Envy

The bodyguard slumped against the wall looked enviously at Huo Xi's bodyguards. Huo Xi could find a place to stand on his own without needing their help.

The others they protected also followed instructions well and would not run around during a crisis like this.

He even felt that they had it easy, since several of them could protect themselves and did not require much concern from the bodyguards.

Had he chosen the wrong person before? Why had he chosen to be the old master's bodyguard? He should have chosen to be Huo Xi's bodyguard.

At least Huo Xi would not stir up a whole family full of troublesome people for them to protect. He truly regretted it.

Of course, Shen Keke could not stay there forever. He did not want to get hit by tables and chairs. Shen Keke ran straight for the stairs, ignoring the bodyguard who had protected him.

He was definitely going to demand an explanation from Shen Can later. So many people had seen Shen Can kick him; Shen Can would not get away with it easily.

As for the bodyguard, he did not care at all. So what if he had run off? Bodyguards existed to protect him, did they not?

If anyone really criticized him, he would say that he had thought the Huo Household's bodyguards were all highly capable. Wasn't it enough that the man could get up by himself?

Besides, that was the truth. He did not believe the bodyguard had run out of strength. Even if he had, someone built like him would be fine with a few injuries. Later, Shen Keke could just have Zhou Jingxuan pay him more medical expenses.

Huo Xi's head bodyguard was protecting Shen Father and Shen Mother. He saw that Lu Shao and the old master of the Lu Household were both here and had already found a safe spot, so they should not need him for the moment.

He had to help that bodyguard. Although they did not serve the same employer, they had dealt with one another for years. He could not simply stand by and watch something happen to him.

Still, he looked in Huo Xi's direction first. Only after seeing Huo Xi nod did he rush toward the bodyguard.

Just after he pulled the bodyguard up and they ran a few steps, a table crashed into the spot where the bodyguard had been. The table shattered on impact.

After resting for a while, the bodyguard recovered considerably. He said, "Thanks, Brother Li." Huo Li said it was nothing, led him to a place where he could rest, and then left.

He was truly grateful to Huo Li. In his condition just now, he definitely would not have been able to get up anytime soon. When his back had slammed into the wall, he had taken the force of two people, and his abdomen had been hit as well.

If he had not been pulled away, that table would very likely have struck him. Even if he had used every ounce of strength he had, he could not have completely avoided it.

He finally understood why Huo Xi had given Huo Li the Huo Household surname, and why every bodyguard, whether they followed Huo Xi or not, respected him.

Someone strong and loyal naturally inspired respect. He was grateful to Huo Li, and grateful to Huo Xi as well.

If it had been their side, the odds of anyone going to rescue him would have been slim. Huo Zhenyun might not have allowed them to save someone, because sending someone to rescue him meant one fewer person protecting them.

But Huo Xi had agreed. Since he was not one of Huo Xi's people, Huo Li had certainly asked for Huo Xi's approval before acting.

He looked toward Huo Xi. Was this the appeal of having overwhelming strength as the person being protected? There was a popular phrase for this nowadays—what was it again? Right, paradise for strength worshippers.

And the people around him did not hold him back; they were powerful too. Whether it was his in-laws, his friends, or the families close to him, they were all the same. As for the family of the daughter Huo Zhenyun had brought back, he did not even know how to describe them.

The bodyguards with Huo Zhenyun on the second floor finally relaxed when they saw their brother rescued. They had wanted to go too, but Shi Ruyan and Huo Pei were so frightened that they simply would not allow them to leave.

Zhou Father was panicking as well, while Huo Zhenyun and Zhou Jingxuan made no move. One of the more impulsive bodyguards had even wanted to rush down and save him, punishment be damned.

As they hesitated and struggled over what to do, they never expected Huo Xi's people to go save him. They felt something they could not put into words.

The ship stopped rocking. Huo Xi walked over to Shen Can and said, "Stay with me. It still isn't safe."

Shen Can nodded obediently. The police had not come up to announce that the operation was over, which meant the matter was not finished yet.

Although the rocking had stopped, most people still did not go downstairs. An accident this serious meant something must have happened, and they were all still frightened.

But seeing the Lu Household and the Shen Household head toward Huo Xi, some people went downstairs after all. Strength lay in numbers, and Huo Xi was there. His bodyguards would be there too. If they followed him, they might receive some protection.

The scene was extremely quiet. Huo Li checked the satellite map and said, "President Huo, we'll reach international waters soon."

Everyone present was frightened when they heard "international waters." Too many incidents happened there; there was no way they had not heard of them.

It would be best to settle this before reaching international waters. "Leave two people upstairs. Everyone else, go downstairs." The moment Huo Xi gave the order, Huo Li immediately led his people down.

Fortunately, Huo Li took people downstairs, because the situation below was extremely dire. Shen Yao had seized control of the ship again and handed it to a teammate who knew how to operate it before heading out.

The moment he stepped out, he saw two teammates lying on the floor covered in blood. Alarmed, he immediately checked on them. Fortunately, they were still breathing. Most of the blood was probably someone else's; judging by their condition, they had been knocked unconscious.

When Shen Yao came out, he saw those people holding guns to an innocent crew member's head, telling them to come out or they would show them the blood of these innocent people.

To maintain their cover, they had not kept many real crew members aboard the ship. The ones left behind knew something would happen today, and they had been told to hide if chaos broke out. That person probably had not managed to hide in time.

His teammates could only stop. Shen Yao secretly observed the situation, calculating how he could save that person—or rather, what price he would have to pay to save him.

No matter what, he could not let him die, and this mission absolutely could not fail. A few injuries were nothing.

Just as he was about to charge forward, someone suddenly attacked from behind the hostage-taker. The man's grip loosened, and Shen Yao's teammates quickly rescued the crew member.

Shen Yao had not expected Huo Xi's bodyguards to come down. Logically, there should have been no need, since they actually had enough people below.

If that crew member had not been captured, they should have already resolved this. But now was not the time to ask. They needed to take these people down first.

After they had handcuffed everyone and tied them up, Shen Yao finally asked, "Did Huo Xi send you down here?"

Huo Li nodded. Shen Yao was somewhat confused, but he figured Huo Xi might have been worried that they would be injured.

Suddenly, Eagle, the leader, laughed. "Even though you've caught me, you'll still obediently hand me over in a moment. Believe it or not?"

Shen Yao immediately thought that they might still have people upstairs. He quickly led his men out. They had not left many people above.

If Eagle had left a lot of people behind, they would probably lose, and those people might be captured and used to threaten them. Then it would be another hard battle.

As Shen Yao ran, he turned back to look at Huo Li, who was walking slowly. "Aren't you going upstairs to protect Huo Xi?"

Huo Li recalled what Huo Xi had said when he sent them downstairs. "President Huo didn't tell us to hurry back upstairs."

"How did Huo Xi put it?" Shen Yao slowed down as well. Huo Li repeated Huo Xi's words.

Leave two people upstairs. Everyone else, go downstairs. Shen Yao carefully considered the words. It seemed Huo Xi truly had other preparations.

Huo Xi might have deliberately given those people an opportunity because he wanted them to come out.

Otherwise, if there had been too many people upstairs, those people would not have come out. It would be troublesome if they simply hid and slipped through.

Eagle had fought them with all his strength, without acting confident because he had a backup plan. It was only after Huo Li and his people came downstairs that he regained his confidence.

That was enough to prove that the people upstairs would only act under these circumstances. If Huo Li and the others had all remained upstairs, they probably would not have acted and would instead have chosen to blend in and escape. After all, the fewer people they lost, the better.