Chapter 831: I Don't Owe Them Anything
Zhang Yi waved his hand, signaling Old Tian to prepare a lifeboat for them.
Old Tian approached and whispered in Zhang Yi's ear, "We only have two lifeboats prepared. If we give them one..."
Zhang Yi glanced at him. "Just toss them a rubber dinghy to make it look good. Did you actually plan to give them a proper lifeboat?"
Old Tian immediately understood and grinned as he led some crew members to fetch an inflatable raft.
Though Zhu Yunque and others had some objections about Zhang Yi's decision, after witnessing Yamada Masami being thrown overboard, they found it easier to accept the fate of the two remaining Neon Pirates.
Look, at least Zhang Yi gave them a boat instead of directly tossing them into the sea.
Such is human nature.
If you propose opening a window in a wall, people will find countless reasons to oppose it.
When Old Tian brought over the inflatable raft, the two Neon Pirates wailed pitifully for a while.
Yet Zhang Yi's gaze remained icy—he couldn't care less about whether these two lived or died.
Truth be told, he hardly cared about the survival of most people on this ship.
Out of basic humanity, Zhang Yi provided them with three days' worth of rations before casting them adrift.
This gesture suddenly made everyone perceive Zhang Yi as surprisingly compassionate.
After dealing with the three individuals, Zhang Yi waved dismissively. "Everyone, disperse!"
The crew members scattered back to their cabins, each lost in their own thoughts.
Most showed no sympathy toward the Neon Pirates' plight, even joking about the incident.
"Those Neon bastards hid themselves well! I never noticed them before."
"Hah! They got what they deserved. I think Mr. Zhang did the right thing. What right did they have boarding our Huaxu Kingdom's ship?"
"Just thinking about those dogs causing havoc on Huaxu soil makes my blood boil! If I'd been there, I would've fought them to the death!"
Only some foreigners among the Rockflow Group expressed unease about the situation.
Before leaving, Che Haicheng made sure to approach Zhang Yi and pledge his loyalty.
"Mr. Zhang, I'll report to you immediately if I notice anything unusual!"
"You can count on me—I won't allow anything to displease you!"
Che Haicheng was a useful dog. Perhaps not the most loyal one, but definitely reliable when it came to betraying peers to save himself.
Zhang Yi smiled and patted Che Haicheng's cheek with moderate force.
"Good. Keep an eye on them for me. But remember—don't bite indiscriminately. I dislike unnecessary chaos on my ship."
"Otherwise, you'll be the first one I deal with. Understood?"
Che Haicheng gulped and nodded vigorously.
"Mr. Zhang, loyalty above all!"
After everyone left, Zhang Yi noticed Zhu Yunque leaning against the railing, watching the distant inflatable raft with sorrowful eyes.
Did miracles exist in this world?
But no one looking at that tiny boat adrift in the frozen ocean would believe its occupants could survive.
Zhang Yi had no intention of comforting her. Let her learn the world's harsh realities firsthand.
Yet Zhu Yunque suddenly spoke: "Mr. Zhang, don't you feel some sick pleasure when stripping people of their right to survive?"
Zhang Yi turned, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Zhu Yunque bit her red lip, staring directly at him.
"Answer me—if Yamada Masami had been an ordinary Neon citizen instead of a criminal, would you still have thrown him overboard?"
Zhang Yi responded without hesitation: "Obviously. Frankly, it makes no difference to me."
"I don't owe them anything. Whether they're good or evil, they've done nothing for me."
"So if it pleases me, I can kick them off my ship whenever I want."
He smiled chillingly. "Besides, they should thank me. I gave them extra days to live!"
Zhu Yunque frowned. "If they'd never boarded this ship, they might still be alive now!"
Zhang Yi threw his head back and laughed.
"Miss Zhu, oh Miss Zhu," he said with icy amusement, "how delightfully naive you are."
The moment he'd set foot on Rockflow Island, everyone connected to Li Zongyu had only two choices—leave with him or die.
Not a single detail about the Divine Source could be risked leaking.
A look of horrified realization dawned on Zhu Yunque's face.
Zhang Yi ignored her and headed below deck with Zhou Ke'er. Unlike the idealistic Zhu Yunque, Zhou Ke'er had stood quietly by his side throughout, completely unfazed by everything that transpired.
Meanwhile, among the Rockflow Group...
Che Haicheng swaggered downstairs, even humming a cheerful tune. Today had been his moment to shine—thanks to him, Zhang Yi had rooted out the two hidden Neon Pirates.
This effectively made him Zhang Yi's eyes and ears, granting him special status in the middle deck where the Rockflow Group resided.
The moment he arrived, several people grabbed him.
"Che Haicheng! Why did you expose Nenji Naoko and Sawa Akira?"
A furious Rockflow member seized his collar, eyes blazing. "What did they do to deserve death?"
Che Haicheng remained unfazed.
"Hey, I'm from New Rohan! Hating Neon people is our national pastime!"
"Besides, you should thank me for saving you! Everyone knows Mr. Zhang despises Neons. If we'd kept quiet, can you guarantee he wouldn't have punished us all? Can you?"
His shout silenced the group. No one could confidently predict Zhang Yi's actions.
None wanted to risk suffering collateral damage.
Che Haicheng contemptuously shook off the man's grip and straightened his collar.
"Your priority should be your own survival!"
Gazing out at the terrifying frozen ocean through the window, he said gravely:
"Until this ship reaches land, none of us are guaranteed to make it."
"So we must do whatever it takes."
Li Zongyu watched silently. Instead of confronting Che Haicheng, he quietly returned to his cabin after hearing these words, deep in thought.
Inside, Zhang Weiwei, entrepreneur Ma Wenzheng, and several moderate Rockflow members awaited.