Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery

There wasn't much wind or waves on the sea tonight. The bright moonlight shone on the surface, making the seawater appear exceptionally clear.

Whoosh!

The calm sea was suddenly cleaved open by the "Argo," creating layers of ripples on the clear water.

This small ship was moving forward at an extremely high speed.

However, from its appearance, no one could tell what powered it. Its sails were furled, and there was no sign of a steam engine.

Especially at night, it resembled a ghost ship filled with unknowns.

Inside the "Argo's" cockpit, Odis was carefully observing the sea with binoculars.

They had arrived in the waters off Nicart Island half an hour ahead of schedule, but they hadn't encountered the "Red Lion" pirate crew along the way.

At noon, after Odis and Rupert returned with the general course of the "Red Lion" pirate crew, Yilesher determined that the "Red Lion" pirate crew should be heading to the southern section of the central route for a round of plundering.

After all, they had just encountered a naval battle with other pirate crews, and repairing the ship, purchasing supplies, and so on must have cost them a lot. They definitely needed to rob someone to recover their losses, and at the same time, let the pirate crew members indulge themselves.

However, they hadn't encountered them along the way.

Odis lowered his binoculars and asked Yilesher, "Besides the southern section of the central route, what other sea areas are relatively easy to plunder freighters or merchant ships?"

Behind Odis, Bazel, Rupert, Yilesher, and others were present.

Yilesher pointed to the sea chart and said, "The waters off Jilla In Island, but that's quite far from here. An ordinary ship would take several days to reach it."

Jilla In Island was located in the southern part of the Rothd Islands, while the waters off Nicart Island, where they were currently located, were in the western part of the Rothd Islands.

In other words, if starting from Nicart Island, an ordinary ship would only need to sail west for two or three days to reach the central route, which was a main shipping lane. Merchant ships, freighters, and passenger ships from countries like Fenebo Port came and went in an endless stream on that route.

But if traveling from Nicart Island to the waters off Jilla In Island, one would first have to sail south, then east. An ordinary ship would take at least a week or so to reach there.

According to the information Odis and Rupert obtained from the shipyard on Nicart Island, the "Red Lion" pirate crew's fleet had indeed sailed west.

Odis picked up his binoculars again, took another look at the sea, and then said, "Change course, head to the waters off Jilla In Island!"

He guessed that the "Red Lion" pirate crew had indeed sailed west, but this should be a smokescreen released by the pirate crew's captain, Tyler, to mislead those who wanted to know the "Red Lion" pirate crew's whereabouts.

Odis was well aware that the other party was a "schemer," and this kind of approach was standard practice.

He guessed that the "Red Lion" pirate crew's course should be west first, then south, and finally east, circling around to Jilla In Island.

If the "Argo" were an ordinary pirate ship, it would have already fallen for the trick, and since the other party had set off a day earlier, it would be difficult to catch up with them.

But the "Argo" wasn't an ordinary pirate ship. Its speed was about three times the maximum speed of an ordinary pirate ship. If Odis's guess was correct, and they also circled around, they would be able to catch up with the "Red Lion" pirate crew by dawn tomorrow.

The sea was vast, but the sea routes were fixed.

For example, traveling from Nicart Island to Jilla In Island involved connecting a route through reefs exposed on the sea surface, as well as islands, stars, and ocean currents.

So, although the sea was boundless, if one wanted to chase another ship, they could basically catch up with the other party on a fixed route.

The difference between the two ships' navigation was basically within the visible range of the binoculars.

If one didn't follow a fixed route, they might run aground, get lost, or accidentally enter dangerous waters. Therefore, the vast majority of ships would take such fixed routes.

This was also why most pirates pursued ship speed. If they encountered a merchant ship on a fixed route, they needed enough speed to approach it.

If they encountered the navy, they needed enough speed to escape.

Of course, some pirate crews also possessed some secret routes. In sea areas frequently patrolled by the navy or "Punishers," pirates also had backup routes to choose from.

But in the first half of the voyage from Nicart Island to Jilla In Island, there was no need to worry about the "Red Lion" pirate crew taking other routes, because the navy rarely appeared here, and there was no need to do so.

