Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 317 Nighttime Ambush
The sea remained turbulent, with civilian ships of varying sizes appearing and disappearing intermittently. The closest ships were only a few hundred meters away from the warships and were still getting closer.

Looking into the distance, the flashes of gunfire from the US warships appeared like lightning in the night vision goggles, each shot illuminating half the sky.

"Attention, all personnel!" Lu Wei commanded in a deep voice. "Pay attention to the target's movements. Do not fire without orders!"

Ou Yang was at his wits' end: The gun was practically right in his face, and he still wasn't allowed to fire?
The warship maintained its speed and continuously adjusted its course, attempting to shake off the smuggling boat.

However, the smuggling boats come in all shapes and sizes, from dilapidated fishing boats to expensive yachts and even streamlined speedboats.

Low-speed boats are extremely rare; any smuggler with some means will manage to get a high-speed boat.

As is well known, the top speed of large warships is generally only a little over thirty knots, and only a few high-speed warships can reach speeds of over forty knots.

However, compared to speedboats that can easily reach speeds of 30 or 40 knots, or even 70 or 80 knots, warships are far too slow.

The Hua Tuo ship couldn't shake off the smuggling boats that were rushing towards it. It could only watch helplessly as they came, running alongside the warship side by side, their sterns overlapping each other before immediately separating.

Ouyang asked in a low voice, "Old Ya, aren't you going to hit him yet?"

"Stay calm!" Lu Wei frowned.

The drone kept hovering over the smuggling boat, and it was clear that many of the migrants were carrying weapons.

Pistols are nothing special, submachine guns and rifles are commonplace, machine guns and rocket launchers are not uncommon, and a speedboat even has a mortar mounted on its bow!

South America was already unstable, and the rampant pandemic has turned it into a chaotic place, with a large number of standard weapons flowing out of the country.

Let alone just a few cannons, he wouldn't be surprised if South Americans were to smuggle themselves in using amphibious tanks.

Lu Wei's eyebrows twitched violently, and he immediately assigned targets: "Group one, port side, second ship; Group two, starboard side, first ship; Group three, port side, fourth ship... Note that no firing is allowed without orders. Once orders are received, you must go all out to ensure the ship is sunk!"

Everyone immediately agreed on the order, and Ouyang set up his sniper rifle and aimed at the speedboat that was constantly jumping on the water.

The other side seemed hesitant, staying close to the warship but not daring to approach rashly.

The two sides faced off from a distance, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

Inside the bridge, Xu Yi was speaking to the Dongzhou, reporting his current situation. He quickly received instructions from the Dongzhou: do not provoke, but also do not tolerate or condone any provocations.

With that, Xu Yi knew what to do.

In the distance, the gunfire from the US warship struck a cruise ship, instantly tearing the multi-million dollar vessel to pieces, with the wreckage floating on the water ablaze.

The firelight illuminated the sea, shining brightly in the night vision goggles, like a rising red sun.

More artillery fire rained down, hitting the smuggling boats repeatedly, but the American ships did not want to accidentally hit the Hua Tuo, so from beginning to end, not a single shell landed near the Hua Tuo.

Witnessing this, more smuggling boats approached the Hua Tuo, all wanting to get closer. In the struggle for position, the two smuggling boats on the port side refused to give way and collided violently.

Whether the boat was damaged or not is unknown, but the people on board started fighting after the collision. The two groups of people raised their guns and fired at each other. The dense bullets swept across the deck, leaving all the exposed stowaways with bloody holes. Even the stowaway boat next to them was caught in the crossfire, resulting in heavy casualties.

The accidental shooting drew more smuggling boats into the conflict, with gunfire erupting from the port side and bullets flying everywhere.

Many migrants who did not want to get involved in the conflict had nowhere to escape and had to jump into the sea to survive.

In a short time, countless bullets struck the Hua Tuo ship. Although they couldn't damage the steel plates, they left many bullet marks.

Even so, the bridge did not issue a counterattack order. To avoid the stray bullets flying everywhere, the soldiers immediately lay down on the deck, constantly hearing the whooshing sound of bullets flying over their heads.

Ouyang gritted his teeth. Was he just going to keep hiding like this? When would it end?
boom--

A muffled thud came from the port side; it was a stowaway who had destroyed a hostile smuggling boat with a rocket launcher.

Shrapnel flew everywhere, killing a group of stowaways and creating a series of loud knocking noises on the Hua Tuo ship.

Several smuggling boats took advantage of the chaos to approach, and some even threw out grappling hooks to jam the railings. A group of smugglers, completely disregarding the consequences, pulled themselves up onto the hospital ship by the ropes.

