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"Let this girl go with you? Do you think this is a joke?" Lin Meng's face immediately darkened when he didn't expect that his sister would come back and bring a female soldier with her, asking her to join the night attack with the selected soldiers.

Is it possible to joke about such a big thing?

Standing in front of his brother, Lin Mo refused to give in. "This is certainly not a joke. Shi Hao is a pearl diver, very good at swimming, and is a top-notch diver. She is the most suitable candidate."

But she's just a little girl! Lin Meng was about to say something, but the girl with the strange name stepped forward and interrupted, "I can do it! Back when I was pearl hunting, it was common for me to hold my breath and swim for miles. I can even see clearly at night. Isn't that the kind of person you want?"

This was actually not wrong, but Lin Meng scolded: "This is not a question of swimming ability, this can cost your life. You need courage and ability to do it!"

Shi Dani was delighted to hear this. "I'm very brave! I always go into the water alone when I go pearl hunting, and I never panic even when I encounter sharks. The pearls and oysters are all on the seabed, and in the dark, you never know what you'll find. Yet, I've never been bitten by a sea snake, nor have I had my arm pinched by a giant clam. So, of course, I have some skills. As for fighting, I haven't practiced long enough, so I might not be able to beat others. But as for diving, even few villagers can beat me!"

These words completely left Lin Meng speechless. He had heard of the pearl farmers, but he had never expected that pearl hunting would be such a dangerous thing, especially when a little girl said it, it was even more frightening.

A person who is familiar with water and has courage is the best candidate to carry out the mission.

Seeing that Lin Meng remained silent, Shi Dani quickly added, "My period has just ended, and I don't have any wounds on my body, so I can go in the water!"

Can you talk about menstruation so casually? Lin Meng turned his head speechlessly and looked at his sister: "Do you know that by choosing her, she might die in vain."

Lin Mo's lips turned slightly pale, but he said firmly: "I know, but I believe in her ability. As a general, you must know how to use people and not sacrifice public interests for personal gain."

Lin Meng was startled by these words, and his expression finally changed as he looked at his sister. After a long moment, he finally spoke, "She's a new recruit and hasn't handled firearms yet. She needs to stay here for some training. Only if she's capable can she go into battle."

Lin Mo and Shi Dani both showed joy on their faces. Shi Dani even said quickly, "I've seen people setting off fireworks before. Their hands are very steady and there won't be any mistakes!"

Whether there would be any mistakes or not would have to wait until they went into battle. There were countless people who practiced well but were useless in battle. Who could say for sure? However, Lin Meng kept these words to himself. This night raid was too important for him and Luoling Island. There was no room for error. The more people who could be used, the better. Since she wasn't afraid of death, he might as well give it a try.

The deal was settled, but Huang Yue still couldn't believe it. When Shi Dani came back, she grabbed her and said, "Are you really going to die? Don't you want to live?!"

"This isn't suicide; this is about liberating the island." Shi Dani had already learned Lin Mo's words and said excitedly, "As long as we can sink the enemy ship, no more lives will be lost on the island. This is also a way to fight the enemy!"

"You...you..." Huang Yue didn't know what to say. This was too hasty. Did she even know what she had chosen? "This could cost her life. Even those elite soldiers would die, let alone you..."

"I'm not afraid of death." Shi Dani interrupted her, finally showing a serious expression. "I was afraid when I went to sea, and I was afraid when I rowed away from the village, but I'm not afraid now. This is not for a basket of pearls that are cheaper than rice, nor for my own worthless life. It's for the Red Flag Gang and for everyone on the island. If my death can save so many people, what's so scary about death?"

Huang Yue was stunned. Wasn't she going to fight in the battlefield to make merit and to fight the enemy?

Shi Dani seemed to understand her bewilderment and smiled. "My parents said that gratitude should be repaid. The gang has taught me so much, and the gang has given me so much. Of course I must repay them with my life. Besides, I can protect myself in the sea. Why should I die?"

Something stuck in her throat. Huang Yue clutched the dark little hand and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "I'll wait for you to come back."

Shi Dani shook it back firmly and nodded heavily.

With a clear goal in mind, the incident on the city wall seemed insignificant. All efforts were concentrated in one place, and in less than half a day, the trial barrel was completed.

It was a large wooden barrel half a man's height, painted black, with a fuse wrapped in oilcloth to keep it out of the water. Of course, when testing on land, the fuse had to be stretched, but even so, the explosion was earth-shattering and terrifying.

But this was exactly what they needed. Without saying a word, Lin Meng ordered people to speed up the production of gunpowder barrels. Based on the suggestions of several fishermen and Shi Dani, patterns such as waves, fish eyes, and turtle backs were painted on the barrel walls. At night, people would really think it was a big fish in the sea, so it was nicknamed "torpedo" by everyone.

After a week and a night of hard work, the torpedo was finally completed. After making sure that everyone had learned the key points of transportation and ignition, a group of elite strikers who were proficient in water, including Shi Dani, set off with the powder keg.

Luoling Island indeed had only two spots ideal for anchoring. The rest were either too rocky or had turbulent undercurrents, making it easy for ships to run aground and sink. However, while docking wasn't possible, launching wasn't impossible. Under cover of darkness, sampans were launched into the sea. Each boat carried two people: one rowing, the other conducting the mission. Thirty-one boats in total vanished into the pitch-black sea.

Standing on the shore, Huang Yue couldn't help but put his hands together and pray to General Zhenhai.

