The cruise ship sailed eastward for three days. Finally, Xu Anran, on the deck, using binoculars, spotted the Flying Bird ship from her dreams. However, they were too late; the warship had already arrived.
Seeing that the people on the warship had taken control of the ship, Xu Anran and the others could only observe secretly from a distance. Xu Anran said that there were people she knew on the ship and she wanted to go and rescue them. Luo Xi and Xiao Feng had no objections.
As evening fell and the sun set, the ship remained motionless on the water. The men made merry on the deck, sending the children to the cabins below, while the women stayed behind to drink with them and serve them attentively until late at night.
After observing for a day, Xu Anran and the others returned to their cabin and sat around in the living room to discuss their plan. Luo Xi asked, "Sister Anran, what do you plan to do?" Xu Anran replied, "There are too many of them; we're no match for them. I plan to row over in a small boat alone in a little while, find the person, and secretly bring them back."
"But there are so many of them, there must be someone watching them. What if they get discovered?" Xiao Feng asked.
Xu Anran shook her head and continued, "It's alright, I still have the sleeping potion the Taoist priest gave me. I can just knock those people out. Once I bring my men out, you guys be ready to meet me."
Luo Xi said, "Actually, there's no need to go through all that trouble. We can just burn those people to death, won't that solve the problem?"
Xu Anran and Xiao Feng looked at Luo Xi in surprise. Xu Anran asked, "What about the people who were locked in the cabin?"
Luo Xi said matter-of-factly, "We can destroy the space below the cabin and let those people swim to the warship, that will do."
Xu Anran thought about it. This method sounded a bit crazy, but it was feasible. However, just to be on the safe side, Xu Anran still rejected it: "This method is also good, but our main task today is to rescue people. So, let's wait until I bring the people back before making a decision."
Luo Xi didn't object after hearing this, and said, "Then I want to go with you. If anything happens, I can lend you a hand." Xu Anran thought about it and agreed.
In the stillness of the night, the water was silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects and the sound of fish swimming by. Xu Anran and Luo Xi paddled their kayak quietly toward the ship. She told Luo Xi to wait for her in the kayak, and then climbed onto the ship alone.
On the ship, the men slept haphazardly, surrounded by scattered bottles and a woman who had been violated. Seeing that no one was awake, Xu Anran quietly slipped into the shadows and entered the cabin. The cabin was pitch black; thankfully, she had brought night vision goggles. Seeing that no one was guarding it, they probably hadn't considered the possibility of danger.
She first looked at the first floor, where the rooms were all nice, but seeing that it was mostly occupied by those men, she went straight down to the second floor. On the second floor, there were many rooms, each only 3 or 4 square meters in size, containing four bunk beds, making them very cramped.
She saw that many rooms were filled with children, and looking through the windows on the doors, she found Liu Yue in the last room.
She first took out the sleeping pills, worried that her movements might wake people up. She wanted to ensure that any noise they made while she was taking Liu Yue away would alert those above. After drugging everyone in the room and the surrounding rooms, she used tools to pry open the door, went inside, carried Liu Yue out, and then locked the door again.
They then smoothly brought Liu Yue back to the small boat, and the three of them returned to the cruise ship together.
Worried that taking Liu Yue away would arouse the suspicion of those people, Xu Anran sailed the cruise ship further away and found a secluded place to dock. The sedative on Liu Yue hadn't worn off yet, so Xu Anran took a damp towel to wipe her face and gently woke her up.
Liu Yue slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was Xu Anran's face under the warm light. She was stunned for a moment, wondering if she was dreaming. When she heard Xu Anran softly calling her name and asking her with concern how she was doing, her tears flowed uncontrollably like a burst dam.
Xu Anran quickly and gently comforted her. After a while, Liu Yue stopped crying and then tightly gripped Xu Anran's clothes, as if a drowning person had grasped the last straw. When Xu Anran asked her what had happened, she seemed not to hear her and instead turned her gaze to Luo Xi and Xiao Feng.
Looking at her tightly pursed lips, Xu Anran knew her doubts, so she said softly, "Don't worry, they are my partners who rescued you with me, they won't hurt you." After saying that, she gently patted her back, trying to soothe her emotions.
Then she asked softly, "What happened to you? Why are you alone? Aren't you with the class monitor and the others?"
At this point, Liu Yue's eyes instantly reddened. Wiping away her tears, she sobbed, "I...I was with Fatty." Seeing her becoming increasingly agitated, Xu Anran quickly embraced her tightly, gently comforting her to calm her down as soon as possible.
Liu Yue calmed herself down a bit and began to recount her ordeal: "After you left, Fatty and I went together. The world we arrived in was full of earthquakes, and Fatty protected me until we reached a safe base. Everything was going smoothly; we even found train tickets and were just waiting for the countdown to end. However, a group of people suddenly broke into the base, carrying many weapons. Fatty hid me in a ventilation shaft, but the leader of that group liked to kidnap little girls. After finding out about me, he went after Fatty… Fatty was beaten to death by them, no matter how much he begged… those thugs wouldn't let go… Fatty died protecting me… because of me!"
After saying this, Liu Yue could no longer suppress her grief and burst into tears. Xu Anran clenched her fists in anger. She recalled the chubby boy's lazy demeanor, the scene of him smiling as he taught everyone how to connect circuits, and his sometimes greedy and ingratiating manner; she simply couldn't imagine how he had been brutally beaten to death by that group of people.
Such a timid and cowardly person, in order to protect Xiaoyue, actually didn't reveal a single piece of information about Xiaoyue. As she was thinking, she suddenly felt someone wiping away her tears. Looking closely, she realized that she was also in tears, for the brave and fearless fat man, and for Xiaoyue who was struggling to survive.
She hugged Xiaoyue tightly and asked, "Can you still remember what those people looked like?"
Xiaoyue gritted her teeth and replied, "I remember, even if they turn to ashes I will remember! I will definitely avenge Fatty!"
A burning rage raged within her, Xu Anran declared resolutely, "We will definitely find those people and avenge Fatty!"
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