novelraw Chapter 216
Chapter 216
"Captain, this is bad."
"Those guys have caught up to us again."
Pei Zhengnian made a prompt decision.
"Team One, grab the fishing nets. Find a good position in a moment, and on my command, cast the nets to tangle their propellers."
"Team Two, ready your guns and stand by."
As long as they could hold out until they reached international waters, they could go all out with their firepower.
The team members immediately sprang into action, getting the fishing nets ready.
The speedboats were getting closer and closer.
Fortunately, there were only three of them.
Fishing nets would be enough.
A voice rang out from one of the speedboats.
"We suspect you have contraband on your ship."
"Please stop the ship and accept an inspection."
Stop the ship?
Let you board and inspect it?
Only a child would agree to that.
Pei Zhengnian directly raised his hand and gave the order to the members of Team One.
Throw the nets!
Several fishing nets flew out in unison, perfectly tangling the propellers of the three speedboats.
The speedboats instantly lost power and stopped in the sea.
Moreover, because the fishing nets were tangled up in the propellers, there was no way the speedboats could catch up to the continuously accelerating cargo ship anytime soon.
These Americans could only watch helplessly as the suspicious cargo ship sailed toward international waters, disappearing where the sea met the sky.
Pei Zhengnian did not let his guard down just because he had shaken off their pursuers.
If they had stopped to accept the inspection just now, they might have cleared themselves of suspicion.
However, casting the nets directly was an obvious sign of guilt.
Pei Zhengnian did not dare to gamble.
After all, for every extra second they stayed in American waters, the difficulty of the rescue would multiply.
As long as they could hold out until international waters, they would be fine.
At this speed, they only needed another half an hour.
"Everyone, stay on high alert."
"Yes, sir."
Professor Liu walked over to Pei Zhengnian, his face fraught with worry.
"Young man, if it comes down to the final step and there is really no other way, just hand me over!"
"However, please find a way to take these documents back for me."
Professor Liu placed the bag containing his life's work in front of Pei Zhengnian.
Pei Zhengnian did not accept it, looking firmly at the waters ahead.
"Professor Liu, you should take these documents back yourself!"
This mission could only succeed.
He absolutely would not allow failure.
Professor Liu looked a bit dejected.
"I am already an old man with one foot in the grave. You are all still young and have bright futures ahead of you. There is no need for you to sacrifice yourselves for me."
"Hua Xia can have countless versions of us, but there is only one Professor Liu like you."
Pei Zhengwei turned his head to look at Professor Liu.
"You are crucial to the future of Hua Xia."
"For your safety, no sacrifice is too great."
This was Pei Zhengnian's attitude.
Professor Liu's lips moved, wanting to say something more, but it was already too late.
A deafening engine roar came from above the ship.
American helicopters had arrived.
...
Five American helicopters were hovering at a low altitude, the sea breeze whipped up by their rotors making the canvas on the deck flap loudly.
"Please stop the ship immediately for inspection, or coercive measures will be taken."
Stop the ship?
In their dreams.
"Team Two! Grab the anti-aircraft rifles! Aim for the tail rotors and engines."
"Yes, sir."
This cargo ship was prepared specifically to escort Professor Liu out.
Naturally, weapons had been prepared as well.
Pei Zhengnian picked up a gun and nodded at Sun Xuelin.
Sun Xuelin immediately opened the door to the cabin.
Pei Zhengnian rushed out, raised his gun, aimed at a helicopter's tail rotor, and fired a quick shot.
Everything happened so fast, in the blink of an eye.
The Americans in the helicopter didn't even have time to react.
This shot hit the mark.
The helicopter instantly lost its balance, wobbled, and directly spun out of control and crashed.
Seeing this, the other helicopters immediately opened fire, bullets sweeping across the deck with a rat-a-tat, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Sun Xuelin also rushed to the side of the ship with his rifle. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the helicopter suddenly banked to the side, and bullets grazed his arm, leaving a deep groove in the ship's deck.
"Captain! Their mobility is too high!"
Sun Xuelin wiped the cold sweat from his face and aimed again.
It was still a miss.
Pei Zhengnian quickly scanned the deck.
The cargo ship was piled with thick hemp ropes and pine boards used for securing cargo.
They had also prepared smoke grenades for this trip.
After a few seconds of thought, a good idea formed in Pei Zhengnian's mind.
"Team One! Go move the pine boards and hemp ropes, pile them up at the edge of the stern deck, and pour a little diesel on them."
"Don't pour too much, just enough to start a fire! Team Two, come with me to get the smoke grenades, and throw them when I give the command!"
The team members immediately took action, braving the hail of bullets to pile the pine boards into a half-person-high barrier, and poured a thin layer of diesel over the hemp ropes.
Pei Zhengnian led a few people to bring the smoke grenades, opened the boxes, and laid them out on the deck.
At this moment, the helicopter on the right dove toward the stern, its machine gun aimed at the cargo ship's propeller.
They wanted to destroy the propeller and make the cargo ship lose power.
"Now! Team One, light the fire! Team Two, throw the smoke grenades!"
Pei Zhengnian pulled the pin on a smoke grenade and threw it hard toward the front of the helicopter.
At the same time, the members of Team One ignited the pile of pine wood. Thick smoke instantly shot up, mixing with the white smoke released by the smoke grenades, forming a thick wall of smoke at the stern.
The helicopter's line of sight was completely blocked, and it had to pull up urgently to avoid the smoke wall.
"Sun Xuelin, shoot!" Pei Zhengnian shouted.
Sun Xuelin seized the opportunity and pulled the trigger. A bullet whistled toward the fuel pipe of the right-side helicopter.
A hit!
The helicopter's fuel pipe was pierced, and fuel dripped down the fuselage. The aircraft began to shake and had to retreat toward the sea, while the crew jumped into the ocean at a low altitude to escape.
But before everyone could heave a sigh of relief, the helicopter on the left suddenly circled to the left side of the ship, its machine gun wildly strafing the deck. Bullets hit the pile of wood, sending splinters flying.
Just as Pei Zhengnian was about to command the team members to adjust the position of the smoke grenades, he noticed that one of the helicopters had discovered Professor Liu's hiding spot and was wildly shooting at it.
Without a second thought, he lunged forward, dashing out with the gun in his hand aimed at the American in the cockpit.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
A hit! A clean headshot!
The helicopter lost its balance and instantly plunged into the sea.
Professor Liu had a narrow escape.
Pei Zhengnian breathed a sigh of relief.
A sharp pain from his shoulder caused Pei Zhengnian to frown.
"Captain!"
Sun Xuelin looked at Pei Zhengnian's back, which was gradually being stained red with blood. With red eyes, he wildly fired at the remaining two helicopters above, forcing them to temporarily retreat.
Gritting his teeth, Pei Zhengnian checked his watch. According to the plan, a Hua Xia warship would be waiting at the edge of international waters. As long as they could hold out for another ten minutes, they would enter the safe zone.
There were two helicopters left.
They had to be taken out.
Pei Zhengnian panted heavily and moved his body once again.
The remaining two helicopters directed all their firepower toward the cabin.
They would rather waste bullets than let them slip away.
Unfortunately, the smoke wall continued to obstruct them.
The two helicopters couldn't hit their targets at all.
Seeing that they couldn't break through the smoke wall and wary of the anti-aircraft rifles, the helicopters started throwing grenades at the cargo ship's cabin, attempting to destroy the ship's control system.
...