Chapter 311: Gone in One Shot
The sudden ambush from behind sent a chill down Philipa's spine, covering her in goosebumps.
If not for the alert skeleton behind her,
she might have already lost half her head.
Forget setting sail or being an informant.
She would have died right at the port.
Philipa glared angrily at the pirates behind her.
A pirate with yellowed teeth stood in the front, coldly saying, "Philipa, you think we're stupid? You kept getting taken out of the cell, and now you've escaped… you must be up to something."
Hearing this, all the pirates turned their attention toward her.
Philipa's heart pounded in her chest. Her anger from the ambush quickly turned into a trace of panic.
Forcing herself to calm down, she cursed, "That's the excuse you're going with? You begged me to save you in the cell, and now that we've almost escaped, you start infighting?"
"Then how do you explain constantly being taken out?"
"Explain your mother! If I didn't make connections, how would you idiots have gotten out?" Philipa glanced at the growing torchlight in the distance and added, "Or maybe you're the guild's informant, trying to stall us so we all get caught?"
Feeling the suspicious glances from the other pirates, the yellow-toothed pirate cursed, "Bullshit! Everyone knows I hate the guild…"
"Enough of your crap. If you want to stay here and die, be my guest. Anyone who wants to live, get on the ship, and let's get out of this hellhole!" Philipa shouted, signaling the pirates behind her to board the ship.
Swish~!
The long blade turned again.
The yellow-toothed pirate blocked her way, saying, "Philipa, you go to another ship. This one's ours."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? There are plenty of ships—just take one!"
The yellow-toothed pirate eyed the barrels on the ship, "You go to another ship, or we'll drag this out until the guild and the guards get here, and we all die together."
"You really are scum."
"If you want to be a pirate, you've got a lot to learn," he sneered.
"Wait for the sea god's punishment." Philipa gritted her teeth and then called to her group, "Let's find another ship."
"Hahaha!" The yellow-toothed pirate laughed and told his crew, "Come on, let's get on board and enjoy our freedom back at sea."
Philipa quickly ran toward the original dock.
Behind her, aside from a few heavily wrapped skeletons, only six pirates followed.
They were the ones who had already agreed to escape with her back in the cell.
At the dock, seeing a ship with a rope ladder already in place, Philipa smiled with relief and called for everyone to board.
They untied the mooring rope and sailed toward the open sea.
Meanwhile, on the island, the chasing torchlight drew closer.
......
Splash~!
The guild's squad and the Gold-Silver Island's guards arrived at the port one after another.
"Deputy Steward, two ships have left the port—one sailing ship and one medium-speed boat," a ranger reported.
A large number of trained beasts circled above the sea, relaying information back.
"How many pirates boarded each ship?" Wu Heng asked.
The ranger replied, "The numbers are about the same on both."
Whiz, whiz, whiz~!
Meanwhile, the port defenses began firing.
A dense volley of arrows and crossbow bolts rained down on the escaping ships, splashing into the sea.
Specially etched bolts exploded with various effects—fire, lightning, and more—creating a huge commotion, though accuracy was lacking.
Both ships gradually sailed farther away.
Just then, several professional teams arrived at the port.
The dwarf captain, Orin, released his trained beast and said, "I'll get a ship and take men to pursue."
"Tell them not to rush. The ones who dared to raid the prison likely prepared for a pursuit. Rushing out might lead to an ambush," Wu Heng warned.
"So, we just let them escape?" Orin was anxious.
"No worries!" Wu Heng said as he pulled a rocket launcher from his spatial ring, propping it on his shoulder and adjusting the sights toward the distant boat.
After aligning the angle and distance,
he squeezed the trigger.
Whoosh~!
The rocket left a long trail of fire as it shot forward.
Boom~!
In the next instant, under the stunned gaze of everyone at the port, a red explosion engulfed the entire ship.
Flames shot into the sky, and debris from the ship scattered into the sea.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
They turned to look at the launch point and then back at the sinking, flaming wreckage of the ship.
In one blast, the speedboat was gone, sinking into the sea, leaving only floating debris as evidence it had existed.
"There's still the bigger ship," Orin pointed at the rapidly retreating sailing ship.
Wu Heng glanced at it and said, "The tool only works once. Have the others concentrate fire to sink the ship."
"Understood!"
The defensive machinery resumed its assault,
sending projectiles splashing into the sea.
Though some shots landed, the sailing ship continued speeding away.
Eventually, it disappeared into the night.
"They got away."
Wu Heng nodded, "Search the port for any pirates. Execute all the ones left in the prison."
"Yes!"
......
Back on the pirate ship at sea,
Philipa wiped the sweat from her neck, her face still tense.
When she saw the ship captained by the yellow-toothed pirate consumed by flames, it had startled her too.
Luckily, she had stuck to the plan.
