Wayne rushed back to his seat and pulled the glasses over his head. His figure immediately "returned" to the captain's quarters of his warship.
After a night of trading, Wayne's fleet had upgraded from its starting configuration of two Chinese junks. He had purchased two "Large Chinese Junks" with three towering masts, designating one as his flagship. However, since all his capital was tied up in trade to maximize profits, the number of cannon batteries on the two large ships hadn't been expanded. Most of the extra cabins had been converted into cargo holds or storage for supplies like water and food.
Looking at the signal flag officer on the deck outside and the helmsman, Yang Xien, standing behind him, Wayne barked out orders:
"Port twenty!" "Full sails, top speed!"
Though his nautical terminology wasn't professional, the signal officer's transmission was instantaneous. The helmsman and sailors acted at once.
The fleet of four ships, two large and two small, lined up in single file and turned their bows southward. Although they lacked the number of cannons possessed by the Kurushima fleet, they relied on the advantage of their three-masted sails to quickly pull away, leaving the single-masted, oar-assisted ironclad ships in their wake.
In the lounge area near the counter, the two groups of people who had been ready to "brawl" just moments ago were now frozen, unable to look away from the big screen.
Tess "coincidentally" turned up the volume on the main display. The crowd heard the "crunching" sound of the square sails snapping taut against the wind and the "creaking" of the wooden hulls under the pressure of a sharp turn. Combined with the roar of the waves, the battle cries of the sailors, the distant boom of the ironclads firing, and the whistle of shells flying through the air, the hyper-realistic visuals made everyone feel as if they were standing on the deck themselves.
The Second Legion members with Alos were primarily naval forces stationed at Theramore; naval warfare was their bread and butter. Seeing such scenes made their blood boil with excitement.
On the screen, Wayne's voice rang out again:
"Hard astarboard!" "All hands, battle stations!!!"
After pulling far enough away to ensure the ironclad shells couldn't reach his ships, Wayne gave the emergency order for the entire fleet to pivot westward!
His first mate, Li Hua Mei, the assault captain, Yukihiro Shiraki, and the master gunner, Ian Dukov, shouted from their respective posts: "Prepare for emergency turn! Maintain balance!!!"
Every sailor grabbed onto whatever they could find. In an instant, under the full turn and the shift in sail angles, the ship swerved sharply, tilting violently to one side.
Despite being a veteran of the original game, this was Wayne's first time actually "on the ship," and he momentarily thought the vessel was going to capsize.
However, Cantrely—the Alliance's newly promoted Rear Admiral—watched the livestream and couldn't help but praise: "Beautiful! A textbook 'Crossing the T' maneuver!"
Leveraging their speed and sail advantage, Wayne's four ships quickly lined up horizontally, presenting their starboard broadsides to the Kurushima ironclads that were chasing them head-on. The two sides formed a "T" shape, meaning Wayne's fleet could unleash their full broadside fire while the Kurushima fleet could only return limited fire with their bow cannons.
Seeing the formation in place, many Second Legion officers following Alos shouted in unison: "Now is the time!"
Wayne roared:
"Half speed ahead!" "Bow cannon, single ranging shot!"
With a boom, a single shell flew out. It traveled through the air for a moment before splashing into the sea, falling short of the ironclads. This shot was used to test the angle and range, allowing the other gunners to correct the elevation and lead of their own cannons.
Wayne: "Gunners, adjust elevation! Target the enemy flagship! Prepare for a three-volley broadside!"
Seconds later. Gunner: "Ready!" Wayne: "Fire!"
This time, it wasn't a single boom, but a rapid, thunderous "boom-boom-boom-boom!"
Dozens of shells flew across the water. About three or four hit the ironclad, creating visible sparks and explosions even under the bright sun. However, as the most heavily armored default ship in the original Uncharted Waters IV, the ironclad easily withstood the blow. Though it sacrificed mobility for its single-masted design, the iron plating covering its hull allowed it to tank the damage.
