"Guests, please don’t crowd. Let the elderly, women, and children board first, and men after!" The staff on the ship maintained professionalism, trying hard to keep order, though with little effect.
This chaotic situation only slows down the evacuation and increases danger. In such a short time, a few people have already fallen into the sea.
John Brown frowned. If the situation isn’t controlled soon, there might be severe casualties. He signaled to Martin Miller, who quickly picked up his gun and fired a few shots into the sky.
No matter how loudly the staff shouted, it wasn’t as effective as the gunshots. People around were startled and too scared to move.
Martin Miller grabbed a microphone from a staff member and shouted, "Follow the instructions, whoever jumps the queue, I’ll shoot them."
Martin’s fierce demeanor proved quite effective, at least the people around calmed down. Under the staff’s guidance, the elderly, women, and children were allowed to board first.
"Let our leaders board first." At this moment, a provincial leader was being escorted to push through.
"Bang!" A gunshot echoed, and the person who spoke staggered and fell to the ground, clutching their leg, crying out loudly.
"Damn it, what’s so great about being a leader? At this time, leaders should stay behind to ensure everyone’s safe evacuation. Otherwise, what’s the point of being a leader!" Martin shouted angrily.
This resonated with everyone present. Even though they were wealthy, business people often resented government officials’ privilege. Wanting to prioritize themselves for evacuation angered everyone.
The main point is, Martin truly dared to shoot. His deterrence power was very effective; even those men who wanted to act special were obedient now.
"You all, maintain order! If anyone disobeys, just shoot them." Martin yelled at the security guards who looked at each other.
One security guard hesitated and said, "But... it might hurt the guests..."
Martin cursed, "Guests my ass! If we don’t immediately keep order, how many more will die? Right, isn’t there a provincial leader? Ask them if there’s a problem maintaining order this way!"
John Brown whispered in his ear, "Here’s your chance. If you want a promotion, act quickly."
The overweight leader, visibly furious about being stopped, was now brought into the spotlight by Martin, which only aggravated him further.
Gritting his teeth, the leader finally nodded, saying, "Order must be restored as a priority. Anyone disrupting will affect more evacuees." He was also willing to risk it, as he couldn’t escape early; he might as well be a hero dealing with a major event.
If a few disorderly people were killed, compared to saving thousands, it would be justified. He could even have them labeled as terrorists with the right connections.
"I’m Lieutenant Governor Benjamin Stone. Onboard employees must maintain order by any means necessary. If something happens, I’ll take responsibility." He finally said something that satisfied John Brown.
With the lieutenant governor’s endorsement, the ship staff promptly spread out to maintain order. Gunfire continued, obviously using its threat to maintain order.
The evacuation speeded up. Shortly, more than half the women and children left for the ship. John Brown told the women beside him, "Alright, now you board the ship."
Gina Lopez displayed leadership qualities, saying, "Emma, Charlotte, you take Little Violet and board quickly. Lucy, Sarah, Sister Sunny, Charlotte, Sandra, you all board."
Lucy Campbell quickly asked, "What about you?"
Gina Lopez turned to John Brown, saying, "I’ll stay here with you, we’ll leave together."
John Brown frowned, saying, "No, you board too."
"No! We are husband and wife, united in life and death. I must stay here with you." Gina firmly refused.
Martin Miller enviously remarked, "Boss, your wife is amazing."
Evelyn Wilson sneered, saying, "Don’t get sour; I’m staying with you too."
Martin was overjoyed. Evelyn admitting their relationship meant a lot, but he immediately shook his head, saying, "No way, you must board the ship."
"Humph, if she can do it, why can’t I? Are you underestimating me?" Evelyn sulked, grabbing Martin’s hand.
Martin was so happy he was almost dizzy, holding Evelyn’s hand speechlessly.
John Brown shook his head, saying, "No, you women must leave. Even if we encounter issues, Martin and I have other ways to escape. Lucy, you know this."
Lucy nodded, saying, "True, Gina, Evelyn, we should leave. This isn’t the time to act on impulse. Staying only troubles them."
Her words were effective, as Gina and Evelyn reluctantly boarded.
However, now all the boats were so loaded that they couldn’t sit together and were spread onto several small boats.
"Honey, be careful!" Gina’s eyes welled up.
"Brother-in-law! I’ll wait for you to have dinner tonight." Emily Lopez shouted.
Charlotte cried, "Uncle, if you don’t come back, I’ll join you tomorrow."
Emma Campbell, eyes red, lips trembling, softly said, "Big Brother John, come back safe."
Sunny Nguyen gazed at John Brown and just smiled without speaking, while Sarah Utah gritted her teeth, saying, "Big Brother John, I believe you’ll make it."
Emily Jenkins, still cheerful, quipped, "Big Brother John, if you die, all these beauties will marry others, think of how many ’green hats’ you’ll wear then."
Linda Campbell smiled at John Brown, fully confident that he could escape even if he couldn’t board, certain he would be safe.
Little Violet looked around; seeing so many beautiful aunties talking to her dad, she felt she should say something, but couldn’t sense the danger, thought for a while, and just as the boat descended, yelled, "Dad, catch a shark for me to play with."
People around widened their eyes at the peculiar little girl, while John Brown laughed, saying, "Alright, Daddy will catch a shark for you to play with."