Chapter 325: Ship and Crew Obliterated
On the Guild ship surrounded by pirate vessels.
Corpses littered the deck, and blood pooled, flowing into the sea.
A few pirates wielded massive hammers,
Relentlessly pounding the entrance to the cabin.
Just then, the surrounding pirates parted to make way.
Three figures, each wearing a captain's hat, stepped to the front.
The first was a tall, lean man with thick brows and a full beard, clad in black leather armor with twin short blades at his waist.
This was the captain of the "Poison Blade" pirate crew.
The second was a stocky man in his forties with rugged features, and a large green-feathered, red-crested parrot perched on his shoulder, bigger than a chicken.
He was the captain of the "Redcrest" pirate crew.
The third was "Philipa," dressed in leather armor and pants, her hair in tight braids, representing the "Iron Barrel" pirate crew.
Of the three pirate crews, hers was the weakest.
"How's it coming along?" asked the Poison Blade captain.
One of the hammer-wielding pirates wiped his brow. "Reinforced pretty well — hard to break through."
"Hmph! The Guild's lousy ship, but at least they reinforced the cabin entrance well," sneered the Redcrest captain.
The plump parrot on his shoulder mimicked, "Lousy ship! Lousy ship!"
Poison Blade's captain focused on the door and spoke up, "Friends from the Guild, things have come to this point. There's no point in further delay. Surrender peacefully, and I guarantee your safety. Once we get the ransom, we'll let you go."
After he spoke,
The pirates turned away, laughing slyly.
The stocky captain of the Redcrest crew added, "We pirates are only after money, not your lives. Surrender, and you can still survive."
"Yeah, what do you think? Or are you planning to stay holed up until you starve or die of thirst?"
"Come out; we keep our word."
The pirates taunted with mocking grins.
Behind the cabin door,
Sheila Grey gripped her longsword, glaring outside.
She wore a silver helmet, her fair face smudged with dirt.
The remaining team members sat on either side, trying to regain their strength.
Hearing the voices outside, a sailor whispered, "Deputy Steward, should we…?"
Sheila Grey shot a cold glare at him. "The Poison Blade crew is wanted for killing Guild members. You think they'll spare us? Opening the door would be a death sentence."
Hearing this, the others fell silent,
Sitting back down, not knowing what else to do.
Outside the cabin, the pirates grew impatient from the lack of response.
They lost any intention of waiting.
Poison Blade's captain waved his hand. "Bring the powder kegs over. Blow it open."
"Aye!"
A few pirates left to fetch powder kegs.
These barrels were usually thrown into the sea to create obstacles for ships in pursuit.
Pirates often carried plenty of them, always ready for a fight.
Philipa glanced at the cabin door, then at the other pirates. "This ship must be worth a lot. If you blow it up, what then? Why not keep hammering, or break in from the sides?"
Poison Blade didn't respond.
The Redcrest captain eyed her suspiciously and asked, "What's this? You know someone inside? Trying to buy them time?"
"Screw you!" Philipa cursed. "Blow it up if you want. You two can cover the damages."
Poison Blade ignored her. "Set it at the door!"
...…
The pirates dragged the powder kegs over.
They began stacking them against the cabin entrance.
Poison Blade's captain smirked and shouted, "I saw your leader's an elf. Been a long time since I've tasted an elf. I won't let you die so easily; at least let me savor…."
Clang!
Before he could finish, the ship's alarm bells rang.
A pirate rushed over. "Captain, there's a merchant ship approaching from behind!"
A merchant ship?
They looked back to see a vessel resembling a cargo ship rapidly approaching on the horizon.
"Signal them to scram. We've got important business here. Lucky for them," Poison Blade ordered.
Boom, boom, boom!
Suddenly, thunderous booms echoed from afar.
Blazing red streaks flashed.
The next moment, one of the pirate ships in their sights was violently torn apart, the pirates on deck and the hull itself exploding like fireworks in an instant.
