"People from the Clover family?" Maktoum's expression changed slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone, put down your weapons. Sir, the sea breeze is too strong here. Let's go inside and talk."
Douglas put the medal away, nodded to Chen Xu, and said, "Let this young lady go back first."
“No,” Gao Xiaojie said, her face pale, clutching Chen Xu’s hand tightly. “I…I’m scared.”
Chen Xu sighed. After all, it was indeed frightening for a girl to see a dead person. So Chen Xu patted her hand and said, "Then you can come with me. I'll take you back to find Zhan Jing later."
By this time, quite a few people on deck had been alerted and came over. Maktoum ordered his men to calm the tourists down. At that moment, Chen Xu saw Guan Yi and Zhan Jing. Guan Yi was very surprised to see Douglas and said, "Douglas, what are you doing here?! What happened? Why is Xiaojie's face so pale?!"
“Miss,” Douglas bowed respectfully, “this is not the place to talk. Let’s go inside.”
Maktoum was taken aback, looked at Guan Yi, and asked in surprise, "She's your young lady? The heiress of the Clover family?"
As a prince, Maktoum had naturally heard of the incredibly wealthy Clover family, and the family even had business dealings with the Dubai royal family. But Maktoum never imagined that the Clover family's daughter would be on his ship, and as an ordinary student at that.
Chen Xu, however, found it strange and asked Guan Yi, "Your family is called Four-Leaf Clover? That's a very nice name."
Guan Yi smiled but didn't answer. At this moment, Zhan Jing said, "I'd better take Xiaojie back first. What's wrong with her? She seems to have been frightened?"
Chen Xu said in a low voice, "Because someone died, you should comfort her. I'll come to see you in a bit."
Zhan Jing frowned slightly, but nodded without saying anything, and pulled Gao Xiaojie away.
Chen Xu and his group arrived at Prince Maktoum's room. After they sat down, Guan Yi asked, "Douglas, what are you doing on this ship? Didn't you go back to America?! What happened?!"
Douglas, neither humble nor arrogant, said, "Miss, it's like this. Just a few days ago, a bounty of thirty million US dollars appeared on the famous assassin website, Killer, targeting you, Chen Xu, Zhan Jing, and Gao Xiaojie. It also stated that the four of you are about to board the Dubai ship for a trip to Dubai."
"Our people were furious when they discovered this news and put pressure on the assassination website, which made them remove the information. But the master was still worried and sent us to Shanghai to protect you secretly. So in the end, I ended up on this ship." Douglas looked at Prince Maktoum: "It happened so suddenly, please forgive me if I offended you in any way."
Prince Maktoum waved his hand and laughed, "Of course not. On the contrary, I should thank you. If anything happened to these gentlemen on my ship, I would not be able to bear the responsibility."
Prince Maktoum's words were not flattery. One was the founding disciple of SMMH, and the other was a young lady from the Clover family. If these two people really died on his ship, it would be a very big deal.
In fact, even killer websites like "killer" websites have their own concerns. It's not like you can just pay them and they'll take the job... If that were the case, then world leaders would all be on edge if they had a price tag... There are some people they can't afford to offend.
“I was secretly monitoring them from the ship and I noticed two people acting suspiciously,” Douglas continued. “So I kept an eye on them and then I heard them say that they were going to use a song to bewitch people, and that song was the ‘Devil’s Song’ that caused the Luxor massacre last year!”
After saying this, Prince Maktoum's face turned deathly pale!
Chapter 269 The Demon's Song Reappears (Part 2)
Last year's Luxor massacre shocked the world, and Prince Maktoum could not possibly be unaware of it. Unlike ordinary people, Prince Maktoum, with his status and position, naturally knew the whole story... including the horrific "Devil's Song".
While the "Demon Song" may not be of much use to the world's militaries, it is an extremely dangerous weapon that must never fall into the hands of malicious individuals. Even ordinary people should not be given the opportunity to master this song. This is because militaries around the world are researching sonic weapons. Infrasound weapons have actually been developed long ago, and if placed anywhere, their destructive power would be far greater than that of the "Demon Song."
Therefore, this "Devil's Song" is of little use to the military and has no great research value. However, this kind of thing must not be allowed to circulate among the people, otherwise it will cause chaos in the world!
The thought of someone playing "The Devil's Song" on his ship sent chills down Prince Maktoum's spine. He could even imagine what would happen to everyone on board once the song started playing. Far from land, surrounded by the sea, it was a completely enclosed place; if something happened, no one on board would be able to escape!
Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, Prince Maktoum turned pale and slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Who is so ruthless?! Mr. Douglas, we really have to thank you this time! Men, bring that guy up here!"
The unfortunate child was pushed aboard, and at that moment the ship's crew discovered his identity.
