Boom!
When the explosion rang out aboard the ship, Lu PingAn did not react at first.
I'm under attack?
Sitting in a deck chair, enjoying the sunlight and wine, Lu PingAn looked up and removed his sunglasses. Only then did he "see" the crude wooden ships in the distance flying black flags.
There were too many varieties of "fish heads" and "human heads" in this world, so naturally there was no cultural symbol of a Skull Head. A simple black flag was enough to establish their identity.
"Pirates? How could there be tribal pirates here?"
"Where are the soldiers? Return fire, now! Whose pirates are these?!"
"Damn it, did they know our communications were down?"
In Lu PingAn's eyes, chaos was spreading. Passengers screamed on the deck, desperate to vent their emotions, while the sailors hurried to man the naval guns. The seamen were equally anxious.
It seemed this had exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Why didn't anyone report it—ugh, forget it. When traveling outside, I can't demand too much."
Only then did Lu PingAn realize he was not aboard the safe, comfortable Redemption, nor were there rangers steadily escorting and patrolling all around the ship.
Without "eyes" or "patrolling hunters," being ambushed by pirates or sea beasts was perfectly normal.
Bang!
The sound of planks being pierced came from below. Even without looking with his "eyes," Lu PingAn knew it was the sound of harpoons attached to chains punching through the hull.
Several one-man speedboats had launched attacks from both sides of the passenger ship. They dragged chains behind them and fastened them to artificial Floating Islands, locking down the vessel's mobility.
"Were they lying in wait underwater beforehand?"
It was a classic Ocean Antlion tactic: hide underwater until the target passed by, then surface and launch a surprise attack.
The