Traveling through the sword to engage in military industry.

Chapter 478 Thrilling 5 Hours
Seeing the pirates gradually become alert and begin to surround Yangbo No. 1 to look for opportunities to attack the crew, Lin Liang responded quickly. He decisively ordered everyone to retreat to the blind spot as much as possible and use the cover of the hull to reduce the pirates' attack surface. Fortunately, the ship was loaded with industrial products rather than heavy iron ore, so the draft was shallow and the height of the ship's side from the sea surface was relatively high, which provided a natural barrier for the crew.

If the pirates wanted to climb onto the ship, they would undoubtedly face great difficulties. Especially after the barbed wire was installed around the hull, the difficulty increased exponentially. The barbed wire was like a huge net, isolating the pirates from the crew and making it difficult for them to approach. Unless they were extremely cruel and desperate, it would be difficult for anyone to risk being injured and climbing over the barbed wire.

However, not all areas of Yangbo No. 1 are surrounded by barbed wire. Some areas, especially the bow area where people frequently enter and exit, are not suitable for winding barbed wire for various reasons. But this does not mean that these areas are defenseless. On the contrary, due to the design characteristics of the bow, pirates who want to climb onto the ship from there also need to pay a lot of effort and cost.

The bow structure is relatively complex, with many protruding parts and inclined angles, which makes it difficult for pirates to find a stable foothold and a climbing route. Even if they have enough courage and determination to try, they often fail due to the lack of necessary support and fulcrum.

Lin Liang knew this very well, so he emphasized the defense of the bow area. He asked the crew to be vigilant at all times and pay close attention to the pirates' movements. If they found someone trying to approach the bow, they should take immediate action to stop them. At the same time, he also arranged some crew members to patrol and guard the bow area to ensure the safety of this important position.

Under the careful command of Lin Liang, the crew of Yangbo No. 1 demonstrated extremely high teamwork and crisis response capabilities. They used the advantages of the ship's hull and the weapons in their hands to successfully resist the pirates' multiple attacks and protect the safety of the ship and personnel.

The pirates were in trouble because they could not find an effective breakthrough, and their arrogance was gradually weakened.

Lin Liang keenly perceived the weakness of his own defense line, but he did not show any panic. He quickly glanced at his watch, and two hours had passed quietly. The key to victory was to delay the pirates and prevent them from stepping onto the deck of the giant ship.

So, he decisively adjusted his tactics. When the pirates just stepped into the edge of the compound bow's deadly range of more than 100 meters, Lin Liang pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the arrow broke through the air and headed straight for the enemy formation!
Even so, the accuracy of long-range shooting was greatly reduced due to the raging wind on the sea, and the arrow's trajectory was shaky, which was why Lin Liang insisted on waiting for the pirates to approach before taking action. After all, arrows are different from bullets, and air resistance can still significantly affect their direction at a distance of 100 meters.

However, this sudden change caught the pirates off guard. They had just lost several companions to the arrows of these sailors, and now they were facing this seemingly random but actually cunning long-range harassment from the other side. Although the pirates were able to barely avoid the flying arrows, no one dared to approach the giant ship easily before they could deal with this elusive archer.

"Damn it! Khun Sa and his men are simply a bunch of blind men. They rashly attacked without even knowing the enemy's strength." A pirate on one of the remaining speedboats cursed angrily, and then reluctantly suggested, "Let's retreat. This operation is bound to be a losing business."

"Ramad, you coward! Don't forget that we have guns in our hands. How could we be afraid of their broken bows and arrows?" Another pirate retorted loudly, trying to boost morale. "Vera, concentrate on driving the boat. We will avoid their water gun attacks and sail around the big ship about 100 meters, looking for a chance to kill the archer. The archer's long-range shooting is not a threat at all, don't be afraid!"

This voyage yielded nothing, and they also lost a brother on a speedboat. For many pirates, it would undoubtedly be an unbearable humiliation if they retreated in disgrace at this moment.

