Chapter 229
Chapter 229
Splash!
In the end, even the pirates who managed to scale the cliff fell.
The pirates scrambled up one by one, only to fall back down one by one. Horrific screams echoed endlessly. The most miserable were the private soldiers of the Tang Clan. Clad in heavy iron armor, they sank faster as the seawater rose.
“Young Master, hurry! Run!”
Tang Zong, the eldest son of the Count of Jinhai's Estate, was completely dumbfounded. His trusted subordinate forcibly stripped off his armor and desperately pushed him up the cliff. Tang Zong was stunned by the unimaginable situation. To think this massive mine was actually an astonishing trap. It was clear now that Qiu Tianwei was not a coward, but a cunning and deceitful old fox.
Tang Zong, a skilled martial artist, climbed with incredible speed.
But his speed was the problem.
While everyone else climbed slowly, his rapid ascent made him stand out to the soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate waiting above—he was clearly a formidable martial artist. He had to be someone important.
And so!
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
Dozens of archers took aim and fired, while dozens of militiamen hurled stones at him. Tang Zong was truly impressive. Like a monkey, he leaped up the cliff face, frantically dodging the arrows and stones. Up, up, up he climbed. Several arrows struck his body, but none were fatal. He was also hit by stones several times. Two of them were large boulders weighing dozens of pounds, the impact forcing him to cough up blood, but even those weren't life-threatening.
Finally, Tang Zong had nearly reached the top of the cliff.
With just a foot left to go, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on the top of his head. Someone had grabbed him by the hair and hauled him up. It was the Count of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, himself. The next moment, several swords were pressed against his neck.
Only then did Tang Zong realize.
‘Why… why did I climb up here? There are thousands of enemies waiting.’
A wise man knows when to bow to the inevitable. Tang Zong immediately dropped to his knees.
“Count of Xuanwu, I surrender! For the sake of our shared noble heritage, please spare my life. My father will pay a handsome price for my safe return.”
The Count of Xuanwu struck the back of Tang Zong’s neck with the side of his hand, knocking him unconscious. Jin Zhong stepped forward and forcefully severed the tendons in Tang Zong’s hands and feet. Though unconscious, Tang Zong’s body convulsed. In an instant, the tendons in his limbs were shredded, completely crippling his martial arts. Next, Jin Zhong took out a dagger, shoved it into his mouth, and twisted it violently. Tang Zong’s tongue was mangled, and bright red blood gushed out. The unconscious Tang Zong awoke at that moment and let out an utterly wretched scream.
Jin Zhong took a handful of mud from a pouch and stuffed it into Tang Zong's mouth to stop the bleeding. If it stopped the bleeding, fine. If not, and he bled to death, it didn't matter. After all, the only reason to keep Tang Zong alive for now was the possibility that Shen Lang might have some scheme or plot for him. Even if Tang Zong died, Shen Lang wouldn't blame him.
Because Shen Lang hadn't given any specific orders regarding Tang Zong. Jin Zhong had spared his life only by guessing his master's intentions. It wasn't easy being a subordinate. Especially being a subordinate to someone like Shen Lang.
* * *
Seawater continued to pour in through the channel connected to the ocean.
The water level rose steadily, but most of the pirates didn't drown; they simply swam. In contrast, the Tang Clan's private soldiers had almost all drowned. As expected of pirates, their survival skills in the water were exceptional.
A pirate captain swam over to Qiu Tianwei and said.
“My King, Shen Lang is a real fool. Trying to drown us with seawater? What a joke! Who are we? We’re pirates!”
“That’s right, that’s right! I think Shen Lang’s the one who drowned and lost his mind. And it’s not just seawater in here! There’s probably some of my piss mixed in too.”
Even in this situation, the pirates' mouths were as foul as ever.
“Everyone, be patient. Don’t rush. The water is still rising, and eventually, it will reach the top. If we just float until then, we can easily climb out and kill all those bastards from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.”
“Right. Let’s not climb the cliffs. We’ll wait for the water to rise.”
“Let’s kill every last one of the Jin Clan and flay Shen Lang alive.”
“I’m gonna do it myself. I’ll drown that son of a bitch Shen Lang in piss and shit.”
“Stay still and conserve your energy. Let’s wait for the water to rise!”
Indeed, the water level continued to rise, getting closer and closer to the ground at the top of the cliff.
Thirty meters, twenty-five meters.
But then,
BOOM!
Another explosion of unknown origin echoed. Everyone looked around in alarm, but nothing seemed to have changed. However, Qiu Tianwei soon noticed that the water level was no longer rising. The explosion had blocked the tunnel again, stopping the flow of seawater. After a while, the other pirates also realized the water had stopped rising.
