Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 36 "Target: Slaughter! Retrieve!"

Upgrade?

Yes!
As he watched the crystals and minerals melt and combine before him, Shi Ming was once again amazed by the wonder of the Brain of Creation. This power to turn decay into magic was simply inconceivable.

After waiting for exactly five minutes, the system notified that the large energy production equipment had been successfully upgraded.

[A3 Type Energy Production Equipment]

【Level: 2】

The energy extraction equipment has undergone a significant performance upgrade, with efficiency more than doubled. It can produce 200 sea crystals per day in ordinary sea areas, with a 1% chance of producing high-grade sea crystals. However, the equipment's energy consumption has also increased by 30%.

Upgrade requires: 300 Sea Crystals, 200 Iron Ore, and 30 Sea Beast Blood Crystals

Not bad.

Shi Ming nodded secretly at the result.

Sharpening your axe won't delay your work; every investment pays off. After this upgrade, the efficiency of this energy production equipment has doubled!
Of course, the main reason why the efficiency can be improved so much is that the equipment itself is of very poor quality, with an initial level of only one, and there is a lot of room for improvement in production capacity.

As for whether or not to upgrade again?
Of course I want to!

This is a sure-fire investment!
Upgrading once requires 300 Sea Crystals, but once the efficiency is improved, you can recoup your investment in just a few days!
Most importantly, Shi Ming has a lot of the Sea Beast Blood Essence Stones needed for this upgrade!

Previously on Turtle Island, his first stop with the former exploration team leader, Iron Tower, was a mining site on Turtle Island! That location was also the site of a wound on the turtle's back, where a lot of blood crystals had condensed. Iron Tower and the others then carried at least fifteen boxes onto the ship, and Shi Ming also secretly collected quite a few!
Now all these resources are piled up in the ship's warehouse, all of which have benefited Shi Ming.

I originally thought these blood crystals could only be traded to those in need in the future, but I didn't expect to be able to use them so soon!
Upgraded again!

Upgrading the equipment consumed far less mental energy than upgrading the entire drifting ship, so Shi Ming did not experience any physical burden. After preparing the upgrade materials, he reactivated the ability of his Creative Brain.

The vaporized blood crystals, tinged with a faint red, swirled around the massive machine, adding a strange beauty to this steel machinery.

The time required to upgrade from level 2 to level 3 is significantly longer than that required to upgrade from level 1 to level 2.

Shi Ming waited twelve minutes for the upgrade to complete.

All three of today's opportunities have been used up.

He rubbed his slightly dizzy head, focused his attention on the production equipment, and immediately understood its changes and noticed the improvements brought about by the upgrade.

[A3 Type Energy Production Equipment]

【Level: 3】

[This energy production equipment, with its performance dramatically enhanced, boasts a revolutionary increase in production efficiency thanks to the fusion of powerful sea monsters! In ordinary sea areas, it can produce 300 sea crystals per day! Furthermore, the probability of producing high-grade sea crystals has increased to 2%! And in energy-rich sea areas, it can occasionally yield some truly remarkable byproducts!]

Upgrade requires: 500 Sea Crystals, 10 High-Grade Sea Crystals, 300 Iron Ore, and 100 Sea Beast Blood Crystals.

Sure enough, investment brings returns.

After two upgrades, the efficiency of this old machine has tripled! It can produce 300 sea crystals per day, and based on the probability of producing high-grade sea crystals, you can also earn 6 high-grade sea crystals every day!

At this rate, it would only take less than 200 days to collect 1000 high-grade sea crystals.

Although it will still take a while, Shi Ming now at least has a channel to produce high-grade sea crystals.

In the later stages of the game, upgrading many items using the Brain of Creation inevitably requires high-grade sea crystals. Having a stable source of these crystals is therefore essential.

The only drawback is that after the equipment is upgraded, the number of personnel required for maintenance also increases.

There is currently a shortage of crew members on board, but the production of sea crystals is of paramount importance to Shi Ming. Therefore, he has transferred some crew members from other positions to energy production positions to ensure that the production efficiency here can reach saturation.

Of course, he also increased the "subsidies" for these crew members.

At the same time, he strictly stipulated that every high-grade sea crystal obtained here must be registered, reported, and personally handed over to him.

Anyone found harboring such items will be severely punished.

After properly handling a host of follow-up matters regarding the energy production equipment, Shi Ming left the second basement level of the drifting ship. Returning to the captain's cabin, he rested briefly before beginning his daily physical and combat skills training.

This is a habit he has developed over more than a decade.

In his previous life, he never slacked off for a single day, except when he was on a mission.

His current training focuses primarily on two combat skills: hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship. Hand-to-hand combat emphasizes explosiveness and coordination, while swordsmanship relies on power and momentum. It's a pity he doesn't have enough bullets for his guns; otherwise, he could practice his marksmanship further.

These are the most basic things for both ordinary people and awakened individuals.

After practicing shirtless for a long time, he wiped the fine sweat from his body, took a quick shower with the ship's fresh water, and then crawled into the repair sleep pod.

Next up is a long-awaited time to relax.

Feeling the reawakening of his cell vitality, Shi Ming also heard Lao Yang knocking on the door.

Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.

This diligent cook had already prepared today's lunch, which was also a beautifully cooked blue trout, three dishes and a soup, and sea rice, all packed in an insulated container.

Between training sessions, it's time to replenish carbohydrates and protein.

Every piece of fish was cooked to perfection, whether it was pan-fried, grilled, or used for soup. The fish head was exceptionally delicious, which made Shi Ming increasingly satisfied with Lao Yang. A chef who can understand the captain's preferences is a truly good chef.

【drop】

【Drip】

Just as Shi Ming swallowed the last piece of fish, the communicator on his desk rang again, a day later.

He picked it up casually.

"Huh, they've changed the encryption method?"

"is it necessary?"

After a long period of deciphering, new information was finally presented to Shi Ming.

Hello, new captain!

[This is a well-intentioned warning! The Great Wilderness has become aware of the death of his nephew, Junichi, and has dispatched three of its subordinate Silver-class drifting ships, equipped with Gold-class "ship search radars," to conduct a thorough search of your area.]

These ships have only two objectives: slaughter and retrieval.

They will arrive at your location within three days at the latest. Please evacuate immediately!

[Your potential ally.]

Shi Ming frowned.

Potential allies?
Who are you?
He wasn't worried about retaliation from the gang.

The moment he took over the drifting ship, he used the gold-grade drifting ship key to brute-force and reconstruct all the systems on board, including the system used for remote positioning.

The ocean is endless and boundless; for the underworld to find him, it will require more than just luck.

The reason why the Sakura was able to "pick up the scraps" on the second day was simply because they had started planning long ago. Even the coordinates of Turtle Island that were revealed to Junichi at the time were a lure.

Even if the gang does find him, he has a trump card that allows him to escape successfully.

What puzzled him was the motive of the person who had informed on him.
Are they from the Sakura's side?
Or is he a political enemy of the Great Wilderness?

(End of this chapter)