MTLNOVEL Chapter 1122: First Naval Battle
For Joe Ga, this was his first time fighting by ship...
The cannon controller in front of him was not complicated at all—unlock it, confirm the target, and then press the launch button.
The thoughtful cannon control system even calculated the trajectories of the enemies, ensuring that even a rookie could hit a slow-moving target with 5 to 8 shots.
When they were two kilometers from the battle zone, Joe Ga angrily fired 8 shells, tearing a peripheral pirate ship to pieces, then cheered and shouted to Nis beside him, "I knew it, even when it comes to firing cannons, I am the best...
Shoot, shoot, let's fire at them..."
Nis blinked at Joe Ga, perfunctorily pressed the launch button, fired dozens of bullets, then shyly smiled and said, "I forgot, we're not within range yet."
Joe Ga listened, awkwardly shook his head, realizing that he was using what the French considered their most advanced CTAS CT40 automatic cannon.
This thing had an extremely high range, and its specialized high-explosive shells had more than twice the power of ordinary shells of the same caliber.
The 40mm automatic cannon could easily penetrate 140mm of homogeneous armor within a distance of 1000 meters. Combined with the modifications made by the naval group, this allowed Joe Ga, a newcomer to sea warfare, to easily score his first hit.
Seeing Nis's eyes locked on the monitor, Joe Ga nonchalantly said, "I'm a novice, you know, getting a bit excited is normal."
Glancing at the drone footage, Joe Ga said to Dorian, "Elephant, take out those peripheral large ships, then we charge in..."
Dorian wanted to tell his boss that sea battles weren't fought this way, but arguing with the boss wouldn't be good for his promotion or pay raise, so he decisively selected a few targets, accelerated, and shouted loudly, "Northwind missiles, 4 ready...
'Love Goddess,' attack..."
The previously quiet engine room of the 'Love Goddess' suddenly roared, and the nearly 50-meter-long ship began to accelerate rapidly, making the people in the cabin feel a sense of being pushed back.
Under Dorian's control, the Love Goddess exceeded the maximum speed limit, reaching 40 knots.
What does it mean for a ship to run at a speed of 80 km/h?
Anyone who has ridden a jet ski should feel that once it reaches 60 km/h, every time it hits a wave, it's like hitting a concrete floor.
The Love Goddess was no jet ski; as a rare trimaran, it demonstrated great stability. However, the acceleration-induced bumps made sharpshooter Joe Ga completely lose his aim.
After repeatedly missing over a dozen shots, Joe Ga realized why large caliber cannons and super battleships had been phased out...
Firing while speeding on the sea wasn't accurate. No matter how advanced your support system was, it couldn't help.
Larger battleships might manage a bit better, but for a small ship like the Love Goddess moving fast, unless you were close, hitting the target required luck.
Seeing the problem, Joe Ga glared at Dorian, who had clearly anticipated this, just as the Northwind missiles on the Love Goddess launched.
Four 1.8-meter-long Northwind missiles, trailing plumes, shot into the sky and then separated, each carving an arc before accurately hitting a few outer pirate ships clearly acting as command and supply vessels.
The 3-kilogram explosive section tore huge gaps in those aluminum alloy hulls. The pirate casualties were unclear, but when the missiles exploded, those attacked ships saw more than ten pirates jump into the water.
The Love Goddess then accelerated again within a kilometer range, tweaked its direction slightly, and skimmed past like an ancient cavalry from the side of the pirate pack.
The 'Love Goddess' cut through the pirates like a hot knife through butter, separating two pirate ships from the group.
As it passed, two heavy machine guns on top of the cockpit fired simultaneously, and the 12.7mm high-explosive rounds lit up the two small boats.
Then the Love Goddess adjusted direction again, skirting the pirate formation at high speed, with the two machine guns controlled by Ayu and Nis firing simultaneously...
The two streams of fire were like deadly whips cruelly lashing the sea. Pirate ships that passed by invariably exploded, the more fragile ones simply disintegrating and sinking, while the sturdier ones were paralyzed in place, slowly sinking.
The pirates initially instinctively resisted a bit, but Dorian kept his distance well; the pirates' RPGs could never reach the Love Goddess, and the blindly shot bullets had no chance of hitting the high-speed Love Goddess...
With Joe Ga finding his rhythm, he hit the stern of a speedboat with one shot, blowing it apart. Those pirates piloting small dinghies to rob dared not stay any longer and began to accelerate and scatter in all directions.
The Sea Hawk-43's combat capability was weak compared to proper warships, but against these pirate skiffs, it was incredibly easy.
After firing a few more shots, Joe Ga gave up shooting as his skill was poor and chasing these pirates wasn't cost-effective.
Those clearly makeshift small boats weren't even worth the cost of the shells.