As the second half of the night arrived, Odis ordered Rupert and the others to go back and rest, and to summon them if there was a situation.

Odis and Bazel took turns monitoring the sea.

When the two of them had drunk their third pot of coffee, the eastern sky began to turn white, but they still hadn't found any trace of the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

Odis, with some bloodshot eyes, lowered his binoculars and went to pour another cup of coffee.

To facilitate rotating shifts, the originally empty cockpit now had an extra table with a sea chart spread out on it, and two chairs fixed to the floor.

Bazel, sitting to one side and holding a coffee cup, suddenly said, "When I was on 'Broken Finger's' ship, the first mate hated drinking coffee, and he also had a bad habit. Whenever he encountered bad weather, he liked to drink alcohol, and when he drank alcohol, he liked to scold people.

"But strangely, no matter how much alcohol he drank, he could always issue the correct orders at the right time, allowing us to constantly fight against the storm.

"Once, after being scolded by him, I secretly replaced the alcohol in his flask with coffee.

"He took a sip and spat it out more than two meters away... Hahaha..."

Bazel's eyes filled with tears: "It's normal to die at sea. Everyone who goes to sea is prepared to die on this fanatical and annoying sea.

"But, Tyler shouldn't have made them suffer before they died, to die in pain."

Odis patted the first mate on the shoulder: "We will avenge them. Even if we don't catch up with Tyler this time, we have the intelligence exchange meeting as a means, and we will soon be able to get information about them again."

Since they hadn't caught up with Tyler yet, this pursuit operation might fail.

Bazel slowly nodded: "I know, I know."

His eyes became firm again.

Odis, having finished his coffee, was about to continue observing the sea. Before he could pick up his binoculars, he saw a black spot on the horizon.

He quickly picked up his binoculars and confirmed that it was a fleet composed of three ships.

Odis immediately sounded the alarm and used the "Amplification Array" to order all crew members: "Prepare for battle!"

Bazel jumped up abruptly and quickly came to the window. Although he couldn't see the other party's flag clearly yet, it was very likely to be the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

When Rupert and the others arrived at the cockpit one after another, the situation ahead had become clearer.

First, there was a fleet of three ships on the route. The other party's flag was a red lion with its head held high, which was the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

And in front of the "Red Lion" pirate crew, there was also a fleet of eight ships.

Bazel watched for a while and preliminarily determined that it was a fleet composed of armed merchant ships, also heading to Jilla In Island.

But they were unlucky to have encountered the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

At this time, the "Red Lion" pirate crew was clearly chasing the merchant ship fleet. According to the normal "procedure" of robbery, after catching up, the "Red Lion" pirate crew would use its own speed advantage to circle around a few times as a show of force.

During the circling process, they would shoot at each other with cannons. Experienced pirates could basically find the weaker ships in the fleet after circling two or three times, so as to carry out targeted attacks.

In the "Argo's" cockpit, Odis held a brief operational meeting: "After the battle begins, Bazel will join the attack team and be ready to attack actively at any time.

"Rupert will lead 5 'Extraordinary Puppets' to defend the deck to prevent the enemy from counterattacking; if I go to support Bazel, Rupert will also be in charge of command and dispatch in the cockpit."

During the pursuit yesterday afternoon and evening, Odis and others had assembled the second batch of 20 "Extraordinary Puppets" and used the "Combat Scholar's" Extraordinary Characteristic in the "Wisdom Helmet" to instill combat skills into them.

Moreover, Odis, with Bazel's cooperation, had "extracted" the skills of using common weapons such as knives and swords.

These 20 "Extraordinary Puppets" were specific "combat puppets" that would only be awakened during combat.

Moreover, Odis planned to set up a "safety program" for them when he had time, so as to prevent them from accidentally injuring their own crew members.

Odis glanced at Yilesher. Theoretically, at this time, the navigator should return to the cabin to take shelter.

But Yilesher said, "I'll take a look in the cockpit."

He really wanted to see how this new ship fought.

