Life Game In Other World
Chapter 258: Pirates (Please Favorite, Subscribe, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Pirates (Please Favorite, Subscribe, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

He Ao glanced at the options in his view, frowned, strapped the bone sword to his back, picked up the Miracle Wand, and opened the bedroom door.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Liu Nan running towards him.

"What’s the matter?"

He Ao looked at the hurrying girl with some confusion.

"Pirates."

"Pirates?"

He Ao was momentarily taken aback.

Xidu was an inland city, and He Ao’s memories of the sea and things that happened at sea were only from scenes on television; this trip to the ruins was his first sight of the ocean.

Having seen the ocean for the first time, he was even more inexperienced with matters like pirates.

"Yeah, let’s head up to the deck first."

Liu Nan clearly seemed surprised as well; her hair had been tidied up again, no longer messy like when she had just returned from the ruins, and the bloodstains on her clothes had been washed off, though some areas were still bandaged with gauze.

"Okay."

He Ao nodded slightly. He now had stitches on his body, but as usual, after returning from the ruins, he felt his soul power had been replenished and enhanced, which in turn sped up the healing of his wounds.

He was a bit curious about these pirates, something he had never seen before.

All the Transcendents on this ship, who would dare to trouble them?

The two quickly ascended the staircase in the corridor to the deck.

By now, many people had already gathered on the deck, most of them survivors from the recent foray into the ruins. Although they were somewhat taken aback, they did not panic.

No matter how fearsome pirates were, they were still human and did not compare to the twisted, insane monsters in the ruins.

The researchers here had endured life and death over the past three days in the ruins, and by now, each of them had acquired one or more supernatural items.

The cruise ship they were on continued to advance; from a distance, five or six speedboats were rapidly approaching, moving parallel to the cruise ship.

There were six or seven people on each speedboat; one who looked like the leader was steering the boat, one holding a rocket launcher stood beside, and the others, armed with light submachine guns, watched the cruise ship warily.

They were all dressed simply, standing barefoot on the speedboats, controlling their course through the waves toward the cruise ship.

Compared to the monsters in the ruins, which were half-decomposed, these pirates looked rather handsome.

When everyone got up on the deck, Yang De also walked up.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, looked neatly attired, and had put away his earlier ferocity, now presenting the image of prosperity befitting a well-to-do gentleman, like a proper shipowner.

A young man with a megaphone followed him, keeping an eye on the approaching pirates.

At this moment, one of the leading speedboats had already moved to travel alongside the cruise ship, and the two vessels were relatively still. A skinny pirate with a megaphone on the edge of the speedboat yelled towards the cruise ship in broken Central Earth language, "Listen...ship...stop...chuwan..."

Yang De glanced at the young man beside him and loudly said to the pirate’s speedboat, "We’ve already paid the toll, we are authorized!"

The young man beside him quickly translated the message into another language and broadcasted it through the loudspeaker.

"The pirates nearby are actually the military forces of warlords from the Federal Republic of Alano, which is a relatively large island nation that has been in a civil war for decades. Local warlords have carved out their territories and have been fighting each other for years. Conveniently, the sea area near Alano has an important shipping route with frequent vessel traffic. Furthermore, this route is narrow, which means ships generally reduce speed and proceed slowly,"

Suddenly, a small head popped up beside He Ao, "A few years ago, the warlords of Alano started pirating in these waters, hijacking ships for ransom, or collecting ’protection fees’ from vessels passing through."

How did this guy pop out?

He Ao glanced at the Speech Master next to him. The Speech Master’s Husky mask had been destroyed since they left the ruins, revealing a delicate and cute face. It seemed that she had recovered from the shock of the ruin as she bustled around with a bandage on her face.

But he just glanced at her and didn’t pick up her lead.

"How do you know this?"

Curious, Liu Nan leaned over to ask.

"I talked to the uncle who cooks in the restaurant this morning. He told me, and he knows a lot," the Speech Master took the chance to edge closer, "Sister, you have such thick hair, how do you maintain it···"

He Ao looked at the two of them, who were now chattering away, but remained silent.

Liu Nan was smart. He knew what to say and what not to, careful not to reveal any information about He Ao.

His gaze continued forward, watching the pirate boats outside.

At the moment, the skinny pirate holding the megaphone had started talking with the young man beside Yang De.

They were still using that peculiar language, probably the one from the Republic of Alano, as the Speech Master had just mentioned.

After the young man finished talking, he whispered to Yang De, "They’re asking us whom we are paying protection money to?"

"Tell them, it’s the Alano Coastline Defense Force,"

Yang De whispered back.

The young man nodded slightly and continued to shout back and forth with the megaphone at the pirate, as the rest of the pirate’s speedboats had also approached the cruiser.

Yang De wasn’t particularly quiet; the surrounding Transcendents could basically hear him speak.

"The Alano Coastline Defense Force is the largest pirate force in the Alano maritime region. Unlike the other pirates who commit arson and murder or detain ships, within their jurisdiction, you can pass safely as long as you pay enough toll. During the passage, they would even help to drive away some small-time pirates."

The Speech Master came over again, seemingly holding a grudge because He Ao hadn’t engaged with her earlier,

"It’s said that they also used to plunder and detain ships, doing all kinds of evil deeds, but at some point, a new boss emerged and killed the old one.

The new boss believed that constant plundering would lead ships to take other, farther routes for safety reasons, and it would also attract military retaliation from various countries, which is not conducive to long-term development. Therefore, he switched from a plundering model to a protection fee model. The fees are high, but lower than the losses from taking detours, and they’re within what shipowners can accept, to ensure the safe passage of ships.

Coupled with his decisive and thunderous methods, he has slowly expanded his power and has become the largest force in the Alano sea area."

What a strategy for sustainable development···

He Ao thought for a moment. Indeed, this method seemed to be safe and provided stable income. The busier the route, the higher the profits.

But actually, there are downsides to this approach too. First, it’s slow to bring in money, not as profitable as outright robbery. This force must have other means of making money. Second, such a method can’t ensure the survival of the power, only prolong its downfall.

At its core, this force is still a gang of pirates collecting protection money. And since it doesn’t regulate the behavior of other pirates who commit all sorts of evil, it will eventually attract the crackdown of naval forces from various countries.

While He Ao was pondering, the young man who was communicating with the pirate via megaphone suddenly turned his head to look at Yang De, "They say they’re not from the Coastline Defense Force, they’re the Free Marines. They’re telling us to stop the ship; they want to board now."