Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Trouble

Gu Ning didn’t refuse Anderson’s request for a private chat.

The two walked to the front of the deck. Gu Ning didn’t give Anderson a chance to speak and got straight to the point: “We just want to reach the Capital City safely without any trouble, Captain Anderson. If you also want to continue being the captain peacefully, it’s best not to set your sights on us.”

This was a blatant warning and threat. Her earlier actions were just to make her current warning more intimidating.

Anderson looked at Gu Ning somewhat helplessly: “I think I haven’t done anything, yet you injured my crew.”

Gu Ning tilted her head and looked directly into his eyes, her tone and expression as if she were talking about something trivial: “Do you know? After eating the flesh of their own kind, humans emit a very peculiar sour stench. Once you smell it, you’ll never forget it.”

Anderson’s expression suddenly stiffened. His brows furrowed, and the tenderness in his green eyes turned sharp: “I think I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

Gu Ning just smiled slightly. Of course, she knew he understood.

After a long silence, Anderson suddenly stared into Gu Ning’s eyes and said, “Has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes? Cold, dangerous, yet captivating… Perhaps you could stay. On the sea, there are no monsters. I can guarantee your safety, with plenty of food, no fear…” As he spoke softly, he reached out towards Gu Ning’s face.

Gu Ning calmly pushed his hand away and said with a sarcastic smile, “Food? Sorry, I’m not used to eating human flesh.”

Anderson stared at her for a long time before saying, “I’ve never eaten human flesh. But I don’t oppose others eating it. After all, surviving now isn’t easy. If it weren’t for desperation, no one would want to eat humans.”

Gu Ning thought that if it were her, she’d rather starve to death. But there was no need to argue with Anderson over such meaningless issues.

She confirmed again, “So, do we have a deal? You safely take us to the Capital City, and we’ll hand over all the promised supplies.”

“Of course,” Anderson said. “Tonight, you can sleep peacefully. When you wake up, we’ll be at the Capital City’s port.”

“Captain, what did that little girl say to you?” The short man hurried over to gather information after Gu Ning left.

Anderson watched Gu Ning’s retreating figure with a slight smile, then put a cigarette in his mouth. The short man immediately handed over a lighter, shielding the wind with one hand and lighting the cigarette with the other. Anderson took a puff, exhaled a cloud of smoke, which was instantly blown away by the sea breeze. He leaned against the railing, his green eyes filled with wariness: “Tell the others, these people are not simple. Don’t mess with them. Safely deliver them to their destination. Their supplies will keep us going for a while. These people are not to be trifled with.”

The short man put away the lighter, smiling respectfully: “Don’t worry, Captain, I’ll inform the crew.” Although he didn’t see how the blonde girl took down the old guys, he did see their bruises when he checked their injuries. To take down several ruthless men alone, she must be formidable.

Though he lusted after Zhuang Chen’s alluring body, he had survived this long by being cautious. No matter how tempting the cake, if it’s poisoned, he wouldn’t dare take a bite.

However, he was worried. The crew had grown tired of the women on board and had been clamoring for fresh meat. He needed to warn them sternly.

The short man went below deck, while Anderson stayed on the deck, tossing the cigarette butt into the sea. He glanced at Gu Ning’s back as she spoke with Zhuang Chen, a glint of something unreadable in his eyes.

Gu Ning took the opportunity to nap in the afternoon.

As the sun slowly sank below the western horizon in the evening, a scene no less beautiful than the sunrise, Gu Ning was in no mood to appreciate it: “Although Anderson has promised not to cause trouble, we still need to be cautious tonight. Xia Yu, if anything happens, remember to protect Director Zhong. Be ready to adapt.”

She added, “I’ll keep watch tonight. If there’s any movement, I’ll wake you all. Keep your knives and guns close.”

After the sun set, the moon hung in the sky, a faint crescent. The black sea reflected the dim moonlight, the waves creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Their sleeping area was arranged in a passageway between rows of cargo containers. The blankets provided by Anderson reeked, but to avoid exposing Gu Ning’s space and attracting trouble, they had to endure it.

