North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 94 How Did You Survive? (5000 words, please subscribe)
Not only were there more than a dozen armed merchant ships that came from the darkness, but also several cannons that appeared on the shore and in the shipyard at some unknown time, bombarding the three galleons!
"Boom boom boom boom...!"

The relentless barrage of cannon fire left the three galleons nowhere to hide, no matter how desperately they tried to dodge. Illuminated by the bright lights, they were repeatedly struck by the whistling shells.

In just over ten minutes, the three wooden galleons were riddled with holes, and the seawater that poured in caused them to sink continuously.

The three hundred elite rangers on the ship were like ants on a hot pan, dodging cannonballs in all directions, but some were still hit by the shells, their flesh and blood flying everywhere, their mangled limbs and steaming entrails spraying all over the sky.

Major Daniel Cameron stood frozen at the bow of the ship, staring dumbfounded at the numerous armed merchant ships that were getting closer and closer, his mind completely blank!
"How is this possible? How is this possible? How could this be...!"

Everything was under control, and victory was within reach. Why did it seem so close yet so far away?

What happened?
Why would that damn Chinese guy be prepared?

Why would an armed merchant fleet that originally belonged to the Cameron family end up here?
Why is it that everything that was originally planned is being targeted at?
What exactly is the problem?

Daniel Cameron simply couldn't understand why he was completely deaf to the whistling cannonballs in front of him, as well as the cries for help and the pitiful screams of his cavalrymen!
From the pinnacle of life where victory was assured, he instantly plummeted to the depths of hell, leaving his mind completely blank!
He was so engrossed in his own world that he had lost the most basic ability to react to anything happening around him!
"Major, our ship is completely doomed! Jump overboard! Escape!"

Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," is truly loyal; even in his haste to escape, he doesn't forget to help Major Daniel Cameron.

The three ordinary galleon merchant ships could not withstand the repeated ravages of the cannon fire. They were blasted with holes of all sizes, and their superstructures were set ablaze by the hot shells.

All three ships were rapidly sinking into the dark seabed amidst raging flames!
The rangers who hadn't been killed by the artillery fire, along with the crew members on the ship, jumped into the dark sea like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," pulled the stunned Major Daniel into the dark, icy sea.

The seawater at the end of November is icy cold!

After jumping into the sea, the more than two hundred people who were submerged in the water felt shivering all over and their hands and feet began to go numb in just a short time.

And those who can't swim have already sunk to the cold, dark seabed!

As the rangers and crew floated on the sea, the three burning galleons gradually disappeared from the surface, leaving only a large pile of broken wood and oil stains!

At this moment, more than a dozen armed merchant ships had arrived and formed a circle, completely surrounding everyone struggling on the sea.

On the merchant ship, numerous lights shone onto the sea, searching for survivors.

Major Daniel Cameron, finally sobered up by the icy seawater, looked toward the armed merchant ship in the direction of the light shining on him.

Upon looking, he saw the face he least wanted to see!

"Damn Chinaman, you yellow-skinned monkey, you're not dead? How come you're not dead?"

Major Daniel mustered all his strength and shouted loudly towards the ship.

Following the direction of the sound, several lights immediately shone over!
All the lights were focused on Major Daniel Cameron and Quentin Tarantino, who was standing next to him, in the face!
"Hey! Isn't this our Major Daniel?"

The figure standing at the bow of the ship was none other than Azu, who had already been stabbed to death!
"Major Daniel Cameron, our San Francisco militia is on a mission to wipe out gangs. Why are you associating with these gangs?"

With a smile on his face, Azu asked loudly.

Daniel seemed not to hear Azu's question, only shouting wildly, "Why? Why aren't you dead? Why? Why is this happening...?"

Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," also shouted incredulously, "We fired so many bullets at the wagon, damn Chinaman, you yellow-skinned monkey, you can't possibly still be alive!"

Azu replied in a deep voice, "Yes! My carriage was riddled with holes by you, and my horse and driver were riddled with holes. Why am I still alive? Why?"

"No rush. It would be disrespectful to our guests to leave you soaking in the sea like this!"

Azu pointed at Daniel Cameron and Quentin Tarantino: "Get these two out of here!"

"What about the others?" Mayor Vic couldn't help but ask, standing next to Azu.

Azu glanced at him but didn't say anything.

On the other hand, Edgar Allan Poe drew his Colt revolver from his waist.

“Snap, snap, snap…!”

Edgar Allan Poe used his gun to shoot people floating on the water, one by one, in the head.

With someone taking the lead, a dense and fierce barrage of gunfire erupted from the dozen or so armed merchant ships!

"Do not……!"

As he watched the pools of blood explode around him, Daniel Cameron let out a desperate and painful wail.

Moments later, apart from Daniel Cameron and Quentin Tarantino, there was no other living creature on the surface of the sea!
All that remained was a vast expanse of sea completely stained red with blood!
A few minutes later, Daniel and Quentin, who were tied up tightly and soaking wet, were thrown at Azu's feet!

