msmithbooks Chapter 108 Island
Chapter 108 Island
The silver warship lowered its gangway, and two rows of fully armed soldiers stepped out.
The soldiers, dressed in white naval uniforms and holding psionic rifles, stood ramrod straight and motionless.
At the very top of the gangway stood a middle-aged man in an officer's uniform, with the rank of colonel.
The colonel's gaze fell on Song Chen, and he looked him up and down. The Heavenly Blade at his waist, the black combat suit he was wearing, and the faint golden glint in his eyes confirmed his identity.
The colonel descended the gangway, walked up to Song Chen, stood at attention, and gave a military salute.
"Song Chen, Zhao Kunlun, the deputy commander of the Yunbo Island base, has been ordered to come and pick you up."
Song Chen looked at the colonel, paused for a second, and then nodded: "Um...aren't I supposed to take a boat there myself?"
Zhao Kunlun lowered his hand. He didn't explain, but simply turned to the side and made a gesture of invitation, pointing to the silver-white psionic warship.
"Please board the ship. Commander Shen is waiting for you on the island."
Everyone on the dock witnessed this scene.
A colonel personally stepped off the psionic warship, saluted a young man, and then invited him aboard.
The young man looked to be under twenty years old, with a knife hanging from his waist and wearing ordinary combat gear; he looked like a student who hadn't graduated yet.
"Who's that?" A fisherman put down his fishing net and squinted at Song Chen's back.
"You don't even know him? Song Chen, a first-class combat hero, the one from Tianhai University."
"Is it him? So young?"
"Young? Do you know how many monsters he's killed? Can you even compare?"
The fisherman opened his mouth but didn't say anything, silently continuing to mend his fishing net.
A young soldier stood by the guard post on the dock, watching Song Chen's retreating figure as he walked up the gangway, his eyes shining like two stars.
"I want to be like him someday, with so many people picking me up. That's so cool!"
His comrade glanced at him, said nothing, but had a "you're dreaming" smile on his lips.
After laughing, he glanced at Song Chen's back again, his eyes filled with barely suppressed anticipation.
A group of tourists were taking pictures with their phones, and the flashes were going off everywhere.
Song Chen walked up the gangway and into the cabin.
The cabin was much more luxurious than he had imagined, with leather seats, solid wood floors, white curtains hanging in the portholes, and fruit and drinks on the table.
A soldier standing inside the cabin saw Song Chen enter, stood at attention, saluted, and then stepped aside.
Song Chen sat in a window seat, looking out at the dock through the porthole.
The people on the dock were still watching him; some were holding up their phones, some were waving, and some were just standing there with their mouths open, staring at him.
The ship slowly sailed away from the dock, its silvery-white hull cutting through the deep blue sea under the sunlight, leaving a white trail behind it.
The crowd on the dock grew smaller and smaller, becoming increasingly blurry, until it finally turned into a gray line and disappeared where the sea met the sky.
The cabin was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine and the sound of waves crashing against the hull.
Zhao Kunlun sat opposite Song Chen, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He looked at Song Chen and said, "The principal called the commander personally. He said his disciple was coming to Yunbo Island, and then the commander sent me here."
His words were very frank.
Song Chen looked at the sea outside the porthole without saying a word.
Zhao Kunlun didn't seem to mind and continued, "The situation at the Yunbo Island base is more complicated than you imagine."
"We are not a fortress on land. We have no high walls, no trenches, no psionic grids. We only have a breakwater, a few dozen gun emplacements, and ten thousand soldiers."
"Sea creatures come from the water, from all directions, without direction or pattern."
"You might be able to take down a thousand on land, but you might not be able to take down a hundred at sea, because you didn't grow up in the sea. You don't understand the sea, you don't understand sea creatures, and you don't understand tides and ocean currents."
After saying that, he took a map out of his pocket and spread it on the table.
The map shows a detailed layout of Yunbo Island and the surrounding waters. The island is shaped like an irregular ellipse, surrounded by dense red markers, each marker representing a gathering point of sea creatures.
"It was dangerous, but you still came."
"You knew it was dangerous here, but you still came. The principal didn't misjudge you."
Song Chen lowered his head and looked at the map on the table. The red markings were dense, like a burning flame.
His heart skipped a beat, not from nervousness, but from excitement.
In his eyes, these red markers were not danger, but kill points, a ladder to becoming stronger.
After sailing for about an hour, the outline of Yunbo Island became clearer and clearer on the sea.
Song Chen walked onto the deck, and the sea breeze hit her face, carrying a strong salty smell.
He squinted at the island in front of him. The island was not large, about three square kilometers, and its shape resembled a turtle lying on the surface of the sea.
The island is surrounded by a gray-white breakwater, with a gun emplacement every few dozen meters, its dark muzzle pointing out to the sea.
The island's interior is a cluster of buildings: barracks, warehouses, command centers, medical stations, and ammunition depots. All the buildings are covered in gray concrete, resembling bunkers crouching on the ground.
At the highest point of the island, on a huge flagpole, the flag of Tianhai City flutters in the sea breeze.
Below the flag, a figure in military uniform stood on the observation platform, holding binoculars and looking in Song Chen's direction.
The ship slowly entered the port.
The port is small, only able to accommodate a few ships at a time, but it is fully equipped with cranes, forklifts, and ammunition transport vehicles on the dock, where soldiers are busy loading and unloading supplies.
Upon seeing the psionic warship enter the port, everyone on the dock stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the young man standing on the deck.
Song Chen stepped down the gangway and onto the land of Yunbo Island.
The ground beneath my feet was cement, rough and solid, not much different from the ground on land.
But the air was different; the sea breeze was saltier, the humidity was higher, and the concentration of psionic particles was higher than on land. He took a deep breath and felt a tightness in his chest.
Zhao Kunlun walked beside him, looking at his expression: "There are no terrain obstacles at sea, and not as many plants. The spiritual energy particles here are 30% more concentrated than on land. People who come here for the first time will feel a little uncomfortable, but they will be fine in a day or two."
Song Chen nodded without saying anything.
He followed Zhao Kunlun past the dock, past the barracks, past the training ground, past the fort, all the way to the center of the island.
Every soldier they encountered on the road stopped, looked at Song Chen, some saluted, some nodded.
Upon entering the base, Song Chen discovered it was larger than it appeared.
More than 10,000 soldiers are scattered throughout the island; some are training, some are patrolling, some are maintaining weapons, and some are resting.
The barracks were filled with the sounds of voices and laughter, the mess hall was filled with the aroma of food, people were practicing swordsmanship and boxing on the training ground, and people were test-firing psionic cannons on the gun emplacements, the dull rumble echoing over the island.
This place doesn't resemble an outpost; it's more like a small military city.