Chapter 485 - 28: Island Landing Plan_2
But out of habit, he would still report to Sunday regularly, and occasionally meet with Chen Zhou.
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Don’t be fooled by Kosu’s unremarkable appearance; he is actually an experienced old sailor, with excellent diving skills and a strong sense of direction. He has followed canoes out to sea many times as a "rower."
Chen Zhou believes that he can act as the "eyes" of the "three-person squad," responsible for leading the way.
Moreover, Kosu has a point of difference from Zebra; because of his ugly appearance, he was bullied in the tribe from a young age.
After coming to the island, when life changed, what was a nightmare for others in the tribe’s cruel life was Hell for him.
This stark contrast made Kosu more loyal and enamored with the new life on the island than anyone else.
Chen Zhou believes that it’s impossible for him to betray because it wouldn’t benefit him at all.
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The main leader and attacker in the "three-person squad" would then be Sunday.
To be honest, Chen Zhou hesitated for a long time on whether to send out his right-hand man, risking life and limb to complete the mission.
If he wanted to avoid losses, he indeed could choose any two natives to accompany Kosu to the island.
But the two selected natives couldn’t be as trustworthy as Sunday and Saturday, plus Sunday mastered the use of firearms, while the others couldn’t have obtained firearms so early.
Without firearms, such a weapon beyond their era, even if natives were given metal blades and full body armor, it’s unknown whether they could escape unscathed from an island crowded with natives.
Out of respect, Chen Zhou seriously consulted Sunday’s opinion when making the decision.
As expected, this militant wasn’t satisfied with flintlock gun practice long ago and dreamed of experiencing what it feels like to kill with a gun.
Sunday demonstrated immense confidence regarding the mission assigned by Chen Zhou, even to the point of arrogance.
He firmly believed he could exhibit combat skills far above ordinary natives in battle, not only because new life and knowledge instilled him with confidence but also because the flintlock gun, a powerful weapon, gave him courage.
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However, as Sunday’s mentor and paternal elder, Chen Zhou was not so optimistic.
When Sunday agreed, willing to risk life and limb to cross the high seas, serving as Chen Zhou’s frontline pawn, doing his bidding.
Chen Zhou, in line with the principle of being responsible for his trusted aides, began his pre-prepared training plan.
This included both the usage, maintenance, and emergency handling of the new-style weapon—Chen Family rifle—and physical, combat technique training, as well as leadership capability over natives, ability to handle sudden incidents, and various other courses.
For nearly a month, Sunday rarely appeared in front of the natives, staying in the factory, or at the distant forest shooting range, practicing firearms, cold weapons, and the American Hunting Recurve Bow, sometimes even with Night Vision Goggles, practicing shooting in the dark.
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Once the "eyes" responsible for guiding and the "claws" responsible for attacking were found, Chen Zhou still needed to find someone to assist.
In fact, the "eyes" position was originally held by Zebra, while Kosu served as the supporting role.
After Zebra was eliminated, Kosu took the place of the eyes, and finding someone suitable for support was difficult.
Fortunately, there weren’t many natives in total, and with Kosu as the "spy," along with Saturday’s understanding of the natives, Chen Zhou quickly picked the right person—Kulu.
Information about Kulu was easily accessible.
Knowing that this man cared about his wife and children and wished to rescue them from adversity, Chen Zhou could easily manipulate him.
After formulating a series of plans and pulling Kosu and Sunday into a team, Chen Zhou finally had Saturday summon Kulu for a talk.
As expected, upon learning that there was a chance to see his wife and children, and possibly bring them to the island for a happy new life, Kulu had no reason to refuse.
He readily agreed to follow Sunday and Kosu into the adventure, promising Chen Zhou that even if he couldn’t find his wife and child, he would do his utmost to cooperate without causing trouble.
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When Chen Zhou spoke alone to individuals, discussing specific details, he said different things to each person.
Having watched many clichéd war movies, he knew all too well that people can’t always remain rational; to Sunday, Chen Zhou instructed—
If Kulu showed disobedience due to his wife and children or a desire to act independently to find his family, Sunday could directly execute him, then abandon the mission and lead Kosu back.
Chen Zhou wouldn’t let an ordinary native’s inappropriate actions cost him a key general; if necessary, he would rather sacrifice Kulu and Kosu’s lives to save Sunday’s.
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.
Chen Zhou believed the two natives assisting Sunday were rational people; they could discern the pros and cons, not daring to gamble with their lives.
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"Everything is ready except the east wind."
Fingers brushed over the cold bayonet, shutting the storeroom door, Chen Zhou returned to his office.
Starting tomorrow, the two natives would train alongside Sunday, familiarizing themselves with weaponry and the precautions before and after landing on the island.
He, however, needed to lead the other natives in building a sufficiently reliable large ship.
This ship had to carry 15 people to bring captives back to the island; Chen Zhou would also place some food, fresh water, and medicine on board.
If they got lost at sea or a captive suffered heatstroke or fainted aboard, these supplies could save their lives.
After all, the island wasn’t adjacent to the African Continent; there weren’t hordes of black natives, so Chen Zhou couldn’t treat native lives as insignificant.
Currently, he was in the "startup phase," where every piece of labor accumulated was extremely valuable. Before the snowballing effect entered a virtuous cycle, getting bigger and bigger, Chen Zhou had to cherish every obtainable resource.
Besides carrying people and supplies, Chen Zhou also had demands for the ship’s propulsion and sturdiness.
Since only three people could move freely aboard, relying solely on paddling to get between the islands wasn’t practical—
Even if Sunday and the others had staggering endurance and paddled hard to the small island, they’d likely be exhausted and lose combat capacity; this would greatly increase the likelihood of failure.
Chen Zhou planned to design a sail that was large enough and collapsible for the ship, along with equipping oars and an anchor, providing two power sources. So long as they didn’t encounter storms or currents, normal navigation wouldn’t be an issue.
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Originally, Robinson’s big ship’s dinghy could have met all Chen Zhou’s needs, but regrettably, it had rotted and been swept away by tides after being left on the beach.
Chen Zhou had no experience designing ships, especially a 17th-century wooden sailboat like this.
To build a "lifeboat" for the three-person squad was quite a burden on him.
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However, everything must start from scratch. Since the plan had been set, Chen Zhou had no reason to give up.
Recalling his initial challenges, he knew nothing of woodworking and only had his hands and a fellow forum member’s design drawing, yet he dared to build a mortise-and-tenon structure wooden raft to ferry goods between the ship and shore.
Now, besides an array of professional carpentry tools and helpers, the island was well-stocked with materials, with even a few power tools on hand.
As long as he researched the structure properly, even if he had to weld a frame using reinforced steel, Chen Zhou could make a sturdy, durable ship.
In his heart, it wasn’t that difficult—
If not for it being closely tied to Sunday’s life, he might not have felt such pressure at all.
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Having disassembled Robinson’s slaver ship by hand, Chen Zhou had some understanding of wooden sailboat structures.
For instance, the types of wood used in the hull, what the internal keel approximately looked like, the nature of the transverse ribs on either side of the keel.
During hull assembly, what was used for waterproofing, how boards connected tightly, how masts and sails were made, the principle of anchors and their optimal location...
With this foundational knowledge, plus modern tools and sufficient manpower, it was only a matter of time before a small wooden sailboat was built.