Envy

The bodyguard slumped against the wall looked enviously at Huo Xi's bodyguards. Huo Xi could find a safe place to stand on his own and did not need their help.

The other people they were assigned to protect also followed instructions well and did not run around during a crisis like this.

He even felt that they were a little idle, since several of them were capable of protecting themselves and did not require much attention from the bodyguards.

He wondered whether he had 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 create a whole family of troublesome people who needed protection. He truly regretted it.

Shen Keke naturally 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 be able to get away with it easily.

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

If anyone really blamed him, he would say that he had assumed the Huo Household's bodyguards were all highly capable. Would it not be fine as long as the bodyguard could get back up?

Besides, that was the truth. He did not believe that bodyguard had no strength left. Even if he did, someone built like him would be fine after getting hurt. Later, he could just make Zhou Jingxuan pay him more medical expenses.

The captain of Huo Xi's bodyguards 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 safe spots, so they should not need him for the moment.

He had to help that bodyguard. Though they did not serve the same employer, they had worked together for many years. He still could not simply stand by and watch something happen to him.

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

After pulling the bodyguard up and running a few steps with him, a table crashed into the spot where the bodyguard had been. The table shattered on impact.

After resting for a while, the bodyguard felt much better. He said, "Thanks, Brother Li." Huo Li told him it was nothing, helped him find a place to rest, and then left.

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

If he had not been pulled away, that table would very likely have hit 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 powerful and loyal naturally won people over. He was grateful to Huo Li, and grateful to Huo Xi as well.

If it had been on their side, there was little chance anyone would have been allowed to help. Huo Zhenyun might not have let them rescue someone, because sending someone to help 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 Huo Xi for permission before acting.

He looked toward Huo Xi. Was this the appeal of having someone powerful as the person you protected? There was a popular phrase for it these days—what was it again? Right, paradise for strength worshippers.

And the people around Huo Xi did not hold him back; they were strong 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 found, 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 had been rescued. They had wanted to go too, but Shi Ruyan and Huo Pei had been so frightened that they would not allow them to leave.

Zhou Father was panicking as well, while Huo Zhenyun and Zhou Jingxuan gave no indication of what to do. One of the more impulsive bodyguards had even wanted to rush downstairs to save him, punishment be damned.

Just as they hesitated and struggled over what to do, Huo Xi's people unexpectedly went to rescue him. An indescribable feeling rose in their hearts.

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

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

Although the shaking had stopped, most people still did not go downstairs. Such a serious accident meant something must have happened, and they were still frightened.

But when they saw the Lu Household and Shen Household heading toward Huo Xi, some people went downstairs as well. Strength came in numbers, after all. And with Huo Xi there, his bodyguards would be there too. If they followed, they might receive at least some protection.

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

Everyone present was frightened upon hearing "international waters." Too many things had happened in international waters for them not to have heard of them.

It would be best to resolve 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 below.

Fortunately, Huo Li had taken people downstairs, because the situation below was extremely dire. Shen Yao had seized control of the ship's operations, handed them over to a teammate who knew how to operate the vessel, and then went out.

The moment he stepped out, he saw two teammates lying on the ground covered in blood. Startled, he immediately checked on them. Thankfully, they were still breathing. Most of the blood likely belonged to someone else, and they had probably only been knocked unconscious.

When Shen Yao came out, he saw those people holding guns to an innocent crew member's head and demanding that they come out, or they would let them see the blood of innocent people.

To maintain their cover, they had not kept many real crew members aboard. Those who remained knew something would happen today and had been told to hide if chaos broke out. That crew member must not have had time to hide.

His teammates could only stop. Shen Yao secretly observed them, 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. This mission absolutely could not fail. So what if he got hurt?

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

Shen Yao had not expected Huo Xi's bodyguards to come downstairs. 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 handcuffing everyone and tying them up, Shen Yao finally asked, "Did Huo Xi tell you to come down?"

Huo Li nodded. Shen Yao was somewhat confused, but then thought that perhaps Huo Xi had been worried they would get hurt.

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

Shen Yao immediately thought of the possibility that they still had people upstairs. He quickly led his people out. They had not left many people above.

If Eagle had left many people behind, they would likely lose, and then those people would be captured and used to threaten them. It would become another hard battle.

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

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

"What exactly did Huo Xi say?" 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 those words. It seemed Huo Xi really had other arrangements.

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

Otherwise, if there were too many people upstairs, those people would not come out and might simply hide until they slipped away.

Eagle had fought them with all his strength and had not been confident just because he had a backup plan. He only regained his confidence after Huo Li and the others came downstairs.

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