Having eaten their fill, the two sat quietly in the restaurant for several minutes. When no suspicious figures appeared, they exchanged glances, stood up, and returned to their room to rest. Soon after, Ghost Hand knocked on the door and entered. Lan Xue teased, "Didn't fall into the arms of love, did you? With such a beautiful woman by your side, you're quite the lucky man. Our famous Hua Taixui lives up to his na. Did you find out anything?"
"I can't compare to you two captains managing both public and private affairs. A well-fed man doesn't understand the hunger of a starving one," Ghost Hand joked as he closed the door behind him. His expression suddenly turned serious as he sat down and continued, "That woman tried to approach ; it looks like we've all been exposed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have recognized . Fortunately, I was cautious and made use of her. After interrogating her, they were eleven in total. The veracity remains to be verified. We've taken down three, captured one, and seven remain. The situation is complicated."
"As a veteran playboy, seducing you isn't easy. Unexpectedly, a weakness beca a strength. You've earned a rit there. Did you manage to find out who they are, any collaboration with Song Yan? Know anything about those mysterious figures?" Lan Xue said with a laugh.
"Thanks for the praise, captain," Ghost Hand replied with a smile. "The other party is Reincarnation. It's unclear if they've collaborated with Song Yan. The one I interacted with was responsible only for gathering information and didn't know much. She confessed she did not recognize Song Yan but was aware of those mysterious figures, though she knew nothing about their origins."
"So, there are three forces on the ship now: Reincarnation Organization, the mysterious figures, and Song Yan. The latter two are likely connected. It seems we have even more enemies to face now," Luo Zheng said with a worried expression.
"What are you thinking?" Lan Xue asked.
Luo Zheng didn't answer imdiately, but fell into thought. After a while, he suddenly said, "Assuming the mysterious figures and Song Yan are working together, with the Reincarnation Organization and us, that makes three groups, all of which are against us. If we hide, we'll face sneak attacks from the other two groups. If we show ourselves in public, both groups will still attack. Sneak attacks are hard to defend against, but an attack at the right mont could balance out the other side. Let's go to the casino."
Lan Xue and Ghost Hand saw so reason in this, waiting around here for the enemy wasn't an option, and military types prefer to take the offensive. They got up and headed to the casino, with Ghost Hand blending into the crowd for backup while Luo Zheng and Lan Xue headed over. They quickly noticed a familiar figure betting at a table, deeply concentrated with a colorful stack of chips in front of him, though it was unclear if they were won or just exchanged with his own money.
"Eh, is that the bastard?" Luo Zheng exclaid in a hushed tone, "How about we grab this bastard, hide him well, and use him to threaten Song Yan? He wouldn't dare make a move out of fear."
The idea sounded like sothing out of a bandit's playbook, but Lan Xue didn't mind. She thought it over and found it appealing. Suddenly, spotting a few suspicious figures in the crowd who looked like ones they had seen before, she was startled and nudged Luo Zheng, sending a aningful glance his way.
Luo Zheng also noticed the suspicious figures and beca curious. These people appearing all of a sudden—could it an they were about to make a move? Thinking this, he instinctively said in a low voice, "We're in international waters now. If they're going to make a move tonight, it could work in our favor. We can seize the opportunity to act and possibly fra these people. What do you think?"
"It sounds good, but it's tricky to execute. He has three bodyguards; getting close is impossible. For now, it seems we can only wait for those suspicious figures to make a move. If sothing does happen, there's bound to be chaos. We'll see then if there's a chance to carry out the kidnap," Lan Xue said seriously.
The suspicious figures didn't act imdiately but spread out to key corners of the casino. Luo Zheng increasingly felt these people were planning sothing big, perhaps at night. But if these people were to kidnap the entire ship, what point was there in kidnapping Hua Taixui?
Soon, Luo Zheng realized there was still so point. If Song Yan was working with these suspicious people, having Hua Taixui could add significant leverage to negotiations. As for the assassin organization, if it wasn't collaborating with Song Yan, it would surely retaliate. His task would be to hide and let them fight among themselves until the situation cleared up.
With friend and foe unclear and the situation uncertain, kidnapping Hua Taixui was rely a way to increase chances of survival — having sothing was better than nothing, especially since they were sworn enemies of the Song family and he had insulted Luo Zheng before. Understanding the key points, Luo Zheng began to sneer at the sight of Hua Taixui.
After waiting so more, dusk arrived, but the suspicious figures still showed no signs of action. Luo Zheng decided to just go to the deck to get so air. The deck was filled with couples taking photos, blissfully unaware of the impending danger. Several children played while one couple tried to recreate a famous Titanic pose at the railing only to be turned away by security personnel. All seed peaceful.
A young couple approached Luo Zheng, asking him to help take a photo of them. Luo Zheng naturally wouldn't refuse; as the couple posed, Luo Zheng started to focus the cara but suddenly felt their smiles were a bit strange and looked up at them curiously.
"Ready?" the girl asked cheerfully, the boy also inquired, showing no sign of peculiarity.
Luo Zheng shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. The recent events had made him hypersensitive. After focusing the cara and preparing to press the shutter, Lan Xue suddenly shouted, "Wait."
"Eh?" Luo Zheng lifted his head in surprise to look at Lan Xue, then noticed her expression turned ice-cold as she stared at the young couple. Luo Zheng imdiately beca alert and also fixed his gaze on the pair. The young man, showing dissatisfaction, spoke, "What's the matter? Can't take a photo? If you can't manage, I'll ask soone else."
Lan Xue quickly stepped forward, snatched the cara from Luo Zheng, tossed it to the couple to catch, and suddenly pulled Luo Zheng back several steps, rapidly drew her gun and aid it, saying coldly, "Push the shutter yourself."
"What do you an by that? If you won't take it, it's fine. What's the big deal?" The girl imdiately yelled angrily.
Luo Zheng sensed there was trouble, and seeing Lan Xue draw her gun, he quickly drew his own and aid, his voice cold as he commanded, "Press the shutter or eat a bullet. Don't test my limits."
The young couple exchanged glances, then suddenly shouted loudly, "Murder! Soone's shooting!"
"Bang!" Without hesitation, Luo Zheng fired. The bullet, full of his suspicion and decisiveness, flew into the man's thigh, spurting a blood jet. The man stumbled and fell, the cara hitting the ground. Given they were suspicious and guns had been drawn, there was no reason to hesitate.
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