maritime.
In the dimly lit cabin, Sebastian was still curled up in the corner, his pale face covered in sweat, which dripped from his chin onto his clasped hands.
His equally pale lips moved as he murmured, "We'll be entering the port soon..."
"Almost there...almost there, please don't let the cannons fire...just like that...let me go back..."
As he muttered to himself, hurried and heavy footsteps came from outside the tightly closed hatch. Sebastian knew from the sound of these footsteps that something new must have happened.
He struggled to lift his gaze to the hatch, praying in his heart that no more bad news would be sent.
With a loud bang, the hatch was pushed open forcefully.
Sebastian saw the bloodless face of his adjutant, Mark.
"Sir."
Mark's voice was choked with emotion, and his eyes were filled with despair. Sebastian sensed something, and he loosened his clasped hands, looking up at Mark.
Then, he swallowed hard and asked in an almost groaning tone, "Will we be able to get back safely?"
Mark shook his head, remained silent for a moment, then his expression suddenly became calm, and he said:
"A message for retaliation has been sent from the lighthouse."
"We cannot return to port. The dock has been blocked, and all warships are unable to pass through the pass."
As the calm voice faded, Sebastian, supporting himself against the wall, staggered to his feet. He looked at Mark's expressionless face and, without warning, let out a bitter laugh.
"Shouldn't a lighthouse...guide us and lead us back home?"
"The port is right in front of us, and the enemy is right behind us. Don't Bernhardt and his men understand how strong their forces are? How should we launch a counterattack?"
His voice grew louder and louder, until it almost roared:
"Isn't it like they're sending us to our deaths?!"
“Yes,” Mark nodded.
Upon hearing this, Sebastian angrily rushed forward, but Mark stepped back to avoid him. Sebastian roared and continued to yell at him:
"They're trying to kill us! Mark! How can you be so indifferent! Have you already accepted this outcome?!"
Mark remained expressionless. He adjusted the slightly askew brim of his hat and then said:
“The dock is ready to fire, and even if we don’t retaliate, we will still be blocked outside the port.”
"And the shelling is about to begin."
"Forcibly breaking through the checkpoint will allow us Yan people to enter the dock with us."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sebastian flew into a rage and roared, "How is that possible?! Just let us into the pass, then launch an artillery barrage against the Yan people!"
"Why drag us and the Yan people down with you at this time?!"
"Sir, please come out and take a look at what we're facing now."
Mark suddenly turned around and walked straight towards the stairs.
Watching his departing figure, Sebastian remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and ran after him.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
A biting wind howled through the air, and swirling snowflakes filled the air. As soon as Sebastian stepped onto the deck, the cold weather made his face sting. But when he looked ahead...
The brightly lit dock came into view, but he couldn't see any people on it, which made him realize that the soldiers had already entered the fortifications, a sign that an artillery barrage was imminent.
The once flat harbor is now fortified with long rows of sandbag fortifications. These extra fortifications are enough to show that the defenders have made thorough preparations. Although no one is visible at the moment, there is no doubt that a large force is stationed inside these fortifications and in the positions behind them.
They want to prevent anyone from entering the land; the entire port of Bruno has been completely blocked.
“Look behind us,” Mark said calmly, standing in the strong wind.
Sebastian quickly turned around to look behind him, but as soon as he turned around, he froze, as if he had turned into a stone statue.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, thick white smoke rises into the air, swirling towards the snowflakes. The heat melts the snowflakes, creating a hazy, indistinct effect.
In this hazy mist, the outlines of countless steel behemoths became indistinct. Due to the current blurry vision, Sebastian could not make out how many behemoths there were, but the less clear they were, the more terrified he became of the enemies lurking in the fog.
It was like being in a nightmare. A shepherd was herding his flock back to the pen in a thick fog, and just as he was about to open the pen door, he suddenly turned around and saw thousands of wolves staring at him from the fog behind him.
But the scene unfolding before his eyes was not a nightmare; it was real.
Sebastian stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. The fear in his heart made him want to shout, but in such a close situation, he was afraid that his shouts would be heard by the enemies behind him.
He trembled violently, gripped by fear and despair. Sebastian's mind went blank. He turned his head sharply to look at the port ahead, then quickly turned back to look behind him.
"Sir, the situation is urgent. The Yan people want to follow us and break through the pass, but at this distance, we cannot turn around to counterattack."
“It’s all too late.” By now, Mark has become more at peace and has calmly accepted the reality of his impending death.
Sebastian clutched his head, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, bloodshot and gaping. He opened his mouth wide and let out a silent howl.
Mark turned to look at him and said, "There's only one last thing we can do."
With a "bang".
Unable to hear a word, Sebastian collapsed to the ground in despair, letting out weak groans. Mark walked past him expressionlessly, muttering to himself:
"We must bring the fleet and block the dock."
"Coming here... can be considered..."
"Let's go back to our motherland."
After murmuring, a faint smile appeared on his lips. He reached out and wiped the thin layer of snow off his epaulets, then called out towards the captain's cabin:
"We have reached the finish line!"
"Lower the anchor!"
"Aaaaah!" A suppressed wail finally escaped Sebastian's lips as he knelt on the deck, crying out hoarsely towards the harbor ahead:
"Why did it turn out like this?!"
"Why did it turn out like this?!"
"I just want to go back!"
And after a moment, amidst his continued desperate cries,
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
In an instant, countless flames appeared on the Yan Army fleet's artillery emplacements behind them, and with the appearance of the flames, explosive shells streaked through the night sky.
The cold snow melted on the scorching shells, and in a drizzle, the shells fell into the black powder fleet.
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