Chapter 41

With a loud "bang!", the massive metal fork, tipped with several barbs, plunged into the stern of the Chao Yong, on its right side. Seeing this, Captain One-Eyed Dragon, Faul Chopin, turned pale as paper and muttered subconsciously, "We're caught, we're done for, done for."

The short, plump ship's doctor, Drake King, who had been temporarily reassigned to the Chao Yong as boatswain by Luo Zhengdao, flew into a rage. He kicked his old partner's buttocks and turned to bellow at the bewildered sailors, "A bunch of fools! Send someone down to cut the rope behind the harpoon. Do you want to stay here and wait to die?"

Jetti Baiman thought the task of eliminating the exiled human nobles would be easy. Will Needham's two small ships were no match for his fleet, and the credit for this victory would be easy to claim. This led him to entertain other thoughts. The common flaw of all intelligent beings is to be greedy and overconfident. Feeling that he had everything under control, Jetti Baiman naturally shifted his goal from annihilating the small group of human fugitives to capturing Earl Flus and presenting him to the Senate. After all, while the practical difference between killing and capturing an exiled human noble was minimal, the public display of a captive could boast of the commander's military prowess.

When this thought, like the devil's temptation, surfaced in his mind, the吸引力 for the bear goblin commander, who was of humble origin and desperately craved honor, was undeniable.

Luo Zhengdao soon realized that the Chao Yong was in trouble. He was extremely anxious and had no immediate plan. After a brief consultation with the boatswain Zola Hegel, Vena Dubov, and other senior crew members, Luo Zhengdao formulated a plan.

"Raise the signal flag and inform the Chao Yong to break free from the enemy's entanglement and immediately break through. We won't get away without a fight."

As the situation evolved into the pirates' worst-case scenario of a desperate battle, everyone's mood was somber. However, at this point, everyone understood the logic. Facing a strong enemy and trying to escape without a fight was an extremely naive and amateurish idea. Even if they wanted to run, they had to fight their way out. Turning around and fleeing, leaving their backs to the enemy, was not an escape but a suicidal move. Thus, the pirates no longer argued about who should go first and focused on preparing for battle.

Death is the ultimate destination for everyone, and Luo Zhengdao had long been aware of this. However, he still had many unresolved questions and was unwilling to die in this desolate place. With no other choice, he decided to fight to the death.

The goblin fleet was closing in, and the blade was at his throat. Luo Zhengdao could only think of one way out: to risk everything and fight his way to dawn. He sincerely hoped that his status as a穿越者 would bring him some extra good luck; otherwise, his head would soon become a goblin's reward.

Inheriting the excellent balance design of the Elven warships, the battleship Yangwei turned around with the smallest turning radius to assist the Chao Yong, which was cutting the harpoon rope under enemy arrows and gunfire, and came face-to-face with the bear goblin commander's flagship.

Staring at the goblin warship, Luo Zhengdao's eyes turned cold. He turned to the half-elf beauty and said, "Vena, you decide when to fire. Make sure to hit the second deck of that galley."

Vena Dubov glanced at Luo Zhengdao with a complex expression, and no one knew what she was thinking. The half-elf beauty nodded silently and began measuring the trajectory, perhaps embodying the saying that silence is golden.

The tactical advantage of a galley lies in its excellent maneuverability, capable of even turning on the spot in extreme situations. However, this ability comes at a cost. The galley's main disadvantage is that the rowers occupy too much space, preventing the cannons from being arranged conventionally on both sides of the ship. Instead, a heavy, round cannon fortress is set up on the upper deck, raising the ship's center of gravity and significantly reducing its long-distance navigability. The second deck, which Luo Zhengdao targeted, was where the rowers were located. Killing the rowers would cripple the galley's mobility, and with its pitiful sails, it would never catch up to the swift Yangwei.

"Day—day—day—"

Before the Yangwei could reach the predetermined firing position, several goblin warships guarding their flagship launched an attack. With a sharp, piercing whistle, red streaks of light appeared in the sky, raining down on the Yangwei like a meteor shower.

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao was momentarily stunned and asked the half-elf beauty, "What is that?"

