"My wife speaks no less than the truth, Mr. Ning's display of might this time, eradicating so many pirates, will make this route significantly safer. This is a deed of great merit."
Captain Chen Tian was utterly in awe of Ning Beichen.
Those who made their living on the sea feared pirates above all else. Therefore, seeing Ning Beichen slay so many pirates, they felt no sense of revulsion towards him for his bloodshed. Instead, they felt he had done a good job, an excellent job, a superb job.
Time, as if a flick of the wrist, passed another two days. The pirate incident had gradually subsided, and the crew and guards also began to calm down, though they still dared not get too close to Ning Beichen.
Yet, one could see that while they feared Ning Beichen, their eyes were also filled with immense admiration for him. This was a man who had single-handedly eliminated over two hundred pirates.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, even if they told others, no one would have believed such a preposterous tale.
Ning Beichen, however, was not as optimistic as they were. He did not believe the Habsburg family would simply give up.
Furthermore, he had a vague premonition that this return journey would not be smooth sailing.
As Ning Beichen had predicted, by dusk, a large armed vessel suddenly appeared on the sea.
These large armed vessels were ostensibly for maintaining route safety and deterring pirates.
However, this armed ship stopped their cargo vessel and demanded to board for inspection.
Ning Beichen was not familiar with maritime affairs, so he asked the couple if such a situation had ever occurred before.
The couple, however, could not confirm. They had never encountered anything like it previously.
Typically, when setting sail, all necessary documents were prepared in advance, and inspections were generally not carried out, as this was international waters, not private territory.
"Let them come up and inspect. Rest assured, with me here, nothing untoward will happen."
Seeing that they couldn't figure it out, Ning Beichen decided not to dwell on it. He could only hope these individuals wouldn't cause any trouble. If they were indeed looking for a fight, Ning Beichen would not shy away!
However, while he could indiscriminately kill pirates, these armed vessels were not to be trifled with. This was not the petty skirmishing of pirates; they possessed weapons capable of destroying cargo ships.
The cargo ship halted to undergo inspection. Approximately thirty armed personnel disembarked from the armed vessel.
Ning Beichen blended in with the crew, intending to observe the unfolding situation before making any decisions.
If it were a routine inspection, then all would be well.
But if they were targeting them, then Ning Beichen would have to act, whether he wanted to or not.
Moreover, Ning Beichen was well aware that with the Habsburg family's influence, achieving such a feat was by no means difficult.
First, these individuals checked all the vessel's documents, but they found no issues with them.
Ning Beichen stood among the crowd in silence, but he could already discern that these people were deliberately seeking trouble, the kind who would manufacture problems even if none existed.
If they were pirates, Ning Beichen would have annihilated them without a second thought. However, these people had affiliations; their actions could trigger widespread repercussions. Furthermore, there was a large armed vessel lurking not far away.
If a conflict were to erupt, Ning Beichen wouldn't worry about his own life. His concern was for the lives of the people on board and the cargo sinking to the bottom of the sea.
This time, Ning Beichen had used forceful and bloody means to compel the Habsburg family to release the equipment. Such an opportunity would not arise again.
Even if the Habsburg family were foolish, they would surely implement stringent precautions against him. It would be virtually impossible to replicate the previous success.
After checking the documents and finding no irregularities, these personnel began to use the cargo as an excuse for inspection. As expected, problems arose with the cargo.
"How dare you! These instruments are sanctioned and were to be transported to the ancient Eastern nation. You are illegally smuggling them. Apprehend all of them and take them back!"
A person who appeared to be the leader feigned outrage and issued a loud order.
Ning Beichen's brow twitched. He knew his premonition had not been wrong. These so-called sanctioned instruments had absolutely nothing to do with them.
Their appearance here and their pretense undoubtedly involved the interference of the Habsburg family and a certain Western nation.
"It's a false accusation! These instruments have all the proper paperwork. We are not engaged in smuggling."
Captain Chen Tian attempted to argue, but his plea was weak and useless. If someone was intent on harming you, no amount of justification would be of any avail.
Ning Beichen also frowned. He surveyed the people on the ship, then glanced at the large armed vessel not far away, contemplating solutions in his mind.
With his abilities, eliminating the individuals on board was not difficult. In fact, Ning Beichen was confident he could prevent them from even firing a shot.
However, if he could not deal with the armed vessel in the distance, even if Ning Beichen eliminated them, they would not be able to escape.
In terms of speed and firepower, they were not on the same level as a large armed vessel.
To put it bluntly, the cargo ship was like an ant, while the large armed vessel was an elephant.
To destroy this cargo ship, all they needed was to press a button.
Furthermore, these were not pirates; the methods used to deal with pirates would not work here.
Frankly, Ning Beichen felt a surge of irritation at this moment. It was unrealistic to summon reinforcements now, and there was no time.
Even if Ning Beichen were to summon reinforcements, his greatest asset would likely be a few unbranded fighter jets.
These few fighter jets might not even be capable of destroying the large armed vessel, and they might even be shot down themselves.
Ning Beichen closed his eyes. After a period of thought that seemed excruciatingly long but was actually only a few seconds, he reopened them.
There was no other option now. Once the instruments and people were taken away, there would essentially be no hope. Moreover, Ning Beichen could not tolerate such indignity.
The only recourse now was to exploit a time advantage.
This "time advantage" meant dealing with these individuals, including the large armed vessel, in the shortest possible time.
Then, he would have Chen Tian pilot the ship away at maximum speed, attempting to reach the waters of the ancient Eastern nation before they could dispatch more armed vessels to intercept.
Whether it would succeed or not, Ning Beichen could not say for sure. However, he had made up his mind to proceed.
"Don't move!"
However, as Ning Beichen shifted his foot, he saw over a dozen personnel point their weapons at him.
"My leg went numb. Can't I even move it?"
Ning Beichen replied indignantly, and then provocatively shifted his foot again, as if challenging them.
"You're asking for death!"
An individual, displeased with Ning Beichen, immediately swung the butt of his gun at Ning Beichen's head.
Blood immediately welled up from Ning Beichen's head.