That evening, at 6:37 PM.
Upon hearing the announcement in the corridor that the cruise ship would dock in an hour, I knew the final battle for escape... was about to arrive!
After receiving the ship's precise docking time, I immediately called Xu Shiyu to ask for advice on how to survive amidst the chaos.
Xu Shiyu didn't answer right away, instead pondering on the phone for five to six minutes.
It wasn't until the cigarette butt I held in my hand burned out that she slowly began to speak.
After about ten minutes.
Having received a new idea for escape from Xu Shiyu, I immediately called Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun over for a meeting.
Seeing my solemn expression, Cheng Minglang asked, "How is it? Do you have any news from Xu Shiyu on this matter?"
Upon hearing this, after nodding slightly, I briefly described the upgraded version of the escape methods discussed by Xu Shiyu, combined with Cheng Minglang's and my own.
Immediately after, I called Zhu Wenjing in front of Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun and said, "Zhu Wenjing, you're still blending in with the crowd of tourists in the lobby as before. Wait for my specific signal after I come out of the room."
"It might be a gesture, but if it's inconvenient, it might be a phone call..."
Although she didn't reply, Zhu Wenjing nodded heavily.
From the moment we parted ways and boarded the cruise ship, I had hidden Zhu Wenjing among the crowd, preparing her as a trump card for any unforeseen circumstances.
A weak woman like Zhu Wenjing, who couldn't even lift a chicken, seemed to have no use.
But even ants can gnaw away at elephants, let alone a living beauty?
No matter the environment, beauties always have some privileges.
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Minglang asked with a worried expression, "You're leaving Zhu Wenjing alone outside, and you want her to cooperate with us from the inside."
"Haven't you considered that if she's exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable?"
I knew what Cheng Minglang was really trying to say was that if Zhu Wenjing were caught by Ying Baolin's people while responding to us, she would be the first to suffer.
It was evident that this fellow had some feelings for Zhu Wenjing.
However, at this juncture, it was not the time for romantic entanglements.
To escape, I had to carefully calculate and play every card I held in my hand.
After lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, I slowly said, "You know the saying, 'When one person prospers, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; when one person falls, even their chickens and dogs are disturbed.' I don't need to elaborate further, do I?"
"You're all working with me. If I can escape, then Zhu Wenjing will naturally be safe."
"Conversely, the outcome will be the same."
"Therefore, at this stage, Zhu Wenjing cannot extricate herself from this matter!"
"Because she is already a member of the team. Whether she participates or not, Ying Baolin's side will still consider her an enemy."
"And now, I'm playing a game of timing. Before Ying Baolin's henchmen discover and confirm Zhu Wenjing, let her cooperate with us!"
"As you heard just now, I didn't ask Zhu Wenjing to do anything dangerous alone. I just asked her to wait for my signal."
Hearing this explanation, Cheng Minglang nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "What about Han Jinlun and me? What do we do?"
"You two have a lot to do!"
Pausing, I first looked at Cheng Minglang and said, "If we're going to make a move, we must have a legitimate reason. We need to come up with a justifiable excuse!"
"Based on the upgraded plan provided by Xu Shiyu, combined with Fan Yin Xin's previous method of saving me, my idea is to make a big fuss about the finals."
"If Ying Baolin sends people to get me, you, disguised and mixed in the crowd, should expose the matter by using Shen Lingyu's blatant cheating in the finals as grounds!"
Then, I looked at Han Jinlun and said, "What you need to do is very simple."
"I will cooperate with Cheng Minglang to incite the emotions of the crowd, making them understand that there is foul play in the finals."
"And we, who discovered and were the first to expose this foul play, might be permanently kept on the cruise ship by the event organizers!"
"Of course, the most important point here is the engine room I mentioned earlier!"
"While I cooperate with Cheng Minglang to create a diversion and draw everyone's attention, you must reach the engine room as quickly as possible!"
"With the cruise ship already docked, whether you cut the power or use other methods, you must create enough trouble to give them a headache!"
"This part of the plan was something I came up with myself on the spur of the moment."
"After experiencing so many storms, I will no longer entrust my personal safety and the lives of my companions to others without reservation!"
"So, Jinlun, you must remember, you can only be faster than us, never slower!"
"After we rendezvous, if Ying Baolin's forces can still remain calm and not make a move, then the three of us will strike first!"
Hearing my solemn instructions, Han Jinlun nodded very seriously.
...
After arranging all the plans, I walked to the small window of the room and quietly lit a cigarette.
The plan to create non-verbal commotion on the cruise ship was to further guarantee the personal safety of our group of four.
Currently, although I was not yet clear about the consequences this commotion would trigger, one thing was certain.
Once this step was taken, Ying Baolin and I would have completely fallen out, with no possibility of reconciliation.
If I couldn't break free from the control of the invisible net he had cast as soon as possible... then Wenzhou would be the end of my career as a gambler!
...
An hour later.
As I, Cheng Minglang, and Zhu Wenjing, each followed the crowd onto the deck, illuminated as bright as day by the lights, Shen Lingyu arrived with a large group to surround and intercept us.
Amidst the surging crowd, our two groups had just confronted each other from a distance, before either side could reveal their true intentions...
Suddenly, a sailor ran out from the engine room and shouted in a panic, "Fire! Fire! The engine room has been pried open and severely damaged!"
As soon as the sailor uttered these words, the entire deck was thrown into a state of chaos.
Although everyone knew the cruise ship was infinitely close to docking, due to their fear of the winter river, some immediately started clamoring to disembark.