After calculating the complex ballistic data that would have made a high school physics class sweat, Vena Dubov smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, those are goblin rockets. They are more for intimidation than actual damage. A simple weapon, a product of goblin alchemy. The goblins of the First Empire were known for their creativity. What's so great about them creating this weapon? Well, back then, they were weak and even less capable than the current goblins. Later, they experimented with their own race, a process no one knows about. They created the great goblins, bear goblins, and goblins. After that, the goblins' renowned intelligence disappeared, and they became as savage and ignorant as beasts, leading to the replacement of the First Empire by human dynasties."

During the latter part of their conversation, Luo Zhengdao was lost in thought, his mind focused on the approaching goblin galley. Understanding his thoughts, the half-elf beauty was not bothered by his distracted attitude. She smoothed her forehead and smiled confidently, waiting for the calculated moment to attack.

"Ready... countdown, 3, 2, 1."

"Fire!"

At Vena's command, Luo Zhengdao shouted, and the twenty-six gun crews on the Yangwei's starboard side ignited the feather-tipped fuses in sequence.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Amid the deafening roar of the cannons, the stone balls, slightly spinning, shot out of the barrels, visible in their flight, and penetrated the goblin galley's hull through the gaps between the long oars. After a brief moment of silence, the muffled screams and the crisp sounds of breaking wood were music to Luo Zhengdao's ears, holding his breath.

"Ah! These damn hairless monkeys, they're preparing to board!"

At a distance of less than two hundred meters, the goblin flagship's second deck, where the rowers were, suffered heavy casualties from the Yangwei's cannonade. Receiving this bad news, the bear goblin commander's face twisted in anger, but his battle-hardened experience quickly restored his composure. He still had a chance to turn the tide.

Compared to the relatively small Elven sixth-level battleship, the goblin flagship was like a mastiff standing next to a Chihuahua, giving it a clear tactical advantage. On his command, the goblin flagship's land forces, composed of great goblins, bear goblins, and goblins, stood at the ship's rail, one hand holding a rope and the other a weapon, ready to board the Yangwei below.

With an overwhelming numerical advantage, the goblins had no chance of losing in close combat. Jetti Baiman felt Ban was waving to him, and he smiled, shouting, "Attack!"

Luo Zhengdao was not a hotheaded young man who would fight to the death on a whim. He knew that in the real world, where the lines between right and wrong were blurred, one could not afford to lose one's temper unless they could overturn the entire order and rebuild it according to their will. Did he not know that engaging in close combat with the goblins was a death sentence? Not exactly, and all answers and mysteries would be revealed in time.

During the recent broadside from the Yangwei's starboard side, only the 24-pounder on the third position of the lower deck failed to fire. In the deafening cannon fire and the white smoke from the stone pine powder, no one noticed this detail.

Like old-world black powder, stone pine spores can fail to ignite due to moisture, a common technical issue on warships. However, this time, the silence was not an accident. Luo Zhengdao had previously assigned this cannon a different task.

Seeing the goblin galley's confident stance, Luo Zhengdao sneered, pulled the cork from the communication tube to the main deck, and shouted, "I'm the captain, fire the incendiary shell immediately!"

Hearing the order, the gunners, who had been waiting, shouted in unison and inserted a cherry-red iron rod into the cannon's touchhole.

"Bang—"

Suddenly, the 24-pounder's muzzle spewed a golden, blinding light and a large cloud of white smoke. A bizarre red-white shell shot out and penetrated the goblin flagship through the gap created by the earlier cannonade.

Upon impact with the goblin warship's internal bulkhead, the shell shattered into countless fragments. Instantly, the liquid alchemical mixture inside began to boil, rapidly heating the surrounding air to an incredible temperature, like a blazing steel furnace pouring molten steel. This shell was not ordinary; the wax coating on its outer layer broke upon impact, and the two alchemical mixtures inside reacted with the air, instantly turning into a massive flame that spread uncontrollably within the goblin galley. The effect was like pouring a bottle of gasoline and lighting a match to a cardboard box, the raging fire spreading like a wild beast, leaving no hope of salvation.

The special shell's effect was immediate, and Luo Zhengdao, though pained, complained, "This is burning money! One shell costs me eight hundred gold coins. Fortunately, I have a sure shot; otherwise, a full broadside would be more expensive than buying a battleship."

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**End of Chapter**