Chapter 234 Don’t be afraid, Da Ge, I will protect you

A man's name casts a shadow like a tree; many mercenaries and sailors, upon hearing the name of the Half-Orc Pirate Gang, were immediately filled with fear.

"How could we run into the Half-Orc Pirate Gang? Didn't the Navy suppress them last year? I heard they were all scattered!"

"Who knows? Maybe they regrouped. These big pirates have plenty of hiding spots for their loot, rich as they are. Getting a few ships together to form a new gang is no big deal!"

"Or maybe it was just the Navy falsely claiming credit for killing good people. Hasn’t that happened before?"

"Oh no, oh no, the Half-Orc Pirate Gang loves to raid sea races and never leaves any survivors..."

"Don’t panic! Don’t panic!" Lakfu was both shocked and angry. There were only a few dozen pirate gangs with million-gold bounties in the vast waters of the Lower Five Seas, and most operated in areas the Navy rarely patrolled. To encounter one now was sheer bad luck.

But now, with the situation at hand, panic would only lead to death. A burst of arcane power erupted from him, and he roared like a thunderclap, "We have ships and cannons, what are you afraid of! Whoever dares to spread rumors, I'll throw them overboard to feed the fish!"

Lakfu used the Whale Clan’s ultrasonic arcane art, and being a skilled leader, he had great authority among his crew. The noisy deck and the nearby clamshell ships fell silent instantly.

Seeing President Hagen trembling beside him, Lakfu felt a bit of disdain but knew this was his golden sponsor. He shouted at him, "Old Hagen, take your men to protect Brother Wang Feng, leave this to me!"

Hagen was more than happy to hear this and had long wanted to hide in his cabin. He quickly responded and called out to his bodyguards.

Lakfu then loudly commanded, "Shark, take two clamshell ships to guard the left flank of the Starfish. Tyron, you take two clamshell ships to protect the right flank!"

"Fire flares in that direction, light up the sea!"

"Lookout, report the situation! Wind speed and direction!"

With each order from Lakfu, the guards, mercenaries, and sailors on deck sprang into action.

"Southwest wind, heading towards the pirates!"

"Lower the sails, let the cargo ship go ahead," Lakfu commanded: "Turn the Starfish around, activate the soul energy drive, maintain a speed of thirty miles per hour towards the northwest, and get all the cannons below ready!"

"Hard to port, hard to port!"

"Let the cargo ship go first!"

With someone in charge, the deck was filled with shouts and running, slightly less chaotic but more tense.

Old Wang had been drowsy, but he was finally jolted awake.

Pirates?

Damn, although Karida didn't react much during the daytime cannon fire, I still felt happy about it. Now pirates are here?

But seeing Lakfu command with such composure, Old Wang's heart steadied somewhat. The key was that Karida was injured; otherwise, pirates would be nothing to fear, as the peak experts could ignore the environment and fight at any time.

But now, he couldn't let Karida suffer further for a bunch of pirates. "Don't be afraid, Karida! I'll protect you!"

Karida was torn between laughing and crying. Him?

But recalling how Tongdi saved her despite the danger, his words, though partly for show, were not entirely false. Though she found it amusing, she appreciated it nonetheless. "Just calm down."

Her gaze swept over the deck below, admiring Lakfu's calmness and leadership: "This fleet has some strength, and that whale is no stranger to the world. The outcome is uncertain. Learn from others more."

"Brother! Brother, I'll protect you!" Hagen rushed up the stairs with seven or eight fully armed bodyguards, "There might be cannon fire outside, both of you should hide inside..."

The sea language 'yinyin' was incomprehensible to Old Wang and Karida, so they ignored it, focusing intently on the northeast direction, only to hear...

Creak... creak... creak...

Rumble...

It was the sound of the sails lowering, accompanied by the activation of the soul energy drive. The Starfish slowly turned, positioning the cargo ship to face forward while aligning the side cannons toward the northeast. At the same time, over a dozen flares were fired in various directions.

Light once again illuminated the sky, casting a bright glow over a ten-mile radius of the sea. The dark waters suddenly shimmered, revealing the massive silhouette of the enemy's main battleship now within visible range.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before anyone could react, the giant shadow's cannon muzzles flashed, and over a dozen soul crystal cannons erupted. Flames shot up from the dark sea, and as the cannon fire lit up, several glowing spheres of energy were launched, tracing perfect parabolic arcs through the air, hurtling straight toward the Starfish.

"Slow down! Hard to starboard!" Rackford estimated the landing points of the fireballs, shouting frantically.

"Slow down! Hard to starboard!"

The command echoed across the deck, with crew members repeatedly shouting it.

Creak... creak...

The massive ship slowed and turned, appearing incredibly clumsy. Soon after, the whistling sounds of the energy shells falling could be heard.

Whistle... whistle...

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...

Long-range sea firing is notoriously difficult to achieve precision, yet the enemy's shots were remarkably accurate. However, Rackford's judgment was spot-on, and the ship managed to narrowly avoid two energy shells that would have hit dead center. But the enemy's broadside was a covering fire, and the energy shells splashed into the water all around, exploding on the surface and sending waves crashing against the hull.

Old Wang felt the ship lurch violently, his feet slipping, and he quickly grabbed the railing with both hands, still feeling a bit dizzy.

"Scatter the ships, form a line abreast!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Not only was Rackford giving commands; people were shouting all around.

The Starfish immediately retaliated, the two flanking ships also opening fire with their cannons, the thunderous explosions filling the air as both sides unleashed their full firepower, revealing each other completely.

