The current misfortune was compounded by the fact that the pitch-black night sky was flashing with lightning, and a storm was fast approaching. The entire ocean seemed to have descended into hell, with infinite terror and deathly silence pervading the surrounding world.
But we did not retreat; we pressed forward. At the same time, we heard a beeping sound. Ren Mingzhe, at some unknown moment, had seized Fan Qianwei and brought her to the top of the cruise ship, holding a pistol. "Today, all the tourists and you police will perish on this ship with me!"
"Ren Mingzhe, what on earth are you doing? I'm Fan Qianwei, and you're holding your fiancée hostage?"
"Qianwei, it's all over. You'll go to hell with me. Once the bomb explodes, the cruise ship will sink, and we'll become the most beautiful mandarin ducks at the bottom of the sea!"
"You lunatic, how could I have fallen for you? Are you really part of that criminal organization?"
"You could say that. Strictly speaking, I'm using them. In fact, I knew they were on board long ago!"
"Fool, you're being used by them. Don't you know they want to kill those police officers?"
"Hahaha, no matter the reason, both our objectives have been achieved. What a pity for you, Qianwei."
"I'm not to be pitied. You know I've cherished this relationship all these years. I never expected you to still be holding onto the hatred from five years ago. I knew about that incident, but I didn't tell you."
"And you still dared to be with me?"
"Ahaha, Ren Mingzhe, didn't I refuse you when you pursued me before? But one night five years ago, I suddenly agreed. In fact, I wanted to atone for your deceased father. However, after spending more time with you, I unintentionally grew to genuinely love you. I thought you had forgotten your hatred and could live happily with me forever, little did I know that the final outcome could not be changed after all."
"Qianwei!"
As the two were talking, I secretly moved behind them. I knew the bomb's detonator was the lighter, and it was in Ren Mingzhe's hand!
If I could take away the detonator, the bomb wouldn't explode!
I was extremely cautious, like a thief, and crept up behind them. With swift movements, I snatched the controller from Ren Mingzhe's hand. Noticing my appearance, Ren Mingzhe turned around agitatedly, grabbed Fan Qianwei, and pointed the gun at me. "Back off!"
I also raised my gun, and we pointed them at each other.
The storm intensified, drenching our clothes. Because we were standing at a height, our bodies were almost blown away. If our footing wasn't stable, we would have been swept into the sea.
"The detonator is in my hand now, Ren Mingzhe. Surrender!"
"You're talking nonsense. There are many people from the organization. Do you think those few police officers can subdue them? They are all experts from Japan!"
"You traitor!" I cursed, then added, "Let Fan Qianwei go. She's innocent!"
"Let her go? Then throw your gun into the sea!"
"Alright, but don't be rash! Ren Mingzhe, you can't escape. The coast guard will surround this area soon, and then the entire cruise ship will be full of police!"
"I don't care. Drop your gun immediately and give me back the detonator!"
"I can throw away the gun, but this controller..."
"Are you giving it to me or not! Otherwise, I'll kill her!"
Ren Mingzhe opened the safety on his gun, his finger hovering over the trigger. Damn it, was I really going to hand over the controller I had worked so hard to get?
If he got the controller back this time, he would probably press the button immediately, and the bomb would definitely explode.
Even if I saw Xia Hou had disappeared, I didn't know if he could make it in time.
"Don't rush, buddy, listen to me. If you surrender now, no one has to die!"
"Haha, are you kidding me? Give me the controller. I'll count down: 3, 2, 1..."
"Fine! Ren Mingzhe, calm down!" I had no choice but to hand the controller back for now.
The fierce waves crashed against the massive cruise ship, as if trying to sink it. The entire vessel shook violently, swaying from side to side, seemingly on the verge of sinking.
Ren Mingzhe once again held the controller. He gloated in front of Fan Qianwei, "Qianwei, this is the controller that can decide the fate of everyone on board! Ahahaha! Isn't it interesting! With just a gentle press of this red button, after a loud bang, I can send you all to hell! Ahahahayaya!"
"Ren Mingzhe, I never thought you would become like this..." Fan Qianwei shed tears of complex regret.
