Chapter 163: Mr. Captain

In truth, by the time Rodney turned around, everyone's trust in his gambling integrity had plummeted to absolute zero. Who would deign to gamble with such a shameless and desperate outlaw? Consequently, they quickly lost interest, turning their attention to the women nearby, eager to take them to their rooms for some amusement.

At this moment, Chen Cao knew that if he tried to lurk in the shadows, he would instantly be exposed by the sailors. Wearing a broad smile, he strode up to Rodney, who was currently basking in a victor's arrogant posture, and declared, "I will play with you!"

Hearing this sudden intrusion, everyone froze in place. They turned their heads in unison to stare at Chen Cao. In truth, they were not suspicious of Chen Cao as an outsider; people died on every mission aboard this ship, and new blood was constantly brought in every few days. For these pirates, who constantly lived on the edge with their lives hanging by a thread, such occurrences were commonplace. What caught their curiosity was that someone actually had the audacity to challenge Rodney, a desperate gambler. Naturally, they wanted a front-row seat to the spectacle.

Upon hearing that someone was willing to play, Rodney, who had been smiling as he counted his cash, suddenly experienced a slight tremor in his hand. Chen Cao, possessing acute powers of observation, caught it instantly. Yet, maintaining his composure, he kept his smile and looked straight at Rodney.

Rodney said coldly, "You look unfamiliar. I don't think I've seen you before." As he spoke, he reached toward the revolver lying on the table. However, Chen Cao was faster; he snatched the weapon a step ahead, flipped open the cylinder, and gazed at the empty chambers with a smile. "To be honest, I don't really know how to play stud poker, but I rather fancy Russian roulette!" With a flourish, as if performing magic, he produced a single cartridge, slipped it into the chamber, and spun it around with a sharp, metallic click.

At that moment, Rodney's entire body began to tremble slightly. He parted his lips as if to say something, but no words came out. Right then, the speakers in the corner crackled to life: "Those two fellows are foreign intruders. Take them down!" The voice was harsh and raspy. Evidently, the surveillance cameras in the hall had been tracking Chen Cao's every move all along. Hearing the command, the men immediately reached for their sidearms. Unfazed, Chen Cao kept his smile and spoke as if murmuring to himself, "I assume you must be the captain. How about we make a deal?"

Just as he finished, Hua Fo, standing amid the crowd, roared, "Don't even think about it! I know it takes you at least two seconds to draw your guns, but it will take me only a single second to send everyone straight to hell!" Hearing Hua Fo's voice, the crowd faltered slightly. Looking closer, they saw that Hua Fo had thrown open his coat to reveal dozens of grenades strapped to his body, all connected by a web of detonating cords.

Rodney was now gripped by an overwhelming sense of vertigo. In the span of just a few seconds, he had plummeted from someone who held absolute sway over life and death to a lamb awaiting slaughter. Dreams were always so fragile and powerless, while reality struck with such brutal force. And right now, the very toy he loved playing with the most was pressed hard against his forehead.

Surrounded by a room full of mercenaries, Chen Cao remained completely unfazed. Keeping his pistol jammed firmly against Rodney's head, he smiled and said, "I believe I now have enough leverage to negotiate, Captain."

The voice from the intercom echoed again: "You've got guts, kid from the East. I actually like you. I suppose you're the ones who took out two of my men. Still, if you lay down your arms and surrender right now, I'd be more than happy to welcome you aboard the Howler."

"Only a fool would believe you! You know full well that the explosives on my chest are powerful enough to blow this entire hall to dust. Cut the crap, Chen, let's talk terms directly!" Hua Fo interrupted loudly, his hand trembling ever so slightly as he gripped the grenade pin—a subtle motion that made the hearts of everyone present skip a beat, with some sailors already experiencing involuntary spasms in their legs.

The captain, watching the live feed from the control room, paused for a moment before yielding. "Fine. What are your conditions?"

Knowing there was no time to waste, Chen Cao stated, "All I need is a speedboat fueled to capacity and enough provisions. It's as simple as that!"

Hua Fo chimed in, "And ten crates of gold!"

At this demand, the eyes of every sailor in the room seemed to bulge. Given the chance, these profit-driven mercenaries would gladly cooperate with the two intruders. Ten crates of gold was no small fortune; it was more than enough to buy a lavish life of luxury in the civilized world for years to come.

Despite such exorbitant demands, the captain readily agreed, "Very well, young gentlemen. Your terms are entirely reasonable. However, I think you should spare a thought for your friends upstairs—there are two women up there, and I imagine my sailors would be more than willing to strip them bare!"

The tables turned in an instant. Before even Hua Fo and Chen Cao could react, Stanny's voice rang out through the comms: "Boss, Ugi betrayed us again! He knows the people on this pirate ship!"

Chen Cao felt a sharp ringing in his ears. He never expected that child to become the critical point of failure, simply because, to adults like them, the boy's existence had been far too easy to overlook.

At that moment, Ugi's voice came through: "Chen... I didn't betray you! Steward Appleton and the white-bearded captain are good people. He promised to let us go, so we wouldn't have to take any risks, don't you understand!"

Hua Fo stamped his foot, gritting his teeth as he cursed, "I knew we should have cut that brat's privates off and fed them to the dogs!" His aggressive stamping sent a fresh wave of terror through the surrounding sailors.

"Ha! Drop your weapons, kid. You can't escape!" Hearing that the captain had regained the upper hand, Rodney's vicious demeanor returned. Yet, he still dared not make a move to snatch the gun from Chen Cao's hand, knowing there was a bullet loaded inside—meaning he still faced a one-in-six chance of meeting his maker if he tried.

Chen Cao acted as though he hadn't heard Rodney at all. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Hua Fo, let's put our weapons down. It's the best option we have."

Hua Fo protested, "You drop yours if you want, Chen. Have you lost your mind? We've killed their men; if we disarm now, do you think we'll ever see another easy day? Don't go soft! Before we came here, they had already prepared for this. We're going to fight our way out!"

Hearing this, the captain's voice chimed in: "Rest assured, I will guarantee your safety. You're still useful to me, after all. Heh!"

Chen Cao replied coldly, "We can discuss that later, but you must allow me to keep my personal weapons."

Displaying an air of magnanimity, the captain spoke into the mic, "Granted. Not a single problem."

Chen Cao nodded at Hua Fo. With a helpless shake of his head, Hua Fo walked over to stand beside him, while Chen Cao kept his pistol locked against Rodney's skull.

At that moment, a rolling shutter on the southern side of the room slowly lifted. A short, stocky middle-aged man emerged. His snow-white beard cascaded all the way down to his chest, and a sharp-eyed hawk perched menacingly on his shoulder. With his long white beard, he might have passed for a benevolent Santa Claus were it not for his hooked nose and the eyepatch covering one missing eye. As soon as he stepped into the room, every single person present immediately bowed their heads and shouted in respectful unison, "Captain!"