Chapter 632

Chapter 632: Clearing the Area

The sound transmission in the steel-hulled ship was excellent, and various loud noises echoed around, making it seem like chaos unfolded inside the vessel.

“What’s happening?”

Luo Yang’s eyes widened. He didn’t even notice a mouse darting in through the cabin door, grabbing a piece of jerky and scurrying back outside. Normally, he would have jumped up to stomp on the pesky little creature.

On the deck, someone screamed in agony while others yelled. The two Turkish men in the cabin pointed in terror at the small round window between their bunks, which was only about a foot in diameter, letting in a bit of breeze and light.

Luo Yang realized that something was wrong and leaned to look outside.

“Duck down!” Lin Mo suddenly shouted, pushing Luo Yang’s head down.

A flurry of glass shards flew in with a sharp noise.

“Ah!”

The Turkish man on the upper bunk screamed as Lin Mo looked up to see him clutching his thigh, which was slowly turning red, filling the cabin with the stench of blood.

The only round window in the cabin had been shattered by bullets, leaving a row of small holes in the walls. If Lin Mo hadn’t been quick-witted, Luo Yang’s head could have become like a smashed watermelon.

The college student, who had been lively a moment ago, now looked pale, with a bit of moisture on his face. He reached up to wipe it away, only to find it was bright red.

Thud thud thud…

Luo Yang heard a strange sound in his head, his teeth uncontrollably chattering as he looked at the horrifying bullet holes, the screams echoing in his ears. Just moments ago he had been lively and animated, but now he was completely stunned.

Outside, fierce gunfire erupted.

“Be careful! Don’t look outside! Get down on the bed!”

Lin Mo stood up, grabbed his backpack, and pulled out a high-nutrition energy bar, taking a bite as he moved toward the cabin door. Luo Yang was right; the food on this boat was awful, and nearly all passengers had brought their own.

He also didn’t trust the unreliable food, and ordinary meals couldn’t meet Lin Mo’s needs during a fight. Once caught in a protracted battle, insufficient nutrition would definitely weaken a Dragon Knight; even the mightiest knights needed to eat.

A daring mouse, unafraid of humans, emerged from a corner, attempting to climb up Lin Mo’s leg in hopes of biting the energy bar.

Not even scared of people? This ship owner clearly had no concept of hygiene and safety.

Hmm!

As Lin Mo’s foot touched the ground, he suddenly released his Battle Energy, sending a slight shockwave rippling across the floor. The mouse let out some squeaks and was sent scurrying back into the corner, silenced.

Just like the attackers outside, to the Dragon Knight, they were all mere ants.

As Lin Mo stepped onto the deck, he saw the scene had turned into a slaughterhouse. Five or six bodies lay sprawled in disarray, with blood nearly covering half the deck.

Many passengers moving about the deck fell victim to the sudden attack, either injured or dead.

The left side of the ship had been blown open, the vicious steel plates tearing away to reveal the dreadful interior filled with carnage.

On the shimmering surface of the Euphrates River, four small speedboats circled the passenger ship, where armed militants stood, waving AK-47s and RPG rocket bombs while shouting something at the ship.

It was like a version of Pirates of the Caribbean on the Euphrates!

Another traditional papyrus boat had been constructed with a rail structure on top, where individuals were attaching homemade rockets.

The ancient papyrus, once a symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization, provided significant buoyancy for the vessel, making it appear like a piece of art, though its weapons instilled a chilling fear.

These pirates had quite the imagination, using classic Kassam rocket launchers, known for their use by militant organizations like Hamas and Jihad, comparable to China’s stone mines during the Anti-Japanese War.

Lin Mo saw that the Kassam rocket launcher was a simplified version, shorter in length, yet still powerful enough to rip a large opening in the hull.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

A burst of bullets swept through, striking the hull with a clanging sound. The deck immediately showed a row of bullet holes, with sparks flying from some angled positions where the bullets ricocheted, making them even more dangerous.

The people on the ship were terrified and began shouting wildly, hiding in the cabin and praying to Allah, hoping to survive this calamity.

Those passengers carrying more valuables looked especially pale; these insane crooks wanted both their money and their lives. They had families waiting at home, relying on them for support.

“Damn these robbers! I curse you to have a bad death; Allah will send you to hell.”

