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Chapter 998: Chapter 876 - The Fight Over There Is Pretty Fierce (Please Subscribe!)
He walked into the cabin.
The people inside were not as ’friendly’ as those outside.
Quite a few were armed with weapons.
The rescue had originated from New York in the United States, and to protect themselves or to deal with unexpected incidents, it was legal to carry guns on board. Judging by the number of weapons on this rescue ship, each person could almost have one.
As long as they didn’t stop at any foreign ports with gun restrictions, that was.
A group of people arrived at a large room.
There, they saw five individuals squatting on the ground.
Both their hands and feet were bound, and each face was ashen. Being caught by Maruyama Takeshi, it wasn’t easy to stay alive, for the Maruyama Clan in Japan were not legitimate merchants.
To kill was merely ’routine’ for them.
And even if they died,
there would be no one to testify.
Looking at these individuals,
Maruyama Takeshi realized he recognized some of them.
One was the second mate of this ship, the third in command, and two were security personnel from the cockpit. The remaining two managed the weapons storage.
All in critical positions.
Fear.
Spread in the hearts of the five.
Their actual target was Maruyama Miyuki, because Maruyama Takeshi’s chances of survival were extremely slim, almost like winning a lottery jackpot. This probability was virtually zero.
So their plan was simple.
Act before Maruyama Miyuki was set to return to New York.
Figure out a way to sink the ship, escape on the speedboat, and await pickup from the rear. With no witness to the death, even if people had suspicions, even extreme doubts, they couldn’t shake the position of the person giving orders.
In the end, it would all come to nothing.
But.
They did not expect the plan to fail.
To be counter-killed by Maruyama Miyuki.
"Do you have anything to say?" Maruyama Takeshi coldly looked at them.
No one answered.
All silently bowed their heads.
"Be men, raise your heads," Maruyama Takeshi said loudly.
The five then slowly raised their heads but dared not look at Maruyama Takeshi’s face.
There was a standoff for another two minutes.
"It doesn’t matter whether you speak or not, as for your fate, I think you know. Enjoy these last moments," Maruyama Takeshi said, not killing them on the spot or preparing to drop them into the sea right there.
These people,
as long as he returned home,
many would take action on his behalf, no need to dirty his own hands. With so many witnesses around, to personally kill, he was not foolish.
Suddenly,
"Tap tap..."
A crew member hurriedly ran in, saying anxiously, "Mr. Maruyama Takeshi, two ships claiming to be international police are approaching, asking us to stop for an inspection. What should we do now?"
"International police?" Maruyama Takeshi asked doubtfully.
This was the Atlantic, a rather secluded location. International police popping up out of the blue seemed a bit far-fetched.
The crew member kept nodding, "Yes, but they are not in international police ships; one is a gunboat that seems to have its guns dismantled, and a patrol boat, both equipped with large weapons. Yet, their flags and attire look like international police."
"What’s the reason for the search?" Maruyama Takeshi asked.
"Transportation of contraband," the crew member replied.
"Let me take a look," Maruyama Takeshi said, having just escaped a predicament when this scenario unfolded, and noticing the second mate’s face inadvertently showing a hint of joy when the crew member mentioned the international police.
Instantly,
Maruyama Takeshi thought of ’trap.’
Yet he couldn’t confirm it was targeting him, for there was a salvage ship close by that could be the real target, and he might have been caught up in it accidentally.
It was still too early to draw conclusions.
He arrived at the helm,
and looking at the two ships shimmering with lights in the distance, Maruyama Takeshi grabbed the telescope. Two minutes later, his face changed, and he put down the telescope, "Quick, everyone grab your weapons; those people aren’t international police."
The opposition was well-prepared.
But in some ways, they were rash.
For instance, in terms of equipment, international police would definitely have top-notch professionalism. The careless and lax posture of the people on board was a red flag, especially... the inconsistency of their gear.
All kinds of guns were present.
They did not look like a regular organization.
And besides, these people had grenades on their belts – unless it was a crucial mission, how could they carry such things for a regular inspection? The information on their rescue ship was clearly available, so why would they need to board to search?
Maruyama Miyuki hastily asked, "Father, they aren’t international police?"
"Hmm, I reckon they’re mercenaries, or perhaps pirates," Maruyama Takeshi mused.
Maruyama Miyuki really didn’t want to delve into whether they were coming for her. "Could it be they are targeting that salvage ship? You said before that the salvage ship was suspicious; maybe they were drawn here by it."
"...We’ll wait and see," Maruyama Takeshi took a deep breath.
The larger ship stopped at a distance.
The smaller patrol boat approached.
Quickly,
it drew nearer and nearer.
The giant lights on the ship made the patrol boat ahead very visible.
"We are international police. Stop the ship immediately and prepare for inspection," a voice from the loudspeaker on the opposite side shouted.
"This is the high seas; we have the right to refuse anyone from boarding. Until we have confirmed your identity, we cannot allow you to come aboard," Maruyama Takeshi shouted back in standard English through the loudspeaker.
