Among those who declared their stance were men and women alike, all of whom firmly believed that the country would send rescuers. Their faces and eyes shone with hope as they spoke.
This was their trust and anticipation in their homeland.
Just as they unanimously believed their country was powerful enough that these assailants wouldn't dare to inflict violence upon them, a gruff voice suddenly rang out.
"You, go into that wooden cage and bring those female hostages over to drink with us."
The man spoke in English, which the crew members understood. Instantly, everyone's faces turned ashen. These creatures worse than beasts were targeting the most vulnerable first.
Ah!
The crew members on deck clenched their fists, their gazes fixed on the pirates, filled with fury.
"What do we do? I don't want to go. Can someone save us..."
A young woman in the crowd was so terrified that she slumped to the ground and began to cry.
As women, they were all too aware of the fate awaiting them if they were to accompany the pirates for drinks—a humiliation worse than death itself.
A man standing next to the weeping young woman spoke with a resolve to face death: "No, you absolutely cannot go. We will resist to the very end, even if it means death."
"Yes, everyone, unite! We absolutely cannot let them harm our female compatriots."
"That's right, even if we die, we will die together, and we will die with dignity."
"..."
In an instant, the male crew members inside the wooden cage moved to the very front, forming a solid wall at the cage's entrance, shielding all the women behind them.
It was important to note that there weren't many women on board, only five or six, but they were all family members of the crew.
Even though the crew members knew it would be difficult to protect these women, they maintained an attitude of facing death unflinchingly, not for any other reason than to prevent their compatriots from suffering such humiliation.
Thump, thump, thump...
Heavy footsteps echoed, and two burly pirates, reeking of alcohol, approached. They carried dark AK-47s slung over their shoulders.
Grinning smugly, they scanned the inside of the iron cage, their eyes fixed on finding the women.
As the two entered the cage, one pirate raised his AK-47, aiming it at the people inside, while the other pulled out a key, ready to unlock the iron gate.
A pirate with a scar on his eye saw how the group had surrounded the women at the innermost section. His face darkened, and he roared, "Get out of the way! Let the women come drink with us!"
"No!" one of the crew members immediately retorted, his voice filled with anger. "You cannot touch them!"
As he spoke, all the crew members stood up, their eyes blazing with fury.
The women hiding in the back, hearing they were to accompany the pirates for drinks, turned deathly pale and instinctively backed away, shaking their heads uncontrollably.
They dared not imagine the consequences of these brutal pirates forcing them to drink.
Bang!
A brutal pirate swung the stock of his rifle and smashed it into the man guarding the front, knocking him to the ground.
Bang! Bang!
Several other crew members who rushed forward were also brutally beaten by the pirates.
As they struck, the pirates cursed, "Damn it, all of you, get aside, or we'll kill you all! Letting your women drink with us is an honor. Perhaps if you serve us well, we might let you go!"
"Don't you dare ruin our boss's mood, or we'll make your lives a living hell, understand?"
Click!
The pirate guarding the entrance also looked furious. He immediately raised his rifle, disengaged the safety, and prepared to fire.
Then, the pirate shouted loudly and crudely, "Nobody move! Bullets have no eyes. I guarantee if I shoot, you'll all turn into a swarm of bees."
While everyone was stunned, the initial pirate grabbed a woman's arm and forcibly pulled her out.
He cackled, "Hahaha, come here, you!"
As soon as the woman was grabbed, she cried out, "Please, let me go, please..."
Her cries only incited the surrounding pirates to bursts of wild laughter, and many even whistled.
Their eyes were filled with greed and excitement.
"Haha, the more a woman screams, the more interesting she is!"
"Yeah, pull them all over and let them know what real men are like!"
"Haha, come on, let them all experience the might of us pirates."
"..."
Amidst the women's cries, the pirates' cheers grew louder.
While they were celebrating, they failed to notice the situation on the distant beach. Shadows, like phantoms, began to emerge from the water, rushing ashore at top speed.
This was Qin Feng, leading the members of Dark Night and Thunderclap.
Qin Feng was the first to reach the shore, taking cover behind some rocks near the water's edge. He simultaneously scanned the surroundings with his binoculars.
Upon clearly seeing the situation inside the iron cage, his expression turned grim.
These bastards!
At the same time, a killing aura emanated from Qin Feng.
Lei Zhan, standing nearby, lowered his voice and asked, "Qin Feng, how should we engage?"
Lei Zhan, having also used binoculars upon landing, had seen the situation in the cage and immediately asked for instructions.
If they didn't act, their compatriots would be subjected to abuse, something that was most intolerable for soldiers.
Qin Feng suppressed his killing intent and swiftly scanned the island's ridgeline with his binoculars.
The more he looked, the more his expression grew grave. The military strength deployed on this island far exceeded the intelligence provided.
This was no mere gathering of disorganized pirates; it was a full-fledged military base.
A radar station, cleverly camouflaged, was hidden in the island's center. Without close-up observation, it would be impossible to detect.
Anyone familiar with military operations knew that the presence of a radar station implied a complete network surveillance of the entire island, making it extremely difficult for any intruders to evade detection.
Furthermore, Qin Feng observed that checkpoints were established at regular intervals around the treeline, manned by guards. Hidden sentry posts were also strategically placed not far apart.
The entire island was under tight surveillance. Not even a bird could fly over unnoticed.
Given such stringent defensive arrangements, the intelligence had described them as a disorganized pirate organization?
For the first time, Qin Feng felt that Gao Shiwei was a bit unreliable.