Chapter 275 - 274: Death Cruise, This Time I’ll Protect You

Chapter 275: Chapter 274: Death Cruise, This Time I’ll Protect You

After two days in the hospital, Zeke Shaw showed up, just as I expected.

He hesitated outside the door, holding a basket of fruit.

Madeline Quinn was also peeking in from the doorway.

Lucas Grant shoved Zeke Shaw aside and came in holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Sorry, I’m allergic to pollen. Get out." I pulled the blanket over my head. ’This is too dangerous. I don’t want Asher or Madeline to go...’

’I don’t care what happens to me, though.’

Lucas Grant looked completely baffled. "You have so many flowers at home. Since when are you allergic?"

"Just now. Before you came in." I huffed, clutching tightly to Asher.

Lucas Grant seemed to get the picture. He placed the flowers on the table, then put the fruit there as well. "We don’t mean to force you to go. We just came to see you, don’t get the wrong idea."

I rolled my eyes. ’As if I’d believe that.’

"It’s just... there are over twenty kids on the ship, and a few infants," Zeke Shaw said softly, rubbing the tip of his nose.

Lucas Grant and Zeke Shaw looked at Asher.

Asher then looked at me.

They knew I wouldn’t be able to just leave those children.

"How many of them are from The Resistance?" I asked.

This was about whether we could make it back from the sea alive.

The entire cruise ship was being held hostage, and its fuel and supplies were limited.

"The members of The Resistance are hiding in plain sight on the cruise ship. They could be drivers, chefs, sailors, or even the onboard dancers," Zeke Shaw said in a low voice.

In other words, the police still hadn’t determined how many of them there were.

"Killian Lancaster said The Resistance hacked the Global Chamber of Commerce’s website and sent a message to every member in Meridia. That means they could have been hiding on this cruise ship for a long time. They have so many people; if we go, we’ll just be walking to our deaths," I said with a frown.

"The police will patrol a relatively safe perimeter, ready to launch a rescue at any moment. Besides, they promised that if the few of us board the ship, they’ll let the innocent children go first."

My hands clenched nervously. It wasn’t that I was afraid to die...

It’s just that my eyelid wouldn’t stop twitching.

I had already felt true fear back at the lab. The people from the Organization were terrifying, but so were the people from The Resistance. For them, there was no absolute right or wrong, no good or evil, only opposing sides.

The Resistance wanted to dismantle The Genetics Organization, but their ultimate goal was still unknown. Was it purely for revenge? The Genetics Organization wanted to control the world’s wealth and primary resources. A conflict of interest existed between the two.

"Have you ever thought about why they keep forcing us to play this damn game?" I frowned, looking at Zeke Shaw and the others. "I can understand their purpose in getting me on the ship, because I’m currently a highly valued asset to the Organization. But what about you? Zeke Shaw, you’re just a detective. And you, Lucas Grant, you may be from the genius class, but your IQ definitely doesn’t meet the Organization’s standards..."

Lucas Grant opened his mouth to object, clearly unconvinced, but he couldn’t find the words to argue...

"Madeline Quinn is just a trainee medical examiner. Asher is just a custom-designed heir from gene editing, and there’s definitely more than one wealthy heir like him—Killian Lancaster is one of them. Why are they so fixated on you all? Why do they insist on dragging you into these damn games?"

This was what I couldn’t understand.

Unless the leader of The Resistance had some special reason for doing all this.

"Besides, Nathan Lawson showed me the news. It said Victor Quinn is a member of The Resistance, and he’s already been caught. So how is someone still orchestrating this cruise ship game so methodically?" Obviously, Victor Quinn wasn’t the only leader of The Resistance.

Zeke Shaw and Lucas Grant fell silent.

Clearly, my questions were their questions too.

"Instead of wearing ourselves out with guessing games, why not go up there and find out?" From the doorway, Felix Foster dug his hands into his pockets, smiled, and asked Asher, "Are you afraid to die?"

I looked at Asher, expecting him to say he wasn’t, since he truly had no fear of death.

Asher frowned and said in a deep voice, "Yes. Because I have a wife."

’Of course he’s afraid to die. He has a wife now, why wouldn’t he be?’

"Tch, that’s just cruel," Felix Foster snorted.

"I have a wife. You don’t," Asher repeated.

Felix Foster took a deep breath, turned away angrily, and stood outside the door, ignoring Asher.

The hospital room fell silent. Everyone was quiet.

The truth was, we all knew that boarding that ship was a suicide mission.

But we were definitely going.

If not for the secrets behind it all, then for the twenty-odd children, we had to go.

"Lucas Grant, are you the person in charge of this case?" I asked.

Lucas Grant nodded.

"If you succeed in rescuing those people, you’ll get a promotion, right?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

Lucas Grant coughed, looking guilty. "A promotion is unlikely, but there’d be a bonus and a commendation. And if I die, I’ll be honored as a martyr..."

"Hah..." I gritted my teeth. "If we all make it back alive... you’re buying dinner. For a week."

Lucas Grant stared at me for a long moment, then a smile broke out on his face. "Deal..."

"Never mind a week. I’ll treat you for a whole month."

Zeke Shaw smiled too.

We all looked at each other. Well, shall we go?

...

「On the sea, a cruise ship.」

The cruise ship had stopped just short of international waters, presumably waiting for us.

A small police boat brought us over.

"Hey, are you scared?" I asked Madeline Quinn.

Madeline Quinn shivered. "N-No..."

Her voice wasn’t very convincing.

"After the killing game in the abandoned building, I’m used to it now. At least I won’t be like last time," Madeline Quinn said in a small voice.

I nodded. It was good that she had some mental preparation in advance.

"Ah, this should be interesting," Killian Lancaster said, like the madman he was...

I glared at him, fighting the urge to kick him off the boat.

Felix Foster also looked at Killian Lancaster with disgust. "Why did we have to bring this lunatic on board?"

"His name was on the list," Zeke Shaw sighed.

"Then why is Ace here?" Felix Foster asked, looking back at the one they called Cecilia Caldwell No. 2, who was sitting silently in the corner like a walking corpse.

"Who knows? It’s what the list required," Zeke Shaw said again.

"It must be... that all of us have some value to this game," I murmured, looking up at the cruise ship warily.

As our boat drew near the cruise ship, someone above threw down a rope ladder.

"Police, withdraw! Otherwise, we’ll kill the hostages and throw them into the sea," a man in sunglasses threatened in a grim voice.

The few of us boarded the ship. The deck was empty; everyone must have been confined inside the cabins.

This cruise ship was truly massive... its level of luxury was top-class in Meridia.

"Stand still." The leader stopped us and began to check our faces against our identities one by one.

Once they confirmed that everyone on the list had boarded, they cleared a path, directing us into the main cabin.

On the deck, surprisingly, they didn’t search us. The weapons and food we had hidden on us were still there.

I looked at Asher curiously, wondering what they were playing at.

But Asher just squeezed my hand and shook his head at me.

I squeezed his hand back and whispered, "This time, you are not to leave my sight. No more pointless sacrifices. Let me protect you..."

Asher looked at me and smiled, his eyes sparkling as if filled with light.

He nodded obediently and hid behind me. Where I couldn’t see, his eyes turned ice-cold.