Chapter 178

Although the warships were the primary battlefield, the tower ships were still too close, and some shell fragments inevitably caused damage to the hulls. Not to mention some pirates who had launched attacks and attempted to board and even slash the bottom of the ship, these were all troubles that needed to be addressed. Therefore, in addition to arranging personnel for long-range attacks, the captain also issued patrol and ship repair missions.

Repair skills aren't universally available, and while most players covet the higher-rewarding missions, they're forced to choose patrol missions, which require less effort. Many players are skilled in water, but the captain forbids them from entering the water. Players, raised in a society governed by the rule of law, respect life and wouldn't seek to take it. The pirates underwater, on the other hand, are cunning and desperate. Even the most skilled players would be at a disadvantage in a confrontation. Of course, as long as they stay within the water, the captain allows them a certain degree of freedom.

Bei Qiao, who didn't know how to repair a ship and had never served in the military, joined the patrol along with the others. Besides the decks, the interior corridors were also within the player's patrol range, to prevent the emergence of traitors among the natives, who could sabotage the ship from within and even endanger the lives of others.

To prevent players from getting lost, patrol teams are led by a staff member and follow a fixed route, always keeping watch for stray bullets. Individuals are not allowed to patrol alone during patrols, and any unusual activity must be reported immediately. If you need to log off for any reason, you must report it and follow the team to a safe location.

"Hello, your mask is so beautiful. Where did you buy it?" The female player on the same team's eyes lit up when she saw Bei Qiao: Please give me the link, no, please give me the store address.

“I didn’t buy it, it was given to me by a friend.”

"Is that so..." The female player ended the topic regretfully: "I was originally planning to buy one. This mask is so beautiful. Even in the night, it doesn't look scary. Instead, it adds a sense of mystery."

The other male players on the same team also noticed the mask on Bei Qiao's face. For the Fourth Calamity, wearing a mask was not a strange thing. These male players themselves had their own bizarre appearances, many more than wearing a mask. However...

"Did you do that on purpose?" He insisted that it was a gift from a friend. Would you chat with him?

"No buddy."

“Nothing”

"She should be a girl." The male player who was speaking raised his toes a little while shooting without the ball: She's a little tall, tsk.

Everyone only had a brief exchange when they were divided into teams. After the patrol began, everyone quickly quieted down, staring at the patrol directions assigned by the staff, and watching as they walked.

Because of his high martial arts level, Bei Qiao was placed at the back of the group, guarding against potential sneak attacks from behind. However, while no sneak attacks were encountered, several stowaways were spotted. Originally, patrols by staff were less frequent, allowing stowaways to hide on the ship. However, with the addition of players, patrols became more frequent and intensified, with every nook and cranny repeatedly searched by different teams. Stowaways had no time to relocate, leaving them vulnerable to players digging them out from corners with their heads drooping.

The stowaways who were pulled out only knew that something happened outside, but they were not quite sure what exactly happened. After being discovered, those who could not run away surrendered, while those who still wanted to hide took advantage of the opportunity when others were not paying attention, covered their faces and ran away.

There are extra task rewards for catching people, so the players naturally didn't want to let them go. They shouted and chased after them. A few players who were worried about getting lost were so considerate that they carried the staff on their backs as they went along.

Bei Qiao's Qinggong skills were exceptional. He only leaped forward three steps before twisting the arm of the stowaway behind him, pinning him down. Seeing this, the other players quickly abandoned the stowaway and chased after the others. However, at that moment, a stray bullet struck. The stowaway, focused on the players behind them, hadn't noticed the danger ahead. He was struck by the shrapnel and sent flying several meters before crashing into the railing behind him. He nearly landed a bullet on several players chasing him.

"Oh my god!" The player who was carrying the staff member patted his chest with lingering fear: "It's a pity that I can't run fast while carrying a person..." If he ran faster, he would be knocked away by that person.

"Captain, who does this person belong to?" Under the watchful eyes of other patrol teams, the players took the unlucky guy off the railing.

"It counts for everyone, and the person who finds it gets an extra share." The staff member gestured to the player to put himself down, took out a hammer from the toolbox next to him, and smashed the crooked railing back to prevent anyone from falling from here.

Including other patrols, the players found a total of seven stowaways on the ship. All of them were thrown into the cabin without exception, waiting to be dealt with after the incident was over.

After handing the stowaways over to the officers responsible for their detention, the players continued their patrols. Heavy crossbows atop the ship would occasionally whistle, sending any pirates approaching the ship to the bottom of the sea. Water-savvy crew members would also descend from the cabins to deal one-on-one with any pirates attempting to sink the ship.

