Not only did Richard notice, but Captain Morgan at the helm was gradually becoming aware that something was amiss: the ghost ship had not been shaken off nor had it been misled to deviate from its course. For some reason, the ghost ship seemed to know exactly the position of the "Naru Glory Fisherman," following closely even without the guidance of lights. As a result, when he had the ship make a sharp turn to the left, it proved to be "overly clever" — not only did it fail to increase the distance, but it also ended up decreasing it.
Watching the blue flames on the distant ghost ship, Captain Morgan’s expression was extremely grave. He took a deep breath and issued a command.
Afterward, Richard, who remained on deck, saw Captain Morgan exhaust every trick to try to shake off the ghost ship behind them.
For example, completely extinguishing the lights for a risky blind voyage;
For example, pouring a large amount of kerosene into the sea and, after sailing a distance, igniting it with a flare to create raging flames, hoping the ghost ship would mistake it for the "Naru Glory Fisherman";
For example, dropping numerous ropes tied between buoys into the sea to try to entangle the pursuing ghost ship.
In Richard’s view, although these methods lacked any technological sophistication, they were impressive for being conceived at all, his thinking at least was advanced.
Applying the same methods to modem aerial combat on Earth would be akin to radio silence, infrared decoys, and counter-ambush maneuvers.
But... even so, these methods were all ineffective.
In the darkness of night, the ghost ship really was like a spirit, continuously closing in.
The atmosphere on the "Naru Glory Fisherman" grew tense; all the sailors were woken up, with Captain Morgan steering and commanding with all his might. After realizing that extinguishing the torches was useless, they decided to light even more torches to illuminate the water around them, doing everything possible to increase speed for a true contest of velocity with the ghost ship.
But... the ghost ship kept drawing closer...
Finally, the ghost ship got within just a few hundred meters of the "Naru Glory Fisherman." In the illumination of the ghostly blue flames, the empty deck was clearly visible.
The sailors’ faces changed, and some of the cabin passengers, sensing something was wrong, also ran up to the deck and could not help but panic tremendously. Fortunately, remembering the earlier warnings from Captain Morgan prevented them from causing a commotion.
The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.
Captain Morgan stood at the helm, his face frighteningly dark.
First Officer Williams looked cautiously at Captain Morgan and nervously asked, "Captain, what do we do now...?"
Captain Morgan didn’t respond, as he didn’t know what to say—he had thought of everything he could, truly at a loss for how to handle the situation now.
It seemed as if before long, the ghost ship would completely catch up. By that point, no matter whether the ghost ship was actually pirates in disguise or not, the "Naru Glory Fisherman" would be in a dire predicament.
Was there really no way out?
Captain Morgan thought bitterly.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from on deck, suggesting, "Throw the cargo overboard."
"Hmm?" Captain Morgan was stunned, his eyebrows raised.
First Officer Williams, however, widened his eyes and looked at the sailors: "Who said that? Step forward! Throw the cargo overboard? Hmph, anyone who wants to throw the cargo overboard, I’ll throw him overboard first!"
The sailors looked terrified, quickly shaking their heads in denial.
In a corner of the deck, Richard remained calm, looking as if he had done nothing.
First Officer Williams was about to pursue the matter further when he was suddenly stopped by Captain Morgan. Captain Morgan said, "Wait, Williams."
"Throwing the cargo overboard isn’t such a bad idea," Captain Morgan spoke slowly. "If we get rid of the cargo, the ship will be lighter, increasing our speed, and perhaps we can shake off the ghost ship."
"But Captain!" First Officer Williams exclaimed frantically, "If we throw the cargo overboard, how will we explain it to the merchants after this voyage..."
"There’ll be a way," Captain Morgan interrupted Williams, "I’ve thought it through. Throwing the cargo overboard now, we’re just losing the goods, and there’s still a chance to salvage the situation. But if that ghost ship behind us catches up, we’ll lose not only all the cargo but also the ship, and all our lives as well."
"Don’t say another word, Williams; carry out the orders!" Captain Morgan barked sternly, "Open the cargo hold and throw everything you can see into the sea! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, I understand!" First Officer Williams gritted his teeth.
"Repeat it back to me!"
"Open the cargo hold, throw everything you can see into the sea!" First Officer Williams shouted.
"Good, so what are you waiting for? Get people moving!"
"Yes!" First Officer Williams, clenching his teeth, called out a large number of sailors’ names and ran towards the cargo hold.
Shortly after, boxes of cargo were lifted onto the deck and then pushed into the sea.
"Plop, plop, plop..."
The weight of the "Naru Glory Fisherman" began to diminish, and its speed noticeably increased. They could see the Ghost Ship trailing behind, its speed slowing down, then the distance began to expand again, getting farther and farther...
"Phew, we are saved, we are saved!"
"We finally got rid of it!"
The passengers on the deck cheered.
But the sailors remained silent; although they, like the passengers, had temporarily escaped danger, their loss of all cargo doomed this voyage to end empty-handed, leaving their hearts heavy.
At the helm, First Officer Williams sighed and looked toward the steering Captain Morgan, "Captain, would you like to take a rest? Since all cargo is gone, we don’t need to rush anymore. The Ghost Ship has been left far behind, no need to hurry."
"Let’s wait until dawn," Captain Morgan said, "It’s still not quite safe right now; I’ll rest after it’s light."
"Alright." First Officer Williams knew Captain Morgan’s temperament and refrained from further persuasion, silently standing by.
Captain Morgan meticulously steered forward.
By then, the cheering passengers, having celebrated, were tired and gradually returned to their cabins, leaving the deck deathly still.
Stars streaked across the sky, the night slowly faded, and the hint of dawn began to glow from the east.
Captain Morgan gradually loosened his grip on the helm, his body slightly swaying from the extended fatigue, while First Officer Williams, who had been guarding by his side, quickly reached out to support him.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"I’m fine, don’t worry about me," Captain Morgan raised his hand, "It’s just my age; a little sleep will help."
Saying this, Captain Morgan left the helm, letting the waiting helmsman take over, and walked towards the Captain’s Room, followed closely by First Officer Williams.
"Take care of things on board for now; don’t worry too much about the cargo. We’ll find a solution after I’ve had some sleep," Captain Morgan said.
"Yes," First Officer Williams nodded.
"That’s good then." Having said this, Captain Morgan had reached the entrance to the Captain’s Room, pulling open the cabin door to enter.
Just then, the "Naru Glory Fisherman" violently shuddered; the hull emitted a chilling "creaking" sound, and the speed dramatically slowed, then stopped. Under the effect of inertia, Captain Morgan, First Officer Williams, and many sailors on the deck all lurched forwards, nearly falling.
Captain Morgan forcefully steadied himself, turned his head toward the helm, and asked in a distressed tone, "What’s happening?"
"Captain—" At that moment, the helmsman, who had just taken over the helm, stood up trembling. His face looked a thousand times worse than Captain Morgan’s, almost crying as he reported, "Captain, we... we’ve hit a reef!"