Chapter 38

"Bu Chen, die!"

The man shouted in fury, firing two fierce rounds at Bu Chen. Bu Chen's pupils contracted; in the blink of an eye he lunged forward to shield Ruan Ning, both of them dropping flat onto the carpet and rolling several circles before taking cover behind the sofa.

The two shots shattered the liquor cabinet behind them, glass shards crashing to the floor with a sharp clatter.

Ruan Ning's mind went blank. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Bu Chen would save her at the critical moment.

He held her tightly, pressing her into his chest like a treasure he was guarding, and craned his neck to roar, "Security!"

The vast hall immediately descended into chaos as the guests, terrified out of their wits, fled in every direction with their heads ducked.

"Someone! There's a killer!"

"Security! Where is security?!"

The man, consumed by bloodlust, fired relentlessly at the sofa without blinking. His bullets of hatred rained down like a storm, as if he wished nothing less than to riddle those hiding behind it with holes.

"Bu Chen! Bu Kai! Both of you go to hell!"

"Come out! Cowards! Fight me one-on-one if you dare!"

The warm, luxurious yacht hall was instantly transformed into a gateway to death; all the gilded décor seemed to emanate the suffocating aura of a haunted underworld.

Bullets whizzed overhead like a torrential downpour, sounding almost like the pop of carnival balloon guns, but Ruan Ning knew that if she so much as poked her head out, she'd end up with her brains splattered everywhere and blood spraying three feet.

No matter how much she wished otherwise, she couldn't deceive herself—this was a life-or-death moment, not a game!

Panic stripped away her reason. Terrified, she clutched Bu Chen beside her, instinctively pressing closer to draw strength from him.

Bu Chen immediately stroked her back. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Ruan Ning looked up in a daze and saw Bu Chen with his face turned, his full attention fixed on tracking the killer's movements.

His expression was resolute, his breath coming in heavy gasps, nostrils flaring, a bead of nervous sweat dripping from his forehead.

Sensing Ruan Ning's terrified gaze, he turned and flashed her a mischievous grin. "What, is holding you here a bit longer really enough to make you want to kill me?"

"How can you joke at a time like this!" Ruan Ning shoved his chest in annoyance. Then, stammering, she asked, "Who is he? Why does he want to kill you?"

"Careful." Bu Chen immediately clamped his hand over Ruan Ning's mouth to keep the killer from homing in on the sound.

Keeping his hand over her mouth and nose, he raised an eyebrow. "There are plenty who want me dead. Why bother remembering each one?"

Ruan Ning was speechless, so she simply shut her mouth.

The yacht was enormous, and since no one ever dared to stir up trouble on Bu Chen's turf, people had grown complacent and lax in their defenses. The main security force was still some distance away, kitted out and racing to the scene.

The man, having searched without finding Bu Chen, flew into a berserk rage, kicking and smashing things wildly around the hall.

He channeled his blazing fury into violence, and with one swing, a priceless vase worth tens of thousands shattered into powder.

Ruan Ning trembled from head to toe at the thunderous sounds of destruction.

From the moment it started to now, no more than a minute had passed, yet every second felt as long as a century to Ruan Ning. She couldn't even be sure she'd still be among the living a moment later.

Bu Chen wrapped his arms around her trembling frame and whispered close to her ear, "Listen. In a moment, I'll draw him away. You use the chance to run to the safe area in the aft cabin."

Ruan Ning thought she must have misheard. "You're going to face him alone? How can you fight a man with a gun with your bare hands?"

"Didn't I say I'd guarantee you get home safe and sound?" Bu Chen smiled carelessly.

"But... but..." Ruan Ning's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say more.

She didn't like Bu Chen, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon him and save her own skin—especially not when he'd just genuinely saved her.

"No more buts," Bu Chen said, suddenly turning serious with a rare stern expression, his voice low and decisive. "I don't have a gun on me right now, and that man could come at us any moment. I want you safe. I won't allow any harm to come to you under my watch."

He didn't look at her the entire time, his tone as firm as if he were swearing on his own life.

It was the first time Ruan Ning had seen him speak to her with such gravity. She stared in a daze at this other side of the cynical man she'd never known.

A voice in Ruan Ning's heart echoed silently on a loop: even at the brink of life and death, his first thought was her safety. Her heart suddenly ached.

Bu Chen patted the flustered Ruan Ning, steadying her by the small of her back, and pointed cautiously at the glass door leading to the aft cabin. "When I count to three, you run for that door!"

His tone brooked no argument, but it struck a fierce blow against Ruan Ning's principles.

"No! I won't let you sacrifice yourself to save me!"

She refused him with equally unyielding determination and grabbed hold of his arm.

Bu Chen turned in surprise, looking at the girl's resolute, gleaming eyes, and gave a helpless, wry smile. "Boss, it's fine if you want to argue with me normally, but now that death's knocking on the door, what's the point of being stubborn?"

"I don't care. Sacrificing someone else to live—I really can't do that..."

Ruan Ning blushed as she said it, hurriedly trying to cover up, her mind churning into a mess by the end, not even sure what she was saying. "What if you die and regret it, then come haunt me every day demanding your life back? Either way, there has to be another way. Don't sacrifice yourself for me..."

Bu Chen suddenly found it amusing. Watching her flustered, spouting nonsense without rhyme or reason, he laughed softly and murmured, "Silly girl," then leapt up and dove behind the bar counter across the way.

