Chapter 46: Blood-colored Sunset (Part 1)

  The sea breeze blows gently, the vast blue ocean is sparkling, and the slanting sun floats on the surface of the sea, dyeing the distant sky a brilliant fiery red.

  A battered three-masted lion-class sea ship was walking on the sea, its hull was full of holes, the front and rear masts were all broken, only the main mast stood unyieldingly, under the blowing of the wind, the drummed sail was full of gunpowder smoke, it looked like a big flag flying in the wind!

  The deck was littered with shell holes everywhere, the normally waxed and polished surface now a dull black, with fires burning fiercely in shades of dark yellow.

  If a sailor saw this ship, he would be stunned and exclaimed: How many shells did this ship take?!

  Behind it is a more dismal two-masted Flying Fish-class ship.

  The mainmast of the Hell was broken by gunfire, leaving only the foremast remaining, and the sail was burned with a large hole, and the speed could not be raised. What's even more frightening is that the bottom of the Hell's cabin was damaged in many places, and under the desperate rescue of the crew, it was fortunate that it did not sink.

  But the hull of the "Hell" was already taking on water at an alarming rate, and seemed likely to sink to the bottom of the sea at any second.

  These two ships, one in front of the other, moved slowly, on the sea surface illuminated by the slanting sunlight, like two warriors who had survived a fierce battle, their battered bodies exuding an aura of inviolable majesty and momentum!

  This is the demeanor that can only be possessed by a warrior who has experienced true bloodshed!

  Behind them, far away, three warships were suspended, from the high-hanging flags, this was the first sea defense fleet of Xixi.

  Two days passed and Tang Jie had been entangled with these lingering ghosts for two whole days.

  Two days of fierce battle left the pirates exhausted and their ship severely damaged, with nearly half of the crew lost!

  Even Nia, William and Bill, such old sailors, had never experienced such a degree of sea attrition. They, who had been through so many storms and battles, were also somewhat exhausted, leaning against the surviving ship's side, staring blankly at the blue sky.

  These two days have been like a nightmare for them.

  They fought desperately at sea with the Xixi First Marine Defense Team, outnumbered and outgunned, but managed to sink seven enemy warships with just two of their own ships. Although they suffered heavy damage, not a single one of their ships was sunk.

  If this achievement were known to the orthodox naval officers, they would be so ashamed that they would die.

  Tang Jie still stood upright on the helm, he was like the only man on this ship who would not be knocked down, the only one who would not be defeated.

  In the dragging and exhausting naval battle, no matter how intense the battle was, there would always be a few sailors who got to take turns resting, and Nia and William were no exception.

  But Tang Jie didn't!

  Because he is the captain!

  His shoulders bear the lives and safety of everyone on this ship. Others can rest, but he cannot!

  Tang Jie knew that the sailors on this ship were all hired with money, and they were able to stick with him until now, firstly because of the intimidation of Nia, William, Bill and others, but most importantly because he, as the captain, had always been at the forefront of the cannon fire.

  Even when the cannon fire was most intense, shells fell right next to Tang Jie, but he didn't bat an eye or move a step!

  Tang Jie's warship didn't fly any flag, but when he stood on the helm, there was a stern flag in the eyes of all sailors on this ship!

  After two days of struggling between life and death, Tang Jie's cheeks were sunken, his eye sockets deeply recessed, but his gaze was even more piercing and intimidating. He had previously been like a piece of unrefined black iron, but now he seemed to have undergone a transformation, his entire person like a sharp sword unsheathed, his back straight as a razor-sharp blade, his sunken cheeks seemingly chiseled by a knife, the hard steel lines etching out the sharp angles of his face!

  Niya stood beside Tang Jie, she held up a monocular telescope to look at the enemy ship behind for a while, then turned her head and shook it at Tang Jie.

  "These cowards, they don't dare to fight and yet they won't leave, what are they up to!" Tang Jie gritted his teeth, with several blue veins bulging out on his temples.

  The Xixis' First Fleet was basically crippled by Tangie in this sea battle, with the flagship sunk, the fleet commander killed, and up to two-thirds of the warships sunk. The remaining three warships were also mostly damaged!

  Under Tong Jie's nearly crazy running and fighting tactics, the Xixi Sea Defense Army was severely damaged in the first counterattack of the cannon!

  The Star Morning was hit by a burst of cannon fire and its ammunition depot exploded on the spot!

  The explosion even affected the two warships next to it, and the flying wooden boards cut through the main mast of the two warships like a sickle!

  Faced with the almost paralyzed live targets, Tang Jie would not show mercy. The gunners under his command blasted these two warships into wreckage under his angry roar!

  Just as the furious and enraged Admiral Sessue's fleet counterattacked, trying to sink Tongdai's ships with intense cannon fire, Tongdai once again quickly turned his ship around, facing the cannon fire, and swiftly escaped their range of attack.