Odis didn't say anything, but said to the "Extraordinary Puppet" on the side of the cockpit: "Open the safety locks on the Spirit Wave Cannon and the Gatling gun."

The "Argo's" rapid pursuit quickly attracted the attention of the "Red Lion" pirate crew. Bazel, observing with binoculars, reported: "The enemy's flagship has crew members using flag language to inquire about our intentions."

Odis, sitting in the captain's seat, said: "Tell them that I'm here to take their heads, and tell them to wash their necks and wait."

Bazel smiled helplessly: "Flag language can only express some simple meanings, such as battle, negotiation, and so on."

Odis, who didn't have much research on this, said "Oh": "Is there a flag language that means 'hunting'?"

"No."

"Is there a flag language that means 'debt collection'?"

"No."

Unable to accurately express his thoughts, Odis said helplessly: "Ignore them, keep moving forward."

At this moment, the “Extraordinary Puppet” responsible for observing the distance outside reported in an almost monotone voice: “30 kilometers from the target.”

In fact, the enemy ship had already entered the firing range of the “Spirit Wave Cannon,” but Odis had not given the order to fire.

Because firing at the maximum range of the “Spirit Wave Cannon” would still be far from the target, and it would take some time to determine the results of the shelling, which could give Taylor enough time to prepare.

Since it was confirmed that the other party's ship was an ordinary pirate ship, it would be better to fire when they were closer.

The sun slowly rose from the east, illuminating this sea area.

At this time, the atmosphere on this sea had become tense, not only had the “Argo” entered a state of combat, but the “Red Lion” pirate group in front had also entered a state of combat.

The pirates prepared their cannons, cleaned the barrels, filled them with gunpowder, and loaded the shells.

Most pirates currently still use this type of old-fashioned cannon. Although it does not have the range of cannons that use self-detonating shells, it is more stable.

Generally, only ironclad ships use new-style cannons, because wooden ships cannot fix the new-style cannons. Perhaps after a few shots, the deck would be severely damaged.

However, ironclad ships can use welding and other methods to fix the new-style cannons on the hull, and can also use some hydraulic and spring devices to reduce recoil.

The merchant ship fleet at the front also noticed the “Argo,” but they didn't take it too seriously, because the “Argo” was too small. Even those two medium-sized pirate ships were much larger than the “Argo.”

However, the spirituality of “Red Lion” Taylor sent him a warning, making him feel uneasy, and he kept taking out his telescope to observe the “Argo.”

He certainly noticed that this seemingly small pirate ship was flying the flag of “Dawn of Elements,” and below the flag of “Dawn of Elements,” there was also an unfamiliar flag composed of a hexagram, a sword, and an eye.

In Taylor's view, this ship did not pose much of a threat in terms of its size, but since it had the flag of “Dawn of Elements,” it was likely that there was a very powerful person on board.

Taylor thought that it was the person on the ship that made his spirituality have a dangerous warning, but he was not panicked, because the other party was at most Sequence 5, and Taylor had a Sealed Artifact corresponding to Sequence 5 in his hand.

He had exchanged that Sealed Artifact from within the organization using merit points, preparing to use it for promotion in the future.

When he accumulated enough merit points, he would ask the organization to help crush the Sealed Artifact and use its Extraordinary characteristics to prepare a potion.

So Taylor now probably has the strength of Sequence 5, and he has also recruited a first mate, and he is on his own ship, so dealing with a Sequence 5 is not a problem.

The only thing to worry about is that the Sequence 5 has a Sealed Artifact of a higher level in his hand, but even in that case, Taylor is confident that he can escape.

But the probability of this situation is not high, because Taylor has never offended the captains of “Dawn of Elements,” and has given them full respect in some public occasions. He believes that “Dawn of Elements” will not target him.

Just as Taylor was constantly analyzing, the small pirate ship with the words "Argo" on the front end was approaching at a speed that even Taylor was a little surprised by.

The crew members on the “Red Lion” were still smoking and joking about whether this small pirate ship wanted to use a suicidal method of collision.

It's not that they are underestimating the enemy, but generally speaking, wooden ships would only start firing at each other to test each other after being about seven or eight kilometers apart.

