In mere seconds, more than twenty rifles were trained on her, the menacing muzzles all pointed directly at Rose's head.
"Kekeke…" Shu Xie's laugh was twisted with glee, his yellow-gold teeth flashing as he watched the panic flicker across Rose's beautiful face.
He had hoped, but never truly expected, that his gamble would pay off.
The tension in his body began to ease, though his hands still trembled slightly.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he glanced at the pirates who had suddenly filled the deck.
"I gave you a chance to survive, little girl!" Shu Xie sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Now, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Despite his confident words, a trace of nervousness lingered in Shu Xie's heart.
This entire plan had been a desperate shot in the dark, a final gamble with his life on the line.
He had entrusted his fate to the promises of strangers, never truly believing they would come through.
