Chapter 303 - 302: Finding a Sense of Security in My Son

Chapter 303: Chapter 302: Finding a Sense of Security in My Son

"I don’t agree..." I held Asher’s hand and rested my head against his chest, feeling a bit wronged. "I’m selfish. I don’t want you to take risks."

Asher rubbed my head with a gentle smile. "Alright. I’ll listen to you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he was still willing to listen.

"Mom, they’ve deadbolted the doors, and everything inside is locked too," Adrian ran back, taking Asher’s and my hands. "But they didn’t lock that passage over there." The little boy pointed to a ventilation shaft in the corner.

Asher and I exchanged a glance. The current situation was dire. So many of us were trapped on the deck. Madeline Quinn was injured, Stella Abbott was just a delicate actress, Mason Carter was merely a doctor with little ability to fight back, and that Mr. Sullivan was nothing more than dead weight.

"We can’t stay on the deck for long," Zeke Shaw said, glancing toward the vent. "By locking the doors from the inside, they plan to trap us out here until we die—or at least until we run out of food and water and are forced to beg for mercy. Right now, we can send a few people down through the vent to bring up food and water."

He looked at the group. But at a time like this, who would be willing to make that sacrifice?

"Count me in," Zeke volunteered.

He was a police officer. He always stood on the front lines.

I stayed silent, firmly holding Asher’s hand. Asher was currently a prime target, and I was terrified he would be discovered.

"If we hand him over to the Resistance, we can at least exchange him for a chance to leave. What if he really is the CEO of the Astraeus Group?" Erin Whittaker proposed agitatedly. "Even with food, how long can we survive on this deck?"

"Shut up!" I shot Erin a warning glare.

"I’ll go. I’ll go with you," Julian Fletcher volunteered to accompany Zeke.

"Julian... you’re injured," Erin said, shaking her head. "We were perfectly fine in our room. They were the ones being hunted. If we hadn’t saved them, we wouldn’t be in this miserable state."

Julian frowned. "That has nothing to do with what you’re suggesting."

Erin’s face paled, and she lowered her head, her eyes reddening.

"She’s not wrong. Sacrificing him might just buy us a way out. What if he really is the CEO of the Astraeus Group?" Ace said with a smile. "Think carefully about the clues for the CEO: a genius, socially withdrawn... No matter how you look at it, he fits the profile perfectly."

"We have at least five geniuses on this deck, all with withdrawn and strange personalities," I retorted, shielding Asher. "Aren’t you one of them? How about we hand you over instead?"

It was obvious they wanted to sacrifice Asher.

"Five geniuses? Where did you get five?" Felix Foster asked smugly.

"Asher, her, Ace, and me?" Lucas Grant sounded rather confident.

"You aren’t one of the people I was talking about," I said, giving Lucas an apologetic look.

Lucas scoffed and sat off to the side, falling silent.

Felix chuckled, teasing, "You’re pretty smart after all."

Lucas rolled his eyes at him.

"Out of all of us here, he is the only one who hasn’t taken the safe test," Ace spoke up again, matching my hostility.

She was openly provoking us.

"I think we shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves. Even if the CEO of the Astraeus Group really is among us, we should stick together," Mr. Sullivan offered meekly. But his words carried little weight, and no one paid him any mind.

"Enough. We’re all in the same boat here," Zeke said, looking at the group. "Who else is willing to go get food?"

"I... I’ll go," Mr. Sullivan offered again.

Zeke completely ignored him. "Anyone else?"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "I’ll go."

Zeke nodded. "The rest of you stay on the deck and try to find shelter from the storm. We’ll go look for food. Stay safe, everyone."

"Isn’t it too dangerous for just the three of you to go? They have people guarding down there," Mason asked quietly.

"I’ll go too," Lucas chimed in.

Asher looked at me. I shook my head. He was a target right now; it would be too dangerous for him to go down.

The four of them descended through the ventilation shaft, and the rest of us began looking for cover on the deck.

"Everyone, find a place to rest," Killian Lancaster said, pointing to a corner. "We’ll take turns keeping watch. If anything happens, give a warning in advance."

