Chapter 136
Words:1385Update:22/06/27 05:22:13
Orff's expression was uncertain in the dark. He had never expected such an outcome.
After fourteen years of planning for revenge, after paying such a heavy price, it ended in such a hasty manner. It was like the cruelest joke. If Teach was still here, he might be willing to consider giving up on this mission and wait for the next opportunity.
But now, he was alone. Orff was not sure if he could continue on this path.
He was getting older and older, and his skills were deteriorating every day. Time could bring him experience and wisdom, but it couldn't make up for his lost youth. Now, when he slept at night, his waist and legs would ache. It was getting harder and harder to deal with each battle, and the wounds on his body were healing slower and slower.
Therefore, he knew that he would not get a better chance. Tonight was the best chance he could get.
Although Teach had failed, the battle was not over yet. He still had the Queen Anne's Revenge with 90 cannons and nearly 70 sailors. If he could organize himself well, he still had a chance.
The problem was, once the news of what happened on the shore spread to the rest of the pirates, they would definitely demand to set sail immediately.
Fortunately, only Owen and the 11 men he brought back knew about the incident. Most of the pirates were on standby in front of the cannons on the second deck. The few pirates on the first deck were Orff's confidants.
Orff was silent for a moment. "Go and tell the people below that everything is normal. Ask them to prepare according to the original plan. Don't be impatient."
Owen was stunned. "Mr. Orff, as the boatswain, I can't turn a blind eye to you lying to the crew."
Orff looked at the others. "Can you give us some time?" Then, he extended his hand to Owen. "How are you feeling? Can you get up? Let's talk in the captain's cabin. I need to understand the situation in detail before I can make a final decision."
Owen hesitated for a moment, but he finally stood up with the help of the old helmsman.
The two of them arrived at the captain's cabin. Orff closed the door and moved a chair for Owen to sit on. "When and where were you attacked?"
"What's the point of discussing this now?" Owen smiled bitterly, but he still answered the old helmsman's question. "The battle started about twenty minutes ago, a street away from the governor's mansion. We basically fought and retreated at the same time. In order to escape, we even set a hotel on fire."
"You said that Elmer was killed immediately, which means that no one knows what your real purpose is." Orff pondered for a moment and said, "The wedding will definitely be postponed after this incident. Bellomont will not leave. In a while, the garrison troops will attack us. Let's fight back first and let them have a taste of the sweetness. Then, we'll send 20 people, no, 15 people to the city to kidnap Bellomont."
"I'm afraid you've already lost your mind. We've already lost. The people on the ship aren't enough to carry out your plan. Even if we take a step back and gather fifteen people while attracting the attention of the defenders, there's no one suitable to lead them." Owen shook his head.
"Let me."
"What?"
"I said, let me lead them. Why? Do you think I'm so old that I can't fight anymore?"
"I hope that you can regain your wisdom instead of putting this ship and the people on it into a more dangerous situation," Owen said. "What we need to do now is to accept our failure and leave this place. We shouldn't continue to gamble on a hopeless gamble."
"Interesting. "You have mentioned that we have failed three times in just five minutes." Orff suddenly said.
The boatswain frowned. "Isn't that normal? If you didn't want me to go along with your crazy plan, I wouldn't keep repeating this question."
Orff ignored the boatswain's reply and continued, "Ever since you entered the room, you've looked at the grandfather clock at least four times. Why? Are you in a hurry?"
"I can understand how you feel after tonight's mission failed. I saw the captain get shot with my own eyes. Right now, I'm just as sad as you are. But suspicion is not going to get us through this. The sooner we leave this place, the less damage we'll suffer."
"Let me guess why you're in such a hurry," Orff said. "Is it because if we wait any longer, we'll realize that there are no defenders chasing after you at all? Or are you worried that the captain will suddenly come back and expose your lies? "
The helpless smile on Owen's face gradually disappeared. This time, he didn't say anything.
"I've known you for so long, but this is the first time I've realized that your acting skills are so good. Orff sighed. "I have to admit that I was almost fooled by you. Do you want to know where you gave yourself away?"
Owen raised his eyebrows. "I'd like to hear the details."
"I've seen the list of fifty people in your advance team. You said that you were with Teach when the battle started. But in the end, the eleven people you brought back were all from your own team. None of them were from Teach's team. This is too much of a coincidence." Orff paused.
"Your plan tonight was almost perfect. When the fifty members of the advance team came ashore, they immediately lost contact with the ship. Then, you split up with Teach and faked traces of a battle. You killed the people in the advance team who didn't belong to you. Then, you suddenly came back covered in blood and told us that the mission had failed. At that time, most people would believe you without any hesitation. You know how the crew would react when they heard the news. They would almost certainly choose to leave this place immediately. That way, you would be able to eliminate the biggest threat on the ship without any effort." Zhang Heng nodded.
"But after losing Teach, you're the most popular candidate for the captain's position. I spent so much effort just to let you replace Teach as the captain. It's not worth it." Owen retorted.
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