A Standoff Between Life and Death (2)

Xia Lun did not fire in a hurry. He stayed hidden in the shadows and continued watching the first mate.

"It's safe. You can come down now," the first mate said, raising the lantern and turning back.

Before he finished speaking, a medium-built Black pirate wielding a two-handed axe impatiently jumped down. He was followed by four more pirates carrying assorted weapons.

These were the first mate's core followers, the men he relied on most.

"Move it! As long as we're fast, we won't run into that monster." The medium-built Black pirate spoke rapidly. "That monster's blind, so keep your footsteps light!"

"So what if we really run into the captain?" a bearded pirate asked quietly.

The first mate sneered, then said in a low voice, "What stupid nonsense are you talking about? Were you daydreaming just now? Of course we kill her—come here. Take the lantern and lead the way."

The bearded pirate took the lantern with trembling hands, then the first mate shoved him to the front of the group.

The first mate drew a flintlock from his weapons belt and lightly cocked the hammer. "To keep you idiots from screwing this up, I'll repeat the plan. Listen carefully—kill everyone you see."

"If possible, capture that prisoner calling himself a carpenter alive." His tone gradually turned sinister. "He killed my brother. I'm going to slowly peel off his skin and pull out his bones to make carvings."

"Our brother," the medium-built Black pirate snapped impatiently. "I think it'd be better to hang him with his own guts and let him slowly suffocate to death..."

The first mate ignored his older brother and said gravely, "But pay attention. That filthy monkey has a gun with an insanely fast rate of fire, so don't bunch up. Stay close to the walls and move properly—Beard, you take point."

The dim yellow light shone against the wall, casting the group's clawing, distorted shadows. Soon, the shadows began moving along with the light source.

Xia Lun watched the shadows on the wall, estimating the actual distance between them.

Closer, even closer... They were about to enter the planned ambush zone!

His heartbeat sped up, and his palms turned cold. Xia Lun slowly raised his gun.

A little nervous... he thought to himself.

"Wait, I think we should search over there first." The bearded pirate suddenly turned his head. "Look, there's blood all over the floor, and drag marks too. Abyss... The monster might be over there..."

At that very moment, the unsettling squelching sound of the monster's flesh writhing echoed through the cabin.

"..." The first mate fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Then we'll go there first. Big brother, take your axe and chop through the obstacles. The rest of you stay alert."

"What's so scary about a monster?" The medium-built Black pirate snorted disdainfully, but he still raised his axe and headed toward the other fork.

Xia Lun blinked, suddenly feeling as though he had punched a pile of cotton.

But the next moment, the silent female captain suddenly spoke. "Is... is anyone there?"

In an instant, every ghostlike, clawing shadow cast on the wall by the dim light froze abruptly!

"I heard the captain's voice," the first mate said sinisterly. "Ah... she's over there. She's calling for help."

Xia Lun turned his head and shot the captain a cold glance, wearing a smile that did not reach his eyes.

He knew exactly why she had spoken.

—If the first mate's group had searched the fork just now, no one would have been guarding the route from the room to the gangway. Xia Lun might have abandoned her and left directly. And without a weapon, she could only wait to die.

But if she drew them over with her voice, Xia Lun would have no choice but to fight the first mate's group to the death. In that situation, she would have room to maneuver.

Xia Lun was not angry. There had never been any trust between him and the captain to begin with. Their cooperation was nothing more than each relying on his own abilities.

Besides, he had intended to kill the first mate anyway, and the captain's actions had objectively made his ambush easier.

"Kill that damned captain first, then finish off that prisoner." The first mate's brother sounded excited as well. "That prisoner must be over there too! Capture him alive! I'll cut open his belly to avenge my brother!"

The voices echoed through the narrow, cramped corridor. The next moment, the group rounded the corner, completely exposing themselves to Xia Lun's line of fire!

Perhaps because they believed victory was within reach, they had not listened to the first mate at all. Every one of them stood tightly packed together.

