
I pushed the jam from my finger to her lips. A warm mouth and moist tongue come out to greet you and entangle you.
Wow!
I felt considerable pressure from my cutely pursed lips and withdrew her finger.
I put my index finger wet with her saliva in front of her nose.
Sniff.
“You look like a pervert. Why are you in charge of that?”
“I’m surprised I don’t smell like saliva.”
Saliva’s unique fishy yet somewhat unpleasant taste? There is no such smell.
It just smells as fresh as its clear color.
“My body smells good everywhere.”
She said proudly, placing her hand on her own heart.
So I tried to lift her armpit and got hit on her back.
Kiyiing.
Turret number 3 rotates and aims at the devastated ruins of the port.
There is a group of walkers struggling to climb over the collapsed bricks and concrete.
“They come in droves without getting tired of it. “We are not pilgrims going on an expedition to some holy place.”
The shattered ground is rough and muddy in places with mud and blood.
One walker slipped on fat and flesh from someone’s stomach.
Boom!!!
The ship’s guns spewed fire.
A huge explosion occurs and hundreds of kg of meat erupts and falls like rain.
Their finely chopped bodies join the muddy water. Now it will be a more difficult road to enter.
Drones also tracked those who crawled out of dens we couldn’t find, attracted by the noise of all-out war.
“The outpost construction will have to wait longer.”
The demolition team is dispatched immediately.
Since the main force was destroyed, the remnants were easily suppressed by squad-sized stalkers and the lair collapsed.
This repetitive work will continue for some time.
I turned off the detailed scene screen and checked the status of the patrol ship.
The hull shown by the drone is full of scratches here and there.
“There are more injuries than I thought. Did I drive it too rough?”
“You couldn’t help it. “There are limits to how we can avoid a coast full of sunken ships.”
As we got closer to the port, there was more scrap metal than water. I had to go in despite some conflict.
“If the former captain or navigator had seen it, he would have been scared, right?”
“Then. Boom! Boom! How ignorant must it have seemed to push in on sunken ships like breaking icicles?”
Although it looked refreshing, it was a scene that would have shocked sailors when they saw it.
‘How are we going to maintain that later?’
But this patrol ship is special.
Even if handled somewhat roughly, there is no problem and there is no need for maintenance after sailing.
“It is a ship that sheds its skin…”
As if the scars from before were a lie, the hull of the patrol ship came back to life with a smooth shine.
There are very few scratches, but they are minimal.
Plop!
The scarred outer shell peels off like skin and sinks to the bottom of the sea.
The harmony of inorganic and organic materials is a common feature of shelter combat weapons.
The ship’s hull, which faces the water, was made of a material similar to the shell of an arthropod.
Thanks to this, there is no smooth steel luster that comes to mind when thinking of a warship, but only a dark greenish-brown texture.
There were countless hexagonal patterns on the surface, making it look very sturdy.
The metal ones are various facilities and turrets mounted on the hull.
“How did you come up with the idea to create something like this? “Other inventions are great, but this is something that will change the history of sailing.”
“Hehe, praise me more.”
Artemis smugly brushed his hair behind his shoulder.
“It’s an idea I can’t even think of as someone with only one doctorate.”
He rubbed his hands and spoke in an overtly flattering manner, but he expressed sincere reverence.
This work is only possible if the pinnacle of both ship technology and biotechnology is reached.
“Removing barnacles periodically is such a tedious task.”
She pursues automation in all fields.
“I watched a few videos on YouTube of removing barnacles. At first glance, it seemed like a stress reliever, but it seemed like it would be hard work for me to manage it myself.”
Barnacles, which stick to the hull with tremendous vitality and reproductive ability, are marine pests that impede the mobility and fuel efficiency of ships.
“I didn’t even consider removing them one by one manually. How inefficient is it?”
Who would have thought that the greatest strength of self-reproducing organic matter could be combined with a ship.
I look at my wife with sincere respect.
“Huh, huh!”
Good luck!
Hello!
She poured some tea with her arms crossed, and she finished it in an instant.
She seems a little taken aback as she receives 100% pure awe instead of the usual practical jokes. Was I really that mischievous?
