The Tyrant Billionaire

Each of the Hardy Group's Liberty ships was equipped with weapons, with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers being the standard equipment. Installing cannons would have been too conspicuous, so they opted to store several M-2 heavy mortars on board instead to deal with potential emergencies.

The theoretical range of the M-2 mortar is about 4 kilometers.

Once the personnel boarded, the ships set off immediately. They were in Hong Kong, while their target was in Shanghai, which was closer to the Taiwan than they were. If they couldn't get ahead of their target, they would miss out on everything. So as soon as they hit the open sea, all four ships sped forward at full throttle.

Two hours later.

Mr. Xu came to deliver information.

"We have identified the target ship as number 069, a 5,100-ton cargo vessel. There are 260 soldiers onboard for protection. In addition to the gold, silver, and antiques, the ship is also carrying essential industrial equipment from key Shanghai enterprises, such as imported machine tools and production lines."

In fact, the ship was originally meant to transport this equipment. Due to the urgency of the war, the military had requisitioned it at the last minute, turning it into a vessel carrying gold.

At dawn.

A B-29 bomber took off from Hong Kong's airport, heading north. Intelligence officers had installed a high powered radio transmitter on the plane, enabling real time communication. Your next chapter awaits on empire

After loading the goods, ship 069 requested permission to set sail from the Shanghai port. The military requested further approval from higher authorities, and once granted, the 069 ship slowly left the port and sailed toward the sea.

The entire voyage was expected to take about three days.

A day later.

As the cargo ship was sailing across the sea, a large aircraft flew by at low altitude. Many crew members and escort soldiers aboard ship 069 curiously looked at the plane, wondering why it was flying so low over the ocean.

Someone knowledgeable said, "That looks a lot like an American plane—the kind of B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan."

"Oh, so that's a B-29? I've seen pictures in the newspapers, but this is my first time seeing one in real life."

"That's a legendary warplane. Do you think the Americans are on board? Hello there!" Someone jokingly waved at the plane, laughing.

After confirming the location of ship 069, the B-29 turned around and flew back. By now, Hardy's four ships, which had been sailing day and night, were nearing the strait. The aircraft radioed the cargo ship, informing them of the enemy's location before returning to Hong Kong to refuel.

The next day.

The plane took off again, heading toward the strait. After flying more than 200 kilometers across the strait, it spotted ship 069 again, and this time, the four Liberty class ships were already lying in wait ahead.

The soldiers on the cargo ship saw the bomber again, but this time they were not curious—they were puzzled. Why had the plane returned?

The plane then flew toward Hardy's ships, radioing the latest position of ship 069. The four ships formed a fan shaped formation and began closing in on their target.

As the plane circled around and flew back over ship 069, the intelligence officers on board used the high powered radio to communicate with the cargo ship, informing them that they were American aircraft, invited to provide escort.

The officer on board the cargo ship was overjoyed upon hearing this.

An American plane offering escort? Could it be that the leader had reached another agreement with the Americans? Otherwise, why would such a large plane be here?

The Americans had bases in Japan, and if they started aiding again, perhaps sending troops, the tide of the war might turn in their favor.

As for suspicion, the officer onboard honestly didn't harbor any. After all, who but the American military could deploy such a powerful bomber?

Before long, the plane sent another message, saying that a few cargo ships disguised as escort vessels would soon join them, making the convoy less conspicuous.

The officer onboard didn't doubt the claim. He simply thought the Americans were being thorough and considerate, blending into the convoy to avoid drawing attention.

At that moment, with nothing but the vast ocean around them, they had no way of contacting anyone and didn't realize they were walking into an elaborate trap.

Before long, a few large cargo ships appeared ahead, flying the Union Jack. The captain of ship 069 laughed and said, "I know that ship—an American Liberty-class."

The officer had no suspicions.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

In fact, he felt a sense of excitement.

The Americans were supporting them again, and there was still hope for the nation.

The four ships circled around, two in front and two in back, boxing in ship 069. The officer smiled at the captain and said, "Look at this protection—the Americans really do care about us."

They sailed for dozens of more nautical miles as night fell. The ships ahead signaled for them to move closer to the coast, find a suitable place to anchor, and asked the cargo ship's leader to come aboard to sign an escort agreement.

The crew aboard ship 069 suspected nothing and followed along, anchoring in shallow waters. Two of the Liberty ships pulled up alongside, docking tightly with ship 069.

The officer in charge, straightening his uniform, boarded one of the Liberty ships with his secretary. However, as soon as they entered the cabin and saw a group of Americans, they were seized by their arms and restrained.

"What are you doing? Aren't we on the same side? Weren't you here to protect us?" the officer shouted.

"We are indeed here to protect you, but this is also necessary," one of the Americans said in broken Chinese.

The officer was dumbfounded.

Soon after, armed security personnel stormed ship 069. The soldiers onboard were having dinner and were stunned when they saw a group of foreign soldiers charging in with guns. They had no idea what was happening.