Just as San and his group were bracing for death, they suddenly heard a thunderous noise from the cargo ship, which shook violently, then saw the massive ship slowly tilt to one side.
"What's going on? Who's steering this ship?" Master Hei almost fell to the ground and immediately yelled in anger.
At that moment, a terrified voice came from the cockpit, "Bad news, the ship is taking on water."
With those words, the ship's body began to tilt towards the stern, causing Master Hei and his group to lose their balance and slide towards the stern.
Everyone hurriedly grabbed the railings to barely steady themselves, while Li and the others, being tied up, slid directly to the stern.
At this point, Master Hei couldn't care less about Li and the others and angrily shouted, "What's going on? How could it suddenly start leaking?"
Just then, a lackey poked his head from the deck to look towards the stern and then pointed at the sea in terror, shouting, "He… he…"
Master Hei roared, "Coward, what could scare you ?"
As he spoke, Master Hei also leaned over to look at the sea.
But as soon as he looked, he was also petrified, eyes widening in horror, his face showing even more fear than the lackey's earlier.
Seeing this, all the lackeys around looked down at the ship and saw Wang Yan sprinting up the hull.
The hull was vertically smooth, yet Wang Yan ran up it as if it were flat ground.
Moreover, with every step Wang Yan took, his foot would land heavily on the hull, stamping it fiercely.
Each of Wang Yan's steps left a huge hole in the sturdy hull, as if beneath his feet wasn't thick steel but paper thin as a cicada's wing.
As Wang Yan ran along, the hull now bore dozens of holes, and rushing seawater flooded into the ship through them.
It was only then that Master Hei understood why the ship suddenly leaked, realizing that it was Wang Yan stomping on it.
Master Hei was shocked at this point, wondering what kind of power could allow someone to casually stomp through a hull with a single step. It was surely an inhuman strength.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Master Hei: there was a legend that spoke of a mysterious force in the world known as the demon—
Just as this thought crossed Master Hei's mind, he saw Wang Yan already rushing onto the deck. Under Master Hei's terrified gaze, Wang Yan's cold face came increasingly closer, and just as he was about to reach him, Wang Yan swung his fist, which grew larger in his view until it filled his entire vision.
Master Hei felt darkness overcome him, a sharp pain on his face, and then his entire body felt light as if he was floating away, his consciousness slowly drifting from his body.
In the instant his consciousness left, Master Hei felt regret, knowing he should never have provoked him.
This was Master Hei's last thought in life, etched deeply into his mind as he closed his eyes.
From others' perspectives, Wang Yan shot up from the sea onto the deck like a cannonball, and as he flew, he punched Master Hei squarely on the chin, sending Master Hei's body into the air, his teeth scattered out of his mouth.
Just as Master Hei's body was launched skyward and then crashed to the ground, Wang Yan already stood firmly on the deck.
Looking at Wang Yan on the deck, over a thousand strong men around were dumbstruck with fear, staring at Wang Yan like he was a demon from Hell, each one frozen in place, unable to or even forgetting how to move.
At that moment, the ship's tilt grew more severe, sending the masses sliding down as containers collided, breaking apart and falling into the sea.
The strong men frantically grasped the nearby railings to barely steady themselves, but with the increasing tilt, they couldn't avoid the fate of falling into the sea.
At this point, Li, Sister Fang, and others, being tied up, had already slid towards the stern, about to slip into the sea.
Wang Yan moved quickly, ignoring the strong men and rushing towards Sister Fang and the others.
At that moment, containers on the ship became chaotic, sliding towards the stern as well.
The massive containers, taller than a person and weighing several tons, slid down the deck, scraping it with a screeching sound.
At this time, as Li slid down, she happened to collide with the cabins, halting her before she could go overboard.
This act saved Li's life momentarily, but then she saw a container sliding down towards her, and if it landed, she would be crushed into mincemeat.
Li, entirely bound, had no means of escape and could only tightly shut her eyes, thinking, "It's over."
But after a moment, Li felt no pain and slowly opened her eyes, seeing someone standing in front of her, one hand stopping the advancing container.
Despite the ship's steep angle and the massive container weighing several tons, the person held it with one hand as if it was a small wooden box.
When Li looked closely, she immediately realized it was Wang Yan protecting her. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet
"Brother Wang Yan!" Li exclaimed excitedly.
Wang Yan smiled slightly, and with his other hand, he twisted his fingers, snapping the rope as thick as a thumb holding Li, breaking it into pieces.
Li was immediately free, and she couldn't help but open her arms and hug Wang Yan's arm.
At that moment, Li felt an immediate sense of safety.
Then, Wang Yan whispered into Li's ear, "Close your eyes, and I'll take you ashore."
Though knowing the cargo ship had sailed a mile out with no means to reach shore unaided, Li had such faith in Wang Yan that she immediately closed her eyes.
Then, she felt herself being grabbed by Wang Yan and thrown outward, ascending into the sky, soaring further and higher.
In midair, Li began to feel afraid, hastily opening her eyes.
She was startled to see herself suspended in midair, above the vast ocean below, the dock not far away.
Though she was flying towards the dock, being so high, even if she landed on it, the hard concrete would undoubtedly break her body.
Fear overwhelmed her, and in midair, Li flailed her arms and legs in a panic.
But Wang Yan's push was so powerful that despite her struggles, she couldn't stop.
Seeing herself about to crash onto the cement dock, Li couldn't help but close her eyes shut.
Knowing she was about to die, she felt strangely liberated.
"Goodbye, Wang Yan." Li thought silently.
Then, with a splash, Li hit the ground.