“Are we heading directly back to shore?” Looking at the tour guide who made the request, the captain scratched his neck with some hesitation. “That doesn’t seem right, we’re only halfway through a three-day itinerary.”
The tour guide shrugged. She was merely a messenger relaying the client’s opinion; her intervention wouldn’t change anything. “The deposit has already been paid, and I believe with the financial capacity of those two ladies, they won’t default on the remaining payment.”
Furthermore, weren’t Miss Bai and the others making this decision because the captain had unilaterally changed the route? This “trouble” should be on the captain’s shoulders.
“Alright, this was indeed our mistake. Please rest assured, ladies, I will set sail for the port now. We should reach shore by dusk.” The captain sighed. Knowing full well why the two ladies made this decision, he realized it must have been his change of course that displeased them.
Having received the captain’s reply, the tour guide nodded with a neutral expression. “Then, thank you, Captain.”
“No need for thanks. I’m already very touched that you’re giving me face. We will safely deliver you all back to shore.” The captain patted his sturdy chest and declared loudly.
Before his words had even faded, the tightly closed door was violently burst open from the outside. Several men with beastly tattoos on their bodies rushed in. Ignoring the bewildered tour guide, they walked straight to the captain.
*Bang!* The leading thug slammed his fist on the table viciously.
The captain flinched, his face immediately showing a fawning smile. “Gentlemen, haven’t I already steered the ship away from that area as you requested?”
“Yes, so we’re here now for something else.” The thug who slammed the table smirked disdainfully. “Show me the list of the suckers on your ship.”
The captain’s expression instantly turned conflicted. If the tour guide weren’t present, he might have readily handed over the list. But with the tour guide standing there, and considering his reputation, he was reluctant to appear so cooperative.
“That doesn’t seem appropriate. Those ladies are my guests, and I have already steered the ship away from that area as you instructed. They pose no threat now.”
The captain’s words caused the thugs’ expressions to contort into sinister ones. One of the thugs behind the leader, without saying a word, walked up to the captain and roughly shoved him away from his desk.
The captain stumbled, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. These thugs were really showing him no respect. Pushing someone directly in front of others was pure bullying behavior.
However, sometimes, such extremely unpleasant behavior was indeed efficient. For instance, now, the thug who had pushed him had already found the information on Bai Ling and the others.
The information was quite simple, just an application form with some basic details, such as name and contact information, and most importantly, a photograph.
The thugs flipped past the forms of Bai Ling and Leticia and found the one belonging to Anxi. Upon seeing the photograph on the form, the thugs exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.
Flipping to the next page, An Xin’s photo appeared. This time, the thugs’ faces lit up with expressions of pleasant surprise, as if they had struck gold.
“It’s these two, right?” the leader asked his subordinates in a low voice.
Several thugs nodded in unison.
“That’s right.”
“I’ve seen their photos.”
“It’s them.”
The leader brought the forms of Anxi and An Xin to the captain, asking in an unfriendly tone, “Where are these two girls now?”
The captain’s expression turned serious. He clenched his fists and replied with unwavering eyes, “I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
The leader seemed to have anticipated this answer. He wasn’t angry. Instead, he calmly issued instructions to his subordinates, “You, stay here and watch these two. Don’t let them send any messages. The rest of you, come with me to catch those two girls.”
Those two girls were definitely on this ship. According to intel, although the older girl had a speed-enhancing superpower, she couldn’t fly. And her younger sister was sickly. Capturing them would be easy. Once they captured her sister, the girl who cherished her family would surely walk right into their trap. This way, they could resolve the matter before their boss arrived, and they would receive substantial rewards.
After issuing the orders, the thugs left without a backward glance, leaving only one thug in the captain’s cabin to watch the captain and the tour guide. The thug’s gaze was fierce, and his body was covered in solid muscle, clearly indicating he was not to be trifled with. The black object tucked into his waist prevented the captain from even considering resistance. That, the captain thought, was likely a handgun. If it were a knife, he might have tried to negotiate with the thug, but with a firearm, he had no chance of winning. The thug’s distance from him was well within the range where a gun could be fired quickly and accurately.
