In the cockpit.

The first mate of the freighter picked up the cup, took a sip of hot water, and exhaled.

Looking at the time, it was already half past seven.

It's almost time to prepare to take over the shift with the third officer.

First mate, second mate, and third mate are all job titles on a freighter.

If we call them in a more understandable way... we can say that they are all freighter drivers.

Their job is to observe radar and charts, direct sailors to steer, and control the ship to always sail on the planned route.

The captain is responsible for commanding them.

The reason there are three of them is because they have to take turns on duty.

During normal navigation, whether it is day or night, the first mate is on duty from four to eight o'clock, the third mate is on duty from eight to twelve o'clock, and the second mate is on duty from twelve to four o'clock.

However, in actual operation, it will be half an hour in advance.

So, at 7:30, it’s time to change shifts.

"Continue to maintain this speed and heading," the first mate ordered to the two sailors at the helm.

Then, he stood up and yawned, ready to go see why the second officer didn't come yet.

But at this moment... he casually glanced at the navigation radar, and suddenly saw something. His body froze, and he instantly regained his seriousness.

He immediately came to the radar screen and took a closer look.

I saw a small dot appearing on the radar screen near the lower boundary of the circle! And...a few seconds later, a second one appeared! Then, a third one appeared! I have pretty good experience in driving a freighter.

As soon as the rich first mate saw these three little dots, he knew something was wrong.

But the captain just went to the cabin for something and was not in the wheelhouse.

So the first mate immediately picked up the walkie-talkie, tuned it to the captain's frequency band, and said: "Mr. Captain, please come to the bridge quickly! There is an emergency!"

Soon, Captain Frank's response came over the intercom: "Roger! I'll be right over!"

In less than a minute, Captain Frank rushed into the cab and asked: "What's going on?"

The first mate pointed to the radar and said, "Look."

Captain Frank rushed over and quickly noticed these three points.

Moreover, what can be seen with the naked eye is that these three small bright spots are slowly approaching! You know, the detection range of this navigation radar is several kilometers away! The slow approach on this screen shows that this

The three targets were actually approaching the freighter at a very fast speed! "When was it discovered?"

Captain Frank frowned slightly and said seriously.

"Less than a minute before I informed you," said the first mate.

Captain Frank was silent for a few seconds and then said: "Adjust the course and turn 30 degrees to the left.

See if they still follow."

The first mate nodded immediately and gave orders to the two sailors.

Soon, the freighter completed its turn and headed in a new direction.

The first mate and Captain Frank stared at the radar screen, watching the screen refresh again and again.

Half a minute later...the two people's expressions darkened.

"Following us..." the first mate said with a serious face, "and we are already close to two kilometers away."

Captain Frank nodded solemnly.

After a moment of silence, he said: "Hurry up and use the radio to notify all crew members to enter a state of alert.

Close all important cabins and lock the doors."

Then, he picked up the telescope from the side, walked out of the cab, and used the telescope to look toward the rear of the ship.

Soon, he saw a few small white dots and splashes of water about two kilometers away.

After watching for a while, he slowly put down the telescope, and the expression on his face became more solemn.

At the same time, the first mate's voice came through the radio: "Attention, crew! Attention, crew! We may be about to encounter pirates! Please don't panic and respond calmly."

First close and lock the important cabin doors, and then gather together and wait for the deployment of the captain and me at any time! In addition, the third mate does not need to come to change shifts for the time being. I will continue to drive with the captain, and the third mate and second mate will do their best.

We are coordinating the work in the cabin, so everyone should not panic."

Edwin and Johnson on the deck felt a little strange when they saw the captain rushing into the bridge and out again.

When I heard the broadcast, I immediately understood and became serious.

They looked at each other, then rushed towards the captain and asked: "What's going on?"

Captain Frank looked at the two guards solemnly and said: "Behind the ship, at 15 degrees east-north, there are three small boats or yachts approaching.

I suspect they are pirates.

You two need to be prepared, the safety of the entire crew depends on you."

Johnson nodded immediately and said, "Leave it to us!"

Edwin also nodded and said: "Yes, captain, don't worry, just leave it to us!"

Captain Frank was about to nod when he suddenly noticed that Edwin's face was a little red.

You can tell at a glance that he has been drinking again.

Captain Frank frowned and wanted to scold him, but after thinking about the current situation, he still didn't say anything and said: "Okay, you should be on guard.

I continued to go to the cab to check the situation.

News will continue to be told to you through the radio."

After Captain Frank finished speaking, he turned around and walked back to the cab.

But at this time, he also noticed Yang Tian on the other side of the deck and was slightly startled.

"Hey, boy, stop standing here! Get into the cabin and hide! The pirates are coming!"

shouted Captain Frank.

But Yang Tian just turned his back to him, raised his hand and waved it, indicating that it was okay.

Then I continued to look at the scenery.

Captain Frank was speechless.

However, now that time was running out, he had no time to tangle with Yang Tian.

He rushed back to the cab and said, "What's going on now?"

The first mate immediately said: "Still approaching, about 1.8 kilometers away."

Captain Frank thought for a while and said: "Let the crew open all fire sprinkler valves and spray water on both sides of the ship."

"yes!"

The first mate immediately issued the order.

Soon, all the water spray valves were opened, and countless water jets sprayed down from the water spray pipes on both sides of the ship, forming a barrier of water columns to prevent small boats from approaching and setting up rope ladders.

In the following time, the atmosphere became more and more tense.

"One point five kilometers."

"One point two kilometers."

"one kilometer."

"Eight hundred meters."

When the three small dots at the back approached 800 meters, Captain Frank picked up the telescope again and took a look outside... At this time, he could clearly see the situation of these three objects that appeared on the radar.

——Those are three speedboats! There are five or six people on each speedboat, basically all black people, probably locals outside Soma.
Chapter completed!