These aren't stowaways, they're practically a bunch of pirates!
At the same time, the bridge received a communication from the US ship, inquiring about the situation of the Hua Tuo and whether the US ship needed to protect the Hua Tuo's safety.

Xu Yi remained expressionless and uttered a single word: "Fight!"

Lu Wei immediately relayed the order: "Attack! Give them a good beating!"

Before the words were even finished, a stowaway climbed onto the port side and deftly scaled the railing.

Just as he jumped up and before he could clear the railing, a burst of gunfire suddenly erupted in the darkness. The man was instantly hit by several bullets and fell backwards into the sea.

The migrants from South America, accustomed to death, paid no heed and continued to climb desperately.

Ouyang also opened fire after receiving the order. With a soft bang, the grenade hit its target accurately and exploded on a yacht.

The other groups experienced the same thing; in a short moment, gunfire erupted on and off the warship, and the entire warship was surrounded by gunfire and explosions.

For some reason, more and more smuggling boats approached the Hua Tuo ship, with dozens of smugglers climbing onto the ship's sides from both sides at the same time.

Each group held their positions firmly; if any enemy dared to show their face, they would be shot into the sea immediately.

Ouyang was secretly anxious. Although his side had plenty of ammunition, it wasn't sustainable to keep fighting like this.

If the ship were equipped with a few cannons, even small-caliber rapid-fire cannons, it could beat the South Americans so badly they'd be crying for their parents and completely lost.

However, how could Xu Yi sit idly by and wait for his doom?
He suddenly ordered: "Hard to starboard!"

The helmsman immediately executed the order: "Full to right!"

The warship, traveling at full speed, suddenly turned, drawing a huge arc on the water's surface, and its hull inevitably began to list.

The enemy on the port side was thrown off the ship by the sudden turn. They all gripped the ropes with all their might, but many stowaways still slipped out and fell into the water, disappearing without a trace.

The starboard direction was completely opposite, and each one was pressed against the ship's side by inertia and could not move.

The smuggling boats even collided directly with the warships; some capsized, while others were deformed by the impact.

Before the enemy could adjust, Xu Yi gave the order to turn hard to port, and the tilting ship quickly straightened, then immediately tilted to port again.

Now it's the boats on the left that are unlucky, while the people on the right are thrown off balance.

After several such back-and-forth maneuvers, all ships that dared to approach the Hua Tuo were overwhelmingly crushed by the warship.

The remaining smuggling boats dared not approach, nor did they leave.

At this point, Xu Yi had nothing to worry about; any smuggling boat that approached his ship was a potential source of danger.

So, each group began firing in extended range. Although it wasn't specified whether the objective was to annihilate or hinder the enemy, everyone's primary target was the target's thrusters, control console, or engine; they would hit whatever they could reach.

Smugglers will only be shot down if the smuggling boat poses a threat to them.

Ouyang kept firing, becoming more and more skilled with his sniper rifle. He alone destroyed five boats and killed more than thirty illegal immigrants in one go.

Psychological stress?

Don't be ridiculous. These stowaways not only come from epidemic areas, but also include many infected people who are currently in the symptomatic stage. No one can imagine what crazy things they might do. Eliminating them both mentally and physically is their best fate.

After sinking more than twenty ships of various sizes and eliminating hundreds of enemies in one fell swoop, the remaining smuggling boats dared not approach again.

As it turns out, a warship is a warship, and even a hospital ship with few weapons and equipment is far superior to a hastily assembled makeshift team.

The Hua Tuo ship corrected its course and continued southward, with each group remaining firmly at their posts, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Some smuggling boats were still trailing far behind the warship, but as long as they didn't get close, the Hua Tuo didn't bother with them.

"No way, why are these ships still following us? If they keep following us, they'll be right all the way to South America!" Ouyang couldn't help but complain.

"But the US ship is still here, you can wait until it's gone before you see!"

Ou Yang saw that it was true; a medium-sized American ship was following the Hua Tuo ship from the side and rear, and those smuggling boats did not dare to stray far from the Hua Tuo ship.

This dragged on indefinitely, so Xu Yi thought for a moment and decided to contact the Mi ship to get closer and deal with the smuggling boat.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement, but before the US ship could get close, the smuggling boats scattered and fled.

Ou Yang smirked and commented scathingly, "They're just bullying the weak and fearing the strong!"

With the smuggling boats all gone, the atmosphere on the medical ship finally relaxed a bit. The combat personnel who had been fighting on the deck for several hours were ordered to retreat to their cabins to rest and be replaced by other non-immune personnel.

