Their gazes then turned to the cabin, where a drunken, shirtless man was grinning maliciously as he dragged a young woman with smudged skin into a corner of the aft cabin. A kind-looking middle-aged man and a young man who resembled the young woman were terrified, desperately holding onto her and pleading with the man to let them go.
The other thugs all stared lewdly at the young woman, a strong lust burning within them. They made no attempt to stop her; this was standard practice during every smuggling operation. Whenever there were female migrants, they inevitably became playthings for the smugglers and thugs to vent their desires. Although the boss had given a gag order, this drunken giant had only returned to the ship after Lao Yu issued the command. While other thugs had relayed the boss's orders, the alcohol had completely consumed his reason. He was now a man driven mad by lust, and even if Lao Yu himself appeared before him, he probably wouldn't stop this lewd scene.
The stowaways all lowered their heads and huddled together, no longer caring about keeping their distance from strangers. They even crowded together tightly, hoping this would bring a symbolic sense of security to their fragile hearts. But it was only symbolic; some were already trembling with fear, regretting why they had embarked on this unsafe smuggling journey. However, since they were already on the pirate ship, there was no way they could get off halfway. Some women were even pale with fright, huddled in the arms of their relatives or husbands, trembling uncontrollably. Clearly, the young woman who had been forcibly taken away was merely their forerunner, and it was very likely that they would suffer the same fate.
Despite their superior numbers, not one of the illegal immigrants stood up to resist, not even daring to glare angrily at the menacing thugs around them. They adopted a hands-off approach, refusing to intervene unless their own safety and interests were threatened. Besides, even if they wanted to resist, they were at a disadvantage against the armed smugglers and their men in the vast ocean.
Although every illegal immigrant was dressed in tattered clothes, the smugglers and their henchmen knew that among them were many people who were doing well and wealthy in China, but who were forced to smuggle themselves abroad for various reasons. Only a small percentage of them were going abroad to seek their fortune and dream of getting rich. Many had their own hardships, otherwise they would not have chosen to smuggle themselves. Therefore, even if they were abused and women were raped, as long as the lives of most of them could be guaranteed, many would still willingly accept it.
The drunken burly man shouted and cursed loudly. In his hand, he held a short whip made entirely of twisted wire, with many wires deliberately sticking out, like an artificial spiked club. He lashed it across the heads and bodies of the middle-aged man and the young man who were holding the woman. Each lash left a deep, bloody welt on their thin bodies. At the same time, he mumbled drunken curses, "Get out of here! What dares to stop me from playing with a woman? If you don't let go, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks!"
He grabbed the trembling young woman and ripped a huge hole in her thin top, revealing a large expanse of smooth, white skin. His bloodshot, drunken eyes gleamed with lewd desire: "I'm not going to drag you anywhere. I'll just do it to you right here. There'll be free people watching this imported blockbuster, haha."
Everyone lowered their heads in unbearable pain, some even covering their ears, unable to bear hearing this horrific human tragedy.
Xiao Rou watched all this from her cabin, then looked at Ling Yun. The two of them sighed softly at the same time. Perhaps they had become accustomed to all kinds of tragic encounters in the world. There were countless such things, and it was impossible to intervene in them all. Seeing injustice was only useful in certain situations. However, when they saw this tragic scene, Ling Yun and Xiao Rou still felt angry at the same time.
"That fat guy went out. According to Lao Yu's plan, he'll probably throw this big man into the sea," Xiao Rou said, looking at the 3D image.
Ling Yun smiled and said, "I think we should put more pressure on Lao Yu, otherwise he still won't be able to control his subordinates." As he spoke, Ling Yun suddenly stretched out a finger and gently touched the drunken man in the three-dimensional image.
Chapter 281 The Strange Boy
The fat man had already stepped out of the cockpit, passed through a passageway piled high with goods and stored grains, and arrived at the passenger cabin. He immediately saw the two men being beaten to a pulp by the burly man and the half-naked young woman whose clothes had been torn apart. He was both angry and amused. Although Lao Yu had given the most ruthless and strict orders, the fat man still disagreed, thinking that Lao Yu was making a mountain out of a molehill. No matter how powerful or influential those two men were, were they gods? Once the smugglers were at sea, they were the bosses. Even if the Heavenly King himself was here, he would have to obediently submit to them.
