Li Zongyu leaned against the iron frame of the bed, arms crossed, his face full of worry. Everything that had happened on the ship left him deeply unsettled.
"I must go speak with Mr. Zhang," he said.
Zhang Weiwei grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with concern. "Don't anger him! Stay calm. We still need to rely on him to survive." She feared Li Zongyu might do something reckless—after all, her husband was a man of strong moral principles.
Li Zongyu reassured her, "Don't worry, I know my limits. At the very least, I need to confirm whether he's killing innocent people."
Ma Wenzheng looked at him and said, "Actually, I don't think you need to worry too much about that."
Li Zongyu and Zhang Weiwei turned to Ma Wenzheng. They held great respect for this businessman, whose character and wisdom had earned everyone's recognition back on Rockflow Island.
"Mr. Ma, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Li Zongyu asked.
Ma Wenzheng replied calmly, "As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. The biggest conflict on the ship right now is concentrated in the lower deck cabins. I find Mr. Zhang's approach understandable—though brutal—letting them resolve their issues internally. But... he's not a bloodthirsty man."
Li Zongyu considered this and found some truth in Ma Wenzheng's words. Still, he needed to verify things himself to feel at ease—after all, all their lives depended on Zhang Yi.
So Li Zongyu decided to go upstairs and speak with Zhang Yi.
The crew treated Li Zongyu politely—this was Zhang Yi's order, granting him certain privileges. When Li Zongyu told the patrolling sailors he wanted to see Zhang Yi, the message was relayed immediately.
Zhang Yi wasn't surprised by the request. He knew the Rockflow Group must be terrified. While he had no ill intentions toward them, he understood the need to reassure them to prevent unnecessary trouble.
So he had Li Zongyu brought to him.
Li Zongyu was cautious and polite when he met Zhang Yi. After some formal pleasantries, he carefully asked, "It seems something happened in the lower deck cabins today. May I ask what occurred? Please don't misunderstand—it's just that everyone is frightened after seeing so many deaths. Let me be clear: I personally trust you completely and firmly support the organization's decisions! I just want to understand what happened so I can reassure everyone."
His careful demeanor reminded Zhang Yi of someone familiar—but this was exactly why he respected Li Zongyu. If not for his prudence, this man likely wouldn't have kept the Rockflow Group alive on Rockflow Island for six months.
Zhang Yi explained calmly, "It's nothing major. Food shortages led to infighting among them."
He raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with a faint smile, "Did you think I ordered a purge in the lower deck cabins?"
Li Zongyu looked embarrassed and waved his hands hastily. "No, no, no! How could we think that?"
Still, Zhang Yi's explanation eased his mind somewhat. Combined with past events, Li Zongyu believed Zhang Yi was telling the truth—if they'd wanted to eliminate those people, they could have done so long ago.
Zhang Yi walked over and patted his shoulder. "Don't overthink things. I'll get you all home safely—as long as you cooperate fully." He wagged a finger in front of Li Zongyu. "Go reassure your people. I don't want unnecessary panic spreading on this ship."
Li Zongyu swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.
As they spoke, crew members carried a corpse past them. Suddenly, Li Zongyu heard a weak plea: "Help... me..."
He instinctively turned and saw two lower-deck survivors carrying a bloodied man toward the railing. Seeing he was still alive, the carriers looked disgusted.
"Damn, he's still breathing!"
"Alright, one, two, three—go!"
They ignored his pleas and, right in front of Zhang Yi and Li Zongyu, tossed him into the icy sea after a few preparatory swings.
Zhang Yi glanced at Li Zongyu's stunned expression and explained coolly, "He was the instigator of this chaos. Deserved it, don't you think?"
Li Zongyu nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! He deserved it!"
But how could Zhang Yi, who hadn't even looked at the bloodied man, determine he was the instigator? Perhaps it didn't matter anymore—what mattered was that he was dead.
Returning to the cabin, Li Zongyu gathered the Rockflow Group as instructed. Anxiety was written on every face—everyone feared becoming the next victim.
Someone immediately asked, "Professor Li, was there really a massacre below? Why did so many die?"
"I can still smell the blood—it's terrifying!"
"I won't sleep well knowing there are so many dead beneath us..."
"Shut up! Stop talking!"
Che Haicheng stepped forward and stared at Li Zongyu. "Professor Li, you're the one who brought us here. Now that this has happened, shouldn't you explain?"
Li Zongyu replied, "I've spoken with Mr. Zhang. What happened below wasn't their doing—it was due to stowaways causing food shortages, leading to violence. We saw similar situations on Rockflow Island. Don't worry too much. Mr. Zhang has promised to get us safely ashore."
"Stop overthinking things, and watch your words. If the wrong people hear careless talk, it'll cause trouble for everyone."
At this point, the pale-faced White Mo, wrapped in a blanket, trembled as he questioned, "Of course he'd say that! But who can prove it's true?"
Amid the murmurs of doubt, Li Zongyu took a deep breath. "Right now, we have no choice but to trust him! Rather than tormenting ourselves with doubts, we should trust first and question later."