Gwen Stacy had always admired her boyfriend, who was a year ahead of her.
Neither had officially defined their relationship, but they had both met each other's parents. It went without saying.
His grades had always amazed her.
But this was the first time she had realized just how incredible his memory was!
Twenty minutes later.
Jiang Xiang left the room, planning to wander around on his own again.
Just then.
The special Qi Magic artifact Old Man had made and bound to Jiang Xiang suddenly activated.
Jiang Xiang's eyes flew wide, and he looked around.
There was no gunfight. The area was empty, without a soul in sight.
He looked up at the sky.
No falling meteorites, no incoming missiles.
The sky was clear and bright.
Then why had the artifact activated?
Several spells had been attached to it, but its primary function was to provide early warnings.
Of course, there were limits to what those warnings could detect.
Old Man believed Jiang Xiang was an ordinary person, so it mostly warned him of people with ill intentions toward him, as well as certain dangerous actions.
So what danger was there here?
Jiang Xiang wandered around casually, then returned to the room.
Had Obadiah Stane finally lost patience?
Was he planning to use this cruise to get rid of Tony?
No, that didn't make sense.
Even if Tony had to die, he couldn't die here!
It would have a huge impact on Stark Industries' stock price.
Obadiah Stane wanted to acquire Stark Industries intact, not inherit a company on its last legs.
Besides, who were the people aboard this ship?
People with some standing in their respective industries, and some with considerable influence.
Obadiah wouldn't dare offend so many of them at once.
The bodyguards and security personnel all came from the renowned Blackwater. They were battle-hardened mercenaries, so sabotaging the Tech would clearly be difficult.
Could this turn into another Titanic?
The name Tech didn't exactly sound auspicious.
Jiang Xiang used magic to inspect the hull but found nothing wrong.
Forget it.
He would deal with whatever came his way.
Why overthink it?
Apparently, Stark Industries was hosting a party that evening.
They were supposedly going to unveil several new Stark Industries products.
Before long, night arrived.
The cruise ship was moving at a decent speed and had already drawn close to international waters.
Nothing had gone wrong.
But the longer nothing happened, the stronger Jiang Xiang's sense of an approaching storm became.
People milled about in the dining hall.
A dark-skinned first officer was preparing to take the stage and give a speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Tech..."
"So, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Jiang Xiang leaned forward and embraced Gwen Stacy, and she hugged him back.
Just then, Jiang Xiang's protective artifact silently began to glow in warning.
"Jiang Xiang, something at your waist is glowing."
Jiang Xiang took out the artifact Old Man had given him.
Another warning.
There really did seem to be something wrong with this ship.
"Gwen Stacy, let's stay together for the rest of the evening."
Gwen Stacy blushed and nodded.
Jiang Xiang suspected she had something else in mind.
Forget it.
He wasn't going to explain.
As long as they stayed together.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the cruise ship.
As the ship crossed into international waters.
A layer of mysterious patterns had appeared at some unknown point.
The ocean.
Since ancient times, people had shrouded it in all kinds of mystery.
Even in an age of relatively advanced technology, humanity had yet to fully explore its depths.
Wooo!
Wooo!
Wooo!
In an instant.
A piercing alarm rang throughout the cruise ship.
"This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"
The voice was breathless and panicked.
On the bridge, a white crewman in his thirties shouted into the microphone with all his strength, his voice carried throughout the ship by the loudspeakers.
"All service staff, lead the passengers to shelter according to drill procedures! All crew members, report to the assembly room immediately! The ship could begin rocking or rolling at any moment!"
Panic swept through the lively party in an instant.
Jiang Xiang looked out at the sea through the window beside him.
Sure enough, the unexpected had arrived right on schedule.
The moon had risen over the sea, but drifting clouds obscured the view.
At some point, layers of dark clouds had appeared in the clear sky, blotting it out.
Fierce winds swept the clouds together.
The waves reached almost as high as the top of the cruise ship!
Suddenly!
The lights began to go out!
"Why are the lights going out?" Gwen Stacy stared in disbelief at the darkening interior.
She distinctly remembered the cruise ship's description stating that its lighting ran on multiple, completely independent power systems.
How could a few waves knock out the lighting?
"Don't worry about that now!"
Jiang Xiang shielded Gwen Stacy's head against his chest and crouched with her in a corner relatively free of loose objects.
At the same time, he activated the protective artifact Old Man had given him.
It was mainly to protect Gwen Stacy.
Boom-
Woooo-
As expected, the ship suddenly began to lurch violently.
Using the chakra he had cultivated himself, Jiang Xiang anchored them both firmly in place.
Enormous waves battered the massive ship.
The howling wind seemed to mock humanity's arrogance.
Such was the terrifying power of nature.
The wind and waves eased slightly.
"This way."
Two armed men looked highly capable.
They led the way, with none other than Tony Stark following behind them.
Tony held Pepper tightly, while his bodyguard Happy stood behind him, shielding them with his bulky frame.
Jiang Xiang had no attention to spare for Tony. Feeling the cabin begin to tilt, he glanced at the crowd fleeing in panic.
He decided to stay where he was and wait for an opening.
"Don't worry. We'll be all right."
Hearing Jiang Xiang's reassurance, the slightly panicked Gwen Stacy quietly began to calm down.
The next second.
Another wave struck the hull.
The ship rocked violently.
The crowd was thrown apart.
An elderly Black man dressed as a crew member was tossed to a spot not far from Jiang Xiang and Gwen Stacy.
He waved his hands, apparently performing some sort of prayer, and muttered under his breath.
"May the sea god protect us and drive away Sea Demon Rus..."
The next instant.
People and objects began tumbling together.
The ship seemed to be capsizing to one side.
Curled around Gwen Stacy, Jiang Xiang used chakra to cling firmly to his spot, keeping one hand wrapped around a steel bar for appearances.
He watched helplessly as the cruise ship slowly rolled onto its side.
Until-splash! It slammed straight into the sea.
What a thrill!
A few minutes later, something strange happened.
Jiang Xiang realized the ship wasn't sinking. It was still more or less floating on the surface.
Through the cabin windows, he could see that the people who had escaped the interior and reached the open-air areas had not fared well.
Holding Gwen Stacy, Jiang Xiang carefully slid down toward what had once been a side wall and was now the floor.
Thud-
He landed steadily, his movements practiced and smooth.
Jiang Xiang looked at Gwen Stacy with concern. "Are you okay?"
Gwen Stacy shook her head.
Then she saw the scene before her.
She nearly threw up.
The hall was filled with groans and screams.
The luckier ones had escaped with only superficial injuries.
The less fortunate had been struck by tableware, tables, and chairs, leaving them seriously injured-or no longer breathing...
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