Captain – Chapter 283 – I Surrender

The downpour continued, the night still dark.

The people sleeping soundly in Colent would never know what significant events had occurred so close to them, how many people had died.

The gunfire was muffled by thunder and rain. Even neighborhoods closest to the estate couldn’t hear these heart-stopping “melodies.”

The fires that had just begun spreading in the paddy fields were quickly extinguished by the heavy rain without additional flammable materials to sustain them. The thick smoke that rose merged with the night sky, becoming completely indistinguishable.

As for the scattered corpses left by those “rats,” they were buried in the dense forest not far from the estate through the cooperation of imperial assassins and soldiers.

In the past, they would certainly have opted for the more sanitary and safe cremation, but with the downpour showing no signs of stopping and no flammable materials prepared, making fire was inconvenient. The nearby forest, rarely visited by people, was most suitable for disposing of bodies, so they were carried there for burial.

During this process, a soldier made a peculiar discovery.

Since there were hundreds of assassins, the forest perimeter alone certainly couldn’t accommodate so many bodies.

So after being reminded by his colleagues, the soldier proceeded deeper, but while passing an especially sturdy old tree, he tripped over something and fell, covering himself in mud.

When he looked up, he was shocked to discover it wasn’t some protruding trunk, thorns, or underbrush, but someone’s outstretched leg.

The person wore the attire of a servant and sat leaning against the old tree with head lowered, completely soaked by rain, looking as if asleep.

After careful examination, the soldier found that the person’s throat had been cut open by something sharp, yet no blood flowed from it—apparently it had all drained away long ago.

After burying the body on the spot, the soldier returned to notify his superior.

Flynn arrived after receiving the report and looked at the person’s bloodless face and deep purple eyes—still containing traces of fear and despair but no longer terrifying—and quickly confirmed this was the executioner codenamed Tomb Bat, who represented Robert in the Black Raven Society.

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When webs are spun across the sky, what chance does an insect within have to escape?

After this silent thought, the young man looked at his subordinate who had followed him and softly ordered: “Bury him with the others.”

Then Flynn turned and walked out of the dense forest, seemingly unconcerned about why the servant lay dead there or who had killed him.

Because after this storm, none of that mattered anymore.

As if reflecting the officer’s thoughts, this downpour that had lasted for days and extended across half the canal’s watershed finally subsided the following morning.

The clear morning sun peeked out from behind the dispersing rain clouds, illuminating the ground’s dampness into fog. The foggiest place, naturally, was the Loyce Canal where moisture was heaviest.

When sunlight penetrated the dense fog and cast upon the river’s surface, the lifelike mermaid figurehead appeared right on time, looking even more beautiful under its radiance.

After nearly two days of full-speed sailing, the Mermaid had arrived from the ruined residence to waters near Colent. However, it didn’t enter the exclusive port of this hub city but stopped by the southwestern countryside.

Afterward, small wooden boats were lowered.

Led by Roy, including Caine, Harriet, and more than half of the Fighting Squad members, a group of over thirty people approached the shore.

After landing, the captain turned her head slightly, glancing at Caine who had come near.

“This way.”

Led by the First Mate, everyone crossed the countryside and arrived at the small hill where Flynn and his soldiers had once stood. From here, they could see most of the estate.

Taking the telescope handed over by Harriet, Roy looked toward the estate through the crystal lens. She clicked her tongue lightly at the sight of the trampled and scorched paddy fields, then shook her head as she lowered the telescope.

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Seeing this, Caine immediately became tense: “How is it?”

Returning the telescope, Roy’s face revealed some concern, her tone quite heavy: “We seem to have arrived too late. Judging by the degree of damage to the paddy fields, a battle must have occurred, and a fierce one at that. I just don’t know who won.”

Hearing this, the young man slightly furrowed his brows. Though he greatly trusted the old man in the estate and believed his arrangements wouldn’t go wrong, during their journey he had also heard from the captain about the identity of those uninvited guests—nearly three hundred Black Raven Society assassins.

Although they were strongly disparaged by the captain, according to her description, they still had standards equal to or even surpassing imperial assassins.