The owner of the white wine passenger ship, Emre Alt?ntop, clutched an AK-74 rifle he had bought for $400, hiding in the cockpit with his head down, afraid to peek out. The cockpit’s glass was shattered all around him.

Next to him, several crew members were already so scared they had lost their senses. One was lying in the cabin, having been hit by a bullet, barely breathing and groaning, while others bore bruises and scrapes from trying to hide.

The recent rocket bomb had been aimed at the cockpit but missed due to poor craftsmanship, striking the left side of the hull instead. The passengers in the ordinary cabin were unfortunate; six of them had silently perished inside.

Damn it, truly damn it! The papyrus boat, once just a fishing vessel, had suddenly set up a rocket launcher and fired at the hull, leaving them no time to react. Soon, four speedboats burst out from the nearby reeds, surrounding their aging passenger ship.

Although he held a gun to boost his courage, he lacked the bravery to confront the outlaws. The ship was filled with untrained civilians, and he was left with only one AK while the first mate had a small revolver. Two guns and a limited amount of ammunition could never fend off those attackers boarding the ship.

This was the end, all would be lost!

This ship, representing all his wealth, might soon be taken from him. Allah, please show your divine power! In my lifetime, I promise to make more pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem to thank you for your blessings.

Everyone, apart from hoping for Allah’s mercy, was also anxiously waiting for the nearby water patrol to arrive in time; otherwise, their fate was uncertain.

The most terrifying thought was being taken hostage by these outlaws and forced to join them in robbery, which would lead to an irreversible fate.

“Asian man?”

The anxious ship owner, Emre Alt?ntop, suddenly spotted a young man emerging from below deck, apparently oblivious to the robbers on the water.

That was one of his passengers. While the owner had a greedy heart, he still held some professional ethics and shouted, “Get down! It’s dangerous!”

Unfortunately, Lin Mo could not understand him; he only spoke Chinese and English.

“Give me your gun!”

The stranger’s gaze shifted and locked onto him. Emre Alt?ntop was equally confused by the foreign language, only recognizing a few English words from dollars.

A chill coursed through Emre as he couldn’t even guess whether the young man was a reckless fool or an ally of the robbers. He loosened his grip, and somehow the most precious “charm” he owned, the AK-74, fell into the stranger’s hands.

“Not bad!”

Lin Mo weighed the rifle in his hands; the magazine was completely full with all 30 rounds untouched. It shone brightly and appeared to be well-maintained, but it was wasted on someone with no military training.

After slightly adjusting the sight, he realized it was a good gun, likely a Russian original. He pulled back the bolt, raised the weapon, and aimed it at the robbers approaching along the riverside, taking a moment to line up his shot.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rapid gunfire shattered the tranquility of the Euphrates River once more. In the distance, seagulls startled from the sound of the shots, their wings fluttering away, unable to find peace either.

Below deck, chaos erupted among the passengers and crew as they heard the gunfire above, thinking the robbers were slaughtering everyone on the deck. They were terrified, too scared to make a sound, and the air grew thick with the scent of urine; after all, nobody truly wanted to abandon their families and rush into the embrace of Allah.

The clear sound of gunfire seemed to ring in Emre Alt?ntop’s ears as he felt he was about to lose his mind. He shut his eyes tightly, afraid to open them.

It was over; he was doomed for certain. Those ruthless bastards would not spare him; everyone aboard would surely die without even a sliver of survival. He knew full well that opening fire would incite their wrath; the furious robbers would abandon their robbery and sink the passenger ship, then use rifles to pick off any survivors from the water.

That Asian man should not have come on board! Chinese, Korean, Japanese—these East Asian people were all crazy! In the next life, Emre swore he would never allow them on his ship, no matter how much money was offered.

Amid these frantic thoughts, something suddenly crashed heavily onto him. Emre Alt?ntop jumped in surprise and instinctively opened his eyes to find the AK-74 had fallen on him, still faintly smoking and warm to the touch.

The East Asian young man shot him a cold glance before turning back into the cabin, as if he had simply accomplished something trivial.

Emre Alt?ntop waited for the rampaging revenge gunfire from the robbers, but none came; not even the sound of another simplified Kassam rocket bomb exploded. The only sounds were the soft rustling of the reeds in the breeze, the water lapping against the hull, and the muffled cries of the passengers within the cabin.