The Forever Pirates knew that something was up with the Vesper forces. Just launching an attack on the very first day then not moving their hand for the next two was very suspicious. What were they up to that they decided it was best to waste two whole days doing nothing for? The First, Second, Zheng Jing and the rest of the elders organized all of their troops to launch a surprise attack on their enemies through the massive fog that blocked their view of the enemy.

They had just over 10,000 ships in their fleet after the first day of battle, and now, they would be using nearly their entire force to plan an ambush. The preparations were completed in record time and all of the ships headed forth to the area that Zheng Jing was fighting off just days prior. Past the fog, all they saw was even more fog, until they finally encountered a large fleet that immediately started firing rounds at them.

This group that had targeted them was fairly powerful, but they were no match for a group that was more than 10 times what firepower they did have. The elders started discussing after they dealt with the enemies. However, they soon found out that their radios did not function as they were supposed to and that they would have to send a messenger or meet in person to transfer vital intel.

The fleet that just destroyed one of Vesper’s forces included the First, Zheng Jing and 4 elders while the Second and another elder stayed back in case anything else had happened. The First quickly ordered a messenger ship to go back to the island and inform those there of what had happened. Then, a meeting was rushed between the six of them.

(H1) “Alright, since we can’t even communicate with each other being this close, we will have to figure out another way to do so.” The First brought up.

(ZJ) “Will we go back to the old ways then? I do miss those signals we used to do.” Zheng Jing commented.

(H1) “We will have to it seems, none of you have forgotten to train your soldiers to know these have you?”

(ZJ) “No sir, punishments terrify us more than the effort it goes into basic training.”

(H1) “Good, I’ll lead from the front. I will shoot in the direction of where you will all need to go. Sharpen your ears since it is easy to get lost in these kinds of fogs. Listen well since I might need to change in a moment’s notice.”

(ZJ) “Yes, sir.”

“Got it.”

“I can’t wait.”

The six of them returned to their own ships while the First went all the way to the very vanguard and started firing shells immediately. First, they headed north from their position and they did not find anything. Then, they headed southeast and found another group of about 1,000 ships and crushed them just as mercilessly as they had the first time. After all of that, they continued to search the area for more enemies, but all to no avail. The First was getting a little antsy now, where were all the enemies?

There should be at least 10,000 more, so where could they be? Is it possible that their coordination is so perfect that they were able to dodge a fleet 10,000 strong? So many questions, yet the more he thought about it, the more questions that came to mind. He signaled for all of them to head back to base immediately.

They had not gone all the way through the fog as they did not know how far it went. It was unbeknownst to the others that Zheng Jing had separated from them and headed somewhere else with a select few of his absolute fastest ships. Once out of the fog, the elders and the First made their way to the island to discuss the matters at hand. It was then that they realized Zheng Jing was not with them.

(H1) “I’m not too sure where Zheng Jing is but he is no fool, he knows his limits and will come back to us so we shouldn’t worry about him just yet.”

(H2) “I got your message, First. That first fleet of 1,000 ships you defeated is powerful, but that is only a speck of the entire whole.”

(H1) “Second, there was one thing that I neglected to mention to you. All of those ships we sunk were all the worst of the bunch, which means that all of the powerful ships are out there lurking somewhere. I’m just not too sure where.”

“This is such a confusing situation for sure. Does the Vesper faction want to take this island or don’t they? Since they let us sink a few thousand of their ships with no reinforcements, I must assume that this is part of their plan?” An elder said very unsurely.

(H1) “We can not rule out that possibility. There are just so many unknowns right now one might question if it was even a battle to begin with. I seriously cannot wrap my head around this crazy plan of theirs. Just what are they planning.”

(H2) “Calm down, First. There is no point in getting so worked up, only actions can make this headache go away. What do you all think?”

At this moment, Zheng Jing stormed into the meeting hall looking like he had just seen the end of the world.

(H2) “Zheng Jing, where have you been?”

(ZJ) “I took a small detachment of about a hundred of my fastest ships and headed to where the fog ended. I now know why the Vesper’s are acting like this. They have utterly played us like fools!”

(H1) “Explain yourself.”

(ZJ) “The reason why they have not been attacking us is that they have left with the majority of their forces. Likely at the end of the first day or the beginning of the second. That’s why they made the fog so large and thick. So we wouldn’t be able to find out about this fact.”

“What!”

“It seems that while we have been overthinking our enemy, they have already left us to fight elsewhere.”