Therefore, although Lao Yu told him to punish the thugs who broke the rules, Fatty didn't have Lao Yu's ruthless methods. He always treated the thugs amicably and rarely turned on them by suddenly throwing someone into the sea. However, since Lao Yu had already spoken, they couldn't just stand by and watch the big man cause trouble. According to Fatty's plan, rescuing the girl and comforting her husband and family would be enough. As for the drunk thugs, a scolding would suffice; why be so ruthless? Besides, Fatty was usually one of the main perpetrators of violence when they went out to sea. Now, suddenly turning around and becoming the embodiment of justice, the other thugs would probably feel resentful.
"Stop! What are you doing? Put him down!" the fat man shouted as he walked towards the burly man. Everyone was taken aback when they saw the fat man come out. A few of the more astute thugs suddenly realized something, remembering their trusted confidant who had been punched away by Lao Yu. They couldn't help but shudder and hurriedly went about their business.
The drunken burly man was also stunned. When he saw the fat man walking over, he suddenly froze there like a statue, as if he were dumbfounded. His injured young woman cried and struggled. No matter how hard she tried, she could not escape the burly man's clutches. But when she was about to run out of strength, she actually managed to gently break free from the burly man's grasp.
She ignored the burly man and rushed forward, embracing the middle-aged man who was covered in wounds from the iron whip, bursting into tears. The young man, also covered in blood, cried out and threw himself on her. His still-growing voice, sharp and shrill, echoed through the empty cabin: "Sister, sister, are you alright? What happened to you?" Instantly, everyone's hearts were heavy with sorrow.
"Stop fucking crying!" the fat man shouted irritably. "Hey, go check the engine in the back cabin, and also see if we've reached a reef. Don't just focus on having fun and run into a reef, or we'll be in big trouble." His last sentence was directed at the drunken man, hoping to get rid of him and prevent Old Yu from suddenly appearing and throwing the guy into the sea again. If it was just out of fear of the boy and girl, the fat man felt it wasn't worth it.
In truth, the fat man also harbored a deep lust for the girl's beauty. Although he knew she came from a very powerful background and was likely no ordinary person, he still felt a restless urge to act until he encountered any obstacles. However, having learned his lesson from Old Yu, the fat man dared not make any rash moves, and could only indulge in fantasies in his mind.
The drunken burly man remained dazed, as if he hadn't heard the fat man's words. His eyes became fixed, seemingly staring at the fat man, yet also seemingly seeing nothing at all. If one looked closely, one would notice that his pupils had dilated, and in the center of his pupils flashed a very faint pale silver light—a sign that he had been mentally controlled.
Seeing injustice and drawing your sword to help doesn't necessarily require showing yourself. Supernatural abilities can achieve complete concealment. While a hero's appearance certainly exudes righteousness, it also exposes their target. What is unimaginable or even incomprehensible to ordinary people is simply a piece of cake for those with supernatural abilities.
After Xiao Rou used a minor auxiliary technique to suddenly achieve a near-panoramic view, Ling Yun suddenly realized something. Previously, he had only learned orthodox techniques and a few special abilities he had obtained in the fifth stage and the Heavenly Net Barrier. He had almost never touched these minor and auxiliary techniques. In this respect, Ling Yun was almost completely clueless.
However, Xiao Rou's unintentional use of the quadrilateral gave Ling Yun a great inspiration. Perhaps the replication ability could be applied in another way... A vague idea suddenly appeared in Ling Yun's mind. If the combination of several small-scale supernatural arts was used in the right place, it could unleash tremendous power, and the consumption of supernatural energy would be minimized! This was far more concealed and more aggressive than the large-scale attack supernatural arts that he had always used. Ling Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had stepped into a completely new realm.
Xiao Rou stared intently at the burly man being mentally controlled by Ling Yun in the three-dimensional light and shadow. She gently blew out a breath, and the mentally controlled man suddenly turned and walked away. His walking posture became extremely strange, appearing stiff and full of unnaturalness.
The fat man was startled, and a feeling of extreme unease suddenly welled up in his heart. He opened his mouth as if to stop the big man, but then he involuntarily closed his mouth again. At this moment, all the stowaways also sensed that something was wrong. Although they did not dare to openly look around, they all secretly glanced at the big man's whereabouts. Everyone was puzzled and did not know what the big man wanted to do.