Boom!
The powder inside the cabin ignited, flames engulfing the entire ship.
It began sinking toward the seabed.
All eyes widened, watching the scene in disbelief.
In under half a minute,
Both ship and crew had vanished without a trace.
Then, a second ship, a third, and a fourth… each one annihilated in fiery flashes, no pirate ship proving resilient enough.
Large pirate ships were shredded to pieces, while smaller boats were shattered, sinking below the waves.
Poison Blade, shocked, ducked behind the railing and shouted, "What the hell is that? Whose ship is that? Are they using some kind of attack artifact?"
He barked out question after question,
But no one had any answers.
Everyone was terrified by the sudden assault, scrambling for cover to avoid the shrapnel.
Whiz!
Another whistling sound approached.
A rocket landed next to Poison Blade,
Blasting him several meters away, both legs gone, his upper body rolling to a stop, coughing up blood.
...…
Wu Heng, manning the cannon, fired relentlessly at the ships.
The 23mm shells displayed a devastating power far beyond expectations.
Though unable to sink a large pirate ship, they pierced through hulls and killed pirates with ease.
Small boarding boats were obliterated with a few shots.
Ship and crew obliterated.
Indeed, humans were fragile. Even with the world's advancements in physique,
They couldn't withstand weapons like these.
Ghostly Glenda floated nearby. "What is this thing? The power is insane!"
Amid the din, Wu Heng raised his voice, "Cannon."
"If you sold this, armies from every nation would snap them up, even fighting to get one," Glenda remarked.
"Forget it. Best we keep it to ourselves. Selling it wouldn't end well."
Glenda shrugged. "Your call. Just a suggestion."
Then she pointed at another ship. "That one's close. Blast it."
"Not that one. That one's ours."
In less than five minutes, the rounds Wu Heng had purchased were spent.
He instructed, "Scout around, see how many enemies remain. Are the Guild members still alive?"
"Got it!" Glenda replied,
Flying off into the distance.
...…
In the distance, the remaining pirates were petrified.
They'd never seen a weapon capable of tearing metal apart.
They couldn't even tell what was hitting them — one moment, a person stood; the next, just a bloody mist remained, with massive holes in the ship's hull.
"Damn, quit gawking! Get to the ship; we're leaving!" The Redcrest captain yelled, bolting toward his vessel.
Wu Heng spotted him from afar and pulled out a Barrett rifle from his ring, bracing it against the railing to aim.
Anticipating the captain's movements,
He pulled the trigger.
Instantly, a powerful recoil struck him, though his shoulder remained steady.
The stocky pirate captain's chest exploded in a cloud of blood,
Sending him flying back, rolling several times before finally stopping.
Wu Heng put away the gun, remarking, "My aim seems to be getting better."
Just then, Glenda returned.
She reported, "I found them. The deputy steward you mentioned — she's a blonde elf, right?"
"Yes! Are they alive?"
"Alive. Hiding in the cabin, looks like they're unharmed."
Wu Heng let out a breath of relief. At least they were safe.
"Move in, eliminate all pirates."
As the ship approached, skeletons armed with machine guns and rifles began firing, raining bullets down.
...…
On the deck,
Poison Blade slumped in a corner, coughing up blood.
At level 12, he had strong vitality, so even a nearby explosion hadn't instantly killed him.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Philipa, who crawled over, reaching out. "Help… help me. I can pay you…"
Losing too much blood, his consciousness was fading, barely clinging to life.
Philipa glanced at him, then at the ship shooting at the pirate vessels in the distance.
She crawled over and dragged Poison Blade's half-body to a corner.
After pulling him to a secluded spot,
Poison Blade, still coughing up blood, pleaded, "Help me… I'll get you out of here."
"Oh, sure," Philipa nodded.
The next second, a dagger slipped from her sleeve, stabbing into his throat.
Poison Blade's eyes widened in disbelief as Philipa's attack continued, his strength waning.