"You forced me! If it weren't for these bastards, we would have been living happily together long ago!"
Ren Mingzhe spoke with emotion, his finger repeatedly hovering over the red button on the controller, as if about to press it, but ultimately hesitating.
"And your gun, throw it away. Have you forgotten?"
"Forget the gun, with the controller, I don't need a gun..."
"Stop the nonsense and throw it away, or I'll kill her!"
I threw the gun directly into the sea. Although it was my father's gun and held great sentimental value, He Xiaoyu could retrieve it later. But if the cruise ship's bomb exploded, everyone would die.
"Good, Officer, your speed is indeed impressive. No wonder you could get this position. If I'm not mistaken, you're at least a detective captain!"
"Something like that. There are a few international police officers here!"
At that moment, I suddenly noticed a woman leap onto the deck with astonishing speed. She dashed like a leopard and slammed into Ren Mingzhe. The impact sent him stumbling forward, completely losing his balance. The controller fell towards me. I quickly grabbed it and retreated a few steps. The woman had already placed her knee behind Ren Mingzhe and was handcuffing him!
This woman was none other than the alluring woman in blue whom I had previously mistaken for someone else.
She then pulled the prisoner up. Xiao Yuande rushed over, and she handed Ren Mingzhe to him. The woman dusted off her hands and carefully approached me. "I haven't introduced myself yet, Officer He. I apologize for my earlier offense. I am Alicia, an international police officer."
"Alicia? So you're one of the international police officers on board. Where's the man?"
"He's David. We're both dispatched from the UK to collaborate with the Chinese police in dealing with the Polaris International Criminal Organization. This is our duty as world police. Any police officer in the world detests such criminals!"
"Indeed. Thank you."
At this point, Officer David also appeared. Seeing Western police officers for the first time made me a little nervous, as my English wasn't very good. If they couldn't speak Chinese, it would have been quite awkward.
After exchanging greetings, Xia Hou brought good news: the bomb on the ship had been disarmed. We watched the cruise ship forge ahead, checking the coordinates. We were still some distance from the pier. We engaged in another fight with the mercenaries. Fortunately, He Xiaoyu and He Jinghui fought back desperately, with swords clashing everywhere, a fierce battle unfolding. The mercenaries were in full retreat, but they managed to push their way to the cockpit.
At that point, we all raised our guns and shouted into the cabin, "You can't escape! We're approaching the pier soon!"
"Haha! Damn police, our organization's mission was to kill you. Now that we have no escape, let's all perish in the sea together!"
A mercenary shouted, and then we heard a loud bang from inside the cabin. A torrent of water suddenly rushed in. Within a minute, the entire cabin was flooded, and the iron door was blown open, sweeping all the officers away!
"Oh no! Those bastards blew open the ship's hull! They were carrying explosives. If this continues, the cruise ship will sink. At this speed, we won't make it back to the pier!" I said.
We desperately grabbed onto nearby objects to maintain our balance. Liu Yuning said, "There's no time. A regular cruise ship would last at most 20 minutes, and this one, maybe 30. But considering the more than 4,000 passengers on board..."
"At most 10 minutes!" I said with dread. We had only 10 minutes left!
I didn't consider how large the blown-out opening was, but based on the water flow, 10 minutes seemed like a conservative estimate. The seawater was now surging in like a breached dam. Many passengers screamed in terror and fled to higher parts of the ship. The entire cruise ship was pitching violently, and the sections that had been hit were already cracking.
We struggled our way to the second and third floors. Countless tourists were in a panic, colliding with each other. In a short time, the lobby was completely submerged. I now realized that the Titanic was all hype; a cruise ship, after being hit, could not possibly last that long. Water would quickly inundate large portions of the ship.
In less than a few minutes, the first floor was entirely underwater. When we reached the second floor, I saw He Xiaoyu preparing several lifeboats on a deck behind us. However, considering the number of lifeboats and the maximum capacity of 30 people per boat, they could only carry about 120 people. Amidst the passengers, I suddenly spotted the Mayor. I never expected him to be on this trip.