As if noticing the captain’s gaze lingering on his waist, the thug grinned and drew out the black object to display it. Indeed, it was a handgun that looked quite powerful.
“Don’t even think about any funny business, you two. My bullets have no eyes,” the thug said, his gaze sweeping over their frightened faces, an expression that greatly pleased him. However, he hadn’t forgotten to placate the captain. After all, if the captain, who was equally well-built, were to go all out, it would be troublesome. “We’re only after those two. We won’t touch any of the other guests. As long as you cooperate, no one will get hurt.”
After saying this, he rubbed the back of his neck, and for some reason, he felt a prickling sensation there. Was it an illusion? Thinking this, he placed his hand back on his waist.
Just then, a dark shadow darted from the shadows behind him, and a swift, brutal hand chop accurately struck the thug’s neck. The thug had no time to react before his vision went black, and he slumped downwards softly. The dark figure deftly grabbed a nearby chair and caught the falling thug. From her appearance to the thug’s collapse, only a few seconds had passed.
The captain was the first to react. He looked at the dark figure warily and asked in a low voice, “Who might you be, Madam?”
“Me? Just an ordinary guard.” Akari skillfully and securely tied up the thug with ropes, also disarming him. “I’ll leave this to you two. I have other matters to attend to.” She tossed the handgun she had taken from the thug to the tour guide. “Here, take this for self-defense. If this person wakes up and is still unruly, make him permanently quiet.”
“Huh? Huh?” The tour guide fumbled to catch the heavy black handgun Akari tossed her way, her thought process nearly shutting down. What was going on? Just moments ago, she was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and now she was a powerful figure holding a gun, controlling another person’s life. And who was this lady who called herself a guard? The combat prowess she displayed was simply outrageous. Although it was a surprise attack, subduing such a large, strong man with her bare hands in an instant was enough to prove she possessed incredible strength. Filled with questions, the tour guide wanted to ask more, but Akari completely ignored her. The girl, without looking back, slammed into the shadows in the corner, melting into the darkness as if she were made of it. This incredible feat left both the captain and the tour guide utterly stunned.
“This young lady is quite something,” the captain muttered softly. If he had been in that thug’s position just now, the outcome would have been no different. He too would have been knocked out and tied up by Akari’s hand chop. However, having such a capable person on board wasn’t a bad thing. At least when facing these armed thugs, they weren’t completely defenseless anymore. If this lady was willing, those thugs would surely be defeated one by one.
“Captain, what should I do with this gun?” The tour guide held the handgun Akari had given her, looking completely bewildered.
“Since she gave it to you, you should keep it.” The captain turned and walked to a small cabinet, opening a drawer to retrieve a small, silver handgun. “I’m still accustomed to my old partner, of course, but I hope it never has to be fired.”
The tour guide was also startled when the captain took out the handgun, but she quickly adjusted her expression. It was normal for people who lived at sea to carry some form of self-defense weapon.
“So, what do we do now?” The tour guide sought the captain’s opinion.
The captain sighed. What other options were there? The guard lady had already knocked the man out. When those thugs returned and saw this scene, they wouldn’t listen to any explanations. Given their unruly nature, they would probably kill everyone present outright. For the sake of his own life, the captain had no choice but to fight back.
“We cannot confront them directly on the ship. Most of my crew members are unarmed. If they get caught in a gunfight, it will inevitably lead to unnecessary casualties. We can only hope that the lady from just now can take down all those thugs as quickly as possible.” That way, everyone would be happy. “Oh, right, I must quickly inform the two ladies about what happened here. Those people are targeting Miss Anxi and Miss An Xin. Those two ladies might be in danger now!”
