Farming Life Starting in Africa

Pirates are the most notorious product of this sea.

Pirate attacks have been increasing in recent years, causing headaches for the international community. China is already planning to build its first overseas military base in Djibouti.

Recently, we've encountered a tidal issue. Due to tidal changes, the water level in the northern waters has dropped significantly, narrowing the safe navigation channel. As a result, many ships are queuing up and waiting to pass through the relatively safer northern waters, with many ships waiting for several days.

A Singaporean cargo ship called "Bai Mei Yu Hao" is stuck in this queue.

The captain was an old American man, and with the delivery date fast approaching, he couldn't wait any longer.

He stood in front of the bridge, smoked several cigarettes, finally stubbed them out, and slammed his hand on the table: "Go! Take the middle lane! We're not waiting any longer!"

The first mate paused for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing the captain's expression, he closed his mouth again.

Shortly after the ship set sail, Leng Feng went up to the deck with his fishing rod and suddenly noticed the ship was moving; it seemed they had already set sail. He looked at the Black crew member beside him who was wiping the deck, and asked, "Is it our ship's turn to pass?"

"No." The black crew member looked up, revealing a set of white teeth, and said in heavily accented English, "The captain decided to leave first; we'll take the middle channel."

Leng Feng frowned. "A frigate is going to pass through as well?"

Without escort ships, ships passing through the Somali waters alone become easy prey for pirates, leaving them at the mercy of fate.

The Black crew member scratched his head and said, "The first mate said the US Navy frigate is nearby. The captain will call for it, and it'll be here soon. It should be fine, God help us."

Leng Feng chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. The captain was an American, and he was extremely optimistic about American warships.

Even if the escort ship were willing to come, it would still take at least several hours from receiving the call to arriving at the scene. If you encounter pirates, that time would be enough for them to rob you three times over. It's more practical to pray for good luck.

However, Leng Feng didn't take it too seriously. He only had some cargo on the ship and was basically just hitching a ride, so he didn't need to worry about the captain.

Actually, modern cargo ships aren't entirely helpless when faced with pirates. Crew members can hide in the hold and lock the doors. There are numerous isolation doors inside the hold, which pirates can't pry open all at once.

Leng Feng put away his fishing rod; fishing is prohibited on a ship at sea. He took the rod back to his small cabin, lay down on the bed, and planned to take a nap.

I don't know how long I slept.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm shattered the silence.

"Waaaaah—waaaaah—"

Leng Feng jerked his eyes open, his body springing up from the bed like a spring. It was the emergency alarm—danger on the ship! He rushed to the small window in the cabin and looked out. Outside was just a stretch of greyish-blue sea; he saw nothing unusual.

But then, the ship's loudspeaker blared, and the captain's voice rang out: "Attention! Attention! Pirates! All crew members, take cover! Implement emergency procedures! Repeat, all crew members—"

Leng Feng caught a glimpse of a speedboat whizzing past the cargo ship from the side. It was white, with a pile of green fishing nets stacked on top of it.

His heart skipped a beat.

Those fishing nets weren't for catching fish—they were for tangling the propellers. Simply throw the net to the stern, and the propeller's churning would cause the net to become tightly entangled in the blades, rendering the ship immobile. This was one of the most common tactic used by pirates.

Without hesitation, Leng Feng rushed out of the cabin and ran towards the deck. In the corridor, a group of crew members were hiding inside the cabin. Leng Feng brushed past them and walked against the flow of people upwards.

A Black sailor grabbed his arm, looking at him with terrified eyes: "Are you crazy? Go back! They have guns!"

Leng Feng patted his hand, said nothing, and continued walking uphill. He was a retired soldier; if he encountered such illegal harm, he wouldn't hide. He would lend a hand if he could.

By the time he reached the deck, the boat had slowed considerably. The propeller was most likely tangled in fishing nets, and now the entire boat was only able to glide forward by inertia, getting slower and slower.

Leng Feng crouched low, moving forward in the shadow of the shipping container. He heard the shouts of pirates—the kind of heavily accented Somali or Arabic, a jumbled mess of words, occasionally interspersed with the clanging of gunfire as bullets struck the metal plates of the ship.

There was no one operating the water cannons, indicating that there was no resistance on the deck.

The ship's security personnel had disappeared. As some crew members passed along the ship's side, stray bullets flew in all directions, and two unfortunate men were already lying on the ground groaning in pain after being hit by stray bullets.

Leng Feng peeked out and observed for a while, and roughly assessed the situation. There was a speedboat on the left side of the boat with five people on board, all armed. There should also be another speedboat on the other side, with an estimated number of people as well.

Just then, the first mate's voice came from overhead, "Captain, where are the American frigates?"

Leng Feng had no hope that the US military would arrive. Those soldiers were still dozens or even hundreds of nautical miles away; by the time they got there, it would be too late.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the smell of gunpowder-laden sea air. Then he strode over the railing and plunged headlong into the sea.

The moment he took off, the captain's voice came over the intercom: "Their helicopter has taken off and won't arrive for at least thirty minutes!"

Leng Feng didn't have time to think too much before he plunged into the sea with a "plop." The icy water instantly enveloped his entire body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, making him shiver.

At that moment, the people on the speedboat spotted him. After a few urgent shouts, AK gunshots rang out, bullets whizzing as they entered the water, creating a series of small jets of water on the surface.

However, bullets lose a significant amount of power once they enter the water. Seawater acts as a natural bulletproof layer; once a bullet enters the water, its kinetic energy rapidly diminishes, and it becomes virtually powerless at a depth of half a meter. The bullets created a few bubbles underwater before sinking helplessly, without even touching Leng Feng's heel.

Leng Feng determined his direction underwater and then dived towards the bottom of the speedboat.

The speedboat rocked on the water, casting a shadow. He swam to the bottom and touched the wet hull. Then he pushed up with his shoulder—the boat jolted violently.

"ah--!"

With a scream, a pirate holding an AK fell off the ship and into the water with a "plop," about four meters away from Leng Feng.