“One more drink.”
Artemis held out her cup to her side and Ayla, who was waiting, took it.
“It’s not made of iron, so it won’t rust, and simple maintenance can be done at sea without having to dock at a port.”
“Huh. Even if there is partial damage due to battle, collision, aging, etc., Just remove the skin and you are done! “Because new hulls are constantly growing inside.”
A typical ship would be afraid of a small crack opening while sailing, but this ship doesn’t have to worry about it.
“I wonder what the reaction will be if I show this ship to former ship mechanics and captains.”
Artemis’ eyes lit up at my words.
It is the fundamental desire of all advanced AIs to reveal their research results to humanity and experience their reactions.
“But can I just throw that skin in the sea?”
“Doesn’t care. Since it is organic, it will rot on its own if left unattended.”
“Well, if it were you, you would have calculated all that and made it.”
“Of course.”
No, there seems to be no need to wait for the skin to rot.
An underwater drone captured fish gathering to peck at the skin.
Boom!!!
Each time the bombardment is fired, the fish scatter in all directions, but quickly gather again to pecking at the skin.
The noise of the gunfire was noise, but the waves caused by the ship shaking due to the recoil seemed to be mistaken for the approach of a predator.
“Is it okay if the weight is too light?”
Organic materials are much lighter than iron.
Because of this, the ship shook even though guns of smaller caliber were used compared to the heavy guns of the World War II era.
“What if we load a lot of heavy luggage inside?”
“I will decline such undignified methods. “I will show you new results soon.”
The alternative, which she put a lot of thought into, was rejected outright. She instead sought to overcome, as she always did, through science and research.
Well, the lighter it is, the greater the advantages of increased fuel efficiency and cargo capacity. Because we need cargo ships more than warships.
Before we knew it, the number of fish gathered in the slough had doubled or tripled.
As the bombardment continued, they gradually became less agitated and focused only on tearing away the skin.
“Does it taste good?”
“I wasn’t particularly concerned about that, but I think I need to improve on this as well.”
“I guess there’s a need for that.”
We cannot be certain that we will only deal with infectious agents forever.
“When the human army is our opponent, we can guess the location of our ship by watching the fish entangle.”
I nodded at Artemis’ words.
“Is this the second coming of D-ration chocolate?”
It reminded me of the chocolate supplied to the US military during World War II, which was famous for being tasteless.
It is said that they made it tasteless on purpose because if it was delicious, they would usually eat all the chocolate they had to use to replenish calories during battle.
As she watched the fish excitedly peeling their skin, she felt history spinning around.
“Fool. It’s different from that.”
Artemis chuckled and put a chocolate cookie into his mouth.
And then, as if revenge for what happened earlier, he shoved his index finger into his mouth.
As I held her fingers with passion, the corners of her beautiful eyes curved like the crescent moon.
Wow!
The delicate index finger that came out of her mouth came to rest in front of her pointed nose.
Little nostrils that twitch cutely.
“It sucks.”
Artemis frowned.
“Hey!”
I got angry for a moment.
* * *
After a few more days, the bridgehead in Shandong Province was completed.
The area is full of tasty mines and resource deposits, but there is no need to delve into them right away.
Shandong Province is a coastal city and one of the last bastions designated as a safe zone by the Chinese government.
This is where a large amount of stockpiled supplies are located.
[Raw materials warehouse found.]
A stalker scout has reported.
Bang!
Hercules headbutts the red rusty iron door.
Hinges, screws, and fasteners are broken in that one blow.
Kuddudd.
When the door opened with a loud dissonant sound, colorful ingots were piled up inside.
There are many damaged materials in unmanaged warehouses due to moisture and mold growth.
Still, it is a big harvest.
[Hehe… Kieee…]
An infected person wearing a dirty hard hat collapsed in the corner and glared at the intruders.
The body is as dry as a mummy and even has mushrooms and mold growing on it. It just sticks to the ground and stares, unable to get up.
Slurp!
With one shot, the tired head drops.
The warehouse manager’s job, which had lasted six years, perhaps longer, was over. Even though we weren’t the guests he wanted.
