The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

Currently reading: Chapter 122 Strike First! Latest chapters available here.

"In fact, His Excellency Iskandar Lomonosov has already written his answer to the question of 'what to do' in his article—or rather, his purpose in writing this was to persuade the very few people who see it to do it."

"What did he write?" Fish asked.

"After conducting a series of arguments, this archaeologist of technology claims that the equipment within the Dark Isle can be 'used for our purposes,' and specifically, to deal with 'the greatest enemy currently facing the political order of the Principality of Fayun,'" Huang Yan said. "I think, considering the timeline of the article's completion, there is no doubt as to who this 'greatest enemy' refers to."

"I think they're probably not referring to those bastards on the Regency Council," Mint, the head of the Ange department, muttered. "Oh, please forgive me, Your Highness. I accidentally swore just now."

"It's alright, because I actually wanted to say the same thing," Ange shrugged. "Intending to eliminate us using this method is... perfectly reasonable. So, what are they planning to do?"

"Although the document only offered suggestions, given what has already happened, these suggestions have clearly been used as a guideline for action," Huang Yan said. "According to the document's suggestions, the envoy should attract everyone's attention by proposing that both sides share the protection rights of the automated weapon systems within Dark Island—yes, just attract attention. At the same time, the mission will activate the 'Sleepers' that have been pre-deployed locally."

"So, those guys that are quickly cloned and then suddenly explode into a pile of rubble?" Alicia asked, frowning.

"Besides that, I can't think of any other possible targets," Huang Yan said. "According to the article... well, it's a euphemistic way of putting it, these guys' mission is to 'eliminate existing competitors while seizing control of the equipment from the old civilization era.'"

"Competitors... could it be...?" Fish licked his lips nervously.

"Based on logical deduction, it is highly likely that they refer to the descendants of Oasis Harbor residents who previously successfully registered as users," Huang Yan replied. "In that case, their actions are not difficult to understand."

“Yes, although the absolute number of the first Oasis Harbor residents—those fishermen who were stranded—was small, their descendants have multiplied to this day and there are probably thousands or even tens of thousands of them,” Ange said. “If the claims in these articles are true, then the equipment from the old civilization era on Dark Island is very likely to be exclusive.”

"Exclusivity means that once someone registers as a user, no one else can register, right?" Fish asked.

"Yes. If this speculation is true, taking control of the equipment within Dark Island inevitably means that the previous users must no longer exist—this premise can only be achieved if either the original users voluntarily cancel their user accounts, or if they... cease to exist," Ange nodded. "The former possibility is basically nonexistent, because the locals even regard their ancestors' stories as myths and legends. It's estimated that no one would remember how to unregister."

"Those unstable, rapid clones can do the latter thing—with the cheap version of smart combat armor, they can at least perform at the level of a mid-to-high-level armored warrior for several tens of minutes. Although they will most likely become useless after that, if they are launched in batches continuously, an offensive that lasts for two to three hours can be fully guaranteed."

"A total of four or five hundred mid-to-high-level armored warriors, fighting continuously for two or three hours..." Fish clenched his fists. "Killing several thousand targets is no problem at all. Even if the Oasis Port security forces react in time, it won't matter."

"Even our intervention was useless," Ange added. "Based on our experience fighting the Short Skirt Pirates, we can almost guarantee to easily take down these guys one-on-one, and even one-on-two or three wouldn't be a big problem. However, they have an overwhelming numerical advantage."

"But doing something like that would ruin the reputation of the Fayun Kingdom," Fish said. "It's impossible to find absolutely no clues about so many people. Then..."

"No problem. Once the whole thing is over and the Fayun people have control of the equipment, their first thing will be to send out those automated weapon systems to wipe out the rapid clones that have carried out the slaughter orders—those guys were just disposable expendables anyway," Ange answered without hesitation. "That way, the Duchy of Fayun... no, to be precise, the Regency Council that usurped the Duchy and Admiral Rissmer will become the heroes who saved Oasis Harbor. As for any possible clues? Just destroy them all. It's not difficult."

"Hmm...that's true..." Fish said in a low voice.

"I don't know. At least these documents only mention that 'the timing of the operation will be determined by the special envoy as needed,'" Huang Yan said. "However, since the other party's special envoy has already disclosed information about Dark Island at the social gathering, we can assume that the entire plan has entered the final implementation stage."

"In other words..."

"We need to act as quickly as possible—after all, nobody knows if tomorrow will be the 'right time' for action in their eyes. And while today's events haven't left any evidence that could arouse suspicion, they will certainly be more vigilant and might even move up the date of action to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Indeed. In that case, we probably can't wait any longer. Strike first seems to be the best solution," Shuangye said. "In that case, I suggest we move the operation date to tomorrow night."

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that," Ange said.

"Huh? Why? If we're going to make any preparations, this is already the shortest possible—"

"But we don't necessarily need to prepare—in the current situation, the city is in chaos and the other side is panicked, which is actually a rare advantage for us," Ange said. "In a short time, the other side will try to figure out the situation and assess the situation. If we set off immediately, they may not be able to react in time."

"However, the distance between Dark Deep Isle and Oasis Harbor..."

"You have to take a boat to get there, right? But that's not a problem," Ange said. "We can arrange for the Inaba to leave port now and take it—it will only take two hours to get there."

Furthermore, the armament of the Inaba can also provide us with support in battle.

