They spun around abruptly.
Standing near the hallway kitchen was an unfamiliar masked guest—tall and slender, appearing over 185 cm tall.
Of course, that wasn’t a guest.
That was the Ghost!
The Ghost held a single match in his hand, an empty oil can resting by his feet. Just as the Ghost had forewarned, the match was lit, its faint flame burning down the thin wooden stick. Under their watchful eyes, the wood charred bit by bit, curling slightly as it reached downward toward the carpet already drenched in gasoline.
With every millimeter it bent, everyone’s hearts tugged in sharp anxiety.
If they fired and shot the Ghost down, the moment he fell, the gasoline-soaked carpet would erupt into a towering inferno!
And even if they didn’t shoot, a single slip or tremor of the Ghost’s hand could send the flame tumbling onto the floor along with the charred wood, instantly setting the corridor ablaze!
A force of bodyguards holding absolute martial superiority was successfully held hostage across a long hallway by a single Ghost carrying nothing more than a lit match!
Catching sight of the Ghost who had cornered him tonight out of nowhere, Boss Wu almost choked on his breath. Cowering amidst the crowd of bodyguards, he trembled like a leaf, not daring to make a sound.
The two sides remained locked in a tense standoff for roughly ten-plus seconds.
Ji Xun smiled in satisfaction: “That’s more like it. For the sake of your own precious lives, please put away the guns in your hands. Firearms won’t help you survive this moment…”
However, his voice was swallowed up by a sharp, commanding roar from Mr. Liu.
“Open fire! Shoot him!”
Tears streamed down Mr. Liu’s face; even his remaining functional eye was completely blind right now. Yet amidst the blur of tears and haze, he issued a ruthlessly decisive order without a second’s hesitation.
Years of bodyguard service made Abang’s obedience faster than his thought process.
He raised his gun and fired at Ji Xun!
Yet the moment Mr. Liu shouted, Ji Xun had already ducked into the kitchen. The match he held was tossed onto the carpet, where, fueled by the gasoline, raging flames burst forth in an instant, blossoming into clusters of wild, fiery blooms!
At this point, eyes were no longer needed—the sheer heat radiating from the blazing fire alone instilled a deep, primal terror in everyone present.
Once again, Mr. Liu issued a command:
“Lift up the carpet on the floor! Use the carpet as a shield and charge through!”
The carpet in the corridor was thick, and the flames were currently burning only on its top surface. As long as they ran fast enough—
In that moment, everyone executed Mr. Liu’s order faithfully.
The remaining bodyguards squatted down and hauled up the carpet. Abang hoisted Mr. Liu onto his back, while Boss Wu hurriedly grabbed hold of Xiao Han. Holding the carpet aloft above them, they surged forward at full speed!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three sharp cracks echoed out, followed by a scream of agony from one of the bodyguards.
Abang’s heart sank. He realized that the carpet they held up blocked their line of sight, while the Ghost—who had ducked into the kitchen—had darted back out to fire at them!
Without hesitation, Abang drew his gun and fired a wild spray through the carpet, and the others followed suit.
However, all sound outside had already vanished.
In under half a minute, shield raised high, they burst straight out of the inferno.
Abang cast aside the carpet blocking his view and surveyed the surroundings, gun in hand!
They were in the central hall—wide open on all four sides—with no one in sight. Had the Ghost fled? Or was he hiding somewhere, waiting to ambush them?
He scanned the area vigilantly, finally darting a glance toward the bodyguard who had been groaning in pain. After taking in the situation, he breathed a small sigh of relief and said in a heavy voice, “Bandage his wound to stop the bleeding.”
“Where was he hit?” Mr. Liu asked, still clinging to Abang’s back. “How many are injured?”
“One injured, hit in the leg.”
Following the answer, Abang heard no words from Mr. Liu—only a cold sneer.
That sneer seemed rooted in absolute certainty…
“Is the Ghost still around?” Mr. Liu asked again.
“Can’t see him now,” Abang replied. “He might be gone.”
“Good. Continue toward the deck.”
“Continue?” Before Abang could speak, Boss Wu jumped up. “We were almost burned alive in that inferno!”
