The entire ship laden with crystals, if seized by pirates, would likely cripple Jiang Qixin's company for three to five years.
When Guo Xuyang woke up, he sensed something was wrong. He immediately drew the sleeping Xiao Yun into his mind and, cloaked in invisibility, followed the pirates off the ship.
The pirates drove these people into a massive warehouse on the dock.
Among those herded in with them were many white people from the cruise ship.
"You, who is the leader?" a burly young man asked Lv Liang and his group in English.
"I am," Lv Liang stepped forward.
He knew that the best approach at this moment was to step forward promptly.
He understood that these pirates were primarily after money and generally wouldn't harm people, though harming people couldn't be entirely ruled out.
"What's in your ship?" the young man continued to ask.
"Crystals," Lv Liang replied.
"Contact your boss and have them transfer one hundred million US dollars to this account. Otherwise, neither your ship nor any of you will leave." The young man handed him a piece of paper and a mobile phone.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Do you think you have any other choice? Stop wasting time. Hurry up and contact them."
The young man ignored Lv Liang and walked towards the white people.
"Who among you is in charge here? Step forward and speak." he asked again.
Just as a young white man was about to step forward, a white man with a large beard pulled him back. He then walked out, "I am."
"What is your role on the cruise ship?"
"I am the captain," the bearded white man replied.
"Is there no one in charge of the ship? Can you make decisions?"
"Yes. The company appointed me to oversee this transport," the bearded white man said.
"Since you are in charge, contact your company and have them transfer two hundred million US dollars to this account. Otherwise, you won't be leaving." The young black man handed him a piece of paper.
"The company won't do that. They won't pay."
"That's easily handled. You can stay here and work. I believe this cruise ship will definitely find someone willing to buy it."
"No, you can't do that."
"Either pay the money and leave, or stay and wait for the cruise ship to be sold." The young black man finished speaking and walked away to smoke, paying them no further attention.
It seemed like a practiced routine, with accounts already prepared, just waiting for "fat sheep" to deliver themselves.
After much hesitation, Lv Liang dialed Jiang Qixin's number.
"Boss, our ship was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. They are demanding the company transfer one hundred million US dollars to their account."
"Are you all alright? Where is Guo Xuyang? Is he okay?" Jiang Qixin asked.
"We are all fine. Yang Zi was asleep on the ship; I didn't wake him. I didn't see him among those who disembarked either. Those pirates probably didn't find him."
"Mm. Your safety is paramount. What about the cargo? Will they return the cargo after payment? Find out about this first. I will arrange for someone to prepare the funds as soon as possible. Remember this: your safety is the absolute priority. We can discuss other matters when you return," Jiang Qixin instructed.
"Understood. I will be careful," Lv Liang said before hanging up.
Guo Xuyang watched everything clearly from within the warehouse.
He gained a new understanding of Jiang Qixin.
He was ruthless towards enemies and extremely considerate towards his own men.
Money was external; it could be earned again if lost.
But if a person was gone, nothing would remain.
Just as Lv Liang was about to speak to the young black man, he was forced back at gunpoint.
"Stop, don't move. Or I'll shoot!" a black man shouted, raising a rifle.
With no other option, Lv Liang retreated.
On the other side, the bearded white man was whispering to a young white man.
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
"Call my father and tell him the actual situation."
"Understood."
No one could have imagined that this young man was the Crown Prince of Arabia.
These pirates are doomed, Guo Xuyang thought with schadenfreude, for detaining the Crown Prince of Arabia.
The bearded white man made a call and detailed the situation.
"Your Majesty, we encountered pirates while passing through the Gulf of Guinea. The cruise ship and His Highness have been hijacked by pirates and taken to the dock. They are demanding you transfer two hundred million US dollars to their account."
"Tell them I will transfer the money immediately and instruct them to release the people and the cruise ship," a majestic voice replied from the other end.
"You must ensure Prince Abul's safety. This is his first time out for experience."
"Your Majesty, I will absolutely guarantee His Highness's safety. I will go and speak with them now," the bearded white man assured repeatedly.
Guo Xuyang scoffed from the side. Boasting on someone else's territory was pure self-inflicted trouble.
The bearded white man, holding the note, requested to speak with the young black man.
The young black man glanced at him and said, "Has the money been transferred? If it has, you can leave."
The bearded white man said, "The company has arranged the transfer, and it will arrive soon. Please send us back to the ship."
The young black man looked at him as if he were an idiot, glancing sideways at the bearded man. "Before the money arrives, stop talking nonsense. Send you back? What are you dreaming of?"
Just then, a person ran up from a distance and said, "Odman, two hundred million has been transferred to an account."
"That's from our company. Please release us immediately," the bearded man said, a little excited.
"Unlock their handcuffs and let them go," the young black man, Odman, waved his hand, signaling someone to unlock their handcuffs.
A young black man approached with keys to unlock their restraints.
As he reached Prince Abul, he carelessly cut a deep gash on his palm, causing blood to flow instantly.
The bearded man was outraged. He stepped forward and shoved the young black man. "What are you doing? Why did you injure my man?"
The young black man, equally hot-tempered, directly fired a burst, ending the bearded man's life.
Seeing the situation turn grim, all the white people tried to scramble for the exit, but they were still shackled by handcuffs and unable to run.
The young black man fired another burst at the white people running towards the door, taking down several of them consecutively.
The remaining people dared not move rashly.
They hadn't expected these pirates to disregard negotiation and simply start shooting people.
Guo Xuyang was also startled at first.
This was too brutal.
What was it to trample on human lives? This was likely what it looked like.
Human lives held no value here.
Abul was also terrified. He hadn't expected Captain Dante to be killed simply for pushing someone.
These people were completely unreasonable.
He could only resign himself to his fate.
After everyone had calmed down, Odman asked, "Who is in charge here now?"
"I am," Abul said, clenching his injured hand as he stepped forward.
"Call your company and have them transfer one billion US dollars to this account. Otherwise, you will not be leaving."
My goodness, this was faster than printing money.
With just a few words, another billion dollars was demanded.
No wonder so many people turned to piracy.
Guo Xuyang clicked his tongue in admiration.