Annihilation

Ox Mountain Island is located east of Pingtan County.

The island is not large in area and is shaped like a reclining ox, hence its name.

The island is full of strange rocks and has abundant fishery resources, making it a popular destination for many fishermen.

However, since a group of Japanese pirates moved here from Jiangsu and Zhejiang and entrenched themselves here for several years, no fishermen's small boats have dared to approach. Only the cargo fleets of coastal gangs frequently travel back and forth.

The Japanese pirates on the island built a large camp using timber transported by outside gangs.

Wooden watchtowers and large houses for banquets and lodging are scattered throughout the island, and boats are always on the beaches.

Kichinosuke was the leader of this group of Japanese pirates. He was just over forty years old, but because he had been making a living at sea for many years and fighting on land, he looked quite old.

He rose in the morning light, went to the main room and sat down. His hair was gray, his eyelids were droopy, his teeth were yellowed and his beard was sparse.

The servants prepared wine, rice, soy sauce, and sashimi for him.

The aroma of grilled meat wafted from outside, a scent he used to love in his youth, but now found somewhat repulsive. He waved his hand to fan himself.

"Why are you grilling meat again so early in the morning?"

Kichinosuke first drank a glass of sake, then picked up a piece of sashimi and slowly chewed it in his mouth.

Matsushita, with a black headscarf and several knife scars on his face, walked in from outside, knelt down to the side, and looked very unhappy.

"Chief, they've been eating and drinking outside since early this morning, and their training has slacked off lately. I think everyone has gained at least twenty pounds since six months ago."

"Please give the order so I can train them severely."

Kichinosuke disagreed. "You're exaggerating a bit. Everyone eating and drinking to their heart's content means we have plenty of wine and meat, which is a good thing."

Matsushita said, "But it's boring to stay on this island every day, and these days, women, meat, and water are all bought and sold."

"Those gangs used these to offset part of the cost of buying knives, but I've heard that their best stuff is reserved for their leaders, and the second-best is left for us. It's not like before when we could just rob people on our own and have a comfortable life!"

Kichinosuke laughed, "Robbing is risky. We're stationed on the island now. As long as we help with the transshipment, we can get a lot of money."

"Think carefully, was it more comfortable before, or is it more comfortable now?"

Matsushita said, "But..."

"Okay, so you feel that we're still not collecting money fast enough, not as freely as before, right? That's because our scale hasn't really grown yet."

A shrewd glint flashed in Kichinosuke's eyes.

"The knife business in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is already very good, but in Eight Min, it's a place where the Southern Shaolin has been operating for a long time, and most people are still used to using their knives."

"But don't worry, preparations are underway, and it won't be long before they launch an attack on the Southern Shaolin."

"We'll follow behind and snatch tons of good stuff, so much that we won't be able to walk."

Matsushita perked up. "Really?"

"Of course."

Kichinosuke took a sip of his drink. "You've complained to me about similar things seven or eight times in the past six months, so I had no choice but to let you know. But don't go around telling anyone."

Matsushita beamed, "I understand."

Kichinosuke said leisurely, "After this robbery, our business can expand smoothly."

"I heard that by then, it won't just be about buying and selling knives. As long as we continue to guard key locations, we can earn more each time we resell them than we did when we went out to rob."

"Going out to rob may seem like a risk-free business, but you actually have to put in the effort yourself."

"When the business grows big enough, we'll have all kinds of goods, selling from our hometown to the Ming State, and from the Ming State back to our hometown."

"Since we don't have to manufacture or distribute the goods ourselves, our money will keep increasing. Isn't that a hundred times more comfortable than robbing people?"

When Kichinosuke got to this point, he seemed to be a little tipsy.

"By then, no one will remember that we were pirates."

"If we travel to more prosperous areas in the heart of the Ming State, we will be treated with great hospitality. If we return to our hometown, we can enjoy the same grandeur as the General."

Matsushita also began to daydream.

Suddenly, a person burst in from outside and reported to the two of them.

"Boss, the Giant Whale Gang's ship is here again."