…

On moonless nights, the sea was always pitch black, the waves rising and falling, and the wind howling with an uncanny creak. Even if one was familiar with the nearby water patterns, as the boat drifted on the surface, the fear of being swept away by the wind and waves would still arise. No one on the boat spoke, no one made any unnecessary movements, just rowing hard, holding onto the wooden barrel, staring at the vast fleet in the distance.

The decks of each battleship were lit with lights, stretching endlessly and boundlessly, like a fire dragon floating on the water, making the small boats look even smaller and more pitiful. However, they were not ants, and the torpedoes in their hands were certainly not.

When they were three or four miles away from the fleet, the rowers stopped. This was the agreed distance. If they went any further, even if the sampan was painted black, there was a possibility of being discovered by the enemy. They could only swim across.

Shi Dani didn't hesitate at all. She tied the torpedo to her body and was about to jump into the sea. Unexpectedly, a voice suddenly sounded behind her: "Be careful."

He was the one rowing her boat, and the most reluctant of all the selected players. Who wouldn't be upset and angry to be forced to row a little girl instead of fulfilling their important mission? He hadn't been in a good mood the entire way, but who would have thought that when they were about to enter the water, he would throw out these words.

Shi Dani smiled, but in the darkness, no one could see her tiny smile. Without answering, she leaped into the sea with the bucket.

Even with the medicine in the bucket, it still had buoyancy. Shi Dani, small and a good swimmer, actually used this buoyancy to swim swiftly. Her entire body was covered in black water, and she was completely immersed in the black sea. Only the bucket with the fish's eyes painted on it rose and fell, like a large fish swimming at night.

However, such a disguise could only last for a mile. Before they actually reached the fleet, there would be patrols. Even with the disguise, it was not foolproof. Without hesitation, Shi Dani took a deep breath, hugged the wooden barrel and dove into the water. She rushed down several feet before continuing to swim forward.

The winter seawater was icy cold, a chill that could freeze the body, but for Shi Dani, it felt familiar, like returning home. More alert merchant ships would have thrown blood bait around their ships at anchor at night to attract sharks and prevent pirate attacks. However, these Xisai gunboats were reckless, not even a single patrol boat was visible, leaving her with no problem approaching the fleet.

Although there were thirty-one of them, no one could be sure where they would swim to when operating at sea, so they could only bomb whichever ship they saw. Shi Dani was not in a hurry, and continued to swim deeper for a long time before quietly emerging.

A large ship was anchored beside her. Even in the darkness, she could tell it was a size larger than the others. That was it! Shi Dani swam to the ship, pulled a dagger from her waist, clasped her hands, and stabbed it hard into the hull. The tip of the knife penetrated the wood, though not deeply, but it remained fixed. Shi Dani repeated the same process, stabbing a second dagger into the wood.

With two fulcrums, Shi Dani finally untied the ropes on her body and fixed the barrel to the hull. In this way, the barrel was off the sea and would not be easily extinguished by the waves.

Next is the most critical part. Shi Dani took a deep breath, groped to find the area covered by oilcloth, tore a small hole, took out an oilcloth bag from her arms, and took out the cloth and flint.

The cloth wasn't wet, and neither was the flint. Shi Dani breathed a sigh of relief, carefully wiped the water marks on her hands, and gently touched the fuse to make sure it wasn't wet either, then she picked up the flint.

Snap, snap, snap, chi… a tiny flame burned on the thread head. Shi Dani opened her eyes wide with excitement. It’s done! It’s done!

The next moment, as if suddenly reacting, she dove downwards, diving into the water. She had seen the sound of a torpedo exploding. Even a long fuse stretched out on flat ground would burn to the end in a moment, let alone this short length. She had to sink, swim farther, to avoid being affected by the explosion.

Shi Dani's movements were certainly quick, but the fuse was even faster. Almost instantly, the flames burned to the end. The next moment, a dull bang pierced the night.

A turbulent wave of air surged from behind Shi Dani, tumbling her forward. In her years of pearl diving, she had encountered countless treacherous undercurrents, but nothing like this. She immediately swayed and choked. Yet, she didn't panic, didn't struggle, and didn't even look up to see her progress. She simply steadied herself and swam desperately forward, fleeing the turbulent sea.

The ship must have exploded, and it must have taken on water. When a ship sinks, it can be fatal. Undercurrents and whirlpools can drag the best sailors to the bottom of the sea. She must escape, the farther the better!

However, the loud noise seemed to have awakened some demon. Continuous explosions were heard, and the entire seabed began to boil. The violent ocean currents raged, as if people were thrown into a laundry bucket.

With her ears buzzing, Shi Dani gritted her teeth and continued to dive. She wanted to dive deeper and swim farther. She had completed her mission and now she had to survive!

I don’t know how long she swam or how far she swam, but when she ran out of breath, Shi Dani finally emerged from the sea.

Her whole body was in pain, her ears were buzzing and she could no longer hear anything, but her eyes could still see what was happening on the sea.

In the distance, the fire was blazing. Not only the torches, but also the sails and decks, everything within sight was burning, as if the fire dragon had come alive.

Perhaps there were screams, curses, and the creaking of the ship, but unfortunately she could hear nothing at that moment.

Shi Dani smiled, her mouth wide open, and laughed heartily. After she finished laughing, she turned her head and looked behind her. She had lost her direction during the previous dive, and she could no longer find the small boats on the sea.

But it doesn’t matter, she can still see Luoling Island, the huge dark island.

That was her home.

Regardless of the pain in her back, Shi Dani swam hard towards Luoling Island.