232: Chapter 230 The Last Opportunity 232: Chapter 230 The Last Opportunity After Farah spoke a few words to the person on the other end of the walkie-talkie in Somali, his face suddenly turned very ugly.
He then put down the walkie-talkie, and with a mourner’s expression, said, “Their engine is fixed, and they are heading back now.
I didn’t play any tricks, I swear I didn’t say anything.
I was just forced to come because I can speak English.
I’m really not with them, please don’t kill me, I truly didn’t say anything.”
Gao Yang pounded the deck with frustration, and the others also wore faces of disappointment.
They didn’t know what to say anymore.
Just when they finally had a glimmer of hope, it quickly turned back into disappointment.
The blow was too severe.
Although he was extremely disappointed, Gao Yang didn’t suspect Farah of tipping off the pirates.
If that were the case, Farah would have informed his boss right from the start.
However, the one silver lining in their misfortune was that the pirate ship escorting the crew soon transmitted some good news.
Although they had repaired their engine, they no longer dared to proceed at full speed, and they were concerned that the engine might break down again, so they advised Farah to be ready to meet them.
Without blaming Farah, they actually praised him a few times.
Moreover, Gao Yang didn’t utter any discouraging words.
In a time when everyone felt disappointed, it was his responsibility to lift their spirits again.
“It’s okay, we’ve at least gained back more than two hours, and now that they’ve been delayed and dare not move at full speed, maybe we can catch up to them at sea.
Everyone, be ready for battle at any moment.”
Li Jinfang and the other two boarded a speedboat being towed by the fishing boat, along with Antoncel, because none of the three knew how to drive a speedboat.
Even though operating the speedboat was very simple, it was impossible to control it at will, so Antoncel volunteered to steer the speedboat for them.
Gao Yang and Cui Bo were prepared to shoot at any moment, adjusting everything to battle-ready status.
It might be a bit early to enter combat readiness, but since they might catch up to the pirate ship that had dropped anchor again at any moment, they had no choice but to prepare for battle ahead of time.
The fishing boat continued at full speed, but its maximum speed was only twenty knots, much slower than the other pirate-driven fishing boat.
Because the other vessel was naturally faster, even though it had been delayed and dared not go full speed, it was still very difficult to catch up at twenty knots.
The waves were getting higher because the sea was becoming shallower.
The closer they got to land, the higher the waves would be.
After four hours of being tossed at sea, Gao Yang finally got seasick.
In fact, aside from Bruce, the other five were all terribly seasick.
The battle was difficult to begin with, and seasickness only made it even harder.
Several times, Gao Yang had the thought of giving up, but it seemed too much of a pity to return without taking one last look.
In the end, Gao decided that they should at least have a final look, but if there was any real danger, they would decisively abandon the mission.
Finally, Farah shouted, “Land!”
Gao Yang got up and took a look.
They could see a dark line appearing ahead; they were about to reach land, heading straight for the pirate’s lair.
Having not caught up with the pirate ship yet, Gao Yang felt so weak and dizzy from the vomiting that he helplessly thought it might truly be time to give up.
Gao Yang dismissed the idea of landing elsewhere because with his current condition, he questioned how far he could even walk, let alone fight a battle.
“Farah, contact them with the walkie-talkie and ask if that ship has docked.”
Instead of following Gao Yang’s instructions, Farah said tensely, “The fishing boat won’t dock.
The coastline here is all sandy beach, with no harbors.
Only small fishing boats and speedboats can land.
Our fishing boat won’t make it, so they will only stop in deeper waters and then use a speedboat to take the hostages ashore.”
Drained, Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “I know, just ask them if they have taken the hostages ashore.”
Farah picked up the walkie-talkie and said a few words.
He quickly received a reply from the walkie-talkie but hesitated slightly before immediately telling Gao Yang what was said.
Fearing Farah might have another psychological fluctuation at this moment, Gao Yang immediately shouted loudly, “Tell me the truth, what did he say?”
Startled by Gao Yang’s shout, Farah urgently replied, “They’ve stopped.
They are arranging to send people ashore in a dinghy.
It’s just ahead, they are right ahead.”
Just then, Fernando, who was steering the fishing boat, suddenly said, “A boat, I see it!
We’ve caught up with that boat!”
Gao Yang immediately looked ahead.
Without needing binoculars, he could see a fishing boat towing a speedboat.
Gao Yang immediately shouted, “Go for it, be prepared for battle.
If there’s an opportunity, attack immediately; if not, run immediately!”
Gao Yang roared with excitement, immediately flicking the safety off his rifle.
As the distance between the two vessels narrowed, Gao Yang could see people being forced from the fishing boat to board a small craft.
