.

The Trident is a 3,000-class teu-class container cargo ship that is 18 years old. In the past five years, it has mainly operated on routes between Europe and the Far East. It usually transports cheap goods produced in the Far East to Europe and then transports high-value-added goods produced in Europe to the Far East.

On this one-way route of about 7,000 nautical miles, it takes three months for the Trident to go back and forth.

Ten days ago, the Trident set off from Naples, Italy, carrying 2,764 containers stuffed with bottles of olive oil, wine, auto parts, high-end furniture and popular clothing, and began its second voyage this year. After arriving in Alexandria, the Trident unloaded more than 100 containers containing auto parts and carried more than 300 containers containing Egyptian specialties. The next stop of the freighter will be Mumbai, India, and then pass through Singapore, Manila and Kaohsiung, and arrive in Busan, South Korea.

The route was arranged very closely. When the Trident returned to Naples again, more than 30 crew members could get a very generous salary. However, the crew was not happy at all, especially after entering the Gulf of Aden through the Mande Strait, because just last month, a cargo ship that set sail from ** was hijacked by pirates when it passed through the Gulf of Aden, and the crew of the freighter is still in the hands of pirates.

Those escort warships are counting on?

The total area of ​​the Gulf of Aden is as high as 530,000 square kilometers, and the international route from the southern end of the Strait of Mande to the western end of Socotra is 1,500 kilometers long. Although more than a dozen countries have dispatched warships to escort ships passing through the sea, there are only more than 30 warships on this long route, most of which form a formation of two to three, and hundreds of merchant ships sailing on the route every day.

It is obvious that more than 30 warships were used to cover the merchant ships that were dozens of times more powerful.

In order to solve the problem of too many monks and too little porridge, countries participating in the anti-piracy escort operation in the Gulf of Aden reached an agreement to divide the international waterway into more than ten areas under its jurisdiction, and warships sent by various countries escort ships through relay to maximize the safety of the route.

In addition, if a ship entering the Gulf of Aden wants to be protected by warships, he must gather in the Mande Strait at the west end or the Socotra Island at the east end and form a fleet to cross dangerous seas.

Although there is no need to pay a "protection fee", it takes a lot of time.

When the "Trident" arrived at the south entrance of the Mande Strait, the previous fleet had just set off under the escort of American warships. If you want to join the next fleet, you have to wait at least twelve hours.

Although waiting twelve hours is nothing for a cargo ship with a single sailing time of more than one month, the Trident has been advancing at the fastest speed since its departure from Naples, and the docking time in Alexandria has been compressed to the shortest, and the captain seems to be in a hurry.

The Trident did not stop in the waters where the cargo ships assembled, and continued to advance at the fastest speed of the twenty-two knots.

The crew was both uneasy and very dissatisfied with the captain's decision. Because the freighter was not hung with the Italian flag, but with the American flag. After the US military dispatched special forces to rescue Captain Phillips, the Somali pirates spoke out and would never let the American freighter go.

From then on, warships were protected by ships flying the American flag when they passed through the Gulf of Aden.

Pirates dare not attack ships protected by warships, but they may not necessarily let ships sailing alone.

As the Trident continued to move forward, the crew could only place their hopes on homemade incendiary bombs, high-pressure water guns, and the safety cabin wrapped in steel plates.

However, these protective measures are passive, and when faced with pirates with live ammunition, they often become decorations.

The crew's dissatisfaction could not be hidden from Captain Eric, because it was not him who made the decision, but the "uninvited guest" who boarded the ship in Alexandria.

"Eric, can't you be quiet for a while?"

Eric, who had been paced back and forth in the cabin for dozens of times, stopped and looked at the middle-aged man who was lying on the table and tampering with the navigation log.

The guy's name is Roy Lynch, who boarded the Trident in Alexandria and took over command.

Where did he come from?

Eric knew very well because thirteen years ago, when he retired from the Navy, he signed a secret contract with Cia, promising to respond to Cia's call in the future. He thus became the captain of the "Trident" and received a considerable special allowance from Cia every year.

"Lynch, do you know how dangerous it is to do this?" Eric picked up the Marlboro cigarette on the table, trembling and tried several times before lighting it.

"Danger? Everything is dangerous, even if the Trident is parked in Alexandria, it is dangerous." Lynch raised his head and looked at Eric with a panicked look. "The danger will only pass by only when you arrive at your destination as soon as possible and transfer the goods to the shore. Besides, you are in a hurry now because you did not act according to the plan and set off from Naples six days ago."

