Chapter 1297: Firepower
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During long periods in history, pirates have roamed the Arctic Seas, such as the famous and notorious Vikings who set off from Scandinavia to all parts of the world.
The Arctic Ocean might not seem like a very lucrative area for pirates, but the lack of people makes it easier to avoid the authorities.
Sometimes pirates and outlaws would discover new lands, such as the famous island of Greenland.
In the modern world, well-connected and thoroughly mapped, pirates have become scarce. Only in the waters off Somalia and some remote parts of Africa did these maritime robbers still exist.
Li Du did not think that they would encounter such character in the Arctic Circle. They heard the captain’s shout and hurried to the bow to watch.
A boat was approaching. It looked like a freighter, but there was no cargo box on it. On the bow of the boat stood a flagpole, carrying a black flag with a white skull and sickle symbol.
Both sides were at a distance, and each needed binoculars to watch the other.
Young Ford looked through his binoculars, laughed and said, “These are very socialist-minded pirates, with a sickle as part of their flag. Are they going to harvest wheat after plundering s.h.i.+ps?”
Steve said calmly, “Get serious. Things have started off sour. Have we had bad luck? Pirates on our first voyage?”
Big Ford said, “If it is really so, that’s too bad.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Little Ford.
Li Du smiled helplessly and explained, “What Steve and your brother are saying is, it’s probably not a coincidence. We’re being targeted, they’re coming for us, and if that’s the case, it’s pretty nasty.”
Of course, they were well armed in case they would come across the pirates. Brother Wolf and the others were fully equipped with all the modern gear of an elite soldier.
However, if the other side was here just to deal with them, they would certainly be prepared with more powerful weapons, which Li Du’s group might not be able to cope with.
When their cargo s.h.i.+p, the Ice Sea Narwhal, spotted the pirates, the captain slowed down and slammed on his rudder in an attempt to turn away.
A few crewmembers nervously prepared for the possible battle. They took out their shotguns, which were hidden in the s.h.i.+p. Some set up fish-guns on the side of the s.h.i.+p. Some even waved to Li Du and the others and said, “Quickly, go to the cabin and hide!”
Brother Wolf and his men came out of the cabin after changing their clothes. They looked at the old rifles in the hands of the crew and asked suspiciously, “If we go down to the cabin, are you going to protect us with that?”
The captain and the crew looked shocked. Several men stared at their rifles and their equipment, Looking terrified.
One of the crewmen moaned, “Oh G.o.d, what’s going on here? I have a feeling we’re in trouble.”
Brother Wolf and the others’ attire showed that they were not ordinary men. In this unlawful place, it was easy to imagine meeting such warriors meant misfortune was ahead.
Laughing, Firecracker went up and patted the captain on the shoulder. “Now we are all in trouble. No, we did not look for trouble. Trouble found us. Let’s first think of a way to deal with these d.a.m.n pirates.”
Fearing what might come next, Elson tried to persuade Steve to return to his cabin and take cover.
Steve said with a broad smile, “About eighty years ago, my great-grandfather sailed this sea. He must have had his share of danger. I doubt he ran into his cabin to hide when he met trouble.”
Elson said, “That’s different, son. Your grandfather was a captain. He had people to lead. But you are not a captain…”
“I might not be a soldier, but I won’t hide behind other men’s backs, or I’ll be disgracing the name of the Tussenbergs,” smiled Steve.
Vika nodded solemnly and said, “When a man is in the face of danger, he must face it, not hide behind others.”
Seeing her appear, Steve stopped smiling. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, “What are you doing here? Go back in quickly! G.o.d, why did you even bring Kuafu out?”
A rope was tied to the fat manul’s neck, and the end of the rope was in Vika’s hand like she was walking a dog.
The Ice Sea Narwhal was not a huge s.h.i.+p, so she was relatively easy to steer. The captain wanted to get close to the nearest sh.o.r.e, but they were already far away, and it would take some time to get to the nearest land.
The pirate s.h.i.+p was chasing behind. Theirs was a freighter, a much faster s.h.i.+p, and twenty minutes later, the distance between the two s.h.i.+ps had been cut in half.
“d.a.m.n it, captain, hurry up!” shouted one of the crewmembers in panic.
The captain retorted, “They don’t have any s.h.i.+t on their s.h.i.+p. We have a bunch of cars and so many people and materials on board! How can we sail faster? How can we escape?”
Even if there were no cars or people on board, the Ice Sea Narwhals could not move as fast as pirate s.h.i.+ps, which, after all, depended on speed for their livelihood. Although it was a cargo s.h.i.+p, it was obviously modified.
Li Du clapped his hands and said, “We had better get ready for battle. Brother Wolf, you command, form the defense line.”
Brother Wolf nodded, called up a few of his men, and they began to arrange firepower deployment according to weapon range.
Their side was quite well-armed, with thirty different guns. Russia had a pretty lax att.i.tude when it came to guns. When the former Soviet Union collapsed, many weapons flowed into civilian hands.
Since their pursuers were pirates, their weapons could not be very bad either. Brother Wolf thought that they might have a machine gun on the s.h.i.+p, which would mean a lesser range for their own side.
Brother Wolf shared his conjecture with Li Du and the others. Li Du thought about it, frowning, and then another crewman cried out, “d.a.m.n, we are unlucky! What bad luck! Turn around, there’s an iceberg ahead of us!”
They had tried to head for the coast, but an iceberg floated slowly in their way. One incident after another proved that they were out of luck.
The iceberg was so large that just its above-water part was as tall as a three-story building. Its underwater part was, of course, much larger. Their small s.h.i.+p would definitely flip over if they knocked into it.
Li Du picked up a telescope to watch the iceberg in the distance. The iceberg was white and crystalline. It came from nowhere. It was windy, and each time a large wave hit the iceberg, chunks of ice fell from it, making the sea surface foam and bubble.
Watching the iceberg carefully, Li Du had a sudden thought.