“That damn bastard, Shen Lang…”
Just moments ago, they had been excitedly talking about waiting for the water to rise, but now it had stopped. Countless pirates treaded water, looking at each other.
“My King, what do we do now?”
There was truly nothing they could do. The water was still twenty-five meters from the top. Did they really have to climb?
“We’re pirates. Are we afraid of the sea? Are we going to drown in it?”
All the pirates looked at him.
“We definitely won’t drown… but we’ll freeze to death.”
“Freeze to death? Don’t be ridiculous. Even in the dead of winter, I can swim in the ocean for a full two hours.”
“And after two hours? What about after four?”
The pirate fell silent.
It was the dead of winter. Heavy snow had fallen for days, dropping the air temperature below freezing, and the seawater was only about three or four degrees Celsius. The pirates were realizing they weren't as tough as they'd imagined. They had been in the water for less than an hour, but their bodies were already freezing solid. They couldn't stay like this any longer. If they remained in the water, every single one of them would freeze to death.
The Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, shouted.
“Everyone, cover me! I will lead the experts up and forge a path to survival. We will capture the position on the surface, and then the rest of you can climb up.”
It was the only option left.
In an instant, hundreds of elite pirates swam to Qiu Tianwei's side. And they all began to climb, clearing a path for him. The Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, climbed among them. As expected of experts, they were sharp and fierce. Despite the sheer, slippery, ice-covered cliffs, they climbed with incredible speed.
“Fire the arrows, fire!”
“Throw the stones!”
From above, a rain of arrows and countless stones fell ceaselessly. Most of the elite pirates were struck and fell back into the sea. Seeing this, other elite pirates quickly took the places of those who had fallen. Their mission, after all, was to act as human shields and protect Qiu Tianwei. Though not numerous, they were Qiu Tianwei’s most elite and trusted men. But the terrain was too treacherous, making it impossible to dodge the enemy's attacks. Eventually, the rate at which new warriors filled the gaps couldn't keep up with the rate at which they fell.
Qiu Tianwei roared.
“Everyone, climb! We only need a few to make it to the top!”
Instantly, the remaining twenty thousand pirates began to swarm up the cliffs like madmen. This was a tactic to disperse the attacking power of the Count of Xuanwu's army. The sight was absolutely chilling. Everyone's will to live was so intense. The pirates swarmed up the miles of cliffs.
The scene resembled ants climbing a tree, or a swarm of countless spiders. Even the four thousand soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate on the surface felt overwhelmed by the sight. Now, even the time it took to nock an arrow was too precious, so the soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate frantically hurled stones.
“Agh, ah, agh.”
The pirates let out wretched screams. Some were crushed by the stones, their bones and bodies pulverized, while others fell immediately. It was a scene of one-sided slaughter. Countless pirates died. However, the soldiers defending the section where the Pirate King was climbing felt the most pressure and were on the highest alert. Qiu Tianwei's trusted men were incredibly strong, and their climbing speed was so fast that even a frantic barrage of stones couldn't stop them.
Finally, the Count of Xuanwu gave an order.
“Pour the acid.”
Hearing this, Qiu Tianwei cursed inwardly.
‘Damn it all!’
Splash, splash, splash!
Barrel after barrel of acid was poured down, splashing along the cliff face.
“Aaaargh!”
Even the elite warriors of Raging Tide City could not withstand the acid. They had already shed their armor to avoid sinking. Thanks to that, the acid now splashed directly onto their bodies, and in an instant, the most horrific screams imaginable filled the air. The pirates climbing the cliff were hit by the acid, their steel-like bones and flesh instantly corroding away. It was too gruesome to watch. Furthermore, one section of the cliff was now coated in acid, making it impossible to climb. The moment a hand touched it, the flesh would be eaten away.
In the areas untouched by acid, the pirates continued to crawl upward like ants.
But barely one in ten made it to the top.
And even if one managed to risk his life and succeed, the moment he reached the top, a kick from above would send him plummeting back down.
‘Damn it!’
They couldn't just stay in the water and freeze, so they had to climb, using every method they could think of. Those who were struck and killed or fell while climbing halfway up were the lucky ones. The most miserable fate was to use every last ounce of strength to reach the top, only to be effortlessly kicked back down by the enemy. The pirates were desperate, giving it their all, every ounce of their strength.
And in the end, they gave up!
‘Damn it, if this were a siege, we’d at least have ladders, but we’re climbing a hundred-foot cliff with our bare hands! And it's covered in ice! We’re pirates, not some invincible army from the heavens!’
They tried twice, three times, five times.
And they died in droves.
Eventually, almost all the pirates gave up.
‘I’d rather freeze to death in this water than climb anymore. I can’t do it!’