Although Xia Yi had no fresh water or any food besides seaweed, he still wasnât that unfortunate. The truly wretched ones were those people on the Thalassa Goddess , dying from radiation as they futilely waited for help.
âGoddammit, why is the electrical equipment still broken? What kind of bullshit âadvanced marine techniciansâ are they? I say theyâre all useless!â Han Lin yelled, his eyes bloodshot.
His father, Mr Han, had a gloomy face, while the actress that had previously hung off his arm cowered far away, minimising her presence as much as possible.
Her example was quickly followed by the secretaries and assistants the Han father and son had brought with them. They were all terrified and lost.
Anyone with a brain would self-evaluate their own worth in times of danger. Once they discovered their uselessness to the teamâs leader, what other help could they offer than being reluctant cannon fodders?
They were currently hiding in a specially-designed bunker in the cruise ship, with a sufficient supply of food and the melting ice in the large cooler behind them serving as fresh water. Despite the broken ventilation system and abnormal weather, it wasnât too stuffy inside. However, there was bound to be some smell as it was occupied by about fifteen people. The crew could more or less endure it, but the rest teetered on the edges of mental breakdowns.
Some were all too ready to abandon hope, while others didnât dare utter a single thing.
âCaptain, did you really send out the SOS signals?â
Mr Hanâs usual, dishonest smile had long since disappeared from his face. His character was one that was always suspicious, and now, all kinds of doubts were arising. Mr Han, after all, hadnât seen the sea monster with his own eyes. The other had seen it through the lenses of the periscope, which could have been rigged by someone. Who knew if this entire situation was a scam?
Far too many elements were unusual: during these five days, contact with land had been impossible, which was odd as the cruise ship should have been in constant correspondence with it throughout its voyage. Even if their location was unknown, there were still satellites in the sky. There was absolutely no reason for the Maritime Rescue team to have not arrived.
If Mr Hanâs theory was correct, then it must mean that the captain of the Thalassa Goddess , or the person backing him, was plotting against the Han family. But why would anyone make such an elaborate plan? And what could they possibly gain from it? If someone wanted him dead, there were simpler methods than all this crap right now: a simple poison in his food, or toxic gas aired from the ventilators, for example. Even though he was hiding in the safety bunker, sporadic screams and curses could still be heard; if this was all an act, then the actors were being too professional and the plan wouldâve cost too much to bring in any profit. There had been a lot of people âpretendingâ to be dead that nightâ were the people who hired them part of the plan against the Han family as well?
Mr Hanâs bodyguards were already restless, and upon hearing this, they shot up and surrounded the group. The chief mate and several crew members began to shout anxiously.
âWhat are you doing?â
âEverybody calm down!â
The captain immediately yelled for his crew to quiet down. He had good vision, and at that moment, he noticed that the bodyguardsâ hands were moving under their jackets. He then recalled the rumours about the Han Corporation not having that clean of a background when it was young. Though the captain had spent half of his life navigating the sea and had no fear of either wind or waves, he was still helpless against actual firearms. Especially when the situation was like this, where any evidence of murder could be easily disposed off. Mr Han could simply order his men to throw their bodies and guns into the ocean, and they would be lost forever.
âI want the truth now, or else!â Mr Han nodded towards one of his bodyguards, who then cocked a Type 54 pistol against the captainâs head.
The actress cowered in her spot by the corner and forcefully swallowed a scream.
The secretaries and assistants paled. At this point, even if the rescue team did come, Mr Han would never risk the possibility of one of them blabbing their mouths. They would most likely beâŠ
Mafiosos like these wasnât anything the captain hadnât seen before. If this was any other day, he may even look down at Mr Hanâs actions. Throughout the years, heâd seen all kinds of tycoons on board the Thalassa Goddess . The Russians in particular were badass, and by contrast, the Chinese mafia who could barely get their hands on a gun⊠well ok, they werenât necessarily bad at hand-to-hand combat, but compared to the Canadian-Chinese gangs who wielded a machete each, Mr Han was just a frog sitting at the bottom of a well <sup>2</sup> äșćșäčè; a Chinese idiom that means a person of limited outlook and experience â he was someone who believed that he was a fundamentally important figure just because he had some cash.