"Girl, girl! Look here! Wow, hahaha..." A few pirates who had managed to avoid the crossbow arrows saw a girl's face flash by among the people patrolling on the deck. They took off their pants in the water on the spot, twisting their bodies and laughing wildly.

"Bah, a bunch, a bunch..." The female player, not very good at speaking, was so angry after being bullied that she didn't know how to respond. She simply looked around for something handy, ready to use force to make her point. She searched for a while, unable to throw away the tools in the toolbox, and finally grabbed a fishing rod that someone had left on the deck. She swung the hook at the pirate with all her might, hitting him squarely between the thighs.

"Ahhh!" The fishing line was very thin and the fishhook was very small, and it was inconspicuous in the night. When the pain hit the pirate's brain, the pirate, who was still twisting and turning, realized that something had attacked him, and he let out a fierce scream that even the sound of cannonballs could not suppress.

"Hiss..." Seeing this, all the men present reflexively clamped their legs together: It really hurts just looking at it.

"Hmph, bah! You deserve it!" The female player sneered, lifted her fishing rod, and began to tease the pirate: "Do you really think women are easy to mess with? If the venue didn't allow it, I'd tear your head off! You shameless beast!"

"In one word, awesome!" Players from other patrol teams gave her a thumbs up: She is a role model for us, this is how we should treat hooligans!

The hooked pirate screamed and thrashed like a hooked fish. His companions moved away from him, fearing they would be tangled up in the pain. However, there was more than one hook on the line, and as the pirates darted around in the water, other hooks also snagged several pirates. The screams gradually grew in number, rising in pitch, and finally became a chorus.

Not all the pirates who were hooked were fools, but now everyone was on the same boat. As long as there was a fool who kept running around and couldn't stop, the others would be strangled to the point of mental breakdown like the fish that were caught. They would try to break free but would be forced to rush around in the water. If they didn't keep up, a piece of flesh would be torn off by the hook.

"Wow, this is spectacular." The players quietly peeked in.

"Who said it wasn't?" The staff forcibly withdrew everyone's onlookers: What are you looking at? You are still in danger!

The pirates screamed and struggled beside the ship, but the crew members who had entered the water didn't dare approach, focused solely on dealing with the other pirates who had been sabotaging the ship. Upon learning of this, the captain sent staff to the warehouse to fetch some fishing rods, which they distributed to the players. They were instructed to stand guard beside the ship in various directions and cast their rods whenever they saw a pirate underwater. Regardless of whether they caught a target or not, the pressure was palpable.

Bei Qiao didn't pick up his fishing rod, but simply watched the others fishing as he patrolled the boat. Interestingly, besides hooking the pirate, someone else also landed a fish. As it was pulled out of the water, the fish struggled mightily, slapping the nearby pirate several times with its tail, nearly making the player let go of it with laughter.

The lesson from the past was still fresh in their minds. Seeing the fishing rods expand from one to dozens, the other pirates were so frightened that they sank to the bottom, swimming a long way before daring to come out for air. Rescue was non-existent; the idea of ​​mutual assistance was completely lost. However, other places were not safe either. Some pirates were struck back by cannonballs as soon as they emerged, leaving only a pool of muddy blood floating on the surface, slowly diluted and faded by the seawater.

The fishing rod originally held by the female player had been tied to the railing by the boat by the staff. Although the pirate screamed miserably, if they worked together, it was still possible to pull the pirate off the boat. To avoid this situation, the staff reminded all players to immediately insert the fishing rod to the railing after the pirate took the bait. If there was no time, they could just abandon the fishing rod, as it was not worth much anyway.

The pirates still in the water: Who the hell took the bait and treated me like a fish?!

The pirate tried to pull out the fishhook with all his heart, but was held tightly by his accomplices: Let go, sir! Let go!

"Oh my god, hahaha!" A soldier on a distant warship saw this scene and burst into laughter. As a result, his superior slapped him on the back of the head: "What are you laughing at?"

"It's okay!" The soldier pursed his lips tightly, and laughter kept leaking out from the corners of his mouth, making a puffing sound like air being released.

"Focus!" The officer slapped him on the head again.

"I understand!" The soldier slapped his face hard: Calm down, hold it in, or you'll have to practice more.

The pirates refused to give up easily, but their small boats failed to catch the fish, and the warship was outrunning them. Before the pirates and the warship could even decide the outcome, the warship had already run away with the unlucky fish caught on its hooks.

After making sure they were out of range of the bombardment, the captain ordered his men to tie the fishing rods to a plank and throw them into the water. It would then depend on their luck whether the pirates on the rods would drown or be captured by the freed-up navy.