Even with Alvaro's composure, he could not help but shudder when he heard the first mate's report. He could not imagine how the enemy had destroyed all the warships in a single night without them noticing.
"There's no need to wait. Pass down the order. Abandon the warships and leave this place on the small boats. "As expected of a veteran, Alvaro acted decisively and without any hesitation.
"Yes, sir!" The first mate performed a military salute before turning around and leaving.
Alvaro stood tall and straight on the bow of the warship, his furrowed brows still furrowed.
"The enemy definitely has a backup plan after setting up such a vicious scheme." He had only ordered the escape on the small boats because he was hoping for a fluke.
Alvaro, who had spent his entire life on the battlefield, knew full well that this was often the case on the battlefield. The more you hoped for a fluke, the more likely it would happen. Considering the worst-case scenario had long since become the instinct of a general on the battlefield.
The problem was, there was no other path of retreat in the vast sea. Alvaro's deep gaze seemed to be able to see the bloody scene of the battlefield.
Ten minutes later, thousands of spare small boats were lowered from the warship, and the sailors hurriedly transported the necessities of survival onto the small boats.
The NPC army was bound by military discipline, so most of them could still maintain their calm. Under the command of their respective commanding officers, teams of players boarded the small boats in an orderly manner.
However, the adventurer players were different. With so many people, it was inevitable that there would be crowding and queue jumping. Those with even the slightest bit of navigational knowledge knew that the emergency boats on the warship were not enough to accommodate all the crew members.
Not to mention, some of the small boats also had to carry supplies.
Thus, no matter how much people squeezed, there would still be some who could not board the small boats. Those who boarded the small boats had a chance of survival, but those who did not would not escape death.
In the face of the threat of death, very few people could remain calm. Compared to the NPC army, the adventurer players valued their lives even more. Every reincarnation was equivalent to returning to their original state.
The further they went, the more chaotic the situation became.
Seeing the small boats being filled one after another, the people still on the deck could no longer remain calm. Shoving, shoving, shouting, and even fighting took place on the warships.
Aside from the adventurer players, even the sailors on the ships panicked. They no longer had the mood to work, and they all joined in the fight for the small boats.
The scene was chaotic.
"Scram, you lowly commoners!"
Amidst the clamor, this shout was still very ear-piercing.
On a large Spanish ship to the left, a young adventurer player with a cold expression stabbed a middle-aged sailor in front of him with a thin sword, killing him on the spot.
Fresh blood flowed all over the deck, and it was exceptionally glaring.
The young man pulled out his Spanish rapier and carelessly wiped it on the sailor's corpse before sheathing it. When the surrounding sailors saw this scene, their eyes flashed with anger and fear.
There was a commotion in the crowd.
Seeing that the other sailors were looking at him, the cold-looking young man did not think that he had done anything wrong. Instead, he shouted, "What are you looking at? What right do you lowly commoners have to be in front of us?"
It had to be said that since the beginning of the game, there were still many players who did not treat NPCs as humans. In their eyes, these NPCs were nothing more than a bunch of data. So what if they were killed?
In front of NPC sailors, players felt that they were a cut above others.
Therefore, not only did the other players not condemn the cold-looking young man's actions, they even followed his example. If it was light, they would push the sailors in front of them away. If it was heavy, they would directly clash with their weapons.
Even if there were players who did not approve of it, they would only silently make a fortune and would not step forward to stop it.
How could these sailors be a match for the adventurer players? Not to mention them, even the NPC soldiers were no match for the adventurer players in terms of individual combat power.
With the connivance of some people, in less than ten minutes, more than twenty sailors fell into pools of blood, and there were countless heavily injured people. The crowded queue immediately became much more relaxed.
Such behavior finally provoked the public's anger.
Sailors were also human, and in moments of life and death, they would also explode with extraordinary strength.
"Brothers, fight them to the death!" A man raised the club in his hand.
"Fight them to the death! If they don't give us a way out, don't even think about leaving alive. At most, we'll die together!" If they could not board the ship, they would die. Since that was the case, why would the sailors be afraid of fighting the players?
Thus, the chaotic battle on the deck began.
The players and the sailors fought. Although the sailors suffered heavy casualties, it was inevitable that some players would be killed by the sailors in the chaos of battle. This further aroused the hostility in the hearts of the players.
Early in the morning, the huge sense of defeat had already made them breathless. Now, even this group of "lowly commoners" dared to resist. How could the players not be angry?
Some of the players who were originally hesitant joined the battle one after another.