"How long will it take us to reach the scene of the incident?" On the bridge of the Qinchuan destroyer, Captain Li Dahe's voice was filled with a hint of urgency. His eyes penetrated the night, as if they were going to penetrate the vast ocean and directly lock onto the unknown crisis.

"Captain, based on the current speed and course, we will reach the sea area indicated by the alarm signal in about twenty-five minutes. However, considering that the target ship is not stationary but may be moving at the conventional speed of 10 knots per hour, it will take us about an hour and a half to effectively approach and take action against a dynamic target." The navigator provided the latest information quickly and accurately, his voice calm and professional.

"What's the situation with the radar? Have any suspicious targets been found?" Li Dahe asked immediately, his eyes revealing unquestionable determination.

"Captain, the radar system has not yet captured any clear target signal." The voice from the radar room was clearly transmitted to the bridge through the communication equipment, with a hint of imperceptible tension.

"Continue to monitor closely and remain highly vigilant. If you find any suspected target, no matter how big or small, report to me immediately!" Li Dahe gave the order. His face looked even gloomier under the dim light. His eyes were as sharp as torches, staring at the seemingly calm but dangerous sea ahead.

"Yes, Captain!" The response from the radar room was brief and powerful, and every word revealed absolute obedience to the order.

Time passed quietly like flowing water, and nearly three hours had passed in the blink of an eye. Although the information sent back by satellite communication from Yangbo No. 1, the giant ship attacked by pirates, still showed that everything was normal, the safety instructor was using light weapons such as compound bows to fight the pirates, successfully delaying the pirates' offensive and ensuring that the ship had not been captured.

However, Li Dahe knew that the situation was becoming more urgent as time went by. Once the pirates lost their patience, they would probably take more radical and even reckless actions, such as forcibly boarding the ship. At that time, facing the cold weapon attacks of the pirates, even if the seamen were well-trained, they would be in an extremely disadvantageous position when their advantages in hot weapons were weakened or could not be used.

"We must get there as soon as possible and not let the sailors fight alone for too long." Li Dahe said silently in his heart. His eyes became more determined, as if he had seen the upcoming decisive battle and the dawn of victory that was bound to come.

Time is ticking, and every second of delay could mean a serious threat to the lives of innocent seafarers on board. Li Dahe knows that a long stalemate will not only test the will and endurance of the seafarers, but may also trigger unpredictable violent conflicts and cause unnecessary casualties.

"Alas, it would be great if we could have a ship-borne helicopter on standby at any time on our Qinchuan." Li Dahe couldn't help but feel a complex emotion of helplessness and expectation. He stared at the vast ocean ahead. Although the destroyer's speed had been adjusted to the fastest, it still seemed inadequate on the vast sea. He knew very well that if there were helicopters, with their high speed and flexibility, they would have been able to reach the scene of the incident, quickly control the situation, and effectively curb the arrogance of pirates. As a naval officer, Li Dahe's understanding of ship-borne helicopters is not limited to simple means of transportation. He knew very well that in modern naval warfare, ship-borne helicopters play a vital role, whether it is anti-submarine, search and rescue, air defense early warning, or material transportation, or even mounting anti-submarine depth charges for anti-ship operations, they are all indispensable functions. According to the latest plan, his Luhai-class and Luyang-class destroyers should have been or will be modified with ship-borne helicopter landing and take-off platforms and hangars to meet the needs of future naval warfare.

However, reality is always full of regrets. At present, due to various reasons, ship-borne helicopters have not yet arrived, which makes the destroyer seem stretched when dealing with certain emergencies. What makes Li Dahe even more regretful is that due to the limitations of the initial design of the Jianghai-class destroyer, there is no reserved helicopter landing platform, which makes this class of destroyers even more incapable of anti-piracy, anti-submarine and other tasks.

At this moment, Li Dahe could not help but imagine a picture: if there was really a ship-borne helicopter on the Qinchuan, the pirates' arrogance would be quickly suppressed. Even if the current ship-borne helicopters are not directly equipped with mounted offensive weapons, the two 12.7mm machine guns mounted on both sides of the helicopter door are enough to cause a devastating blow to the pirates' speedboats. Under the helicopter's flexible maneuverability and powerful firepower, the pirates' speedboats may not last ten minutes before being completely destroyed.

