This group of pirates are not respectable people. All they want is money. If he's tempted by the price Fu Tianlai offered and cooperates with him, and if Fu Tianlai gets back alive, then his life is over!
Johnny stammered, "Mr. Ella, no, no! I think we should renegotiate as soon as possible. Do you have time? This afternoon at 2 PM!"
Having achieved his goal, Elady chuckled and said, "Okay, I'll be there on time!" He then hung up the phone and stared at Fu Tianlai with a smile.
The pirates on Ella's side weren't without greed, but they understood that the most important members of the Fu family were all there. While Fu Tianlai's offer of 1.5 billion in cash was tempting, they lacked a leader. Raising the cash would be troublesome; it wasn't something that could be done in a few days. The more realistic approach was for Johnny. Fu Tianlai's words had undoubtedly had a significant impact on him, urging him to raise the cash more quickly for the transaction—that was the best approach, and now, that effect had clearly been achieved!
Zhou Xuan slowly walked up to Fu Tianlai. In a very low voice, he said to Elady, "I want to ask you something, do you feel like your heart has stopped beating?"
Elady was startled, then felt a sinking feeling in his heart, as if his heart was pressing heavily on his chest, making him extremely uncomfortable. He tried to reach out and grab the iron bars, but he couldn't move his hand at all. Then, with his eyes wide open, he fell straight to the ground!
The four armed pirates behind him were also stunned. Before they could react, they suffered the same fate and fell straight down!
Zhou Xuan only converted a small portion of the hearts of the five people into gold, but although it was only a small part, it was the most crucial part. The hearts were not poisoned by gold, but rather the blood supply was cut off after they were directly turned into gold, and they stopped beating almost at the same time!
Five people died right before the eyes of the people in the iron cage. Apart from Zhou Xuan and Fu Tianlai, no one else knew what had happened!
Zhou Xuan reached out and grasped the large iron lock on the iron cage. He channeled his icy energy, transforming the lock's head into gold, and then swiftly devoured a tiny portion of the crucial part. He then pretended to twist it, as if he had broken the lock, but in reality, the lock had indeed broken—not by twisting, but by Zhou Xuan using his icy energy to absorb that small portion!
Zhou Xuan immediately took the large iron lock and threw it away, opened the cage and crawled out. Then he used the same method to remove the iron locks from the other cages that were holding people!
While everyone was stunned, Zhou Xuan opened one of the iron cages, pulled Fu Ying out, and then respectfully invited Fu Jing and his wife out as well.
The four mercenaries and Fu Tianlai's bodyguards were stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening and quickly jumped out of the cage to pick up the four pirates' guns.
Zhou Xuan then pointed to the cave entrance and gestured to the two figures at the entrance.
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They understood, of course, that Zhou Xuan didn't need to give any further instructions. Xun then silently flashed towards the old man; the two pirates were still playing cards. Because no one had ever dared to fall from the mountain, and no one had ever escaped those large iron cages, they had never worried. So when several mercenaries quietly sprang out from behind and snapped their necks, they didn't even react, dying without understanding how they had died!
Behind them, Fu Tianlai gave Zhou Xuan a slight nod. After counting the rest of the people, everyone was able to move, except for the six senior executives, Gao Yuzhen, and Fu Ying's mother, Yang Jie, who were somewhat weak. Fu Ying and her father, Fu Ban, helped her out. Those six cargo ship executives, even if it meant risking their lives, had to keep up; no one wanted to stay in that terrifying place any longer.
Fu Tianlai's bodyguard did take a closer look. He examined the large iron locks and found that, without exception, the lock itself was broken at the very point where the lock was closed. A chill ran down his spine!
Back in New York's Chinatown, he had considered fighting Zhou Xuan, always thinking he was just an ordinary person. It wasn't until Fu Tianlai met with him privately that he changed his mind. Now, judging from this alone, Zhou Xuan's fighting prowess far surpassed his own. Those mercenaries were also extremely strong, but not one of them could break this massive iron lock, right? At least, he hadn't seen anyone with that kind of strength!
