Chapter 35: My Collaboration with Captain Li and His Sister

  The reason why Captain Li and his sister wanted to help Kang Fan with this operation was not only out of a sense of justice, but also because of who Kang Fan was. As American citizens, they didn't have any emotional preference for Japan or China, but since China was a large country with a continuous history of several thousand years, unique and brilliant civilization, hardworking, wise and kind people, its influence on the world had always been much greater than that of Japan. Moreover, after suffering from Japan's brutal invasion, China still had to pay huge war reparations to the invaders, which was something that American citizens who had also suffered under British colonial rule could definitely sympathize with. Now, due to Kang Fan's special relationship with them, the siblings' initial neutral attitude shifted to supporting the Qing Empire, which is why Captain Li treated Kang Fan and Mei Xiang so well last time, and also led to this cooperative action.

  Mr. Kang, you are a man who loves his country and compatriots, hates evil, and dares to take action. Your behavior is different from that of most Qing Dynasty citizens I have met - although I haven't deeply understood any of the Qing Dynasty citizens I've met, but I can be sure that if all Qing Dynasty citizens do things like you, one day your Qing Empire will become as powerful as our United States. Captain Li said.

  Kang Fan smiled silently, thinking in his heart: In our lifetime, my motherland was not like this.

  Judy walked up onto the deck and said: Mr. Kong, your soldiers have vomited all their gastric juice and are now retching dryly.

  Kang Fan nodded, they had never been on a boat before. But don't worry about them, they are very resilient.

  Judy leaned against the railing next to Kang Fan and whispered: Aren't you thinking of watching me? This time, you can see me every day, are you satisfied?

  Kang Fan pretended not to hear and stared at the sea. Captain Li handed him a telescope.

  Look at the oceans of your country, Mr. Kang. Captain Li said emotionally: The oceans of the earth are connected, but not a single government official in your country takes the ocean seriously, they only care about the land under their feet. So when all the world powers are exchanging, learning, progressing and even occupying each other through the ocean, they just look at their toes while walking, so your country has given up the opportunity to exchange, learn, progress with countries around the world for nearly three centuries. In these aspects, you are far behind your country's originally weak neighbor - Japan. Therefore, it is impossible to see the gap with the world powers, and it is doomed to fall behind the pace of world civilization development, and falling behind means being beaten and being slaughtered. Your country has a very vivid idiom that describes this phenomenon, you must know it.

  "Building a cart behind closed doors." Kang Fan said gloomily.

  Li Shiping smiled and patted Kang Fan's shoulder, saying: Right, that's the word. Mr. Kang, I don't want to say any more, I'm afraid you'll feel uncomfortable if I say too much.

  Kang Fan smiled tolerantly and then fell silent, lowering his head to gaze at the surging waves beneath the boat, suffering with a deep sorrow. Judy placed her pale, smooth hand on top of Kang Fan's, whether in sympathy or consolation was unclear.

  "Brother-in-law, set sail and watch out for reefs!" Judy shouted at Captain Li with discontent.

  Captain Li realized he had said too much and hastily retreated up the gangway.

  Kang Fan felt a hand reach out and gently stroke the hair on the back of his head, very soft and comfortable, just like Mei Xiang's warm and gentle affection. As soon as he thought of Mei Xiang, Kang Fan immediately broke free from his chaotic thoughts and sat up straight, looking at Judy in front of him. Judy boldly met his passionate gaze, her pretty face rippling with a shallow smile that made his heart tremble. After gazing at each other for a long time, Kang Fan's originally confused eyes gradually dimmed, then he silently turned around and walked away.

  Mr. Kang, where are you going? Judy asked from behind.

  Kang Fan walked on without stopping, muttering to himself as he went: I'm going to sober up.

  Judy cried out anxiously: Can't the sea breeze on the deck wake you up?

  Kang Fan's figure disappeared into the cabin before she could finish speaking.

  To make up for lost time, the SS Helen steamed day and night at full speed, but had to slow down when passing through the narrow and crowded Strait of Malacca, where they encountered pirates.

