Chapter 696 Oh, Boss Kiryu, your body is great! 4300
Blah blah blah!
The rain was still falling, but it was getting heavier. It was no longer the thin raindrops before, but large raindrops.
The Iulius, tightly shrouded in rain, was no longer as quiet and harmonious as before.
On the side of the ship, the heavily armed sailors nervously scanned their eyes, inspecting everything on the sea.
From the side of the ship, hurried footsteps and anxious conversations could be heard from time to time.
Each ship is a small independent world, with so much space and so many people.
Therefore, whenever there is any slight disturbance, whether it is good news or bad news, it spreads very quickly.
So, even though it only took a while, the whole ship had received the shocking news like a bolt from the blue - the keel of the ship's bow had been cut off by an unknown person!
As sailors, they naturally understand what "keel fracture" means.
For a time, all kinds of discussions emerged one after another——
"Hey, is this fake news?"
"That's a keel! The keel under our feet is thicker and bigger than the buttocks of my Aunt Susan next door. How can it be possible to cut it off at the drop of a hat?"
"This is not false news! I just saw it with my own eyes! The keel was cut in half diagonally! The fracture was bottomless!"
"Hey, if... the keel under the ship is really broken, then should we abandon the ship?"
"Yes, staying on a ship with a broken keel is no joke..."
…
Although officers at all levels on the ship are trying their best to suppress it, they still cannot suppress the spread of the news and the spread of panic...
…
…
At this moment, a small boat was moving along the wall of the Iulius, bit by bit, towards the bow.
"Row faster! Row faster! Haven't you eaten yet?!"
Colonel Jocelyn frowned and cursed angrily at the sailors in charge of the rowing boat.
The military is the most hierarchical organization, and the navy is the most prominent among them.
On a warship, the captain is the unquestionable boss, and everything must be obeyed by the captain.
Therefore, after being reprimanded by Colonel Jocelyn, the sailors in charge of rowing did not dare to neglect, and quickly used their strength to pump the oars.
Right next to Colonel Jocelyn, Minister Neil's elongated face, his dark complexion almost blended into the dusk.
It was seen that his clothes were disheveled, one button was even buttoned wrong, his shirt was not tucked into his pants, and his hair was as messy as a bird's nest - this showed what a chaotic time he had just gone through.
Just now, Neil and Colonel Jocelyn were both sleeping in their respective bedrooms, immersed in sweet dreams.
Suddenly, a frightened roar sounded outside the room, suddenly waking Neil up.
"Your Excellency, Minister! Captain! Something bad has happened! The keel of the bow of the ship has been chopped off!"
At first, Neil thought it was a prank played by the sailors.
In order to pass the boring time on the ship, sailors always come up with all kinds of strange ways to have fun.
The keel was cut off?
Why didn't you say that the entire ship was cut off?!
Neil raised his upper body and angrily shouted:
"You are so brave! Did you pull a prank on me?!"
The sailor outside the room suddenly changed into a cry of grievance:
"No! We are not playing a prank! Something really happened to the keel on the bow of the ship! Please come and take a look!"
Only then did Neil vaguely feel that something was wrong...
He quickly grabbed his coat, threw it on casually, buttoned a few buttons casually, and rushed out the door.
As soon as he went out, he met Colonel Jocelyn who was also in a hurry.
"Colonel! What happened?!"
Colonel Jocelyn replied with a blank look on his face:
"I don't know either! Anyway, let's go to the bow first!"
Just like that, the two of them didn't even bother to put on their raincoats. They braved the pouring rain, piled into an escape boat, and sailed towards the bow of the ship in a hurry.
Soon, an abandoned old fishing boat and its majestic bow appeared in front of them.
However, due to the layers of continuous dark clouds, there was no trace of moonlight in the sky, so they could not see anything clearly, only a pitch black mass.
Colonel Jocelyn frowned and shouted again:
"Lamp! Lamp! Move the lamp over quickly! Be smarter! You lazy, stupid pigs!"
As soon as this order was issued, the sailors on the boat immediately took off the oil lamps hanging on the bow and stern of the boat, lifted the lamps, and leaned the lamps towards the bow of the ship.