On Wayne's fleet, the recoil from over a dozen cannons firing simultaneously pushed the ships backward. The shockwaves from the gunpowder kicked up circles of spray on the ocean surface.
The gunners immediately refined their aim based on the first volley while loaders quickly shoved fresh ammunition into the breeches. Roughly thirty seconds later: "Second volley loaded!"
Wayne: "Fire!!"
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
This time, seven or eight shells slammed heavily into the enemy ship!
Without a Navigator, Li Hua Mei had to observe through a telescope from the cabin. She reported to Wayne that two shells had landed directly on the deck, igniting fires.
Wayne nodded. "Keep moving! Prepare to raise sails!"
The gunner commander replied based on the signal flags from the other ships: "Third volley loaded!"
Wayne pointed forcefully at the Kurushima flagship: "Fire!!!"
Boom-boom-boom-boom!Whistle——Rumble-rumble-rumble!
This time, even without a telescope, one could see flames erupting across the enemy flagship's deck. While this wouldn't sink a sturdy ironclad immediately—at most causing casualties and requiring effort to extinguish—it was enough to make them turn their ships and retreat.
Li Hua Mei watched the two ironclads turn away. "Admiral! We have victory!"
Wayne let out a long breath. He felt as if his throat in the game was parched. He collapsed into the captain's chair, thinking to himself: Why do I feel like I'm playing World of Warships?
But the experience was incredibly thrilling.
Next, while he watched Li Hua Mei command the fleet to return to port for repairs, he glanced at the bottom-left of the screen. One player after another was rushing into this world, choosing their favorite characters and forming new fleets.
[Li Li has joined the game] [Tess has joined the game] [Rainier has joined the game] [Arator has joined the game]
Clearly, this gameplay loop—accumulating wealth and managing a business during peace, and engaging in thunderous cannon fire during war—had infected everyone watching.
Alos turned to McBride, pointing repeatedly at the screen.
McBride: "Don't you back out now. We agreed yesterday to a five-on-five, real-steel fight."
"I never said I wouldn't," Alos replied. "What I mean is, we do the five-on-five on land, and then we do a five-on-five at sea! I dare you!"
McBride was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected Alos to make such a demand.
Seeing his hesitation, Alos raised his voice: "Soldiers of the Second Legion! Tell me, whether it's on land or at sea, has the Second Legion ever feared anyone?!"
The twenty-odd people beside him roared: "WE! FEAR! NO! ONE!"
Now, McBride had to do it whether he wanted to or not. Soldiers lived by a spirit that never shrunk back, no matter the enemy or the odds. Particularly during this expedition to Theramore, because they were army regulars unskilled in naval combat, many had spent the voyage trembling and vomiting over the railings. Such a performance was naturally looked down upon by the navy.
They might not be able to beat them at sea in reality, but were they supposed to be afraid in a game?
Verdan, acting as McBride's adjutant, shouted on his behalf: "Soldiers of Northshire!"
The subordinates replied: "Present!"
"We accept the Second Legion's challenge!" Verdan declared.
McBride then grabbed Cantrely's elbow. "You, come and help me command the sea battle."
"Huh? Marshal," Cantrely stammered. "The business between you two... as the commander of the Fourth Legion, it wouldn't be right for me to get involved..."
She was truly speechless. This Marshal, usually refined and never angry, became a different person the moment he saw Alos. Perhaps men are just boys until the day they die—when they see a childhood friend they've bickered with for half their lives, how could they let the other half go by in peace?
"You still remember I'm a Marshal?" McBride began to pull rank. "Don't forget, even your superior, General Jeteris, has to..."
Before he could finish listing his credentials, Cantrely caved. "I'll do it... I'll do it..."
And so, the net cafe, which had been somewhat quiet with various games on different screens, was suddenly packed. People without seats stood in the lounge or behind players to watch the livestreams.
Nearly every single screen now displayed deep blue waves and the endless, open sea.