From Robinson Crusoe

Shortly after the cannons were loaded onto the ship, Chen Zhou made the boldest attempt he had made since he began his challenge.

He boarded the Steelbone and ordered Sunday to turn around, leave the island's waters, and head towards the distant archipelago.

……

The waves were cleaved by the sword-like hull of the ship, and as the ship's speed increased, the sea breeze caressed our faces.

Chen Zhou stood on the bow deck, with Sunday and the selected first mate behind him, silently watching the leader's tall figure.

They wondered what their leader was thinking, whether he would guide them back to the legendary heaven in the Steelbone, or whether he would personally command a naval battle to witness their bravery.

Just as the group was lost in thought, Sunday suddenly saw the leader, who was standing ramrod straight in front of him, sway slightly and then turn around abruptly.

"Go back, go back right away."

Chen Zhou's face was almost expressionless, revealing neither joy nor sorrow. After giving a brief order, he went straight to the ship's lounge.

Although the group was puzzled, they dared not raise any objections.

On Sunday, he immediately ran to the wheelhouse, and the others quickly relayed orders to the other sailors without any delay.

……

Maintaining a calm facade, Chen Zhou couldn't fool himself; his body's reactions didn't lie.

Even after he walked back to the lounge and sat on a bench in the room, his heart was still pounding, as if he had just gone through a period of extremely strenuous physical labor.

A few minutes earlier, as the Steelbone sailed into the deep sea and moved further away from the island, a strong sense of alarm suddenly rose in his heart.

Chen Zhou had heard that many animals in nature can sense danger before an earthquake and thus become anxious.

Some people with strong intuition may have a premonition when they encounter a major accident. This intuition is usually called the sixth sense, which is a sense other than touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell, or perception.

Perception cannot be accurately described, yet it truly exists.

Throughout his life so far, Chen Zhou had never directly experienced the existence of perception.

But just now, after the ship beneath him had moved forward a certain distance and reached a specific position, his temple suddenly felt as if a gun barrel was pressed against it. He could clearly feel his pulse vibrating and his blood vessels throbbing.

At the same time, he had an incredibly real and intense feeling—

If he went any further, he would have died suddenly on the ship.

It's like animals receiving a warning from the unseen before an earthquake.

After this feeling arose, when I looked at the sea in front of me, the azure blue turned into darkness.

The direction the Steelbone was heading seemed shrouded in mist, as if it were sailing towards an endless hell.

In that instant, even though he couldn't see any enemies, Chen Zhou tensed his muscles like a frightened wild beast.

He initially thought it was some kind of thalassophobia and tried to overcome the feeling to move forward.

However, the more Steelbone moved forward, the stronger this feeling became.

It wasn't until his temples felt like they'd been struck by a sledgehammer, making him dizzy and nearly causing him to collapse onto the deck, that Chen Zhou managed to regain his composure and issue the order to return.

After resting on the bench for nearly ten minutes, and until the Steelbone had completely turned around and returned to the island, the sense of unease in Chen Zhou's heart gradually dissipated.

……

After completing the instructions, Sunday went to the lounge and reported his work to Chen Zhou.

At this moment, Chen Zhou's mind was not on whether the crew members could perform well or not. After giving Sunday a few perfunctory words and sending him away, Chen Zhou stood up and went to the window.

Although it was the rainy season, there were no storms at sea, the sky was slightly overcast, and the seawater was still a pure blue.

The sea and sky stretch to the horizon.

Following these undulating waves, it seems one can keep moving forward and reach anywhere in the world.

However, beneath this facade of freedom lies an invisible constraint.

Although the Time and Space Administration did not issue any voice or text messages, Chen Zhou could glean a clear reminder from the sudden, strong warning—

Don't try to leave here; to this world, you are just a passerby.

Perhaps he could use his knowledge to change things in a small area, or leverage the influence of the natives to flap the butterfly's wings and overturn the entire world.

But ultimately, those are matters between the original inhabitants of this world, and no matter how much he has left behind, he will one day leave forever.

……

Sighing and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Chen Zhou felt a sense of relief, though somewhat disappointed.

Being forced to give up ambition also means giving up many responsibilities and desires.

From this moment on, he seemed able to focus his attention on the island, concentrate on his own life, and strive to increase the reward amount after the challenge ended, rather than looking at the world and trying to change everything.

……

No one knows why the leader boarded the ship and set sail, but ordered it to turn back after only a short distance.