  The infuriated Admiral Sai immediately turned around and gave chase!

  Tang Jie employed his old trick once again, unleashing another round of fierce and precise cannon fire with the "Reversing Horse Spear", sinking yet another three-masted Bald Eagle-class warship!

  This time, the remaining Xixi was shocked!

  The pirate ship before them was battered by cannon fire, seemingly on the verge of sinking at any moment, but this dying enemy always managed to find its opponent's weak point in the continuous tug-of-war and suddenly rose up, biting one enemy to death!

  Such an opponent is too frightening!!

  In this naval battle, the pirates were almost defeated, but the Xixi sea defense army had already been broken by Tong Jie.

  The officers and soldiers did not know how much strength these pirates still had, nor did they know if they could defeat the pirates.

  As he recalled the scene of ten warships showing off their might on the sea when they first set sail, and now looking at them with only three ships left, solitary and forlorn, the captain of the remaining ships couldn't help but shiver!

  The admiral's orders were to tow these pirates out, and there was no requirement for them to capture and sink them. So why are we still going all out against these madmen?

  The Xixi naval defense actually only needed to be bolder, and with one round of cannon fire, they could have sunk the enemy ships thoroughly. However, the ferocity displayed by Tang Jie's pirate group in the sea battle intimidated them.

  They only dared to hang back in the distance, and didn't dare to charge forward again to fight Tang Jie and his men to the death.

  Nina heard Tang Jie's words and let out a soft sigh, this was the most tragic sea battle she had encountered in twelve years.

  "Captain Tung, what are we going to do now? Where are we headed?" Nia gazed blankly at the man in front of her, having a nearly blind trust in him.

  Tang Jie fell silent for a moment, then slowly said in a low voice: "To be honest, I can fall asleep the moment I close my eyes. My whole body hurts like it's about to fall apart, and there's someone inside my head smashing me with an iron hammer. I...I don't know what we should do now either...... Nia!"

  Nia Lian looked at the man in front of her, and he was able to achieve all this now, which was already extremely unimaginable!

  For a rookie in naval warfare, to be able to take down ten enemy ships with just two of his own is an achievement that borders on the miraculous! This is the limit of what Tang Jie can accomplish, and it's impossible to ask him to do more than this!

  Nia's heart ached as if she had been pinched, and she couldn't help but reach out her hand to gently stroke the wound on his cheek: "Does it hurt?"

  Tang Jie looked at Nia, his sharp eyes gradually becoming gentle: "It was painful just now, but after you touched it, it doesn't hurt that much anymore."

  Nia forced a smile: "Then I'll touch it a few more times?"

  Tang Jie grasped Nia's hand that was caressing his cheek, and chuckled softly: "Don't, save it for later, you're afraid I'll run away?"

  Niya saw the man in front of her, who had just gone through a fierce battle and was still smiling at her with gentle words in this desperate situation. She felt both moved and admired, and smiled foolishly: "Tang Jie, do you regret it?"

  "What's wrong?" Tang Jie was stunned for a moment.

  "Regret boarding our pirate ship? Regret becoming a pirate who is constantly hunted by the coast guard?" Nia stared at Tang Jie, her voice slightly trembling.

  Tang Jie was stunned for a moment, but then a faint smile appeared on his face: "Regret? I should regret!"

  Listening to Tang Jie's words, so resolute and without hesitation, Nia felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave, her whole body trembling. She forced a smile, and tears welled up in her eyes: "You will indeed regret this..."

  Tang Jie burst out laughing, leaned in close to Nia's ear and whispered: "I regret not eating you earlier... now it's too late, next time I see the Sea Goddess Tira, I'll ask her, am I still a proud virgin in this world?! How embarrassing!"

  Niya was sent to hell by one sentence from Tang Jie, and then she was lifted to heaven by another sentence from Tang Jie. The ups and downs of her emotions were truly unimaginable for outsiders.

  Niya burst into tears and smiled, opened her mouth to say something, but found that she was choked with sobs and couldn't utter a single word.

  She used to think that Tang Jie was perfect, except for the fact that he sometimes liked to be a bit of a jerk and make some off-color jokes. But now it seems that Nia has finally realized that this is a truly genuine man, who has come to the ocean and is releasing himself without any reserve.

  He likes someone, he will express it nakedly, regardless of her identity or the occasion; He hates someone, he will punch him hard with his fists, regardless of his background or whether he is stronger than himself.

  He cries, he laughs, he likes, he gets angry, all **nakedly expressed on his face, without hiding!

  He was naturally talented and brave in battle, but beneath his bold lion heart lay a delicate and gentle consideration.

  What's not to love about such a man?

  Chapter Forty-Six: Blood-Red Sunset