I held Asher’s hand tightly. "Don’t do anything reckless."

Asher nodded.

"Cece, are you hungry? You guys haven’t eaten much." Madeline pulled a few pieces of bread from beneath the blanket on her wheelchair and handed them to me.

I smiled and asked the two little ones, "Are you hungry?"

Both children shook their heads.

"You must be tired. Eat a little and get some sleep," Asher comforted me.

I nodded, shared the bread with him, and after eating, leaned against his chest and fell asleep.

Zeke and the others didn’t return for a long time. Everyone’s nerves were stretched taut. Night fell, and it grew freezing on the deck. Asher held me tightly in his arms.

CLICK.

Amidst the howling wind and crashing waves, a faint noise rang out.

Adrian and Stella stared vigilantly into the darkness. Adrian whispered in my ear, "Dad, Mom, someone is opening the deck door."

The two little ones’ hearing was truly astonishing.

I jerked awake and warily scanned the deck. Everyone was still here...

"Wait! Mason, where’s Mason?" I scrambled up, rushing with Asher to stop him, but it was too late. Mason had already unlocked the deck door.

Immediately, a swarm of people surged up from inside.

Mason looked at us, his face filled with guilt. "I’m sorry... I have to find the CEO of the Astraeus Group. I want to go home..."

He just wanted to live.

Asher shielded me behind him, watching the intruders with extreme caution.

The man leading the group stepped onto the deck and sneered. "All’s fair in war... returning the favor."

"Were you approaching us with an ulterior motive from the very beginning?" I demanded of Mason.

"The ones killing people in the corridors were our men..." the leader chuckled. "Sebastian Lancaster, I have reasonable grounds to suspect that you are the elusive CEO of the Astraeus Group. So, we put on a little show to let Mason get close to you."

The man smirked. "Do you still remember me, Sebastian?"

I looked at Asher.

His expression was dark, but he continued to stand protectively in front of me. "Jordan Zane. A doctor from the psychiatric hospital."

He was an intern doctor who had participated in Asher’s treatment back at the psychiatric ward.

Jordan nodded and turned to Mason. "Is he the CEO of the Astraeus Group?"

Mason shook his head. "He’s just a suspect. The others suspect him too, but it’s not certain."

Jordan fixed his gaze on Asher. "He is the prime suspect. I’ve already secured the other halfway decent candidates. If we hand him over to them along with the rest, one of them is bound to be the real deal."

Jordan and his gang had been searching for the Astraeus Group’s CEO among those with hand injuries. They had already eliminated most of the ones who could be quickly ruled out. As for the rest, anyone remotely suspicious was captured and handed over to the Resistance in exchange for survival.

Right now, everyone was waiting for their wounds to heal. Once their hands healed enough to undergo the safe test, the true CEO of the Astraeus Group would be revealed.

"I’ll go with you. Let them go. Otherwise... I guarantee you will never find the CEO of the Astraeus Group," Asher said calmly, turning to glance at me.

I frowned, clasping my hands tightly in alarm. They outnumbered us; now was not the time for a head-on clash.

"Does that mean you are the CEO?" Jordan’s lips curled upwards.

"Whether I am or not, you’ll naturally find out once my hand is fully healed," Asher said with utter confidence.

Jordan had heavily suspected him to begin with. Hearing Asher’s response, he nodded with a smile. "Take them all away and lock them in a room."

Jordan ordered his men to herd all of us into a single room, but Asher was to be taken to the Resistance.

"Take me too," I said, standing beside Asher. I didn’t want to be separated from him.

"Be good. You have to take care of the kids." Asher shook his head at me.

"Dad, Mom doesn’t want you to go," Adrian ran over and hugged Asher.

"Take good care of Mom," Asher told Adrian earnestly.

Adrian nodded and asked seriously, "Dad, do you actually want to go?"

Asher nodded.

Only then did Adrian let go of him. It was as if the little boy was saying that if his dad didn’t want to go, these people wouldn’t be a threat at all.

"Mom, Dad will be fine. I’ll protect you." Adrian turned back and patted me, reassuring me.

I took a deep breath. For the first time, I felt a profound sense of security... from a child.