Whack-a-Mole

With the capture of the man with the Reverse Swing, the long-running manhunt in the northern waters has finally come to a temporary end.

However, "coming to a temporary halt" does not mean the end.

Such a remarkable achievement -

How could it end!

In any case, the Plundering Clock, and countries still have ample reason to continue tightening maritime trade regulations.

Driven by the "Trade Union," the intensity of maritime inspections has decreased, but their coverage has expanded from the North Sea pilot program to global waters.

Navies from various countries were granted fixed law enforcement authority.

Merchant ships must declare their routes and cargo before departure and upon arrival.

All suspicious vessels must cooperate with the inspection.

Combating smuggling itself can be quite profitable.

The seized goods were confiscated and auctioned off, which made the fiscal accounts look much better.

Therefore, all countries are very proactive.

But for Su Ming, what mattered most was that this method had indeed suppressed the arrogance of the Plundering Clock.

This made their operations outside of Water Chestnut Island extremely difficult.

This is the vast ocean of "people's" war.

****

At this moment in Northern Ice Island -

A goblin is emerging from the snowdrift.

Like a groundhog that has wandered into the wrong nest.

He was covered in ice crystals, and his left leg was clearly injured, leaving a trail of crooked footprints in the snow.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked by the roadside.

The vehicle was small, with two wheels and a single shaft, and its canopy was covered with thick felt.

The cart was being pulled by a snow deer, which was nibbling at the moss peeking out from a crevice in the snow.

A Feather Race tribesman leaned against the wheel, waiting listlessly.

During this season, daytime temperatures are above freezing.

It's the warmest time of year in Northern Ice Island.

When the sun shines on the snow, it can give people the illusion that it is "quite warm".

Saxon took a deep breath and strode towards the carriage.

"Oh, sir, you've finally arrived!"

The Feather Race coachman looked disgusted when he heard the noise.

"If you're any later, I'll have to pay extra!"

In fact, the employer paid ten times the usual price for this job.

Saxon didn't waste any words with him and reached out to open the car door.

"Go to the beach, immediately" 6

His movements froze instantly.

Inside the carriage sat a woman from the Feather Race.

Her long, grey hair fell over her shoulders, gleaming with Heguang.

She rested her cheek on one hand, while leisurely turning the pages of a thick, ancient book with the other.

Chloe looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey, trickster, where are you headed?"

Saxon never gave up on escaping.

He always managed to come up with all sorts of strange and wonderful ways to sneak out of his cell right under the guards' noses.

Last time, during a shift change, he used a hidden fishbone to pry open all the doors;

The last time, he activated the miniature runestone hidden between his teeth, creating a chaotic cloud of smoke;

Even earlier, he had used disguise to infiltrate a freight convoy—

They came up with all sorts of solutions, and their actions were as fierce as a tiger's.

The success rate is zero.

Saxon was drained of his strength and looked utterly defeated.

"----This time, they won't even let me go to the beach?"

Saxon, on the other hand, was self-aware.

For him, escaping was not a choice, but an instinct.

Chloe closed the book and placed the bookmark inside.

"You don't need to go," she said cheerfully.

"Su Ming's recent efforts to standardize and conduct large-scale inspections of maritime vessels have led to the premature detention of the ship that was supposed to pick you up."

****

Feather Race guards appeared from all sides and swiftly subdued the coachman.

"What right do you have to arrest me? I'm studying abroad—"

His words were swallowed by the snow, leaving only muffled sobs.

Northern Ice Island has a harsh environment, and more than a third of its population lives scattered across various Taya countries to make a living.

However, with the Golden Autumn Archipelago officially being incorporated into the Feather Race, this situation is rapidly changing.

Warm archipelago, fertile land, and year-round unobstructed shipping lanes.

That was a land where the Feather Race could once again stand in the world order.

A Feather Race guard quickly approached Chloe and knelt down on one knee.

"Your Excellency, we have followed the clues and uncovered three contact points."

"This time, we also captured a full member of the Plundering Clock."

Chloe raised an eyebrow slightly.

What level?

"Provisional Quarter Hand."

"Not bad!" Chloe smiled slightly.

A gust of wind pressure came from overhead.

Lanmo's enormous figure descended from the sky, the heat generated as his giant wings folded up sweeping away the surrounding snow.

The dragon looked displeased.

"Why are there so few people?"

"Before, at least there were a few tough guys who could give me a good thrashing."

He wagged his tail, his tone full of disdain.

"I, a Saint Rank being, personally went out."

