Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The Bearded Man suddenly turned to me and said, "You thought I forgot about you, didn't you?"
At first, I didn't quite understand his words. "What?"
Then the Bearded Man gave a signal, and a few people came over, pressing guns against my head. They forced my hands behind my back and tied them up with rope. "Hey, hey, hey, you've already got what you wanted. Isn't this a bit unfair?" Damn it, if it weren't for the fear of hurting others, I would have struck back long ago.
Once my hands were tightly bound, the Bearded Man stepped in front of me with a sinister smile and said, "Brat, you thought I wouldn't remember you? Last time at the bar! You were quite the fighter, weren't you? You even dared to take me on."
It dawned on me that he was referring to that incident. I forced a smile and replied, "I had forgotten all about it. I didn't expect you to remember."
The Bearded Man's expression changed as he stared at me for a few seconds before suddenly punching me in the chest. A sharp pain shot through me, and I couldn't help but crouch down and cough.
"Cough... cough." I gritted my teeth; having my hands bound like this was unbearable. Who would have thought this old bastard had such strength? The punch left my chest aching, but before I could stand up, the Bearded Man kicked at my face. Instinctively, I dodged to the side and quickly got back on my feet. If only my hands weren't tied behind my back; with that kick alone, I could have taken him down.
Seeing that he missed, the Bearded Man shouted angrily, "Hold this brat down! Damn it, how dare he dodge!"
A few people rushed over to pin me down. Seizing the opportunity, I kicked one of them in the gut. Just as I was about to throw another kick, I froze when I saw a submachine gun aimed at my head. It was the Slim Tall Man in a Beret, grinning wickedly as he held the weapon on me.
Seeing that I wasn't moving, the others quickly pressed me down onto the ground. The Bearded Man walked over and stomped on my head while cursing, "Brat, you think you can still fight? Get up and try! Aren't you tough?"
He pressed down hard with his foot on my head. I didn't struggle uselessly because I knew it would be pointless no matter how much I fought back; it was better to conserve my strength. Once he had enough of stepping on me and moved his foot away,
I lifted my head and looked at him. "I'll remember this debt. Thanks for your hospitality."
The Bearded Man squinted and said, "You've got quite a tough mouth, huh? Let's see how long you can keep it up." He kicked at me, delivering a series of flying kicks and stomps. Within less than a minute, my face was a mess, though the injuries weren't severe—just a cut on the corner of my mouth and numerous shoe prints all over my body.
I didn't respond but calmly watched him. The Bearded Man moved his head slightly and said, "Alright, now we're even. We owe each other nothing."
"You've got the Nautical Chart now; can you let me go?" I asked cautiously, sensing that the Bearded Man had more tricks up his sleeve.
"I can let you go, but not right now," he replied casually.
"What do you mean?" I looked at him questioningly.
"Although I've got the Nautical Chart, I'd rather have you help me find the Wreck. That way, I save a lot of time. Don't you think?" He grinned slyly, his body shaking with the movement.
I scoffed and said, "I thought you were a man; turns out you're even worse than a woman, always talking out of both sides of your mouth."
The Bearded Man wasn't angry. He squatted down to look at me and said, "I only promised not to harm them; I never said I would let them go! You misunderstood."
"You really are a despicable little man," I glared at him and cursed. This bastard was using semantics to argue. If I ever get the chance, I'll make sure to end you.
"This is called deception in warfare; take notes, Brat," the Bearded Man chuckled mischievously.
"I won't help you find the Wreck; you'd better give up on that idea," Mai Lao's voice suddenly came from beside us.
The Bearded Man stood up and glanced at him. "Don't speak so definitively. If you don't help me find the Wreck, I'll kill one person each day and toss them into the sea—no evidence left behind. Ha ha."
Mai Lao and I exchanged glances. I nodded at him; we needed to stabilize the situation with the Bearded Man first, or someone was bound to suffer.
"Alright, I promise you, but you must not harm anyone," Mai Lao said calmly.
The Bearded Man stroked his beard and replied, "You can rest assured about that. I am only seeking wealth, and unless absolutely necessary, I will not take lives. Landmine, take a few brothers and escort these two ladies to the cabin to rest. Make sure to protect them well; don't scare them. The rest of you stay on deck."
The one called Landmine was the Slim Tall Man in a Beret. "Brother, I just took a look, and they found a wreck with quite a few things inside."
