Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 1: Murder on the High Seas (Part 2)
The night shrouded the sea, and the "Sea Splendor" sailed north at 22 knots. The next stop would be Manila in the Philippines, then Hong Kong, followed by a crossing of the South China Sea to Singapore for a three-day stay. A round-the-world voyage takes about half a year, and except for a few main stops, each route will change slightly to allow more people, or rather, more wealthy people, to experience the luxurious life on this super-luxury cruise ship.
Ling Tianxiang adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, the formal attire was sent by Li Minghan's people. In Li Minghan's words, only clothes hand-tailored by London's most famous tailors could match Ling Tianxiang's current status. However, no matter how he posed after putting it on, he felt a bit awkward. If it weren't for the captain sending someone to specifically remind him that he must wear formal attire to attend the ball, Ling Tianxiang really wanted to attend the ball in that loose beachwear outfit. Who made the rule that you can't wear T-shirts, shorts, and sandals to a ball?
"Yī jī sī, what do you think?" Ling Tianxiang said, looking at the girl in the mirror.
Yigui nodded in front of the TV and continued to fiddle with the big doll that Ling Tianxiang had just bought for her.
"It should be fine, at least it won't be embarrassing." Ling Tianxiang adjusted his tie again, glanced at his watch, and then turned around. "Yijie, go to bed early later, don't watch too much TV, got it?"
"Alright, I'll go to bed early!" Yuki's Chinese wasn't very fluent yet, but at least she could converse with Ling Tianxiang now.
"Okay, I'll take you swimming tomorrow!" Ling Tianhui returned to his bedroom and closed the door.
The box containing the handguns was placed under the bed, and in this "Pilgrim" travel case were stored five handguns of different sizes, along with matching ammunition. Ling Tianxiang pulled out the HK45 from his armpit holster and reselected a more compact Glock 26 self-defense handgun. Even if he was going to attend a dance party, Ling Tianxiang would not neglect safety concerns - who knew if someone had discovered his true identity and would try to take his life at the party? Having a gun on him was much better than being empty-handed.
After putting on two spare magazines of 12 rounds, Ling Tianxiang pushed the suitcase under the bed, smoothed out the slight wrinkles on his clothes, and only then did he walk out of the bedroom. "Yijie, go to sleep early, don't keep watching TV, I'm leaving first."
"Alright, alright! You're so nagging!"
Ling Tianxiang smiled and shook his head, Yijisi already knew how to talk back, it seemed that she was accepting her current life.
A ballroom capable of accommodating hundreds of people is located in the center of the cruise ship, on the third deck above the waterline, occupying the space of three decks above it. The height of the dome exceeds 10 meters. When Ling Tianxiang arrived, most of the guests had already arrived. Standing at the gate, a crew member wearing a cheap suit checked Ling Tianxiang's invitation and led him into the ballroom through a side door, avoiding security checks at the main entrance.
When boarding the super luxury cruise ship that is 50,000 tons more than the world's largest aircraft carrier in Honolulu, Ling Tianxiang was marveling at human power. Before, he hardly dared to imagine such a huge ship. Later, he also heard that Dong Zhenhua was going to build a real floating sea city, which is actually a sea platform that can sail at 12 knots, with a displacement of over 1 million tons, and can accommodate tens of thousands of tourists. If the "Sea City" is built, then the "Sea Splendor" will be nothing.
Ling Tianxiang found an inconspicuous corner, if not for the sake of giving the captain face, he didn't want to attend the ball. After all the guests had arrived, the lights in the ballroom dimmed. The captain, dressed in a traditional sailor's uniform, walked onto the stage and began to welcome the new tourists on board. The captain specifically introduced several special guests, including the President of a South Pacific island nation, as well as an Arab sheikh who was touring Australia and taking the cruise back to the UAE, rumored to have several oil fields and be worth over $10 billion.
After the speech, the dance party officially began. Ling Tianxiang tried his best to avoid drawing attention to himself and went to the bathroom almost every ten minutes. In fact, Ling Tianxiang was not particularly eye-catching. Compared to most people on the ship, his figure was only average, and after putting on a suit, he looked a bit weak and thin. His appearance was also not enough to attract women's attention. More importantly, Ling Tianxiang was not his father, not a world-renowned billionaire, and almost no one knew him. Other guests would at most take him as the butler of some rich man or something else, so naturally, no one came to chat with him.
The ball was a place where the wealthy got to know each other, understand each other, and pass on information. It was also a place for young masters of rich families to flirt with girls. Most of the guests were chatting in groups of three or five, while some men and women were laughing softly. Ling Tianxiang had been paying attention to every guest's behavior, paying attention to the situation in the ballroom. He didn't want to get to know any wealthy young lady, but just wanted to discover danger and avoid it.
When Ling Tianxiang went to the bathroom for the fifth time, the cruise ship suddenly shook slightly, and many people didn't feel it, but Ling Tianxiang noticed. The "Ocean Splendor" has the most advanced autopilot system, even in 5-level sea conditions, the ship can sail very smoothly, and now the wind speed outside is not high, why did the ship shake? Ling Tianxiang sensed danger.
The soft music continued to play outside, and the guests were all engaged in their own activities, with no one sensing any danger, not even the bodyguards of the big shots. Ling Tianxiang retreated back into the restroom, wondering if his senses had gone wrong. Just as he was hesitating, a sudden flurry of footsteps came from outside, the music screeched to a halt, followed by a woman's shrill scream, and then the sound of gunfire rang out.
Damn it! Ling Tianxiang immediately drew his pistol, now he regretted not bringing that HK45 combat pistol. The Glock 26 used 9mm Parabellum bullets, which were not very powerful, and the handle was too small, making it not very handy to use. He gently pushed open a crack in the bathroom door. Outside, more than a dozen thugs wearing uniform black suits, holding submachine guns and automatic rifles, were collecting the bodyguards' weapons. On the ground, next to the dance floor, two bodyguards who had been shot were struggling.
A man holding a pistol walked onto the stage, and the guests were divided into several groups, all of whom crouched down. Two bandits approached the bathroom where Ling Tianxiang was. Ling Tianxiang immediately closed the door. Now that the bandit had hostages, it was impossible to kill his way out. What to do?