Kichinosuke and said, "The Giant Whale Gang, didn't they just come here a few days ago?"

Matsushita whispered, "I heard last time that their gang leader seems to have disappeared and things are a bit chaotic internally. Could it be that they can't hold back anymore and are coming to us for help?"

Kichinosuke thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Let's go take a look."

This large house is situated on high ground, offering panoramic views of most of Ox Mountain Island and providing an opportunity to observe ships at sea.

Kichinosuke looked out to sea and saw twenty or thirty ships sailing by. They were not only flying the flag of the Giant Whale Gang, but the outlines of the ships also looked familiar.

It was indeed one of the ships from the Giant Whale Gang's branch that frequently came.

He stared intently for a moment, and saw that the boats were only three or four hundred paces away from the first sentry post on the island.

Why are they all wearing straw hats?

Matsushita said, "So, members from other branch gangs have gathered here to discuss something with us?"

Kichinosuke warned, "Do we really need so many people to discuss this? Let's use flags to tell them not to come any closer. Send a few clever ones off the island to find out what's going on."

Immediately, someone stood on a prominent reef and waved two triangular command flags at the fleet over there.

Matsushita chuckled, "They don't have that many people, compared to the rest of our island..."

Before he could finish speaking, he realized something was wrong.

Upon seeing the flag signal, the ships not only didn't stop, but actually came even faster.

BOOM!!

The Japanese pirate waving his flag on the reef had a bloody flower explode on his body and fell to the ground.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

A large number of men on the ship raised their muskets, and at the first outpost near the beach, dozens of pirates fell almost instantly.

A sharp iron whistle sounded across the island.

Instead of fleeing, the Japanese pirates gathered on the beach.

Most of the people were wielding long swords, while others carried bows and arrows and muskets.

Those who were sent to Ox Mountain Island and remained there for a long time, whether they were genuine Japanese or not, were all fierce and ruthless.

Some people were still running, but their hands were already drawn and arrows were nocked.

But after a volley of arrows flew, they failed to hit the ship and instead fell into the sea.

These people only thought that if the other side could attack them, they could also attack the other side. When they saw a batch of arrows miss, they exclaimed and shouted in surprise.

Gunfire erupted again, and hordes of Japanese pirates fell dead, the rest hastily dodging.

At this moment, a dozen or so people stepped forward, Shangdu holding a shield as large as a door panel.

"Where did this brat come from, looking for death, daring to ambush us grandpas!"

The group, hiding behind shields, shouted insults, "Taste our Sonic Art that we've honed over many years!"

Their voices grew longer and longer.

The last few words were so long that it felt like the sound would never completely disappear, only become so faint that one couldn't hear it anymore.

The best way to deal with weapons like bows, crossbows, and muskets is to use Sonic Art.

Therefore, all major powers in the government and the public sector would specifically employ a group of people to study Sonic Art.

The Sonic Art of the Tang and Song dynasties were mostly indiscriminate, affecting both friend and foe.

By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, various schools and sects of Sonic Art had been able to concentrate their power in a certain direction, minimizing the impact on other directions.

Within Sonic Art, there are further distinctions: sonic waves adept at breaking through hard objects, sonic waves adept at killing, and sonic waves adept at penetrating water...

The Japanese pirates on Ox Mountain Island were skilled in using sonic waves to kill.

The shields erected before them remained intact, but colorless ripples surged forth in layers, rippling towards the fleet on the sea.

But this distance was much greater than that of any opponent they had encountered before.

When the Sonic Art reach that side, their effect is greatly reduced.

The people on the boat, all of whom were disciples of the Southern Shaolin Temple who had cultivated internal strength, remained unmoved and unleashed another volley of fire.

The shield, made of sheet metal overlaid with hardwood, was struck repeatedly.

Chu Tianshu stood at the bow of the ship, holding the gun with both hands, tilting his head to aim, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired two shots each time, and after three times, he ran out of ammunition.

Three of the people hiding behind the shields suddenly fell.

Chu Tianshu's bullets all struck the most damaged parts of the shield, and each shot was fired in volley, successfully piercing the shield and killing the people behind it.

