Chapter 136: Cao Cao’s Black Technology

Mo Zhixing was not worried. Although Cao Cao’s reaction had been somewhat unexpected, he simply treated it as a hidden bonus and enjoyed himself thoroughly.

“What good is all that drumming? You can’t catch anyone just by shouting.” Mo Zhixing chuckled, then glanced at Chen Fan’s boat. It was completely bare—not a single arrow had been borrowed.

Oh, wait. There was one, though it had only been given to him on Mo Zhixing’s orders as an act of charity. Remembering that, Mo Zhixing became even more pleased with himself.

“Put your backs into it. Pick up the pace. We shouldn’t linger here.” Mo Zhixing waved his fan and issued the order.

He lifted the curtain and looked back. There was still no movement from Cao Cao’s side, nor any sign that the Chancellor had sent soldiers in pursuit. They were merely beating drums and blowing horns.

“That Elder fellow… Didn’t he say he wasn’t going to get involved? Why has he suddenly shown up here?”

Chen Fan recognized the familiar tune. The battle drums were pounding out the Elder’s favorite melody: sunglasses, cigar, and gold chain.

“Set up the cannon.”

At Cao Cao’s command, a cannon rose from the ground atop the high bank, as if some divine weapon had descended from heaven. No one knew how such a cumbersome thing had been hauled up there.

“It’s fine. Let him get a little farther away first. Take your time and aim carefully.” Cao Cao was in high spirits as he pointed his sword toward the grass boat.

Mo Zhixing was hiding inside the boat’s canopy and had no idea what was happening outside. He only thought that the drumming sounded rather catchy.

“I didn’t know Cao Cao was such a showman. He’s surprisingly good at beating drums.”

“My lord, this is bad! We’re in danger!” a naval soldier reported in panic.

“The Wei ships can’t catch us. Don’t worry. Follow the original plan.” Mo Zhixing knew exactly what he was doing. After borrowing arrows so many times, he had never once allowed anyone to catch up with him.

“It’s not that. It’s Cao Cao… Cao Cao has set up a giant cannon on the shore.”

“What? A giant cannon?” Mo Zhixing sprang to his feet. After a brief pause, he said, “Come on. Let’s go take a look.”

Chen Fan’s boat had remained motionless for quite some time, apparently unable to decide whether to advance or retreat. But the moment he saw Cao Cao set up the cannon, he fled as if his life depended on it.

“What are you panicking for? I’m not going to blow you up.” Elder Cao Cao stroked his beard. After giving Chen Fan a disdainful look, he shifted his attention to Zhuge Liang’s grass boat.

“Battalion Commander Two, is the cannon ready?”

“Ready, sir. We’re prepared to engage at any time,” replied the officer responsible for the defense of the Second Battalion.

“Fire the cannon! Blow that bastard to pieces!” Cao Cao pointed with the edge of his sword, and a sentence of death descended from the heavens.

Boom!

A tremendous splash erupted across the river. When the raging waves subsided, Zhuge Liang’s grass boat had vanished from the surface, leaving behind only a heap of planks bobbing up and down. Loose straw drifted with the current, carrying a few scattered arrows toward the distant shore.

“Good grief. If I hadn’t saved that fellow, he would have died a truly miserable death.” Chen Fan stood at the bow, laughing as he spoke.

“We should be out of range by now. Row back, quickly.” Chen Fan did not dare linger and began rowing himself.

Of course, the cannon had not truly exploded. Gunpowder had not yet been invented during the Three Kingdoms period. The grass boat had simply been smashed and sunk outright.

“You stay here. I’m going after him.” Cao Cao tightened his belt and prepared to pursue Chen Fan personally.

His subordinate, Yu Jin, hurriedly tried to stop him. “Chancellor, you absolutely mustn’t! What if there’s an ambush ahead? You—”

“There won’t be. I observed the stars last night, and today is an exceptionally auspicious day. I’m only going to visit an old acquaintance. As for you, your fate conflicts with water. Stay away from it from now on.” Cao Cao swept away his sleeve and left with a dismissive laugh.

“We should be close to the Wu camp by now.” Chen Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Rowing was not merely a test of physical strength; it required brains as well. If he misjudged the direction even slightly, the entire journey would veer off course. The grass boat had been drifting and swaying for so long that he had no idea where it might end up.

“My lord, it’s just ahead.” The lookout pointed forward. In the darkness, they could already faintly make out the fluttering banners of Wu.

“Excellent.” Chen Fan summoned all his strength and continued rowing.

The sound of an engine suddenly rose in the distance. Judging by the buzzing, rattling noise, it seemed to be running at full power.

“There isn’t even a steam engine in this era. Where did this black technology come from?” Chen Fan stared at the speedboat racing toward him, then threw down his oar. “That’s it. I’m done rowing.”

“Soldiers, prepare to—huh? Where are my soldiers?”

Splash. Splash.

Several crisp sounds of people falling into the water shattered Chen Fan’s last line of psychological defense. As ripples spread across the river, a bitter feeling welled up inside him.

“Heh. They all ran. Every last one of them.”

Chen Fan collapsed onto the deck and simply waited for the pursuer to catch up.

Before long, Cao Cao arrived alone in a racing boat. He wore sunglasses, a gold chain around his neck, and was missing only the cigar between his lips.

“So? Surprised? Exciting, wasn’t it?” Cao Cao removed his sunglasses, revealing the Elder’s signature smile—kindly, yet with a hint of wicked charm.

Recognizing an old acquaintance, Chen Fan finally came back to his senses. “Weren’t you adjusting your sleep schedule? How did you end up playing the Chancellor again?”

“Ahem. It was for official business. Do you think I wanted to? I finally managed to get a few days off, and then this scenario turned out to have problems too. I happened to notice that Zhuge was the one destined to die tonight, so I took the opportunity to vent my frustration on him.”

“You mean another card has possessed an NPC?” Chen Fan guessed.

“Exactly. I don’t know which one, though. How about this: two days from now, disguise yourself and sneak into Cao’s camp. If you die, all the better—just come over in spectator mode. We’ll discuss the rest then. All right, I’m leaving.”

After finishing, the Elder immediately turned the boat around.

Chen Fan was speechless. He was, after all, the esteemed commander of Wu’s navy, yet he was being told to disguise himself and sneak into Cao’s camp. Surely the honorable thing would be to storm in openly and righteously.

Chen Fan guided the boat alone, letting the current carry him toward the shore. He climbed onto land just as dawn broke.

“Hm? This village fellow has washed ashore too?”

Chen Fan turned around and saw someone lying on the riverbank. Judging by the swollen belly, the man had swallowed a considerable amount of water.

Pfft! Pfft!

Mo Zhixing spouted water like a stranded whale. Chen Fan found the sight so amusing that he stepped forward to lend a hand.

“You must have swallowed two whole buckets.” Chen Fan burst out laughing every time he pressed down on the man’s stomach.

“My… my grass boat?” Mo Zhixing’s lips were pale, and his mind remained hazy. It seemed he had just taken a ride on a seesaw. When the cannonball struck, everyone aboard had been sent flying into the air, after which they were swept into a whirlpool and he lost consciousness.

“Feeling better? Are you clear-headed now?” Chen Fan asked.

“More or less.” Mo Zhixing pushed himself upright, looking utterly bedraggled. His headcloth was gone, as was the feather fan in his hand.

“Hahaha, good. As long as you’re awake, take a good look. I won! See? I have an arrow—and it was given to me by you.” Chen Fan raised the arrow and proudly waved it in Mo Zhixing’s face.