Aurora Kuyt stared intently at the real-time images transmitted by the drones onto the large screen. She was deeply conflicted, as this was not her area of expertise.
"Captain Svenson, I'd like to hear your professional opinion!" Aurora asked.
"If we charge straight at them, with our ship's weapon systems and helicopters, we can completely annihilate them.
However, it would cause significant depletion of our ammunition reserves, and casualties would be unavoidable. Although we have helicopters, the enemy might also possess man-portable anti-aircraft missiles!"
Speaking of weapons development, it's a process where one invention counteracts another.
On the battlefields of World War II and for decades thereafter, tanks were absolute killing machines.
Until the advent of attack helicopters!
These machines flew far faster than tanks and could attack tanks with long-range air-to-ground missiles. With sufficient ammunition, one attack helicopter could take down seven or eight tanks without issue.
After the appearance of attack helicopters, tank development in the world almost came to a standstill. People realized that even spending hundreds of billions of dollars to upgrade tank technology rendered them mere targets in front of attack helicopters.
However, were attack helicopters invincible? Of course not. Later, man-portable air defense missiles emerged.
These missiles could be carried and fired by a single soldier. Many advanced man-portable air defense missiles even required simple aiming and pressing a button, with the missile automatically tracking the target.
Since these were initially designed to counter aircraft, although their power was limited against modern fighter jets, they were devastating against helicopters.
For example, famous man-portable air defense missiles like Stinger, Igla, Starstreak, and Mistral are well-known and have achieved glorious combat results.
After the appearance of these anti-aircraft missiles, helicopters suffered the same fate as tanks. No matter how much money was spent, how stealthy the aircraft were, or how powerful their firepower, they were vulnerable targets against these man-portable air defense missiles!
As Svenson said, he could dispatch helicopters to attack certain vessels, but what if they possessed man-portable air defense missiles? If a helicopter was shot down at sea, it would be a near-certain death sentence.
Seeing that Aurora still hadn't made a decision, Svenson continued, "Another option is to reroute. However, if we reroute, we will have to pass through a sea area with very complex hydrological conditions, which will add three extra days to our journey!"
As Svenson spoke, he led a few people to an electronic chart and used a laser pointer to show their planned route.
"Ling Tian, what do you think?" Aurora suddenly asked Ling Tian about the matter. At this moment, Ling Tian's eyes were fixed on the chart.
"Mr. Svenson, I have a question. What is the situation in this channel, at its narrowest point?"
Ling Tian said, pointing to a location on the chart. Svenson was somewhat displeased, as he felt Ling Tian was being frivolous.
This was not the time to study charts, but out of respect for Aurora, Svenson decided to answer Ling Tian.
"That place is called the Devil's Shoals. That sea area is a vast expanse of reefs.
Among the numerous reefs, there is only this channel, about one kilometer wide, with sufficient depth for ships to pass.
If we were to bypass this area, it would add nearly 100 kilometers to our journey..."
"Excellent, this is it!
Mr. Svenson, I have an idea. Please lure those people into this sea area. I want them all to be buried at the bottom of the sea!"
"Ling Tian, what do you plan to do? You know that the enemy has nearly 20 ships, large and small!" Svenson couldn't understand what Ling Tian was up to.
"I can't explain the specifics to you. Just lure those ships here, and leave the rest to me!"
Just as Captain Svenson was about to refuse, Aurora spoke.
"Mr. Svenson, please do as Ling Tian says. There will be no problem! I believe in Ling Tian's capabilities. If he says he can send those ships to the bottom of the sea, he certainly can!"
With the boss giving the order, Captain Svenson, though very reluctant, said earnestly to Ling Tian, "Mr. Ling Tian, I hope you understand what you are doing.
It's clear that those ships are ambushing us, and their intentions are hostile!
Your plan is actually very risky. If you fail to annihilate the pirate ships, we will be in a very dangerous situation.
Remember, the rerouted route is very long, and the hydrological conditions are complex. We understand that route far less than these pirates do!"
"Please rest assured, Aurora is on this ship, and I will not let Aurora and the others encounter danger!
Since I proposed this plan, I have it all figured out. I keep my word!"
Next, Ling Tian and Captain Svenson studied the specific situation of the Devil's Shoals in more detail.
The shoals were 15 nautical miles away from Ling Tian. Based on preliminary calculations, the Ice Queen would reach the sea area visible to the pirates, then immediately turn around and head towards the Devil's Shoals.
It was estimated that it would take about half an hour to reach there.
Ling Tian went directly to the rear flight deck and boarded a helicopter. The pilot, having received instructions from Captain Svenson, took off and sped towards the Devil's Shoals.
Captain Svenson set the course, and the research vessel Ice Queen continued to move forward. After more than 10 minutes, as they rounded a small island, about ten kilometers away, Abubakar's fleet spotted the Ice Queen through their lookout!
"Haha, the target has appeared! Go, and make sure to capture them!"
Abubakar was overjoyed upon receiving the news from his subordinates, his nose practically bubbling with excitement. He immediately ordered his fleet to advance at full speed towards Ling Tian's direction.
However, the pirates' movements were all clearly captured by the drones in the sky.
The pirates also discovered the drones at this time, but they didn't pay much attention, as they believed Ling Tian's ship would have difficulty shaking off these pirate ships.
After all, the pirate ships had many smaller boats, and these boats could reach speeds of over 30 knots.
At that time, they would simply use the small boats to approach the large ship and then disable the propeller with a rocket-propelled grenade. Ling Tian's ship would then be at their mercy!