"I said, it's not our fault, it's the port..."

"But we have to take responsibility for this!" Lynch closed the navigation log, stared at Eric for a few seconds before saying, "Because you didn't arrive in time, I had to stay in Alexandria for a day, and it is very likely that I would be exposed. If I can't reach the destination as soon as possible, no one knows what will happen next. I would rather face the Somali pirates than those elusive enemies."

"Even so, we can use other ways to get back the lost time."

"What's the solution?"

“Increase the speed.”

"The Trident has been sailing at its fastest speed." Lynch threw the navigation log to Eric and said, "The last overhaul was three years and eight months ago. According to the operating regulations, the overhaul should be carried out at the end of last year. I checked the information and the overhaul fund has been allocated. Captain, can you explain it?"

"you……"

"I know, you just became the father of the fifth child." Lynch lit a cigarette and showed a smile. "I admire your ability and envy you for having so many children, but you have to understand that if others know this, you will lose more than this job with considerable income."

Eric's momentum immediately became depressed. In front of Lynch, he felt very small, like an ant.

"Of course, I won't tell anyone else, because I'm not an accountant in the Audit Office, and my purpose is not for these trivial matters."

"You promise?"

"Eric, do you think I'm a lie?" Lynch smiled and said, "After this action, I'll make a comeback and live a relaxed life without having to sleep with a gun in a few years. Maybe we will never meet again, and even if we meet, you won't recognize it."

The captain sighed and said tentatively: "Even if we cannot increase the speed, we can shorten the arrival time or bypass a certain port."

"Is it possible?"

"I will make arrangements, such as not going to Mumbai, and go there on the way back."

"Eric, you still don't understand the importance of this mission." Lynch shook his head and said, "Besides delivering the goods on time, you have to do more ordinary things. There must be no abnormalities. Maybe you don't know that the guys who have been chasing me for a month and have never given up. Because they have been stranded in Alexandria for a day, it is very likely that they know that I boarded the cargo ship. If we don't go to Mumbai and go directly to Singapore, it will only make things worse. There is still a long way to go before we reach our destination, and we can't relax or make any abnormal moves."

"But……"

"But what?" Lynch glanced at Eric.

“Isn’t it abnormal to stop and join the fleet, but pass through the Gulf of Aden alone?”

"Eric, that's the difference between you and me. You will only look for solutions after encountering them, and I will find solutions before the problem arises."

The captain was stunned for a moment and felt that this guy was very arrogant.

"Before boarding this cargo ship, I contacted the Central Theater Command and asked them to arrange the battle group of the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the northern waters of Socotra. In addition, the Navy has revised the fleet information. Before we arrive in Mumbai, we will meet with several merchant ships. At that time, everyone will think that we have caught up with the fleet we set out before and sailed through the Gulf of Aden with the fleet."

"You've arranged everything?" Eric was a little surprised, and felt it was reasonable.

"Of course, do you think I will fight an unsure battle?" Lynch smiled and said, "So, don't worry about being attacked by pirates. In more than ten hours, we will leave this dangerous sea. If you can't sleep, it is recommended that you keep an eye on the crew and don't let them mess up the big things."

"It's time for supper soon, I'll keep an eye on them."

Lynch smiled and took out a simple book "Hamlet" from the bookcase on the wall, and focused on looking.

"If it's okay, I'll go out. Let Gerald deliver your dinner later."

After saying hello, Eric left the captain's room that originally belonged to him. Because only the first mate Gerald, who also served Cia, knew that Lynch was on the boat, he had been delivering meals to Lynch for several days.

At this time, about thirty nautical miles ahead of the Trident, two z-8s flying close to the sea were slowing down.

After the helicopter hovered about fifteen meters away from the sea, the red light in the cabin turned into a green light. Mu Haoyang gave a thumbs up to Pang Yuelong, who was close to the cabin door. After responding with the same gesture, he and two special forces soldiers jumped out of the cabin first and jumped into the dark sea. Then, three miniature submarines were pushed out, and eight special forces soldiers went into the sea one after another. Mu Haoyang greeted the helicopter pilot and was the last one to jump out of the cabin.

Not far away, twelve special forces members and three submarines on another helicopter have also entered the sea.

The two helicopters hovered over the sea for two weeks before returning to the direction where the fleet was located.
Chapter completed!