Zhang Lei originally wanted to say, "No one knows that you helped me with this. As long as you don't say anything, you're not in any danger. Just don't be too active and there won't be any problems!"
But then I thought, once we get to Africa, we'll be in a completely unfamiliar place, and we won't even have a trusted subordinate. If Wu Chen gets to this new place, maybe he can at least be a trusted confidant.
Moreover, it would kill two birds with one stone: by having him by his side, he could find out exactly how effective the poison pill was. Could the Niuhuang Jiedu Pill really work? Zhang Lei didn't believe it, but he himself had no idea how to detoxify the poison, when it would take effect, or what to do when it did.
"Tianxiao, I'm asking you one last time, are you really not coming with me?" Zhang Lei was about to board the ship, and he still looked at Tianxiao with gentle eyes.
"No, Zhang Lei... Ah, what are you doing?"
Before Tianxiao could finish speaking, Zhang Lei scooped her up with his arms and said, "You brat, if you had said you were coming with me at the end, I would have spared you a couple of slaps. Now, a thousand slaps on the bottom, not one less. Let's set sail!"
Episode 4: An Eye for an Eye, a Blade for a Teeth - Chapter 86: Unexpected Twists and Turns (Part 1)
This wasn't Zhang Lei's first time abroad or at sea, but this time it felt different.
It felt like something was being torn away from my body, not painful, but there was a lingering sense of unease.
"Wu Chen, come here, I'll teach you how to read nautical charts and steer. It's always good to have a skill; learning more won't hurt!" Zhang Lei stood on the bridge. They had already sailed out of China's coastal waters and were basically safe. On the high seas, apart from Americans and pirates, no one would intercept another's ship. Since he was going to treat him as a trusted confidant, he needed to start cultivating him now.
"Well, actually I can drive, and I can read nautical charts. I just thought you didn't trust me, which is why you insisted on driving it yourself!" Wu Chen whispered from the side.
Zhang Lei paused for a moment upon hearing this, "Oh, then go ahead and drive it. Follow this line, and call me using this if anything happens!" Zhang Lei was referring to the wired walkie-talkie in the bridge room; he didn't want Zhang Lei to go over there and eavesdrop on the bed.
Spears flying around on the boat, isn't that romantic?
Unfortunately, Zhang Lei wasn't the romantic type, nor was he destined for romance. Just as Zhang Lei was indulging in some whimsical activity, a muffled thud was heard, and the sudden rocking of the boat nearly threw Zhang Lei off the bed.
"Damn it! What happened?!" A man falling off the bed while having sex, whether kicked off by a woman, rolling off on his own, or for some other reason, is not something to be proud of, so Zhang Lei was extremely angry. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Lei activated his inner energy circle.
"Sir, something terrible has happened! We've encountered pirates!" Wu Chen's panicked voice came through the walkie-talkie.
"Make the boat's route more winding. That row of red buttons is for the backup engines. Turn on both backup engines and let's see what they use to chase us!"
Zhang Lei quickly put on his clothes. Even if it was dangerous, Zhang Lei didn't plan to go out and be a human exhibit for people. "You guys put on your clothes too, and put on your life jackets while you're at it. Even though nothing will happen, it's best to be on the safe side!"
Zhang Lei had just fully activated his inner energy when he detected a projectile-shaped object entering the detection range of his inner energy circle. If Zhang Lei were already on the deck at this moment, he might still have time to react, but he was still in the cabin.
Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as the shell landed... on the sea next to him.
The pirates didn't use any professional naval cannons, nor did they have any electronic aiming equipment. Moreover, Zhang Lei's speedboat was much faster than ordinary large ships. Not to mention pirate speedboats, even the most high-end police anti-smuggling boats wouldn't be this fast.
"Wu Chen, how is it? Can it be opened?" Zhang Lei went up to the bridge.
"Don't worry, no problem. They launched a surprise attack on the first shot. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get so close. I've been playing rowing for a long time!"
Zhang Lei realized that Wu Chen wasn't exaggerating at all; he was indeed much better at controlling the speedboat than Zhang Lei. Knowing this, he should have let him drive the boat a long time ago. That way, by the time the pirates arrived, Zhang Lei might have already finished and put away his gun.
Just as Zhang Lei was relieved and preparing to walk towards the stern, Wu Chen's panicked voice came from inside, "It's bad! We're surrounded! That ship behind us is deliberately driving us into the encirclement!"