This was why pirate activities remained rampant despite years of Gulf of Aden fleet escort missions.
No matter what you used to fight pirates, as long as it was at sea, if you opened fire or even just circled them to scare them, you incurred losses, by the tens of thousands!
The crucial point in solving the pirate issue was always on land, not at sea.
Seeing the pirates scatter like a flock of startled birds, Joe Ga gestured for Dorian to slow down a bit, allowing the 'Love Goddess' to approach the freighter slowly.
On the drone's display, the 'Love Goddess' intervened in the battlefield to disperse the pirates, but did not reassure those aboard the freighter.
On the contrary, the mercenaries and sailors on board seemed even more tense than when facing the pirates. They gathered near the boarding points on the freighter, and then the public channel was filled with 'Hanson' freighter's call...
"This is the Hanson. Thank you for driving away the pirates. Our ship is leaking oil, and our crew is working on repairs. Please do not approach..."
Joe Ga cheerfully picked up the radio and said, "We are Princess Maritime Security Company, and this is the 'Love Goddess'.
Sir, have you purchased maritime insurance?"
"Of course, we are a legitimate maritime shipping company..."
"Wow, the mercenaries you hired are quite resilient, but it's still a pity you didn't purchase escort services from Princess Maritime Security."
"Thank you very much for your assistance. Our head office will contact you and arrange a payment.
I suggest you leave here as it's illegal to engage in combat in Somali waters without authorization. I wouldn't want you to face trouble because of us.
Repair ships and security company vessels will soon arrive, and we can handle the subsequent issues ourselves..."
Joe Ga was amused by the tone of the people on the ship; clearly, they were terrified but pretended to be calm while talking to him...
They knew they couldn't escape and were just biding time, hoping someone behind them would figure out a way to solve the problem.
Joe Ga wasn't in a hurry either; after cutting off the communication, he let Dorian retreat a few kilometers to team up with the 'Princess' ship, and then the two ships stayed put, monitoring the 'Hanson' freighter from afar...
Anyway, it would take hours for the Somali Coast Guard to arrive. Joe Ga wanted to see if the Edward Foundation truly had the clout to save the 'Hanson' in such a situation.
By then, no matter who approached, Joe Ga would have the Somali Coast Guard detain them all...
In the end, the Somali government probably couldn't do much about it, but the 40,000-ton freighter carrying contraband would certainly delight the Somalis.
Just as Joe Ga was worried about a lack of firepower to combat the Youth League in Somalia, those old Valkyrie Rocket Launchers, despite being outdated, could still fire over two thousand rounds.
Joe Ga wasn't anxious, but the people on the freighter and those behind them were...
Someone reached out to the French to apply pressure, using the unauthorized firing by the 'Love Goddess' as a reason, trying to get the French to order the Princess Maritime Security Company to cease operations.
With 'conclusive evidence', the French couldn't dismiss it easily.
However, what caught everyone by surprise was that when the call reached the Monaco headquarters of Princess Maritime Security Company, they produced a Somali maritime security agreement that confirmed the legality of Princess Fleet's anti-piracy operations.
That was Somali waters, and the Somali Federal is a UN-recognized legitimate government that explicitly requested Princess Fleet's assistance in combating pirates reasonably and legally.
They hadn't fired at the freighter, and there was video proof that the freighter had used unlawful firepower in its engagement with the pirates.
The headquarters of Princess Maritime Security Company in Monaco was only 15 square meters, with just a receptionist, a telephonist, and an accountant.
Faced with the 'rude request' from the French side, the few employees showed incredible toughness.
Not only did they fend off the French on the phone, but they also informed the media and released the video evidence they had.
A chubby receptionist in her forties vividly exaggerated how the 'Hanson' side repaid kindness with ingratitude to the media and firmly told them that there must be an issue with the 'Hanson'...
Princess Charlene is now the angel in the hearts of the Monegasques and the core of Monaco's international image...
Once the media moved, the news spread instantly in that tiny place of just two square kilometers!
Are you kidding? You think you can just casually shut down our Princess's company? If they shut down, wouldn't Monaco's national defense be left defenseless?
Our king is a major slacker, not doing his job. We'll remind him to get up and handle the serious business, like watching over his own wife!
Albert II, negotiating in Greece, suddenly found himself caught in the crossfire...
Joe Ga waited at sea for six hours before the Somali Coast Guard arrived, at which point Albert II, along with the Greek authorities, issued a statement sternly condemning the French's rude demands...
Joe Ga watched Albert II's press conference on his phone and saw how slyly he broadcasted the private Twitter account of French Little Marco, calling Princess Charlene's supporters to protest. Joe Ga couldn't help but flip him the bird from thousands of kilometers away...
Then he looked at the Somali Coast Guard, even shabbier than the pirates, and laughingly said, "Their ships look smaller than King Kong's shoes..."