“Shut up,” Mr. Liu said coldly. “With a tiny fire like that, as long as you keep a clear head, you’re out in two steps. Has your courage withered away to nothing alongside your age?”
Indeed, in his younger days, Boss Wu—Cao Mo—was someone who would press a cigarette butt into another person’s face over a minor disagreement, someone loyal enough to walk straight into a gun barrel to avenge a deceased fellow townsman.
Yet time had changed so much…
Or perhaps what changed things wasn’t time, but that inhuman, bloodthirsty struggle they had survived on the ship long ago.
“Besides, stay here and wait for what? Wait for the people the Ghost contacted to arrive and wipe us out in one fell swoop?” Mr. Liu added coldly. “What are you afraid of? Smash the glass in the central hall and go straight out to the deck!”
Boss Wu fell silent.
He offered no further objections.
Abang continued carrying Mr. Liu on his back while the other bodyguards supported their wounded comrade. The injured guard was fortunate—the bullet hadn’t pierced through his leg, but merely grazed the side, tearing off a large strip of flesh. Nothing more.
They moved swiftly toward the other hallway leading to the deck.
Just as they stepped forward, a sniper shot rang out—
Abang yanked Mr. Liu hard, ducking the bullet while firing back in the direction of the shot—
Clang!
The bullet struck metal, missing human flesh.
The bodyguards immediately poured gunfire toward that direction, but Ji Xun had already darted to a new cover position.
He popped open the magazine, glanced at the few remaining rounds inside, and took a deep breath. He had no room to make another move; he could only huddle here, waiting for the bodyguards downstairs to break the windows and leap onto the deck.
Out on the deck, the field of view was vast and unobstructed. It was impossible for the Ghost to hide in a corner and fire cold shots at them anymore. Wind and rain whipped against their bodies; what was usually annoying weather now brought a sense of safety and relief.
Rainwater washed over Mr. Liu’s face, finally allowing his eyes—previously blinded by the powder—to see the scene ahead with a blurred clarity.
“The rope ladder,” he panted exhaustedly. “Lower the rope ladder and let the men below come up.”
Even though Abang had carried him almost the entire way, maintaining such high mental tension took a heavy toll on his energy. He was no longer young, after all; no matter how well he maintained himself, moments like this were physically draining.
“Hurry up,” Abang instructed the other bodyguards.
The rest of the guards acted quickly.
However, after running across the deck, startling news came back: “Mr. Liu, all the rope ladders have been thrown overboard!”
Every single rope ladder had been tossed away!
The hearts of those who had fought so hard to reach the deck sank instantly.
Their minds immediately linked back to that first door kicked shut and locked from the outside. The Ghost’s accomplice was outside; knowing their operational logic in advance, they had thrown the rope ladders away beforehand.
Abang, however, felt little panic, simply turning his gaze to Mr. Liu.
He didn’t think there was much of a problem right now. Past experience had taught him that whenever a problem reached Mr. Liu, it would naturally be resolved.
Rain splashed against Mr. Liu’s face.
The rain was just as heavy as before.
The life-and-death struggles, the back-and-forth scheming on the ship meant nothing to nature; it merely maintained a cold indifference, watching humans brawl like ants.
Abang held an umbrella over Mr. Liu.
Under the umbrella, the sagging corners of Mr. Liu’s flabby mouth pulled back into a ferocious grin.
“Shout down below. Tell the guards down there to grab the women and throw them into the sea.”
“Wh… what?” Even Abang voiced his shock.
“The Ghost is a cop,” Mr. Liu said calmly.
As calm as his voice was, the explosive force of this bomb shattered the calm in everyone’s minds all the more violently.
“A cop. He turned off the jammer and made contact with the main force outside. Right now, police teams are likely speeding toward our location at full throttle,” Mr. Liu explained thoroughly, seeing as he had already started. “However, precisely because he’s a cop, we still have a chance. Shout to the men below to seize the women as hostages. Then tell that Ghost watching us from some unknown dark corner—cop, if he doesn’t tell us the location of the jammer and turn it off, then the women down below will be thrown overboard one by one, into this vast ocean, drowning to death in agony…”
“Throw one down every five minutes.”
