Chapter 181 - A Sudden Storm (1/2)

The torrential rain fell faster than everyone’s expectations. Worried about the Quidah’s newly repaired hull, Black Sam didn’t stay too long on the Jackdaw. However, as soon as he got into the boat that was supposed to bring him back to his ship, rain started pouring from the skies with a fury, and the sea started to swell.

Bright, menacing whips of lightning flashed across the dark sky, followed by deafening claps of thunder. The sights and sounds were nothing less of apocalyptic, and seemed as if the world was coming to an end.

Both ships were less than 30 meters apart, but it took Black Sam a solid ten minutes of hard rowing against before he got to his ship. As they were climbing up the vessel, one of his men fell overboard and was swept away by a massive wave.

There was nothing that the other pirates on the Quidah could do; all they could do was watch as their companion disappeared into the depths of the turbulent ocean. It was impossible to rescue anyone in such unforgiving weather.

On the other ship, Zhang Heng did not retreat to the captain’s quarters. He stood at the bow of the Jackdaw next to Billy, who was busy directing the crew to prepare for the storm.

A frown hung above Zhang Heng’s eyes. His opinions about the weather differed from Black Sam, who probably thought nothing more about the weather other than its sudden emergence. Zhang Heng had some knowledge about gybing, something he learned from Roscoe, who had also taught him how to read the winds and predict the weather.

Whilst not as accurate as the old pirate in terms of forecasting weather, his conjecture about this abrupt meteorological change was at least eighty percent right. The storm had emerged so abruptly and without warning. Just a minute ago, the sky was still clear and cloudless. Based on the experience Roscoe had relayed to him, the sea should have been calm until the night.

In a matter of ten minutes, however, the weather changed drastically. Zhang Heng had only encountered this situation once, and that was when the carrack appeared. However, the wind and waves were not as wild as it was right now, Today, the sea was like an outraged monster, battering one giant wave after another against the ship.

Zhang Heng held onto a rope with one hand to steady himself, and with the other, he pulled out the bronze telescope he carried. First, he looked toward Black Sam’s direction. The Quidah was bustling, with their sailors running frantically to hunker everything down. However, everything seemed under control for now, so Zhang Heng looked further out.

To his greatest surprise, he did not see the ghost ship from a century ago. On the contrary, as fast as it appeared, the terrifying storm began to subside. The waves gradually became smaller, and the raindrops slowed to a drizzle. In a mere five minutes, the sun peered from the clouds, and the waters resumed their earlier calm. The dark clouds that had hung over their heads like an ominous veil had all but disappeared.

JAnd just like that, the ordeal lasted a short twenty minutes. Even the absent-minded Anne found it incredulous. When the rain finally stopped, she shook the rain off her drenched hair and said, “What is this? Some kind of joke?”

Zhang Heng was just as baffled, but as a precaution, the first thing he did was to examine the two boxes of silverware in the storeroom. However, he found nothing unusual. He then picked up the ring and the necklace from the drawer. Again, he did not get any prompts from the system.

Was it merely a coincidence?