However, reality is always cruel. Li Dahe can only hope that the destroyer can reach the scene as soon as possible, and pray that the sailors can hold on until the arrival of reinforcements. He knows that as a naval officer, he must always remain calm and firm, because in this vast ocean, he is the most solid backing for the sailors.

In another area of ​​the sea, the pirates' speedboat had been chasing the ship for an hour, but they still couldn't find an ideal opportunity to board the ship. The pirates on the speedboat began to have disagreements, and the atmosphere became tense and subtle.

"Cambuya, we really have to go back. That archer is too cunning. He shoots fatal arrows almost every time we get close to the ship. Look, this speedboat has been hit by several arrows. If this continues, we won't be able to save our own ship!" Ramad suggested retreating again, with a hint of fear and helplessness in his voice. He pointed to the deep arrow marks on the speedboat. Every arrow almost penetrated the hull, which made them terrified.

"Shut up, Ramad! You coward, you have no ambition at all!" Kambuya shouted angrily, his eyes flashing with determination, "We must not give up like this! Although the archer is powerful, he is only one person after all. As long as we unite and find the right opportunity, we will be able to get rid of him! By then, this giant ship will be ours!"

Kambua's words made the pirates waver. After all, the cargo on this huge ship was worth a fortune. If they succeeded, each of them would get hundreds of millions of dollars. Such temptation made even Ramad, who had been thinking of retreating, hesitate.

"Yes, Kambuya is right! Aren't we in this business for money? As long as we can get hundreds of millions, we can retire and live happily ever after!" A pirate echoed, his eyes flashing with greed.

"Yes! People die for money and birds die for food! We can't give up so easily!" another pirate also shouted excitedly, with a hint of fanaticism in his voice.

When the huge fortune was mentioned, the pirates' eyes became hot, as if they were injected with infinite power. They began to discuss excitedly how to divide the work, how to find the archer's weakness, and how to capture the huge ship in one fell swoop.

Driven by greed, the pirates forgot about fear and danger, and only had the desire for wealth and the vision of victory in their hearts. However, they did not know that what was waiting for them would be a more brutal battle and an unknown fate.

However, Lin Liang did not give them this opportunity.

With sufficient arrows to support him, Lin Liang never stopped his harassing shooting at the pirates. He tried his best to hide in the blind spots of the pirates' shooting range, and occasionally stuck his head out from behind the shield to shoot at the approaching pirates, leaving the pirates no chance to seize the ship.

After 5 hours of struggle, the Qinchuan finally arrived!

Although the radar on the Qinchuan could not directly detect the speedboat, Li Dahe and his team followed the huge target of Yangbo No. 500. After approaching Yangbo No. for meters, the observer who had been observing the sea surface with a night vision telescope finally discovered the pirates' speedboat!
"Captain! We found them. They're at 10 o'clock on the left rudder!" The observer above the destroyer reported loudly into the walkie-talkie excitedly.

"Order the snipers to take their positions! Kill them!" Li Dahe raised his telescope and pointed in the direction indicated by the observer. He saw the speedboat like a headless fly in the sea and shouted orders to the combat staff.

"Yes!" The combat staff immediately passed the order to the snipers on the ship. They had actually been ready at their battle positions. After receiving the order, the two snipers began to choose targets.

On the other side, the pirates also discovered something unusual, but they couldn't tell what kind of ship it was in the dark sea. They didn't think much about it and thought it was just a passing merchant ship. Their greed for wealth completely blinded their minds. A group of people still stared at Yangbo No. 1, each with red eyes, holding up their AKs and aiming at it, waiting for the damn archer on it to show up!
But this time they were destined to tragedy.

Two gunshots were heard, and two 12.7mm sniper bullets flew straight towards the pirates' speedboat!

The sound was still floating on the sea, the bullets had already hit the speedboat! One of the bullets even penetrated the oil barrels loaded on it, instantly setting the speedboat on fire!
(End of this chapter)