  The Strait of Malacca is located between the Malay Peninsula in Asia and Sumatra, connecting the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. It is a must-pass route for ships from China to Europe. Tonight, there are more boats than usual in the strait, especially fishing boats from surrounding island nations, coming and going in droves, too many to count. The narrow shipping lane is filled with sail shadows everywhere, and fishing fires dotting the sea, while those pirates also drive the same kind of fishing boats, which cannot be distinguished from their appearance at all.

  The SS Helen was exhausted from its prolonged full-speed voyage, both the machinery and personnel were worn out. It was a good opportunity to take a break. Captain Li ordered his first mate to go below deck to rest while he took the helm himself, fully focused on avoiding the various ships in the channel as they slowly made their way through the strait. At dawn, just as everyone was fast asleep, dozens of pirates climbed aboard under the cover of darkness and quickly took control of all parts of the ship. By the time Kang Fan and the others realized something was amiss, knives were already at their throats.

  Kang Fan had originally planned to counterattack, but seeing that the ones moving forward were all pirates holding knives, while the pirates with guns were behind them, watching vigilantly and ready to open fire at any moment. The situation was very precarious. As he hesitated, his arms were tightly bound behind him, the seawater-soaked rope deeply cutting into his muscles, causing a sharp pain. The pirates took away their weapons, brandishing large knives, long spears, fire-rope guns and rifles, threatening everyone as they pushed them up onto the deck.

  On the deck, Kang Fan reluctantly saw Judy, who had not been seen for many days and was also tied up. In the past few days, when he realized that he couldn't face her calmly, Kang Fan could only choose to avoid her. The first time he met Judy in Tianjin, Kang Fan couldn't bear to let her figure disappear from his sight so quickly. When Judy was about to pass by him, he stretched out his hand without thinking and pulled her back, wanting to keep her beautiful face in his sight for a while longer. Afterwards, Kang Fan couldn't understand why he had been so impulsive at the time, and even now he still didn't understand! But he knew that not having an improper relationship with Judy was absolutely right. At this moment, looking at Judy's pitiful appearance with her clothes in disarray, his concerned gaze could no longer be moved away from her body.

  Captain Li must have had a fierce battle with the pirates, as his handsome blond hair was stained with blood and his sharp facial features were covered in wounds. He remained unconscious. The pirates dragged him from the control room to the deck and tied him up with ropes.

  Judy's face was deathly pale, tears streaming down her face as she loudly called out for Captain Li. One of the pirates tore a strip of cloth from her nightgown, rolled it into a ball and stuffed it into her mouth. One of her firm, beautiful ** burst forth from the torn neckline of her nightgown, seemingly flaunting itself as it swayed back and forth. The eyes of several nearby pirates immediately widened in unison.

  Kang Fan and the intelligence personnel were tied together by the pirates because they slept in the same cabin. The sailors were then driven out of their respective cabins one after another, and tied up with Judy and Captain Li. Since there were more sailors, there were twice as many pirates guarding them than Kang Fan's side, making it easier for Kang Fan's side to escape. After searching for half a day, Kang Fan couldn't find the two intelligence personnel who were supposed to be on watch tonight, which made him even more confident.

  The pirates left some of their companions on guard, and the rest swarmed into the various cabins on the ship, starting to plunder everything valuable. Three pirate leaders dragged Judy to the control room, closing the cabin door behind them. Judy struggled desperately while seeking help from Kong Fan, but with her mouth gagged, she could only make muffled sounds, eventually being dragged away with a terrified look in her eyes. Kong Fan's heart ached, his face filled with murderous intent.

