Infinity, The Arcade Age

The wooden crate containing Zhou Dun's corpse was secretly thrown into the sea by Qin Ming and the female soldiers. A high-ranking general, the commander of the entire fleet, personally sent by the King of Wu to escort the young lady home, had died just like that—killed by his own young mistress, all because he had seen something he shouldn't have.

But while Zhou Dun was dead, Qin Ming and the others' plan to return to Shu still wasn't going smoothly. The reason was simple—he wasn't the only commander in the fleet!

As soon as the main warship veered off course and began heading back the way they had come, the other Wu warships quickly realized something was wrong. They had no time to hesitate—they immediately turned and gave chase.

In an instant, the pursuit began. The warships raced across the sea, with over a dozen ships closing in from all directions, surrounding the main vessel.

However, the main warship was the flagship of the fleet—the fastest and most heavily armored ship. Now that it had gained enough distance, the other warships couldn't easily catch up!

Realizing they couldn't close the gap, the pursuing ships quickly changed tactics—they lowered their Mengchong boats into the water!

Mengchong boats were ancient assault vessels, designed in a streamlined shape like a shuttle. They sacrificed armor and size in exchange for speed and agility. They were primarily used for quick strikes on enemy ships, allowing soldiers to board and seize control.

Now, with the ropes untied, waves of Mengchong boats surged toward the main warship, rowed furiously by determined Wu soldiers. Seeing this, the soldiers aboard the main warship immediately gathered to mount a defense.

A rain of arrows fell from above as the Wu sailors on the main warship shot at the approaching assault boats, trying to stop them before they reached the ship. The ordinary sailors were utterly confused—why were they fighting their own people?!

But according to Young Lady Sun, there were Shu spies hidden among the pursuers, planning to ambush and kill them. And since she was the King of Wu's sister, her word carried immense authority. If she said the enemy was coming, the soldiers had no choice but to obey and attack. After all, they were just soldiers. Their job was to follow orders, not question them.

Arrows rained down, and soldiers on the Mengchong boats were constantly getting hit, some tumbling into the sea. But the boats pressed on through the storm of arrows and soon reached the ship's hull.

Wu soldiers, gripping weapons between their teeth, threw out grappling hooks and began climbing the ropes to board the ship—only to be met by the waiting spears of the defenders.

A brutal boarding battle erupted right there on the sea, both sides locked in a chaotic melee. More and more Mengchong boats swarmed in, bringing even more soldiers onto the battlefield.

But despite their overwhelming numbers, attacking was not easy.

For one, the main warship's crew were elite soldiers, battle-hardened veterans. And more importantly—there was a machine gun mounted at the stern!

At the ship's rear, Eri Kasamoto had already set up her light machine gun and was unleashing a storm of bullets onto the incoming Mengchong boats. If any boats got too close, she lobbed grenades straight at them.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions rocked the sea, engulfing some boats in flames, forcing the soldiers onboard to jump overboard to escape the inferno.

Especially the Molotov cocktails mixed in with the explosives—their destructive power was insane. As soon as they hit a wooden boat, the fire would spread instantly, turning it into a blazing death trap.

Any soldiers hiding inside, rowing desperately toward the ship, had only two choices—jump into the sea immediately, or burn alive as human torches.

The Mengchong boats' light armor was designed to stop arrows, but against Eri Kasamoto's firepower, they were as good as paper. Bullets easily tore through the hulls, leaving soldiers with nowhere to hide.

And right beside Eri Kasamoto, there was a warhorse crouched on deck. Behind the warhorse, Sun Ji—the first main boss of the arc—had mounted an energy machine gun and was firing wildly at the attacking ships.

Every now and then, she switched to the twin-barrel energy cannon, blasting enemy boats into splinters.

As she sprayed bullets in every direction, her face was filled with exhilaration, her body trembling along with the machine gun.

