Jiang Jiang looked at the new notification and immediately gnashed his teeth in anger. "If there's no foul play here, my name, Jiang Jiang, can be read backward!"
"The AI reminds you, your name read backward is still..."
"Shut up! Don't undermine me!" Distracted by the AI, Jiang Jiang also calmed down and carefully read the notification, savoring a different flavor from it.
"Dear Commanders, greetings! Due to some unusual circumstances in this trial ranking battle, after our investigation... Therefore, we are now revising the rules, and the revised rules are as follows... For any inconvenience caused, the school expresses its sincerest apologies and will..." Setting aside the globally uniform official tone, Jiang Jiang picked out a few key things.
Firstly, the original hidden rewards still exist, but will later be supplemented with supplies via random air drops.
Additionally, and most importantly, the trial rules are being supplemented: to speed up the trial process and prevent certain Commanders from playing passively.
Therefore, each day, a sea area will be selected as the trial ground. The size and scope of the sea area will be random. If a Commander fails to reach the designated sea area within the time limit, they will be considered eliminated.
Well, it's really becoming more and more like a battle royale. This way, I can't keep farming supplies and hidden rewards. Jiang Jiang looked at the 'certain Commanders' in the notification and felt a strong sense of malice.
On second thought, Jiang Jiang realized something was amiss. Every single piece of information seemed to be targeting him: first, the hidden reward issue, and second, the shrinking of the activity range, forcing the old foxes to fight.
Jiang Jiang looked at the paragraphs, which were written with 'earnest thoughtfulness,' but upon careful consideration, he could only read two words between the lines: 'targeted'!
"It can't be that coincidental, can it?" Jiang Jiang rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing. "It seems I've been discovered for being abnormal. Is it Wichita? Or even earlier? However, given what I've done, it's understandable for the school to change the rules for fairness. In fact, it's a blessing I wasn't disqualified."
"Master, what's wrong? Did Dido do something wrong? Please don't abandon Dido..."
"What troubles you so, my proud Master?"
"It's nothing, just a slight unexpected change in plans." Jiang Jiang smiled and patted Dido's head. The sea area selection doesn't start until tomorrow, so I still have one day.
"Next, Dido, Sirius, we'll split up." Jiang Jiang immediately revised his plan to collect as many supplies as possible in the remaining time.
"AI, share the detection results of the Aquatic Reconnaissance Buoys with Sirius and Dido's visors."
"Yes, sent." The AI complied.
Jiang Jiang returned to the cargo hold and began to process and rush the production of Aquatic Reconnaissance Buoys on the workbench. The Aquatic Reconnaissance Buoy was one of several pieces of equipment Jiang Jiang conceived to solve observation problems after building Sirius and Dido.
Ultimately, considering the higher overall practicality of tactical visors, and the need for a certain number of Aquatic Reconnaissance Buoys to be effective, Jiang Jiang decisively chose the more practical (and cheaper) tactical visors.
However, after 'picking up' many supplies in the first checkpoint, Jiang Jiang's confidence soared. He immediately worked overtime in the following days to mass-produce them, to increase his trump cards.
After a flurry of activity, Jiang Jiang picked up a black, shuttle-shaped lump, about half the size of a fist.
This was the Aquatic Reconnaissance Buoy, with a streamlined shell, a three-layer composite structure, carrying a 270-degree miniature camera, and dual power from solar cells and fuel.
Jiang Jiang used a special power unit design he recorded from the AI to maximize energy conversion efficiency. It also had a transmitter that mimicked marine creature vocal organs, which could directly send information to the AI cube and tactical visors for analysis, dissection, and image synthesis.
"Production complete, quality assessment: barely usable." The AI's emotionless voice sounded.
"...Have I finally progressed from shoddy to barely usable?" Jiang Jiang said with a hint of joy.
That's right, although Jiang Jiang possessed a level of technology that was a hundred-meter sprint ahead of this world, if he couldn't make it, he couldn't make it, just like a math problem that defies logic.
Even tactical visors were only three pairs in a few weeks. The Jiang Jiang of that time could only make buoys of 'quality: a piece of scrap metal,' so the current progress could be said to be a qualitative change.
Subsequently, in the busy work of the three, the second day arrived.
"This location is very close to us, so there's no need to worry about not making it." Jiang Jiang, who hadn't slept all night, drove the yacht while looking at the refreshed sea area.
Although Jiang Jiang's original harvest plan was disrupted, he dared to say that the supplies he had collected now were more than the combined rewards of the top three. After all, with the help of various factors, Jiang Jiang could be said to have monopolized the supply of dozens of people by himself. This terrifying quantity was something the school had never expected.
"Master, please go rest. You can leave this to Dido and me." Sirius stood behind Jiang Jiang, massaging his shoulders.
This was Sirius's strong request. Jiang Jiang initially refused, but seeing Sirius's happy expression, he let her do it. But to be honest, Sirius's massage was indeed very comfortable. Hmm, it was truly delightful.
"It's alright, I'm not tired yet." Jiang Jiang said casually, without turning his head, as he looked at the map. Seeing Jiang Jiang's willful behavior, Sirius, whose repeated persuasions had been fruitless, made a decision in her heart. She exchanged glances with Dido, stepped forward, put her arms under Jiang Jiang's armpits, and wrapped them around his chest, while shouting to Dido.
"Dido, come help a little." "Whoa, Sirius, what are you doing!?" Jiang Jiang was suddenly embraced, and instinctively struggled desperately.
But in the process of twisting his body, he inadvertently brushed against some beautiful things he shouldn't have touched. Feeling the enchantment behind him, Jiang Jiang's brain short-circuited instantly, and his struggling body stiffened. This gave Dido the opportunity to restrain Jiang Jiang.
"Because Master is not cooperating, as a qualified personal maid, Sirius has an obligation to take measures to make the willful Master rest." Sirius's Ship Girl strength made it impossible for Jiang Jiang, even as a human who had been to space, to break free.
"This, I'll cooperate, wait a minute! Let me down! Dido, why you too?!" Jiang Jiang howled in shame, like a caught husky.
"Ah ah... Please forgive Dido for this, but Master's health is more important than the possibility of being abandoned by Master." Dido also had an unusually firm expression, cooperating with Sirius to grab Jiang Jiang and 'send' the 'disobedient' Master back to the bedroom.
"Wait, wait! If I leave, what about the yacht?!"
"Master, the yacht has an autopilot function, and Dido can drive it too."
"I, I haven't washed up yet! Let me down first, I'll cooperate!"
"Don't worry, Sirius will help you wash."
"Huh?! No, that's not necessary, I can wash myself."
"Please rest assured, this is what Sirius/Dido should do. Helping Master wash up is a maid's job."
"It's really not necessary..."
"..."
Finally, under Jiang Jiang's strenuous resistance (helpless compromise), Jiang Jiang was forced to rest. Lying on the bed, Jiang Jiang was on the verge of tears, his lifelong reputation ruined in an instant.
If, if it weren't for... Sigh. Subsequently, Jiang Jiang, like a disciplined child, reluctantly closed his eyes under the supervision of the two Ship Girls.
The yacht also slowly approached the designated sea area.