95

Is it worth it?

Chloe slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on him.

That look made Lanmo's dragon eyes shrink sharply.

"What, you want... payment?"

Lanmo's body stiffened.

The next second, the entire dragon collapsed with a "thud".

"Ms. Chloe, I was wrong!"

"I can move a few more runestone tablets today!"

Don't deduct my game time!

"No need," Chloe said calmly.

Lanmo had just shown a hint of joy.

Let's translate another mural of the Rift Tribe.

"No! No!" Lanmo cried out in anguish.

What remained untranslated in the cave were all ancient inscriptions with blurred characters, as if a drunkard had scratched them out with his bare hands.

Whether it's a human or a dragon, they all get a headache just looking at them.

****

Before long, Saxon was repackaged.

The method of prohibition has been updated again.

It is generally believed that this system can last at least half a month.

Lanmo couldn't afford to offend Chloe, so she turned her attention to the goblins.

"Look at yourself." The dragon brought its massive head closer.

"You call yourself a Saint Rank Trickster?"

"As a result, every time the Plundering Clock comes to save you, it's incredibly stingy."

Even Saxon had its share of complaints about this.

"Their organization is clearly very strong—" he whispered as well.

"There are so many Saint Rank experts."

"Oh, there aren't that many now."

Chloe said casually.

"A super dragon is gone, two Pseudo-Saint Rank are gone, and even the Clock Hand Nitelai is dead."

97

"The Death Knell and the Hairspring were lucky; they took a heavy hit and escaped."

"Next time, it will be their turn."

Upon hearing this, Saxon was struck dumb.

"How... how could this be—"

The guards escorted him and began to walk back.

"Looking forward to next time." Chloe waved to him.

Saxon gritted his teeth, "You're just using me as bait!"

"Just for fun," Chloe laughed. "Don't be so stingy."

For scholars of the Ashy Drongo, their daily work involves obscure inscriptions, incomplete murals, and enigmatic records.

Occasionally, they also have to handle the administrative and miscellaneous affairs of the Feather Race.

So occasionally going out to chase goblins is a real relaxation for her.

Saxon's figure disappeared, Chloe's smile gradually faded.

She turned and looked around at the snow-covered landscape.

Something's not right.

Lanmo was still lying in the snow, casually scratching something with his Dragon Claw.

"What's wrong?"

"Even though we've already gone through so many rounds of reorganization," Chloe said slowly, "The Bell of Plundering Clock can still reach in."

"For example, this time, a prison guard was implicated."

Lanmo, however, said...

"Isn't that normal?"

"Your Feather Race has a mix of people both inside and outside the country; there will always be potential recruits."

Su Ming even suggested that the Plundering Clock might possess the ability to accurately identify the development of potential Traitor.

Chloe shook her head.

"I know the situation of the Feather Race better than you do."

She crossed her arms and glanced at the vast expanse of white snow and ice before her.

"To develop spies, the Plundering Clock must first make contact with people."

"Even though we've dismantled so many communication points, they're still able to continue infiltrating."

Her brow furrowed slightly.

I always feel like we've missed something.

****

Five days later than scheduled, the Pansy finally entered the port of Northern Ice Island.

With the development of the Feather Race Navy, this port has now been expanded to a considerable size.

Even a behemoth like the Pansy could be given a parking spot.

As the white skeletal ship slowly approached the pier, the entire harbor fell silent.

Everyone looked up at the warship that emerged from the water like a sea monster, their faces filled with shock and indescribable awe.

Chloe rode on Lanmo's back.

A giant dragon swept across the harbor.

"It's huge!" Lanmo exclaimed sincerely.

"This ship carries the Vermilion Bow," Chloe told him.

"Vermilion Bow?"

"The one that shot down the Super Crystal Dragon."

Lanmo's body visibly stiffened.

He remembered that Vermilion Bow's cannonballs were thicker than his neck.

"I think this ship is far more terrifying than the Super Crystal Dragon!" he exclaimed sincerely.

When the dragon landed on the pier, it knocked off the hats of several Feather Race sailors.

Su Ming and his group were disembarking from the warship.

He held Zijin's hand.

At the other end of the pier, Wu Ling led a group of Feather Race officials to greet them.

Routine greetings and small talk.

After the formalities were completed, Chloe stepped forward, looked at Su Ming, and then at Zijin.

She threw herself into Zijin's arms.

"Sister, congratulations on you and Su Ming."

Zijin raised her hand and ruffled her hair.

You have to call me auntie.