It wasn't until he returned to his cabin that Ouyang realized the warship's preparations went far beyond what appeared on the surface.

Although only immune personnel went up to the deck, non-immune personnel also received combat orders, collected weapons and equipment, and waited in the cabins, ready to rush out to support the battle at a moment's notice.

Immunized personnel only need to carry weapons and ammunition, and at most wear bulletproof vests and helmets.

Non-immune personnel have to wear full protective gear, which is not only cumbersome and awkward, but also has a very narrow field of vision. Unless it is an emergency, they will not be sent to the deck.

In addition, the researchers received orders from the bridge to extract phacoemulsification from the stored spores, preparing to release the phacoemulsification if absolutely necessary, even at the cost of destroying the warship with the enemy, rather than letting it fall into the hands of smugglers.

Ouyang could easily imagine the consequences of the Hua Tuo being occupied by the enemy—the US Navy would never stand idly by and allow stowaways to take over the hospital ship.

At that point, we will be at a disadvantage.

After quickly tidying up his personal hygiene, Ouyang returned to his cabin with his equipment and collapsed onto the bed.

The weapons should have been returned, but it's not safe right now. All combat personnel must carry their weapons at all times and be ready to engage in combat immediately upon receiving orders.

Zhu Yiming, who witnessed this scene, was extremely surprised: "Ouyang, is everything alright outside?"

"It's nothing." Ou Yang sat up. "Just a bunch of chickens and dogs!"

Zhu Yiming immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I was so nervous when I heard all that banging and clanging!"

"It's alright, they're all light weapons, no threat at all," Ou Yang said with a smile. "Anything that posed a threat was sent back to their grandmother's house before we even had a chance to make a move!"

"Sigh, what a pity." Zhu Yiming felt a mix of emotions, his gaze conflicted.

There were only a few immune personnel on the ship. He should have been a combatant as well, but his physical condition did not allow it. As a result, when danger came, he could only hide in the cabin like a quail.

Zhu Yiming also came from the epidemic area and had experienced the baptism of battle. This sense of powerlessness of being able to only watch from the sidelines made him extremely conflicted.

Ou Yang understood what he meant and comforted him, "It's okay, take good care of yourself, you'll have your chance."

Zhu Yiming twitched the corner of his mouth: "Hopefully..."

Before he could finish speaking, the urgent battle alarm sounded again. Ou Yang jumped up, grabbed his sniper grenade, and ran outside.

Watching Ou Yang's retreating figure, Zhu Yiming swallowed the "ba" he hadn't yet uttered, his mind racing with wild thoughts: He just got back and the alarm went off again, what happened this time?

Ouyang had the same question. He rushed up to the deck, quickly got to his position, secured the safety rope, and then set up his sniper grenade: "What happened?"

"I don't know!" His companion stared intently at the sea, but noticed nothing unusual.

Suddenly, the American ships behind them opened fire, and shells landed one after another on the distant sea, creating a series of explosions.

"Attention, all personnel!" Lu Wei's voice came over the radio. "Radar has detected a large number of ships ahead. Order all personnel to prepare for battle!"

Now everyone understood.

Ou Yang sighed. At a time like this, was it still necessary to continue south? Wouldn't it be better to change direction or take a detour?

Xu Yi did the same, and the Hua Tuo ship quickly turned around to avoid the smuggling army.

It's likely that the faster ships were all used up in the first wave of attacks, and the subsequent smuggling boats were relatively slow, so the Hua Tuo quickly escaped the firefight zone.

The US warships were busy dealing with the smuggling boats and didn't have time to continue following the Hua Tuo.

Ou Yang smacked his lips, wanting to ask someone how large this round of smuggling was.

Inside the bridge, Xu Yi stared silently at the radar screen filled with glowing dots.

Whether or not to intercept is the US's business. Even if the sniping fails, it still means landing on US territory. Not to mention that the Hua Tuo is a hospital ship, even if it were a real warship, they would not intervene rashly.

At this time, the US ship was still able to maneuver with ease, and no smuggling boat could get close to it.

However, the smuggling army seemed to be prepared, with at least thirty speedboats suddenly rushing out and heading straight for the US ship.

Xu Yi had a toothache and immediately ordered a full-speed evacuation.

Breaking away doesn't mean wandering aimlessly; it means finding the most suitable direction!

Before long, the Hua Tuo ship had already created a safe distance between itself and the smuggling army.

Looking again, the cannon fire from the American ships continued unabated, and explosions were constantly occurring on the surrounding sea, appearing quite intense.

Ou Yang suddenly had a thought: Could the US ship be unable to hold on?

(End of this chapter)