His name was Wang Jinian, and the dead man's name was Xu Xuliang. Both of them were members of the Shanghai princeling faction who had boarded the ship, though they weren't exactly princelings in the strictest sense. Their families were business owners with some money, and they were also close to Huang Anping, which gave them this opportunity. However, within the princeling circle, they were essentially unofficial members.
Upon arriving at the scene, Huang Anping saw the bodies of Wang Jinian and Xu Xuliang. After hearing Prince Maktoum's account, his usually calm face changed color.
"Wang Jinian, oh Wang Jinian." Huang Anping took a deep breath: "Tell me, why did you do such a thing?"
It seems Huang Anping wielded considerable influence; he hadn't uttered a word since his capture. Wang Jinian, trembling all over, finally opened his mouth, his voice sounding like he was crying: "Brother Ping, Brother Ping, I was wrong, please forgive me!"
Huang Anping sighed, squatted down, looked at Wang Jinian who was kneeling there bound and gagged, and said, "I can't save you in this matter. Don't you know how big the mistake you made today is? Tell me, where did you get this 'Devil's Song'? If you tell the truth, I might consider giving you a quick death."
Chen Xu had expected him to say, "I'll consider sparing your life," but when he actually said that, a look of astonishment crossed his face... Judging from his tone, it seemed like this wasn't his first time killing someone?!
"Brother Ping!"
"Don't call me Brother Ping! You don't deserve to call me brother!" Huang Anping slapped Wang Jinian across the face, the slap causing his mouth to fill with blood. He even spat out a few teeth. Those teeth, mixed with blood and foam, stained the expensive carpet, a truly horrifying sight.
Huang Anping turned to Prince Maktoum and said softly, "Your Highness, I apologize for soiling your carpet."
Maktoum waved his hand; he had understood everything Huang Anping had said through the translator. "It's just a carpet. Keep asking; you must find out who's behind this!"
Huang Anping nodded: "Don't worry. I will definitely give you all an explanation."
He bent down, looking at Wang Jinian, whose mouth was full of blood. He sighed and said, "Don't you remember what I said? I can forgive mistakes, but I cannot forgive stupidity. Do you know what you're doing?" Huang Anping's tone suddenly rose: "Do you know that what you're doing will endanger the entire ship's crew? Do you know that even if you manage to escape by hiding on the sidelines, this ship will be adrift on the vast ocean! If we all die, can you steer the ship to shore?!"
Wang Jinian's expression changed, but he still gritted his teeth and didn't say anything.
Huang Anping suddenly laughed and said, "Wang Jinian, you've been following me for so long, you must know who I am, right? Do you think I really wouldn't dare to touch you? Have you forgotten how Ye Bin died back then?"
Upon hearing the name "Ye Bin," Wang Jinian couldn't help but tremble violently, as if recalling something horrifying. Chen Xu thought this might be something that happened in the past... He wasn't so resistant to killing anymore, because this guy was going to kill him! If he didn't die, then he would be the one to die!
The whole "Buddha cut off his own flesh to feed an eagle" nonsense is bullshit. When something like this happens, it's either him or me who dies!
However, Chen Xu did not expect that Huang Anping, such a gentle and refined person, could be so ruthless when he got down to business. Just as Yi Shuihan said, this guy can be a business partner, but not a friend... He is like a cobra!
Huang Anping softened his voice: "Tell me everything you know now, and I'll consider letting you off the hook. Otherwise, what do you think? You almost killed SMMH's founding disciple and Prince Maktoum! Your crimes, hmph, will even implicate your families! If you confess properly, I might spare your parents."
Guan Yi frowned, wanting to speak but holding back. Chen Xu looked at her and said in a low voice, "You should go back and check on Gao Xiaojie first. It's not convenient for a girl to stay here."
Guan Yi nodded. She knew that something bloody might happen next, and that such things were not suitable for a girl like her to stay here. So she nodded to Prince Maktoum and walked out.
Seeing her stand up, Wang Jinian's expression changed again. Because if there had been a girl present, Huang Anping might have been a little more hesitant to act. Now that the room was full of men, Huang Anping's methods might become quite bloody!
Huang Anping, observing Wang Jinian's expression, sneered, "Alright, the girl's gone, now it's the man's turn. You still won't tell me? Tsk tsk. Looks like I have to take action, huh? Where to start then? Your fingernails?" He patted Wang Jinian's cheek, "To be honest, I really wanted to leave you a proper burial, but you didn't appreciate it."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Wang Jinian finally couldn't help but shout when Huang Anping grabbed his hand: "Don't touch me, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
A victorious smile appeared on Huang Anping's face as he sat down. "Speak."
Wang Jinian trembled all over, gritted his teeth, and said, "Could I... could I have a cigarette...?"
Before Huang Anping could speak, Chen Xu took a cigarette from the side, lit it for him, and then sat down and lit one for himself. He remained silent throughout.
