Latib looked at his men and asked in confusion, "Strange... Has any of you ever seen that kind of ship before?"

Someone guessed: "A fishing boat?"

"How could a fishing boat possibly have such a high speed?!"

Some speculated, "Could it be a new type of fire ship from the enemy?"

Latib frowned and remained silent.

The sentry on the watchtower shouted again, "That small boat is still approaching, and it's getting faster and faster!"

Latib acted decisively, ordering, "Order the two warships at the rear of the formation to change course and sink that ship!"

"yes!"

The two Tier 4 ships of the Imperial Fleet, forming a T-formation, raised their anchors, hoisted their sails, turned their bows, and began to flank the approaching small boats from both sides.

The black warship, similar in length to a fourth-class ship, did not slow down in the slightest when facing the approaching enemy vessels. Instead, it broke through the waves and went straight to meet them.

Two Imperial Tier IV ships, at a distance of 500 meters from the black warship, steered at a 45.5-degree angle and moved diagonally forward. As the black warship entered the encirclement, the two Imperial reconnaissance ships opened their gun ports and conducted test shots at a distance of about 450 meters.

As the two cannonballs whistled down, two huge splashes of water rose up near the black warship.

Based on the results of the test firing, the Imperial warship adjusted its angle again. At a distance of 400 meters, the ten cannons on its sides fired simultaneously, sending twenty solid cannonballs hurtling towards the black warship.

"Good!" Latib, who had been observing the naval battle closely, shouted with delight as he watched the arc of the falling shell, "Hit!"

Sure enough, one of the twenty cannonballs hit the bow of the black warship.

Contrary to expectations, there was no flying sawdust or towering flames. To everyone's surprise, the moment the shell struck the "Black Ship," a crisp metallic clang echoed across the battlefield. The solid cannonball, carrying immense force, had actually been deflected by the streamlined hull!

"Wh...what?!"

Latib stared in disbelief at the scene before him, a few more of his own whiskers appearing in his hand. Everything that was happening was completely beyond his comprehension.

After a brief moment of shock, the two fourth-tier ships ordered to engage the enemy launched a second salvo at a distance of 230 meters from the black ship.

This time, two shells hit the black ship; one struck the starboard side, and the other hit the deck directly.

The shell that hit the hull caused no damage and bounced into the sea; as for the shell that hit the deck, it created a circular dent upon impact and then bounced off as well. What's most bizarre is that the dent on the deck seemed to have a life of its own, repairing itself to a smooth surface within seconds.

At this moment, the two fourth-tier ships wanted to launch a third salvo, but the distance between them and the black ship had been reduced to 120 meters.

Two deep, dark gaps were revealed on the side deck of the black warship, and six cylindrical objects were thrown horizontally into the sky.

After a brief period of calm, the tail of the pillar spewed out scorching flames, three to the left and three to the right, each heading towards an Imperial Tier IV ship as it skimmed across the sea.

The Imperial crew, who had no idea what the missiles were, watched helplessly as six "missiles" drew closer and closer. In the end, one fourth-tier ship was hit in the hull by one of them, and another was hit in the bow by one.

Boom! Boom!

Two loud bangs!

Two flames and a small mushroom cloud formed by an explosion appeared on the sea surface. The violent shock wave pushed the seawater outward in layers, forming a small giant wave.

Even the imperial flagship, hundreds of meters away, was shaken and rocked back and forth in the sea by the two explosions.

Latibu, who had fallen to the ground, clung to the gunwale in shock, the white cloth wrapped around his head falling to the ground as well.

His eyes widened, his mouth agape, as he watched his two own warships on the sea turn into fragments that flew everywhere. He made a series of gurgling sounds, but couldn't utter a single word.