Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Ming rode atop Raoul's neck, the dense mane cushioning him comfortably during their flight. With his left fist pressed against Raoul's left horn, he dodged flying cannonballs to the left.

Though the cannonballs were unseen, dodging often might just help. His right hand gripped Raoul's right horn, flying close to the sea's surface.

BOOM!

Loyal in duty, Raoul showed no signs of slowing even when hit in its abdomen. Fortunately, its sturdy defense held strong.

[Raoul wishes to inform you that you can activate autopilot mode if you're unfamiliar with flying controls.]

[…]

"Alright."

Ming clung to Raoul's neck, letting it fly freely. Indeed, the hit rate significantly decreased on autopilot.

Three hundred meters from the warship, the vessel's anti-aircraft guns fired rapidly. The ammunition created a continuous line of fire, but Raoul swiftly dodged, avoiding any hits.

100 meters away.

Ming spread his six wings with a mighty leap and stored Raoul in a pocket dimension. With lightning speed, he instantly appeared on the ship's bridge, peering through the glass to find it manned by zombies.

[Eagle Eye Scan]

[Mighty Destroyer Ship]

[Basic Defense: 2,000,000]

[Captain: Dmitry]

[Rank: Three-star Emperor Level]

[Talent: Supreme Command - has unparalleled control over the entire ship.]

[Talent: Man and Ship are One - Only by breaching the ship's defense can one inflict harm or negative effects on him.]

[Talent: God-level Navigator - with vast sailing experience, never gets lost.]

[Talent: Full-Crew Fervor - All crew inherits the "Man and Ship are One" talent.]

[…]

[Weakness: You should be aware they belong to you.]

"What a weakness. It's starting to feel like a confidante," Ming chuckled.

He silently entered the observation room, using his [Eagle Eye] to search for Dmitry.

Dmitry was nowhere to be found in the observation room. Entering the control cabin, Ming used his [Eagle Eye] again. There! He summoned Euryale. One glance and all the zombies within the cabin turned to stone.

Bridge complete.

He now controlled the ship: The Mighty Destroyer.

Everything proceeded smoothly. Given the vast disparity in strength, those of Emperor Level stood no chance against him. But more significantly, everyone was mesmerized by the beautiful woman and got petrified. Ming, however, wasn't particularly interested in beauties.

Returning to the observation room, Ming ordered Dmitry to slow the ship, waiting for the airborne leeches. Meanwhile, he stepped out of the bridge, riding Raoul, inspecting the entire destroyer.

Ahead stood a single 130MM main cannon, tasked primarily with anti-aircraft and ground assaults. Nestled between this cannon and the bridge were 64 vertical missile silos. Behind the silos were the ship's close-defense guns. Their purpose? Intercept any attacks that broke through the primary defenses. Their firing rate was rapid. These had hit Raoul.

The bridge followed, beneath which lay the phased radar array. 'Masts' replete with radar stretched behind the bridge. On both sides of the hull, there were single-barrel 30MM guns. The power room, which consumed spiritual energy, lay behind the bridge; 500 units were consumed every hour.

Ming understood. In Dmitry's hands, this warship was akin to his 'gear' or skill, much like his own bomb car, albeit different in function. Hence, the energy consumed was spiritual.

Behind the power room was another set of silos, next stood the 324MM triple-barreled torpedo launchers. Further back lay the helicopter hangar and helipad.

Ming was satisfied. The platform was perfect for airborne leeches to rest. Once they arrived, he let his froglings roam on the deck.

The remaining zombies of the legion boarded the ship while the sharks trailed alongside the ship, no longer tethered to the raft.

Lorelei quickly found the kitchen. The sight of a stockroom full of vegetables, fruits, meat, rice, and flour had her dancing joyfully. She planned a lavish dinner.

First, Ming ordered Captain Dmitry to set a course for 109. Once everything was settled, he sat beside the ship's bow, summoning Raoul. While Raoul fished, Ming perused "Game Planning," delving into details regarding the apocalypse and scouring for content related to the sea.

Ming discovered that life at sea wasn't much different from being on land; it was just a change of scenery. As the sun set on the horizon, the residual light painted the sky with a shade of orange, bringing colors to the vastness above.

On the 12th day adrift at sea, Ming lay on the deck sunbathing. Lorelei sat beside him, making some chilled citrus drinks. Considering that the whole ship was powered by spiritual energy and the kitchen's storeroom had a freezer, having ice was quite natural. Besides being a mermaid and a water Elementalist, Lorelei was quite adept at making ice.

Ming didn't waste any time. He was busy exchanging and mixing the blood of his puppets, injecting them to help them evolve. He decided to take better care of them when he had some free time.

On the 14th day, Ming tried his hand at fishing, hoping for some self-sufficiency. However, the fish seemed uncooperative. He quickly gave up on fishing and decided to resort to... blasting the fish! He realized he'd never witnessed a missile launch in his life. Mainly to familiarize himself with the ship's capabilities, he initiated a training exercise, launching the ship's cannons, close-defense guns, torpedoes, and missiles, one by one.

Soon, he learned that every shot, whether a missile or a shell, consumed spiritual energy. Thankfully, he had a plentiful supply. And sure enough, he managed to blast some fish out of the water.

[Your frogs are getting bored. They've hopped around and explored the entire ship and are now returning to your side~]

[Da Vinci told you that he went on a trip today, and all he got was loneliness. Foodie looked at you, "Same here."~]

[Merlin approaches the prone Napoleon on the floor. It seems Napoleon contributed significantly to Merlin's recent poison experiments~]

On the 15th day at sea:

[Your frog is bored. Lorelei built a small ice house for them on the deck. They lie inside, motionless. Such boring days might push them into hibernation~]

[Foodie looked at you, having hung fish everywhere on the ship. He's lost interest, too. Eating fish for over ten days straight, even a glutton has its limits~]

Ming looked around, noticing dried fish hanging everywhere on the ship. He felt satisfied. As they journeyed, they encountered other zombie ships and decided to annex them to their fleet. Now, the fleet consisted of one destroyer and two escort ships.

"Surprisingly, I caught a crab!"

Ming collected the dried fish and held a crab leg, reminiscing about the crab roe fried rice he hadn't eaten in a long while. It seemed like a great idea to change tonight's dinner menu.

[Your froglets collectively hop out of the ice house, "Ming, let's make this crab our friend!"]

[The froglets dragged the crab back to the ice house, treating it warmly. Foodie reassured the crab, "Don't worry, you won't become food." Napoleon invited the crab to join their group, making it the new mascot~]

[Napoleon suggested, "Now that we have a new member, we can finally play rock-paper-scissors and determine a winner!" The froglets agreed. The still-terrified crab, not completely understanding, is forced to play~]

[The froglets and the crab played rock-paper-scissors. The crab won. The froglets looked at it and said, "You lost, so you must face the punishment." The crab was confused, "I used scissors, you guys used paper; how did I lose?"]

[Da Vinci explained to the crab, "In our froglet rules, the winner faces the punishment." The crab looked at the froglets, "What's the punishment?"]

Nighttime.

Ming was busy frying rice. He deeply sniffed, "Ah, the scent of crab roe is so good~."