The first few shots would basically hit the water, because the range of this old-fashioned cannon is only four or five kilometers.

The mutual probing shelling can also be regarded as expressing each other's determination to fight.

At this moment, Taylor noticed that the deck at the front of the “Argo” suddenly opened, and a mechanical structure that looked very complex and had a strange beauty rose up.

Then, two not very thick metal rods extended from the middle of this machine.

Taylor guessed whether this was some kind of new Extraordinary weapon? But he still didn't take it too seriously at this time, because in his concept, no matter what weapon it was, it couldn't be very powerful at such a distance.

The next second, the space between the two metal rods became illusory.

This change made Taylor's hand holding the telescope tremble, and an unprecedented palpitation came, almost out of “instinct,” he quickly came to the edge of the deck.

In the crisis-ridden “forest,” “hunters” also need to be vigilant enough to avoid becoming prey.

When a small ball of light was fired from between those two metal rods, Taylor's eyes narrowed, and he immediately jumped into the sea and tried to dive down.

Boom~

The “Red Lion” was hit by the “Spirit Wave Cannon,” and the ship instantly disappeared in the strong light.

With the violent explosion, a violent wave and shock wave formed, overturning another medium-sized pirate ship of the “Red Lion” pirate group.

The only remaining pirate ship was far away, but it was also affected by the impact. Many cannons and crew members fell into the sea, and the mast was broken.

… …

At this time, in the cockpit of the “Argo,” everyone except Odis opened their mouths wide, looking at the scene in front of them with surprised expressions.

Baze even forgot to join the attack team, and Rupert kept rubbing his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming?

This also included Yiles, because when he tested the new ship's weapon system in the waters of Xiala Island before, he first drove the ship to the far sea before starting the test firing.

Only the scholars who participated in the arrangement of the magic circle, as well as the ship designers and the senior executives of “Dawn of Elements,” knew the power of this cannon.

In the quiet cockpit, Odis, holding the telescope, sighed, because the size of the “Argo” was relatively small, and the area for arranging the magic circle was also relatively small. The power of the “Spirit Wave Cannon” was not as great as the “Spirit Wave Cannon” on the large ship built by Bernadette.

Moreover, it can only fire two shots in a row, and then it needs to rest for 2 minutes before it can fire another shot.

But it's still okay, there's no problem in hitting an ironclad ship or something.

One mistake, one hand, one shot, one inside, one appearance, one look!

Odis muttered “using an anti-aircraft gun to shoot mosquitoes,” then put down the telescope in his hand and ordered the “Extraordinary Puppet”: “Prepare the bow machine gun, and fire at the only remaining enemy ship!”

… …

The crew members of the merchant ship fleet in front were all stunned and came to the deck to watch. Many people had knelt on the ground and praised the “Lord of Storms” or the “Sea God.”

They thought that it must be their prayers just now that had moved the gods, so they had sent down divine punishment and blown up the pirate flagship.

Only a few people holding telescopes saw that the “Argo” had fired a small spot of light, and then that spot of light formed the violent explosion just now.

Before they could explain to the people around them, a series of shells were fired from the bow of the “Argo,” and the last pirate ship was instantly engulfed in flames. The flames may have ignited the powder magazine, and the entire stern of the ship was blown away.

The crew members jumped into the sea in the fire.

Almost in the blink of an eye, this pirate ship began to sink from the stern.

At this time, without them explaining, the crew members praying on the ground also understood that it was the pirate ship that looked not very big that had attacked the “Red Lion” pirate group.

And in less than ten seconds, the three pirate ships were blown up, one was blown up, and two were sunk.

Yes, it was “blown up,” because the flagship didn't even have a few pieces of wood left.

The crew members stood there blankly, the scene in front of them completely exceeded their cognition and exceeded their wildest imagination.

… …

Splash~

Taylor finally floated to the surface of the water, breathing heavily.

The shock wave generated by the violent explosion just now pushed him into the deep sea, and he swam desperately to avoid drowning.

At this time, Taylor had been seriously injured, with a small dent in his head, which was also the damage caused by the shock wave just now.

