Chapter 2

The Hungry Shark has the world's most formidable armor and guns, the longest range, the most powerful firepower, and the fastest speed. The height of the hull of the www.biquge.info is even higher than the main mast of some battleships, and there are spaceships escorting them in the air, no matter how many enemy ships there are and how fierce the artillery is, once they encounter this big guy, they are just mantis arms as a car and kill themselves.

Under the rapid propulsion of the steam engine, the "Hungry Shark" also sped up, like a huge factory floating on the surface of the sea with billowing smoke.

This mission is very difficult, after arriving in Central America, a new adventure will begin, the soldiers must have the spirit of "not afraid of death", these soldiers are not only not afraid of death, but also loyal to the country, because once the mission is completed, after returning home, even the most ordinary soldier will be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and even get a manor, enjoy the aristocratic life. Therefore, they are all willing to risk their lives to try to find the legendary fountain of immortality for the king. In addition to soldiers who are not afraid of death, there are also conscientious workers. Workers had to arrive at their posts every day before the wake-up horn sounded, and they had to keep the steam engine running at all times. There is no doubt that the military and workers are the hardest.

When the eastern sky was white, the trumpeters sounded the call to get up, and the soldiers had to assemble on deck before the last trumpet sounded, and only after the number of people had been counted could they begin their breakfast, and finally go to their respective posts.

Isabel went to the cockpit, looked at the charts, and then looked ahead with her binoculars, and there were no ships on the calm sea, so she ordered the escort ships to all return, and the moving island was moving at full speed. A soldier suddenly came to report that when he was counting the number of people just now, he found an extra person. This immediately alarmed Isabel, and she was about to order a thorough investigation of the superfluous soldier, but she did not expect the superfluous soldier to walk in on his own initiative. When she saw the uniformed soldier, she was taken aback, but she didn't expect that this soldier was actually James from the American technical team. "James, how could it be you?" she asked, surprised.

James smiled awkwardly, "I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you in advance." ”

"James, does your boss know you're here?"

"You mean McCrad? Of course he does. ”

"Do you know how dangerous it is, and if you die, won't it create a rift in our alliances?"

"I came to help you voluntarily, whether I live or die or live has nothing to do with you. ”

"Are you also looking for the Fountain of Immortality for your president?"

"I'm kind enough to help you, trust me. ”

"What can you do for me?"

"I can be your translator, and I dare say there is no second person here who can speak an indigenous language besides me. To find the Fountain of Immortality, it is not enough to speak English, French, and Spanish, and Danish will not work. The Mesoamerican continent is full of mysteries, and to find the fountain of immortality, you must not go to the colonists with muskets, but to get on good terms with the indigenous people, the local Indians. If you don't understand their language and habits, it will be difficult to communicate with them, and as a result, you will not be able to find the Fountain of Immortality as soon as possible. When I was in the United States, I had a lot of contact with the Iroquois and Sioux and almost learned their language. Later, I lived in St. Augustine and Florida for a while, and I interacted with the indigenous people of the Caribbean, and over time I learned their language. When I learned that you were going to find the Fountain of Immortality, I decided that you would definitely need a translator. ”

"You did warn me. ”

"Now you can allow me to join, right?"

"James Howard, welcome aboard!"

James' sudden appearance once again boosted Isabel's confidence, and it seemed to her that the Fountain of Immortality had become her own in advance, and she had to bring the spring back to her country.

During this voyage, Isabel also became violent due to the strength of her group, and instead of following the laws of war, she preferred the "law of nature", always believing that she was at the top of the food chain. She ordered to move forward at full speed, and when she encountered an enemy merchant ship or smuggling ship, she directly sent a spaceship to intercept it, and began to loot the ship's supplies, and when she was done plundering the supplies, she blew up the ship and sank it into the sea with the innocent people on board. If she encounters an enemy warship, she will order the enemy to open fire, and send a ship to drop barrels of explosives and grapeshotfire on the opponent in a brutal manner. She never accepted the surrender of the other party, whether it was a well-trained soldier or an unarmed laborer. She also often drank the blood of her captives to infinitely rejuvenate her body, and her vicious behavior inspired the soldiers to kill. Wherever the Hungry Shark passes, it inevitably leaves behind large areas of ship remains and human corpses floating on the surface, and the smell of the corpses attracts large flocks of seagulls and sharks, and the picture is disgusting.

Although the Hungry Shark is often besieged by several enemy ships, those enemies are merely test subjects who have come to serve as live targets. Because the hull of the "Hungry Shark" was so high, even if the enemy ships desperately approached, they could not successfully get onto the deck, and could only be crushed into a pile of floating wreckage or sunk by the explosive barrels dropped by the ship.

This was also seen by some of the ships of the French allies who crossed the Atlantic, and some recorded the horrific image in their diaries. Some even saw a smoke-emitting behemoth drifting off into the distance before disappearing into the sea. Since the concept of a "moving island" has not yet appeared in the brains of Europeans, and the lack of a flag on the "Hungry Shark" makes it difficult to determine which country he came from, let alone close contact with witnesses, those witnesses can only refer to it as "evil Noah" for the time being.