But of course, the captain wouldnât say these things when he had the barrel of a gun against his head.
He tried his best to show that he was terrified instead of calm, forcing a tremble into his voice.
âMr Han, if I knew why that damn octopus appeared, then the ones who bought me off wouldnât be shipping tycoons. Theyâd be the CIA! Now, I can open the door, but I cannot promise you the result of walking outside!â
âYou bastard!â
Mr Han was furious. Grabbing the pistol, he opened the safety and demanded, âI knew you were planning things! Now that everything has been set outside, you think Iâd be dumb enough to walk right into your trap?! Open the door now, or else Iâll push you out to your death!â
Before the captain could respond, the bunkerâs door suddenly shook.
The metal door released an ominous creak.
Han Lin grabbed his fatherâs sleeve in fear.
Mr Han gritted his teeth and asked, âWhat was that?â
âI⊠I donât know.â The captain was really beginning to panic at this unexpected turn of events.
Mr Han sneered and ordered a secretary to go and examine the situation.
The secretary was once a proper, middle-aged man, but now, his tie was gone and his jacket was dirtied and strewn to the side. The secretary didnât dare complain in any way, so he gritted his teeth and trembled as he walked towards the door.
The noise outside grew louder.
The secretary slowly and unwillingly touched the door. He let out a scream of pain the moment his hand laid on the metal, and as he stumbled backwards, the others could see large, red blisters forming on his hand.
At the same time, the people nearest him fearfully shuffled back as they felt the sudden temperature rise.
The metal doors of the safety bunker were slowly turning red.
âFuck, they have flamethrowers!â Mr Han took a hold of the captainâs collar and yelled anxiously, âTheyâre about to sacrifice your life along with ours, and youâre still not talking?â
The captain was completely fed up with Mr Hanâs conspiracy theories. He knew that no matter what he said, that man would only believe what he wanted to believe, so the captain gave up and shouted,âno!â
Taking advantage of the split moment of shock his shout had brought, the captain kicked Mr Han hard, doubling him over. He then quickly brought his hand over the rich manâs throat, effectively restricting him.
All of the bodyguards immediately aimed their guns at him.
The chief mate was sneering as he fiddled with the wrench and other metal tools in his hands.
âShoot them! Shoot them now!â Han Lin screamed in fury, but the bodyguards hesitated.
The reason for their pause was simple: the strange noises coming from the door. If they wasted their bullets now, they may later be trapped and die in here.
âWe were all supposed to be on the same boatâŠâ The captainâs hands tightened, choking the already short-necked Mr Han until his eyes began to roll back.
Before the captain could finish, the safety bunkerâs door suddenly shook, and then it collapsed with a bang.
Immense heat waves blew right into the room. As the temperature soared to a searing degree, the people wailed and scrambled back towards the freezerâ a foolish choice. Had there not been no electricity and the ice wasnât all but water now, this extreme alternation between hot and cold would have caused their skin to peel off.
The captain instantly kicked Mr Han away and crouched down by the wall, his arms instinctively covering his head. As a result, he didnât receive any damage other than several sparks that landed on his shirt.
The startled bodyguards, on the other hand, began shooting rapidly and blindly at the entry.
After a while of prolonged silence, some people hesitantly lifted their heads up. Much to their shock, neither a sea monster nor military soldiers dressed in protective suits and equipped with flamethrowers greeted their sight. Instead, a woman wearing the latest off-shoulder gown imported straight from Paris stood there in her silvery-red, crystal-embedded heels. She held a thin womanâs cigar between her fingers, her every move sensual as her eyes looked at them with ridicule and contempt.
