Chapter 1

On the night of July 18, 2014, in the South China Sea, a passenger ship traveling from Malaysia to Guangzhou was sailing on the sea. Most of the passengers on board were Chinese tourists who had been traveling in Malaysia. Due to their doubts about the safety of air travel, many chose to return to China by passenger ship.

In one of the cabins, Long Yufei was sound asleep. He was 25 years old, had just obtained dual doctorates in mechanical engineering and metallurgy, and had already signed an employment contract with a domestic military manufacturing company. The company required him to report by September 1, so Long Yufei used this rare holiday to travel abroad.

Long Yufei was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. He excelled academically and completed his university education with scholarships, showing a talent for mechanical engineering and metallurgy. After graduating from his undergraduate program, he was recommended to a prestigious domestic university to pursue a doctoral degree. After three years of hard work, he finally obtained his doctorates in mechanical engineering and metallurgy. Like many tech enthusiasts, Long Yufei disliked sports and going out; his greatest hobby was researching weapons and military history. He often frequented various forums and websites, having a deep understanding of the development of firearms.

After an unknown amount of time, Long Yufei was awakened by the noise. He sat up from the narrow bed, rubbed his eyes, and heard shouts from outside!

"The ship is taking on water! Everyone, save yourselves!"

"The ship is about to sink! The damn captain has already boarded the lifeboat!"

Long Yufei was suddenly jolted awake, and he immediately jumped out of bed, opened the cabin door, and rushed out. However, at that moment, the ship suddenly lurched, and he fell to the ground, losing consciousness as everything went black.

Before losing consciousness, Long Yufei had only one thought: "Damn, not only are planes unsafe, but ships are also unsafe!"

...

After an unknown amount of time, which felt like several centuries, Long Yufei felt a splitting headache! The sunlight seemed to be shining directly into his eyes, making him very uncomfortable. He couldn't help but raise his hand to shield his eyes.

At that moment, clear voices reached his ears!

"Boss, this pretty boy is awake!" a rough voice said.

"What's going on? Did someone save me?" Long Yufei suddenly opened his eyes. However, the scene before him was very shocking. Several heads appeared less than half a meter away from him, all seemingly in their early twenties, with tanned skin, as if they were often exposed to the sun.

"Where am I? Was I saved?" Long Yufei asked, quickly looking around. He realized he was on a ship, a small one that was rocking. It was a sailboat, a type that had long been abandoned by fishermen in China.

"Kid, we saved you from the sea! Who are you? Where are you from?" a young man, with a fierce look, asked.

"My name is Long Yufei, I am... " Long Yufei was about to answer but suddenly froze, unable to speak. He noticed that these people had braids around their necks! Could they be filming a period drama? But there was no camera on this small boat!

"Kid, what are you staring at? Speak quickly, or I'll kill you!" the young man pulled out a shiny knife from behind his back, seemingly ready to stab Long Yufei.

"My name is Long Yufei, I was studying in the UK, and I just returned to China. The ship I was on encountered trouble, and I fell into the sea. Thank you for saving me!" Long Yufei quickly said, not wanting to be stabbed right after waking up!

"Studying in the UK? Kid, are you lying to us? Tell us, are you a spy sent by the government?" another young man asked.

"I'm not a spy!" Long Yufei quickly shook his head.

"Alright, don't make it hard for him! Look at his delicate skin; he clearly hasn't suffered. How could he be a spy?" a clear voice said. Long Yufei turned around and saw a woman standing at the bow of the ship. She was wearing a gray outfit that accentuated her slender figure, with healthy, wheat-colored skin. Although not as delicate as women in big cities, she exuded a strong, martial aura.

"Yes, Boss!" the young man who had been threatening Long Yufei said.

"Boss? Are you pirates?" Long Yufei's eyes widened in disbelief, especially when he realized the leader was a woman!

"Yes! We are pirates! But we don't harm civilians! Kid, you don't seem to have much to offer, and you don't look like a rich person. We won't make things difficult for you! We'll let you go when we reach shore!" the female pirate leader said, approaching Long Yufei.

Long Yufei nodded, deciding to remain silent until he understood the situation better.

After the female pirate leader spoke, she went into the cabin. Long Yufei stared at her retreating back.

"Smack!" Long Yufei's head was hit hard, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Kid, take your eyes off the boss! Stay on the ship and behave yourself. We'll let you go when we reach shore. If you try anything funny, I'll kill you!" the young man who had threatened Long Yufei said, his eyes filled with malice.

Long Yufei nodded repeatedly, not daring to say more.

After a while, Long Yufei realized he had really traveled through time. The bizarre events from web novels had actually happened to him. He was now on a pirate ship, a small vessel about ten meters long. There were only about six or seven pirates on board. From their conversations, he learned it was the late Qing Dynasty, around 1830.

The pirates clearly didn't like Long Yufei, so he didn't dare approach them and sat alone on the deck, staring at the sea. His stomach growled with hunger, making it hard to bear.

After a while, a fragrant smell came from behind him. The female pirate leader stood behind him, holding a yellowish cake.

"Here, you look like you haven't eaten in a while!" the female pirate leader said.

"Thank you!" Long Yufei hesitated for a moment, took the palm-sized cake, and started eating. The cake was hard and gritty, something even beggars in the future wouldn't eat. But he had no choice now. Long Yufei knew that if the pirates wanted to kill him, they would just stab him or throw him into the sea. So, he wouldn't try any tricks.

After a while, Long Yufei finished the cake. However, it was very dry, making him very thirsty.

"Drink this!" the female pirate leader handed him a water bottle.

Long Yufei thanked her and quickly took it. He didn't notice that the young pirate who had threatened him was looking at him with hatred.

"You're Long Yufei? Tell me about your studies in the UK!" the female pirate leader sat on the deck and said to Long Yufei.

Long Yufei nodded and said, "When I was very young, I was sent to study in the UK. I studied mechanical engineering at Cambridge University. My family used to be sea merchants, but my father's fleet encountered trouble at sea and never returned. Last year, I completed my studies in the UK and decided to return to China!" Although Long Yufei was making it up, his knowledge level was enough to fool these pirates who had never seen the world.

To save his life, Long Yufei recounted everything he remembered about the UK to the female pirate leader. He talked about steam engines, trains, and Napoleon of France, among other things. The female pirate leader and the other pirates were completely absorbed in his stories, filled with curiosity about the Western world they had never heard of.

Long Yufei only stopped when his mouth was dry. The pirates finally came back to their senses.

"It seems you really are from the UK! You're an educated man! Don't worry, we won't harm you!" the female pirate leader said, then turned and went back into the cabin.

Long Yufei felt a wave of fear. He realized the female pirate leader had been testing him. If his answers had any flaws, he would have been in danger. Fortunately, he had managed to pass the test.

After confirming Long Yufei's identity, the other pirates no longer made things difficult for him and showed some respect. For these pirates who couldn't even read, an educated person was always worthy of respect. Respecting the elderly and the wise has always been a Chinese tradition, even among pirates.

"Brother, what year is it now?" Long Yufei asked, needing to know the exact time.

"Sir, it is the 22nd of June, the 15th year of the Daoguang era," a young pirate, about 17 or 18 years old, said. Although young, he was very strong, much stronger than the tech-savvy Long Yufei. His skin was tanned from the sun, and his arms and chest were full of muscles. If he were in the future, he would definitely make the fangirls go wild.

"The 15th year of the Daoguang era, that would be 1835 in the Gregorian calendar! That means the Opium War is only five years away!" Long Yufei thought to himself. He felt a bit lost, wondering how he, a tech-savvy but physically weak person, would survive in this dark era.

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