Pirates intercepting us could only mean they were after loot. If they managed to destroy our ship and kill us all, their whole operation would be pointless.

So, if the enemy hadn't resorted to forced boarding, perhaps we could have stalled longer, relying on their hesitation to ram us head-on. But now, our ship was firmly lashed to theirs by ropes, leaving us only two options: abandon ship in the lifeboats and let them have the vessel, or stand and fight.

Given we were in open waters, far from any mainland or island, escaping by lifeboat was simply not feasible. Never mind whether they would look the other way and let us flee; even if we managed to escape, the chances of survival on the vast ocean in a few rickety lifeboats were slim to none.

I reflected that we only ended up targeted by pirates because of Xie Yuting. A brilliantly lit luxury cruise liner appearing in deserted waters, flying a Hong Kong flag, clearly indicated we weren't under the jurisdiction of nearby Russian maritime police; by the time Hong Kong or Chinese coast guard arrived, it would be too late.

It was like dropping an iPhone 5 in the plaza of a main subway station—we couldn't realistically expect nobody to pick it up. Complaints aside, now that we were in this situation, we certainly couldn't just kill Xie Yuting; all we could do was draw our weapons and prepare for a hard fight.

I stealthily touched the pistol Andrei had given me, resolving that the first person to jump aboard would get a bullet. The others were tense and alert.

Nie Chuan held his razor-sharp Silver Fish short sword steady before his chest, Liang Qian adopted a fighting stance, and Da Xiong simply hefted a steel rebar masquerading as a sunshade onto his shoulder, looking like the reinforced version of Mo Lihai from the Four Heavenly Kings. Xie Yuting and Long Jia, meanwhile, stood with their arms crossed, silent, their intentions unknown.

I didn't have time to ponder much then; everyone remained quiet, fixedly watching the surrounding vessels, waiting for the enemy to emerge. Yet, after a long wait, there was no movement from the surrounding ships.

I exchanged a glance with Da Xiong beside me; we both found it unsettling. Da Xiong muttered quietly, "What the hell is going on?

Could this be another trick by that brat Xie Yuting?" As soon as he finished, Nie Chuan made a shushing gesture across his lips. "Are you guys watching too much One Piece?

They won't climb over on ropes. Their ships are maneuvering toward us.

Once they're close enough, they’ll throw down a gangplank and rush us all at once, unleashing a barrage of long and short-range fire to take us down before we can even retaliate. That’s a standard Somali pirate tactic." I froze, then looked at the surrounding ships; sure enough, they were all slowly closing the distance.

I thought to myself, I’m Nie Chuan too, so why doesn't he know about Somali pirates while I do? Did this guy just learn it from watching a military channel in the room earlier?

If I'd known, I wouldn't have watched the nature documentary. Da Xiong leaned toward Nie Chuan and asked, "Since you know what’s coming, why are we just standing here like targets?

Let’s find cover quickly." Nie Chuan replied, "Do you think I want to stand here as a target? Look at the roof of the ship directly in front of us." Following his words, I looked toward the roof of the facing vessel.

That ship was oriented sideways toward us, illuminating our boat with an incredibly bright searchlight. The beam was so intense it made my eyes water, but I still managed to see a figure prone on the opposing ship’s roof, each holding something resembling a long rod.

I instantly realized those weren't rods—they were sniper rifles. I hadn't expected the enemy to deploy four snipers just to deal with us.

Scanning the surrounding ships, I immediately felt foolishly naive, as every single vessel had four or five snipers lying in wait. Sweat began to bead on my forehead.

These pirates must be incredibly wealthy to afford such advanced weaponry. Once I realized that so many rifles were aimed at us, I dared not move an inch, knowing that the slightest twitch might result in my head exploding.

The six of us stood frozen on deck, waiting for the other ships to draw nearer. Admittedly, that single minute felt protracted, an agony few could endure.

When the ship directly opposite us was about three or four meters away, I finally saw two shadowy figures stealthily bridge the gap with a wooden plank. Then, seven or eight silhouettes armed with long guns emerged from the bright lights of that ship and advanced toward ours.

I resentfully swallowed, feeling like Wen Yiduo giving his speech at Yunnan University, awaiting the hail of bullets and the baptism of revolution. But the expected barrage never came.

Those men simply held their rifles and marched onto our deck with the synchronized gait of trained soldiers. At that moment, I clearly saw the leader: a massive man over six feet tall with a bald head, dressed entirely in black—certainly not Chinese.

He carried no weapon, kept his hands clasped behind his back, and walked with measured, square steps, clearly intending to say something to us. As the group slowly approached, Xie Yuting, whose hands were behind his back, suddenly made a downward gesture, seemingly signaling something.

But since we hadn't planned anything beforehand, we had no idea what his signal meant. While we were all puzzled, the opposition stopped about five or six meters in front of us.

The tall man halted, and the men behind him stopped as well. Then I heard a metallic clatter; the seven or eight subordinates behind the large man raised their rifles, pointing them directly at us.

The posture suggested that as soon as the man finished speaking, they were ready to turn us into sieves. I guessed the man was about to declare, "You can't escape.

The MONEY on this ship is mine, and you’re going to feed the fish. Look closely at my face, remember the scar on my right cheek—I am Zorro!" However, what happened next diverged slightly from my expectations.

Because before the tall man could speak, Xie Yuting's hand behind his back suddenly formed the shape of a pistol. "Shoot?" My mind raced; I knew Xie Yuting was signaling for us to fight.

Just as I reached for the gun on my back, Xie Yuting subtly pressed down with his right foot, depressing a floor tile beneath him. Immediately, a string of bubbles erupted from the adjacent pool, and then that bizarre female head slowly rose to the surface.

Since it was the dead of night and the enemy had no idea about this mechanism on the ship, it was surely perceived as an ambush. Frankly, even if it weren't an ambush, encountering such an uncanny sight would instinctively cause anyone to open fire.

Clearly, the highly trained pirates were no exception. As soon as the woman's head emerged slightly, several sharp cracks echoed, and the water surface exploded into several plumes of spray.

Many people underestimate the power of a firearm; at this close range, even a few centimeters of steel plate could be pierced. So, striking the water didn't just obliterate the dummy head; the resulting spray scattered into a thick mist, engulfing us as if a potent gas bomb had been detonated.

"Get down!" In the confusion, I heard Xie Yuting shout. None of us were fools; hearing his command, we immediately complied to save our lives.

As we dropped flat, we heard countless rapid bursts of gunfire from the third floor above us, streaks of muzzle flashes illuminating the night sky. I finally understood: Xie Yuting wasn't alone on the ship; he had placed reinforcements in the third-floor restaurant, waiting for this exact moment to strike back.

If that was the case, then he must have known an attack was imminent. Lying on the ground, I tilted my head to observe the firepower raining down from the third floor; it was clearly intended to suppress the enemy snipers.