The thoughts of "gods" are beyond the comprehension of mortals.

Sunday wouldn't delve into those questions, because the Steelbone had already entered the next phase—

Comprehensive and intensive training was launched in preparation for the operation to land on the large island.

A loud ship horn sounds precisely every day in the nearshore waters.

Since boarding the ship, the crew members have never disembarked. They lingered in the waters near the island, practicing raising and lowering sails, dropping and raising anchor, maintaining the hull, operating cannons, loading shells, and attacking buoys floating on the sea.

The Steelbone's excellent design made their life at sea much easier.

As crates of charcoal burned and turned to smoke, steam powered the machinery in the high-pressure boiler, and the crew gradually became one with the Steelbone.

The ship's handling became increasingly skillful; its forward and backward movement more agile; the crew's coordination improved significantly; and the artillery fire became increasingly accurate...

As the sun rose and set, time flew by, and the scheduled date for the attack on the main island drew ever closer.

……

In mid-May 1666, the arrival of the dry season brought back clear skies to the entire sea area.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, making the deck scorching hot, stirring the hearts of the crew, and tanning their faces.

On Sunday, I counted the days on the calendar until May 16th, when I drew a heavy circle on the calendar.

……

On the 16th, the weather was not very sunny, with layers of white clouds hanging over the sea, providing a rare coolness for the island area.

As usual, the whistle of the Steelbone ship sounded at dawn.

This time, however, the elongated whistle did not linger near the coast; instead, its volume gradually decreased until it disappeared completely.

It sailed into the deep sea.

The operation was scheduled three months in advance, and apart from Chen Zhou, Sunday, and a few other high-ranking officials on the island, even the sailors on the ship did not know when they would depart.

A soldier's duty is to obey orders; this is a principle that sailors keep in mind from the moment they are selected to join the ranks.

They didn't need to know the date or purpose of the operation, nor did they need to know how much benefit it would bring to the island; they only needed to obey orders and do everything their superiors required.

For this expedition, the Steelbone only symbolically hoisted its sails.

The sea breeze wasn't strong enough to propel this massive steel-framed ship, but the rapidly spinning propellers underwater provided considerable thrust to the hull.

Accompanied by the sound of the wind blowing the sails, the sailors, fully armed, with rifles on their backs and long knives hanging at their waists, headed straight for their homeland.

The distance between the islands is not far.

During routine drills, the Steelbone has traveled as far as 10 kilometers from the archipelago, a distance at which the islands can be observed from the ship using binoculars.

However, the island's natives were unaware that someone was spying on them.

……

This time, the Steelbone had a clear objective, heading straight for the archipelago.

It was the dry season, and the island's natives were not resting during the day.

In the distance, several naked men who were diving and fishing for food in the nearshore waters spotted the approaching large ship.

This enormous and ferocious monster vaguely resembles the ships of those brown-haired, clothed people from before, but upon closer inspection, the details are quite different.

The diving natives instinctively felt uneasy and, disregarding their impending prey, hurriedly swam ashore.

Some disappeared into the jungle, others hid in their simple huts, but no one reported the news to the chief.

Ever since becoming addicted to the drinks sent by the Spanish, the once spirited young leader who aspired to unify the entire island has become a complete slave to alcohol.

He would either indulge in a light buzz after drinking, sleeping soundly on a bed covered with animal skins, or he would vent his anger on the members of the tribe, beating or cursing them. When he got emotional, it wouldn't be surprising if he killed someone.

As the Spanish gradually distanced themselves from him, the supply of alcohol became increasingly insufficient.

He dared not vent his anger on the Spanish, so he directed all his resentment at the people of his tribe.

After the disappearance of the old priest who was the only one who could stand against him, the new priest he had promoted became his henchman and turned a blind eye to this behavior.

This situation lasted for nearly a year, and the tribe was already in disarray, gradually splitting into four smaller tribes, each struggling to survive.

The days when we were united as one, attacking enemy tribes and engaging in large-scale conflicts involving hundreds of people are long gone.

The leader's prestige plummeted long ago.

Everyone knows that the leader cares about nothing but alcohol. Disturbing him will not only bring no benefit, but will also result in beatings, scoldings, or even having your ear cut off.

Therefore, upon seeing the Steelbone, none of the dozen or so natives fishing in the nearshore waters reported to their leader. Instead, they retreated into their "turtle shells," seeking a sense of security in their makeshift shelters.