"What?" Zhang Lei immediately turned back. "How is it? Can we break through?"
"It seems difficult. Look, these bright spots on the radar, we've been completely surrounded. These two blank areas are reef zones. Although our ship's draft isn't deep, if..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Lei interrupted him, "I know that! Is it possible for us to just force our way through them?"
"I'm afraid it's unlikely. At this close range, even if they used the ship's direct-fire machine guns, we'd be torn to shreds!" Wu Chen shook his head. "Judging from their appearance, they were prepared. If it wasn't a coincidence, then they came specifically to ambush us!"
"Hmm!" Zhang Lei nodded. If every pirate raid was like this, then these pirates would have been living off the sea breeze long ago.
It's unclear who hired these pirates. There could be quite a few, possibly including Li Yang's old subordinates or the current authorities, since Zhang Lei essentially humiliated him. Of course, if you include Zhang Lei's enemies abroad, there are even more, though it's likely a case of collusion between insiders and outsiders.
"Wu Chen, I remember your special ability is poison-based, right?" Zhang Lei asked, looking at Wu Chen.
"Yes, that's right. While I don't necessarily need to get close to be effective, my range is definitely no match for their machine guns. By the time I can hit them, our ship will probably already be blown to pieces!"
The cruise ship was quite expensive, and Zhang Lei had added so many things to it. If he wanted to install armor or something on the ship, firstly, the regulations would be quite strict, and secondly, Zhang Lei didn't have that much money.
"Give me a detailed description of your superpower. I need to know everyone's superpowers before I can draw the best conclusion!" Zhang Lei only knew a general outline of Wu Chen's superpower, so he needed to confirm it.
"Hmm!" Wu Chen nodded. "My main ability is poison gas, which I can spray from any pore on my body. However, if I want it to travel a long distance, I have to use my mouth or the sprayer below!"
"What I'm concerned about is whether your ability can perform area attacks. If you were alone in a group of enemies, could you quickly incapacitate them?" Zhang Lei saw that he had been talking for a long time but hadn't said what he wanted to know, so he decided to be more explicit.
Fortunately, there was still some time; the radar showed that there was still a certain distance between the target and the target actually entering firing range.
“Yes, I can control when the poison takes effect, but if they're hiding in a sealed cabin, there's nothing I can do!” Wu Chen replied.
"That makes things easier!" Zhang Lei smiled. "Take a 15-degree turn to the right and head towards it. Speed up and try to get there before they can support each other." Zhang Lei tapped on the radar screen, where there was an intercepting ship.
"Liu Ning, Tian Xiao, you two come up here too, and learn how to steer. We might need you to steer the ship later!" Zhang Lei called Liu Ning and Tian Xiao out of the cabin.
Episode 4: An Eye for an Eye, a Blade for a Teeth - Chapter 86: Unexpected Twists and Turns (Part 2)
"Zhang Lei, brother, sir, sir, let's discuss this again. I still don't feel confident! It wouldn't be good if I ruined your important plans, would it?"
Before Wu Chen could finish speaking, Zhang Lei threw him away, and he instantly transformed into a beautiful star in the sky.
The cruise ship wasn't very big to begin with, and the huge reaction force caused it to tilt, almost capsizing.
"That was close!" Zhang Lei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He hadn't considered the recoil when he threw it. Launching a cannonball like Wu Chen so far, the recoil must have been tremendous.
When Zhang Lei was on his first mission in Japan, he saw this guy, and it was this guy who threw out the ability that had been neutralized.
Zhang Lei calculated that his strength was now many times greater than before. If he truly channeled his inner energy to strengthen his arms, waist, and shoulders, he believed that reaching that distance wouldn't be too difficult. The challenge lay in controlling the precision, which would require Wu Chen to make fine adjustments. This was also why Zhang Lei couldn't simply throw an inanimate object at their ship.
"Hold the helm tight and head in their direction!" Zhang Lei stood at the bow of the ship. He could only hear Wu Chen's abilities from him; whether they would actually work was still uncertain. Zhang Lei had to be there to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
However, forget about surrendering for now and waiting for an opportunity. Zhang Lei doesn't like entrusting his life to others. He often feels uneasy even with his own life in his own hands. How can he expect others to have a change of heart when he puts his life in theirs? Or will they make mistakes that even kindergarten children wouldn't make when playing games?