Chapter 174 The Suspicious Ship
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A faint, trembling cry—”…iyaaa…”—slipped through the stifling air of the ship’s hold, hoarse and fragile, swallowed by the creak of wooden planks and the distant lap of waves against the hull. The girls, pinned beneath the weight of rough hands, shuddered as a viscous warmth seeped from their cores, marking the aftermath of their ordeal. One of the men, his breath heavy with satisfaction, tugged his trousers up with a lazy grin.
”Oi! You done? Hurry up and let me have a turn!” a coarse voice barked, followed by a chorus of crude laughter. “Heh, heh, heh! Ain’t this somethin’ else!” another jeered. “Geh, heh, heh! One more go, yeah?”
As one man stepped back, another swaggered forward, eager to claim his share of the girls’ trembling forms. Their movements were relentless, like ants swarming over a spilled drop of honey, insatiable and unyielding.
”No! Don’t—please, no more!” one girl sobbed, her voice cracking. “Have mercy, I beg you!” another pleaded. “Not again, please!”
”Geh, heh, heh! Don’t talk like that, sweetheart… just one more round, yeah?” a man taunted. “C’mon, you’ve already taken so many—what’s one more gonna change?”
The girls’ desperate pleas hung in the air, fragile as sea foam, but the men paid them no mind. Trousers slid down, and with no regard for the cries, they pressed closer, their movements a fevered rhythm that shook the cramped hold. The air grew thick with heat and desperation, the girls’ voices rising in futile protest.
”Heh, heh, heh! Ain’t you a tight one!” one man grunted, his voice dripping with crude delight. “Feels so good! So good!” another gasped. “It’s… it’s comin’!”
”Stop, please!” a girl wailed. “No, not—not there!” another cried, her voice breaking. “It’ll… it’ll take root!”
”Geh, heh, heh! Actin’ all shy at first, but look at you now, all soft and ready…” one sneered. “Heh, heh, heh! That was somethin’ else,” another added, smug. “We’re stuck on this sea till food and water run dry, so you’d better keep up the service, right?”
The men, smug and sated, adjusted their trousers, their laughter coarse and unapologetic. One of the crew, lounging with a cigarette after his turn, suddenly froze, his eyes narrowing. “Oi… what’s that?” he shouted, pointing toward the horizon.
The crew scrambled to the starboard side, leaning over the railing to squint into the distance. Something was approaching—a shadow cutting through the waves with unnatural speed.
”Is that… a ship?” one muttered, disbelief coloring his tone.
It was no wonder they were confused. A typical sailing ship managed five to eight knots, and even a swift clipper, catching the wind just right, might hit fifteen. But this vessel, bearing down on them, was moving faster—far faster.
”What the hell is that thing? It’s gotta be pushin’ seventeen knots, and that’s with a tailwind!” a crewman shouted. “Starboard quarter—it’s closin’ in, and it’s spittin’ smoke!”
The sight of the strange ship sent a chill through the crew. Something about it felt wrong—dangerous. They scrambled to the helm, hands fumbling with ropes and sails. Having killed their captain, the last thing they needed was a ship from Caesar’s fleet on their tail.
”I heard somethin’ once,” one man muttered, his voice low. “Caesar’s top brass were workin’ on weapons—land and sea—powered by steam, spittin’ smoke. Could that be it?”
”What, a pursuer?” another snapped. “You sayin’ the homeland already knows we offed the captain?”
”No way! We’re in the middle of the damn ocean!” a third growled. “Even if they knew, why’d they send a ship like that after a lousy slave ship?”
”Quit yappin’ and move, you idiots!” their leader roared.
Panic swept through the crew as the mysterious ship bore down on them, its speed and smoke an ominous harbinger. They were cornered, and they knew it.
* * *
”Captain! The crew’s confirmed—they’re hoisting sails! The suspicious ship’s making a move!” a sailor reported, his voice sharp with urgency.
”Pointless,” the captain of the pursuing vessel muttered, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
”Could that be… one of Caesar’s clippers? What’re they doing in these waters?” another sailor wondered aloud, frowning.
”Who knows,” the captain replied, his tone dismissive. “Oi, didn’t the Honorary Count give us that new equipment?”
”You mean the voice-amplifier, Captain?” the sailor asked, straightening.
”Once we catch up, hail them in Yugan and Caesar tongues. Tell ’em to follow our lead—or we’ll sink their ship. That’s all. Dismissed.”
”Understood, Captain!” The sailor saluted and hurried off, leaving the deck humming with tension as the strange ship closed the distance.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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