It wasn't that Chen Xu didn't want to speak, but rather that he simply didn't know what to say!
Of those present, Huang Anping was clearly a powerful and ruthless figure, capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of his wrist; Maktoum was a prince, and had naturally seen many such scenes… As for Douglas, needless to say. Only Chen Xu was experiencing such a scene for the first time—a scene so oppressive, tinged with cruelty and bloodshed.
After all, although Chen Xu had killed people, he was just a student!
Wang Jinian took a trembling puff, his mouth full of blood staining the cigarette butt, making him look strangely disgusting.
He finished his cigarette quickly, and under the stimulation of nicotine, Wang Jinian's body finally stopped trembling so much. Only then did he slowly raise his head and say, "After I tell you, can you guarantee you won't humiliate me?"
Huang Anping nodded: "If what you say is true, I can let you pass away without pain."
Upon hearing this, Wang Jinian shuddered again, a shiver of clinging to life. In truth, everyone present knew that his long-standing pretense was merely an attempt to see if he had any hope of survival. But Huang Anping's words told him directly... You're doomed. Now your only choice is to die a quick death or to suffer a fate worse than death.
From this perspective, Huang Anping is far superior to Chen Xu. For Chen Xu now, if he were to kill someone who had a grudge against him and wanted to harm him, he could certainly do it. However, to torture such a person to the point of wishing for death is something Chen Xu simply cannot do… Of course, this is not a good habit and should not be encouraged.
Huang Anping's arrogance stemmed from the fact that this was international waters, and according to international practice, matters concerning the cruise ship depended on the country of its registration. Since Prince Maktoum remained silent, Huang Anping could act without hesitation, and no law could stop him.
“I saw the news on a website,” Wang Jinian said at this point. “When the Dubai ship was coming, I went online to look up information about it, thinking I'd know more so I could brag to my friends. I never expected to see a bounty notice, a reward of thirty million US dollars for killing Chen Xu and his three students…”
The group exchanged glances. His website must be the one that "kills" the international assassins. But how did he manage to find such a website? They wondered if it was fate or something else.
“I was tempted when I saw the $30 million reward. Actually, at the time, I was just tempted. So I sent the message to Xu Xuliang and asked him if we wanted to do it together. We were hesitant. But just then, someone suddenly hacked into our computer and told us that he was the one who started the bounty and asked us if we wanted to do it.”
"A hacker broke into your computer?" Chen Xu asked, frowning. "He said he was the bounty hunter?"
"Yes." Wang Jinian glanced at Huang Anping with some fear, but finally mustered up his courage and said, "He threatened us that if we didn't agree, he would send you our chat history. We were just venting a bit when we were chatting, saying that if there really was a way to kill all four of them without being discovered, we would just kill one more, including you!"
"Kill me?!" Huang Anping was stunned, then shook his head and sighed, "Wang Jinian, aren't you heartless? Honestly, how have I treated you? Although you're only on the periphery in this circle, when have I ever mistreated you? Have I excluded you from any opportunities to make money? Have you made less money these past few years? Even this trip to Dubai, such a difficult trip, I invited you all on board, and you still want to kill me?"
"Of course I'll kill them!" Wang Jinian seemed to know he was going to die anyway, and finally made up his mind, shouting, "Yes, you made us money. But can what we made compare to what you made?! We made a million, you made at least five million! We ate what you left over, what you gave us! We did everything, we did all the work, you only needed to say a word, but you took the lion's share... Is this what you call not treating us unfairly?!"
Huang Anping's face stiffened, and he finally shook his head with a bitter smile: "So that's how it is. I thought I had seen through this society, but I never expected that I would forget the most basic human nature... greed. Okay, without my strategic planning and my support from behind the scenes, how could you possibly make any money? With your brainless minds, it's a miracle you haven't squandered your families' money. Fine, so because of this, you said you wanted to kill me. Then that hacker found out about the chat logs, and he used them to blackmail you?"
“Yes,” Wang Jinian slumped down, “Could you give me another cigarette?”
Huang Anping grabbed a pack of cigarettes and lighter and handed it to him: "Have a smoke. Since you're being so honest, keep going. Do you know how that hacker found you?"
Wang Jinian lit another cigarette, his hand trembling. "I don't know... I only know how to use computers to play games and chat online. How would I know how he found me? He said he had a perfect way to kill Chen Xu and the others, but he couldn't get on the ship. It seems he knew we could get on the ship, so he approached us."
