The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 42
Only Noblemtl
Apocalypse in Water Episode 42
Episode 42
The ship’s sails were spread.
The square sails were spread wide in the wind, and the ropes holding the boat together were pulled taut as if they would break.
Wow! The improvement was a success.
I clenched my fist as if I was slaying a giant monster.
The propulsion power was much better when the sail was coated with a film of refined ink oil than when it was made with only a quilt and curtains.
If the wind direction is right, there seems to be no need to use a motor.
But the problem is when you face a headwind, the sails actually become reverse gear and have to be folded down.
In the case of triangular sails, it is said that it is possible to move forward even against the wind by adjusting the sail, but it has not been applied because the operating method or structure is unknown.
So I guess we need experts to make something good.
There are a lot of empty apartments and some food surplus, so if there are any experts or people who can help with the work, we can accept them.
But in a world submerged in water, meeting such people was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Myu, if there are no teeth, it’s called gums.
If there’s a headwind, just turn the motor.
I looked at the oil filled in the bath tube attached to the back.
When the oil film was placed on the oil and fixed, no oil spilled from the bath tube and no water leaked in.
I looked at the ship with eyes full of affection, as if it were my proud child.
“Hey, Bomi, how about our Everest? Can we leave right now?”
I named my ship after the world’s tallest mountain, so that it would never sink.
Oh! By the way, the world is submerged in water and Everest is disappearing along with it.
Bomi answered in a cold voice.
“well.”
No, why? I turned my head as if I didn’t understand.
Bomi’s furrowed brow came into view.
“Look at that. It looks really old.”
I followed Bomi’s gaze and looked at Everest again.
Certainly, the shape of the ship resembles a bizarre piece of modern art, or a ridiculous convergence product that has been created by combining various things.
The stern of the boat was lined with rows of bath tubes.
The bath tubes were covered with a film of ink-based oil, like white scales on a side dish plate.
And because the center deck was made by attaching doors, I tripped on the door handle every time I walked on the deck.
Aside from tripping over the shape or handle, every time I saw the handle, I felt like I wanted to open the door again and again.
The door wouldn’t open, but when I tried to open it, there was nothing but styrofoam and air-filled tubes underneath.
In the middle of the deck, a mast made up of everything from a stand-alone air conditioner to a curtain rod and interior pillars stood tall and proud.
At the end of the long mast was a chair, and as if to show its purpose, Hoyoung was sitting there with his seat belt fastened around his waist, watching the area ahead with a telescope.
“It’s not like I’m building a luxury yacht, I just want it to float on the sea and move forward. That’s all.”
I avoided Bomi’s gaze.
Not that I reject criticism of my designs and aesthetic, but I was a pragmatist.
“Then at the very least, let’s take down that weird hybrid statue hanging in front.”
“No, what’s wrong with that figurehead? A figurehead isn’t just something that decorates the bow of a ship. It’s a symbol that wards off evil spirits and enemies from the sea.”
“A symbol? If you’re going to put something like that on, you should put something proper on it. What if you just glue a lion’s head onto the body of a goddess statue? It’s too cheesy. And the lion’s head is a little big. It’s completely out of proportion.”
Oh! This guy is ignoring my artistic sense.
The statues are usually a cross between animal figures and the upper body of a human being, creating a fantastic and powerful impression.
That way, we can intimidate the enemy and make the evil spirits run away in fear.
So, it was specially made by selecting the statues and decorations found within the apartment complex, but it’s copper?
As I was about to say something, Hoyoung shouted.
“It’s a boat. A boat!”
Hey! A ship?
I made a sunshade and looked around, but all I could see was an endless horizon.
Bomi asked, looking up at Hoyoung, “Is it the same?”
“Where is the boat?”
“Over there. The square boat.”
I looked straight ahead at the direction Hoyoung was pointing with his hand, but I still couldn’t see anything.
But it’s a square boat.
If so, then it’s an ark ship.
The word ark originally meant a square ship.
This square vessel appears not only in Noah’s Ark, but also in flood legends that remain around the world.
As if to confirm my prediction, a faint singing voice could be heard from afar.
“Ark, ark. The ark that will purify the world is moving through the holy waters. I will cut off the heads of the unbelievers, take out their entrails and throw them into the sea. Destroy them. Oh! Ark~”
It’s a real ship.
We immediately went into alert mode.
They lowered the sails and hid the boat behind the apartments so that it could not be seen.
Then I grabbed my weapons and equipment and went up to the rooftop.
Bomi went up carrying a large bow as tall as herself.
A powerful bow was needed to fire arrows made from the thorns of the giant crocodile, and the tide had blown in what appeared to be the ends of the ribs of a crocodile.
The bone was more elastic than bamboo, and was lightweight yet durable.
The shape was curved like a bow, so by adding some reinforcements and hanging the string, it became a bow.
It took Bomi some time to get used to the bow, but once she started shooting properly, the arrows were embedded deep into the outside wall of the apartment.
