Chapter 67

There is no doubt that being a pirate is a high-risk profession that requires great courage and perseverance. Engaging in bloody battles is a daily occurrence. In such a group where bravery is the highest honor, cowards naturally become one of the most despised traits. In comparison, traits like cruelty, greed, stinginess, indulgence, and brutality, which are considered major flaws by ordinary people, are much stronger than cowardice. Most pirates can tolerate a brutal and insatiable leader, but they absolutely cannot tolerate working under a weakling, and no one would respect a coward, let alone obey one.

This battlefield is on the outskirts of the pirate market, where countless eyes are watching the situation. If one is seen fleeing in panic here, it is estimated that within half a year, the seven seas will be filled with mocking jokes about someone being as timid as a mouse. It might even be compiled into songs by bards and sung everywhere, truly leaving a stench for eternity.

Although Luo Zhengdao has not been in the new world for long, his experience is not lacking. With the perspective of two worlds, he has accurately grasped the core of the pirate spirit. This battle has no retreat. Similarly, even if Brando Fiery knew that this was Luo Zhengdao's provocation, he could not avoid it. The consequences of being called a coward are too severe, even more terrifying than a death threat.

Caught in the verbal trap by Luo Zhengdao, Brando Fiery, who usually prides himself on being suave, glanced sideways at Luo Zhengdao, seemingly trying to determine what intentions he had in saying these words. After a moment of eye contact and confrontation, Brando gave in. He said dejectedly:

"Why should I be afraid of those guys? Are they going to bite my balls? What a joke!"

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao burst into laughter, walked forward, and patted the first mate's shoulder hard, saying loudly:

"Oh, that's a good answer. My dear first mate, please turn the ship around immediately! We cannot abandon our comrades. We are all on the same ship and must support each other. If we abandon them today when we encounter danger, who will we abandon tomorrow when we face danger?"

As he spoke, the Yangwei, which had successfully broken through the encirclement, made a sharp turn to head towards the support ship. The boatswain, Zola Hegel, jumped onto the deck, one hand holding a patterned steel saber, the other a flintlock pistol, and shouted:

"From now on, shoot at any moving target you see. Everyone is free to fire!"

Luo Zhengdao had entrusted the command of this battle to the experienced boatswain, as his naval combat experience was all gained from playing cat and mouse with the goblin fleet, which was not suitable for this kind of chaotic battlefield where friend and foe were hard to distinguish. On the vast battlefield, there were few high-value targets worth the Yangwei concentrating its firepower on. Everywhere were small boats and fast boats. Following Zola Hegel's order, the Yangwei's gunners and archers searched for targets. When the distance closed to the point where they could clearly see each other's faces, missing would be a severe case of astigmatism.

Luo Zhengdao was quite open-minded about this battle today. It was destined to be a messy fight, so why not go all out?

As the Yangwei approached the Chao Yong, the first mate, Brando Fiery, shouted:

"Hey, adjust the ballast in the hold, lower the bow, I'll steer and crush these bastards!"

Usually, Brando Fiery appeared lazy and drowsy, only enthusiastic about drinking and women, and lacking motivation for anything else. Today, he was unusually agitated, his neck veins bulging as he roared into the speaking tube, demanding the crew in the hold to rearrange the ballast.

"Crack—crack! Ah—"

Soon, the pirate ship, as the first mate wished, lowered the front part of the ship. Then, under the rapidly advancing Yangwei, a series of crisp sounds like breaking cookies came from below, the subtle noise of the pirate fast boats being crushed. This reinvigorated Yaling warship was rampaging on the battlefield with the force of a bulldozer demolishing illegal structures. Wherever the massive shadow of the Yangwei fell, only chaos remained. It must be said that the efficiency of this novel tactic was astonishing.

The half-elf beauty patrolled the deck with her bow, occasionally shooting arrows at the pirate small boats attempting to fire back. After circling around and returning to the stern deck, Vina Dubov said to Luo Zhengdao:

"Will, have you found that bastard Najef?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao shook his head with regret and sighed:

"The scene is too chaotic, no time to confirm the target. Who knows where he's hiding, that son of a bitch."

"Will, be careful..."

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the half-elf beauty, who was talking to Luo Zhengdao, changed her expression dramatically and lunged towards him, apparently preparing to push him to the deck. At the same time, a special spindle-shaped stone bullet, through the dense white smoke produced by the stone pine powder, shot towards Luo Zhengdao. The attack was unusually precise. By the time Luo Zhengdao realized he was being sniped and dodged, he still did not feel the danger dissipate, as if he were locked by some mysterious force.