As a result, the sailors suffered heavy casualties. The small-scale disturbance gradually evolved into a large-scale internal strife. In fact, there was even an embarrassing confrontation between the players who had already boarded the ship and the sailors.
The two groups were completely divided.
Even the NPC soldiers had a flash of anger in their eyes when they saw their compatriots being slaughtered. If not for the officers coming forward to suppress the situation, it would probably have escalated into an even greater internal conflict.
When Alvaro received the news, his beard trembled in anger. At a time like this, these Inhumans were still so unscrupulous. They were truly unreasonable and despicable.
"Tell those bastards to stop, or don't blame me for being rude." Alvaro's expression was gloomy.
"Understood!" The first mate retreated with a troubled expression.
The Alliance Fleet Command had almost zero restrictions on the players. The adventurer players were all voluntary. Now, the only ones who could restrain these players were the Overlord players and the guild leaders.
The Overlord players were also very dissatisfied with this farce. Those sailors were their subjects, not cabbages. How could they not be angry when the guild players harvested their lives just like that?
At this moment, a big-bearded player suddenly stood up and shouted, "Brats, stop when you've had enough. Don't go too far!"
Under the effect of his vigorous qi, a loud voice spread throughout the entire sea.
Strangely enough, with just this shout, most of the players wisely stopped and quickly left the battlefield. The sailors who were beaten up naturally did not have the courage to continue. They silently retreated to the side and licked their wounds.
This was because the big-bearded player was none other than the leader of the Madrid Mercenary Group, the number one guild in Spain. He was also the number one expert in Spain — Pepe.
Among the Spanish adventurer players, Pepe's prestige was still very high. Most of the players were willing to give Pepe face and stop.
Because of Pepe's appearance, the whole matter was settled just like that.
As time passed, the cabin was flooded faster and faster. The large sailboats continued to sink, and the speed of their sinking was clearly accelerating. Whirlpools had begun to form on the surface of the sea.
"Quick, retreat immediately, don't care about the supplies!"
Alvaro jumped onto a small boat and gave an urgent military order.
"Retreat, the whirlpools are about to form!"
"Quick, hurry up and row, faster!!!"
There was no need for Alvaro's reminder. More than 1,500 small boats of the first battle group had already begun to flee in panic. Any sailor with a little common sense knew what a disaster it would be for the small boats once the whirlpools were completely formed.
On the vast surface of the sea, such a spectacle appeared.
One by one, the large sailboats quickly sank to the bottom of the sea like behemoths that had fallen into a swamp. First the hulls, then the decks, and finally even the masts and exquisite sails disappeared from the sea.
Along with them disappeared the glory of the Spanish Invincible Fleet.
Water whirlpools formed one after another on the surface of the sea, strung together like rainwater falling into a pond and creating ripples. However, these ripples were unusually large and dangerous.
The densely packed small boats crowded around the periphery of the whirlpools were so terrified and helpless. The players on the small boats were filled with despair. Last night, they were still thinking about defeating the ocean-going fleet and defending the glory of the country.
When they woke up, they were already stray dogs.
The huge drop, the heavy blow, made the proud Spaniards numb. Even a meritorious general like Alvaro could not inspire the morale of the soldiers.
Half an hour later, the battle reports of the other battle groups were reported to the shabby "headquarters."
Spanish maritime communication used a kind of white seagull to deliver letters. Therefore, even after such a huge change, the communication between the battle groups could still be unimpeded.
Reading the report, Alvaro's mood sank to the bottom.
Not only the first battle group, but the second, third, and fourth battle groups were also experiencing the same scene. Only the fifth battle group, as the reserve team, was temporarily spared.
The fifth battle group was only the reserve team. There were less than 20 Spanish large sailboats, the rest were carrack large sailboats and miscellaneous sailboats.
Before the battle, Alvaro had never thought of joining the fifth battle group. Now, the fifth battle group seemed to be the only hope of the entire Invincible Fleet.
The four battle groups, a total of more than 6,000 small boats, under Alvaro's unified command, gathered majestically toward the fifth battle group, seeking shelter.
Such small boats could be completely overturned by a slight tsunami.
"I hope we can send these boys back safely!" Alvaro sighed.
It was not that Alvaro did not know that there might be something fishy about the fifth battle group surviving. It was just that he had no other choice. This kind of stifling battle made him feel very helpless.
It was like the enemy had set up a heavy trap. You knew it was a trap, but you had no choice but to fall into it. It was only because in the heavy trap, there was bait left to give people hope.
This was the brilliance of the Shanhai City fleet's strategy. In Zheng He's words, "The fifth battle group is a bait, gathering all the Spanish fleet together and then capturing them in one fell swoop."
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