Diverting Trouble Elsewhere

It wasn't until Beianqi said the new propellant was ready and needed testing that Su Ming had the skeleton steer the ship to the outer perimeter of the fleet, specifically choosing a spot where the Golden Barrel could see it.

The three men dropped several wooden barrels at sea as targets, then drove ten kilometers away and fired several shots at the targets, creating towering columns of water on the sea.

Of course, Beianqi didn't demonstrate the MK71's actual reload speed; instead, she slowed it down by more than twenty times.

"That's about right. The muzzle velocity has reached 780 meters per second, and the propellant charge has been reduced to 41.7 kilograms. The maximum range should exceed 30 kilometers," said Beianqi. "Next, we need to make the firing tables. I'll first calculate a theoretical set, and then calibrate it using actual data."

Beianqi returned to her cabin and continued working. Su Ming couldn't teach her how to use a computer in a short time, so he gave her a function calculator, and soon the sound of "return, return, return, zero" echoed in the workroom.

The Golden Barrel quickly contacted them, apologizing for yesterday's events and inviting them aboard for a banquet.

Zijin and Su Ming refused without hesitation, citing that they were too busy to attend to the escort mission.

The first day of escorting the convoy passed peacefully with favorable winds, and the fleet covered 350 kilometers in a single day and night—a remarkable speed for a large cargo ship. However, on the afternoon of the second day, the easterly Dongfeng gradually shifted to a northerly wind, and the convoy's speed immediately decreased.

The Golden Barrel sent a communication requesting the White Triangle to move to the upwind north side for surveillance.

The radar detected no suspicious vessels within its range. However, Su Ming didn't say much and still ordered the ship to head north. In the age of sail, wind was the decisive factor in maneuverability. If an enemy attacked, they would inevitably choose to approach from the upwind direction.

With routine ship handling no longer requiring Su Ming's personal involvement, he finally had time to study the issue of long-wave radar. Through reading various materials, he realized his previous lack of knowledge.

So-called anti-stealth radar is not simply related to frequency, but rather to the use of phased array and resonant array technologies to expand the radar's ability to detect stealth targets in new dimensions. The technical details of this are top secret and there are currently no convenient ways to obtain them.

However, there were some gains; cross-scanning at different frequencies was indeed effective. Objects that were not obvious in the X-band and S-band were likely to be visible in other bands. After all, compared to Earth, the invisibility technology in this other world was mainly aimed at detecting magic.

Su Ming found a suitable device: a very high frequency (VHF) weather radar. This type of radar utilizes the principle of atmospheric refractive index changes and the scattering of electromagnetic waves by free electrons to monitor atmospheric activities over a wide area.

It can also barely detect ships at sea, but its resolution and accuracy are poor, although its coverage is decent. If combined with existing radar, it might be able to detect the enemy in advance should a UFO attempt occur.

After selecting the products, Su Ming arranged for Miao Xin to pick them up at his door as usual, and the supplier was still from Vietnam. In fact, as long as it is not compared with a certain giant, Vietnam, backed by a complete supply chain, can be considered a small giant in the civilian shipbuilding industry, with a production capacity that is even three times that of the United States.

Miao Xin boarded the train smoothly. She had memorized the timetables for the entire country of Vietnam over the past few days to minimize her need for internet access. Her previously acquired SIM card was locked, and Wi-Fi wasn't readily available.

"[Not bad!] "Su Ming praised, "[Did you remember what happened before?]"

Miao Xin shook her head. "Master, I have the common sense I had as a human, and I know I'm a ghost. But I can't remember the specifics of my experiences."

Miao Xin's consciousness was becoming more and more independent, so Su Ming decided to try again.

[Here's a task for you: Don't call me master anymore.]

[Yes, Master.]

****

Su Ming continued his research into magic.

In the Zijin Library, Su Ming discovered a book about eye-type magic and began reading from the section on Psionic Vision. Initially, the book explained how to improve Psionic Power recognition abilities and increase field of vision, and then it began to explain how to deal with interference and shielding.

Su Ming studied very diligently, but later on, the book's content suddenly changed to filling in colors for images created by Psionic Vision.

Normally, Psionic Vision displays images in black and white, using grayscale to represent the distribution of Psionic Power. The author states in the book that this is a huge waste of its penetrating power.

The creator showcased a modified version he named "X-Ray Vision," which expands grayscale images into color and eliminates the fogging effect caused by Psionic Power, making the image clearer and more pleasing to the eye.

As soon as Su Ming saw the specific spell, he noticed someone standing behind him. He turned around and, sure enough, it was Zijin.

Knowing that these books were from scholars' collections, Su Ming knew he couldn't hide them, so he simply spread them out on the table.

"Hmph, up to no good again." Zijin said with an unfriendly expression.

"What's wrong? The defogging and anti-interference effects are quite good," Su Ming shamelessly argued. "Academic research shouldn't be ruined by one aspect."

"Then go ahead and research it." The girl snapped her fingers, and a series of runic lights enveloped her. "Anyway, I've already improved the spell to block vision!"

