Me and countless me.

Chapter 500 The Attack on the Atlas (Third Update, 4k)
Li Ke didn't believe that these people would be transformed from defenseless farmers, workers, and ordinary citizens into soldiers capable of fighting the enemy simply because of his long, righteous, and stern speech.

He also didn't believe that these people, who had just escaped slavery, could become his crew members on the Atlas, and that they would remain loyal to him and not utter a single word of information after leaving.

They barely knew any words and had rarely eaten a full meal. Talking to them about ideals and the future was a joke. He knew perfectly well that he didn't need to give them money; just a few pieces of white bread would be enough for these people he had rescued to sell him off without hesitation.

So he planned to lead these people to kick those nobles in the backside, hang those complacent nobles who were lying comfortably in their manors, riding on their heads, from streetlights and manor trees, so that they could take over the manor's property. Leaking his information was tantamount to walking down the ladder of death himself, so he could avoid being targeted in the early stages of his business.

As for the issue of discipline, that will have to wait until he forms a formal army. As for the current slaves, he plans to release many of them after a raid on the nobles, or find a place in the New World to settle them so that they can provide supplies for his fleet.

After all, robbery is a business that can't last long, and gold and silver aren't something you can buy with everything.

Upon hearing his words, almost all the slaves understood what Li Ke was about to do. Some were excited, some were afraid, and some were eager to try. The man who had spoken to Li Ke took a deep breath, bowed slightly to Li Ke, and then spoke.

"In that case, Captain, could you please let us have some food and get some weapons? After all, we've been starving for days, and we can't fight on an empty stomach."

He didn't mind becoming a pirate, and he felt that few of his companions would mind either, since being a pirate was always better than being a slave.

And as long as you're careful enough and not too many people know about it, what's wrong with becoming a pirate? Anything can happen on the high seas, and as long as there are no witnesses, there's no crime.

So all he wants now is to perform well so that he can get better treatment when the spoils are distributed later, or at least avoid being killed by this person who seems to be a wizard.

Li Ke glanced at the man and was surprised to find that the calluses on the man's palms looked more like those of someone who had wielded a sword, and his whole demeanor was different, more like that of a soldier, so he took the man more seriously.

"Of course, not only that, all of you will have to give me a bath, then dress me in these soldiers' clothes and give me their weapons. But you're quite good, tell me your name."

The man gave his name without hesitation.

“Edward Kenway, thank you for your generosity and kindness, Captain, but may I ask how I should address you?”

Assassin's Creed?

Li Ke looked at the man with surprise, but didn't take it to heart. The world already had mystical nobles, so one more Templar Knight and Assassin organization was really nothing.

And even if it's not the protagonist from Assassin's Creed, it doesn't matter. The other person has prestige among slaves and can help control these people for a period of time.

"Just call me Captain Li Ke. It seems you know a bit about navigation and combat?"

At this point, Edward puffed out his chest confidently.

"Yes, if it weren't for the storm, I would never have been captured and enslaved! I used to serve in the navy, but unfortunately, the money I earned serving the king wasn't enough for me to live a comfortable life, so... that's how I ended up like this."

In the end, he had a heavy sense of disappointment, while Li Ke chuckled softly.

"So now you're the first mate of this ship. I think you know these slaves better than I do. Go find some people suitable for sailing, get this ship in the air, and then come with me into the battle later. Don't worry, buddy, I don't intend to send you to your deaths. You just need to watch at the beginning."

Edward was stunned for a moment, not expecting Li Ke to give him the job of first mate so decisively. He was flattered and surprised, but he still immediately bowed to Li Ke.

"Thank you, Captain, but are you joking? Even if you have magic, you shouldn't be so arrogant, should you?"

He had seen magicians before; those small tribes and people in some remote areas did indeed possess a considerable amount of magic. However, once captured, a volley of bullets would usually be enough to resolve the situation.

Therefore, he did not think it was a good thing for Li Ke to send him to his death. He did not intend to be hanged right after he had just escaped slavery.

But Li Ke didn't answer; she just smiled and looked at him.

Edward quickly raised his hands to indicate that he had no objection, and then swiftly organized the slaves, having one group cook and another clean the entire ship. He also stripped the soldiers of their clothes and put them on those who were clearly still capable of fighting.

Nobody cares about the clothes of the dead, and they might even fight over relatively clean clothes. But without Li Ke saying anything, Edward would just go over and resolve the conflict.

This gave Li Ke the feeling of having unlocked a five-star character. As a result, it only took two hours for these slaves to be dressed in naval soldier uniforms, fed and watered, and awaiting Li Ke's orders.

In the distance, the silhouette of Rose Island could be seen faintly. Although it was a small island, it was actually quite large, with a pier, a market town, and even several fishing boats fishing nearby.

However, there were also naval patrol boats patrolling nearby, but because they were far away, and because the ship was flying the British flag and was clearly an official slave ship convoy, they did not come over to inspect it.

Edward arrived at Li Ke's side at that moment and spoke softly.

"Captain, what are we going to do?"

Edward was a little confused about Li Ke's idea. He originally thought that Li Ke wanted to rob some Spanish merchant ships or at most a warship, but he never expected that Li Ke would actually sail the ship to Little Rose Island!

This place is full of nobles, and there are more than five warships guarding it, not to mention the private soldiers of the nobles stationed here!
This is practically a fortress!
Bringing them here is basically suicide!

“I told you, you just need to watch!” Li Ke glanced at Edward, who immediately felt a sense of fear and dared not say anything more about Li Ke’s decision.

