The piercing siren shattered the false peace that had just been created inside the cruise ship on the empty sea.
"Cruise ship ahead, stop immediately for inspection! We are a Japan Coast Guard patrol team! We suspect your ship is carrying contraband! I repeat, stop immediately! Turn off the engines! All personnel assemble on deck!"
The stern shouts from the high-powered loudspeaker were clearly carried by the sea breeze into every corner of the luxury private room.
"Ashiba!"
Lee Jae-sung suddenly sprang up from the sofa, his face, which had just been filled with greed because of the huge sum of money he was about to receive, now turned ashen.
He pulled a gold-plated pistol from his pocket, its dark muzzle pointed directly at Ryuzaki's forehead. Veins bulged on his forehead as he roared:
"Ryuzaki Makoto! You dare to double-cross me?! This was a trap you set up all along, wasn't it?! Believe me or not, I'll shoot you right now!"
At the same time, the bodyguards in the private room also drew their weapons in unison, the sound of bolts being pulled back filled the air, and countless cold killing intents locked onto Ryuzaki Makoto, and the air seemed to smell the smoke of gunpowder about to ignite.
Li was equally shocked. He stared intently at Ryuzaki Makoto, his eyes filled with disbelief and malice, and his right hand had already reached for the gun at his waist.
At this critical moment of life and death, Ryuzaki Makoto, with dozens of guns pointed at him, showed no sign of panic.
He looked coldly at the furious Lee Jae-sung, his tone even colder than the other's:
"A double-cross? Chief Li, are you senile?"
"Look carefully! That's the Japan Coast Guard outside! If I wanted to steal your goods, wouldn't it be easier to just have someone chop you up and throw you into the sea to feed the fish? Why bother luring the authorities here?!"
Lee Jae-sung's hand trembled slightly, but reason calmed him down.
Indeed, if Ryuzaki were to double-cross someone, attracting the police would be a disaster for him as well.
Moreover, he was already prepared to swipe his card for the money, so there was absolutely no need for him to pull this suicidal trick at the last minute.
"What's going on here?! Didn't you say I had everything arranged here? Why are there patrol boats?!"
Ryuzaki Makoto stood up and slammed the black card that hadn't been given away onto the table.
"Who knows what happened! Maybe one of your men leaked the information, or maybe some fool did it! Now is not the time to assign blame! You and your son have sensitive identities, and there are so many guns on the ship; it absolutely cannot withstand scrutiny!!"
"What should we do then? Fight them?" Li gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a crazed light.
"Fight my ass! This is the open sea, they have patrol boats and heavy machine guns! Do you want to be riddled with bullets?"
Ryuzaki interrupted him abruptly, quickly walked to the window to glance at the situation outside, and then turned back to speak very rapidly.
"I have people waiting for us in the nearby waters. That's my secret backup plan. I'll lead you to escape in a small boat from behind. My men will come by boat to draw fire and create chaos, covering our retreat! This is our only way out. Whether you go or not is up to you!"
The Li father and son exchanged a glance and made a decision instantly.
In their current situation, they are trapped and have no choice but to trust Ryuzaki Makoto.
"Let's go!" Lee Jae-sung gritted his teeth and put away his gun. "Ryuzaki-kun, as long as you can get us out of here safely, I'll pretend this misunderstanding never happened!"
The three dared not leave from the front deck, but instead stumbled through the emergency passage behind the galley to the stern of the cruise ship, where a speedboat that had been prepared was moored.
"boom!"
The speedboat's engine had just roared to life, and it hadn't even gone very far.
Suddenly, on the dark sea, a dozen powerful searchlights appeared out of nowhere in the distance, and a dozen black speedboats, also without any markings, rushed toward the patrol fleet at an astonishing speed, like a school of sharks leaping out of the deep sea.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Da da da da da—"
Gunshots rang out like popping beans on the sea!
Flames wove a web of death in the night!
Li sat in the back seat of the speedboat, glancing back with a pounding heart.
The sea over there was completely in chaos.
Those unidentified speedboats, like reckless suicide bombers, charged directly at the "patrol boats" that were surrounding the large ship.
"Boom! Boom!"
Immediately following was a series of deafening explosions!
Several enormous fireballs rose into the air above the sea, illuminating the entire area as bright as day.
That was a horrific scene of Ryuzaki Makoto's ship and patrol boat being destroyed together.
Even from a great distance, the shockwave from the explosion caused the ship to tremble violently.
Lee Jae-sung looked at the sea ablaze in the distance, his face pale, but his eyes revealed a sense of relief at surviving a disaster, and even a hint of gratitude and awe for Ryuzaki.
What ruthless methods!
Wow, that's tough, bro!
To save the father and son, Ryuzaki Makoto was actually willing to send his own men to their deaths and confront the official patrol head-on!
Lee Jae-sung remembered this kindness and courage!
Under the cover of darkness and chaos, the speedboat sped along and finally reached an abandoned dock on the shore.
"boom!"
Just as they jumped ashore, several loud explosions came from the sea behind them, indicating that more ships had exploded in the melee.
In the distance, the sound of sirens grew louder, indicating that the main force of reinforcements was about to arrive.
"Quick! There's no time! Get ashore and run!"
Ryuzaki grabbed Lee, whose legs were still weak, and shouted anxiously at the two of them, leading them to run wildly towards the highway outside the dock.
The three of them ran breathlessly to the roadside, where an inconspicuous black MPV was quietly parked in the shadow of a streetlamp.
Ryuzaki Makoto opened the passenger door and nimbly climbed inside.
Li Zaicheng and Li Ye, who were following behind, didn't dare to delay and scrambled into the back seat.
The moment the car door slammed shut, both of them deflated like punctured balloons, collapsing into their seats, panting heavily, looking utterly shaken.
Only now, feeling the coolness of the car's air conditioning and listening to the steady sound of the engine, did Lee Jae-sung feel his soul return a little.
He was just about to express his gratitude to Ryuzaki Makoto and ask where they could go to lay low.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ryuzaki Makoto didn't turn around. He simply took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then turned his head through the smoke to look at the two stray dogs in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
The smile on his lips gradually widened, and it was no longer gentle.
Ryuzaki patted the shoulder of the man in the driver's seat next to him, his tone relaxed and casual.
"Brother Akutsu, thank you for your trouble. Please drive us, these two 'distinguished guests' from afar, to a place that is absolutely safe..."