International police,
strictly speaking, do not have enforcement authority because enforcement power involves national sovereignty.
They are just an international case coordination institution. In any country where they operate, they must go through the local police and cannot act independently. On the high seas, they can exercise some autonomy,
as they are not restricted by the laws of any one country, but they lack the power to enforce the law compulsorily.
He could refuse.
However,
the opposing vessel didn’t stop.
It was still approaching, and they had stopped communicating.
"We cannot confirm your identity, please stop approaching, please stop approaching," Maruyama Ken repeated into the loudspeaker, ordering them to halt.
But the ship kept advancing.
And there was no response.
Through the telescope, it was clear that those people were fully armed.
Watching the ship approach in silence, Maruyama Ken’s complexion changed, and another possibility sprung to his mind, he shouted, "Quick, grab the weapons and aim at that ship, fire a warning shot."
If the other party was attempting to board by force, it wouldn’t be too bad.
But if it was as he feared, the situation was dire.
On the deck,
Maruyama Ken grabbed a gun and rushed out.
The downpour continued, with no protection from the rain, Maruyama Ken reached one side of the ship, by which time the patrol boat was less than fifty meters away from them.
"The ship ahead, please stop advancing or we will open fire," shouted Maruyama Ken through the loudspeaker, anxiety rising within him, knowing that they were at a clear disadvantage in terms of firepower.
Out here on the vast Atlantic, no one would heed their cries for help.
The rescue ship certainly couldn’t outrun these fast vessels.
This type of small patrol boat wasn’t much bigger than a speedboat, but its steel armor made it clear that this was an armed vessel, and the guns in their hands might just as well be tickling the enemy.
When the distance between them was only about twenty meters,
Maruyama Ken could not consider anything else and roared, "Attack, don’t let them get closer."
"Bang."
He fired the first shot.
Immediately afterward,
his subordinates didn’t hesitate. This ship was playing by its own rules, ignoring warnings and later, remaining silent—it was certainly not the International Police, so why hesitate? They were just a little scared.
However,
Despite the large target, it was hard to miss, but if their bullets couldn’t penetrate the enemy’s armor, it was pointless.
And then,
what met them
was the suffocating barrage of weapons from the patrol boat.
"Da da da da..."
"Bang bang bang..."
Seeing this firepower,
Maruyama Ken and his men immediately ducked down.
"Ding ding dang dang..."
Thankfully, the ship’s steel railings were specially made, otherwise, the original thin iron sheets would have been pierced instantly.
"What do we do, Father? Our firepower is no match for theirs," Maruyama Miyuki shouted from the ground.
At this moment,
those on the rescue ship were pinned down and couldn’t raise their heads.
While Maruyama Ken was trying to think of a plan,
"Boom..."
Accompanied by an explosion, the rescue ship shook violently, and Maruyama Ken and those aboard tumbled around, hitting and bumping into things. Maruyama Ken’s heart sank to rock bottom—the thing he feared the most had happened.
---They were bombing the ship.
The opposition probably thought it was the cheapest option to use explosives, thus choosing this method. In fact, as Maruyama Ken thought, explosives were the most cost-effective and efficient method to sink a ship.
The attack from outside continued.
They dared not show their heads.
Maruyama Ken could feel the ship slowly tilting, presumably due to water entering the cabin. Fortunately, the ship’s seal design was robust, and as long as the majority of the watertight compartments weren’t destroyed, the ship wouldn’t sink.
"Boom."
At the sound of a second explosion,
Maruyama Ken felt despair. This was like trying to catch everything in one net; he had just escaped a tight spot only to face death again, and this time, he might not have the chance to drift to a deserted island, let alone be rescued again.
Rescued?
Suddenly, Maruyama Ken remembered.
There was a salvage ship not too far away; he immediately took out his satellite phone.
"Miyuki, do you remember the satellite phone number for that salvage ship?" Maruyama Ken asked.
Maruyama Miyuki had an excellent memory and nodded, "I remember, it is XXX. Father, can they help us?"
"I don’t know, we can only try," Maruyama Ken quickly made the call.
...
On the salvage ship,
Tang Qing was looking through his binoculars at the ’heated’ scene unfolding at Maruyama Ken’s location.
Saving people was definitely on the agenda; otherwise, his ’extra income’ would really ’go down the drain.’ However, the situation was complex; he did not act immediately, planning to intervene at the critical moment.
With the forces under his command,
it would take less than half a minute
to stabilize the situation.
Maruyama Ken’s life was probably not that doomed yet, but he couldn’t let those guys keep messing around. If a couple more explosions were to completely destroy the rescue ship’s watertight structure, then the ship would be ruined.
He’d have to take them in tow.
Just as Tang Qing ordered his fighters to take action, a voice came through his earpiece.
"Commander, a call from Maruyama Ken."
"Patch it through."
"Yes, sir."
After a "beep" sound,
"Mr. Maruyama Ken, it seems quite fierce over there," Tang Qing said, and that nearly choked Maruyama Ken. It was obvious—fire blazing on his side, the situation critical, the ship nearly sinking—how could it not be fierce?
