Once the exams were over, the long-awaited winter break finally arrived. From now until the 4th of March, the school would no longer have any classes scheduled.
Most of the students had already left the school. On the first day after the exams, Zhang Heng's roommate, Wei Jiangyang, was the first to leave. He and his girlfriend, Han Xiaoxiao, planned to visit Tsingtao before returning home. Chen Huadong, on the other hand, was the second to leave. He did not bring anything with him, except for the two hard drives stuffed with anime and manga in his pocket.
Ma Wei, on the other hand, planned to earn some more money before Chinese New Year. He was the last to book his train ticket — the night before Chinese New Year's Eve. After that, he hired four private tutors in one go. After the exams, he only rested for one night before opening his high school physics and chemistry exercise books.
The other three roommates in the dormitory admired Ma Wei as well. From the first day of school, he never hid his family's situation, nor did he use it as an excuse to take advantage of others. Instead, he did his best to quietly share the burden for his family. Zhang Heng knew that if he were in Ma Wei's shoes, it would be hard for him to do a better job.
He patted Ma Wei's shoulder. Zhang Heng bought his train ticket for next week, but there was something he needed to do before he left.
At 23: 37, Zhang Heng pushed open the door to the lounge on the second floor of the bar.
He greeted the bartender at the bar and walked to an empty booth. He set the alarm clock under the seat to 23: 55, closed his eyes, and began a new round of his journey.
[Verifying player's identity …]
[Verification passed. Randomly selecting player 07958 for the fourth quest …]
[Draw complete — Current quest is Black Sail]
[New Providence pirates are a serious threat to the maritime trade in the region. Any civilized country should treat pirates as the public enemy of all mankind!]
[Mission Objective: Gain a foothold in Nassau and build your own power]
[Mode: Single player]
[Time flow rate: 3,600] (One hour in the real world is equivalent to 150 days in the game. Player will be forced to return to the real world after 300 days)
[Friendly reminder: The game will officially start in five seconds. Players, please be prepared.]
… …
Zhang Heng was still thinking about where New Providence was when he heard a loud bang. He opened his eyes and saw a large hole in the cabin partition on his left. A solid iron cannonball had smashed the table next to his bed and rolled on the floor.
It was Zhang Heng's first time encountering such an exciting opening. Even during the Soviet-Finnish War, he was given a short period of safety to familiarize himself with his surroundings. This round of the game, however, gave him a welcome gift.
To make matters worse, this was just the beginning. Zhang Heng then heard the roar of the cannons and the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor outside the door.
He scanned his surroundings as fast as he could. When he heard the word 'pirate', he had a hunch. After scanning the cabin, he could finally confirm that he had once again encountered a non-modern quest.
Whether it was the decorations in the cabin or the clothes he was wearing, they all looked ancient European. Zhang Heng had no idea what era this was.
The history of piracy could be traced back to the Lucans in the 14th century BC. The ancient Egyptians had recorded their attacks on Cyprus. The Vikings from the 8th to 11th centuries AD were also very famous. Their numbers were small, but they were incomparably brave and unafraid of death. Later, there were even game companies that used them as the prototype for the Berserker class. In addition, in the 17th century, China's Fujian and Guangdong regions were also troubled by the Japanese pirates.
However, the golden age of pirates was the period between the end of the Renaissance and the early stage of the Enlightenment. With the opening of new sea routes, the expansion of colonies, and the continuous rise of maritime trade, pirates also ushered in their own glory. They could be seen on various trade routes. Powerful pirates would even fight with government forces and even attack colonial points.
As the navies of various countries grew stronger, pirates gradually retired from the stage of history. Now, only places like Somalia still had some insignificant pirates.
After briefly reviewing the history of pirates, Zhang Heng did not continue to stay in the cabin. From the direction of the cannonball, he could tell that he was now in the middle of a battle.
So, the most urgent thing to do was to leave the danger zone before a second cannonball came. If that happened, he might not be so lucky.
Zhang Heng hurriedly pushed open the cabin door and bumped into a sailor who was dragging ammunition. The sailor got up from the ground. He was young and looked like a child. Fear was written all over his face.
Without saying anything, he got up and ran to the deck with the box of cannonballs.
However, the next moment, a cannonball flew out from an open door and hit him in the chest. Zhang Heng ran to the young sailor's chest, but the young sailor's chest was completely caved in. Obviously, he could not survive.
Before he died, he held Zhang Heng's hand, his eyes filled with nostalgia for the world.
Zhang Heng had experienced the Soviet-Finnish War, and he was no stranger to such things. He knew that there was not much he could do now. All he could do was keep repeating in the sailor's ear that his injury was not serious and that he would recover soon.
However, less than half a minute later, the young sailor stopped breathing.
Zhang Heng was silent. He reached out and closed the sailor's eyes, then dragged the box of cannonballs to the ladder.
He wanted to know what was going on outside.
Coincidentally, a face poked down from above.
It was a man in his forties or fifties, with bronze skin. It was obvious that he was a man who made a living at sea all year round. He was stunned when he saw Zhang Heng, then a little angry. "Didn't I tell you that the armed forces on the ship are insufficient? I can't spare anyone to protect you. Can't you just stay in the cabin?!"
Zhang Heng was relieved when he heard that the man spoke in English. He was most worried that he was on a Spanish or Portuguese ship. If that happened, he would not be able to communicate, and the situation would become even more chaotic.
Zhang Heng stepped aside, revealing the box of ammunition behind him and the young sailor's body not far away. "Your man was unfortunately shot. I'm here to see if there's anything I can do to help."
The old sailor was a little surprised to hear that, but now was not the time to chat. The cannons on the ship were running out of cannonballs. He waved and urged, "Quick, give me the ammunition first."
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