She had made sure those who opposed her boarded that doomed ship.
Though their own ship had suffered some damage, it wasn't serious. For a pirate ship, it was nothing.
The ship sped away from the port, heading toward the freedom of the open sea.
"We made it, we're alive!"
"Those traitors got the sea god's punishment."
"We're free…!"
The pirates began cheering, their joy at escaping overcoming the fear and uncertainty from the explosion.
Philipa clapped her hands and said, "Stop standing around. Get to your stations and get us out of here, quick."
"Aye, Captain!"
The crew answered, all returning to their posts.
......
Philipa watched as everyone returned to their duties.
She took Fireblade and the other skeletons and headed to the captain's quarters.
It was a familiar room, but the layout had changed slightly.
She looked at a hanging cord and gently pulled it.
Click.
The room suddenly lit up.
Philipa's eyes widened as she stared in surprise at the glowing object overhead.
On the table beside the bed sat the communication device.
Each button was labeled with instructions, so she wouldn't get confused.
Philipa scanned the room and her gaze fell on a wooden chest in the corner.
She kicked it open.
Inside were piles of silver coins, with a few gold coins mixed in.
Philipa's eyes widened.
"Holy crap, I'm gonna live the good life now!"
......
As dawn broke,
Wu Heng returned to the guild.
After Philipa's escape, he had led a team to execute the remaining pirates, including those who were too slow or had been recaptured.
Those pirates had been destined for execution anyway, and they had only been kept alive to complete Philipa's escape.
Whether she could bring back useful intel depended on her.
Back in his office, Wu Heng sat for a moment.
The door opened again.
Andviel entered, leading a hooded figure into the room.
"Master, I brought her."
Wu Heng nodded and handed over a wanted poster, "Post this notice."
"Yes!" Andviel left the room again.
Wu Heng's gaze then shifted to the figure in the room.
The hood was removed, revealing a somewhat unkempt woman.
She was around 37 or 38, with pale skin and the full figure of a mature woman.
This was Philipa's mother, a woman passed around by pirates.
"Did Philipa tell you anything?" Wu Heng asked.
The woman lowered her head and whispered, "Yes, she said she's helping you now and is part of the guild."
As expected.
That pirate girl had completely ignored his warning.
He had told her not to reveal anything, but she had still told her mother.
"Have you mentioned this to anyone else?"
"No, Philipa said I must only tell you and no one else," the woman quickly answered.
"Good. Remember that. If you mention this to anyone else, both you and your daughter will lose your lives," Wu Heng warned.
"Yes, I understand."
Wu Heng nodded. "I've pardoned your crimes. What are your plans now?"
The woman hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'll go back to the village. I have a place to stay there."
"Better stay on Gold-Silver Island. The village knows about your pirate past, and life there will be hard. Stay in the guild's dormitory for now. I'll arrange a new place for you in a few days," Wu Heng instructed.
"Alright, I'll follow your orders."
Not long after, Andviel returned.
Wu Heng instructed her to take the woman to the dormitory and to buy some daily necessities for her.
Philipa's past didn't matter much to Wu Heng.
She was working for him now and constantly risking her life.
Taking care of her family was the least he could do.
......
As the sun fully rose,
Wu Heng headed to the steward's office.
He reported last night's events and results to Imiro.
After all, Philipa had been Imiro's choice, and the slave scroll had come from him as well. It was only right to keep him informed.
Imiro seemed unsurprised, having likely kept an eye on things. He simply instructed Wu Heng to continue monitoring the situation.
With little else to say, Wu Heng left the steward's office and returned home.
......
Back at his residence,
Minnie was lounging on the couch in a tank top and shorts, reading a comic book. When she saw Wu Heng return, she smiled and greeted him, "Master, did something happen last night? Things seemed a bit chaotic outside."
Her pale skin and long legs were exposed to the air.
"Some pirates broke out of prison. They've all been caught," Wu Heng said, sitting down on the couch.
His hand slid into her loose tank top, his palm full of soft curves.
Minnie adjusted herself into a position that made things easier for him and asked, "Do you want something to eat, Master?"
"I already ate outside."
"Okay. Oh, by the way, I'm going to hang out with Sister Shanaila later," Minnie said.
"Go ahead. She's got plenty of good stuff at her place. Eat whatever you haven't tried before."
"Hehe, Master's so nice."
Minnie laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and playfully sticking her tongue into his mouth.
......
After spending some time downstairs,
Minnie went to visit Shanaila, while Wu Heng headed up to the third floor and opened a room on the north side.
The empty room had a wooden desk against the wall, on top of which sat the radio equipment.
A skeleton with the Investigator class was seated at the desk, responsible for recording any radio transmissions.
Wu Heng walked over and picked up the microphone, "Philipa, can you hear me?"
Soon, Philipa's voice came through the speaker, "Crap, you scared me!"