When he ran out of bullets, he picked up another gun next to him and raised it again.

Those who practice Sonic Art already knew fear and were desperately trying to dodge.

Chu Tianshu searched among the numerous Japanese pirates and suddenly saw a figure fly over, stand on the reef, and shout loudly, ordering the pirates to retreat in different directions.

"Even in this state, you still dare to stand on high ground?"

Chu Tianshu clicked his tongue and pointed his gun at the man.

Kichinosuke's heart skipped a beat, and the position of his long sword suddenly shifted several times in front of him.

Six bullets were deflected in succession by his blade, but the Japanese sword trembled.

This seemingly aged Japanese pirate leader possessed extremely skilled swordsmanship, having killed over a thousand people in his lifetime.

His eyesight wasn't sharp enough to see the bullet flying so fast, but he intercepted it beforehand based on his gut feeling.

He channeled his inner strength into the longsword, and it blocked six spear thrusts without breaking.

Chu Tianshu had just experienced what it was like to be a sharpshooter when he saw all six of his shots blocked, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

A sharp, bluish light seemed to emanate from the base of his eyebrows, and his right hand had already torn Zhao Yannian's sleeve, pulling out a handful of iron prayer beads from his sleeve pouch.

"If you block me again!!"

With a low shout, Chu Tianshu swung his right hand forward, smashing a cloud of air.

Dozens of streaks of green light flashed and disappeared from his hand.

Kichinosuke was horrified and dodged to the side of the boulder.

Matsushita, who had been chasing after him, had just seen the leader deflect the bullet and shouted, "Good!"

Suddenly seeing the leader disappear, Matsushita was jolted, his feet left the ground, and he flew backward.

Dozens of holes had appeared in his body, blood gushing out, leaving him utterly astonished. "Oh no!"

Matsushita's body fell backward and rolled beneath the rocks.

Kichinosuke, who had fallen under the rocks, stumbled and discovered a bloody hole in his left leg, which was throbbing with pain.

The leader would rush close and shout orders, a tradition of the Japanese pirates, because otherwise they could not control their subordinates.

Kichinosuke had instinctively flown over before, but now he felt an intense hatred for this tradition.

"Retreat! Run!"

Kichinosuke screamed at the top of his lungs, "Split up and run! They don't have as many boats as us!"

Several trusted confidants scrambled over to help him up.

But then a deep, resonant voice rang out, and they swiftly landed on the island.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Shakyamuni Buddha, Namo Patriarch Bodhidharma Bodhisattva!"

Various Buddhist chants, recited repeatedly, seem to be vying to squeeze into one's narrow ears, making one dizzy and disoriented.

The Lion's Lion's Roar of the Southern Shaolin.

Japanese pirates possess Sonic Art, and so do Buddhist monks.

Chan Master Miaokong leaped and soared, landing on the reef and chanting with all his might.

This sound wave was merely irritating; it wouldn't cause them to mishandle muskets or crossbows, nor would it hinder their escape.

But then, an oppressive force that silenced everyone descended upon the island.

Chu Tianshu rode the waves to the shore. The moment he stepped onto solid ground, his speed increased dramatically. His figure flashed like a ghost as he rushed to the place where the Japanese pirates were gathered.

Large numbers of Japanese pirates suffered from uncontrollable heartbeats, blurred vision, and were parched with thirst but unable to speak.

Chu Tianshu stood there, with gunfire erupting continuously from the fleet behind him.

Those Japanese pirates who didn't know how to dodge were in a daze when they saw blood flowing from their bodies and they fell to the ground dead.

When Kichinosuke met Chu Tianshu's gaze, under the combined attack of the sound waves and the oppressive aura, he couldn't help but vomit a mouthful of blood and slump down.

"Don't land on the island from here."

Chu Tianshu raised his hand and loudly gave orders to the fleet behind him.

"Spread out, surround the island, load up your ammunition, and don't allow any Japanese pirates to escape!"

This is not a counterattack against the Japanese pirates, but the first... battle of annihilation!

(End of this chapter)