Sailing in the Atlantic, it is normal to encounter storms, but even the biggest storms cannot shake the rock-solid body of the "Hungry Shark", and it is even more difficult to shake the crew's firm belief in "finding the fountain of immortality". After battling the storm for nearly a night, the Hungry Shark finally entered Central American waters before dawn the next day. The hot and humid climate of Central America often made some outsiders uncomfortable, especially those who had become accustomed to living in the cold zone, and many soldiers took off their cuirasses because they could not stand the hot and humid air.

Drawing on his old impressions, James guided the Hungry Shark through the Virgin Islands and toward the west, stopping about forty kilometers west of San Carmen and about three hundred meters from the coast. "There used to be a group of indigenous people called the 'Bontu' who were one of the indigenous people of the Caribbean, and if you want to find the fountain of immortality, you must first ask the aborigines," he said with great interest. ”

Isabel looked through a telescope at the shore, which was covered with dense jungle, and asked, "James, are the aborigines you mentioned in the jungle?"

"It used to be inhabited by the Bontu people, but since the European colonizers have grown, I'm not sure they still live here, so maybe I can go and find out. ”

Isabel ordered the iron anchor to be lowered, intending to go to the shore to find out, because the shore was densely wooded, if you went by spaceship, you could not see the situation on the ground, so she asked Hales to stand on guard, and she and James took dozens of heavily armed officers and soldiers to form an expedition team, and bravely approached the shore in a pulp boat. To avoid being burned by the sun, James wrapped himself in a dark cloak before boarding the boat. A attentive officer also brought a military dog, because the dog's keen sense of smell and hearing can let them know in advance of any danger that is coming.

After the expedition team quietly landed on the shore, they also dragged the wooden boat ashore. James boldly walked at the forefront as a trailblazer, trying to find the aborigines of this place through memory.

Led by Isabel and James, the expedition boldly went about a kilometer inland. Suddenly, the military dog barked peacefully into the unknown jungle, judging by its peaceful voice, it seemed to have found something as if it was approaching, as if it was approaching. Everyone looked in the direction of its barking, and when they looked closely, it turned out that an Indian totem pole in the jungle attracted it. Where there are totem poles, there must also be aborigines, and the expedition continues to walk in the direction of the totem poles. After walking for a while, I realized that it was not a separate totem pole at all, but an aboriginal camp. Suddenly, there was an intermittent tambourine sound in the direction of the camp. The sound of drums attracted the expedition, and the curious people looked through the cracks in the jungle to see that the aborigines in the camp seemed to be performing some kind of ritual, and some wizards dressed in animal skins, with colorful feathers on their heads and colorful stripes painted on their faces, were dancing around a totem pole without anyone spying on them. Many of the expedition members leaned out of curiosity to see what was going on in the camp.

In order to avoid bloodshed due to misunderstandings, Isabel does not allow anyone to act rashly, and everyone must be vigilant at all times. No one expected to find the aborigines so quickly, if the aborigines really knew where the Fountain of Immortality was, they could find the spring water under their leadership, once the spring water was brought back to China, everyone in the expedition would be rewarded, and even be crowned the founding merit of the future Nordic Empire, it would be very exciting to imagine, but everyone was still a little worried, because the aborigines here may not welcome outsiders with guns.

The Aboriginal people take their traditional rituals very seriously, and the men, women and children in the camp express their sincerity to the gods. The sorcerers are chanting words in their mouths, ostentatiously waving their wands, symbolizing divine power, with neat and powerful steps, opening their throats and chanting ancient and traditional songs, as if to communicate with nature and possibly as a way to invoke the gods. Suddenly, an old man wearing a feather crown and a brown robe approached the totem pole with a young man with black hair, strong muscles and brown skin, who looked like father and son.

The young man's eyebrows protruded, his face was angular, and he showed a heroic image capable of fighting well. The sorcerers danced around him in the center, then fell to his knees and began to worship, as if to impart the power of the gods to the young man, and one of the sorcerers brought him a necklace of animal teeth to wear around his neck, painted a mysterious pattern on his chest and back, and finally painted three vertical blood-colored stripes on his face, which was not only meaningful. This eerie ritual is nothing short of new to the Nordic explorers who lurk in the jungle.

"What are they doing?" asked James in a low voice.

"I don't know, let's see. James replied.

Suddenly, there was a "whoosh" sound from the depths of the jungle. Immediately afterwards, several soldiers fell to the ground after being hit by arrows, but fortunately, the cuirass they wore saved their lives, but only their legs and arms were injured. The explorers from Northern Europe suddenly looked a little panicked, and it was too late to raise their vigilance, as they were already surrounded by the indigenous warriors who had crept in. It may have been the drums in the camp that were so loud that they muffled the footsteps of the Aboriginal warriors that caused the explorers to suffer.

