Laughing to the Heavens as They Went Out, Crying for Their Parents as They Fled Back

On the island, soldiers in dark blue naval uniforms, looking proud and imposing, successfully infiltrated the area around the bathhouse under the cover of night. Under their commander's orders, they formed ranks, sealing off all entrances and exits from all sides.

The commander was smug. The bathhouse was filled with spies from the East India Company, the Pirate King of Singapore Xiao Feng, and a number of key members of the pirate crew.

He disliked pirates, a bunch of outlaws on the sea, maggots who deserved to go to hell, but he didn't mind using pirate heads to gain official positions and titles.

The commander was overwhelmed with excitement at the thought of Xiao Feng's identity as the Pirate King of Singapore; it would be the most significant achievement on his resume. Moreover, Xiao Feng's bounty was a whopping eight thousand gold coins; even if he only received a portion, it would still be a considerable sum.

"Charge! Maintain formation and fire! Leave no pirate alive!" The commander raised his longsword and shouted coldly. The sharp blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight; it was a fine sword.

"Bang! Smash!"

The bathhouse door was kicked open violently, and the soldiers behind it formed a three-volley formation. The flintlock muskets, combined with the devastating power of the three-volley fire, provided continuous fire that effectively disrupted the enemy's formation and inflicted heavy casualties. In this era, this was synonymous with invincibility; whether the enemy was cavalry or infantry, they would be a nightmare that shattered their morale.

In the commander's eyes, the pirates were nothing more than a bunch of disorganized and undisciplined rabble, and a single three-volley shot would be enough to break them down.

However, the reality was... the pirates hid behind the barrier, forming a fan shape around the gate, each with a sinister grin on their face, and the dark muzzles of their guns sent chills down one's spine.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Kill them!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—"

The moment the door was kicked open, a chaotic burst of gunfire erupted from inside the bathhouse. The soldiers, maintaining their three-tiered firing formation, became sitting ducks. Before they could even pull the trigger, they were riddled with bullets, their faces filled with astonishment.

White smoke filled the air, and gunfire gradually became sporadic. The first wave of attacks by East India Company soldiers was completely wiped out. Those unlucky ones who were not killed immediately lay on the ground, spitting blood continuously, not far from death.

"Charge out and wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

"Oh oh oh————"

Stimulated by the blood and smoke, the pirates' blood boiled, and they charged out with swords in hand, intending to press their advantage and seize victory while the enemy's morale was low.

"A rabble, utterly useless." Russell sat in his armchair, shaking his head repeatedly.

Pirates are pirates; they completely lack tactical coordination. With their firepower, they could have killed twice as many soldiers, but they emptied their ammunition in the first encounter.

What's even more frustrating is that the ambush, which clearly had the advantage of terrain, had just gotten off to a good start, but their lack of discipline turned it into a suicidal charge.

Outside the bathhouse, the sounds of battle were deafening. At first, the pirates' arrogant shouts could still be heard, but less than half a minute later, a series of orderly gunshots rang out, and the pirates began to scream in agony.

By abandoning the advantage of terrain and choosing to use swords and spears instead of muskets, the balance of the battle tipped in the East India Company's favor when the pirates launched their charge.

He laughed loudly as he went out, then fled back crying for his parents. The pirates, in their round trip, suffered more than half their casualties.

"There are so many guns outside... so many soldiers!"

"What do we do? We're surrounded..."

Not only that, the returning pirates brought back fear, and morale in the hall plummeted instantly. With long faces and trembling hands, they loaded their flintlock muskets with bullets and gunpowder, completely devoid of their initial indomitable spirit.

"Hold the side gate and don't let them break in!" Xiao Feng commanded the battle with his long sword, ordering Tai Huang to lead his men to support the flanks. Many people had abandoned their Chiaotzu during the previous charge, and they were about to be surrounded.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—"

Gunshots rang out in succession, bullets hurtling through the air and embedding themselves in the pirates' fortifications. Several hot-blooded pirates leaned out to return fire, only to be struck in the forehead and killed instantly.

This further weakened their momentum, and the pirates didn't dare to show their heads, while the footsteps outside the door grew louder and louder.

Xiao Feng slashed the fleeing pirate to death with a single blow, lit the fuse, and threw a dark, unremarkable bomb outside. The size of a fist, with a two-inch-long gray string trailing behind, its casing made of cast iron, it was the prototype of a hand grenade—a very powerful weapon for its time.

"Hidden!!"

"Boom----"

A deafening explosion erupted outside the gate, halting the soldiers' charge. The pirates roared again and, mimicking the action, threw their bombs one by one.

"Clang!"

Outside the gate, a dark, unremarkable bomb landed at the commander's feet. His face instantly turned pale, and he closed his eyes, awaiting death. But after a long while, the bomb didn't explode. Looking down, he was instantly speechless.

It turned out that the pirates' morale had rebounded, and they got carried away with the momentum. Some idiot got carried away and threw the bomb without even lighting the fuse.

