Chapter 39: Tina's Heartache
"Hello, I'm Bai Ye."
Su Xiao said nothing more. Even if the other party had extremely high intelligence, as long as he acted cautiously, they wouldn't notice anything.
"Prepare to set sail."
Vice Admiral Crane gave the order, and the warship slowly moved toward the island that was half an hour away from the Judicial Island.
Su Xiao was placed in a cabin, where he began to think about how to use the technology in his hands to gain greater benefits.
"Woof."
Bubuteni suddenly barked. Su Xiao looked at Bubu Wang with confusion.
Bubu Wang was acting strange at that moment, lying limp on the floor, its fluffy ears no longer standing upright.
Bubu Wang's face was full of despair, its stomach twitching as if it wanted to vomit.
"Is this... seasickness?"
Although Su Xiao was surprised that Bubuteni was seasick, the fact was indeed so. He had no solution, but fortunately, the journey wasn't far.
The cabin door opened, and Vice Admiral Crane walked in with Tina.
"Bai Ye, what materials do you need to make alchemical bombs? Before we reach our destination, we'll send someone to gather the materials you require."
Vice Admiral Crane handed over paper and a pen, signaling Su Xiao to write down the needed materials.
Su Xiao picked up the pen and wrote on the paper, the contents as follows:
'Black powder, lower-grade energy circuit, Matri metal, aqua regia, explosive frog skin.'
After writing down the required materials, Su Xiao handed the paper to Vice Admiral Crane.
The more Crane read, the deeper her frown became, the wrinkles on her face growing more pronounced.
"I know what black powder is, but what is this 'lower-grade energy circuit'? And this Matri metal? Aqua regia? Explosive frog skin?!"
Tina leaned in, glanced at the formula, and looked completely baffled. She recognized every word on the paper, but when they were put together, she was utterly confused.
"'Lower-grade energy circuit' can be understood as a type of wire with R7P3T conductive properties. It's very sensitive to energy, and with it, remote control and detonation can be achieved..."
Su Xiao began to explain what a lower-grade energy circuit was. Vice Admiral Crane was merely puzzled when she saw the formula, but after Su Xiao's explanation, she was completely lost.
"Aqua regia, also known as 'royal acid' or 'nitrohydrochloric acid,' is a highly corrosive liquid that emits yellow fumes. It's a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) and concentrated nitric acid (HNO₃) in a volume ratio of 3:1. It's one of the few liquids capable of dissolving gold (Au), and its name comes from its strong corrosiveness..."
Vice Admiral Crane felt like she was listening to a foreign language, while Tina yawned beside her.
"I've explained it thoroughly, so these materials shouldn't be a problem, right? Even if you can't find the exact same materials, you can look for substitutes with similar properties."
Su Xiao looked at Vice Admiral Crane with a hint of a smile in his eyes. This was his area of expertise; no matter how high the other party's intelligence was, it was useless here.
Vice Admiral Crane was a bit embarrassed and cleared her throat before saying, "I roughly understand."
"Oh? Is that so? Then when looking for a substitute for explosive frog skin, it must have the following properties: strong water solubility, excellent conductivity, biological characteristics, and no toxins..."
Su Xiao continued his explanation, and Vice Admiral Crane's head was spinning.
Five minutes later, Vice Admiral Crane sat across from Su Xiao with her eyelids drooping, her head about to explode.
However, Vice Admiral Crane was sure of one thing: Su Xiao was indeed a research talent. Although she couldn't understand what he was saying, she could feel he wasn't making it up.
"Tina, did you write that down?"
Vice Admiral Crane looked at Tina, who was recording, and Tina gave a forced smile.
"There are... a few formulas I can't write."
Vice Admiral Crane sighed. She had originally wanted to give Su Xiao a show of force, but now it seemed they were the ones being shown up.
"What formulas can't you write?" Su Xiao took the paper and pen from Tina and helped her write down those few formulas.
"Let's continue."
"Con... continue?"
Tina's mouth hung slightly open; her head was also about to explode.
"Yes, this is only one-twentieth of the entire formula. Although it will take some time, it's a necessary process."
Vice Admiral Crane's cheek twitched, and she stood up to leave.
"Tina, I'll leave this to you. I'll contact the personnel at the destination to have them prepare to receive us."
Tina's red lips parted, but she didn't want to stay here either.
"Miss Tina, let's continue."
Su Xiao continued to dictate the formula, and Tina was responsible for recording.
Ten minutes later, Tina's gaze was vacant, her mind filled with various chemical and mathematical formulas.
"Um..."
Tina spoke weakly.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Tired? We can rest for a while and then continue. There's still about four-fifths left."
Tina's vision went dark. Four-fifths left? She had the urge to bolt. She could handle fighting, but recording these heavenly-book-like formulas was pure torture.
"Although it might be a bit rude, Mr. Bai Ye, could you please write it yourself? I'm a navy soldier; I know nothing about research. Look, I've written several formulas wrong."
Tina looked at Su Xiao with hopeful eyes.
"Well..."
Su Xiao looked at Tina with a half-smile.
"Please~."
"Alright."
Su Xiao took the paper and pen, and Tina felt as if she had been granted amnesty, quickly walking out of the cabin.
On the deck, Tina gently rubbed her throbbing temples. Looking up, she found Vice Admiral Crane leaning against the ship's railing, lost in thought.
"Why did you come out?"
Vice Admiral Crane's gaze was somewhat displeased. Tina felt bitter inside, thinking, 'Aren't you the one who couldn't stand it and ran out?'
"He's not easy to deal with."
Vice Admiral Crane sighed.
"What?"
Tina looked at Vice Admiral Crane with confusion.
"Nothing. But Tina, what kind of feeling does this Bai Ye give you?"
Vice Admiral Crane's question made Tina fall into thought.
"What kind of feeling~ He's covered in the smell of blood. Even though he's bathed and changed clothes, the smell of blood is still all over him. His gaze often goes to my throat and chest."
Tina lit a cigarette.
Vice Admiral Crane chuckled lightly: "It's not strange for a man to stare at your chest."
Vice Admiral Crane glanced at Tina's prominent 36D chest, but Tina shook her head.
"No, he's not looking at that. He's judging the position of my heart. Rather than a researcher, I believe he's more like a violent and cunning pirate."
Tina's voice was firm.
"Good perception."
Vice Admiral Crane patted Tina on the shoulder.
"That guy's aura is similar to Shiryu of the Rain, but they're completely different. Shiryu of the Rain kills for the sake of killing, while this person has a clear goal. Although his strength is far inferior to Shiryu of the Rain, in the future, he will definitely be much harder to deal with than Shiryu of the Rain. So we must control him well; he's a double-edged sword.
His research ability is unquestionable; in bomb science, he surpasses world standards. But... I can't sense any goodwill or loyalty from him."
The navy had sent Vice Admiral Crane to test Su Xiao.
"So, Lady Crane, should we?"
Tina had once been Vice Admiral Crane's subordinate, so her address was more intimate.
"Wait and see. When we reach that island, someone will keep an eye on him. That person is stationed on that island."