After a few jokes and laughter, the two quickly got down to business.

"The plan is to complete the auxiliary modifications to the Pansy in three days."

She pulled out a list and handed it to Zijin.

The water temperature in the Arctic Ocean is around -1.7 degrees Celsius.

"The ship's hull must be fitted with an insulation layer."

"I've already had the rune team prepare the magic circle modules; we can just install them directly."

"What about the ice-breaking ray?" Zijin asked.

"It's already been disassembled into modules and shipped over," Chloe replied.

"First, modify the top hull, then start assembling it tomorrow."

A large number of Feather Race craftsmen and technicians gradually gathered around the ship, setting up scaffolding, moving materials, and laying out array lines.

The entire berth suddenly became lively.

"Thank you for your help," Su Ming said.

"Don't mention it," Chloe said.

Afterwards, Chloe and Zijin discussed the details of the magic circle plan.

Su Ming didn't disturb them and leaned against Lanmo.

"Elder Lanmo, it's been a long time." Su Ming snuggled up to him comfortably.

You're still so warm.

"My condition is much better now," Lanmo said.

He raised his paw and tossed aside an iron cage he was carrying.

The cage crashed onto the snow not far away with a loud bang.

Su Ming heard a cry of pain that sounded familiar.

Lanmo suddenly lowered his head and used his dragon head to nudge Su Ming aside.

He lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "Um—do you have a new one of that disc?"

Su Ming immediately understood.

He pulled a memory card and a piece of instruction paper from his pocket and handed them to Lanmo.

Lanmo's longan eyes lit up immediately.

He carefully picked up the instruction sheet with the tips of his claws, then cast an enlargement spell to make it a size suitable for his reading.

"The Physics World?"

Lanmo read the cover aloud and looked up suspiciously.

Su Ming pulled the instruction sheet back, took out a pen, and crossed out the word "physics".

It was changed to "Warcraft".

Lanmo continued rambling.

"Dear player, you will take on the role of a physics warrior, honing your skills through writing papers, and saving Azeroth from the Burning Legion's iron heel—"

Dragon's eyes slowly narrowed.

Was the word "warrior" added by Wu Buhou?

"And this iron hoof," why does it look like a "topic"?

Su Ming remained unfazed.

"Multilingual versions, but the translations are a bit mixed up."

"This is one of the most popular games in our area, with so many languages, it's normal to have some text issues."

Lanmo looked at him with some skepticism, but Ding Wu eventually began to seriously study the matter.

"Paper grading system", "Peer-reviewed copies", "SSR mentor recruitment" --

He muttered to himself.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this dragon is innocent enough; otherwise, he might have had to fabricate a whole new Physics World today.

****

On the other side, the elevator platform on the deck of the Pansy was activated.

With a roar of machinery, a mech slowly rose from the cabin and finally stood steadily in the center of the deck.

- "Yinglong".

It stands two stories tall, its brownish-green color standing out starkly against the icy and snowy environment.

It looked like a giant, moss-covered rock that had entered the snowfield.

"Begin preparations."

"The first world test will begin in half an hour."

Beianqi's voice resonated throughout the deck via an amplification array.

"Five!"

The maintenance team responded in unison and surrounded the various testing lines and interfaces.

Warden Sabina's figure appeared from the edge of the deck.

It's Miao Yuan.

"Long time no see." Su Ming raised his hand in greeting.

"Hmph, what are you pretending for?"

Miao Xin came to Su Ming's side, but her eyes were fixed on "Yinglong".

"The blue of Earth is beautiful," she commented.

"But my pre-set combat environment is Wuling Water Chestnut Island," Su Ming explained. "Jungle camouflage is the right choice."

Miao Qi pursed his lips, clearly disliking the color.

"Are you in a better mood now?" Su Ming asked.

Miao Qi nodded.

"This is terrible; I've attended several funerals."

She spoke very calmly.

Jin Rongjia clearly wouldn't want her running around everywhere.

But Miao Xin acted as if to say, "If you won't let me go, I'll go by myself."

In the end, Wu Jin Rongjia had no choice but to compromise.

Miao Yuan was permitted to attend the funeral of the Hero and martyrs of Orchid City.

They also attended the farewell ceremony for the victims.

"It's much better now." Miao Qi looked at the floating ice on the distant sea. "Compared to those who died, I'm already very lucky."

Su Ming did not continue the topic of chaos.

"I say, what about Alituo's soul?" he then asked.

"It was eaten by the Nether Sea! Didn't you see it?" Miao Qi asked, puzzled.