In the core cabin of the yacht, the two women exchanged worried glances as they listened to the commotion outside. First came the sounds of cannon fire, followed by gunshots and continuous explosions. The power had been knocked out, plunging the room into darkness with only dim emergency lights providing some illumination.
Despite the chaos outside, no one came to check on them, leaving them confused about what was happening.
"Could it be rescue arrived?" Chu Xiaoxiao asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.
Nothing could be worse than the situation they had just faced; the fact that there was some activity outside suggested things might be changing for the better.
Ye Min listened carefully, noting that the sounds outside had finally quieted down, with even the mercenaries' voices fading away. She turned to Chu Xiaoxiao and said, "We can't be sure yet. Stay here; I'll go check it out."
Just then, a large foot kicked open the previously precarious hole in the door.
Ye Min was startled, fearing it was the mercenaries breaking in. She immediately aimed her pistol at the opening.
"Don't be alarmed, it's me, Nian Yun! Xiaoxiao, are you okay?"
"Nian Yun!?" Chu Xiaoxiao couldn't believe her ears, but it was unmistakably his voice.
Ye Min was equally astonished. This guy? How did he end up here?
"I'm here, I'm fine!" Chu Xiaoxiao finally reacted and exclaimed with relief.
A head poked through the hole, and Nian Yun grinned at the two women. "Hi, ladies, good to see you again!"
The two women stared at him for a moment, their faces flushing slightly.
"Uh, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Nian Yun asked, noticing their reactions.
"N-no, it's nothing! By the way, how did you end up here? What about those bad guys outside?" Ye Min asked, regaining her composure.
"Oh, my buddy and I were nearby having a late-night snack when we saw your yacht was under attack. So, I called in some help from my friend. The mercenaries were dealt with by my friend's team!"
A late-night snack? Chu Xiaoxiao had grown accustomed to Nian Yun's wild stories and rolled her eyes.
"Your friend?"
"Yeah, didn't I mention? I have a friend who builds aircraft carriers. He's well-connected, so he brought a warship with a bunch of Marines. They took care of the mercenaries in no time. But since they were off-duty helping me out, you must not tell anyone. If asked, just say it was a pirate skirmish."
What? Your friend called in a warship and Marines?
Both women exchanged looks of disbelief.
But when they stepped out of the cabin and saw the battlefield outside, with smoke and debris everywhere, they were stunned to realize that this story might actually be true. The yacht was riddled with bullet holes and burning flames, indicating a large-scale armed conflict.
Compared to Chu Xiaoxiao, Ye Min, with her professional background, noticed even more oddities. The cannon fire, while numerous, was strangely weak. The damage was minimal, akin to hand grenades rather than modern artillery shells. Yet, she had heard cannon sounds.
Then there were the mercenaries' injuries. Except for Brother Feng, no one had been killed by gunfire; everyone else had perished due to explosions from something like hand grenades. This was unbelievable in such a confined, close-quarters battle!
A unit that only used grenades? Were they some kind of specialist grenadiers? Did such a unit even exist? This was absurd!
"So where did that unit go?" Ye Min asked, scrutinizing the battlefield.
"Oh, they had to return to their own area. You know, they could get in trouble for being away from their post!" Nian Yun casually explained.
He then turned to Chu Xiaoxiao and handed her the box he was holding. "Look, I happened to find this on the ground just now. Don't lose it again!"
Chu Xiaoxiao took the box, puzzled about how it ended up outside.
Nian Yun thought for a moment and then removed a silver bracelet from his wrist, handing that over as well.
Chu Xiaoxiao accepted it, puzzled. "What is this?"
"I've noticed you've been having a lot of bad luck lately, always getting kidnapped. This is a family heirloom; it wards off evil!" Nian Yun explained.
Chu Xiaoxiao: "..."
Ye Min: "..."
Though she wanted to punch him, Chu Xiaoxiao surprisingly accepted the bracelet in silence, her head lowered as if deep in thought.
"Remember to wear it all the time. It's very effective!" Nian Yun advised, feeling relieved when Chu Xiaoxiao, blushing slightly, nodded in agreement.
The incident had also reminded Nian Yun to keep the mechanical bug bracelet on Chu Xiaoxiao so he could be alerted to any danger she might face.
...
After Ye Min contacted the police and Chu's Corporation, Nian Yun sailed away in his dilapidated fishing boat. The Sea Wolf, being too conspicuous, had already moved ahead to avoid being seen by the two women.
"Your friend is really mysterious, able to call in troops so casually. Is he some sort of high-profile figure?" Ye Min asked Chu Xiaoxiao, watching the departing fishing boat.
"Probably not. He's quite ordinary," Chu Xiaoxiao said, instinctively not wanting others to know too much about Nian Yun. This was her secret.
"Ordinary?" Ye Min rolled her eyes.
"By the way, didn't you say that whoever could defeat the bad guys and save you from danger would earn your favor? It seems like the candidate for Chu's Corporation's future son-in-law is already decided. This is big news, haha!" Ye Min suddenly recalled something and giggled.
Chu Xiaoxiao's face turned red at the mention of this and she retorted, "Sister Ye, you said the same thing!"
"Well, if two women serve one man, I wouldn't mind. But are you willing?" Ye Min teased, her thick skin unbothered by Chu Xiaoxiao's reaction.
"You!" Chu Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words, wanting to say she was willing but couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Haha…"
"Haha…" Chu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh as well.
The sound of their laughter echoed over the sea.
Soon, the area was cordoned off by several patrol boats. As the investigation unfolded, a series of ripples would follow, but that's a story for another time!