âAn Li? Why are you here?â The actress accompanying Mr Han cradled her burned face and cried.
An Li barely spared her a glance as she blew a smoke ring and said, âI knew they were here!â
A head poked out from behind her; Li Shao immediately shrank back when he saw guns in the room. âWeâ Should we discuss it over with them?â
An Li promptly smacked Li Shao before sauntering inside the place as though she owned it.
The captain didnât have a good feeling about this. The cruise ship has been drifting out at sea for the past four-or-so days. Not counting those whoâd died, the food still wouldnât have been enough. Most of the supplies were stored in the freezers and storages, whereas the restaurants wouldnât carry much beyond the basic ingredients. Though the amounts of rice, bread, and steak were supposedly enough to sustain tens of people, the problem now lied in the fact that there was no electricity. None of the raw foods could be cooked, causing the edible food supply to plummet. Plus, itâd been days since theyâd seen the helicopters that were supposed to fly in the fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk. Based on the captainâs calculations, the people outside should be fighting to the death amongst themselves for access to food and water, but this woman seemed as if she was walking home from a banquetâ not one piece of hair seemed to be out of place, everything perfectly exquisite.
âAnd you are?â
âI very much agree with what the captain said earlier,â An Li said, ignoring the question, âthat weâre now all on the same boat.â
âYouâŠâ The people who followed her line of sight and realised that it was set on the freezer immediately understood what she meant.
âAn Li! You really have no shame! You stole those clothes!â Said the actress from earlier. Sheâd seen this dress a few days ago in the cruiseâs Fashion Street. Sadly, her fame and success in her career meant that she was no longer young. Now over thirty years old, she couldnât hold such a form-fitting gown. This dissatisfying realisation meant that she had a strong impression on the outfit. The price of it definitely wasnât something a model like An Li could afford.
Immediately, everyone slightly demeaned An Li in their hearts and eyes.
âNot just the clothes, these shoes as well!â An Li grinned slyly. The most valuable thing on this cruise ship right now was food and water. Clothing was rendered useless to all. She was wearing things that cost hundreds of thousands, but in the eyes of others, she was the same as clothing, just another product.
Crack!
A ball of flame wrapped itself around a bullet.
The bodyguards almost dropped their guns. They desperately pulled the triggers again and again, however the only thing that appeared was ball after ball of fire.
âY-you⊠this is impossible!â
The flame quickly turned from dark blue, to blue, to white, and the temperature too began to rise.
An Li dragged Li Shao out from behind her. âGo, take the food!â
âAn⊠An-Jie, we wouldnât have a place to store it even if we took it.â
âAre you going or not?â
Li Shao frowned and stepped in carefully, still scared by the guns. But what happened next caused the bodyguards to be more scared of Li Shao: he picked up five giant boxes, each filled with canned food and drinks. If it wasnât for the bunkerâs height restriction, he wouldâve been able to pick up even more. Those who were in the bunker thought back to the odd creaking theyâd heard earlier; this new discovery and link caused everyone to pale.
âMr Captain and chief mate, I believe you both have better choices, am I right?â
An Li continued to flick her cigarâ sheâd picked that up at the store too. Looking at Li Shao, An Li couldnât help but roll her eyes at him. How pathetic could this man be? He had supernatural abilities now and was no longer afraid of the radiation, yet he remained frightful and jumped at the mere sound of a gun.
If he wasnât Xia Yiâs assistantâŠ
An Li was beginning to worry for her future. There couldnât be more than thirty people who were still alive on this ship; those who randomly possessed strange powers made up half of them. However, they were either not very useful, or they were very weak. Li Shao was the only one who she could use as free labour. Nonetheless, if this truly was the end of the world, then unless a person could fly, theyâd all die out here, trapped at sea.
At the same time, she still couldnât wrap her mind around the song that had appeared that night. Other than those whoâd developed superpowers, nobody else has any recollection of the music.