Li Ke didn't intend to solve all the problems by himself. After all, he wasn't alone now, and he needed to build up enough prestige among these people. So, while maneuvering the Atdis, which had been following him from the sky, he spoke up.

"Don't be nervous, Edward. We are righteous, so good luck will naturally help us."

good luck?

Looking at the coastal defense cannons and warships on Little Rose Island, Edward was genuinely nervous, fearing that his identity would be discovered by the local military at any moment.

But before they could think of anything, as they continued to advance, a warship soon sailed straight toward them and signaled with flags, asking which unit they belonged to and why they were there.

"captain?"

He spoke nervously, while Li Ke chuckled and calculated the firepower and data needed to destroy these warships and coastal defense guns. He then released the rudder, spread his arms, and spoke to Edward, who looked at him as if he were a madman.

"I told you, let's wait for good luck."

Edward was about to draw his sword to perform the captain's initiation ceremony when, in the next instant, countless black specks of light suddenly fell from the sky, and dozens of steel cannonballs plummeted down!

The cannonball from the Atedis streaked across countless crimson trajectories like a meteor, instantly piercing through the warship that was trying to check on them, piercing the majestic two-masted sailing ship from the middle!
The immense kinetic energy instantly shattered the ship's keel, causing it to break in half with a terrifying creak and inevitably begin to sink.

But the biggest commotion came from the other side, where more than a dozen meteors struck the coastal artillery and fortress! The fortress, which was capable of defending against most artillery fire of this era, was simply no match for the bombardment launched from the Atedis from thousands of meters in the air. The cannons were destroyed instantly, and the gun emplacements used to defend against the enemy were rendered useless before they could even play their role!

Not only that, with the urgent sounding of the alarm, countless noble private soldiers and soldiers quickly assembled and rushed towards the ships in the port, wanting to use the cannons on the ships to attack the unknown enemy. But just as they reached the port, more than a dozen cannonballs fell from the sky, and this time, thousands of bullets also came!

The shells sent countless soldiers flying and destroyed their docks. The rain of bullets shattered the soldiers' morale, causing them to howl and try to hide in the surrounding houses. But they only took a few steps before collapsing to the ground and drowning in pools of blood.

Although there were still soldiers in the fortress and countless private soldiers in the nobles' manors, the port truly opened its arms to Li Ke and his group!
Edward was completely dumbfounded. He stared at the burning wreckage of the warships and the fortress that had been completely destroyed, utterly unable to comprehend what had happened, where the attacks had come from, or what those meteorites were all about!

But the answer is that after Li Ke finished the transaction with Calypso, he directly modified the model of the cannons on the ship, and when buying gunpowder, he bought some chemical products to improve the gunpowder formula. He even took advantage of the Atedis's ability to produce cannonballs from its own steel to slightly modify the cannonballs, which is why they showed such terrifying destructive power!

Although the inferior gunpowder caused significant damage to the cannons, the Artedis's other characteristic—its ability to absorb metal and repair itself—made these problems negligible.

"If you don't believe in good luck, then praise Calypso, Edward."

Li Ke patted the dumbfounded Edward on the shoulder, then drew his long sword and looked at the manors of the nobles.

"But next, it's hunting season. Edward, do you want to go?"

He could already sense that there were wicked nobles in the noble estates, and his holy name and contract were urging him on once again!

Various phantoms began to appear before his eyes. The sight of those nobles being rich and heartless, and oppressing the common people, made the flames in Li Ke's eyes burn brighter and brighter. Edward, who was watching from the side, even felt as if he himself was being burned.

He looked at the man who had extended the invitation to him. Reason told him he shouldn't go, because his instincts told him that nothing good would happen if he went with Li Ke. But he still drew the long sword and a musket from his waist as if possessed.

"Alright... after all, moving treasure requires manpower."

His voice trembled, but he could feel his heart racing. His reason was cursing him for making such an irrational decision, but just looking at Li Ke's back, looking into those eyes, he couldn't help but want to kick those nobles' asses! To do something he would never have dared to do before!
Moreover, he discovered that there were quite a few people like him. Those slaves who had previously been treated like dogs now showed expressions of eagerness to fight. Even the most timid slaves couldn't help but grip their long knives tightly, as if driven by something, and followed behind Li Ke, just like him.

"Let's go then, let's settle the score with those nobles!"

Li Ke charged ahead, bypassing the fallen soldiers, and rushed into a nobleman's manor amidst screams.

At this moment, chaos erupted in the manor. Countless maids and serfs huddled together in panic, while the servants frantically carried various things, trying to block the manor's gate.

But when they saw Li Ke and his men rushing over, these once arrogant servants didn't even have the courage to face them. They just turned and ran away with howls, like a pack of broken-backed dogs.

Li Ke originally intended to let them go, but the moment that thought arose, a phantom appeared in his eyes again.

He clearly saw these servants grinning as they tortured and killed several serfs' wives, smashing their infants to death right before their eyes, simply because the women were pregnant with children they shouldn't have. He also saw scenes of serfs being killed one by one within bizarre magical arrays, merely to extract a sliver of life force and so-called 'divinity'!

Not only that, there were also scenes of them abusing serfs and oppressing peasant women, and these scenes were full of their sinister smiles, which made Li Ke unable to help but cover her forehead and feel dizzy.

So he raised his hand.

"Seize them, Edward, and then prepare twenty... no, a hundred gallows for me!"

(End of this chapter)