Originally, the energy machine gun had been mounted on the warhorse for Qin Ming to use. But after watching him fire it for a while, Sun Ji had obviously developed an interest in this new, unfamiliar weapon.

After asking Qin Ming a few questions about how to use it, she had shoved him aside and taken over herself. And in no time at all—she had completely mastered it!

Now, with two machine guns firing in a crisscross pattern at the ship's stern, the overwhelming firepower wreaked havoc on the Mengchong boats. Even if some soldiers managed to climb onto the ship, they were quickly driven back by the defending troops and Sun Ji's personal guard.

Not to mention, Qin Ming was also in the fray. Whenever an enemy broke through the defensive line, he would rush over to reinforce, and against his near-invulnerable body, any Wu soldiers who had barely managed to gain a foothold on the ship were instantly overwhelmed.

Any hard-fought corner they managed to seize was lost before their reinforcements could even climb up to secure it.

The spear-wielding and shield-bearing assault teams failed to break through.

The archers' long-range fire was completely neutralized by the two machine guns.

Realizing that brute force alone wouldn't work, the Wu forces formed an elite strike team. It was composed entirely of heavily armored warriors and Baiyue barbarian fighters—even some of their trained war beasts were among them!

This squad managed to breach the ordinary soldiers' defenses.

However, waiting for them aboard the ship—was a wall of fire!

Qin Ming, using his Sonic Blade technique and wielding his Kusanagi Gauntlets, continuously hurled fireballs at the Mengchong boats, setting them ablaze.

Despite several determined assaults, the elite team couldn't take him down. Eventually, as their boats were sliced apart by sheer force, they were all swallowed by the sea.

A total of twenty-four Mengchong boats had attempted the charge, but not a single one succeeded in stopping the main warship. Instead, they were completely annihilated.

...

With no more fast-moving Mengchong boats available, the remaining dozen or so large warships had no hope of catching up to the main warship.

The Wu soldiers onboard could only watch helplessly as their target vanished into the distant sea.

Finally escaping their pursuers, Qin Ming let out a long breath.

Shaking out his slightly sore arms, he walked toward the stern of the ship, only to find Sun Ji still playing around with the warhorse and the modern weapons mounted on it.

Seeing him approach, Sun Ji, who was stroking the horse's head, sighed, "What a fine horse. The weapons are pretty interesting too. Letting you ride it is a complete waste."

"Hey!" Qin Ming scowled.

"Relax, relax, I'm not saying I'm going to steal it. I'm just stating the obvious." Sun Ji patted the horse's neck before finally withdrawing her hand. Then, she suddenly turned her head to look at Eri Kasamoto, who was standing nearby.

Dressed in a military uniform, carrying a light machine gun on her shoulder, golden-haired, tall, and exuding an aura of sharp elegance—she was a true modern beauty.

Sun Ji suddenly leaned in close to Qin Ming's ear and whispered, "Who's this girl? She's got quite the skill, and she's pretty good-looking too. Blonde hair, huh? Is she your mistress? If she's your mistress, that makes her my mistress too, right? Why don't you introduce us?"

Seeing Sun Ji's raised eyebrow and the way she was eyeing Eri Kasamoto, something clearly wasn't right. Qin Ming glanced around at the members of Sun Ji's all-female personal guard.

His expression darkened as he lowered his voice and warned, "Stay away from my people. Don't bring your… special tastes into my territory!"

"Hey, you—!" Sun Ji's face fell in frustration, but before she could retort, Qin Ming had already strode away toward Eri Kasamoto.

He had been just about to warn Eri to be careful around Sun Ji, who had been celibate for years and had clearly developed certain tendencies…

But before he could even speak, Eri, still chewing her bubblegum, spoke first.

She tilted her head in Sun Ji's direction, gesturing lazily as she chewed. "Who's this woman in armor? Your new plaything? She's got a pretty tight waist. Bet she feels great to hold. Boss, don't be selfish—introduce me sometime."

"…You two are beyond saving." Qin Ming facepalmed.

(End of Chapter)