34: Infiltrate the blockade: Let the hyenas kill each other.

She turned to look at Jiang Ran and offered a rational suggestion:

"Jiang Ran, there's no need to get tangled with these mad dogs."

"zero has calculated an alternate route."

"We can go around through the flooded streets of the Old City. It's thirty kilometers longer, but it's safer."

"A detour?"

Jiang Ran looked at the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, and did not adopt this seemingly wise suggestion.

"Dr. Su, you need to understand one thing."

"In this dog-eat-dog world, reputation is also a weapon."

He pointed at the greedy eyes on the screen:

"If we take a detour today, these hyenas will think we're afraid."

"They'll be like maggots on a bone, forever following our tail, trying to tear a piece of meat off us."

"And..."

Jiang Ran sneered, "The Ark's wanted notice has already been issued."

"No matter where we go from now on, we'll encounter this kind of blockade."

"Are we going to take detours for the rest of our lives?"

"Then what do you mean?" Su Qingyu looked at him.

"Strike one blow to forestall a hundred."

Jiang Ran stood up, the faint blue halo deep in his eyes glowing slightly, exuding a soul-stirring killing intent.

"I'm going to crush them under my hull."

"I want everyone in these waters to know that this black ship is taboo."

"Whoever dares to reach out a claw will have their hand chopped off."

At this moment, the image on the screen changed.

Perhaps because they had waited too long without finding their target, a commotion began to break out along the blockade line ahead.

Several smaller speedboats, in order to fight for a so-called 'best ambush position', actually opened fire directly on their nearby allies.

"Da da da!"

As soon as the gunshots rang out, the already tense situation instantly turned into chaos.

"It seems they can't even wait for themselves."

A cruel smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Ran's mouth.

"zero, maintain stealth and cut into the center of the enemy group."

"Since they want that ship ticket so badly, I'll be kind enough to send them one—a one-way ticket to hell."

"Swarm System, preheat."

"Let's go say hello to these hyenas."

The night rain was dark and gloomy.

Under the network of light woven by searchlights, more than forty armed vessels crowded into the narrow channel, like a pot of boiling porridge.

The roar of engines, the cursing of men, and the occasional accidental gunshot mixed together, forming a chaotic symphony unique to the apocalypse.

No one noticed that behind this clamor, a massive "shadow" that did not reflect any light...

...was sliding silently into the center of their formation, hugging the water's surface.

The black iron ghost activated its highest level of [Silent Navigation].

The Bio-active Metal surface was simulating the ripples of the surrounding rain and the refractive index of light.

Although a close inspection would reveal a strange distortion in the air...

...in a torrential rain night like this with terrible visibility, it was a truly transparent ghost.

Inside the cockpit, Jiang Ran held a coffee, coldly watching the holographic screen.

The nearest enemy ship—

It was a modified sand carrier mounted with a heavy machine gun, less than five meters from the black iron's port side.

Through the high-definition camera, Jiang Ran could even see the burly gunner on the deck spitting into the water.

That glob of spit traced an arc in the air, and before it could fall into the water, it seemed to hit an invisible wall and was instantly bounced away.

"What the hell?"

The gunner was stunned for a moment, rubbing his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

But he had no idea that right in front of him, within arm's reach, a Close-In Weapon System that had already finished charging was pointing dead at his head.

"Commander, we are already located in the core area of the enemy fleet."

"zero's voice was low: "To the left is the Iron Anchor Gang's capital ship, and to the right is the Jiang Long Society's flagship. Thirty meters ahead is a minefield."

"Very good."

Jiang Ran looked at these two ships that were competing for position and even had people on deck pointing at each other's noses and cursing.

"Since they want to fight so much, I'll give them a hand."

Jiang Ran put down his coffee cup and lightly tapped the control console.

"Mechanical Arm, diving mode."

"Loosen the soil for the steering gear of that ship on the left."

Beneath the water's surface, the black iron's massive Mechanical Arm reached out silently.

Like the hand of a steel water ghost, it reached the stern of the Iron Anchor Gang's capital ship.

"Crack!"

A muffled sound propagated underwater.

The ship's originally sturdy rudder shaft was easily snapped by the Mechanical Arm like a pair of chopsticks.

And it conveniently forced the rudder blade to its maximum angle.

On the surface, the Iron Anchor Gang's helmsman suddenly cried out in alarm: "Boss! The ship is out of control! The rudder is jammed! It's turning right!"

"What?! Turn it back! To the right are those bastards' mines!" the boss roared in terror.

But the out-of-control iron ship, weighing dozens of tons, simply couldn't be stopped.

Like a stubborn bull, carrying massive inertia, it crashed straight into the defense zone designated by the Jiang Long Society on the right.

"Fuck! The Iron Anchor Gang wants to double-cross us! They're ramming us!"

"Fire! Don't let them get close!"

The thugs, whose nerves were already strained to the limit, completely lost their reason at this moment.

"Da da da da!"

The gunner on the ship to the right instinctively pulled the trigger.

Tongues of fire spat out, and bullets hit the out-of-control hull, kicking up strings of sparks.

"Boom!"

Immediately after, the out-of-control bow hit a floating liquefied gas tank mine.

A violent explosion instantly tore through the night sky.

A fireball soared into the air, and the massive shockwave knocked everyone on both ships to the deck.

This explosion was like throwing a match into a room filled with gas.

"Damn it! They really did it!"

"Brothers! Kill them! Monopolize the bounty!"

The alliance, which was originally a temporary patchwork of mutual suspicion, instantly collapsed.

Everyone thought the other side wanted to monopolize those three "Ark tickets" and had struck first.

For a time, guns and cannons roared in unison along the narrow channel.

Bullets flew everywhere, and tracer rounds wove a net of death in the rainy night.

And in the center where the crossfire was most intense...

The stealthy black iron ghost, like an elegant conductor, moved leisurely through the gaps in the hail of bullets.

Stray bullets hit its armor, making crisp "ding-dong" sounds, but they couldn't even scuff the paint.

"Fight, the more lively it is, the better."

Jiang Ran looked at the red dots on the screen killing each other, his eyes cold and pleased.

"zero, release Jammer Drones. Let's add some more spice to this party."

The melee lasted for a full ten minutes.

The originally dense blockade line was now a mess.

The whirlpools of sinking ships, burning wreckage, and the screams of those who fell into the water filled this area.

But not everyone was a fool who only knew how to kill.

"Everyone, cease fire! Cease fire!!"

A roar amplified by a loudspeaker drowned out the sound of guns and cannons.

On the outskirts of the melee, a modified tugboat—the largest in size and equipped with military-grade sonar—

On the jiang dragon, a One-eyed man was staring intently at the eerie waveform on the radar screen, his face ashen.