The moment the dim light hit the bow of the ship... a panic-stricken emotion swept across the entire ship in an instant!
The sailors were panicked.
Colonel Jocelyn was stunned.
As for Neil, who was a British minister and well-informed, he even put his hand on his forehead and exclaimed:
"Oh my God!"
Looking up, I saw a huge diagonal cut across the keel!
The smooth and slender cut has no trace of excess... just like the uncanny workmanship of nature.
Blah blah blah blah...!
It was quiet on the boat, except for the sound of falling raindrops.
The heavy silence continued to accumulate...Everyone on the boat was shocked by the scene in front of them, and was speechless for a long time.
About half a minute later, Neil finally came back to his senses.
"Give me the light!"
With that said, he grabbed an oil lamp with his hands and walked to the side of the boat so that the lamp could be closer to the incision.
He attached the oil lamp to the edge of the incision, then leaned over, squinted his eyes, and looked at the incision carefully.
Although the light has illuminated the area around the incision, the inside of the incision is still bottomless, and the light still cannot illuminate its end...
At this time, Colonel Jocelyn turned to the sailor beside him and shouted:
"Go and get George!"
George, shipwright of the Iuliaus.
…
…
Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man with half a century of hair and beard appeared next to Neil and Colonel Jocelyn - it was George, the shipbuilder.
George's expression was tense, looking here and touching there, just like an old woman choosing fabrics in the market.
Colonel Jocelyn, who was waiting nearby, seemed like her husband waiting anxiously outside the delivery room.
For a moment, George put down his hands touching the incision.
Colonel Jocelyn saw this and asked quickly:
"George, how's it going?"
George sighed softly:
"Colonel, I will tell you the result directly - the keel is broken and this ship is no longer viable."
As soon as these words came out, Colonel Jocelyn was petrified on the spot.
He immediately asked:
"Is the keel broken badly?"
George nodded slightly.
"It's hard to believe...but it's true."
"The keel was completely broken, and the whole root was broken into two parts."
"This ship has been scrapped. We must sail it back to Yokohama as soon as possible."
Yokohama - Since the founding of Japan, Yokohama, with its superior trade environment, has become a gateway to the outside world.
Riding on this trend, Yokohama has transformed from a small rural village with less than a hundred households into a large and vibrant town.
Embassies from various countries can be seen everywhere in Yokohama Town.
Ships from various countries can be seen everywhere in Yokohama Port.
The closest port to Edo that can accommodate foreign ships is Yokohama Port.
Every time George said something, Colonel Jocelyn's face became gloomier.
The British Navy has always had a tradition of "sinking with the ship".
Therefore, for the captains of the British Navy, the ship is their second life.
George made it clear that the Iulius was no longer viable... This sudden change was a real shock to Colonel Jocelyn!
Colonel Jocelyn looked hesitant.
After a moment, he said slowly:
"George, take a closer look..."
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was intercepted by George:
"Colonel, I have been a shipwright for more than forty years."
"My judgment will not be wrong."
"A ship with a broken keel can no longer be called a ship."
"The Iulius must be brought back to the port immediately, dismantled, and replaced with a new keel."
Speaking of this, he paused for a while, and then continued:
"Colonel, you are the captain of a ship and you are responsible for all lives on board."
"Any storm now can destroy this ship."
"Please face reality."
George's continuous words were like a machine gun. Every word, every word, penetrated into Colonel Jocelyn's heart.
As a commander who can command a ship, how could he not understand the dangers of "broken keel"?
However, although his reason has accepted the cruel consequences before him, his emotions have not yet caught up with the reality.
The keel of the ship was broken, just like a human spine was broken.
At first glance, it seems that the whole thing is still intact, but its interior has become extremely fragile.
Humans with broken spines can't even stand up - the same goes for ships.
Jocelyn pursed her lips tightly, and after being silent for a long time, she asked George quietly:
"George, was this incision...really made with a knife?"
"...Colonel, I am not a professional swordsman, and I don't know anything about swords. But...except for the wound of this shape, except that it was caused by a knife, I really can't think of any other possibility.
"
Colonel Jocelyn took a deep breath and forced himself to regain his composure.