"Puff!"

Vina Dubov, unable to push Luo Zhengdao down in time, used all her strength to block in front of him. Her body suddenly jolted forward and fell. Luo Zhengdao, not knowing what was happening, reached out to hold the half-elf beauty. Then, he felt a warm, moist warmth between his fingers, the blood gushing from the wound. Looking down at the shocking red liquid, Luo Zhengdao felt a chill, wondering if Vina would die.

"Ah! Vina!"

At this moment, Luo Zhengdao's scream was even more tragic than if he had been shot himself. He felt as if something in his chest had broken, and a sudden wave of grief and regret swept over him.

"Uh, sorry, I missed the target."

About a hundred yards below the Yangwei, on an unremarkable armed small boat, the sniper put down his musket and issued a half-hearted apology to his employer. No one would easily remember the sniper's ordinary face, but his large, cat-like eyes, shimmering with rainbow-like brilliance, were unforgettable. The gunner with the strange right eye turned around and reported the attack results to the warlock standing beside him, as if it were a matter of course.

The warlock Najef, whose eyesight was far inferior to the sniper's, could not suppress his anger and shouted:

"Aren't you a marksman?"

"Hey, there are always exceptions! How was I supposed to know someone would suddenly jump in front of me?"

"You... I!"

Najef, who thought the operation was a sure thing, was suddenly told that his hopes were dashed. The composed Najef was so angry that he was speechless, not knowing what to say to vent his pent-up rage. A plan that was supposed to be foolproof had gone awry, this must be a joke! This must be a joke!

"Ah! It's you again, Najef!"

Frantically pulling out a first aid kit to temporarily stop the bleeding from Vina Dubov's wound, Luo Zhengdao, whose mind was blank, regained his senses and immediately searched for the sniper's position. Although he had been a pirate for a long time, calculating the trajectory of a bullet was still a high-difficulty technical task for him. However, he could roughly determine the direction from which the bullet came. When Luo Zhengdao poked his head out of the deck, he immediately saw the familiar face on the small boat, and he was filled with hatred. If the distance were closer, Luo Zhengdao would have jumped off the ship and bitten Najef to death.

Luo Zhengdao never considered himself a meek and submissive good person, but at this moment, he desperately wanted someone to die. As if responding to his intense emotions, the longsword in his hand emitted countless blue sparks, as if condensing countless thunderbolts on the blade.

"Will, go quickly, don't waste time..."

Rage did not cloud Luo Zhengdao's mind. When he heard Vina Dubov's weak voice, he took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and temporarily put the warlock Najef aside. Luo Zhengdao called out to his subordinates one by one:

"Brando, turn the ship and leave here. Zola, hoist the signal flags to notify the Chao Yong to retreat. Drake, where are you?"

In the midst of the chaos, the short and fat ship doctor, panting, appeared. Luo Zhengdao, pressing on Vina Dubov's back wound, saw the amount of blood seeping through the bandages, which was enough to make anyone shudder, and wondered how long the injured could hold on.

Drake Jin, after a preliminary examination of the half-elf beauty's gunshot wound, looked up at Luo Zhengdao and said:

"Miss Vina's injuries are severe. I need to stop the bleeding first, then perform surgery to remove the bullet."

"Then do it, what are you looking at me for?"

Hearing this, the agitated Luo Zhengdao shouted at the ship doctor, almost losing control.

In the new world, only priests and paladins can cast healing divine spells. Shamans have healing totems, and witch doctors and some other obscure professions have some healing abilities. Magic card masters should also have corresponding healing abilities, as those who can rival gods should not have such a significant weakness. The real problem lies with Luo Zhengdao, who does not have a single recovery card in his hand. Without the necessary tools, he can only be anxious about Vina Dubov's injuries. Blaming the unfortunate Drake Jin only shows that Luo Zhengdao's inner strength is not enough; a strong person would not blame others for their own incompetence.

"Captain, the Chao Yong has successfully broken through the encirclement."

Hearing the boatswain's call, Luo Zhengdao's tense nerves relaxed slightly. This was one of the few pieces of good news he had received so far. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he said softly:

"Let's go too! This time, Najef got away, but next time, I will definitely..."