The bodyguards stared blankly at Mr. Liu until their brains fully processed every word of his long instruction. Then, they rushed to the ship’s railing and shouted downward:
“People below, can you hear us?”
“People below, can you hear us?”
…
After bellowing at the top of their lungs several times, a response came from below.
“Who’s up there?”
“It’s me, Abang,” Abang said, passing Mr. Liu’s instructions down.
Their loud shouts echoed into the lower cabins beneath the deck, naturally reaching Ji Xun’s ears as well.
Ji Xun tightened his grip on… the megaphone beside him.
A few seconds later, he raised the megaphone to his lips and said:
“Bosses, bodyguards, and crew members on this ship—I have a rather unfortunate announcement for you all. Just as your leader, Mr. Liu, said, the police have obtained rock-solid evidence of illegal activity on this ship and are currently rushing here on an emergency dispatch. At the most conservative estimate, in just two or three short hours, you’ll be able to see the solid, dependable figures of our friendly police officers—”
“So,” Ji Xun continued, “especially the bodyguards in the lower cabins, listen carefully! In these final hours, do you still intend to persist in breaking the law and committing capital offenses that will get you executed by firing squad?”
“He only made contact with the outside world fifteen minutes ago; the police won’t arrive that fast. With the jammer off, my rescue team can arrive first,” Mr. Liu stated. “When that time comes, everyone leaves together.”
“The fastest maritime rescue is by helicopter,” Ji Xun sneered. “The police’s elite personnel will arrive on those helicopters. Mr. Liu’s ‘elite rescue’ couldn’t possibly be slower than a helicopter, could it? Even if it’s helicopters, how many does Mr. Liu have? Can he take everyone on this ship with him?”
“Throw the women overboard!” Mr. Liu sneered in turn. “Whoever throws a woman overboard and proves his loyalty—I’ll take him with me when I leave.”
“Ha, spoken just like Mr. Liu,” Ji Xun chuckled. “Everyone downstairs, take note: when you throw a woman overboard, make sure you shout for Mr. Liu to watch first! Otherwise, how is Mr. Liu supposed to know who threw who? That credit can easily be stolen, you know. Helicopter space is limited—who knows, you might have to play a battle royale among yourselves first. Whoever survives gets taken by Mr. Liu.”
“Furthermore, bodyguards—whatever crimes you committed in the past, the ship’s surveillance is broken now, and no one knows. Without evidence, you won’t be convicted. But if you act now, you won’t escape a felony murder charge! And to the bosses here for pleasure, don’t just sit back and watch as if you’re safe. Gambling or soliciting prostitutes isn’t a huge deal—at most a short detention, and you might lose some face at home, but you won’t go to prison. At least you won’t spend ten or twenty years in jail as an accomplice to murder, right?”
Undoubtedly, Ji Xun’s persuasion carried immense weight.
Mr. Liu was forced to blurt out:
“I have kept records of everyone’s past criminal evidence. Don’t harbor any foolish illusions.”
“How ruthless!” Ji Xun gasped in mock astonishment. “Is everyone really going to follow such a ruthless boss? Right now, when the police are about to arrive? He’s at the end of his rope and still trying to trick you into being his scapegoat!”
Mr. Liu didn’t want to engage in a war of words with Ji Xun any longer.
He cast a glance at Abang.
Executing Mr. Liu’s order faithfully, Abang shouted below: “Enough! Don’t listen to the cop! We have guns—throw the women overboard!”
A brief silence fell.
Then, amidst the wind and rain, the heavy sound of a body splashing into the water resonated alongside a woman’s piercing scream.
Ji Xun’s voice, which had echoed across the ship just moments ago, was nowhere to be heard.
In the dark night, only the woman’s agonized scream remained—snuffed out by the wind, shredded by the rain, swallowed by the sea—yet rising again intermittently, struggling upward through human primal survival instinct.
“If you don’t reveal the jammer’s location… five minutes.”
Mr. Liu’s cold voice rang out once more.
“That’s one.”