Some of the explorers had planned to fight back, but in order to avoid bloodshed, James had to take a risk, jumping out of the way between his compatriots and the aborigines, and tried to communicate with the aborigines in the indigenous language: "We are not invaders, do not fire arrows." ”

The leader who led the attack seemed to understand him, and immediately ordered his men to stop shooting arrows, and shouted a message in the native language.

"What is he shouting?" asked Isabel as she walked over to James.

"They want to know who we are. ”

"It's up to you, try not to have a conflict. ”

Surrounded by numerous bows and arrows and spears, James remained calm, cleared his throat and replied to the aborigines again in a stiff Aboriginal language: "We are from the Nordic continent, we have no hostility, please trust us." ”

The Bontu people who attended the ceremony also gathered around, and they consciously made way for the chief, who came up with his son to look at the strange explorers.

In order to prevent the military dog from suddenly rushing out and biting people, which would cause misunderstanding on the other side, Isabel quickly touched its head to keep it relaxed, and then said to the chief: "Dear chief, we are not aggressors, please believe us, we need help, and if we want, we can be the best allies." James translated her words to the chief.

The chief was not hostile, but his warriors did not, and always pointed their spears at the expedition in front of them. The chief was silent for a moment, then gave his men a look at the warriors who were on their feet, and then the warriors put away their weapons. Then, he spoke to Isabel and the others in a slightly hoarse voice. According to James's translation, he was saying, "Bring your translator and come to my room for a while." ”

As a result, the soldiers of the expedition were left to wait in place, and Isabel and James, led by the chief and his son, entered a spacious thatched hut. The four of them sat on the floor, and the enthusiastic chief ordered his servants to serve fruit and dried salted fish to the guests as a sign of sincerity. In order to facilitate communication between the two sides, James can only become a common translator for both parties.

The chief first introduced himself: "I am the chief of the Flying Fish, the leader of the Bontu people, and I welcome you on behalf of my people! This is my son 'Tempest' and my heir, and I have just passed the ritual to convey this message to the gods. ”

"Dear Chief, it's a pleasure to meet you!" said Isabel.

"Who are you, and why are you here?"

"We are Norsemen, so to speak, 'Europeans farthest from the sun', and we have come by the king's decree to find the fountain of immortality, and we want to ask for your help. ”

Speaking of the "Fountain of Immortality", the "Flying Fish" chief was stunned for a moment, then instinctively made eye contact with his son, and then asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"Our king needs it, and if you help us find the Fountain of Immortality, I swear I will give you a lot of money, please trust us. ”

"Please go, there is no fountain of immortality that you are talking about. ”

"Chief Flying Fish, please don't get me wrong. ”

"Get out of here, outsider, you're looking for the wrong person. The chief stood up to leave, but despite Isabel's pleas, the stubborn chief refused to turn back.

As he walked out of the house, a native scout with a feather of different colors on his head hurried up and whispered to him as if he had discovered something significant. When the chief heard this, he looked annoyed, and he immediately returned to his house, as if he already knew that these explorers from northern Europe had already stationed a large army at sea. He said: "You foreign invaders, I know that you are here to destroy our homeland, your army is on the sea, I have seen many of you invaders, and I am not afraid of one more visit." ”

Despite the chief's unfriendly tone, James translated his original words to Isabel. After hearing this, Isabel looked innocent, "Chief, you misunderstood me. ”

"Shut up. "Tempest" suddenly interjected and said, "No wonder you all have guns and are sneaky." ”

"We didn't hurt you, maybe you were mistaken. ”

"What's the matter with that strange island?" the chief asked forcibly.

Isabel was puzzled, "What do you mean by 'strange island'?"

"They may have spotted our mobile island. James said.

"There's an island in the sea that smokes, isn't it yours?" asked Tempest again.

The aborigines called the Hungry Shark "strange islands" and "smoking islands", which made Isabel find amused, "My aboriginal friends, I beg you not to name our ships indiscriminately, okay?"

"You admit it?"

"I admit that the 'strange island' is ours, but we have no ill intentions, if we are here to destroy your homeland, we can directly attack your camp, why risk our lives?"

Chief Flying Fish felt that she had a point, but was still a little skeptical, "How can I believe that you have no ill intentions?"

"You can give you weapons and help you build more houses. ”

"We don't need you to help us build a house. ”

"And what do you want?"

"My sister has been captured by the colonists, if only you could help me get her out. "Tempest" chimed in.

"You have a sister? Okay, tell me where she's being held?"

He was captured on the island of Magada off the northern coast of Hispaniola, a city called Port Prince, one of the British's trading ports in the Caribbean. Since our canoes and sailing ships were too backward to get there at all under the harassment of the ships of the colonizers. ”

"Honorable Chief, if I help you get your daughter back, can you tell me where the Fountain of Immortality is?"

"If you really want to know, help me get my daughter back first, and I won't say anything until I see her safely back with me. ”

"Well, whether you say it or not, I'll go and save her, but I need your people to come with me, after all, I've never seen your daughter. ”

"Tempest" rushed to say, "I'll go with you, and I'll pick the best fighters to join us." ”

Chief Flying Fish liked his son's actions to prove his bravery, so he agreed to go to Magada Island with Isabel and others.