"So...an unknown person sneaked here in an old small fishing boat, and then destroyed my boat with just one knife, right?"
George: "..."
No one dared to talk to me.
It was quiet on the boat...
Minister Neil has been silent since just now.
He had his hands behind his back, his face was as cold as ice, and his eyes were staring directly at the huge cut that destroyed the Iulius.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the young warrior with magical "power" he saw today.
At the same time, he couldn't help but recall the words the young warrior left before leaving -
(Sir, please understand - if you persist, we also have the right to fight back.)
…
…
Edo Bay, a beach somewhere——
"Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! It's been a long time since I swam... Huh...! Huh...! I'm so tired...! Huh...! Huh...!"
Boss Kiryu broke free from the sea water, climbed to the shore, took off the haori from his upper body, and twisted it hard - splash, splash, splash - the water flowed to the shore like a waterfall.
Qingdeng took him half a step back to the shore.
As he took off his soaked clothes, he said angrily to the old man in front of him:
"You kept saying you were tired, but you kept swimming faster than me..."
Boss Kiryu smiled:
"I have learned swimming skills at Lake Biwa before. Your physical strength and hand and foot strength are better than mine, but your swimming skills are still undeveloped."
Qingto couldn't argue with Boss Kiryu's comments.
Regarding the sport of swimming, his level is only at the level of "being able to swim".
Riding on that old small fishing boat, it was impossible to escape the British pursuit.
The British ships could overturn their small fishing boats with just a few cannons.
Therefore, the only option was to swim and abscond.
While wringing out his clothes, Aomori raised his gaze to look at Edo Bay in the distance.
Although he couldn't see the scene there or hear the movement there, he could roughly guess how horrified Neil, Colonel Jocelyn and others would be after seeing the shocking incision.
"They must be really worried right now!"
As he spoke, Qingdeng raised the corners of his lips and showed a "planned" smile.
"When I think about it carefully, it seems that I didn't help at all tonight. Oh, I'm really ashamed."
"Boss Kiryu, don't say that. Thanks to your superb rowing skills, I was able to reach my destination more easily."
At this time, both the old and the young had taken off their wet clothes.
Although it's strange to say this... But Qingto couldn't control his gaze - he unconsciously raised his gaze and glanced at the upper body of Boss Kiryu.
As a philanthropic man who aspires to marry three wives, Qingdeng certainly has no strange hobbies.
This was the first time he saw Boss Kiryu's undisguised body.
The reason why he couldn't help but peek at the other person's body was because - the other person's face and body were extremely mismatched!
To put it simply: He obviously has an old face full of wrinkles, but his body still looks like a strong young man!
Chest muscles, abdominal muscles, back muscles... every muscle in his upper body is extremely distinct, with clear lines as if carved by a knife, without a trace of fat.
It doesn’t look like the body of a nearly 100-year-old man at all!
Of course, what shocked Qingdeng the most was the opponent's "battle damage".
I saw that Boss Kiryu's body was covered with criss-crossing scars.
New, old, long, short, cutting wounds, penetrating wounds... there are all kinds of scars.
So many "battle medals"... even compared to Qingden!
This further strengthened Qingto's idea - Boss Kiryu's past must be far more legendary than he imagined!
While Qingtou was still shocked by Boss Kiryu's body, the other party walked up to him silently and stood side by side with him.
"Junior Jun, you cut it beautifully."
He smiled softly.
"To be honest, before setting off, I was worried about whether you would be able to do it or not."
"Now it seems that I really underestimated you."
"I didn't expect your 'Liu Guang' to have reached this level."
"The speed of your growth always surprises me."
"I'm very pleased."
"When I was your age, I didn't have such great abilities."
Qingdeng raised his eyebrows and put on a smile with mixed emotions:
"Actually... before I drew my sword, I doubted whether I could successfully cut off the keel of the Iulius."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you with me."
*******
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According to the corrections from book friends, what Qingdeng chopped off was not the keel, but the bow. There would be no keel on the bow... Never mind! Just treat it as if the keel was chopped off! (Leopard Zhiqizhuang.jpg)
PS: For unknown reasons, the book club group has disappeared into nothingness (Leopard Leopard Head with Tears.jpg)
