Chapter 154 Initial Signs

Lu Tianming asked in confusion, "The boat—is the boat ready?"

Chen Cao nodded, and suddenly remembering something, he pulled the packets of dried meat from his tunic and tossed them over. "Hurry up and distribute these to them. We still have things to do!"

The ravenous group did not dare to think twice when they saw the dark, tough strips of meat. They eagerly grabbed them and began chewing voraciously. Lucia made smacking sounds as she ate, maintaining her vacant smile all the while. Watching her, Chen Cao felt a pang of sorrow; looking at that foolish grin, who could have guessed that just a few years ago she had been a wealthy middle-class citizen of Mainz and a marine mechanical expert?

Chen Cao turned to the ravenous crowd and said, "Eat on the move! Lu Tianming, stay behind for a moment, I have instructions for you!"

Lu Tianming, struggling to swallow a mouthful of the dried meat, paused in surprise and nodded in assent.

Turning to Stanny, Chen Cao said, "You and Uji, pack all this ammunition onto the speedboat. Be quick—we must leave this place at once!" Then, looking at Carissa, he added, "Carissa, take care of Lucia. You can do that, right?"

Seeing that Chen Cao was finally speaking directly to her, Carissa's expression softened inexplicably. She nodded vigorously and said, "I can take care of her!"

With their tasks assigned, the group—already seasoned by multiple brushes with survival—immediately understood what needed to be done and split up to carry out their duties. The roar of a motor could already be heard rising from beneath the boat.

Lu Tianming stayed behind. Without wasting words, Chen Cao asked, "Old Lu, I assume you know very well how to destroy a ship?"

Lu Tianming was startled for a moment, but then he understood what Chen Cao was getting at. To be honest, he had long despised that bastard Colby, and blowing up the man's life's work was something he would gladly do. He nodded solemnly.

Chen Cao patted Lu Tianming's frail shoulder and said, "Old Lu, we are well aware of what is down in that hold. If those munitions were ever deployed, countless innocent lives would be lost. Therefore, this is the only thing we can do."

Lu Tianming said firmly, "Chen, I understand completely. Don't worry, I know what you mean. To sink this ship, this box of TNT is more than enough." With that, his gaze fell upon the wooden crate resting inside the cabin.

***

After Chen Cao and Lu Tianming finished rigging the explosives on the vessel and walked back down the lower corridor, the two captured natives were at their last gasp, one of them stripped of flesh so that his lower limbs were entirely bare bone.

Chen Cao knew this was the handiwork of Hua Fo after an interrogation; the man had undoubtedly used the piranhas lurking beneath the river surface. Walking into the cabin of the speedboat, he looked at Hua Fo, who was smoking a cigarette at the helm with a triumphant air, and asked, "Did you find anything out?"

Glancing back at the trembling "passengers" huddled together in the corner of the cabin, Hua Fo blew a smoke ring and said, "We’ve got the gist of it. These fellows have been taken over by mercenaries. They are natives of the Mosa tribe."

Once Lu Tianming boarded, the modest-sized speedboat instantly became cramped. Chen Cao waved his hand and told Hua Fo, "Let's talk as we go!"

Without hesitation, Hua Fo started the engine. The sudden roar filled everyone with excitement—they were finally escaping this ghost of a place. Chen Cao kept his weapon raised and remained on alert; this was their only vessel for survival, and if they lost it, they would be reduced to a pile of bones rotting in the jungle.

The speedboat finally lived up to its name. Under Hua Fo's skilled handling, it carved a wide circle in the water and surged downstream. At that very moment, Chen Cao pulled the cord in his hand. A deafening roar echoed behind them, followed by billows of white smoke and a flash of fire in the distance. Yet, as the speedboat sped forward, that destructive scene quickly receded into the horizon.

Aboard the boat, Hua Fo chuckled and said, "You know, Chen, I've noticed you love meddling in other people's business. We've stirred up a massive hornet's nest, and you don't even realize it. Blowing up their armory like that is pure suicide."

Chen Cao lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and said, "That stuff couldn't be left behind. You know as well as I do that the weapons stored down there were enough to launch a full-scale war."

Steering the wheel with one hand, Hua Fo replied, "What does any of that have to do with us? We're after wealth and a comfortable life. We aren't God, nor are we superheroes; we can't save the world, understand?"

Chen Cao knew his convictions were worlds apart from Hua Fo's, so he shifted the topic. "What about the native's intelligence report?"

At the mention of intelligence, Hua Fo's casual demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a grave expression. Inhaling from his cigarette, he said, "Chen, do you know of the Eight Assassins?"

Chen Cao shook his head and looked at Hua Fo, waiting for him to continue.

***

Seeing Chen Cao shake his head, Hua Fo gently adjusted the steering wheel and said, "From the native's description of their appearance, I realized it immediately. It's 'Blood-Drinking Deep Pupils,' one of the Eight Assassins. I never imagined these waters ran so deep. Even Uji's Moshu tribe has been occupied by a mercenary organization. What on earth are they trying to accomplish? It's completely baffling. But one thing is crystal clear: these bastards are extraordinarily dangerous, and their intellects are certainly no lower than yours or mine."

Chen Cao shook his head again. "I still don't quite follow. What does all this have to do with us?"

Hua Fo let out a bitter laugh. "Don't you get it, my dear Mr. Chen? To survive, we slaughtered their subordinates, and your righteous self blew up their secret weapons cache. We've landed ourselves in colossal trouble! Do you know that the Eight Assassins are a global syndicate whose tentacles reach into every corner of the earth? Do you have any idea what their world looks like?"

Chen Cao took another puff of his cigarette and said calmly, "Yet, you don't look upset at all. In fact, you seem rather pleased."

Hua Fo laughed. "Of course I'm pleased! I thrive on chaos. If the world were at peace, where would my private mercenary outfit ever find any work?"

Chen Cao remarked, "Sounds like a remarkably thorough plan. But again, how does that concern me?"

"Hey, think about it," Hua Fo said excitedly. "If the Eight Assassins go down, the entire landscape of global mercenary forces will shift completely. I'm genuinely curious about what they're really trying to achieve deep in this jungle! I suppose gems are part of the reason, but why hoard so much weaponry here? It defies all logic. Chen, aren't you even a little curious? With all those armaments destroyed by your hand, they've undoubtedly suffered a crippling blow."

Chen Cao listened in silence, carefully analyzing the situation. If the Eight Assassins were indeed a global mercenary syndicate as Hua Fo claimed, could they be stockpiling such vast quantities of weaponry to instigate a coup? That seemed utterly impossible; with the Federal Democratic Republic of Mainz acting as the world's police, they would never be allowed to pull off such a stunt. Deep in the jungle, their most likely objective was the acquisition of gems. It seemed that under the control of these mercenaries, the local tribes would soon be plunged into a bloody slaughter.