Gun of Ashes

It’s an enemy attack, not Bola’s void shot shattering the sea waves.

”Bola! Get to the command center immediately after you hear this!”

The broadcast echoed through the corridor; it was Lorenzo’s voice. Judging by the urgent tone, this time it was for real.

Bola retained his professional acumen; he didn’t hesitate, quickly dressed, and pushed open the cabin door.

...

A few minutes ago.

Lorenzo sat inside the command room, the storm washing over his view again and again, the whole world seemingly drawn into the storm, leaving only a gray haze over everything.

Today was supposed to be Blue Jade on duty, but after the hassle caused by Selyu, Lorenzo couldn’t sleep no matter how he tossed and turned on the bed. With nothing to do aboard the ship, he took over for Blue Jade.

Anyway, those Demon Hunters are all full of energy; a sleepless night doesn’t affect Lorenzo. He sat idly by, observing the surroundings now and then.

To be honest, Lorenzo quite liked this state, the room filled with the cool sea breeze, natural music stirring his soul.

Everything was harmonious until that ironclad ship broke the sea’s surface.

Modern technology is gradually advancing, but there’s been little progress in warning and observation. Even as ironclad ships start to traverse the seas, navigation remains quite primitive, not to mention early warning systems.

When Lorenzo saw the ironclad ship from the command room, it had already come extremely close to the Morning Glow Advance under the cover of the storm. The dense steam had not yet dispersed and was driven by the fierce winds, thunder overwhelmed the engine’s roar, and the waves silently dragged them there.

It was like a seasoned assassin, seeking the opportunity for a deadly blow, and now it was here.

In such dire circumstances, hitting the target with artillery was exceptionally challenging, and the enemy knew this. Only when they got this close did they start shelling.

Lorenzo had no time to react; a blinding flash passed by, and the Morning Glow Advance shook violently.

”What’s going on?”

The vibrations caused Lorenzo to stagger around the captain’s room; he couldn’t fathom being attacked under such circumstances. He knew there were still plenty of pirate remnants in the Viking nations, but he remembered he was sailing in international waters, not yet having reached the Viking nations’ territories.

Or was it... have pirates overwhelmed each other? Is this a band of pirates who couldn’t hack it in the Viking nations, hence coming to international waters to plunder? What an impeccable timing they have!

Worse still, Lorenzo couldn’t understand how he ran into these pirates. With current technology, searching for a ship out of sight at sea relies mostly on luck. Most pirate raids occur along fixed routes, but the Morning Glow Advance, trying to keep a low profile, didn’t follow a fixed route at all.

Or was it sheer bad luck to run into them by chance?

If so, they really are a courageous group of pirates.

With these thoughts, Lorenzo glanced at the roaring waves and storm; he couldn’t fathom whether these pirates were driven insane by poverty, choosing to plunder under such conditions.

But who cares?

Lorenzo’s expression turned fierce; he steadied himself and pulled the alarm, its piercing sound echoing throughout every corner of the Morning Glow Advance.

These pirates have no idea whom they’ve provoked.

...

Black Teeth was raised high by the waves, like a Swordsman leaping up to deliver a slash toward the Morning Glow Advance.

Compared to the Morning Glow Advance, Black Teeth was much smaller, its outer armor covered in rust and scars. It’s unclear how long it has sailed the seas.

Judging by some characteristics of the ship’s structure, it can be roughly determined that this was once an ironclad serving Gaulunaro, but after a pirate attack, it was seized and became a scourge of the seas, searching for prey everywhere.

”Successful hit, keep firing!”

Zeus lowered his binoculars and ordered the Chief Mate beside him. The Chief Mate didn’t say much, took a deep breath, and then shouted into the communication tube.

”Keep firing!”

The deep voice echoed through the communication tube, transmitted to the gunners a few seconds later. Soon after, more cannon fire sounded, the fire densely flashing, pouring firepower toward the Morning Glow Advance.

The tumultuous waves caused many aiming lines to shift slightly, most attacks fell into the sea, but a few landed on the Morning Glow Advance, sparking dazzling light on its armor.

Zeus raised the telescope once more, observing. The harsh conditions made it difficult for him to see the Morning Glow Advance’s specifics clearly, but with his experience, he judged that after those hits, the armor of the Morning Glow Advance must have been breached, and now the crew should be busy firefighting and patching leaks.

”Should we keep firing? Captain,” the Chief Mate asked, ”They’re probably unable to fight back.”

”I know, but to be safe, keep firing.”

Zeus said with a heavy expression, although the storm blurred the vision, making the Morning Glow Advance seem surreal. Having sailed the seas for so long and sunk countless ships, Captain Zeus was aware he had never seen such an ironclad.

Without seeing other details, simply by the outline of the Morning Glow Advance, he sensed a bit of unease.

He also wondered if this was a warship from some country executing a secret mission here, like the recent conflict between Ingwig and Gaulunaro, plus their alliance with the Viking nations; these are all highly plausible occurrences.