Chapter 54: Massacre

Of course, warfare requires some tactical thinking. After all, the members of the security force aren't idiots. Seeing you ready with your cannons, they're not just going to march in to their death.

The deck of Leviathan was eerily empty, as though they had failed to summon enough sailors back in time. Mirtel and Lia were scrambling to hoist the sails, while Anna, Luca, and the others—confused and unsure—rushed over to help, but they weren't sailors, so their efforts were largely in vain.

It only made the scene seem more "real."

On the other side, the flock of seabirds appeared to be doing its best to hinder the progress of the security forces, even attacking with bird droppings. Some birds lost control and began to scatter, flying away.

When Toure and the hundreds of officers finally reached the dock, the frustration and fury inside him had reached their peak.

There weren't many ships at the dock, but Toure quickly spotted a small Galen ship that seemed to be "hastily" leaving port. The deck was sparsely manned, and the sails hadn't been raised yet; the ship was moving slowly out of the harbor but had forgotten to untie the stern line.

The ship had only moved twenty or thirty meters, with the rope still taut, and a sailor was frantically trying to cut it with a knife.

Toure didn't see Rebecca on the deck, but he saw Anna and the others in a panic.

"Hurry, hurry, open fire! Don't let them escape! They are pirates, and they've taken a noble hostage…"

Ian had been monitoring the situation through Ciri, and hearing Toure still trying to pin the blame on him at this point made him almost laugh.

The large group of officers was rushing toward the dock, and from their perspective, there was still time. They planned to first use muskets and coastal cannons to intimidate, then approach with a tugboat to board the ship.

At this moment, the rope finally snapped. Leviathan slid forward a few more meters, slowly drifting out to sea.

Toure's impatience grew, and he shouted loudly, instinctively running a few steps forward.

Seeing the moment was right, Mirtel yelled, "Fire!"

The others scattered, pulling the firing lanyards to prime the cannons.

"Boom, boom, boom…" Eight cannons fired almost simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of iron projectiles.

More than nine hundred steel balls shot out, spreading apart in mid-air, forming blooming flowers of death.

Trap—even before the cannon fire reached them, Toure felt an overwhelming sense of danger. His body shook with fear. He couldn't warn anyone in time and could only desperately activate the nearly broken protective amulet in his hands.

The crowd, who had been running just a moment ago, had no idea disaster was imminent. The iron balls, propelled by tremendous kinetic force, slammed into their bodies, tumbling through them, and exiting before ricocheting everywhere.

The once clean dock area was suddenly drenched in red, as if a bucket of paint had been thrown. Within a matter of seconds, the entire area was flooded with blood, flowing toward the sea along the edges of the dock.

The ground was littered with blood splatters, chunks of flesh, and severed limbs. The few survivors let out chilling screams, and the area had become a slaughterhouse straight from hell.

None of them had ever seen such a scene. Ian had never witnessed it. Even Toure, who survived only thanks to the final glow of his protective charm, had never seen anything like it. Everyone who witnessed it stood frozen in place.

...

"Brother, what's that sound?"

The booming cannon fire woke Rebecca up. Ian smiled down at her, saying, "It's the sound of cannons. It's my ship, and we're safe now. Go back to sleep, little one..."

Rebecca had clearly been exhausted, and before she could reply, her breathing evened out, and she fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Meanwhile, Toure had already mixed in with a group of officers who hadn't yet reached the dock. He was desperately running toward the city.

Mirtel's strategy was primarily about covering a large area, spreading out the firepower. Since Toure had been positioned farther back and had the strange amulet, he only lost an ear from the blast.

Ian thought to himself that it was a pity. The shotgun pellets were lighter and less impactful. If the firepower wasn't concentrated, it would be hard to inflict fatal damage on someone with decent protection.

"Ian, we need to leave quickly," Mirtel ordered. Stormport had coastal cannons, and once the garrison reacted, Leviathan would be in serious trouble.

With the rapid propulsion of the propeller, Leviathan sped up, heading out to sea.

Soon after, a few coastal cannons fired in the distance, but seeing that Leviathan had already moved out of effective range, they only managed a few random shots to show their presence.

The coastal cannons at Heavenport were always manned, but compared to Stormport, their response time was much slower.

By the time the three warships of the First Fleet were ready and raised anchor to give chase, Leviathan had long disappeared from sight.

The First Fleet wasn't Ian's primary target. His first target was the Second Prince and his affiliates, and only after that would he focus on the Pordria Kingdom's royal family.

In the early stages, it was crucial not to cast too wide a net, as doing so could push more factions into the Second Prince's camp. Striking strategically and picking off targets one by one was the right approach.

...

Leviathan didn't leave directly. Instead, it prepared to circle around the backside of Stormcliff and find a deep-water area to wait for a while.

The other side of Stormcliff had deep waters but steep cliffs, extending all the way to the Count's territory. There were no ports, and besides fishing boats, very few ships ventured there.

The black-and-red-skinned "rat" governor was highly annoying, and Ian planned to try and eliminate him.

Three injured "dark crows" continued to circle above Stormport, keeping a close watch on the city hall.

At this moment, all doors and windows of the City Hall were tightly shut, and the atmosphere was heavy. All the remaining officers and workers who arrived were ordered by Toure not to leave. Someone had to be on constant guard, especially on the rooftops and attics.

Even in the dock area, only a small team was sent to assist with treating survivors.

Letters were rapidly sent from the Governor's office to various areas in the city.

The booming cannon fire from earlier that morning had sent waves through the seemingly peaceful Stormport, and tensions began to rise.

...

After Leviathan left the port, Anna and the others, filled with doubts, were stopped by Lia with a gesture. Lia didn't offer any explanations but instead led them to their rooms to rest.

Lia, ever perceptive, understood that once they started talking, Ian's secrets would inevitably slip out. Until she understood Ian's stance, it was best to keep them separate. They would wait until Ian emerged to handle the situation.

On the first floor of Leviathan, there were four single rooms and two larger crew quarters. Lia deliberately left a large single room for Rebecca, while the smaller rooms were given to the older Anna and Luca. Geldo and Quincy shared one of the crew rooms.

By lunchtime, Rebecca had not yet woken.

Mirtel had prepared the lunch, which looked quite decent. Perhaps because they were now behind Stormcliff, the seas were calmer, and Mirtel delivered a separate meal to the captain's quarters.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the crew's mess was a bit tense. Everyone was eating in silence, with only occasional glances exchanged.

Luca and Anna shared a look. With Ian not around, they silently agreed to keep their suspicions to themselves for now.