…
“Her Majesty…” Before the tour guide even thought to send a message, Akari had already returned to Leticia’s side. To her surprise, Her Majesty was leaning against Bai Ling’s shoulder, sleeping as peacefully as a kitten. Bai Ling gently cradled Leticia’s head and gestured for Akari to be quiet. “Leticia is a bit tired. Tell me what’s happening.” Akari’s intelligent mind couldn’t quite grasp the situation, but she quickly made a decision. Bai Ling was currently the strongest combatant on the ship, and her relationship with Her Majesty was not ordinary. It was perfectly fine for her to make decisions at this time. Anyway, the combat effectiveness of those thugs was pathetic in her eyes, not even as good as a chicken. If not for Leticia’s reminder earlier that she should ask for instructions before taking action, those thugs would have already been knocked out and lined up for some “fruit.”
After informing Bai Ling of everything that had transpired in the captain’s cabin, Akari asked Bai Ling, “Do you need me to knock them all out and detain them?”
“The targets are Anxi and An Xin? And they’re armed,” Bai Ling tried hard to figure out why these people were doing this, but her basic, poorly functioning brain circuits indicated she wasn’t capable of doing so. Fortunately, Bai Ling had a cheat, a very useful cheat. “You go find Anxi and An Xin first and have them come to me. Then, go and detain those thugs and bring the one who looks like the leader to me,” Bai Ling instructed Akari. In facing such a complex situation, the importance of a mind-reader became apparent. As long as the person was brought over and questioned, many difficulties could be resolved.
“Okay, I’ll go right away.” Akari immediately turned and darted out of the room. Bai Ling’s eyes twitched slightly at Akari’s neat and decisive actions. She truly deserved to be the leader of Leticia’s personal guards; her work efficiency was truly admirable.
“Is it fun to overstep your bounds? I haven’t fallen asleep yet.” At this moment, Leticia slowly opened her eyes. Yes, Leticia had actually been awake the whole time. However, with her eyes closed, she was easily mistaken for being asleep. She had heard every word of Bai Ling and Akari’s conversation but hadn’t voiced her opinion until Akari had left. Then, she opened her eyes.
“What, unhappy?”
“My heart isn’t that small. Besides, your decision just now wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t be bothered to say anything.” Leticia said in a low voice. Her mental state was still a bit poor. “My mental energy is too depleted; I need to rest quickly.” If she really had to face such a terrifying enemy, she needed to at least recover her condition. Of course, it would be even better if she could safely return to shore, but she had a premonition that things wouldn’t go that smoothly.
Looking through the ship’s hull towards the direction of the giant monster she had just seen, even from such a distance, she felt a lingering unease, as if that monster’s gaze was constantly fixed on her. “I came here for a vacation this time. I’m completely unprepared for any desperate struggle.” Sighing, Leticia closed her eyes, her aura stabilizing once more. Bai Ling knew that Leticia had entered that light sleep state again. In this state, Leticia could quickly recover her mental energy, and she would wake up immediately upon hearing the slightest sound.
…
“Damn it, what do these people want?” Anxi tightly gripped her sister’s hand and hid in a secluded small room, cautiously observing the movements outside through the door crack. She had been standing on the deck with her sister, enjoying the scenery and the sea breeze, when suddenly, several burly men who clearly looked like trouble surrounded them from all directions. The men had sinister smiles on their faces, and the dark handguns in their hands also indicated their ill intentions. Anxi didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed her sister’s wrist and instinctively activated her superpower. However, while carrying her sister, her ability only worked for a short while before she felt overwhelmed. Fortunately, this allowed her to successfully escape the thugs’ encirclement, but here was the bad news: Anxi was now located at the opposite end of the ship. This meant Anxi couldn’t ask for help from the most powerful combat personnel on their side. She now deeply regretted not running away in a panic. Now, she was trapped in this place and couldn’t escape at all. Should she leave her sister to go for help? That might be a good idea, but only if her exertion wasn’t so severe. Running with her sister had completely drained her stamina. At best, she would need a considerable amount of time to recover to a state where she could barely use her abilities. Until then, she could only hide in this cramped space and hope that the thugs wouldn’t search too meticulously.