Su Ming looked up and found that Zijin's entire body was covered by tiny colored squares, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

He was shocked. "What the hell is this?!"

"How was it? Pretty good, right?" Zijin said smugly.

This isn't about the effect; how did she know about mosaics and imitate them so perfectly? Su Ming's mind raced.

He noticed the laptop on the table and knew something was wrong.

He immediately turned on his computer and checked the video playback history. Sure enough, the part marked as learning material had been accessed and watched for nearly half an hour.

"Why are you looking at this?" Su Ming sighed. He had initially taken this computer from the shipyard, and when he discovered these materials, he was filled with gratitude towards that guy. Later, to make room for industrial software, he deleted a lot of it, keeping only the best of the best.

"It says 'learning materials' on the label, of course I'll look at it." The scholar was puzzled. "There's a lot I don't know about humanity; I plan to dedicate some time to studying it."

Previously, Su Ming had downloaded some popular science books on physiology and placed them on the desktop for the girl to read. However, he did not expect that Zijin would learn how to find hidden folders so quickly.

"No, please don't learn these things." Su Ming covered his face. "These are all bad examples."

Zijin was even more puzzled, "Then why is it categorized as learning materials, with something about lily observation records?"

Su Ming was speechless, but then an idea suddenly came to him. "You should consult Beianqi about this!"

The blame is being shifted eastward, and besides, how could Beianqi's words possibly lead Zijin astray?

The scholar actually went to consult with Beianqi, and the two girls' tea party lasted until midnight. Su Ming, belatedly, tried to mend things.

I moved the folder and added a password.

The next day, the female mechanic saw Su Ming and suddenly grabbed his collar, pinning him against the bulkhead.

"What have you been teaching Sister Ailisha?!" Beianqi asked angrily, her cheeks flushed. The girl had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well the night before.

"Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?" Su Ming argued.

"There are things even worse than pornographic books and pictures!" Beianqi rebuked righteously, "And I so admired your world!"

"Well, it's human nature for a gentleman to pursue someone," Su Ming explained. "It's the same in every world."

Beianqi snorted, "Then why are they girls with girls?"

Beianqi released Su Ming's collar. "What a bizarre world." She glanced at Su Ming sideways. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

".-Never been in a relationship."

Beianqi showed a pitying expression, "Never even been in a relationship?"

"Hey, I've had crushes before, if you count it," Su Ming said, displeased. "Why are you asking this just to mock me?"

"How about I introduce you to my sister?" Beianqi revealed a sly smile. "She's very pretty!"

"You'd betray your sister just to get your hands on my technology?" Su Ming patted his collar, annoyed. "And what hurts me even more is that you're unwilling to do it yourself."

Instead, Beianqi sighed. "You really don't understand the allure of these devices." She looked up at Su Ming, her tone calm. "I can read people to some extent. You couldn't possibly accept someone like me, whose motives are obviously impure, could you?"

Su Ming didn't know how to respond, and even felt a little ashamed. What he took for granted was the goal this girl was willing to pursue for her entire life.

Su Ming led Beianqi to the workroom and handed her two booklets that had been printed and bound the night before.

One of the books, titled "Ship Fluid Mechanics" on the cover, was a bit thick.

The other book was much thinner, and the cover read "Tight-fitting Tube". The booklet described a reinforcement process for a double-layered tube.

A second barrel is fitted over the single-layer barrel. Because the outer diameter of the inner barrel is larger than that of the outer barrel, the outer barrel needs to be heated and expanded before it can be fitted. After cooling, the outer barrel will tightly clamp the inner barrel, generating prestress to counteract the chamber pressure, thus giving the gun barrel better performance and lifespan.

"The value of my work is far less than the compensation I receive." Beianqi clutched the two booklets tightly, biting her lip.

Su Ming shook his head, "Only a small portion is payment; the rest is a thank-you gift."

Before Beianqi could speak, Su Ming gestured for her to listen to him first. "That night, before we discovered the Five Fangs Five Fangs, it had a firing window of more than a minute. You deliberately made a mistake, locking the artillery system, which caused Yexiya's surprise attack plan to fail."

Beianqi, somewhat puzzled, "How do you know all this?"

"I read the memories of those souls," Su Ming explained.

Thinking of her comrades who sacrificed their lives on the Five Fangs, Beianqi paused for a moment before speaking again, "Actually, I understand."

If I had actually sunk you then, I would have been immediately silenced by Yexiya. By choosing to create an opportunity for you, perhaps the legendary Scholar Li could change our fate.

"Regardless, it's a fact that you saved me," Su Ming said. "We're the ones who need to repay you, but it's really inconvenient to give you more at this stage."

Looking at the book in her hands, Beianqi bowed and said, "Then I would be impolite to refuse!"

Su Ming reached out to stop her, "We'll still need your help with many things." He looked at the girl, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Then let's discuss the second matter."

"Go on," the mechanic said, already flipping through the booklet in his hand.

When will you take me to meet your sister?

"..."