The young woman who had been crying and her two injured relatives stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the burly man's back, their eyes filled with confusion. The man seemed to be insane; just moments ago he had been fierce and reeking of alcohol, but now he appeared lost and dejected, like a dying man.
Before everyone's eyes, the burly man pushed open the cabin door, took a few steps to the railing of the ship's side, stepped over the iron railing which was less than 1.5 meters high, and, to the astonishment of the crowd, suddenly turned around and gave them a strange smile. Then he fell straight down, landing heavily in the sea with a splash.
The fat man took a step forward, opened his mouth as if to say something, but uttered nothing. In an instant, goosebumps rose all over his body, and a deep chill suddenly rose from his back, as if magically materializing into a large, icy hand that tightly gripped his heart. This chill brought not only deep fear, but also an extreme sense of unease, like the feeling of sensing the impending apocalypse, yet being unable to stop or escape it. If there is only one thing in the world more terrifying than death, it is waiting to die.
The strange smile on the burly man's face before he jumped into the sea seemed to be hinting at something. That smile was deeply etched into the fat man's mind, as if carrying a profound spiritual suggestion, causing the fat man to break out in a cold sweat instantly. In that instant, he suddenly understood where Old Yu's fear came from; now, he finally understood that deep-seated fear himself.
Fortunately, the big man was already dead, otherwise he might have been next. The fat man thought in fear, and finally couldn't bear it any longer, stumbling back into the cockpit.
"Look how scared you've made that fat guy, he looks like his soul has flown out of his body." Xiao Rou said to Ling Yun with a charming smile, watching the fat guy's terrified expression in the 3D image. "How did you do that? I feel like you didn't just use mind control, you seem to have used some kind of hypnotic technique like mental suggestion, otherwise Old Yu and the fat guy would never be so scared."
Ling Yun smiled slightly: "I also got inspiration from your three-dimensional images. Sometimes, you don't need more aggressive techniques to achieve better results. By using the illusions formed by your mental perception, you can give them a little punishment and mental suggestion. This way, you can not only achieve better results, but it is also more intimidating than naked violence. At least now, Lao Yu and that fat man are full of fear of us. Compared to us establishing our authority by killing people, it not only consumes less supernatural power, but it is also more mysterious and covert."
Xiao Rou nodded as if she understood: "You are so smart, Yun. You can understand so much even in a small supernatural technique."
Ling Yun said, "If it weren't for your auxiliary special abilities, I probably wouldn't have thought of this. Xiao Rou, do you know any other special abilities? We still have more than twenty hours left, so we can use this time to study them carefully."
“There are many, but I don’t use most of them anymore. I learned them when I was a kid because I found cultivation tedious and boring, or I created them myself to relieve boredom. If you want to see, I can show you them one by one.” Xiao Rou said slowly, and a ball of silver light appeared in her hand again. This time, the silver light transformed into a lifelike silver dove in her hand, fluttering its two shimmering silver wings, just like a real dove about to take flight. As Xiao Rou released her hand, the silver dove flapped its wings and with a whoosh, it actually passed through the several-centimeter-thick ship wall and flew to the sea without the two of them noticing.
Correspondingly, the three-dimensional image transformed into a scene of the ferry accelerating through Shanghai. However, the three-dimensional light image also grew larger and longer, reaching a height of fifty centimeters. The interior of the ferry remained clear, resembling a vivid cross-section model—truly magical. Through the cockpit, two figures, no bigger than matchsticks, could be vaguely seen huddled together in fear, whispering something. They would occasionally glance towards the single cabin, their eyes filled with astonishment and suspicion; it was the fat man and Old Yu.
"Xiao Rou, I didn't expect your telekinetic manipulation to have reached such a high level," Ling Yun exclaimed sincerely. It's not difficult to project one's mental perception, but what's difficult is to mimic objects so realistically and vividly. This is enough to prove that Xiao Rou's strength has reached a new level after her trip to Hong Kong.
