Michael watched as everything operated like a well-oiled machine. There was no need for Ryan to give orders; everything that needed tracking and investigating was already handled in stealth mode. No small talk, no hesitation-just absolute execution of orders and complete obedience.
He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This was the power of the Dark family, and maybe Kevin was right-there was a gap between them.
Ryan was stepping out of that iron-fisted environment, having come through countless life-and-death situations, was something Michael couldn’t measure up to. He glanced at Ryan’s imposing figure and at Echo curled up in his arms. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
It was calm-very calm. The sea rolled with waves, rising and falling, with no end in sight, creating an atmosphere of absolute tranquility.
Half a day passed quickly without any danger or obstruction.
Hawk and the others remained silent; this wasn’t the Street family’s style. Abandoning conflict wasn’t Kevin’s way either. Kevin was an extremely dangerous person who thrived on chaos and bloodshed.
Beneath the surface calm, there was surely a terrifying counterattack brewing.
The atmosphere on the boat was heavy and oppressive.
Echo turned to look at Ivy and the others and noticed Ivy’s face had gone pale. She was trembling next to Brook. Echo shook her head slightly.
Michael followed Echo’s gaze and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. Remember who we’re with. With Mr. Ryan here, there’s nothing to worry about. Look, Echo isn’t scared at all.”
His rare gentle tone was aimed at reassuring Ivy, who was genuinely terrified, even though nothing had really happened yet.
With Ryan holding her tightly, Echo didn’t feel as dizzy anymore. She had no real concept of the Street family, so she didn’t realize just how dangerous they might be. Nestled in Ryan’s arms, she felt safe-he was her shelter, and having him there was more trustworthy than anything else.
“Why aren’t we there yet?” Ryan suddenly spoke, staring at the vast ocean ahead.
Michael glanced at the nautical chart in his hand and frowned. “We should still have about twenty miles to go.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed even deeper as he suddenly said sharply, “Stop. Something’s wrong.”
In an instant, all seven ships, which had been maintaining formation, came to a halt.
Michael stood up and walked over to Ryan, asking in a low voice, “What’s the problem?”
“Get your survey crew over here,” Ryan said, his expression serious.
Seeing Ryan like that, Michael didn’t say anything. On the water, listening to Ryan was definitely better than trusting his own judgment. He didn’t pretend to understand what he didn’t know-that was one of his strengths.
“What’s the exact latitude?” Ryan looked at the surveyors, who were busy measuring the chart and discussing the positions, but none of them had a clear answer. His expression darkened as he snapped, making the surveyors turn pale.
“Latitude 25,” one of the more astute surveyors quickly replied.
Ryan’s expression darkened even further. Echo, noticing, asked, “What’s wrong?”
The ship’s compass and radar were working fine, both indicating 25 degrees. What could be the issue?
Meanwhile, Hawk and the others appeared on the screen, waiting for Ryan’s orders.
“This isn’t 25 degrees,” Ryan said, looking up at the sun in the sky, his face showing a level of anger and seriousness that Echo had never seen before.
“Not 25? How could it not be? It must be interference,” Bill said, raising an eyebrow. But before he could finish, his expression shifted to one of concern as he quickly began to clear the situation.
“One moment, how did Mr. Ryan know? This direction seems right based on observation,” one of the surveyors hesitated before speaking softly. He was a sailor by trade and was familiar with this stuff; he had been brought along to help navigate and chart the course based on the position of the sun.
Ryan ignored the dissenting voice behind him and turned to Echo. “Do you sense anything unusual?”
Echo looked up at Ryan in surprise. He tilted his head toward her ear, and she quickly realized, turning on the earpiece she wore. Suddenly, she heard a faint static sound-so weak that it only appeared every so often. If she hadn’t been paying attention, she would never have noticed it.
Upon hearing that, Echo’s expression changed slightly. She sat up straight and started hacking into the battleship’s computer system.
