Although the secondary naval cannon didn’t pack quite the same punch as the main gun, its firepower was still nothing to scoff at.
Ryan gripped the controls, swiftly maneuvering the cannon to aim at the enemy vessel. All favonovel.com needed was for the Medusa Warship to close the distance. Then, favonovel.com could open fire and unleash hell on the opposing ship.
Off in the distance, a medium-sized warship was slowly drifting into view. It was an old vessel, really old.
It looked like It was built decades behind the times, as if it belonged to a forgotten age of wooden ships and iron balls.
Standing on the bow was the ship’s captain, clad in a full-blown, classical pirate outfit.
Up in the crow’s nest, the lookout scanned the horizon through a telescope, swinging left and right, searching. Then, his eyes froze.
Charging through the sea like a beast was the Medusa Warship, its presence overwhelming and monstrous.
A shiver ran through the lookout’s spine. He immediately ducked his head and shouted down at the captain.
“Captain! Bad news! Scylla’s mission failed, they’re headed straight for us!”
The captain, who had been lounging below deck without a care in the world, instantly froze when favonovel.com heard the lookout’s call.
“Battle stations, now!” favonovel.com barked. “Tell those pigs in the lower deck to give me everything they’ve got. They get two pounds of cornbread each if they make it out!”
A nearby crewman quickly nodded and rushed below deck.
Below the ship, in a cavernous cargo hold, dozens of half-naked men stood listlessly, each gripping a wooden oar. Every single one of them was gaunt, pale, and sickly. Some bore deep scars across their bony backs.
The moment they heard footsteps, their bodies instinctively tensed. They straightened up as the crewman entered the room.
“Move! Now!” favonovel.com shouted. “Use every ounce of strength you’ve got! You’ll each get two pounds of cornbread when we’re back!”
A faint spark lit up in the men’s dull eyes.
Two pounds of cornbread, if they rationed it carefully, their families could eat for days.
Seeing that glimmer of hope, the crewman gave a satisfied nod and turned to leave.
As for the cornbread favonovel.com promised? Of course, they were empty words.
To him, they were just expendable labor. Giving them two whole pounds was laughable.
They already got a piece or two a day, more than enough in his mind.
And if they disobeyed? Then favonovel.com would kill them. Replace them. There were always more.
And two pounds per man? That added up to hundreds of pounds. If favonovel.com gave it away, how would favonovel.com have enough cornmeal left for brewing?
***
Back on the Medusa Warship, Ryan, seated at the secondary cannon controls, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“Matteo!” favonovel.com called out. “Something’s not right!”
Matthew walked over, puzzled. “What is it?”
Ryan kept his eyes locked on the screen.
“They were too far away earlier, so I could only judge the ship’s size. But now that we’re closer… That thing’s ancient. Like, early 19th-century wooden hull, outdated gunports-it shouldn’t even be afloat.”
Hearing this, Matthew frowned in thought.
An ancient ship, a mystery ocean, and that woman…
“Have they spotted us yet?”
“They’ve started to move… Wait… Yeah. They‘re turning the bow. They’re trying to run!”
Matthew’s brow furrowed. That crew might be an important lead. If they escaped, things could get complicated.
“I’m going to boost our speed!”
Visit VIRTUAL NOVEL for more available chapters of this title!