After soaking in the icy seawater for a short time, the two men's lips turned pale from the cold, and their bodies trembled violently.

Azu frowned slightly: "Take them into the cabin and let them warm up by the fire!"

So the two were taken back into the warm cabin and thrown next to the fireplace.

Only when the water stains on their bodies were dried, their lips regained their color, and their bodies stopped trembling, did Azu lead the others in.

Azu pulled up a stool and sat down. Behind him stood Vic, Edgar Allan Poe, Jason, Ayan, and Harley, all standing in neat rows.

And... Victoria Benjamin!

Azu pulled a small knife from his boot and used it to untie Daniel Cameron and Quentin.

"Pour them a glass of wine to warm them up!"

Soon, a crew member poured two glasses of wine for Daniel and Quentin, who took them but did not drink them.

"What? Afraid I'll poison you?" Azu said dismissively, "Heh, if I wanted to kill you, would I need to poison you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Daniel Cameron tilted his head back and downed the drink in one gulp.

Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," also tilted his head back and downed his drink in one gulp.

"Shh!"

Then, Quentin flipped his hand and smashed the glass hard against A-Zu's head!
"boom……!"

Quentin is incredibly fast, but there are people who are even faster than him!
Victoria instantly drew her gun, her aim incredibly precise, and fired a shot that shattered the wine glass Quentin had thrown out!
"call……!"

Victoria coldly blew away the gunpowder smoke and casually put the gun back into its sheath.

Her movements were so smooth and fluid, it was absolutely a feast for the eyes!
Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," is a seasoned gang leader and definitely knows his stuff.

Upon seeing Victoria's move, his eyes narrowed sharply: "Woman, who are you?"

"You're not qualified to know!"

Victoria's icy gaze was fixed on Daniel Cameron!

She still remembers that when she was nine years old, it was this very face that led a group of fierce-looking people into her home and killed all her family members!

Father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brothers and sisters, six-year-old sister, and brother still in swaddling clothes...!
And two uncles and their entire families...!
A wealthy and happy family of over thirty people all died at the hands of Daniel Cameron and his thugs!

If she hadn't been so mischievous as a child, often climbing chimneys to hide and scare people, she probably would have died at this man's hands that night too.
Eight years ago, this face was younger, more handsome, and more dashing!

But in Victoria's eyes, this is what the devil's face looks like!
Daniel Cameron ignored the minor incident and Victoria's murderous glare.

At that moment, Daniel only had eyes for Azu sitting opposite him!
"Chinamen, why haven't you killed us yet?" Daniel Cameron asked coldly.

“I have no grudge against you, why would I kill you?” Azu grinned. “Major Daniel, where is that letter? Hand it over!”

“A letter?” Daniel Cameron raised a handsome brow. “What letter?”

"That letter was mailed from San Francisco ten days ago! You received it seven days ago, Major Daniel!"

"Five days ago, Mr. Quentin the Ripper departed from your barracks."

"Two days ago, Mr. Ripper infiltrated San Francisco."

"At the same time, the Major's Ranger Battalion split into many groups, each with a few to a dozen men, and left the camp separately." "After leaving the camp, the Major's troops regrouped at the designated Leonian dock and boarded the three Gallen merchant ships that were already waiting there."

"Yesterday evening, I was assassinated by Mr. Ripper!"

"Last night, I received news of my assassination. The major was waiting for the fleet on the high seas to set sail."

"The rest happened just now, and you should remember it well, Major, so I won't go into details!"

At this point, Ah Zu's lips curled up slightly: "So, Major, what about that letter?"

"Hahaha...!" Daniel Cameron laughed bitterly, "You actually know everything, you fucking know everything... Hahaha!"

As he laughed, tears welled up in Daniel Cameron's eyes.

“You knew everything! But you made one mistake…!” Daniel Cameron said to himself, “Chinaman, you shouldn’t have killed everyone! If you had used their lives to blackmail me, I might have actually handed over that letter!”

Azu shrugged indifferently: "Compared to the potential trouble they'll cause, that letter doesn't seem that important!"

Daniel Cameron roared, "You damned Chinaman! You killed elite soldiers of the U.S. Army! They were regular troops from the Northern California Ranger Battalion! You will pay the ultimate price for this!!!"

"Sorry! All the people I killed tonight were gangsters, ruthless criminals who were planning to attack San Francisco again!"

“You…!” Daniel Cameron glared at Azu with the most vicious look in his eyes.

Ignoring his vicious gaze, Azu calmly said, "I was wondering why Major Daniel Cameron would be involved with these thugs!"

Azu pointed at Quentin the Ripper: "What explanation do you have for this, Major Daniel?"

"What other explanation do you want? Since you know everything, of course we're here to kill you, to wipe out your Huamei Industrial Company!"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Quentin Tarantino, the "Ripper," interjected, "Damn Chinaman, weren't you the one who ambushed us last time?"

Ah Zu said calmly, "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't! It was just a small matter, so much time has passed, who would still remember?"