“Sister, what happened?” An Xin, affected by Anxi’s nervousness, lowered her voice unconsciously. Her memory was still stuck on the moment they were admiring the scenery on the deck when her sister suddenly grabbed her hand, and in the blink of an eye, she was pulled into this small room by her sister. Then, heavy footsteps and the angry growls of strong men could be heard from outside.
“I don’t know either, but I can guess that these people definitely don’t have good intentions.” Anxi replied in a low voice. The thugs’ target was clearly the two sisters, but Anxi couldn’t remember ever offending them. The only possibility, perhaps, was that a few days ago, she witnessed Leticia frying several thugs to death. However, if they wanted to silence her, it should have been Leticia, shouldn’t it? Why were these thugs looking for her? Watching the thugs smash open the doors of every room they passed and search thoroughly inside, Anxi’s heart pounded. Given the thoroughness of the thugs, the small room she was hiding in couldn’t possibly protect her and her sister. Even if Anxi could use her abilities to escape the moment the thugs opened the door, An Xin would inevitably be left behind, falling into the thugs’ clutches. Running with her sister was now impossible; even Anxi herself couldn’t escape. The thugs were getting closer and closer to the small room where Anxi was hiding. It seemed one of the thugs had noticed the slightly ajar door. He bypassed the rooms ahead and walked directly towards them. The terrifying face grew closer and closer, and Anxi’s heart pounded faster and faster. She was frantically praying to every deity she could think of, hoping for a divine intervention to help them, the two unfortunate sisters. However, praying for help at the last minute when she hadn’t worshipped regularly clearly wasn’t effective. The thug arrived at the slightly ajar door without any hindrance. He exchanged a look with his companions behind him, who nodded in understanding and aimed the muzzles of their guns at the door. The guns were loaded not with lethal bullets, but with tranquilizer darts specially issued by the organization. A hit would put the target to sleep, making them one of the best tools for kidnapping. Confirming his teammates were ready, the thug turned his head and forcefully pushed open the slightly ajar door. A faint scent made the thug smile. With this scent, it seemed the two young girls were indeed hiding in this place. And the only place to hide in this room was undoubtedly the tightly closed large cabinet. He wasn’t worried about being ambushed. If that girl dared to sneak attack him, his teammates behind him would definitely shoot and take her down. He himself would at most be accidentally injured by a tranquilizer dart. Striding purposefully towards the large cabinet, the thug flung the cabinet door open. A small, terrified face entered his view. It was one of the targets, the younger one. So, where was the older one? The thug didn’t dwell on this question. As long as he captured the younger one, the older one would naturally deliver herself. Reaching out, the thug intended to grab the young girl. At this moment, a chill suddenly came from behind his head, and his smile widened. Another fish was biting the hook, wasn’t it? Dodging Anxi’s sneak attack with agility unbefitting his build, the thug grinned menacingly at Anxi, who was stunned in place by her missed strike. “Little girl, you have nowhere to run now.” But Anxi didn’t show any fear. Instead, her expression was confident. “It’s you who has nowhere to run.” “What?!” A sudden chill ran through the thug’s heart, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. Something was wrong! Why weren’t his companions firing? Were they all dead? Anxi giggled and moved aside a step, allowing the thug to see the scenery outside. His companions were now lying scattered on the ground. They seemed to have been attacked by something, something so fast that none of them had time to issue a warning signal. When did that happen? Could it have been the moment he opened the door? At that moment, everyone’s attention was focused on him, and the attacker had used this opportunity to knock out his companions one by one. Damn it, he hadn’t expected there to be such an expert on this ship, the thug regretted it immensely, but it was too late to say anything now. The number disparity had shifted decisively, and he was now at a disadvantage. Reaching to draw his gun, a black shadow darted out from behind him, and a swift, decisive hand chop knocked him to the ground. Akari clapped her hands, her expression bored. The combat effectiveness of these people was just as she’d thought, even worse than chickens. “Thank you for your help, may I ask who you are…” “Miss Su’s guard. My current mission is to escort the two ladies back, and also to bring these people back. Completing two tasks at once is quite good.”
