"Zhiyuan" and "Dingyuan", spread out in a triangular formation to surround the sperm whale ahead! Over!
After conveying his orders to Liu Meng and Chai Shao, he once again commanded "Zhenyuan" to circle around the sperm whale, exposing the line of sight for the "Zhiyuan" and "Dingyuan" behind.
The order was quickly executed.
"Zhenyuan" made a large-angle turn, its hull almost brushing against the sperm whale.
The sperm whale seemed somewhat provoked.
Its massive tail lifted high out of the water and slammed down.
The spray kicked up by the tail splashed onto the deck.
The three brothers at the bow, caught off guard, were drenched.
The sperm whale, over ten meters long, showed no intention of letting the "Zhenyuan" that provoked it go.
Seeing the large ship pass by and sail into the distance, its body twisted and it gave chase.
Chai Shao stood at the bow of the "Zhiyuan", his mouth agape in surprise at the sperm whale's size.
Yu Chi Jingde was no better off.
Is this kid going to hunt a leviathan?
Chai Shao shot him a look.
What leviathan? Didn't you hear my son-in-law say it was a sperm whale?
At that moment, the intercom crackled again.
"Dingyuan", "Zhiyuan", pay attention. The sperm whale is too large to be killed quickly. Prepare the harpoons, secure them to the anchor winches with ropes, and await my command to fire!
"Dingyuan" received!
This was Liu Meng replying to Fang Er.
Immediately, Chai Shao replied in the same manner.
Then, the soldiers on both ships began to get busy.
When the large ships set sail, they were equipped with barbed harpoons. At the time, Li Shun hadn't understood why they were prepared.
However, since he wasn't on board this voyage, he wouldn't witness the scene of these harpoons being used.
The soldiers carried the harpoons from the ship's hold and connected them to the anchor winches with ropes as thick as a man's arm.
"Zhenyuan", this is "Dingyuan", harpoons are ready!
"Zhenyuan", this is "Zhiyuan", harpoons are ready!
Both ships completed their preparations almost simultaneously.
Fang Er had finished even earlier.
Cheng Chu Mo, holding a harpoon behind him, followed him to the stern and looked at the sperm whale that had been trailing them.
Cheng Chu Mo chuckled, "Heh heh, you little rascal, still not running?"
Fang Er said, "This thing is a behemoth of the sea, with few natural predators. Why would it run?"
Yu Chi Bao Lin pointed at the sperm whale and asked, "Big brother, this thing is so big, it won't be easy to kill, right?"
Fang Er looked at him and asked, "Have you ever fished?"
Yu Chi Bao Lin nodded.
How could he not have fished?
It's just that Cheng Chu Mo teased from the side, "He has fished, but never caught anything."
Yu Chi Bao Lin felt awkward.
Alright!
Fang Er had to explain, "When the harpoon pierces it, it will definitely feel pain, either getting angry and attacking, or trying to escape.
Imagine the scene when three ships simultaneously restrain it and tear it apart by five horses, can you picture it?"
Yu Chi Bao Lin slapped his forehead.
"Big brother, you mean, the three ships will use harpoons to latch onto this sperm whale and immobilize it?"
Fang Er nodded.
Cheng Chu Mo's face was filled with excitement.
Challenging such a huge creature is too thrilling!
I'll go first!
Saying that, without waiting for Fang Er's reaction, he threw the harpoon in his hand towards the sperm whale not far from the stern.
This brute was a typical example of strength without weakness; his bulging muscles drove the harpoon firmly into the sperm whale's body.
"Wooooo~~~!"
The sperm whale, struck by the sudden harpoon to its forehead, cried out in pain.
The resonant sound was chilling.
Fang Er quickly grabbed the intercom.
"Dingyuan"! "Zhiyuan"! Move forward immediately and attack with harpoons! Over!
"Dingyuan" received!
"Zhiyuan" received!
The two five-pointed warships rapidly increased their speed.