Gu Ning stood in the only entrance passageway, with branching paths ahead and on both sides. She stood at the intersection, ensuring anyone coming from any direction would have to pass her. Xia Yu and the others slept behind her, with the vigilant Zhuang Chen at the very back. If there was any movement from behind, Zhuang Chen would wake up immediately.

The ship rocked on the sea, but Gu Ning stood firmly, unfazed. For her sensitive hearing, the night at sea was anything but quiet. The ship’s machinery was bearable, but the intermittent moans were grating.

Gu Ning focused, trying to calm her mind, but the image of the woman behind the glass, her lifeless eyes, and her bruised arm kept resurfacing.

At that moment!

“Ah—!”

A woman’s scream pierced the quiet night. Gu Ning, leaning against the container, straightened up and looked towards the source of the sound.

Then came a man’s angry curse, followed by a series of thuds. The woman’s cries of pain didn’t stop; instead, they grew more desperate, each one more heart-wrenching than the last.

Finally, a heavy thud signaled the end.

Gu Ning’s heart sank. Was she killed?

Zhuang Chen and the others were also awakened, their thoughts mirroring Gu Ning’s. They wondered if the woman had been knocked out or killed.

The sound of hurried, panicked footsteps that followed overturned their assumptions, but also brought a glimmer of relief.

Gu Ning’s expression changed. She clearly heard two sets of footsteps, not one. They were heading straight towards them.

Soon, the door was pushed open, and two figures rushed in. It was dark, but Gu Ning could clearly see their faces. One of them made her frown—it was the woman from behind the glass earlier…

The area behind the door was pitch black. She remembered the others were supposed to be here, but it was too dark to see where they were sleeping.

Trembling, she locked the door and tightly held her sister’s hand, trying to keep her voice calm but failing: “Let’s go, we need to hide.”

The girl, who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, was filled with fear. She clung to Liu Mei’s hand, groping forward in the dark.

“We’ll be caught…” the girl’s trembling voice betrayed her terror. “They’ll dry us and eat us…” She was on the verge of tears. “Sis, I don’t want to be eaten…”

“Don’t be afraid,” Liu Mei said, one hand feeling the containers in the dark, the other firmly gripping Liu Xin’s hand. She tried to recall the layout, but fear had blanked her mind. She had killed that man. They had promised not to touch Liu Xin if she obeyed. Liu Xin, her only family, her beloved younger sister, so young and innocent, had already been ruined. She couldn’t let those beasts defile the one person she wanted to protect. When she returned to the room after her ordeal, Liu Xin was gone. The others said she had been taken shortly after Liu Mei left. Being taken from the room could only mean one thing…

So when she saw that filthy man pinning her beloved sister down, trying to assault her, she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the iron rod by the door and smashed it against the man’s head!

Liu Xin was right. If caught, they would be tortured brutally, then cut into pieces, dried, and stored as food…

Where could they escape to? No matter where they ran, they couldn’t escape the ship.

Their only hope now was those outsiders. She had heard the men cursing that girl, and from their fragmented words, she knew the girl was formidable. Even these men dared not touch them. So without hesitation, she led Liu Xin here, clinging to the slim hope of saving her sister…

“Damn it! They locked the door!” Suddenly, the door was slammed, followed by men’s voices.

Liu Xin almost jumped, terrified. “They’re coming!”

Liu Mei’s hand was pierced by Liu Xin’s nails, but she didn’t make a sound, just kept pulling Liu Xin forward.

“Break the door down!” a man shouted.

Then came the sound of heavy pounding on the door.

Liu Xin was hysterical: “They’re coming, they’re coming! We’re going to die! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to be eaten! Dad, Mom, save us! Save us!”

“Boom!” A loud crash!

The door was forced open, and a group of men stormed in. Someone yelled, “Grab them! I’m going to kill them!”

Liu Xin was about to scream when a hand covered her mouth! Liu Mei crashed into someone’s chest and was also muffled! She instinctively struggled, but then a cold, low female voice said, “Shh! Don’t make a sound.”

Liu Mei’s eyes widened in shock!