Chapter 541 - 54: Assault
Not long after the cannons were mounted on the ship, Chen Zhou embarked on his boldest attempt since the start of the challenge.
He boarded the Steel Bone and ordered Sunday to change course, leaving the coastal waters of the island and sailing towards the distant archipelago.
...
The sea waves were split open by the ship’s sword-like hull, accompanied by the increasing speed of the ship, the sea breeze brushed against faces.
Standing on the deck at the bow, Chen Zhou was silent, as Sunday and the selected first mate guarded behind him, watching the leader’s tall silhouette.
In their hearts, they speculated about what the leader was thinking at that moment, wondering if the leader would guide them to steer the Steel Bone back to the mythical Celestial Kingdom, or if the leader would personally command a naval battle to witness their bravery.
While the others were lost in thought, Sunday suddenly saw the leader standing straight in front of him sway slightly, then abruptly turn around.
"Turn back, turn back immediately."
Chen Zhou’s face was almost expressionless, revealing no joy or sorrow. After issuing a brief command, he walked straight towards the cabin’s lounge.
Although the group felt bewildered, none dared to voice opposition.
Sunday immediately jogged to the control room, and the others quickly conveyed the orders to the sailors without any delay.
...
Maintaining a facade of calm, Chen Zhou couldn’t deceive himself; the body’s reactions don’t lie.
Until he returned to the lounge and sat on the bench inside, his heart was still pounding violently, as if recovering from intense physical exertion.
A few minutes earlier, as the Steel Bone ventured deeper into the sea and gradually drifted away from the island, a strong premonition surged up from deep within him.
Chen Zhou had heard that many animals in nature can sense danger before an earthquake, becoming restless and agitated.
And some people with strong intuition may feel a foreboding of major incidents; people usually call this intuition a sixth sense, beyond touch, hearing, sight, taste, and smell, it is a perception.
Perception cannot be accurately described, yet it truly exists.
Throughout his life journey until now, Chen Zhou had never directly felt the presence of this perception.
But just now, as the hull beneath him reached a certain distance and specific position, his temples suddenly felt as if pressed against by a gun barrel, clearly sensing the pulse throbbing through the veins, beating vigorously.
At that same moment, an incredibly real and intense feeling arose—
If he went any further, he would drop dead on the ship right there.
Like how animals receive a mysterious warning before an earthquake.
After this feeling emerged, looking at the sea ahead, the azure turned into a somber black.
The direction the Steel Bone was heading seemed shrouded in mist, like heading towards an endless hell.
In that instant, though there were no visible enemies, Chen Zhou felt like a startled beast, tensing every muscle in his body.
He initially thought it was some kind of deep-sea phobia, trying hard to overcome the sensation and continue forward.
However, with each meter the Steel Bone moved forward, the feeling intensified.
Until his temples felt like being bombarded by a heavy hammer, causing dizziness and nearness to collapse on the deck, Chen Zhou finally forced himself to remain calm and issued the command to turn back.
After resting on the bench for nearly ten minutes, as soon as the Steel Bone completely swung around and headed back to the island, the ominous premonition in Chen Zhou’s heart gradually dissipated.
...
After carrying out the orders, Sunday entered the lounge to report the situation to Chen Zhou.
At that moment, Chen Zhou’s mind wasn’t focused on whether the crew performed well. After responding to Sunday perfunctorily and sending him away, Chen Zhou stood up and moved closer to the window.
Though it was the rainy season, there was no storm at sea, the sky was slightly overcast, and the seawater remained purely blue.
The sea and sky seemed boundless.
Following these undulating waves, it felt like one could continue forward endlessly, reaching any place in the world.
However, beneath this facade of freedom lay an invisible shackle.
Even though the Space-Time Administration Bureau hadn’t issued any verbal or written messages, Chen Zhou could derive an unequivocal reminder from the sudden and intense warning—
Do not attempt to leave this place; you are merely a passerby in this world.
Perhaps he could use his knowledge to change things in a small area or use the influence of the natives to stir a small butterfly’s wings and overturn the whole world.
But ultimately, all these things belonged to the indigenous people of this world, and he, no matter how much he left behind, would eventually depart forever.
...
Sighing and wiping the sweat off his forehead, Chen Zhou, though a bit disappointed, also felt a sense of relief.
Being forced to let go of ambition also meant letting go of many responsibilities and desires.
From this moment onwards, he seemed able to focus his view on the island, concentrating on his own life, striving to increase the reward amount at the end of the challenge, rather than eyeing the world, attempting to change everything.
...
No one knew why the leader boarded the ship to sea, only to order a return after not venturing far.
The mind of a "god" is not something ordinary people can fathom.
Sunday wouldn’t inquire further either, because the Steel Bone had entered the next phase—
Undergoing comprehensive and intense training for combat on Big Island.
The loud horn would sound punctually every day near the shore.
Since boarding, the crew had never set foot off the ship, lingering near the island’s coast, practicing raising and lowering sails, anchoring and weighing anchor, maintaining and caring for the ship, handling the cannon, loading cannonballs, attacking the floating buoys on the sea surface.