Wringing water from his clothes, Qin Ming bared his teeth in annoyance.
During his last advancement mission, he had been thrown directly into a battlefield, hunted by thousands of soldiers. One wrong step would have left his corpse unburied.
This time, the start was even worse—forcing him to face an entire ship of enemies alone!
Good thing he could swim, or he'd have drowned right then and there!
There was no way to avoid confrontation either. If he'd retreated with the Shu ships, he'd have stayed dry, sure—but then the mission target would have slipped further away. What was he supposed to do then, row a little boat after them?
He had figured it out—the opening to advancement missions was designed to screw adventurers over!
While Qin Ming kept flicking water off himself and muttering complaints, footsteps suddenly echoed from afar.
Hearing this, Qin Ming tensed and scrambled onto the top of the cabin.
Just as he got up, two patrolling soldiers appeared at the corner, carrying long halberds and dressed in water-friendly armor made from leather and wood plates.
They strolled toward his spot, chatting about the recent skirmish.
When they reached the spot where Qin Ming had boarded, they noticed the trail of water on the deck and immediately froze.
Realizing something was off, they raised their weapons and cautiously searched the area.
Following the trail, they peered over the ship's side and spotted distinct claw marks left on the hull.
Their faces paled as they exchanged uneasy glances.
"A sea monster?!"
Crack!
Just as the exclamation left their mouths, a crisp snapping sound echoed.
Qin Ming had silently jumped down from the cabin roof, sneaking up behind them.
With one swift motion, he grabbed one soldier's head and twisted it sharply, snapping the man's neck at a ninety-degree angle.
Before the other soldier could scream, Qin Ming lunged forward, clamping a hand around his throat.
With his terrifying 41 points of brute strength, the soldier was lifted into the air, utterly powerless.
Crack!
The man's throat was crushed, his limbs going limp.
Dragging the corpse back up onto the cabin roof, Qin Ming quickly changed into the soldier's uniform and carelessly tossed the body into the river.
Now fully disguised as a Wu soldier, he shouldered the halberd and strode confidently across the deck.
He even greeted other soldiers along the way, who, seeing his enthusiastic demeanor, nodded back politely.
Helping carry bodies, gathering weapons, and even queuing up for a meal, Qin Ming seamlessly blended into the ranks of the Wu soldiers.
In no time, he had pieced together the current situation.
The Wu fleet had come to escort Sun Shangxiang, the sister of the King of Wu, back home. Her mother was gravely ill.
Naturally, taking Sun Shangxiang back didn't require such a grand escort—seven or eight warships—and it certainly wouldn't have provoked Shu's ships into such a desperate chase.
The reason for the commotion?
Sun Shangxiang intended to take Liu Bei's son, Liu Adou, with her!
Apparently, Wu's messengers claimed their queen wanted to see her "grandson" before passing away, even though Liu Adou was only her foster child.
But Liu Bei only had one son!
Taking herself back was one thing, but bringing Shu's only heir along? Who could accept that?!
How could Shu be sure she wasn't taking Liu Adou as a hostage?
So Zhao Yun, one of Shu's famed Five Tiger Generals—also known as the Invincible General—decided to take action.
The same Zhao Yun who had famously charged through Cao Cao's million-strong army while carrying Liu Adou, slicing through soldiers with two blades, killing or injuring dozens, and emerging unscathed.
This was the same Zhao Yun who had killed Gao Lan, one of Hebei's Four Pillars, in just a few rounds and scared Zhang He so badly that the latter fled on sight.
Now, Zhao Yun had personally led the feint attack, sneaked aboard the enemy fleet, and was lurking somewhere within—ready to singlehandedly rescue Liu Adou again.
Upon learning Zhao Yun was on the ship, Qin Ming, who was casually munching on his meal, was shocked. He hurriedly scanned the area.
Unfortunately, despite searching high and low, there was no sign of the legendary general.
Meanwhile, the centurion gathering the soldiers finished his speech, ordering them to remain vigilant before dismissing the troops.
The soldiers scattered in small groups, and Qin Ming blended in, preparing to slip away unnoticed.
He was planning to sneak aboard the flagship—after all, his mission target, Liu Adou, was on that ship.
If he could find a way to sneak on board, he could wait for the perfect opportunity, grab Liu Adou, and fly off in full view of everyone, completing the advancement mission as quickly as possible.
Fly?
Don't forget—back in the Metal Slug world, he'd acquired a special piece of equipment: the Modern General's Jetpack!
With that thing, he could achieve high-speed flight over short distances.
There was no way those Wu soldiers could sprout wings and chase him through the air.
If the plan succeeded, not only would he instantly complete the mission, but he might also finish that blue-title mission as well!
And after completing the task, he could immediately return to Nightmare Space, making the King of Fighters squad's trip a complete waste of time. Their faces would be priceless!
Imagining the success of his plan, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile brightly at the thought of outsmarting everyone.
...However, as he attempted to approach the flagship, he was promptly stopped by the soldiers guarding the gangway.
When Qin Ming couldn't report his unit details, the guards grew suspicious and attacked him on the spot.
The result? Qin Ming angrily cut down four soldiers but was quickly forced to retreat under pressure from a larger force.
Finding no way out and attempting to escape by taking off with his jetpack, he was struck by a giant ballista bolt fired from the ship. Billowing smoke, he spiraled back down into the water with a loud splash.
Boom!
A few minutes later, the edge of another ship shook with a dull thud.
Drenched and fuming, Qin Ming dragged himself back onto the deck, his face as dark as thunderclouds.
Once ashore, he plopped down on the deck, folding his arms in frustration.
He realized he'd oversimplified things. This advancement mission was no joke.
Not only was the flagship's defense absurdly tight, with sentries posted every few steps, but it was also equipped with precision ballistae—deadly accurate ones!
Sneaking on board was impossible, and his plan to swoop in, grab Liu Adou, and fly away was officially scrapped.
The Wu soldiers wouldn't dare fire at Liu Adou, but they'd definitely turn him into a pincushion without hesitation.
A direct assault? That was even more unrealistic—he was alone!
Unless...
Pulling out an old-fashioned "brick phone," Qin Ming furrowed his brow.
This relic was the final faction reward he had earned from the Metal Slug world after clawing his way up to the rank of Major General: the Military Satellite Phone!
If he wanted to mount a direct assault, going solo was out of the question. His only viable option was to call reinforcements—with the satellite phone!
By spending a large amount of points, he could summon his Hound Unit directly into this world. Let's see how these Wu soldiers would fare against a modern army!
The problem? The point cost was outrageous!
Summoning ten soldiers would cost him 5,000 points.
Fifty soldiers? 10,000 points!
A thousand soldiers? 50,000 points!
Where was he supposed to scrounge up 50,000 points? Even if he sold everything he owned—including the coins in his pocket—he'd barely scrape together 20,000.
Summoning fifty soldiers wouldn't do squat—these Three Kingdoms soldiers could probably survive an entire clip of bullets without going down!
They...
Wait. Gold coins?!
Qin Ming's eyes suddenly lit up.
Pulling a gleaming gold coin from his pocket, he twirled it thoughtfully between his fingers as his eyes sparkled with realization.
A new plan began to form in his mind.
(End of Chapter)