Chapter 817: Bravely Taking Responsibility
Zhang Yi called Old Tian to the captain's cabin.
"Can you handle managing over two hundred people down there?" Zhang Yi asked directly.
He hated dealing with troublesome matters in daily life, so he left such trivial tasks to Old Tian.
Old Tian grinned. "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. After so many years at sea, I've dealt with all kinds of crew members. I've managed bigger ships with more people before."
"There won't be any trouble! It's just..."
Noticing his odd expression, Zhang Yi smiled and said, "Speak your mind."
Old Tian admitted frankly, "These people aboard seem to be of unusual status, former dignitaries and elites. After a few comfortable days, some might start causing trouble."
"There won't be any problems. Deal with them however you see fit. When necessary," he pointed to the gun at Old Tian's waist, "don't hesitate to empty the entire magazine."
If anyone dared misbehave after boarding, Zhang Yi wouldn't mind throwing their corpses into the sea to feed the sharks.
After all, human life held no value nowadays.
With Zhang Yi's assurance, Old Tian felt much more at ease.
A cruel smile crept onto his lips as he instinctively reached for the whip behind his back.
He had his own methods for disciplining unruly individuals.
Otherwise, how do you think managers dealt with slaves and laborers back at the Dawn Rain Base?
"Set sail! It's time to return!" Zhang Yi turned and went back to the cabin.
Old Tian licked his chapped lips, his face full of wicked glee.
Disciplining those self-important big shots was his favorite pastime.
Just then, a crew member approached and whispered something in his ear.
"Should we inform the captain?" the crew member asked.
Old Tian frowned. "If we bother the captain with every little thing, what use are we? We can handle this ourselves!"
He walked to the ship's edge and leaned over the railing to look down.
An unusual sight greeted him at the Golden Edge's hull.
Numerous hooks clung to the ship's side, with refugees scrambling up like locusts on strings.
Some windows below had opened, ready to receive them.
"Trying to pull this stunt, eh? Hehehe!" Old Tian's smiling face looked positively demonic.
The stowaways below turned pale when discovered.
Old Tian pulled out his submachine gun and aimed at the trespassers.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!"
Screams echoed outside the Golden Edge, soon swallowed by the icy northern wind.
The would-be stowaways were shot into the sea.
Those waiting inside to receive them saw no trespassers - only a bloody rain pouring down before corpses plopped into the freezing ocean.
"Ahhh!!" Several women shrieked in terror.
Others in the cabin wore gloomy expressions.
"How ruthless these people are!" someone couldn't help muttering.
The speaker immediately received sharp glares warning him to shut up.
He quickly complied, remembering Zhou Andi's example.
No one knew who might be next to get thrown overboard.
Once the ship sailed, the only way off was into the sea - certain death!
Someone cautiously checked the entrance for crew members before sighing in relief at finding none nearby.
The Rockflow Group members, packed eight to a room, enjoyed cramped quarters that paradoxically fostered a sense of intimate solidarity.
Foreigner White Mo and New Rohan official Che Haicheng shared a lower bunk.
As gunfire echoed outside, White Mo leaned against the cabin wall, his face full of melancholy.
"So brutal, they're so brutal. Killing so casually - how are they any different from those villains on the island?"
"Will we be killed midway too?"
Che Haicheng moved closer with a smile. "You're from Columbus Ocean - hard to say. That Mr. Zhang doesn't seem to like Columbus Ocean people much."
White Mo widened his eyes. "Oh God, don't scare me! You're making this feel like a medieval slave ship, with me as cargo to be tossed to the sharks at any moment!"
Che Haicheng grinned maliciously. "Who knows? We're thousands of kilometers from Huaxu Kingdom with one or two months of sailing ahead. Anything could happen."
He'd meant to frighten White Mo, but found himself frowning as he spoke.
"Let's hope for smooth sailing. Otherwise... we might end up as shark food. Or worse - their emergency rations."
White Mo hugged himself in growing terror. "Why hasn't anyone come to rescue me? Has Columbus Ocean really abandoned its citizens?"
Zhang Yi returned to the cabin intending to summon Li Zongyu for a detailed discussion about the Divine Source.
Some questions weren't appropriate to ask on the island, but now he wouldn't miss this opportunity.
But he'd barely returned when he ran into Zhu Yunque hurrying toward him.
"Mr. Zhang, you're back! Do you have diapers and baby formula?" she asked urgently.
Zhang Yi spread his hands. "Do I look like someone who would have those things?"
Of course not - Zhang Yi was unmarried and childless.
Though in truth he did have them.
But he wasn't sharing.
Zhu Yunque frowned anxiously.
Her impulsive decision to bring the child aboard now haunted her.
The baby had woken crying nonstop in her room, leaving her flustered.
After much deliberation, she'd sought Zhou Ke'er's help.
Though lacking childcare experience herself, Zhou Ke'er's medical background made her more observant.
After examining the child, she concluded, "He's not sick. The crying probably means he's hungry or needs a diaper change."
Zhu Yunque froze. She'd never cared for a child before - how would she know how to change diapers?
Besides, where would they get diapers on this ship?
Zhou Ke'er suggested she ask Zhang Yi, knowing he had supplies though whether he'd share depended on his mood.
Thus unfolded the current scene.
Seeing Zhu Yunque's distress, Zhang Yi sighed before offering solemn encouragement:
"Since you chose to take responsibility, see it through properly. Go on, I support you! I believe you can be a good mother!"