"Indeed," Fish agreed. To be prepared for extreme situations, the training cruiser "Inaba," which had arrived at Oasis Port under the guise of a "training visit," had been on high alert ever since. The boilers had never been turned off, and most of the crew remained in combat positions. This allowed it to set sail immediately, or even engage in combat, without spending much time preparing if necessary.

"But as far as I know, it is against traditional rules for warships to travel to other countries without reporting to the other side, which has diplomatic implications..." Chief Officer Mint asked with some concern.

"If the worst-case scenario really happens, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people in Oasis Harbor, will diplomatic repercussions still matter?" Ange retorted.

"That's true..." Mint said.

"However, our infantry and light weapons on the 'Inaba' should immediately land and assemble at the Penglai Principality's embassy on the coast. Mint, you, Xiao Luo, and Peanut will also stay here. Everyone else except the armored warriors should also remain in the embassy, ​​and our ground forces should immediately deploy defenses around the embassy," Ange continued. "Also, Miss Luca, after leaving the Coral Palace, you should immediately gather your subordinates and other allies, and have them join the defense of the embassy as well."

"Huh? Is this necessary?" Luca asked.

"Considering the enemy's possible desperate measures, it is absolutely necessary," Ange said. "Everyone, let's try our best to survive."

After Ange assigned the tasks, no one raised any objections, and even Huang Yan maintained an approving attitude. Ange then took out a map of Oasis Harbor and quickly marked the approximate defense plan around the embassy district, as well as contingency plans in case the embassy defenses were breached—behind no one else's knowledge, she had already hired several fishing boat captains with smuggling experience. If the situation turned unfavorable, these men would carry non-combat personnel and prioritize their evacuation from Oasis Harbor.

"Hmm, this is the princess we follow," Mint exclaimed after seeing Ange's orderly and swift deployment. "With Her Highness's foresight, we have nothing to worry about."

"Please don't let your guard down," Ange said. "Caution is necessary until everything settles down."

"I will keep that in mind, Your Highness." Mint curtsied to Ange and, along with her two subordinates, quickly left with Shana, Melu, Alicia, and the others who were not equipped with intelligent combat armor. Next, Luca changed into an inconspicuous dark cloak and hurriedly left the Coral Palace to gather her companions. Fish and his group quickly boarded a car arranged by Luca, rushed to the port, and boarded the "Inaba."

In order to make the most of the time, after unloading the infantry and amphibious armored vehicles secretly loaded in the cargo hold, the Inaba not only pushed the power of its two reciprocating steam engines to the limit, but also raised the sails on both masts to full speed up by taking advantage of the strong northwest wind, thus successfully reaching a speed of twenty-five knots—a speed that was considered outstanding among warships of that era.

Unsurprisingly, shortly after leaving port, a patrol boat from Oasis Harbor spotted the Inaba and used light signals to inquire why it was leaving.

"Use light signals to tell them that Oasis Harbor is about to face a major natural disaster," Ange, who had come to the bridge to take the helm herself, said to Captain Rabbit. "Everyone should prepare for evacuation."

"This... Your Highness, you can't joke like that, can you?" Captain Rabbit's long rabbit ears perked up with unease. After all, due to the urgency of the situation, Ange hadn't had time to tell him the whole story.

"This is no joke, Oasis Harbor is indeed no longer safe," Ange said seriously.

"Yes, sir." Rabbit immediately ordered the corresponding light signal to be displayed. However, the other side, unsurprisingly, did not heed the order and instead displayed the signal to stop the ship.

"This, Your Highness..."

"Don't stop, maintain the current speed," Ange said. At the same time, another patrol boat also approached—in most cases, to avoid damaging diplomatic relations, warships would stop and cooperate with inspections after being intercepted in a port with such a clear purpose.

However, Anjie didn't have time to waste explaining to the people of Oasis Harbor.

"Stop, or we have the right to open fire!" As the Inaba continued to approach, an officer on one of the patrol boats shouted through a megaphone.

“Having the right… well said,” Ange showed no sign of stopping, “but as everyone knows, ‘having the right’ does not equate to ‘being able to exercise that right’.”

In the next few seconds, everyone's hearts were in their throats—although the machine guns on the two patrol boats posed no threat to the 2,000-ton displacement "Inaba," there were two Oasis Harbor Security Force gun emplacements at the harbor exit! Theoretically, these emplacements would open fire as soon as the patrol boats gave the signal. A successful hit from their four 155mm howitzers would be enough to severely damage this poorly armored training cruiser.

More importantly, in addition to these heavy cannons, these gun emplacements were also equipped with shore defense torpedo tubes. These heavy torpedoes, with a diameter of half a meter, could easily tear the Inaba's thin hull in two if they hit it.

Even so, Ange remained silent while maintaining the course of the Inaba.

A few seconds later, the training cruiser, traveling at full speed, squeezed through the gap between the two patrol boats and then rushed out of the harbor exit—just as Ange had predicted, the other side ultimately did not issue a signal to open fire, but instead cleared the way at the last moment. In the instant they passed each other, the waves generated by the high-speed movement of the "Inaba" caused the two small 30-ton patrol boats to rock violently from side to side, much like leaves in a storm.

"Phew...that scared me to death," Fish said. "I was worried the turrets would open fire."

"There's no need to worry about that," Shuangye said. "I think it's most likely that Princess Anjie has already paid them off in advance. So these people are just putting on an act and didn't intend to fire from the start."

"No. In fact, even I didn't anticipate that we would have to forcibly flee the port," Ange said. "So, I didn't actually make any preparations for this situation."