When it comes to hackers, Chen Xu is naturally the most qualified to speak. Seeing several pairs of eyes looking at him, Chen Xu thought for a moment and said, "There can't be an omniscient and omnipotent hacker. According to my guess, it's very likely that this hacker obtained the list of passengers who boarded the ship beforehand and then monitored all of them… This would also explain why Wang Jinian was able to find the bounty website when searching for the Dubai ship. I think they didn't find that website themselves, but rather the hacker deliberately showed it to them. Or, while monitoring these people, he discovered Wang Jinian and Xu Xuliang's chat, and the chat log might have expressed their dissatisfaction with you, so he selected them."
Huang Anping nodded and looked at Wang Jinian: "And then what happened?"
"Then he gave us a music file and told us not to open it under any circumstances, but only to open it through the ship's public address system after we boarded. And when we did open it, we had to wear earplugs to completely block our ears. Then he transferred $100,000 to each of our accounts, saying the rest would be ours after the deed was done." So you were tempted to use this opportunity to kill us, right? But have you considered that if you make your move, everyone on the ship will die! Even you yourselves will probably die here!"
"We don't care about other people's lives!" Wang Jinian suddenly shouted. "We've thought it through. Many people on this ship are armed! I know what that music is, it's the Devil's Song, I know that! I'm not the kind of idiot you think I am! We were planning to call your rooms and play that music, then find an opportunity to kill you! Anyway, you went crazy on your own, it has nothing to do with us, and no investigation will find out it was us!"
Chen Xu and Huang Anping exchanged a glance, both feeling that their luck had truly reached its peak tonight. If it weren't for Douglas's help, they would have been in real trouble. Even if they had survived, they would have been badly injured.
Chen Xu suddenly thought of a question and frowned, saying, "I heard that some people say Zhang Bo...you two are very close to Zhang Bo?"
Wang Jinian was taken aback: "You heard us talking?"
Chen Xu nodded: "Someone told me, I don't know if it was you or him, that although Zhang Bo and we have some connections, we don't need to stick our necks out for him like this, right? He and his father have already lost power... Is this what you said?"
Wang Jinian's face was ashen: "That's right, it was Xu Xuliang who said it. Because Zhang Bo also contacted us, wanting us to find an opportunity to take action against you. The reason why the hacker contacted us, as you just guessed, is not that complicated. It was Zhang Bo who told him. He knows that we are dissatisfied with Huang Anping, and he also had some connections with us before."
I see!
Chen Xu's face turned cold. Zhang Bo, you've provoked me time and time again. Do you really think I, Chen Xu, am someone to be bullied?
As the saying goes, "Wildfire cannot burn it all, but weeds must be cut up at the root!"
Chen Xu finally couldn't hold back and decided to kill!
Seeing Chen Xu's expression, Huang Anping sighed and said, "I understand. Do you have any other questions? If not, I'll send you on your way... Don't worry, Xu Xuliang is waiting for you up ahead. After you get off, wait a while, and Zhang Bo will come to keep you company." The implication was that Zhang Bo wouldn't survive either!
Wang Jinian's face was ashen, his lips trembling as he tried to say something. But Huang Anping said, "Don't bother begging for mercy, it's a waste of breath. You know I won't change my mind once I've made up my mind. Actually, I have high hopes for you, but you're too impetuous. I wanted to give you a year or two of training before bringing you into the inner circle... Alas, what a pity. But it's the last moment, I hope you can act like a man."
It must be said that Huang Anping does indeed possess a certain charisma. These words were quite strange... If you're going to kill someone, why say such things? It makes no sense!
But coming from his mouth, it really didn't feel strange at all.
He has a kind of disregard for life and death... He is definitely not someone who cares about other people's lives, and he might not even care about his own!
Huang Anping made a phone call, and soon someone knocked on the door. They took Wang Jinian out. As he was leaving, Huang Anping said, "Use potassium cyanide to lessen his suffering. Don't worry, Wang Jinian, your parents will be fine."
Watching Wang Jinian being carried away, his face ashen, Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat. Several times he wanted to plead with Huang Anping to spare him. After all, even legally speaking, he was guilty of attempted murder. But in the end, Chen Xu held back.
He knew he was too soft-hearted; this person wanted to kill him! What did attempted murder even mean? What if he actually succeeded? What would he do then?
Therefore, danger must be nipped in the bud. We must never tolerate the enemy!
Huang Anping solemnly apologized to Prince Maktoum, who waved his hand and said, "You handled it very well. I know this is not your fault. But I don't want this to happen again in the future. At least on my ship and in my country, the safety of all our distinguished guests must be guaranteed!"
Then he looked at Chen Xu: "I'm sorry, my friend, I didn't expect this to happen. But please rest assured, I will arrange for someone to protect you after we get ashore. This kind of thing will absolutely not happen again; you will be absolutely safe in my country!"
Chen Xuqiang smiled and nodded... He had originally wanted to refuse, because he was going to Dubai for tourism, not to seek refuge. But the problem was that he didn't care if the other side had arranged for people to ambush them in Dubai, but what about Guan Yi and the others?