"Fuck you! Fuck...!" Quentin, who was so angry that he was about to explode, was about to lose it.

Daniel Cameron reached out and grabbed the agitated Quentin's shoulder: "Chinaman, tell me, how did you know everything? And how did you survive the assassination attempt?"

Azu smiled faintly: "You really want to know?"

"Of course!"

"Bring that letter in exchange!"

"impossible!"

"Then there's nothing more to talk about!" Azu stood up and said, "Miss Eighteen, send them to feed the sharks!"

"etc……!"

Daniel Cameron said, "Tell me the truth, and I'll tell you where that letter is."

Azu thought for a moment, then sat down again: "Major Daniel, last time you suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Indians, didn't the Northern California Rangers suffer a lot of casualties?"

"This is a fact known to everyone!"

"So, you need to recruit soldiers and make up the ranks, right?"

“Yes, two months ago, I recruited a batch of new soldiers…!” At this point, Daniel Cameron suddenly realized something!

Daniel felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt, his scalp tingling instantly: "Among those recruits, there are your men...!"

"To be precise...!" Azu smiled and said, "Many of your new recruits are my men!"

"Clap clap...!" Azu clapped his hands.

Amid applause, a squad of Rangers dressed as bandits walked in from outside the cabin!
No more, no less, this team has exactly five people!
"Snapped!"

The group of five stood in a neat row.

"Snapped!"

"Good morning, Major!"

The entire squad of rangers gave Major Daniel Cameron a perfectly standard military salute!

Major Daniel glanced over and was surprised to find that these five men were the five who had performed the best during basic training!
He even planned to promote them all to his trusted confidants after today's events!

"puff……!"

A surge of anger rushed to Major Daniel's head, and he spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Alright, you can all go and rest now! You've done an excellent job on this mission!"

"Yes, Sir! Thank You, Sir!"

The team of undercover spies, who had infiltrated the Northern California Ranger Battalion, walked out of the ship's cabin in neat rows.

Quentin, the "Ripper," followed up with, "Damn Chinaman, I saw you get into the carriage with my own eyes. A dozen of us brothers fired over a hundred shots, so why aren't you dead?"

Ah Zu looked at him and said, "Since I knew you were likely to attack me, how could I not be prepared?"

“Three months ago, I bought everything from the Bay Area Bank from the esteemed Mr. Ross. Among them were more than a dozen armored wagons used by the bank for transporting cash and gold! I tested them myself, and they are not easily damaged by bullets, let alone bombs!”

"To mislead you, I also added a layer of wooden planks to the outside of the armored wagon's steel plates, making it look like it was riddled with holes by you!"

At this point, Azu couldn't help but sigh softly, "Alas, what a pity for my horse and coachman...!"

"Armored wagons, armored wagons... Hahaha! Damn Chinamen, damn armored wagons...!"

"The Ripper" appeared insane, opening his mouth and bursting into a series of wild laughs.

"Alright, the mystery is solved!" Azu smiled and said, "Major Daniel, I've told you the truth. So, as a gentleman, shouldn't you hand over that letter?"

"A letter... Hahaha!" Major Daniel wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, laughing bitterly, "What letter? I burned it long ago after reading it! Hahaha...!"

"Did it burn...?"

Azu said dismissively, "Let it burn!"

Seeing Azu's nonchalant demeanor, Major Daniel was immediately disappointed, his brows furrowing: "I burned the letter a long time ago, aren't you angry?"

"Why should I be angry?" Azu said calmly, "I know perfectly well who wrote that letter to you. With that letter, I just have another handle against them!"

"Even without that letter, I can still control them!"

Having said all that, Ah Zu dusted himself off and stood up: "Victoria, the rest is up to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Azu led the others out of the cabin.

Moments later, gunshots rang out from inside the cabin: "Bang, bang, bang...!"

And there was the crackling sound of whips!
And there was the sound of a sharp knife peeling skin and removing bones!
There were also two men screaming in utter horror!

After a long while, the man's screams gradually faded until there was finally no sound!

After a long while, Victoria, her face streaked with tears, finally staggered out of the cabin.

After waiting for a long time, Ah Zu went up to her and asked with concern, "Victoria, how are you? Are you alright?"

Victoria lifted her tear-streaked face to meet Ah Zu's concerned gaze.

"Wow……!"

Victoria, this aloof and thorny rose, completely broke down emotionally, throwing herself into Ah Zu's arms and wailing without any regard for her image!
Eight years ago, she was just a nine-year-old girl. In order to seek revenge, she has endured far too much over the years!
All the hardships, all the heartache of the past, all the pain and torment, all the hatred suppressed in my heart... were released in the most complete way at this moment!
Victoria Benjamin, the "Nemesis," has finally gotten her revenge!
Having shed the heavy burden of hatred weighing on her tender shoulders, at this moment, she finally became herself again, the mischievous, rebellious, and quirky nine-year-old girl she once was!
(End of this chapter)