"Damn sea..."

"Boom----"

A bomb landed not far away, leaving the commander covered in dust and grime. Shrapnel ripped off his hat, nearly killing him. He had fought pirates many times before, and they always crumbled at the first contact; he had never been so badly beaten.

Before even reaching the bathhouse, the casualties among his soldiers exceeded his expectations. The commander knew the battle was going badly because he had underestimated the enemy. But regret was useless; if he didn't take Xiao Feng's head today, he would be hanged.

"Boom! Boom—"

The commander waited behind the wall for a moment. Seeing that the frequency of bombs being thrown decreased, he knew his chance had come. He drew his long sword, raised it high, and shouted, "Brave sea warriors, follow me and charge in! The pirates are short of weapons. If we charge in, we will win!"

After saying that, he led the charge, not out of bravery, but out of a desperate fight to save his life.

A direct assault would result in more casualties, but the commander had a solution. He reported to his superiors that the pirates were numerous and that he had fought a desperate battle to achieve victory.

As for where the pirate heads came from, the commander said it wasn't a big problem; he just killed more civilians to impersonate pirates, something he often did when he was making money. The soldiers would earn a sum, and the officers liked to see their military merits increase; no one would expose him.

"Kill! Charge in—"

The commander was lucky; a triple strike yielded a major victory, sweeping away the previous slump and successfully capturing the bathhouse... door.

A brutal hand-to-hand combat erupted in the hall, punctuated by the occasional gunshot. Pirates and soldiers huddled together, a chaotic mess of enemies. Swords clashed, men and horses fell, and mangled corpses littered the ground—though, generally speaking, the pirates' bodies outnumbered the pirates.

Xiao Feng swatted a soldier away, then approached Russell with his sword, urging, "Sir, we can't hold this place anymore, let's retreat!"

Russell witnessed a bizarre battle firsthand, further lowering his opinion of pirates: poorly trained, with a terrible command system, fighting purely out of bravado, and quick to die. This was to be expected; pirates were extremely weak in combat on land. Their reputation was built on guerrilla warfare at sea. Without tactical support, they were nothing more than disorganized mountain bandits, possibly even worse than mountain bandits on land.

"Strategist, it's time to put down your teacup!" Elizabeth placed a hand on Russell's shoulder. The soldiers outnumbered the pirates; staying here would only lead to their deaths. Russell's life or death was unimportant, but the nautical chart could not be lost.

Russell sat calmly, and Elizabeth face flushed, couldn't pull him up from the chair. Surprised, she grabbed Russell's shoulders with both hands instead.

Russell lowered his head slightly, looked directly at Elizabeth's collar, and cast a sympathetic glance at her.

Without a word, the meaning was clear. Elizabeth, enraged and embarrassed, tried with all her might to pull Russell up. However, her shoes slipped, and she fell to her knees with a thud, burying her pretty face in Russell's crotch.

Russell: "..."

Elizabeth abruptly raised her head, her eyes blazing with fury, glaring at Russell as if he were her father's killer. "You damned pirate, how dare you humiliate me like this!"

"Don't say that, you came to me on your own."

Elizabeth was furious and got up to fight Russell. Just then, the soldiers in the hall suddenly retreated and lay down. The commander raised his long sword, and three rows of soldiers aimed their spears.

"Triple strike, fire!"

The target of the long guns and short cannons was Russell's location. Xiao Feng, Barbossa and others hurriedly lay down on the ground. A glint flashed in Russell's eyes, and he pressed Elizabeth's head down and pushed her back down.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm—"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—"

Smoke rose, and after three consecutive shots, screams filled the hall. Russell, holding Elizabeth's head, sat calmly and steadily. In front of him, a tall and muscular figure, like Piccolo the Great Demon King, spread his arms wide, defiantly blocking all the bullets.

That's right, it's Jason again!

"My lord, are you alright?" Xiao Feng hurriedly got up from the floor. When he saw Elizabeth being held down by Russell, his eyes gleamed as he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Will, let me go! I'm going to kill him! He actually put that disgusting stuff on my face... twice!"

"Stop talking..."

Turner's eyelids twitched as he dragged the ferocious Elizabeth away. Logically, since his fiancée had been taken advantage of, he should have dueled with Russell. But in reality, he had to thank him; without Russell's earlier action, Elizabeth's fate was uncertain.

But... knowing it is one thing, saying it is another!

If we're talking about who suffered the most, it wasn't Elizabeth, but him.

Of the group, only Barbossa focused on the key point. He stared intently at Jason, who stood still despite being shot multiple times and even used his fingers to remove bullets embedded in his muscle. He silently uttered the word 'Wizard' in his mind.

"Get out of the way, you're blocking my way."

Jason: (._.)

Russell stood up from his seat, pushed aside Jason was blocking his way, reached into his pocket, and gripped the Desert Eagle Goddess with one hand, facing the door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—"