Although Chai Shao, Yu Chi Jingde, and Sun Meng were not on the same ship, the cleared line of sight from "Zhenyuan" allowed them to clearly see Cheng Chu Mo's harpoon throw through their telescopes.
"Dingyuan" and "Zhiyuan" quickly caught up from behind.
The sperm whale had already begun to counterattack!
It did not flee or dive, but instead, it charged directly at "Zhenyuan"!
Frightened, Fang Er hurriedly ordered the engine room to increase speed and proceed in an S-shaped pattern.
One ran, and one chased.
The power of the steam engine was pushed to its limit!
The sperm whale's maximum speed can reach 55 kilometers per hour, which is nearly double that of the steamship!
Despite the harpoon lodged in its head and blood flowing into the sea, it was still rapidly approaching "Zhenyuan".
"Dingyuan" and "Zhiyuan" followed behind, about three to four hundred meters away from the sperm whale. If "Zhenyuan" had been moving in a straight line, there would have been no possibility of catching up and attacking the sperm whale.
Therefore, Fang Er had ordered "Zhenyuan" to move in an S-shaped pattern.
This would create conditions for the two pursuing ships.
"Quick, grab the railing!"
Seeing that the sperm whale in the water was about to collide with "Zhenyuan", Fang Er shouted.
Cheng Chu Mo and Yu Chi Bao Lin quickly grabbed the railing to secure themselves.
Then, they watched as this giant creature headbutted the rear starboard side of "Zhenyuan", causing the large ship to tilt sharply to the front left.
After the ship stabilized, Fang Er drew the pistol from his waist and fired a shot at the sperm whale's eye.
"Bang!"
After the gunshot, the bullet entered the creature's forehead, quite a distance from its eye.
However, the sudden gunshot made the giant pause for a moment.
The two ships behind also caught up at this moment.
"Throw harpoons!"
Fang Er no longer used the intercom, directly shouting at Chai Shao and Liu Meng.
"Swish!" "Swish!"
As his voice fell, harpoons were thrown from "Zhiyuan" and "Dingyuan", embedding themselves in the sperm whale's back.
"Your ships, retreat quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Chai Shao and Liu Meng hurriedly had someone inform the engine room.
The three ships slowly increased the distance between them.
The sperm whale let out another pained cry, then began to dive underwater.
Before long, the three ropes were pulled taut.
The three ships and the sperm whale began a tug-of-war.
The ropes creaked under the strain, but its strength alone was far from enough to move the three five-pointed warships.
In fact, the pulling force from three directions prevented it from diving further, until it was hoisted to the surface, struggling violently.
Seeing this, Fang Er directly ordered the Yan Yun cavalry to descend onto the sperm whale's back along the ropes.
Guan Chang took the lead, holding his Mo Dao with both hands. With a push off the deck, he leaped up and, stepping on the thick rope, charged forward.
Then came the rest, each displaying their unique skills.
In just over a dozen breaths, Guan Chang, Huang Sheng, Zhang De, Zhao Long, Lü Shuang, and Bai Song appeared on the sperm whale's back.
Fang Er stopped others who were about to follow: "Alright, those six should be enough."
Wang Duan and the others then retreated behind Fang Er, watching Guan Chang and the others on the whale's back as they frantically stabbed downwards with their Mo Dao.
The sperm whale's back had many barnacles that could be used for leverage, so Guan Chang and the others did not slip off.
With six Mo Dao, one pass created six bloody holes on the whale's back.
The flowing blood quickly dyed the surrounding seawater red.
Fang Er couldn't help but frown. Such a strong scent of blood would likely attract sharks soon.
So, he shouted to Guan Chang and the others.
"Hurry up! Any delay could lead to complications!"
"Got it!"
Zhang De responded, then stopped his actions and slowly walked on the whale's back, stepping on the barnacles.
He seemed to be searching for a spot where a single blow could be fatal.