Two days passed….
Dong Xuebing woke up early in the morning and lit a cigarette. He walked out to the deck and looked around. The ship was sailing in the deep waters, and they could not see the land. All he could see was water. Sailing on a ship was much slower than flying on a plane, and Dong Xuebing was prepared.
“Bro….” Dong Xuebing stopped a crew.
The crew dropped what he was doing and looked at Dong Xuebing. “What?”
“I got a question.” Dong Xuebing asked. “How far are we from the pirate-infested waters?”
The crew had a weird expression on his face. “A ship was hijacked a few days ago, and the Captain asked us to make a detour to avoid that area. This area is also one of the areas with high pirate activities.” He pointed to the west. “The pirate’s base is in that direction. It’s a lawless area without government. Our current location should be far from them, but we might still encounter them. Let’s hope for the best.”
Dong Xuebing looked at the sea. “This is the area….”
The crew nodded. “We entered this area early this morning. Can’t you see everyone’s expression?”
Dong Xuebing looked around. All the crew was wary. “Do you know how many men are there in this pirate group? Are there several pirate groups?”
The crew replied. “I don’t know how many men, but I am sure they have more than one leader. I heard they have stiff competition among themselves.”
“Do you know the group of pirates that hijacked the ship a few days ago?”
“I don’t know. I have never met any of the pirates. We would not escape if we met them. Their speed boats are much faster than us.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
The crew continued. “You should not have boarded our ship.”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Thanks for the advice.”
The crew wanted to say more, but he stopped when he saw Dong Xuebing’s expression.
All the crew had met Dong Xuebing these few days and knew he was here for sightseeing. They shook their head. Although they were impressed with his bravery, they felt he was conceited. Many ships sailed this route, and they might not encounter pirates. However, everyone onboard might be killed if they met those pirates. Any sane person would avoid sailing through this area, and only a crazy person like Dong Xuebing would want to sightsee here. If it were not for the high salary, the crew would have quit long ago. Nobody would want to risk their lives.
The crew was discussing Dong Xuebing behind his back.
“Is this young man not afraid to die?”
“I think he lives in a castle and doesn’t know the danger yet.”
“He is doing well for not getting seasick after so many days.”
“Look at his small body. I wonder how long he can last. Who would go on a sightseeing trip at this time?”
“That’s right. I think his legs would give way when we encounter pirates.”
“Spit… spit … spit…. What are you saying?”
“Sorry…. Smooth sailing…. This will be a smooth sailing voyage.”
Dong Xuebing overhead their discussion and ignored them. He continued to look in the direction of the pirates’ base. The Navy vessel had departed the day after him, and he wondered if they had reached this area. Qianqian should still be in the pirate’s hands. How is he going to find him? Go straight to their base? It’s impossible to get past the vast sea. Use STOP to get off the boat and look for the pirates?!
Dong Xuebing thought about his options and felt the second solution had a higher probability of succeeding. He started running through a plan in his mind.
Five minutes….
Ten minutes….
Half an hour….
Suddenly, a crew member shouted.
“Eh! Look in front!”
“There’s a boat in front!”
“Captain! Captain!”
Dong Xuebing saw a white object in the distance before the ship.
Niu Dazhao walked quickly to the deck and looked in front with a pair of binoculars. His face changed, and he shouted. “Turn around! It’s pirates!”
“What?”
“Pirates?!”
The crew members were panicking.
Niu Dazhao shouted. “Why are those bastards in this area?! Why are they stopping there? Are they waiting for someone?”
Pirates usually use small speedboats to hijack ships. The speedboats are fast and more agile than bigger ships. That’s why the crew members did not think much when they saw a boat bigger than a speedboat.
Niu Dazhao shouted. “Hurry! Turn around!”
Everyone rushed to their positions.
“Shit!” Niu Dazhao, who was still holding up his binoculars, shouted. “They are coming towards us! The speedboats around that bigger boat are coming towards us!”
Speedboats….
The pirates still have speedboats….
Everyone’s face turned pale and panicked.
The crew acted faster in a life-or-death situation.
But the cargo ship was much slower than speedboats. They saw the pirates getting closer to them.
That’s it!
There’s no way to escape now.
Niu Dazhao knew it was over for them and threw the binoculars on the deck. “These bastards…. Brothers! Let’s fight them together!”
None of the crew responded.
Fight against the pirates? How are they going to fight against them? They have guns.
They might survive if they surrender, and the government would pay for their release. If they retaliate, they might lose their lives.
The crew members were in despair.
Niu Dazhao looked at his men and sighed.
Only Dong Xuebing remained calm. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the speedboats getting nearer. How did the pirates know a cargo ship would pass by this area? It should be impossible for them to know, but why are they waiting here? Could these pirates be the pirate group that captured Qianqian and are waiting for the ransom from the Navy Vessel? Is this the place where the transaction is going to take place?
Dong Xuebing smiled coldly.
I was still thinking of ways to look for you all.
Thanks for coming to me. You all saved me a lot of trouble.