  The pirates who were on guard duty were attracted by the laughter coming from the driver's room, and they all became excited. A thin pirate made several exaggerated movements, immediately attracting a burst of obscene laughter from his companions. As a result, their vigilance towards Kang Fan and the others relaxed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the two intelligence personnel who had escaped quietly approached and cut off the ropes binding their companions with 96 military knives. Kang Fan and the intelligence personnel, who had been holding back their anger for a long time, immediately took action simultaneously: the two nearest pirates were strangled to death at the same time without making a sound. When the rest of the pirates realized that something was wrong and were about to take action, Kang Fan and his team launched a fierce and swift attack, giving them no chance. A group of amateur pirates encountered a group of professional killers, and the result was predictable! In an instant, more than a dozen pirates who were on guard duty were completely eliminated. One intelligence personnel became bloodthirsty and knocked down two pirates in a row, then made a quick forward roll to meet another pirate who was about to stab him, and rushed over. The whole person was like a snake, twisting and turning with the long spear, dodging and following up, swinging his knife, several movements were completed in one breath, extremely swift. His sharp 96 military knife drew a dazzling white light under the bright moonlight, passing through the pirate's neck, and blood splashed everywhere. This pirate fell unwillingly, his mouth opening and closing as if shouting, but not making a sound...

  Li Jinqing, hand over your gun! Kang Fan yelled at him.

  Li Jinqing pulled out Kang Fan's 92 handgun from the pirate's waistband and handed it over to him. Kang Fan took it, patted his shoulder reassuringly, and rushed towards the driver's cabin to rescue Judy. At this time, three dark-skinned, short and sturdy pirate leaders also came out with their weapons, colliding with Kang Fan head-on. Kang Fan raised his gun and fired continuously, and the powerful 9mm steel-core bullets instantly shot the three pirate leaders into a bloody mess, splashing Judy's body with foul-smelling blood. Judy collapsed into a heap, unable to even stand up, and burst into tears when she saw Kang Fan enter. Fortunately, Kang Fan arrived just in time, and the three pirates had not had time to do anything to her, except that the nightgown she was wearing had been torn beyond recognition. Kang Fan quickly took off his own round-necked shirt and put it on Judy, barely covering half of her body.

  It's all right now. Having said that, Kang Fan turned around and was about to leave.

  Judy hugged him tightly from behind and wouldn't let him go.

  There are still many pirates below, I'll come back after I've dealt with them, said Kang Fan.

  Judy reluctantly let go of him, tears streaming down her face, and said: Come back soon.

  Kang Fan couldn't help but kiss Judy's forehead to comfort her, turned around and ran out of the cockpit, locking the door behind him.

  Under the leadership of Kang Fan, intelligence personnel ruthlessly hunted down and killed pirates who were fleeing in all directions. The sounds of gunfire, fighting, screams, and splashing filled the air. After about ten or so minutes, the ship fell silent. One by one, the ragged pirate prisoners were led up to the deck. Except for those who had been eliminated and those who had jumped into the sea to escape, these were all that remained.

  Captain Li had bandaged his wound and was now directing his sailors to clear the deck, preparing to set sail. The sudden crisis came to an end as quickly as it began, except for a few sailors who were wounded by stray bullets and remembered the scene vividly, most of the sailors felt like they had just woken up from a nightmare, still shaken and unable to recall what had just happened in an orderly manner.

  "What will you do with these pirates?" Captain Li asked Kang Fan.

  Kang Fan made a throat-slashing gesture.

  Captain Li did not object. For years, the Helen had been a thorn in the side of pirates who had tried to hijack her, and this time she was purely a victim of her own carelessness. Years of sailing experience told him that these Malacca pirates were ruthless and would take extreme measures against the crew and passengers once they got their hands on the money. They may look poor and pitiful now, but these Southeast Asian natives were all good at killing unarmed people, and it was foolish to think of showing them mercy! That's why he acquiesced in Kang Fan's decision.

  Judi was still waiting for Kang Fan in the driver's room, although she looked very tired but her emotions were already under control.

  Carry me back to the cabin, I can't walk anymore, Judy said pitifully.

  Kang Fan picked her up and walked out of the driver's cabin. As they passed by the foredeck, they bumped into Captain Li, and the siblings immediately hugged each other tightly. Just as Kang Fan was about to walk away, Judy called him back again.

  Come with me back to our room, Judy said.

  Kang Fan looked at Captain Li. Captain Li smiled and nodded.

  Back in the cabin, Judy went to take a bath. Kang Fan stayed in the cabin for a while and heard Judy calling him to come in, so he pretended not to hear and slipped out of the cabin, calming himself down on the empty corridor before returning to the deck.