At that moment, a sudden realization flashed through Nie Yun's mind, causing him to freeze. His expression quickly darkened, and an intense rage surged within him, veins bulging on his forehead!
...
An hour earlier.
Chu Xiaoxiao's yacht was returning under the fading glow of the sunset. The vessel was helmed by a middle-aged captain who had worked for the Chu family for over ten years. However, his gaze was jittery, frequently glancing at the radar in the control room.
"Beep beep!" The radar emitted a warning sound, and a light spot appeared at the edge of the radar screen, rapidly moving towards the center.
The captain's face changed. He gritted his teeth and silently steered the yacht in the direction of the light spot.
At that moment, Chu Xiaoxiao's personal bodyguard was patrolling the yacht, checking the security work of her subordinates. Her name was Ye Min, a bodyguard from Longquan Security Company. She had previously served in the Fujian Provincial Policewomen's SWAT team and was skilled in combat, shooting, and protecting important targets. Later, she was recruited by Longquan Company as a security consultant.
This time, she was hired by the Chu family and took on the role of the lead security officer to personally protect Chu Xiaoxiao.
"Huh?" Ye Min suddenly noticed a significant change in the yacht's direction. Normally, at sea with no complex traffic routes, once the destination was confirmed, it was only necessary to head straight towards the port. There was no need for such a drastic turn, especially with no ships to avoid.
She looked towards the bow. In the dark sea, the faint sound of an engine could be heard, seemingly approaching.
With heightened alertness, Ye Min sensed something was wrong and immediately went to the yacht's control room to check the situation.
When she arrived at the control room, she reached for the door but was met with a shock: "It's locked from the inside!"
"Bang bang!" She knocked on the door with force, "Captain Wei! Are you there?! Why is the door locked?"
The room was silent...
"Damn it!" Ye Min immediately realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.
"Bang bang!" "Ah!" Outside, the sound of automatic rifles firing and screams of agony were heard.
"Damn it!" Ye Min drew her handgun and rushed towards Chu Xiaoxiao's cabin.
Gunfire erupted throughout the yacht.
...
Ten minutes later, a stern man clad in tactical gear and wielding an AK-47 assault rifle stepped onto the now-dilapidated yacht, surrounded by seven or eight armed men. The yacht was no longer the elegant and exquisite vessel it once was. It was riddled with bullet holes, shattered glass covered the floor, and some parts of the hull had even been blasted open by heavy weapons.
"How's the situation?" The stern man asked in Annan language.
A subordinate immediately stepped forward to report, "Boss, there were eight bodyguards in total. Besides the leader and the target hiding in the core cabin, the rest have been dealt with. The other personnel on board, apart from the captain, have also been dealt with!"
The surrounding mercenaries seemed indifferent, as if killing a few people was as routine as eating and drinking.
"Hmm? Why haven't we captured the target yet?" the stern man asked.
"The lead female bodyguard is very alert and skilled. As soon as we made our move, she injured one of our men and took the target into the core cabin. The walls and doors there are reinforced with bulletproof steel and will take some time to breach. But don't worry, we have two brothers guarding the entrance. They won't escape!"
"Alright!" The stern man nodded, then glanced disdainfully at the speedboat they had arrived in. He called out in halting Chinese, "Feng! You can come out now. It's safe here!"
A figure emerged from the speedboat, carefully surveying the yacht before approaching the stern man. This person was none other than Feng Ge from the Riyao Group!
"Team Leader Ruan, is everything taken care of?" Feng Ge asked excitedly.
"There's still a mouse. The target and her bodyguard are hiding in the core cabin. But don't worry, capturing the target is just a matter of time."
"Great! That's wonderful! Team Leader Ruan, please capture the target as soon as possible. I'll notify our young master to come over!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible just yet. We've activated electronic interference devices. Until we flush out the mouse inside, to prevent leaks, we need to maintain communication blackout!"
"Oh, I see. In that case, I'll wait a bit longer. Team Leader Ruan, please hurry up and capture the target!"
The stern man, Team Leader Ruan, gave instructions to his subordinates. Soon, Captain Wei was brought before him, trembling with fear from witnessing the mercenaries' murderous rampage. Seeing Feng Ge, he appeared as though he had seen a savior.
"Feng Ge! I'm so glad to see you. You must ensure my safety!" Captain Wei pleaded shakily.
"Don't worry, Old Wei. As long as you cooperate, not only will your son be safe, but I'll also arrange for your family to live comfortably in Kangaroo Country once this is over!"
"Yes, yes, I will cooperate, I will cooperate!" Captain Wei nodded vigorously.
"Good. Now tell me, can you open the door to the core cabin?" Team Leader Ruan asked.
"Uh… If it's locked from the inside, it can't be opened from outside. That cabin is meant to be a sanctuary for important figures, reinforced with 3 cm of steel plate, enough to handle most situations. It's designed to keep the occupants safe until rescue arrives."
"Boss, should we use high-explosive explosives to blow the door open?" a subordinate suggested.
"No, using explosives could easily kill the people inside. We need the target intact! Go get tools from the ship and cut the door open!"
"Yes!" Two mercenaries immediately left to fetch tools.
"Everyone else, except for a few left to guard the target to prevent escape, search the yacht thoroughly. Don't miss anything valuable!" Team Leader Ruan ordered.
"Yeh!" The remaining mercenaries cheered and dispersed to loot.
As per custom, any extra benefits obtained during the task could mostly be kept by the mercenaries.
Feng Ge dared not object and had to be extra cautious around these merciless mercenaries. The mercenaries scoured the yacht, filling their bags with anything valuable. The luxurious yacht was ravaged a second time, littered with debris.
"Hey, brother, there's a safe here. It must contain something valuable. Get the captain; he should be able to open it!" Someone discovered the safe and called others to help.
Indeed, Captain Wei had a spare key. Soon, the safe was opened to reveal nothing but a silver box, secured with nine locks!
The densely tangled chains made the mercenaries' eyes twitch.
"Good stuff, this has to be valuable!" The mercenaries rejoiced, believing that such extensive locking meant something significant inside.
They quickly fetched a fire axe. With a single blow, the box remained intact, though the strike left the mercenary's arm numb.
"So sturdy, it must be made of special steel! It's definitely something incredible inside!" The mercenaries were thrilled.
They tried various methods to open the box. Fearing damage to the potentially priceless treasure inside, they avoided using high-power explosives, leaving only a few scratches on the surface.
Eventually, even their leader, Team Leader Ruan, learned of the situation. Staring at the box, the mercenaries exchanged uncertain looks.
"What's up with this box?" Team Leader Ruan asked Captain Wei.
"It seems it's something Miss Chu received from a mysterious person today. It's rumored to contain something very valuable. Only Miss Chu had access to it, and even her personal bodyguard was kept at a distance," Captain Wei explained honestly.
"Ah!" Team Leader Ruan's eyes lit up. It seemed this mission had an unexpected bonus!
As they delighted in capturing what they believed to be a treasure, Nie Yun received a message from the mechanical bugs in the box.
"Boss, someone wants to move your fleet!!"
The moment Nie Yun received the message:
Nie Yun?!!
Nie Yun!!!!!!
Nie Yun's forehead throbbed with rage!