I tried using a chemical fiber archery bowstring as the bowstring, but it didn’t have enough tension, so I used a twisted piano string and carbon fishing line.
As we climbed up to the rooftop, we saw the ark ship in the distance.
Although it was still quite a distance away, the ship must have recognized the apartment clearly because it was coming towards us.
In a landscape where the horizon is visible on all sides, it would be impossible not to see the tall apartment buildings.
Plus, there’s a dome-like, hazy shield.
The square ark, about the size of a barge, had oars sticking out like the legs of a civet, rowing in perfect unison.
I naturally thought they would have diesel engine screws, wind powered sails, or, in keeping with the times, tamed water monsters, but they had human oars.
There were twenty oars on each side.
There is a deck so it is impossible to know how many people are attached to each oar, but even if there is only one person attached to each oar, it is said that 40 people are rowing.
What is this? It’s not like a Roman warship rowed by slaves.
But when I saw the cross erected like a figurehead at the very front of the ship, I thought it might be a slave ship.
Someone was crucified on the cross like Jesus.
When I checked through the telescope, I saw a man with black glasses and a bushy hair, who looked like Dr. Oh.
Dr. Oh was one of the five Jeokseo (Five Jeokseo) along with me and a scholar who studied religious history.
He appeared in several media outlets and strongly criticized the Bangju Church.
Although the media has used him in a devil’s denial, he became an anti-Ark fighter after his wife died in an arson attack suspected of being a terrorist attack by the Ark.
I’ve never met him, but I’ve called him a few times for advice.
That’s why I wanted to save him, but I couldn’t do it rashly in the current situation.
Then the hymn stopped and a man’s voice was heard.
“Hey! Branch Manager Choi. I see you found the Dragon Palace. That’s great. The leader will be happy.”
A man was standing on a tower that rose like a bridge in the middle of the ship, holding a microphone.
He was a familiar face, with short hair and dark eyebrows like a soldier, and a build that resembled a muscular pig.
It was Elder Taek-su Kim who led the first evangelistic group.
“Manager Choi, now that we’re here, don’t open the door.”
Elder Kim keeps looking for Branch Manager Choi.
Oh! That’s right. The resident representative’s last name was Choi.
When there was no response from the apartment, the man shouted again.
“Hey. Branch Manager Choi, open it quickly. Elder Kim, the leader’s representative, is here.”
Elder Kim urged us, but we had no intention of opening the door even if the leader came.
The ark ship reached just in front of the shield, but there was still no change, and the man’s voice began to grow angry.
“What? Chief Choi, have you changed your mind? Haha, you’re ridiculous. How dare you betray the Ark Church in a world that’s underwater? Did you get a call from the Navy floating around the sea? Saying you want to transform your son. You can’t act like this. You’re not in league with the Socheongyunwang Ohumpa guys, are you? Seeing you even set up a shield, I’m a little suspicious.”
Socheongyunwang Ohumpa. What is that?
A rebellion or resistance within the Ark Church?
Wherever people gather, there is bound to be discord and factional strife.
That’s the case for gangsters and police officers, so it wouldn’t be any different for even the most entrenched religious groups.
Then, could it be that the water mole was also a member of the Ohumpa?
“Hey, Chief Choi! Didn’t you hear what kind of punishment was given to the captured Socheongyunwang Ohumpa guys? Even so, you didn’t get close to Ohumpa, did you? Even so, if you change your mind and repent, I will only tell you about my achievement of occupying the apartment without telling the leader. So… … .”
Even when I saw him at the evangelistic meeting, this old man really talks a lot.
From what I found out, he was a very reserved man from Gyeongsang Province before he joined the Bangju Church.
Elder Kim tried to coax and appease the tenant representative by threatening and swearing at him, as if trying to boil him.
However, it was impossible to persuade the tenant representative who was no longer in this world.
Elder Kim spat and said, “I can’t take this anymore.”
“I told you this, but you still won’t open it? Alright. Let’s do it, kids.”
At his gesture, men who appeared to be sailors removed the waterproofing sheet that had been placed on the deck.
I expected the ship to have a catapult since it was powered by oars, but I was a little surprised to see a cannon, which was a firearm.
However, it seemed to be a fixed field gun that had been modified, rather than a turret gun used on modern battleships.
I don’t know the exact specifications because I’m not from an artillery background, but judging by the size, I think it would be around the size of a 105mm field gun.
The sailors were confused as if it was their first time, but eventually they loaded the cannons and aimed at the shield.
“Is it okay?”
Hoyoung asked, biting his lip as if he was worried.
It’s been able to withstand attacks from giant squids, but that level of bombardment is nothing.
I nodded to indicate that it was okay.
Then, Hoyoung’s tense face relaxed as if he felt relieved.
“Okay. Fire!”
As Elder Kim raised and lowered his hand, there was a flash of light and a shell was fired.
The shield exploded with a loud bang, and smoke rose up in the air.