Gun of Ashes

But after a brief moment of thought, Zeus felt that it was unlikely. With only this solitary ironclad ship advancing, followed by a few cargo ships, it seemed more like an escort protecting the cargo ships than a military action. They hadn’t taken the main route, possibly related to the goods they were carrying.

”Don’t pay too much attention to them. What we need are those cargo ships.”

Zeus said again.

In his mind, it was enough to sink or drive away the Morning Glow Advance; their target was those cargo ships.

In many cases, when an escort ship realizes it can’t protect the cargo ships, these guys would flee quickly. Zeus didn’t bother with them, as pursuing would also consume a lot of resources, and there was no need to waste supplies on these unknown risks.

”However... it does feel like fate.”

The sea breeze swept into the command room, making Zeus feel a chill.

”What’s wrong?”

The Chief Mate knew that his captain’s mind was not quite right, having heard that in a previous naval battle, he was shot in the head but survived. Since then, he often said strange things.

”If it weren’t for this storm, we wouldn’t have been driven off course, and we wouldn’t have encountered these ships... What an interesting meeting.”

Zeus had a smile on his face.

He thought for a long time before initiating the attack, and the storm was a major reason.

The storm placed both sides in a harsh environment. Even if Zeus sank the Morning Glow Advance, he would need to wait for the storm to end before plundering those cargo ships. But the storm was also aiding him, enabling a silent surprise attack. With the storm’s interference, the Morning Glow Advance had to face the bombardment while dealing with the harsh conditions.

”We don’t need prisoners.”

Zeus told the Chief Mate, who understood his meaning and gave a wicked smile.

But the smile didn’t last long, as the scorching firelight illuminated his face.

A burning stream of fire formed a straight trajectory, impervious to the fierce wind, which couldn’t even shift its path. The sea water along its path evaporated instantly, returning intense heat to the Black Teeth.

The moment Zeus saw this trajectory, the raging flames had already pierced through the command room of the Black Teeth. The steel twisted and melted in an instant, and he witnessed his Chief Mate’s smile turning into a grotesque expression of anguish, then being reduced to dried ashes by the searing heat.

Zeus stood dazed, the entire command room now a charred frame, the flames struggling to burn, soon extinguished by the pouring rainstorm that swept in.

He slowly raised his hand, feeling the residual heat — his glove had become a charred mass stuck to his skin. The pain from his face was immediate; as he gently touched it, all he felt was intense stinging. His body was severely burned and stuck to his clothing, any movement causing severe pain and creating new wounds.

Just a little closer to the Chief Mate, and he too would have been engulfed by the residual heat of the fire, burned into ashes scattered by the wind.

Zeus stumbled to the side, gasping heavily, savoring his survival, and slowly looked across the rain curtain. The Morning Glow Advance had adjusted its angle, its sharp ram breaking through the furious waves like a hurled spear.

Watching this, he first trembled uncontrollably, as if in fear, but eventually, Zeus laughed out loud in excitement.