Her earpiece hadn’t been activated while she was with Ryan, but Ryan had kept his on. He wasn’t particularly savvy with computers, but his instincts told him something was off.
Echo, on the other hand, was an expert, and she recognized the interference immediately-it was a strong, powerful signal.
“Bill, connect with me,” Echo said, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she opened a line with Bill.
Knowing Echo was skilled with interference, Bill jumped right in and began the connection. At the same time, Hawk, Cobra, and the others established their connections with Echo as well.
“There’s interference,” Echo said as she compiled signals from several ships, quickly mimicking the interference program. Her brow furrowed as she spoke.
Ryan’s gaze was cold as he said, “It needs to be eliminated.”
Echo didn’t respond; her fingers were a blur on the keyboard.
The modern weapons on the battleship relied on precise computer commands. If the operating system got disrupted, the direction, indicators, and weapon systems could all go haywire. If the Street family showed up during that time, the danger would be unimaginable.
“I need more people,” she said.
The interference was dense and powerful, and a single effort wouldn’t do. It needed to be approached from multiple angles to be cleared.
“I’ll help,” Michael said, stepping forward without hesitation. He was good at this kind of thing.
Ryan glanced at Michael, who looked serious, and tilted his head slightly. His subordinates quickly made their way, and Michael took over at the computer.
“Keep up with my pace,” Echo said in a serious tone to Michael, who nodded and quickly scanned the program to catch up.
At that moment, Echo and Michael teamed up to start breaking through the interference.
Meanwhile, the surface of the water was still churning with waves, and their ships anchored there were being drawn deeper into the ocean. The current seemed slow but was actually picking up speed, pulling all the ships in one direction.
The system was disrupted, making it impossible to determine the correct direction or make accurate judgments. Everything depended on clearing the interference signal to regain a proper location.
Without a precise system guiding them, Ryan couldn’t make absolutely correct decisions either. Watching the waves crash against their ships, Ryan’s brow furrowed tightly.
“Interference one cleared.”
“Interference two cleared.”
Half an hour passed, and the cold voice rang out calmly, but it didn’t bring any joy to the atmosphere.
Why was there interference?
If Kevin was just trying to make them lost at sea, that made no sense.
Ryan stared coldly at the screen, a sharp look rising in his eyes.
At that moment, the water was flowing more rapidly, and Ryan’s ships were all moving with the current. It was hard to tell if they were going fast or slow in the vast ocean; all they could hear was the wind growing louder and louder.
“Ryan, I can’t believe it’s you who figured it out. I wish you a pleasant journey, aha. I’ll be waiting for you in New York. Hope you survive to see me again, and hurry up, because I don’t have the patience to wait.” The moment the interference signal was decoded, a message popped up, and everyone looked at the arrogance in those words, frowning in silence.
Echo quickly scanned for the time and the source of the interference. To her surprise, it turned out to be from the ships they had just cleared in the first round, which had been silently disrupted.
Echo clenched her teeth-what a move by Kevin! He had set everything up so carefully. The wreckage of those sunken ships was carrying strong interference, and his incoming call, which initially didn’t carry any attacks or disruption, had transformed under this dual assault. What a clever tactic!
At that moment, no one was concerned about how the interference had happened. Everyone was focused on the screen, eager to see what problems arose once things returned to normal. That was the key.
“Boss, we’ve veered off course,” Kevin’s signal flickered off, and Echo looked at the radar showing 26 degrees, instantly furrowing her brow.
“Off by one degree? What does that mean? Nick, come here. What’s the problem at 26 degrees?” Michael, also studying the correct heading after the interference was cleared, suddenly spoke up, his expression darkening.
“26 degrees? How did we get to 26 degrees? Turn back now, this is a death zone! Hurry!” Nick, who had been called over, saw they had mistakenly arrived at 26 degrees and instantly turned pale, rushing over with a look of panic.
“Turn back,” Ryan ordered in a low voice.
“Yes, sir,” Cobra and the others responded in unison, quickly getting the stopped ships moving again.