"Bronze-level?"
"A Bronze-level ship dares to provoke us?"
Shi Ming wasn't being arrogant, nor was he looking down on Bronze-level Wandering Ships.
It was common knowledge in the Endless Ocean that the level of a Wandering Ship was directly proportional to its captain's strength. The higher the ship's level, the greater the demands on the captain's own abilities.
Phoenixes perch in phoenix nests, sparrows in sparrow nests. The strong wouldn't deign to command an ordinary vessel, and the weak couldn't hold onto a high-level one for long. Such was the way of this apocalyptic world.
Therefore, the opposing captain or their top fighters might also be Awakened, but under normal circumstances, they definitely wouldn't be stronger than Chunyi.
If Chunyi were still alive, a Bronze-level Wandering Ship like this would never have dared to be so brazen. Their charging straight for them now meant they must have heard the news: that the former captain—the only Awakened on this ship—was dead. That was why they were so swaggeringly approaching!
'Looking for an easy score?'
Shi Ming chuckled.
'Who's scoring off whom is still up for debate.'
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Underestimating the enemy is the greatest taboo in warfare. Shi Ming never took any opponent lightly; even if they were a complete clown, he would give it his all.
He put on his captain's uniform, checked the pistol and longsword at his waist, then pushed the door open and stepped out onto the deck.
The crewmen who had been on patrol were already in formation, ready for battle.
Without needing a telescope, Shi Ming could see a ship in the distance rapidly approaching at full speed. A group of crewmen in brown seafaring uniforms stood on its bow, gesticulating wildly, acting as if Shi Ming and his crew were already prey in their grasp.
Interesting.
"We'll extend a courtesy before resorting to force. Fire a warning shot. Try to drive them off."
"Captain, we've already warned them, but they're ignoring us..."
"In that case, make them pay the price."
...
A few minutes later, the Bronze-level Wandering Ship gradually slowed, maintaining a delicate safe distance from Shi Ming's vessel.
Shi Ming got a clear look at the ship's general state. Its hull was less than a quarter the size of his own Wandering Ship and was covered in multicolored paint. In the center was a clearly carved Black Society emblem. Below it, written in the Wokoku language, was its name: "Sakura."
Shi Ming's own Wandering Ship, by contrast, bore no Wokoku emblems. This was because it had originally belonged to another faction before being seized by the Black Society and incorporated into their fleet.
Just then, a man in a tall hat and a brown seafaring uniform emerged from the crowd. He stood in a prominent spot on the enemy bow and shouted toward Shi Ming's ship—
"Hey, you little bastards! No need to be afraid!"
"Our captain says so! Surrender and you won't be killed!"
"So surrender!"
"For the sake of my past friendship with Chunyi, we won't kill you. At worst, we'll take you as slaves. But if you resist stubbornly, then I'll just have to apologize to Lord Chunyi's departed soul and send you all to meet him!"
"Three minutes! Think it over!"
Such shameless audacity.
Shi Ming didn't reply. He stood at the bow, estimating the distance between them.
The two ships were now less than a hundred meters apart.
This had already breached the unspoken safe distance, signifying an invasion, a tearing away of all pretense.
"Hey, little bastards, scared stiff, are ya?! With your captain dead, what're you gonna fight us with?! Brothers, get the small boats ready! In three minutes, we give 'em a surprise!"
"Charge!"
"Today's destined to be a bountiful day!"
The man on the enemy bow waved to the crewmen behind him, who started hooting and hollering like monkeys.
Some even started tossing small assault boats into the sea.
'Courting death!'
Shi Ming estimated the distance. 'Close enough.'
He drew his pistol.
BANG!
The enhanced bullet let out a sharp shriek as it tore through the air. WHOOSH—it crossed the distance between the ships in an instant, like Death knocking at the door.
As if teleporting, the bullet struck the taunting man on the enemy bow right in the forehead.
SPLAT!
The bullet pierced his skull, taking with it a fresh spray of blood, brains, and fragments of his cranium.
THUD.
The once-arrogant man in brown lost his ability to taunt, collapsing backward. The impact had split his head, cracking it in two.
Shi Ming blew away the smoke curling from the muzzle after the high-velocity shot and holstered his pistol.
"Not too bad for accuracy, right?"
"The captain's mighty!"
"Smash their heads!"
"Those who offend our Wandering Ship will be slain, no matter how far!"
"Get the hell away from us!"
Having drawn first blood, Shi Ming's side experienced a huge morale boost. Whether they were new members of the exploration team or old hands, everyone gripped their weapons, their fighting spirit ignited. For them, this battle was do or die; there was no other way.
The crewmen who hadn't witnessed Shi Ming's power before had been worried, but now their confidence surged.
Shi Ming stood at the bow, his cloak whipping and snapping in the sea breeze.
He saw a flurry of chaos on the enemy ship as the corpse was quickly carried away.
Then, a woman appeared on their bow. She was nearly six feet tall, dressed in androgynous hunting attire, with her hair in an old-fashioned bun. Around forty-five years old, she radiated the aura of a superior—clearly a captain-level figure.
The crew behind her parted, forming an arc as they retreated behind the tall woman.
"Your marksmanship is quite good."
"I am the captain of the Sakura, and I was an old friend of Lord Chunyi."
"Lord Chunyi has passed. His Wandering Ship should be returned to the Black Society."
"You are one of the Dragon Country People. Why are you stealing a ship from our Black Society?"
"Return the property to its rightful owner at once and come bear thorns in apology. If you do, I can let this matter go!"
Shi Ming froze for a second, almost laughing at her shamelessness.
'And when your Black Society was burning, killing, and pillaging everywhere, that wasn't stealing? Wokoku has scarce resources and few Wandering Ships of its own. While the Renhuang maintains a façade of decency, the Black Society managed to rapidly assemble powerful fleets over the past twenty-odd years by seizing the ships of others! They've done it more times than they can count! This group has aggression in their very bones! Bear thorns in apology? Why don't you just commit seppuku?!'
"Wandering Ships are humanity's sanctuaries, so naturally, they are the common property of all mankind. This very Wandering Ship was gifted to me by the former captain, Chunyi, before he died. So what's this about returning it to its rightful owner?" Shi Ming replied in a clear voice. "You want to plunder it, yet you use such hypocritical rhetoric. It's laughable."
"Oh? Chunyi gifted it to you? And how can you prove that?"
"Why don't you go ask him?"
"Insolence! A mere crewman like you, how could you possibly lead a Silver-level Wandering Ship! Your country has an old saying, 'He who understands the times is a...'"
Before she could finish, Shi Ming fired another shot.
It was just a regular pistol.
The woman was already on guard and easily dodged the warning shot.
"Heh heh heh, so it seems you've decided to make an enemy of me? I'd love to see how this rabble on your ship, without Chunyi, can possibly stand against the Samurai of my Sakura!"
The woman in the hunting attire stood on the bow, her eyes filled with a wolf-like hunger and killing intent.
"Charge! Kill them all!"