"A mother insect?"
The captain sensed this was important information, and a hint of barely perceptible excitement crept into his voice.
Shi Ming didn't interject. After all, the so-called mother insect and its nest location were just information he had fabricated.
He had originally planned to dangle this bait himself to pique the captain's interest and set his own plan in motion.
He never expected his fake intel to be stolen by someone else!
'This is perfect,' Shi Ming thought. 'Now I don't even have to take the risk. That scar-faced man is such a good guy!'
The scar-faced man continued, "Yes, Captain. The mother insect is several times larger than the normal ones. I was worried about startling them, so I didn't stay there for long. Also, it's because I figured out their habits that I hid during the night and managed to survive."
The scar-faced man spoke with such conviction, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
The captain pondered for a moment.
He had read some intelligence books about ferocious sea beasts before. Some of them also documented land creatures similar to what this slave was describing. They lived in hives, and while their individual combat strength wasn't very high, they could easily swarm and kill sea beasts dozens of times stronger than themselves when they gathered together.
Just like the Bloodthirsty Fish Tides of the past.
They were not to be trifled with.
But compared to the Bloodthirsty Fish Tide, these strange insects had a fatal weakness: they were dormant during the day!
This was an excellent opportunity!
If even a slave with abysmal combat skills could approach the nest during the day, retreat unharmed, and obtain such valuable intel, then what did he, an Awakened, have to worry about?
This operation was a sure thing!
"If this intelligence is true, you've performed a great service this time!"
"Thank you, Captain!"
The scar-faced man's joy was written all over his face. Amid his happiness, he still snuck a glance at Shi Ming.
Seeing no reaction from Shi Ming, he grew even more smug.
'This is what you get for trusting others so easily. Your intel is mine now, and there's nothing you can do about it. Some slave team leader? In a few more days, that position will be mine!' the scar-faced man schemed internally.
After listening to the scar-faced man's report, the captain turned his gaze to Shi Ming and the others.
"What about you lot? You're the leader of this operation. You speak."
"Yes, Captain."
"During this exploration, my main achievement was engaging several strange insects in direct combat at night. I killed a few, learned their combat characteristics, and obtained the corpse of one."
In front of the captain, Shi Ming uniformly referred to the Bloodthirsty Moths as 'strange insects'.
"Their methods of attack are very limited. They can only attack with their sharp teeth and proboscises. I used a dagger from my tool kit to sever one's proboscis, and it immediately lost all combat ability, falling to the ground helpless."
Shi Ming was telling the truth, but he deliberately concealed the fact that the Bloodthirsty Insects' proboscises could extend to great lengths in an instant.
'If I told him everything, how could I prepare a surprise for the captain?'
The captain listened silently, even nodding to himself internally.
'The strange insects' combat characteristics... this is also intel I need!'
'This is the benefit of sending combat personnel to explore. You can only learn an enemy's weakness by facing them head-on.'
Shi Ming continued, "As for the other intelligence I gathered, it's nothing more than information on the island's minerals, fruits, and a partial topographical map. I'll draw the map later and mark it accordingly."
"Mm, not bad."
The captain nodded, showing his approval of Shi Ming's intelligence.
Next, he looked toward the other two slaves, the bald man and his younger brother.
Fortunately, in their panic, the two managed to recall some other useful information, including the gruesome state of the dead slaves, and thus barely passed muster.
After all the slaves had finished speaking, Shi Ming had also finished drawing his simple topographical map. The management personnel on the wandering ship passed it around one by one and began their discussion.
"Everyone!"
"You've all heard the intelligence the slaves gathered during the exploration of New Island."
"If you have any ideas or tactics, speak up."
Next came the time for brainstorming.
"Captain, this is a golden opportunity! Those insects are dormant during the day. We can catch them off guard and use poison gas to annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
The first mate, Terim, had a look of anticipation in his eyes. He believed this trip to New Island was a heaven-sent opportunity and the perfect chance for him to become an Awakened!
'Bathing in insect blood sounds disgusting, but if it means I can gain an ability, it's worth it!'
"As we all know, insect-type strange beasts are easier to deal with than land or sea beasts, and their weaknesses are more obvious! I agree with Terim's point! We attack with poison!"
The exploration team's captain, Iron Tower, who stood ramrod straight, stated his opinion.
"Indeed. The strange insects' attack methods are weak, and their individual strength is low. As long as we wear relatively tough armor and are well-protected, they'll be helpless against us."
The chief engineer, Zhou Zhuo, was a balding, fifty-year-old fat man. Before the Wandering Era began, he had undertaken professional maritime studies at a university, so his word carried considerable weight on the ship.
The others took turns expressing their opinions.
...
"Brothers!"
"We drift upon the ocean, taking resources with guns and fists!"
"The end of human society was not our end, but our opportunity! However, true power only comes to the lucky and the prepared! This New Island is our good fortune! The strange insects fear the sun, and right now! This afternoon! The sun is at its peak!"
The captain delivered a passionate pre-battle speech.
"We just survived a storm! In that storm, some died, but some were reborn! Surviving a great disaster is a blessing in disguise!"
"Now, I'm giving you all half an hour to prepare. In half an hour, we set off for New Island!"
"Yes, sir!"
Half an hour wasn't a lot of time, but much could be done.
The crew bustled about endlessly on the wandering ship.
Meanwhile, Shi Ming, the scar-faced man, the bald slave, and his brother were taking a rare moment to sit on the deck, enjoying the lunch the head chef had prepared for them.
It was a feast of reward, and the slaves locked in the other dark rooms could only watch.
The lunch was lavish, with sea fish, canned beef, and even a pot of rice steamed with dried shrimp.
The bald man shoveled rice into his mouth, eating voraciously.
When had he ever been treated so well?
"Team Leader, we really have you to thank for this! This is meat! It's so good."
He picked up a large, dripping piece of canned beef while shoveling more rice into his mouth. The combination of the juicy beef and rice brought tears of satisfaction to his eyes.
"How could you say you have me to thank?"
Shi Ming glanced at the scar-faced man beside them.
"He's the one we should be thanking!"
"Heh, Team Leader, no need to be sarcastic. The captain told me to speak first, so of course, I had to tell him everything I knew. How was I supposed to know it would overlap with your intel?"
The scar-faced man picked up a piece of sea fish and stuffed it into his mouth, his expression unchanged.
This only made Shi Ming feel even more grateful to him.
'Such a calm, good man! I just hope he's still this calm tomorrow when he has to face the captain's wrath after finding out the intel is fake.'