At the same time, Taylor broke an arm, and a piece of wood was stuck in his back.

When he saw the situation on the water, he was stunned, as if he was in a nightmare.

The “Red Lion” pirate group was gone, and in just a moment, his pirate group was gone!

Of the remaining two ships, one was capsized and the other had begun to sink.

The one that was starting to sink was burning with raging flames at this time.

The surface of the water was full of the corpses of crew members. Some were burned to death, and some were killed by hitting hard objects under the impact of the shock wave.

“Captain… Captain…” A hoarse, weak voice brought Taylor back to his senses.

He saw that his first mate, Sandora, was floating on the sea not far away. Half of her originally beautiful face was charred, and half was severely burned.

Her body was not complete. She was missing an arm, and her abdomen was not complete. Most of the remaining parts were also charred, and she could not see her former beauty and sexiness at all.

Taylor could imagine that at the moment when the violent explosion occurred, she should have been constantly using various “substitute” abilities.

But the power of the explosion was still too great, even if she kept using substitutes, she still suffered such serious damage.

Because the body was strengthened by the potion, she did not die immediately.

But at this time, the strengthening of the potion became a curse, and it would be better to die happily.

Taylor seemed to fall into reality all of a sudden. His eyes became gloomy again. After taking a look at the “Argo,” which was some distance away, he swam to Sandora's side.

Seeing the first mate's eyes, Taylor instantly recalled the passionate nights.

He was very self-aware and knew he wasn't a good person. He would use any despicable means to strike his opponents, and the prisoners of war were tortured to death before being offered as sacrifices to the great gods.

But at this moment, Taylor felt for the first time that perhaps he had done too many bad things and was now suffering such a blow.

At the same time, he also felt despair for the first time, because even now, he didn't know what kind of weapon had caused such a violent explosion.

He didn't even know how he had offended the other party? Why were they attacking him so suddenly?

But now was not the time to consider this. Taylor tried to keep himself calm and placed a hand on Sandra's forehead.

As the first mate twitched weakly, two streams of flames erupted from her eyes.

Taylor burned out her brain, letting her die just like that.

Then, without looking back, Taylor swam away in the opposite direction of the "Argo."

… …

In the cockpit of the "Argo," Odis ordered the first and second mates: "Take the telescopes and go to the deck to look for Taylor's whereabouts."

Only then did everyone in the room seem to suddenly come back to their senses and begin to busy themselves.

However, the shock of the "Argo's" weapons had not completely dissipated. Basel turned around in place before walking towards the telescope. Rupert reached out and grabbed twice before finally holding the telescope.

Odis smiled. This was the first time the "Spirit Wave Cannon" and "Extraordinary Machine Gun" had been used in actual combat, and the results were very good.

With the blessing of this ship, he completely possessed the strength of a "Pirate General."

But Odis was very clear that although the power of the "Spirit Wave Cannon" was great, it was difficult to kill a Sequence 6 with it.

If the opponent was a stubborn person, the "Spirit Wave Cannon" would be enough to take down an enemy at the Sequence 5 level.

But the problem was that Extraordinary individuals were not targets, nor would they be foolish enough to directly confront such a powerful cannon.

Their spirituality would definitely give them some warning in advance, allowing them to take actions to avoid danger.

Therefore, Odis judged that Taylor was not dead yet, or rather, Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 had the time and space to escape.

Taylor was not found immediately, but Basel observed that the members of the "Red Lion" pirate group were basically all dead. There were floating corpses everywhere, and the few survivors were struggling aimlessly in the water.

At this time, Rupert found Taylor, who was desperately swimming away.

Odis immediately ordered to adjust the course and pursue Taylor.

Seeing that the "Argo" had discovered him, Taylor released fire crows from the sea, like bombs砸向the "Argo."

Odis immediately ordered: "Switch the bow machine gun to ice cannons to block the fire crows."

Bang bang bang ~

The bow machine gun began to fire again in bursts, exploding into white "fireworks" in mid-air, forming a curtain of ice and snow.

Some of the fire crows that were directly hit were frozen in solid ice and fell into the sea.