Xia Lun suddenly leaned out. The notch sight instantly aligned with the silhouette behind the yellow-glowing lantern.

Aim deliberately, fire instinctively. He pulled the trigger hard!

Bang!

The gunshot exploded, and white smoke instantly spread through the air!

The lantern crashed to the floor. Glass shards sprayed everywhere, and the light went out at once! The corridor plunged back into terrifying darkness.

Without even looking at the result, Xia Lun slapped back the hammer with his right hand, yanked the trigger with his left, and fired four more shots in the general direction!

Suppressive fire!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Muzzle flashes burst, dazzling crimson splattered, and gunpowder smoke covered the stench of whale oil. A storm of metal swept through the entire corridor in an instant.

Flesh and blood flew everywhere!

Scorching metal tore into flesh, then punched through bodies and slammed into the cold walls. Splintered fragments of the wooden walls collapsed along with the corpses, while the pirates' wails and screams were completely drowned out by the deafening gunfire!

Xia Lun forcefully cocked the hammer, bringing the last bullet in the cylinder into firing position, then aimed ahead.

Through the spreading gunpowder smoke, he could only vaguely hear the dying groans of the wounded. The next instant, a surviving pirate cautiously poked his head out from around the corner.

Bang!

Xia Lun fired without hesitation.

The spinning bullet instantly shattered the man's throat, blasting the pirate sideways. With a desperate, choking gurgle, he slammed heavily into the wall.

Dark red blood gushed from his still-twitching body. He seemed to have final words to say, but every word turned into spraying bloody foam along with the bubbles of blood endlessly pouring from his neck.

The moment he showed himself, he died.

Out of bullets, Xia Lun shoved the scalding revolver back into his weapons belt, bent down to pick up the first flintlock from the floor, raised it, and resumed his firing stance.

In less than two seconds, the pirates had suffered three dead and one wounded!

That was the result of an ambush backed by superior equipment.

Xia Lun's black eyes swept coldly across the scene. Amid the splattered blood and chunks of flesh, he did not see the corpses of the pirate first mate or his brother.

They had avoided his first wave of attacks.

The first mate reacted pretty fast. They still have three left, he thought.

As the gunfire faded, the dark corridor sank back into deathly silence. This time, however, the smell of blood and gunpowder masked the stench of whale oil.

"We're dead! He'll kill us, every last one of us! It's a trap!" Behind the corner on the right, the wounded pirate seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown. His voice choked with sobs. "Lady Mustache, save me! I'm bleeding..."

"We can't run. If we run, he'll catch up and kill us one by one!" the first mate's brother said anxiously. "We have to charge!"

"He isn't human. He's a demon from the deep sea!" the wounded man babbled. "None of us can escape."

"Shut up, or I'll shoot you first!" the first mate barked coldly. "Listen. He's out of bullets. I'll draw his attention. The moment he fires, you charge him immediately."

Plotting in public, huh? Xia Lun grumbled inwardly.

His finger lightly rested on the trigger.

"Do it!" the first mate shouted.

The next moment, Xia Lun caught the outline of a human head at the corner on the left from the corner of his eye.

Quick as lightning, he swung his gun around and fired, blowing the head apart!

But at the instant he fired, his black pupils suddenly contracted—the head did not belong to the first mate. It belonged to a corpse!

I fell for it!

His thoughts raced as Xia Lun darted back inside the doorway. At the very instant he pulled back, an orange muzzle flash burst out, and a lead bullet slammed into the doorframe, spraying a cloud of scorching wood splinters!

Before Xia Lun could catch his breath, another hysterical howl came from outside, followed by a rush of dense footsteps!

—The pirates were charging!

Xia Lun took a deep breath, shoved the door shut with his left hand, and picked up the last flintlock.

He only had one shot left, while the enemy still had three men. Xia Lun narrowed his eyes slightly.