After getting to know Zhou Xuan again, the bodyguard looked at Zhou Xuan's back and then examined the cause of death of Elady and the four pirates. They had stopped breathing long ago, but he couldn't find any wounds from beginning to end!
The bodyguard squinted at Zhou Xuan, his heart filled with inexplicable fear!
He was a trained martial artist, one of the best in Chinatown; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become Fu Tianlai's bodyguard. But he didn't believe he could reach Zhou Xuan's level. Could Zhou Xuan truly possess the legendary internal martial arts skill that could injure people without them even noticing? Judging from the situation just now, Zhou Xuan hadn't had any contact with Elady or the four pirates. Elady was the closest among them, at least a meter away from Zhou Xuan, while the four pirates were further away, the last one even over five meters. How did Zhou Xuan manage to kill all five of them silently from such a distance, without even leaving a scratch?
After dealing with the two pirates at the cave entrance, one of the mercenaries came in and tossed a gun to Fu Tianlai and his bodyguard. They could tell that, apart from Fu Tianlai and his bodyguard, no one else among the remaining men knew anything about firearms. The mysterious Zhou Xuan, however, seemed to dislike using guns; he hadn't immediately picked up his weapon when they left the iron cage.
Fu Tianlai's group consisted of eleven people, plus Fu Huai and his wife, and six cargo ship executives, making a total of nineteen. Three mercenaries led the way. Fu Tianlai's bodyguard and one mercenary brought up the rear.
Zhou Xuan sat in the middle with Fu Ying and her parents, but he used all his strength to push his way to the front. At this moment, he could not afford to be careless. What concerned him was not only his own life, but also the fate of Yingying and her family!
Since acquiring the golden ice-like superpower, Zhou Xuan had always adhered to that final line of defense: never to kill under any circumstances. Even when facing Ito Kinji, whom he loathed the most, he hadn't considered killing him because Ito was just an ordinary person. But now, he had finally crossed that line!
He killed five people in one fell swoop, but Zhou Xuan felt nothing; he felt neither excitement nor fear. He knew in his heart that if he encountered pirates again, he would kill as many as he could, if he could!
Zhou Xuan didn't even have time to think about why he had become so cold-hearted. His heart was completely filled with Fu Ying. He had only one thought: if anyone tried to hurt Fu Ying, he would kill them all, regardless of right or wrong, good or bad. He just wanted Fu Ying to be alright!
The Somali Marines are the largest pirate organization in Somalia. While there are over two thousand pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Marines alone comprise more than fourteen hundred. Maintaining such a large force requires significant expenditure, so they have upgraded their equipment and specialize in robbing larger oil tankers. With ample financial support, they have even purchased some of the world's most advanced weapons and speedboats, extending their operations over distances of over two hundred nautical miles—a feat unmatched by other pirate groups. A cave on this island serves as a secret stronghold for the Somali Marines, guarded by over two hundred well-equipped pirates. To prevent government forces from surrounding their hideout, they even maintain several heavy machine guns inside the cave. While lacking large-scale weapons, they are equipped with highly lethal weapons such as rocket launchers.
After walking two hundred meters into the cave, loud laughter and chatter came from ahead.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, their hearts pounding with unease. The mercenaries at the front secretly glimpsed a vast, hall-like opening ahead, at least 500 square meters in size. It was flat and brightly lit, and there were at least a hundred pirates there, some gambling, some watching videos, and some cleaning their guns.
The two mercenaries who had been peering out were secretly alarmed and quickly retreated. What were these hundred-odd pirates? Armed, they knew that a direct assault was impossible. They only had six guns, while the enemy had at least a hundred, and they didn't know how many more pirates were outside. They couldn't possibly get through here.
The cave where they had just been imprisoned had no side passages. It was a single path, without any shortcuts. They had no way out.
The nineteen people retreated to the bend to negotiate, but they all looked fearful. None of them were confident that they could break through; there were too many of them on the other side!
Zhou Xuan was secretly calculating that if the cave wasn't too wide, only about fifteen meters wide and deep, he wouldn't be afraid of any number of pirates and was confident he could take them out. But the cave was too wide. It was beyond the range of his ice energy; if he couldn't eliminate everyone instantly, and even a few slipped through and fired, he'd be dead!
