48 Hours a Day - Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Zhang Heng could hear the thunderous boom of cannons after he left the Queen Anne’s Revenge . Charleston was bathed in bright flames .

 When he saw that, Zhang Heng knew that Orff’s and Teach’s plan for revenge had begun . Everything that happened after that had nothing to do with him . His life on the Queen Anne’s Revenge was finally over . After tonight, Teach, and the Queen Anne’s Revenge would disappear for some time . Zhang Heng would only meet them again four years later, but that’s a story for another time .

 All 16 people on the ship made use of what little time that they had and picked a helmsman .

 “I just took scanned our surroundings just now . Around twenty boats are docked by the harbor right now . Between them, there are twelve small boats, eight medium boats, and two big boats . They are basically empty right now . It should be an easy task for us to snatch them . ”

 Charleston and Nassau were at least hundreds of kilometers apart . It would be impossible for them to sail all the way to Nassau with the tiny vessels that they were on right now . Besides, a golden opportunity had presented itself right before them . While the Queen Anne’s Revenge was drawing the attention of the enemies, it would be the best time for them to hijack those boats .

 “You guys should have made your choices by now, right?”

 Zhang Heng took a look around and knew that the group of people with him would become his crew later on . Owen was right . It was a fact that these were the most experienced group of pirates the Queen Anne’s Revenge had seen .

 They were extremely skillful and had years of experience between them . Most importantly, they had a squeaky clean background . They neither belonged to Orff nor Frazer . If Zhang Heng did not step in, they would have indeed met a horrible ending since the powerful people on the ship were trying to fight for the throne .

 Billy and the rest of the old pirates took a look around . There was excitement in the air .

 “The Royal Navy has a corvette here . It’s a medium-sized vessel equipped with around 30 cannons . Although this corvette is similar to the Sea Lion, it’s definitely more powerful . She should sail a lot faster, as well . Right now, we are powerful enough to take her and sail back to Nassau . We just need to recruit more people from Nassau, and we should be good to set sail,” said Billy .

 “Actually the Queen Anne’s Revenge is not suitable for raiding other boats . She’s too big, and will surely be slower than the others . Besides, she would need a huge crew of pirates to manage her . Of course, if they only targeted merchant ships, they would not need all that crazy firepower . Everyone would eventually receive a minimal amount of loot each time since there are so many pirates on board . And it’s not exactly easy to hide this massive battleship as well,” lamented an old pirate .

 “Let’s not wait anymore . Let’s do it,” said Zhang Heng .

 Fifteen minutes later, 17 of them climbed up the corvette using a rope . Since the ship wasn’t assigned anywhere, only a total of 10 navy officers guarded the ship . Zhang Heng ambushed them, tied them up, and stowed them into one of the tiny boats that they were in before .

 After that, all started to work in unison to release the mainsail and to cast-off the anchor . Suddenly, they saw two boats filled with navy personnel rowing towards them as fast they could .

 However, it was all too late .

 As the wind began catching the sails, the corvette started to budge slowly . Zhang Heng stood on the bow of the vessel, leading his people . He had no intention to interfere with the Queen Anne’s Revenge’s battle . Soon, Zhang Heng was already leading the corvette far away from the enemies . The moment the corvette left the harbor, everyone on board erupted into a mighty cheer .

 “I just did a quick check . The food and water on board are more than enough for us . At this speed, I think we should be able to reach Nassau sooner than expected . Captain, the only thing you need to do right now is to name the ship,” said Billy .

 Without him realizing it, it had been a year since Zhang Heng entered this world . Throughout this period, Zhang Heng had tried his best to blend into his surroundings . He ate, slept, and fought alongside pirates the entire time and even invested a lot of effort to learn different skills from them . Still, he did not forget his origins .

 “I shall christen her the Jackdaw!”

 3None of them understood the meaning behind the name, thinking that Zhang Heng must have chosen it because it sounded catchy . Hence, no one was against it .

 Zhang Heng gazed to the stars glittering in the sky above him, and said, “Now, let’s go home . ”

 … . .

 Anne was now in a dormant state . When Zhang Heng was in the house, she could at least talk to him about her life . Once he was gone, she had no one to talk to . Before she met him, she would go around the island, roughing up those who offended her . Ever since he promised her that he would let her join his crew, Anne pledged that she would learn how to control her anger . Undeniably, she had plenty of flaws, but breaking promises was not one of them . When Zhang Heng was not home, she tried to stay indoors as much as possible . Still, trouble came looking for her .

 One day, while Anne lay on the bench enjoying the morning sunlight, someone she loathed came looking for her .

 “So, have you thought about it? We can go to Massachusetts . I have an uncle over there, and he is in the tobacco farming business . He can help us to settle down . He promised me that he would grant me a stable job . The money I earn should be enough for us to live a comfortable life in the New World . We do not have to worry about food and shelter anymore . ”

 Anne merely stared at him with no response .

 “You need to accept reality, Anne . You have been here for more than a year, and no ships would take you in . Being a pirate is no joke . You should be grateful that I wasn’t mad at you for what happened last time . My promise is still valid . Just marry me, and I will forget everything that you’ve done to me . ”

 “James, just save it . From Ireland to Nassau, whose money did you use, huh? We sold all our silverware just to fund our journey . I didn’t expect that you would kick me away like a ball the moment we arrived in Nassau . Since you want to settle the score, let’s count from the beginning then!”

 Seeing that Anne started responding to him, James was elated .

 “We did agree that we would settle the score once we got off the ship . Don’t forget that you’ve agreed to it as well . I even let you stay and eat at no cost for half a year . You promised me that you would return me the money once you become a pirate . It seems like that won’t come to pass now . ”

 Anne became extremely agitated . It wasn’t the first time they had this conversation . If not for Anne being stronger than James, he would have sexually assaulted her a long time ago . Just when Anne was considering breaking the rules and beating him up, a kid shouted at her from afar .

 “Boss Anne! Boss Anne! There is a new pirate ship approaching Nassau . It’s a navy battleship! Our fortress defender and the cannoneer, Honig was shocked when he saw it . Luckily, the battleship raised their black flag right before we attacked them!”

“Huh? Another battleship? These new pirates are getting bolder and bolder!”

 Anne recognized the kid . After defeating him a few times, he was determined to address her as his boss . He was running barefooted with a forehead dripping with sweat, and appeared to be in a great rush .

 “Their captain asks me to inform the crew to gather at the dock . ”

 “Go ahead then . Why are you here?”

 “I was freaked out by it too, but there’s only one Anne with red hair on this island . ”

 “Huh?”