Inside the cabin, fewer than ten people remained, but all were trembling, their eyes fixed on Ning Beichen with terror. They had watched the battle in the corridor on screen and were utterly petrified.
Among them, a woman in a white coat let out a scream and tried to flee through another door. But Ning Beichen flicked his finger, and a bullet pierced her skull. With a crack, she fell into a pool of blood, spattering the machines and freezing the others in their tracks.
"What... what do you want?" a man, seemingly the commander, asked Ning Beichen fearfully. It wasn't that he was cowardly; people in his position rarely were. It was that Ning Beichen's actions surpassed his imagination, making fear inevitable.
"What I want, you should know. Who ordered you to intercept my merchant ship?" Ning Beichen asked expressionlessly. He didn't expect to extract much information, just going through the motions.
As Ning Beichen predicted, they had only received orders from their superiors to intercept a cargo ship at sea, with instructions to take the cargo and leave the people. Ning Beichen wasn't disappointed, having never truly expected useful intel from them.
He sighed and waved his hand, causing everyone in the cabin to fall. At this point, Ning Beichen couldn't afford to let them live; doing so would be suicidal. This was no longer a simple personal grievance; he had single-handedly disabled a large armed vessel. In any context, they wouldn't let this go. Leaving them alive meant leaving behind evidence. Killing them ensured that even if they knew it was him, they would have no proof. Moreover, Ning Beichen didn't want his capabilities exposed. If the outside world learned he single-handedly took down a massive armed ship, it would shake the globe.
Ning Beichen looked at the fallen individuals with a calm expression, devoid of guilt. Perhaps they were innocent, but was Ning Beichen not innocent? They could attack him, but he couldn't fight back? What kind of logic was that?
Truthfully, Ning Beichen found the large armed vessel quite appealing. However, he dared not claim it, even as the King of Darkness; he couldn't protect it. If this were a time of war, he might have taken it, but this was not. He cast a wistful glance at the formidable ship and then unhesitatingly destroyed all the instruments within, determined to leave no trace. He then skillfully operated a control panel before departing.
"Go. Leave at top speed," Ning Beichen instructed Chen Tian as soon as he returned to the cargo ship. Chen Tian, not daring to question, immediately started the cargo ship and pushed it to its maximum speed.
About twenty minutes after the cargo ship pulled away, a deafening roar echoed from behind. Everyone turned to see the large armed vessel launch a missile. The sight sent the cargo ship's occupants into a panic. They had no idea what had happened on the armed vessel and assumed they were the target.
"My life is over!" Chen Tian and the crew turned pale. But they noticed Ning Beichen showed no fear. Just as they were marveling at him, they saw the missile didn't head towards them but struck the armed vessel itself.
With a colossal explosion, a mushroom cloud bloomed over the ocean, painting the sky red. The large armed vessel became an inferno. In moments, it began to list and take on water, sinking into the sea shortly thereafter. In essence, it was annihilated, leaving no recognizable wreckage even if found and salvaged. Moreover, salvaging a vessel from the deep ocean was beyond the capability of most nations; only two or three in the world could manage it. Thus, Ning Beichen sinking it served not only to destroy evidence but also to conceal his abilities and deliver a lesson.
"Mr. Ning..." The ship's owner, Chen Tian, stared at the disappearing armed vessel, utterly dumbfounded.
"It's fine. Pretend you saw nothing. When we get back, sell the ship. I'll transfer a large sum of money to you, and you won't have to work at sea anymore," Ning Beichen told him calmly.
"No, no, Mr. Ning. How could I accept your money?" Chen Tian did not refuse the offer to sell the ship but would not take his money.
"Don't be polite. You have a family and children, and the crew needs severance pay. You'll need to make a living without sailing. We'll discuss it later," Ning Beichen said. He didn't offer the money immediately, knowing Chen Tian would certainly refuse if presented directly.
The return journey was uneventful, much to Ning Beichen's relief. Though the Habsburg family was wealthy and powerful, they were not omnipotent. Furthermore, Ning Beichen had returned to the territorial waters of the Eastern ancient country, and even with ten times the audacity, they wouldn't dare cause a major disturbance here.
However, Ning Beichen didn't believe the Habsburg family would give up so easily. Having failed to eliminate him at sea, he could anticipate their next moves. Dealing with him would likely resort to assassination. Ning Beichen wasn't afraid of assassins, but he worried about continued attacks on Liu Yilin's company. These were issues beyond his control; he was human, not a god, and couldn't simply go and threaten old Nilu to stop them from targeting Liu Yilin's company. Private grievances were separate from business; they were not the same. When an opponent played by the rules and within legal frameworks, what recourse did one have? Fortunately, Liu Yilin's company had not gone public to raise funds, or it would likely be reduced to nothing by now.
Finally, Ning Beichen successfully returned to the Eastern ancient country. Liu Yilin was overjoyed and disbelieving when she saw that Ning Beichen had indeed retrieved the instruments. Ning Beichen could offer no help with the subsequent operations, especially with business matters, which he didn't understand. He did, however, know that as long as the sanctions were in place, Liu Yilin's company would be significantly impacted. Yet, Liu Yilin seemed unconcerned.