Even those that were not hit directly quickly shrank and extinguished after passing through this layer of ice and snow curtain.

"Extend the artillery fire!" Odis then ordered: "Attack Taylor!"

Bang bang bang ~

Like the sound of urging death, a series of shells poured towards Taylor.

Taylor's spirituality once again sensed danger, and he summoned several layers of "fire walls" on the sea to block the line of sight, barely escaping this round of shelling.

Odis ordered: "Prepare the electromagnetic cannon."

In the middle of the "Argo," the sail on the lowest of the three horizontal masts suddenly fell onto the deck, and an "Extraordinary Puppet" quickly climbed to the connection between this horizontal mast and the vertical mast.

There was a complex mechanical structure here. After pulling out the corresponding safety ring, the horizontal mast could be adjusted up, down, left, and right.

Finally, one end of the horizontal mast was roughly aimed at Taylor, and the "Extraordinary Puppet" immediately jumped down from it.

Almost at the same time, the vertical mast suddenly emitted "buzzing" electric sparks, making Basel and Rupert's hair on the deck feel like it was standing on end.

However, they were within a safe distance and would not be in danger.

At the end of the horizontal mast aimed at Taylor, a small electric ball quickly formed.

In the cockpit, the "Extraordinary Puppet" in front of the console reported: "Energy storage complete."

Odis: "Fire!"

The small electric ball was fired out and exploded almost instantly not far from Taylor, forming a large electric ball with arcs constantly flashing on the sea surface.

For a time, the white lightning in the sky reflected the sea surface snow-white, and the light of the sun seemed to weaken.

When the electric light disappeared, Taylor sank straight into the sea.

But he was not dead, because at the critical moment, he had covered his body surface with a layer of flame, so he was not burned by the electric sparks.

At this time, Taylor was only paralyzed by the electricity and could no longer float on the sea surface.

Odis got up from the captain's seat, came to the deck, and said to Basel, who was about to jump into the sea to find Taylor: "Wait a minute."

Basel, whose eyes were already red, looked at the captain.

Odis stood at the door of the cockpit and said: "Although he has done many evils, don't become like him."

Basel nodded with some emotion: "Yes, Captain."

Odis then said to the "Extraordinary Puppet": "Pave a way for the first mate."

Bang bang bang ~

The "Extraordinary Machine Guns" at the bow and stern fired at the same time. This time, they fired "ice cannons." The white shells exploded on the sea surface, freezing a small area of seawater.

As the artillery fire extended, a passage was formed to the place where Taylor had just fallen into the water.

After a small ice and snow platform was "blasted" near where Taylor fell into the water, the shelling stopped.

Basel walked on the ice, and the ice water wet his shoes and trouser legs, gradually calming him down.

The pace towards the ice and snow platform became more and more steady.

Whirr ~

As soon as Basel came to the "ice and snow platform," Taylor finally swam out of the sea. He used all his strength and finally climbed onto the "ice and snow platform," lying there panting heavily.

Although the "electromagnetic cannon" shell did not burn Taylor, the electric arcs pierced holes in his body.

And just now, he even lost consciousness for a while. Even if he was a Sequence 6, he choked on several mouthfuls of water after being in the sea for so long and almost suffocated underwater.

After all, he was not an Extraordinary individual of the "Sailor" pathway.

The desire to survive made Taylor swim up, but at this time, his eyes were scattered, he was seriously injured, and he had lost most of his life.

Basel pulled out his dagger and slit Taylor's throat, who had no ability to resist: "After I escaped from the sea of fire that year, I told you that I would come to take revenge.

"Now, I'm here.

"This knife is for the first mate, and also for me."

Then, Basel watched very calmly as Taylor struggled weakly to death, watched his blood run out, convulsed all over, and watched the Extraordinary characteristics in his body begin to析出.

Basel smiled with tears in his eyes: "First mate, captain, old Cohen, 'big butt', 'little devil'… The feeling of revenge is quite good."

Suddenly, Basel felt as if a stone had fallen in his heart, and his strength seemed to be suddenly drained, and he slumped on the "ice and snow platform."