Adding to this the military personnel the young woman mentioned were ambushed in that mansion, thinking this might be the old Marshal’s doing, the First Mate’s mood grew more depressed. When he heard from Harriet that nearly a thousand soldiers were hurriedly walking out of the estate, he unconsciously clenched his fists.

But in the end, he didn’t lose his rationality.

“Then shall we return immediately?”

Taking a deep breath, Caine calmed his worries and unease, turned to look at the young woman, and asked her very calmly.

In his view, since they couldn’t determine the outcome of the battle and the estate was guarded by nearly a thousand soldiers, approaching rashly would not only fail to help the situation but might plunge them into grave danger. Rather than that, it would be better to turn back and reconsider after returning to the Mermaid.

“Are you content to just go back like this?”

Roy tilted her head slightly, gazing at the First Mate’s exceptionally solemn face, looking at those azure eyes that had never trembled as they did now, and asked him softly.

The answer to this question was already clear to everyone.

In that estate were the First Mate’s biological father and the old man who had treated him like his own grandfather. With their fate unknown, how could he possibly be as calm as he appeared on the surface?

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“But…”

Interrupting Caine’s still hesitant words, the young woman said softly: “Given our traveling speed, the news of Robert’s death might not have reached here yet. If that’s true, then in their eyes, I would still be his associate.”

By regular reasoning, this deduction had a high probability of being correct.

But what Roy didn’t know was that the communication efficiency between the highest levels of the Auran military was even faster than that of the Black Raven Society, especially since it involved the Marshal, who would certainly use the most secretive and efficient communication channels.

However, as a former naval commander, Caine understood this point very well.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, he firmly shook his head: “No, we can’t let you risk yourself again. If they already know this news, then your going would certainly leave no possibility for survival.”

Hearing the First Mate’s concerned words, Roy knew he still harbored reservations about her disregard for danger when she requested to meet Robert. She pouted and said somewhat impatiently: “I don’t have just that one method. I can also infiltrate.”

Infiltrate… Captain, do you really know how to do this?

Caine’s eye twitched involuntarily as he silently questioned, still refusing her proposal unequivocally.

Just as the two were about to fall into an argument, Harriet, who had been observing the estate, lowered her telescope and urgently said: “Captain, First Mate, some of those soldiers have split off and are coming toward us now!”

Now that the downpour had ceased, though fog still obscured visibility and the small hill was some distance from the estate, these dozens of people standing would still be easily exposed.

Moreover, Colonel Flynn had once stood here with his men, nearly threatening the two important figures in the estate. After learning of this location’s offensive advantages from the officer, the imperial assassins naturally remained vigilant about this place and kept it under strict watch.

So Roy’s party’s whereabouts had actually been discovered early on, and the soldiers’ movements, as well as their delay in approaching this location, were all to cut off their retreat route, ensuring they could kill or capture these suddenly appearing unidentified figures.

As such, retreat had become an impossible dream.

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When the pirates realized and tried to turn back immediately, they had already fallen into encirclement.

Looking at the converging soldiers and the firearms pointing directly at them, the pirates’ faces turned pale and ugly.

Except for their captain and First Mate.

“Clack.”

Just as the pirates were thinking about how to escape or fight to the death, a soft sound suddenly came from in front of them—the sound of firearms and curved sabers being thrown to the ground.

When they turned their eyes and cast their gazes toward the person who had discarded their weapons, they were surprised to find it was none other than their “great” and “brave” Captain.

Spreading her hands, the young woman’s face bore a polite and charming smile, but the words she spoke were not the explanations and requests she had made to the guards in front of Robert’s mansion.

Because when she saw the cold-faced officer standing at the forefront of all the soldiers, she recalled her and her First Mate’s first meeting, his unlikable attitude and style of action, and understood that the method of dealing with politicians would not apply to these overly loyal officers.

Therefore, her response was simply three clear words:

“I surrender.”

Hearing this, the pirates behind her looked at each other, then unanimously disarmed themselves, throwing their weapons on the ground before them.

“Clack, clack…”

The collision sounds were incessant, just like rain falling again.