Seeing this made Gao Yang’s heart surge with joy, and he immediately shouted, “Opportunity!
When you hear Rabbit’s shot, make your move!”
Watching people being herded onto the small boat by pirates, but with a distance of four to five hundred meters still between the two ships, Gao Yang didn’t dare guarantee a hit due to the fishing boat’s constant pitching and rolling.
However, four to five hundred meters was already close enough—forcing a shot, if necessary, wasn’t out of the question.
When there was only a distance of two hundred meters left, Fernando began to slow down the fishing boat, in case a full-speed approach would alert them.
Antoncel had untied the rope connecting the speedboat to the fishing vessel and started the engine, just waiting for Gao Yang’s command.
The distance between the two fishing boats kept shrinking, but by now, all the crew had been driven onto the small boat.
There were two pirates, one at the bow and one at the stern, watching the crew members, plus another person steering.
On the other boat, there were four pirates.
The good news was that after reaching the shore, all the pirates seemed relaxed, with none of them holding their guns at the ready.
Gao Yang took a deep breath and said, “Rabbit, you take the bow, I’ll take the stern, get ready!”
The pirates untied the ropes, and the propeller at the tail of the speedboat began to churn up white foam.
The two boats, one after the other, headed towards the shore, and just at that moment, the fishing boat finally came to a complete halt with barely any swaying.
The speedboats driven by the pirates hadn’t picked up much pace, creating an opportunity for precise shooting.
This was an unmissable, final opportunity.
“Fire!”
Gao Yang didn’t shout loudly, as that would have ruined his aim—he simply murmured it before swiftly pulling the trigger.
After the shot rang out, the pirate Gao Yang aimed at toppled forward into the cabin.
Gao Yang’s gunshot was loud, but compared to the thunderous noise made by Cui Bo’s 12.7mm caliber TAC-50, it felt like the difference between a child’s sparkler and a burst charge.
Following the deafening blast, the pirate previously sitting at the bow instantly disintegrated into a spray of flesh, with his head tumbling backward into the sea.
Cui Bo blasted his target in two with a single shot, while Gao Yang already fired his second.
After the gunshot echoed, the pirate at the helm flopped backward into the water.
The now uncontrolled speedboat immediately turned on the spot and started twisting wildly on the water’s surface.
After taking out all the pirates on the speedboat carrying the crew members, Gao Yang instantly turned his gun toward the other boat.
The pirates aboard hadn’t realized what had happened, but when they saw one of their comrades halved at the waist, they finally began shouting and raising their rifles.
Just then, Cui Bo’s rifle spoke again.
With another loud report, the pirate who had just raised his gun lost a large chunk of his waist.
Although Cui Bo hadn’t hit a vital spot, the 12.7mm bullet didn’t need to hit critical areas to be effective.
Gao Yang followed Cui Bo with another shot, this time targeting the driver.
The sound of the gun was followed by the driver flopping sideways to the deck.
While it wasn’t as gruesome as Cui Bo’s shot, the effect was just as good—one bullet, one life.
After all three pirates on the speedboat were eliminated, the crew members were still unaware of what had happened, but as Gao Yang killed the fifth pirate, one clever individual finally caught on.
He immediately rushed toward the boat’s helm to try and take control of the speedboat.
The remaining two pirates on the other speedboat raised their guns while another ran to the stern.
After forcefully seizing the rudder, the speedboat immediately veered towards the one carrying the crew members.
Both armed pirates also opened fire, not aiming at Gao Yang, but at the crew.
All the crew members crouched at the bottom of the speedboat, not exposing themselves, but the brave one who attempted to gain control became a target.
Bullets sprayed debris all around him, but none hit him.
Regrettably, upon realizing someone was shooting at him, he promptly abandoned the helm and, clutching his head, crawled atop the deck.
The two shooting pirates hadn’t fired many rounds before Gao Yang took one out with a single shot.
Although Cui Bo’s firing rate wasn’t fast, after Gao Yang’s shot, Cui Bo finally finished the re-chambering process and, after a brief aim, the last shooting pirate suddenly lost a leg.
Gao Yang was witnessing for the first time the destructive power of a large-caliber sniper rifle.
If someone stood in the bullet’s path, it would shatter on impact; a slight graze was fatal.
This type of weapon was designed for anti-material purposes and even anti-light armored targets—using it against people was simply overkill.
Gao Yang doubted that the pirate hit by Cui Bo even realized what had happened, because as he toppled into the sea, he was still firing his gun and maintaining a standard shooting stance, all the way until he fell into the water, marking the end of his shooting spree.(To be continued.
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