BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1034  A Thousand Troops, But Only One Plan (1)

The week following the sea thaid's attack was a flurry of activity aboard the ship. Every member of the crew, from the Chimaeric Demons to Erik himself, worked to repair the damage and keep the vessel afloat.

The main deck, which had endured the thaid's assault, required extensive repairs. However, fixing the ship in that situation and with the damage in that bad place wasn't easy at all. The damage was on the hull, near the deck. It was there that the sea thaid attacked, and where the waters completed the job.

Below deck, the situation was equally dire. The hull breach allowed water to flood in. The damage had been partially repaired by now, but not completely. If the water was high enough, it could rush in. Only the lower part of the damage had been repaired, but in the end, water still entered from above.

However, the initial patch job had prevented them from sinking outright, but a more permanent solution was needed. Erik oversaw this critical repair personally, using the knowledge he got thanks to the biological supercomputer to tell the Chimaeric Demons what to do.

Mira, Emily, and Amber, though not as physically strong as the Chimaeric Demons, contributed.

Emily's nimble fingers proved adept at doing some finer tunes, while Mira's eye for detail helped in identifying small but potentially dangerous cracks and weaknesses in the ship's structure.

Amber, instead, took charge of organizing supplies and ensuring everyone had the tools they needed. Of course, that meant asking a lot of things to Erik, who was tired. Erik had even more work to do. He needed to create more Chimaeric Demons' eggs and make more neural links. This took up a lot of his time and energy.

As the days passed, the ship slowly resembled its former self. Though a damage so vast, just the first day of travel was an immense blow to the crew's morale.

On the seventh day after the attack, with most of the critical repairs completed, Erik called a meeting in the captain's quarters. June, Mira, Amber, and Emily gathered around the large holographic map on the table.

Erik looked at each of them in turn, noting the dark circles under their eyes and the calluses forming on their hands.

"First," Erik said, "I want to thank you all of you for your hard work this past week. We've come a long way in a short time, and it's thanks to everyone's efforts."

The others nodded, small smiles of appreciation on their faces.

"Now," Erik said, his tone becoming more serious, "we need to discuss our next move. June, what can you tell us about our current position and the nearest land?"

June stepped forward, his finger tracing a path on the map spread out before them. "Based on our charts and the distance we've covered in the past week, we're approximately here," he said, tapping a spot on the map in the vast expanse of blue that represented the ocean stretching between Hin and Frant.

"Fortunately, there's an island near our current position. We've been making steady progress towards it."

"How far are we from this island?" Erik asked.

June measured the distance with the ship's system's tools. "At our current speed, considering the time we still need to spend for the repairs and the damage to the ship, we should reach the island in about three days."

Erik nodded. "What about enemy presence in the area? Both ships and land-based?"

June's expression grew more serious. "According to our intelligence and the maps on the ship, there should be a small enemy outpost on the island. It's likely used as a coordination point for ship traffic in this area."

"Any idea of the number of troops?" Mira asked. She might not be as smart as Erik and the Chimaeric Demons, but she had plenty of experience.

June shook his head. "Exact numbers are scarce, but given the size of the island and its strategic importance, I'd estimate no more than five hundred to a thousand troops. It's not meant to be a major base, just a waypoint and observation post."

Erik turned to Mira. "What are your thoughts on this? You've had experience with similar outposts before, didn't you?"

During those five months since the war started, Mira, Amber, and Emily helped and fought. Mira often joined attacks on small outposts, where she was tasked with helping with the assassination attempts of various key figures.

She furrowed her brow in concentration. "From what I've seen in the past, these small outposts are usually lightly defended. They rely more on secrecy and their ability to call for reinforcements than on their own strength. If we can approach undetected and strike quickly, we might be able to overwhelm them before they can raise the alarm. However, the outpost's size also means there might be ships nearby." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Good insight. Now, what about enemy ships in the area, June? Mira's reasoning makes sense."

June traced a circle around their position on the map. "There are likely to be patrol ships in these waters. However, given the vastness of the ocean and the relatively small number of ships Hin can spare for this area, we shouldn't encounter more than two or three at most. That if we do nothing to avoid them."

"Can we handle that many?" Emily asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Erik smiled. "With the Chimaeric Demons, we can. They've proven their worth against the sea thaid, and enemy ships will be no match for them, especially considering that one of them can sink ships on their own. If the sea thaid could, it's impossible that the clones won't be able. We can definitely handle a few patrol ships. The problem is getting there without being seen. I don't know if the virus from the biological supercomputer is still working. I think it is since we haven't been attacked by ships yet, but I don't know if the blackguards gave Hin other ways to communicate and share information."