Chapter 243: Typhoon

Regimental Commander Guo patted Erxi's shoulder heavily, his voice hoarse and low: "Erxi, I am not afraid of death. Pushing you out there was for all the brothers, and for your big brother too! If we don't kill that kid, we'll all be finished here!"

Erxi gritted his teeth and nodded heavily: "Regimental Commander, I understand!"

"Good!" Regimental Commander Guo turned his head and growled: "Deputy Regimental Commander Qiu!"

"Here!"

"Take fifty men and go capture Zhao Ying right now! If she dares to resist—shoot her on the spot!"

"Yes!"

Regimental Commander Guo's gaze was like a blade as he swept it across the few company commanders waiting for orders: "First Company Commander, take twenty men to seal off the wheelhouse and seize command! Second Company Commander, you take twenty men to hold the entrance to the lower cargo hold to the death; don't let a single fly in! Third Company Commander, take thirty men to blockade all companionways on the starboard side; don't let anyone near the lifeboats!"

Once the order was given, a stifling commotion immediately broke out in the cargo hold.

The soldiers moved silently and swiftly—tying their leggings, loading bullets, and stuffing dry rations into their mouths haphazardly; the sound of clashing metal intertwined with heavy breathing, and an aura of grim slaughter instantly permeated the air.

Hidden in the shadows, He Yuzhu heard everything clearly, and his heart sank—the other side was going to fight to the death.

Using his Space Ability during the day carried great risk, but there was no other choice now.

He quickly took a Skull Mask from his space and snapped it onto his face.

"Boom—"

The cargo hold door was shoved open violently, and dozens of soldiers surged out like a burst dam!

He Yuzhu flashed out from a corner and charged toward the human tide; he moved his mind, and the fifty men in the very front vanished instantly!

"There's a ghost—!!" A soldier at the end of the line witnessed this horrifying scene, collapsed on the spot, and turned to flee while screaming.

This cry of alarm spread like a plague, and the previously aggressive formation fell into immediate chaos.

The people in front turned back to charge, colliding with those behind, and they all squeezed into a chaotic mess.

He Yuzhu took advantage of the momentum to charge forward, and another batch of soldiers was taken into his space amidst the confusion.

In the blink of an eye, the previously crowded doorway was actually cleared!

The remaining fifty or sixty people in the cargo hold saw this and fired their guns frantically at the empty doorway in terror.

"Bang bang bang bang—!"

Bullets whistled and flew across the narrow corridor; He Yuzhu had nowhere to hide and had to escape into his space in full view of everyone.

"Close the door! Close it quickly!!" Deputy Regimental Commander Qiu roared hoarsely when he saw that skull head disappear into thin air.

The heavy cabin door closed slowly, but the hold was already in an uproar.

The soldiers scrambled to retreat into the depths, fearing they would be the next to disappear.

Regimental Commander Guo gripped Deputy Regimental Commander Qiu's arm tightly, his voice trembling: "Old Qiu... you were right! It's not a haunting at all; it's that kid surnamed He playing tricks! I remember the pair of jeans he was wearing."

"Old Guo, it's a pity we lost men, but we've figured out his bottom line! He fears bullets and doesn't dare face a volley within ten meters—this is our only chance!"

"Right! We'll just seize on this weakness of his..."

Outside the cargo hold, He Yuzhu reappeared.

Although he could not hear their conspiracy inside, he knew he must not give the other side a chance to catch their breath.

He suddenly remembered he still had police Tear Gas brought back from the United States in his space, so he immediately sprinted along the outer wall of the cargo hold to look for a ventilation window.

After half a lap, he finally discovered a ventilation window, swung a Hammer to smash the fan, and threw five Tear Gas canisters inside fiercely!

Acrid, thick smoke permeated the sealed cargo hold rapidly.

Regimental Commander Guo glanced at Erxi and said sternly: "Throw grenades out from the window! Throw as many as you have!"

He Yuzhu was just about to throw a few more Tear Gas canisters when a figure actually broke through the smoke and lunged toward the ventilation window! Unfortunately, the vent was a bit high, and He Yuzhu could not see the situation inside at all.

Just at this critical moment, the system suddenly emitted a "beep-beep-beep" alarm in his mind!

He Yuzhu didn't even think; he ran away quickly and dove into a corner more than ten meters away.

"Boom—!"

The first grenade exploded in the corridor, and shrapnel bounced crazily between the metal walls, making a "Ding-dong!" sound.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three consecutive explosions followed one after another, deafeningly loud.

He Yuzhu hurriedly covered his ears—the sound was simply too loud.

The coughing inside became violent, and then someone shouted: "Open the cargo hold door!"

Seeing that no one was throwing grenades anymore, He Yuzhu immediately tossed five more Tear Gas canisters inside and quickly ran back to the cabin door.