The only ones with courage were the four remaining mercenaries and Fu Tianlai with his bodyguards, but they all knew very well that in the current situation, none of them were confident they could break out unscathed. Their forte was assassination and overcoming obstacles, but none of them liked group fights. Everyone understood the adage, "Two fists can't fight four hands," and "Even a hero can't withstand a crowd."
Gao Yuzhen and Yang Jie were terrified, their faces turning ashen. The six executives and the yacht driver were even more frightened, muttering to themselves incessantly.
Fu Tianlai still looked at Zhou Xuan and asked in a low voice, "Zhou Xuan, are you confident?"
Zhou Xuan considered for a moment, then said, "I'm not confident, but I'm not going to gamble either. Although they outnumber us, I've thought it through. They pose a significant threat to us, but there are also advantages. Their numbers make us hesitant, and with so many of them around, it's harder for us to fire!"
Zhou Xuan glanced at the distance and the crowd, estimated his reach, then turned to Fu Tian and said, "You, the bodyguard, and the other four..." He pointed to the four mercenaries and added, "We have six guns. You six take care of the eleven men on the far left and far right. Leave the ones in the middle to me. Any questions?"
The four mercenaries didn't understand what Zhou Xuan was saying. Gao Yuzhen was too frightened to speak, but Fu Ying spun the message, and the four mercenaries understood Zhou Xuan's meaning, but they were all puzzled. The middle lane was filled with the vast majority of people, at least a hundred or more. How could he kill so many people in such a short time by himself? And he didn't have any weapons!
As Zhou Xuan had instructed, the six of them would only be responsible for the four pirates on the far left and the seven on the far right, a total of eleven. They could easily handle two pirates on average. The only problem was Zhou Xuan himself, but they were also somewhat afraid of him. This seemingly ordinary young man displayed unfathomable abilities in just a few moves. No wonder China was a mysterious country; those legendary martial arts techniques were indeed extraordinary!
After giving his instructions, Zhou Xuan took a few deep breaths and circulated his ice energy. He felt quite good and there wasn't much loss.
However, Fu Ying was very worried about him. To go out alone and face over a hundred pirates—the danger was unimaginable. Meanwhile, Li Junjie gently patted Zhou Xuan's shoulder. Although he didn't say anything, Zhou Xuan understood his meaning. After meeting Li Junjie in New York, Zhou Xuan still thought he was a good person—responsible, courageous, and loyal—a thousand times better than his older cousin, Johnny!
Zhou Xuan was worried that Fu Ying would stubbornly insist on going out with him. If she got distracted, he couldn't guarantee he could handle the pirates. After thinking for a moment, he pulled Fu Ying aside and whispered in her ear, "Yingying, don't cause trouble. I'm confident, but if you come with me, I'll get distracted again, do you understand?"
Fu Ying knew Zhou Xuan possessed some unusual abilities, but she didn't know he could use them against others. She was indeed very worried!
Fu Ying remained skeptical after hearing Zhou Xuan's words. If she had known Zhou Xuan possessed such abilities, she should have brought him along instead of worrying that he wouldn't dare ask him to come. However, Zhou Xuan's ability to twist the lock and silently kill Ella and four pirates from a distance at the iron cage had left Fu Ying somewhat bewildered by him!
Fearing further trouble, Zhou Xuan, already in a dangerous situation, couldn't afford to waste any more time. He gently pushed Fu Ying to Li Junjie's side and said, "Brother Junjie, please keep an eye on Yingying and don't let her come in with me. You can come out after we've dealt with this!"
Seeing Zhou Xuan's serious expression, Li Junjie didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly stood in front of Fu Ying to block her path. Although Fu Ying was skilled, Li Junjie had trained with her and was no less skilled. Getting past him wouldn't be easy.
Zhou Xuan composed himself and looked at Fu Tianlai, who nodded to him. The group had already divided up the tasks: two mercenaries were responsible for the four pirates on the left, two others and Fu Tianlai's bodyguard were responsible for the six on the right, and Fu Tianlai was responsible for one pirate.