Ruan Ning stared, stunned, tears nearly spilling from her eyes as she prayed desperately that nothing would happen to him.

The killer caught a glimpse of Bu Chen's figure and fired in pursuit, but every shot missed. Frustrated and enraged, he sprayed bullets wildly in Bu Chen's direction. Vases burst, windows and glass doors shattered into pieces one after another with sharp, explosive cracks.

At the critical moment, the backup guards and security finally arrived.

"Freeze!"

"Drop your weapon!"

Seeing the oncoming force, the man fled through the main entrance of the hall and vanished into the dark night on the deck.

The terrorist attack on Bu Chen's yacht struck like a thunderbolt, sending shockwaves through the entire vessel.

The hall rang out with blaring alarms, surveillance went fully active, and a swarm of security personnel in helmets, body armor, and guns fanned out to every corner, scouring desperately for the culprit.

The most panicked were the rich second-generation heirs and heiresses who spent their days only in eating, drinking, and having fun.

The wealthy treasure their lives above all. They bolt faster than rabbits at the slightest sign of trouble, let alone a genuine terrorist shooting.

The cowardly young lords and ladies immediately summoned their private helicopters.

Each family's chopper came swarming in like a hive of bees toward Bu Chen's yacht, the roaring rotors tearing through the peaceful night sky. The vertical green fluorescent beams on the landing pad swept back and forth impatiently.

As everyone waited for their own people to pick them up, they chattered endlessly about the killer's identity, and that was when Ruan Ning learned just how big a mess she'd caused.

The man's name was Galiman, in his forties.

In his youth, he'd studied abroad in Country A. After returning home, he grew increasingly discontent with his country's bleak reality of being exploited and enslaved, and actively joined the resistance. He was one of the main leaders of Country B's nationwide strike movement.

Not long ago, Galiman had suddenly gone missing. There were rumors he'd been secretly arrested by Country A's military and thrown into prison, and other rumors that he'd been tortured to death behind bars.

Country B had searched for him without success, and international opinion had largely sided with Country B, but Country A's government had refused to acknowledge anything. Galiman's fate had remained a mystery.

Never did anyone expect to see him in person on Bu Chen's yacht today.

Ruan Ning's mind was reeling. She didn't dare dig into the hidden details, only knew she'd landed herself in serious trouble. At this moment, she couldn't think about herself—her only concern was Galiman's safety.

Once Galiman fell into Bu Chen's hands, his survival seemed a slim prospect indeed. For the legend had it that the mastermind behind the military's pursuit order for Galiman was none other than Bu Chen's father, Bu Kai.

The Duke of Banting was a leading figure in Country A's military circles, born of a grand aristocratic, capitalist family. He was domineering and ruthless, leveraging Country A's formidable strength to stir up conflicts everywhere. Domestically, some supported him, and some despised him.

Those who supported him believed he was bold and decisive, capable of restoring Country A to the glory of its imperial-colonial past.

But Ruan Ning's family all disliked him, seeing him as cruel and cunning—bullies of the weak in the name of patriotism, squandering taxpayers' vast fortunes to destroy world peace.

With the killer still at large, the young ladies and gentlemen were already scared out of their wits, gathering in the hall, tightly encircled by bodyguards.

Among them, Song Shao was the most agitated; his curses echoed throughout the entire hall.

"Chen-ge, didn't I tell you? The people of Country B are all ungrateful bastards. You've got to catch this guy and make an example of him. Give them no lesson, and they'll dare to shit on our heads."

"If you ask me, once we catch him, we should just execute him on the spot and not bother handing him over. The bastard says we've killed people, right? Let's kill one right in front of them and show them what we're made of. See if they still dare to make a fuss!"

Ruan Ning's heart screamed out, No.

She didn't want to see anyone bleed or get hurt, nor did she want to add another grievance to the deep, bloody feud between Country A and Country B.

Moreover, deep down, she felt that she and her countrymen bore an original sin in their dealings with the people of Country B.

She'd read historical records and watched plenty of news, and she knew the grave sins Country A had committed during its two centuries of colonizing Country B.

Though people didn't make a point of bringing it up, Country A still controlled Country B's mines, roads, forestry resources, and vast tracts of farmland.

Their oil, natural gas, cotton, and timber were all shipped to Country A at rock-bottom prices, fueling Country A's economy, powering every kilowatt of electricity, every drop of water, every thread of clothing in countless households.

And the people of Country B, who should have been enjoying those resources, still struggled at the edge of poverty nearly a hundred years after independence.

That was why, the moment she laid eyes on Galiman, she'd wanted to help him escape pursuit unconditionally.

Everyone present was essentially the offspring of financial tycoons and aristocrats, and most were echoing Song Shao, cursing the killer. Ruan Ning listened silently to those blade-like words, her heart tormented.

Someone started a new line of questioning: "Hey, how did he even get in? Who let him on board?"

Ruan Ning's heart tightened. The hall seemed to instantly become a crime scene, everyone eyeing each other with suspicion, scrutinizing everyone around them like they were hunting for a mole.

Because everyone took it for granted that Bu Chen's yacht was as impenetrable as an iron fortress—unless there was an insider, no way would such a dangerous man have gotten in.

To clear themselves of suspicion, everyone immediately began recounting the sequence of events. After piecing together everyone's recollections, the hidden Ruan Ning was inevitably exposed and thrust into the spotlight.

Someone asked, "Miss Ruan, did you bring the terrorist aboard?"