Xiao Rou nodded, a hint of unexpected joy in her heart. After breaking through the bottleneck in her strength with her Extreme Thrust, she had been quietly comprehending and pondering to consolidate her newly achieved realm. The telekinetic manipulation she had just performed surprised even herself. In the past, it would have been impossible to bring objects to life so easily. If judged by the strength standards her mother had given her, she should now have reached the initial standard of a school officer. For Xiao Rou, who was not yet twenty years old, this was already a genius-level rate of progress.
Ling Yun suddenly exclaimed in surprise, his brow furrowing as he intently watched the stowaways inside the cabin. Due to the sheer number of people, it was impossible to discern each individual's face on the 3D imaging screen; many were even blurred together, making them indistinguishable. However, for Ling Yun, whether clear or blurry, each person formed a distinct image in his mind, as if scanned by a computer.
Xiao Rou glanced at him: "What's wrong? Is there anything unusual?" Her senses swept over the cabin again like mercury, but she found nothing unusual. It seemed that Ling Yun was just making a fuss, but Xiao Rou was as sharp-witted as Ling Yun. She deliberately magnified the light map again. With a gentle push of her hand, the three-dimensional light map suddenly and automatically attached itself to the iron plate opposite the two of them, as if a thin fluorescent screen had been placed on the iron plate. It still reflected the scene inside the cabin.
“It seems someone is shielding their presence. I didn’t see this person on the 3D light map, but I saw him in the cabin in the panoramic view,” Ling Yun said with a serious expression, pointing to a thin boy among the stowaways. As his finger approached the quadrilateral, the boy’s image grew larger, gradually taking up half the screen.
"Oh? I really didn't notice." Xiaorou carefully examined the image of the boy. He appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a tattered trench coat. He was sallow and thin, with delicate features, but severe malnutrition made his face extremely gaunt. His eyelids were slightly swollen, and he looked sickly. He seemed to be smuggling himself in alone. There was no one close to him; he was leaning against a corner, head bowed, eyes closed. It was unclear whether he was asleep from exhaustion or resting.
He appeared perfectly normal; even when senses swept over him lightly, there was no abnormality or reaction. Other superhumans would normally be extremely sensitive to sensory detection, their mental energy field automatically reacting. Unless they underwent special training or possessed unique concealment techniques, it would be impossible for them to remain completely unaware, like ordinary people.
Xiao Rou's senses were far less acute than Ling Yun's, and she lacked the Eye of Illusion, so after observing for a long time, she couldn't discern anything amiss. Just as she was about to ask, she saw Ling Yun's expression tighten, and he suddenly looked up at the top of the 3D image. Xiao Rou was startled, and her expression also turned strange. The 3D image flickered again, changing to another scene on the sea.
Chapter 282 Pirate Ship
On the vast, deep blue sea, a straight, snow-white line suddenly appeared on the surface that had been calm and still, like a lake. Waves surged and churned continuously. Several kilometers ahead of the ferry, a rapidly moving black dot suddenly appeared. The black dot grew larger and larger in the field of vision, and soon it became a huge ship traveling at full speed. Judging from its speed alone, the ship was more than twice as fast as the ferry at full speed.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou both looked astonished. Although the ship was still far away, they could clearly see it was a large iron ship painted entirely black. There were no markings or symbols on the sides of the ship. In addition to the huge cabins, the bow, stern, and both sides of the deck were filled with heavy weaponry, including cannons mounted on scaffolds. The gleaming black gun ports could be adjusted to any angle. Judging from the huge, one-meter-long, golden cannonballs piled directly on the deck, this weaponry was clearly not just empty ruse.
Dozens of burly men, a mix of white and black men, fully armed, stood in neat rows on the deck, looking imposingly at the ferry approaching from the opposite direction.
To Lingyun and Xiaorou's surprise, the soldiers were wearing advanced multi-functional waterproof combat suits from special forces. The biggest feature of these suits is that they will quickly inflate even when submerged in water, forming a lifebuoy-like effect. They are usually worn by top-level senior special forces members of the Marine Corps. They never expected to encounter them in this sea area.
Of course, waterproofing is only one function of the combat uniform. Advanced combat uniforms also offer multiple benefits such as bulletproofing, electronic communication, and automatic warmth retention. They are also sturdy, durable, and wear-resistant, and can even be used to start a fire. This means that even a weak scholar could roam freely in this uniform, let alone a battle-hardened warrior. In addition, each soldier carries a military backpack of unknown weight.