He discovered the door was slowly opening, so he put on a Gas Mask and kicked the door open to rush inside.

In the thick smoke, four or five people were covering their noses with their clothes, squatting at the doorway, while the rest of the soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

He Yuzhu first took the few people who had been in the front into his space.

By the time he had taken everyone in this cabin, he saw people from the two lower cabins running out.

He Yuzhu hid behind the stairs, and everyone who ran out was taken into his space by him.

Half an hour later, the entire ship was completely quiet; it was estimated that there weren't many people left in the third and fourth-level cabins either.

After the crisis was resolved, He Yuzhu immediately reunited with Zhao Ying and Su Qing to inform them that Regimental Commander Guo's gang had been dealt with.

The three began to discuss their subsequent actions.

"If we dock in Shanghai according to the original plan, Officer Chen will definitely cause trouble! He might even impound our ship!" He Yuzhu spoke first.

Su Qing flipped through the cargo manifest and mused: "Most of the people on the No. 3 Ship are merchants and commoners; they will mostly disembark in Shanghai. It would be better to let the No. 3 Ship dock as usual and have the No. 2 Ship head directly to Hong Kong."

Zhao Ying, however, shook her head with a grave expression: "The reception personnel in Shanghai will never let the No. 3 Ship go. Regimental Commander Guo likely already reported the gold theft."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said: "They didn't cause us trouble the past two days, which means they haven't suspected us yet and really thought it was a haunting! That means they haven't sent a report back."

"I agree with Little He's view; I think they won't report the situation here until the very last moment!" Su Qing echoed.

"How about this: I will go to Shanghai to unload the cargo. If there are any changes, I can handle them. You two park the No. 2 Ship in international waters and wait for me." He Yuzhu proposed.

Su Qing said worriedly: "There are still Bodyguards and family members on the No. 2 Ship; in case they cause trouble..."

"There aren't many of these people left; I will go handle the rest tonight," He Yuzhu said.

That night, He Yuzhu silently snuck into the cargo holds on the third and fourth decks of the No. 2 Ship, discovering that the remaining people in both holds combined totaled fewer than 30.

These people were huddled together in fear, and He Yuzhu didn't spend much effort to take them all into his space.

In the second half of the night, a typhoon blew in, and the two ships tossed violently in the waves, swaying like two fallen leaves; all three of them couldn't help but vomit uncontrollably.

He Yuzhu endured the discomfort and said, "We have to separate now; I am going to the No. 3 cargo ship."

"Are you crazy? Going into the sea at a time like this is a death sentence," Zhao Ying said.

"Only at a time like this will anyone believe me when I go to the No. 3 ship to report the news, and we cannot trust those sailors either," He Yuzhu said.

"Are you a madman?" Zhao Ying said.

"You must notify the captain immediately and have him shut down the power and turn off the radio transponder," He Yuzhu said.

He Yuzhu boarded a lifeboat and rowed toward the No. 3 cargo ship, the massive waves nearly capsizing his boat.

After an hour of arduous navigation, He Yuzhu finally relied on his superhuman strength to board the No. 3 Ship, where he told the captain about the situation on the No. 2 Ship.

The captain of the No. 3 Ship said with difficulty, "In this kind of wind and waves, we have no way to rescue people... even if they lose power, the ship won't capsize."

"Then we shall continue forward and ignore the No. 2 Ship; once we finish unloading the cargo, we will go back to find them," He Yuzhu said to the captain.

One day later, the No. 3 cargo ship slowly docked at Shanghai Port. As they were unloading, dozens of soldiers quickly surrounded them.

A Regimental Commander surnamed Chang surrounded He Yuzhu, his expression unfriendly, and coldly questioned, "We set out with two ships, why is only yours left? What happened to the other one?"

He Yuzhu showed a troubled expression and explained with a bitter face, "Officer, the propeller of that ship seemed to have been tangled by fishing nets, or perhaps it hit a large school of fish... we don't know the specifics, but in short, it lost all power and is still drifting at sea."

"How long until it reaches port?"

"That's hard to say. We rushed here to unload the cargo precisely so we could return to rescue them as quickly as possible. If the typhoon hits again, that ship will likely be in grave danger," He Yuzhu said.

"Regimental Commander Guo brought over 200 men; why didn't he send anyone back to deliver a message?" Regimental Commander Chang pressed.

"In a typhoon, the ship was about to capsize; how could it have been possible to take people off that ship?" He Yuzhu said.

Regimental Commander Chang still didn't believe him; he found several sailors and questioned them for a long time before finally believing He Yuzhu's words.

"I will go out to sea with you to retrieve them!" Regimental Commander Chang said.

He Yuzhu was unwilling in his heart, but he knew that refusing at this moment would surely arouse suspicion, so he had no choice but to nod: "... Very well."

As soon as the cargo was unloaded, Regimental Commander Chang led over thirty soldiers and boarded the ship.