Cracking it would take some time, so Shi Ming didn't stay idle. He went to the edge of the beach to familiarize himself with the powers and skills he'd gained from his awakening.
The effect of the Mimicry Dust had worn off. Every so often, a Bloodthirsty Moth would try to make a tasty lunch out of Shi Ming, but without exception, they all died by his sword.
They didn't even know that their entire nest had been wiped out by the man standing before them.
Shi Ming swung the long-bladed saber.
The more he used this cold weapon awarded by the system, the more comfortable it felt in his hands.
In his past life, he'd been very fond of this type of saber, a legacy of the Tang Dynasty, and had even practiced its corresponding blade techniques. Especially when cutting down these flying Bloodthirsty Moths, cleaving them in two with a single stroke was both stylish and cool. Plus, none of the disgusting bodily fluids from the Bloodthirsty Moths would stick to his blade.
BEEP.
Fifteen minutes. The Gold-rank Wandering Ship key had finished cracking the vessel.
He was about to become the new master of this Wandering Ship.
[Energy reserves low... Replenishing energy...]
[Please input captain's information. Scanning... Confirming captain's information. Confirmed.]
A beam of light suddenly shot out from the Wandering Ship's long-dusty bow, scanning Shi Ming's body and recording his appearance, facial features, and other characteristics.
[Querying Celestial Net Chip system... Chip already implanted. No new implantation required.]
[Congratulations, you are now the master of this Wandering Ship! Please give it an impressive name!]
[Name Now] [Name Later]
Shi Ming unhesitatingly selected [Name Later].
He wasn't particularly good at coming up with names; he needed some time to think it over.
Then, he stared at the holographic panel that had appeared above the dilapidated canoe, lost in thought, especially about the mention of the "Celestial Net Chip."
It reminded him of something the captain had said.
'Even the master of a Wandering Ship has to be implanted with something called a Celestial Net Chip. And from the looks of it, it's mandatory, with no room for negotiation.'
'Is the goal just to control every single person?'
Shi Ming hadn't lived through the early days of the Wandering Era, so he couldn't say for sure.
Before he could check the Wandering Ship's detailed stats or find out what unique feature made it a "Gold-rank Wandering Ship," another system notification popped up before his eyes.
BEEP.
[Congratulations on successfully completing the novice mission: Own Your Own Wandering Ship.]
[Reward obtained: Novice Data Packet x1]
[All three of your novice missions are complete. System loading progress has increased to 99%. The system will now help the host remove the Celestial Net Chip's control.]
[Removing the chip will not affect future Celestial Net Chip verifications. Remove now?]
Without hesitation, Shi Ming selected yes.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Even with his Awakened physique, he couldn't resist the intense vertigo. It felt as if countless bits of information were crashing around inside his mind, giving him a splitting headache.
Fortunately, the sensation didn't last long.
"Huuuh."
Shi Ming fell to one knee on the sand, nearly throwing up.
He wiped the fluid from the corner of his mouth and struggled to his feet.
He knew that in that moment, the "Celestial Net Chip" implanted in his brain had been completely disabled. At the same time, it wouldn't affect future verifications when claiming ownership of other Wandering Ships.
He was finally, completely free.
For him, two things were rooted in his very soul.
One was the mission; the other was freedom.
Getting to his feet, Shi Ming stored the canoe from the beach into his system inventory.
The ten-cubic-meter system inventory could easily hold the not-so-large canoe. Afterward, he vanished from the coastline.
'Time to pay the captain a visit.'
...
On the western side of the island, atop a steep cliff, the captain stared at the bodies of six or seven exploration team members killed in the Bloodthirsty Moth ambush, his face livid.
Among them were two of his most trusted, loyal subordinates. Also dead!
Thirty minutes earlier, they had expended considerable effort to scale this steep cliff in search of the so-called mother nest. But when they reached the top, they found it completely empty. Forget a mother nest; there wasn't even a single ordinary bug.
He had been just about to interrogate the scar-faced man about the directions when a swarm of Bloodthirsty Moths blotted out the sky, attacking from a distance.
On top of the cliff, they were completely exposed. There was nothing, not even a place to hide.
They became perfect targets for the Bloodthirsty Moths, just like the slaves who had lit a bonfire the previous night.
Naturally, the casualties were devastating.
The captain had no problem killing the Bloodthirsty Moths with his Awakened skill, Godspeed Power. However, their numbers were simply too great, and their position on the cliff put them at a severe disadvantage. Soon, six or seven members of the exploration team were struck by the Bloodthirsty Moths' suddenly extending proboscises and died one after another.
But thanks to the presence of an Awakened, the group managed to overcome the swarm, albeit with great difficulty.
The ground was littered with the corpses of Bloodthirsty Moths and exploration team members alike.
The captain's expression was uglier than ever. This was the second major loss they'd suffered in recent days, but it enraged him far more than the storm had.
The storm was a Celestial Calamity; this was a man-made disaster!
"You bastard! Look at this intel of yours! Where's the nest?!"
"Didn't you say these things only move at night? That they're dormant during the day?!"
"You fucking son of a bitch!"
The captain, having lost all semblance of composure, viciously slapped the scar-faced man who had provided the intelligence.
"Go join my men."
He drew the gun from his hip.
"Captain... Captain, this intel... it was Shi Ming! He's the one who told me!"
"It was him, Captain, it was him! This was all his scheme!"
The scar-faced man clung to the captain's leg and, in a desperate gamble, shouted Shi Ming's name.
But the captain didn't hesitate for a second. He pulled the trigger, and a gleaming bullet tore straight through the scar-faced man's head.
"Useless trash!"
He kicked the man's corpse away. His gaze was icy as he looked toward the direction where their Wandering Ship was moored and gave his order.
"We're heading back!"
"But Captain, we haven't found the nest yet..." the first mate piped up as he approached.
He was met with a slap infused with "Godspeed Power."
"Idiot!"
"Moron!"
"Still thinking about the fucking nest? What nest?! Use that pig brain of yours for once and think! Where did all those bugs fly in from?! The east! You imbecile!"
"Everyone back to the ship! We're verifying all the intel!"
A cold glint flashed in the captain's eyes.
'The intel was so ridiculously false... The scar-faced man couldn't have been that stupid. He was used, nine times out of ten.'
'If this really was all a trap set by that Shi Ming, then...'
'I'll poke twenty holes in him, tie him up, and throw him into the sea while he's still alive. We'll have a little session of bloody human fishing! I'll let the fish in the sea nibble away his flesh, piece by piece!'
'A mere slave dares to plot against me? I'll show you the true meaning of cruelty!'