Upon hearing this, the Bearded Man was surprised. "Oh? Is that so? Quickly bring the items to me."
Landmine nodded and led a few brothers to carry out a large chest. Inside the chest were Qing Dynasty porcelain pieces we had just salvaged—at least a hundred different kinds. When the Bearded Man opened the chest and took a look, his eyes sparkled with greed. "Hahaha, indeed! Very good, very good! Miss Ma, I didn't expect you to act so quickly for my sake. I must thank you properly."
Jenny scoffed, "Shameless! Those things were earned with our lives; what right do you have to take them?"
"What right? The right that I can now control your lives and deaths. Is that enough?" The Bearded Man said seriously. "Landmine, move all these items onto our ship first, then send the two ladies back to rest. Haha, I'm in a great mood today! Not only did we find the Nautical Chart, but we also picked up so many treasures for free—this is just wonderful!"
The other sailors watched in fury as he had their belongings taken away. Some were even driven mad with anger; after all, these were things they had fought for with their blood and sweat! They had already lost two companions in search of the wreck. Now this man just ordered them taken away as if it were nothing. Who could accept that?
If it weren't for the group of armed men pointing guns at them, these sailors would have likely fought back long ago. I felt terrible too; we had gone out to sea to earn some money, and here these scoundrels were trying to cut off our wealth and lives. How could I tolerate this? But I knew I had to hold back; if I let my guard down now, it would be disastrous.
After Landmine and his crew moved everything from the wreck, he and the Bearded Man took a few Marauders to escort Jenny and Li Xin to the Rest Cabin. At least this way ensured their temporary safety; it was much better than if the Bearded Man went mad and assaulted them.
Mai Lao and I stayed on deck with the others. We formed a circle while the Bearded Man's men tied us tightly together with ropes, making it difficult for us to escape.
They stood guard over us with guns drawn, taking turns watching while others rested nearby. Gangzi's body had already been thrown into the sea to feed the fish; perhaps he never imagined that he would not only fail to obtain his deserved wealth but also lose his life—truly, evil begets evil.
As midnight approached, those guarding us began to relax; one by one, they struggled to keep their eyes open. I quietly asked Mai Lao, "Do you have anything sharp on you? We need to cut these ropes."
Mai Lao whispered to me, "They took everything from me. Loyalty and Righteousness, it's better for us not to act rashly. Jenny and Li Xin are still in their hands."
I already knew that, but I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. I estimated that Bearded Man and Landmine were probably asleep by now. If we seized the moment, it would be the perfect time to act. "Now is the right time; these bastards are too tired to function."
"I'm exhausted too, Brother Yi. Let's wait a bit longer," Jiao Ba's lazy voice came through.
I cursed him under my breath, "Wait for your sister! How can you even say that? If it weren't for your stupid sneeze at a critical moment, I would have figured out a way to save them by now."
Shunzi chimed in from the side, "Exactly! You dropped the ball at a crucial moment; you're more of a hindrance than a help."
Hearing Shunzi dare to insult him, Jiao Ba gritted his teeth and shot back, "Screw you, Shunzi! Who are you to talk? What gives you the right? You think you're someone important? You're just a stinky laborer." Although he didn't dare to retort when I insulted him, he couldn't stand being belittled by someone younger. Jiao Ba was a typical figure among tomb raiders and wouldn't let a junior disrespect him like that.
Shunzi wasn't holding back either as he growled, "You dumb tomb raider, I'm talking about you! If it weren't for you fooling Brother Yi, would we be stuck on this boat suffering? Would we be tied up like pigs? You said finding treasure would set us for life; now we can't even be sure we'll survive. Honestly, I think cursing you is being too lenient; I really want to beat you up."
Shunzi's words left me stunned. Usually, he was a nice guy who never got into arguments and always wore a cheerful smile. I've known him for over four years and had never seen him lose his temper. Even when jokes went too far, he wouldn't get mad. This was truly the first time I'd witnessed this side of him; it seemed everyone had their limits.
Just as Jiao Ba was about to retort in anger, Mai Lao interrupted, "Enough! Shut the hell up! What time is it? Are you two trying to get us all killed?"
"What the hell are you saying? Everyone needs to shut up and listen! If you don't stop talking, I'll shoot you myself." It seemed our argument had woken up one of the guards. One of them got up, pointing his gun at us and shouting.
Comment 0 Comment Count