Chapter 304: The Naval Battle of Devil Reef!

"Young Master Adams, those fire points ahead are the dens of the Wolf Poison Pirates—they're strong, at least three or four hundred men!"

"Besides, I heard they have two warships and two merchant vessels!"

One hundred and thirty li off the coast of the Hou Jue's domain.

This area is considered dangerous; ships normally avoid it.

After all, beyond one hundred li lies the territory of countless ferocious sea beasts.

Even with Sea God Stone, it's like stepping half a foot into the land of death—bad luck means shipwreck and death.

Yet now, nine vessels of various sizes have gathered here.

Six are warships, three are merchant ships.

Among the eight warships, one is a two-masted warship.

And this, indeed, is the fleet of the Hou Jue family.

Young Master Adams is aboard this two-masted warship right now.

Since receiving word over a week ago from a prisoner about the pirates he wished to capture, he had begun planning this ambush.

Today at noon, under the pretense of inspecting the coastline, he led half the family's naval forces out of the harbor.

At first, he indeed sailed boldly along the shore.

Only at dusk did he suddenly change course, heading straight for this group of islets known as Devil Reef.

"Deputy Commander Wolf, let's begin!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

Devil Reef is called Devil Reef

not because it harbors any unclean spirits, but because the islet cluster appears and vanishes intermittently, with countless hidden reefs.

Even by day, navigation demands extreme caution—otherwise, ships easily run aground or sink.

Thus, the Wolf Poison Pirates' choice to build their nest here was indeed carefully calculated.

Though its location near the deep sea carries considerable risk,

it also allows them to exploit the complex terrain to increase escape chances if trouble arises.

To prevent such a scenario, Adams, though long arrived nearby, waited until the dead of night to launch his assault.

At his command, three modified merchant ships—converted into troop transports—began advancing toward the island ahead.

These merchant ships were specially prepared by him for the hazardous environment around Devil Reef.

A thin layer of iron plating had been added beneath their hulls.

This effectively guarded against the dense reefs surrounding the islets.

Of course, if even that failed and an accident occurred, it was only a merchant ship—losses could be minimized.

Under tense watch, the three merchant ships, carrying six hundred soldiers, drew ever closer to the island.

He even faintly heard several creaking scraping sounds.

As seconds ticked by, the three troop transports neared the island—until suddenly, the leftmost merchant ship jolted to a halt, stopping dead in place.

"Damn it!" Adams cursed under his breath—the meaning was obvious.

Fortunately, the other two vessels continued forward, finally reaching the shoreline two or three minutes later.

Small boats were lowered; squads of soldiers began creeping ashore in darkness.

Of course, the grounded merchant ship had also launched its own small boats.

But that vessel was seven or eight hundred meters from shore—it wouldn't arrive in time.

"Four hundred men in a surprise attack should be sufficient!" Though trouble had arisen, Adams felt the issue wasn't critical.

Three or four minutes later, all troops from the two ships had landed and, under moonlight, advanced toward the Wolf Poison Pirates' nest.

"Kill!"

As the group neared the pirate den, its campfires faintly visible, they abandoned concealment and charged with roars.

Then, the tide surged into the camp—and that was the end.

As soldiers burst into each crumbling hut, kicking open doors, they found them empty.

"Young Master Adams, the situation ahead is suspicious!"

Seeing this, Deputy Commander Wolf's face turned pale.

Normally, fierce combat and shouts of battle should be erupting now.

Yet the soldiers had clearly entered an abandoned camp.

A pirate nest with no one present at night? Nine times out of ten, something was terribly wrong.

Adams realized it too, instantly turning to the prisoner beside him: "Jock, what's going on—"

Plop!

Splash!

Before Adams could finish, the prisoner Jock—who had been standing beside him—had quietly slipped to the ship's rail.

Then, with a strange grin, he leapt straight into the sea.

"Damn!"

Adams and Deputy Commander Wolf's faces turned ashen.

They had never imagined Jock, still in chains, would dare jump into the sea.

Of course, regardless, they understood: this was a major crisis.

"Young Master Adams, I advise the fleet withdraw immediately!"

"What about the soldiers on the island…?"

"Young Master, the fleet is paramount! Besides, there are five or six hundred soldiers on the island—if we're safe, they can hold out for a day or two!"

"Agreed!"

Adams understood priorities.

Yet their understanding didn't mean the enemy would grant them this chance.

"Bad news, Commander! Young Master Adams—merchant ships! Our perimeter is surrounded—over thirty vessels, by the firelight!"

"What?"

Adams and Deputy Commander Wolf's faces turned ashen.

Immediately, Deputy Commander Wolf scrambled up to the crow's nest atop the mast.

Indeed, countless faint lights now flickered across the surrounding sea.

And these lights were converging steadily toward their position.

"Quick! The fleet, set sail immediately—retreat along our original route!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Deputy Commander Wolf, seasoned and experienced, knew there was no choice—they had to force a breakout.

Otherwise, if the enemy closed in and trapped them in this narrow, reef-strewn space, true peril would follow.

Soon, the fleet began breaking out, meeting the encircling pirates head-on.

"So many!" Adams's face darkened again and again.

"Quick! Triangle formation! All ships, no delays—each vessel must secure its own breakout!" Deputy Commander Wolf issued another order.

Then, the six warships formed a triangle and charged toward the enemy.

The two-masted flagship, as the command vessel, was shielded at the triangle's center.

The pirates, of course, had no intention of letting these fat targets escape—they closed in, ignoring the risk of collision.

Once near, they hurled grappling hooks and ropes, aiming to draw closer for boarding.

"Quick! Cut the grappling ropes! Damn it, don't let these scum get close!"

Amid shouts, soldiers on the Hou Jue warships frantically slashed at the pirates' thrown ropes.

At first, they managed to cut them.

But as more pirate ships closed in, the dense tangle of hooks grew too numerous for the soldiers to sever all.

And as more hooks latched on, the pirates began pulling in unison.

"One, two, three—pull!"

Instantly, the distance between the two fleets visibly shrank.

When the gap narrowed to just two or three meters, the waiting pirates hurled long boarding planks straight at the warships' sides.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The curved hooks at the planks' ends bit firmly into the Hou Jue ships' rails, forming stable wooden bridges.

"Ha! Brothers, charge! Kill these damned royal navy dogs!"

"Kill!"