The pirates on the opposite side were clearly experienced, making more precise judgments of distance, not entirely due to command, for before firing, they had been in a position where the enemy was hidden and they were exposed. It was impossible for the fleet to turn off all lights, especially with the clumsy cargo ships that needed to maintain formation in the dark, risking collisions if they tried to adjust their defensive positions.

In such raids, the pirates always held the initiative, while the Guard Corps, having to protect the cargo ships, were always at a disadvantage, constrained and passive.

At this moment, in the pitch-black night sky, dozens of energy shells crisscrossed in arcs, some colliding mid-air and exploding in dazzling flashes, while most struck the sea around the fleets, causing towering waves.

Old Wang had never experienced anything like this before. Though he clung to the ship’s railing with a mix of fear and excitement, his heart raced, his blood boiled, and he felt more alert than ever, finding it incredibly thrilling and exhilarating.

The Starfish's superconductive soul crystal cannons were clearly superior to the enemy’s. As expected from the new model recently acquired from the military, although the range and firepower were comparable, the rate of fire was almost half a cycle faster. The gunners were also excellent; after several rounds of simultaneous firing from multiple soul crystal cannons, they managed to gain a slight upper hand.

In naval battles, the range and accuracy of soul crystal cannons were the keys to victory.

Rackford personally operated one of the superconductive soul crystal cannons. This man was a master gunner. Old Wang had seen his skills during the shark hunting lesson earlier in the day—within a few miles, he could hit any target on the sea surface, even a small wooden barrel floating a few miles away, with pinpoint accuracy. He wasn’t just good at flattery.

Boom!

He observed carefully, his pupils narrowing sharply, and fired a single shot. The brilliant energy shell followed a predicted trajectory, protected by other energy shells, and struck the enemy ship precisely, causing a massive explosion on board.

"It hit!"

The crew, guards, and mercenaries all cheered in unison.

Rackford’s face showed a look of satisfaction. Did they really think he led this group solely by his words and the reputation of the whale clan?

He had been serving as a guard on various merchant ships for two or three decades before gradually rising to his current position. When it came to handling soul crystal cannons, no one on the sea could match him!

To make a living at sea, who would take you seriously without real strength? And to lead a team and earn the title of Whale Clan's external envoy?

He was confident that with the second-generation superconductive soul crystal cannon, even if this shot didn't sink the enemy, it would certainly inflict heavy damage. At the very least, it would reduce their speed by twenty to thirty percent, allowing the fleet to easily pull away and escape. In a worse-case scenario, the damaged ship would lose much of its maneuverability, making it easier to hit again. A few more shots could sink it, and they might even claim the ten million bounty.

Old Wang had heard that the pirate worth ten million was formidable and had been worried. Now, he felt an intense surge of excitement, not unlike watching a spectacular maritime action movie.

At that moment, the pirates suddenly ceased fire. Old Wang thought they had given up and was about to join the crew in celebration.

But then he saw Karida's gaze darken as she looked down at the dark sea.

Larkford also sensed something amiss. Without pausing to continue firing, he pushed aside a sailor blocking his view and peered into the dark depths, his pupils contracting sharply. "Everyone, back off! Be careful of the seabed!"

In the dark depths, a vast blue light suddenly shone, like a massive blue light array.

The blue light dimmed momentarily, and the sea surface remained calm for about a second before a huge tentacle burst out of the water, rising high into the air!

The tentacle, studded with countless suction cups the size of dining tables, was over ten meters tall just in the part that emerged. As it descended upon the Starfish, it resembled a small mountain crashing down.

Everyone was stunned, looking up in shock, unable to speak. Then came a deafening boom.

The giant tentacle struck the Starfish, causing the ship to plunge violently downward.

"Sea monster, ghost-level sea monster, run~~~"

On deck, sailors were flung into the air like scattered ants, densely flying through the sky.

As the ship, now partially submerged, began to rise slightly due to buoyancy but tilted to the left, some of the sailors fell back onto the deck, dazed and disoriented, while others plunged directly into the sea.

"Aaaaah!" Old Wang had been gripping the railing tightly, but he was still shaken loose by the immense force, only to be grabbed by Karida.

Karida held onto the railing with one hand and pulled Wang Feng with the other, forcefully dragging Old Wang back from being thrown. She wasn’t supposed to use her soul power, but it was an instinctive reaction, leaving her feeling a surge of blood in her chest and her face turning pale.

Old Wang felt her palm turn icy cold instantly. He managed to grab the railing and stabilize himself, then reached out with his other hand to pull her tightly.

The sound of 'creaking' filled the air as the massive tentacles wrapped around the ship's hull, causing the huge steel warship to deform slightly, the middle part of the hull being squeezed tightly.

The ship began to rise rapidly and was violently tipped over by the immense force.

The massive ship tilted quickly, accompanied by countless splashes as crew members and various objects fell or slid off. Cries for help and screams echoed across the sea and the ship, with debris floating on the water, creating a chaotic scene.

Old Wang and Karida went from standing to hanging, their hands gripping the railing tightly, completely suspended in the air.

What is that?!

Old Wang was both shocked and terrified. Using the searchlights that were wildly rotating on the ship, he saw two enormous eyes, about four to five meters apart, emerge from the depths of the sea, followed by more tentacles. Besides the few cargo ships whose crews were already frightened out of their wits, the agile shell boat that Shark and the others were on couldn't escape either, all being caught by the tentacles.

Old Wang drew a sharp breath.

Damn, what a huge squid!