Chapter 54: Are You Out of Your Mind?

The bodyguards immediately retreated.
But behind them stood their respective masters, with nowhere left to run.
Helpless, they could only charge forward again, using their own bodies to withstand the gunfire.
Lu Ming could only shake his head at the sight; by now, the pirates had seized the initiative, and there were still experts outside using sniper cannons. To continue the fight would only lead to more pointless casualties.
However, he knew his words carried no weight here—no one would listen even if he spoke, so he chose to remain silent. He had his own plans to carry out and couldn't be bothered with those who were charging to their deaths.
At that moment, amid the gunfire, an old and powerful voice rang out.
“Everyone, give up. Let's surrender. Any further resistance will only cause more deaths—there's no meaning in fighting on.”
The assembled magnates were stunned, but in the end, they sighed and ordered their men to cease resistance.
They knew all too well that, in such an overwhelming disadvantage, having their bodyguards continue fighting would be nothing less than suicide. In the end, they would still fall into the pirates’ hands—the outcome would be no different.
Hearing their bosses’ orders, the bodyguards finally stopped resisting, retreating to their masters’ sides to catch their breath and prepare for the worst.
Except for those already fallen, the rest were all wounded and covered in blood.
Even Huo Xiangying’s two men had been struck by several bullets.
The two of them had always been stationed closest to the door, fiercely fighting off the enemy—right where the bullets rained thickest. Not for a moment had they let up on their protective energy.
Even with their innate mastery, the prolonged use of protective energy to withstand gunfire was too much. As their strength waned, bullets found their mark in several places.
Fortunately, as experts, the bullets—though they pierced the protective aura—did not inflict fatal wounds. Nevertheless, their fighting strength was reduced to less than a third of normal.
The only person left unscathed was the Western cowboy, who had stayed at the rear, attacking the pirates with cards, darting and weaving so skillfully that he was completely unharmed.
But seeing the sweat at his temples and hearing his labored breath, Lu Ming could tell that he, too, was at the end of his strength, with little energy left to fight.
By then, the pirates had swept away all resistance outside and taken control of the cruise ship. Aside from a handful left to guard the prisoners and control the bridge, nearly all the pirates had gathered in the grand hall, numbering seven or eight hundred.
They lined up in formation as Adolf and Achilles strolled in, dressed immaculately as if on a sightseeing tour, stepping over mountains of corpses and pools of blood to stand before the magnates.
Adolf clapped lightly and said, “Your powers of resistance are truly impressive. No wonder each of you dominates your own domain.”
“But it looks like the outcome is the same all the same,” Achilles laughed heartily.
The magnates, faced with such arrogant adversaries, were seething with fury. They were used to commanding obedience and holding life and death in their hands—when had they ever endured such humiliation?
But under the eaves, a man must bow his head. Overwhelmed by the situation, they could only swallow their anger.
At this moment, John stepped forward and addressed the pair.
“Gentlemen, whatever your intentions, please do not harm anyone else here. They have already given up resistance. If you do anything inhumane to them, I swear the Rockefeller family will be your eternal enemy, never resting until vengeance is done.”
Adolf and Achilles exchanged a glance and smiled.
Adolf replied,
“Of course, you have my assurance. We are only after money. Now, you will have your freedom restricted and be transferred to a safe location. I trust no one has any objections?”
The crowd fell silent. They were at the mercy of others—how could they object?
Seeing the silence, Adolf straightened his suit and smiled again.
“Now, please follow the soldiers outside and disembark in an orderly fashion. We will be taking you elsewhere.”
With a sigh, the crowd resigned themselves to this necessity.
The pirates would never allow them to remain on the cruise ship.
The vessel was enormous and slow, making it easy to spot.
If they delayed too long and the Rockefeller family's reinforcements caught up, there could be another twist—something the pirates would never risk.
Then Achilles spoke: “All bodyguards will remain behind. Gentlemen, please come with us.”
This startled everyone once more.
With their bodyguards nearby, they felt some small measure of safety. Without them, their personal security would be entirely lost—something they were loath to accept. No one moved.
The bodyguards, their faces darkening, stepped protectively in front of their masters and declared,
“Our very existence is to protect our masters. If you want us to abandon them, you’ll have to kill us first.”
At this scene, tears welled in the magnates’ eyes.
The bodyguards’ professionalism moved even Lu Ming to nod in approval.
These men had been chosen from thousands—not just for their skill, but for this very loyalty, which was enough for their masters to be proud of their judgment.
Achilles’ face darkened.
“If you insist on courting death, don’t blame me.”
With a wave of his hand, the pirates behind him raised their guns at the bodyguards.
Every bodyguard, wounded as they were, stood undaunted, facing the muzzles with heads held high.
Achilles raised his right hand high.
After a moment, seeing that no one would retreat, he prepared to lower his hand—signaling the start of a massacre.
Just then, a lazy voice sounded,
“You want to take them away—have you asked my opinion?”
Everyone was stunned. At a time like this, who dared utter such bold words in front of these men? Was he courting death?
They turned to see Lu Ming lounging to the side, swirling champagne in his hand, smiling as he looked at Adolf and Achilles.
Adolf and Achilles narrowed their eyes at the sight of Lu Ming.
Not far behind Lu Ming, Feng Xifan gnashed his teeth and cursed,
“You idiot, are you trying to anger the pirates and get us all killed, you fool!”
Lu Ming looked back at Feng Xifan’s furious glare, then suddenly smiled, walked over, and in one swift motion grabbed Feng Xifan and flung him across the room—landing at the feet of Adolf and Achilles.
Feng Xifan’s two bodyguards were aghast; they hadn’t even seen Lu Ming move, let alone had a chance to stop him.
Seeing their young master lying at the pirates’ leaders’ feet, the two bodyguards were nearly scared out of their wits—but dared not make a move.
Lu Ming addressed Adolf and Achilles,
“A gift for you: this is the son of China’s richest man. Rough him up a bit—you’ll get a hefty ransom.”
His words provoked many, especially Huo Xiangying.
He frowned and said to Lu Ming, “We’re both Chinese—must you go so far?”
Lu Ming smiled at him but said nothing.
Adolf and Achilles didn’t spare Feng Xifan a glance—just kicked him aside.
Pounded and dizzy, Feng Xifan, who had been playing dead, screamed in pain.
The two pirate leaders then looked at Lu Ming and said slowly,
“Lu Tianxing.”
“That’s right. Long time no see, gentlemen,” Lu Ming replied with a smile.
Achilles glared at Lu Ming, saying viciously, “To think we’d meet you here. Good—I can finally avenge my fallen brothers.”
Meanwhile, behind his back, Adolf made a subtle gesture with his hands.
Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded. This unassuming young man actually had a grudge with the two pirate leaders—and quite a serious one, by the look of it.
Lu Ming burst out laughing,
“Defeated dogs, and you still dare talk tough? Wasn’t the last beating enough for you?”
The crowd nearly choked on their own blood at these words.
With hundreds of guns pointed at him, he still dared say such things?
Adolf and Achilles’ faces darkened.
During the Dragon Campaign, their two mercenary groups had been crushed by Lu Ming’s squad—an enduring humiliation and pain for both men.
Now Lu Ming had mocked them to their faces; they could barely restrain themselves from coughing up blood in fury.
At that moment, Lu Ming swaggered up to them and said,
“Now, have your men lay down their weapons and surrender unconditionally. Pay me a few billion in compensation for my emotional distress, and I’ll let you live.”
At this, everyone in the hall was shocked, cursing,
“Are you insane?”
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