……

The behavior of these people, like frightened birds and beasts, was fully revealed in the field of view of the monocular telescope.

On Sunday, dressed in camouflage combat gear, he stood like a spear at the bow of the ship, overlooking the island's natives.

The Steelbone gradually approached the island, dropped anchor at the chosen landing point, and then launched four small boats from the side of the ship.

The sailors boarded the small boats in an orderly fashion, carrying the weapons and equipment they had prepared in advance, and rowed straight to the beach.

When 20 fully armed sailors dragged the small boat onto the beach and set up a simple defensive line with rattan shields, there was no trace of any natives in the nearshore woodland.

Birds chirped in the dense forest, and the lush foliage obscured the view. If it weren't for the footprints left on the beach, this place would seem like a desolate wasteland.

He did not stay on the ship on Sunday, but personally led the team.

He supervised as the sailors unloaded heavy rattan shields and machetes and axes for clearing the way from the small boat.

Long ago, when I first arrived on the island as a three-person team with Luku and Kosu before they changed their names, I swore an oath on Sunday—

When he returns to this island one day, it will surely be for revenge.

His obsession was to kill those who slaughtered his tribe and ate his parents.

……

Undisturbed, the twenty sailors, in groups of four, with two holding shields in front and two holding guns behind, steadily advanced while clearing bushes and branches that obstructed their view along the forest path.

The woodland was eerily quiet at midday; apart from the chirping of insects and birds, there was no sound of human activity.

This wasn't Sunday's first visit to the island. Following a pre-planned route, he led the sailors toward the nearest high ground.

From there, one can have a commanding view overlooking a large part of the tribe.

The advantages of terrain and visibility could help them leverage the strengths of the Chen rifle to strike the enemy from extremely long distances.

In dense forests, firearms are less effective, and the natives are skilled climbers, so vine shields cannot provide 360-degree protection.

If not prepared in time, one could easily be hit by a wooden arrow, resulting in injury or death.

Having taken this into account, Sunday was actually the most tense day as we entered the woodland, my nerves constantly on edge, fearing that the natives would quickly organize their forces and launch an attack.

However, his worries were destined to be unnecessary.

Having been away for so long, the once-great tribe is now in disarray. Not only are those showing signs of splitting apart, but even the warriors who were once loyal to their leader have lost the will to serve him.

Since the leader lost his supporters, the amount of food they handed over each day has been decreasing. They can no longer put aside their concerns about food and focus on being the leader's lackeys, otherwise they will inevitably suffer from hunger.

To survive, they had no choice but to follow the example of other indigenous peoples, either hunting in the dense forests or fishing in the sea, to keep their empty stomachs occupied.

The hunger was real, far more tangible than the drunken leader's supposed majesty.

……

They advanced all the way until the twenty sailors reached the high ground without encountering any attacks.

Things went unexpectedly smoothly, which made Sunday not only less relaxing but also more uneasy.

He instructed everyone to remain on guard, then crouched down, hiding behind a large woven rattan shield, and took out binoculars to observe the tribe below.

The natives used wooden knives or polished stone knives to cut trees. These two tools had limited cutting capabilities; they were adequate for small trees but proved ineffective against large trees that were more than the thickness of a bowl.

Therefore, apart from making the necessary means of transportation to the sea, "canoes", the tribe generally does not cut down trees that are too tall.

Below the highlands lies the tribe's "core residential area," where the lower shrubs and lush flowers and grasses have long been cut down and trampled flat.

The yellowish land was bare, with only a few short grasses and trees.

The indigenous people’s simple houses are scattered among these trees. Looking up from above, the line of sight passes through the gaps in the trees, and every detail is clearly visible.

The natives who knew that a large ship had arrived at the beach retreated into their huts, while most of the unsuspecting natives were still outdoors.

They carried hunting spears, wooden bows and knives, or their catch and harvested fruit, exchanging excited greetings.

A dark-skinned native was squatting in the crevice between two trees, secretly gnawing on fruit, his excitement barely concealed.

Some natives were squatting on the ground, rapidly rubbing wooden sticks together with their hands, then bringing their faces close to the flames, ignoring the smoke stinging their eyes, and blowing hard—

He was starting a fire.

These men were all emaciated, their ribs clearly visible on their chests, a stark contrast to the well-fed sailors. (End of Chapter)