Chapter 541
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"Joel!" Eason shouted in a panic as he rushed up the ladder.
Steven glanced reluctantly at Eason and Joel. "Are you two reenacting the Titanic? I haven't even left yet. What's all the commotion about?"
Only then did Eason realize that Steven was still down there. Even the dogs were afraid of that lunatic.
Without a doubt, those ferocious dogs came to a halt about three meters from us, all baring their teeth and preparing to attack. I was astonished as well. These fierce dogs appeared to be afraid of something. Could it be that they were truly afraid of Steven?
"Come up quickly." I carried Ashton and Xandra out, passing Yara to Maverick, who was guarding outside. As I prepared to exit, the cover above was shut.
Maverick appeared visibly distressed. I should have realized from the start that there had to be someone else out there.
It seemed like the new rule of the Rebels was to only acknowledge the room card and not the individual. Those of us with a VIP room card were being targeted.
"Open the cover!" I slammed the upper cover.
Maverick was also pleading outside, "Please, open the cover. We're all from Huma. Sooner or later, we'll have to go ashore. You can't kill people. This is illegal."
Despite Maverick's continued attempts to reason with the group, it was clear that they were unwilling to listen. The leader stepped on the cover and issued a chilling ultimatum in a commanding voice.
"Those below, listen closely. If you wish to ensure the safety of these two children and the young girl, hand over your room card. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to throw your children into the sea."
I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands. Indeed, all the evil in human nature was unleashed at this moment. I turned to look at Steven, who was eyeing the dogs warily. I couldn't understand what set them off, but they were going wild, slowly closing in on us with the intent to attack.
Realizing he couldn't hold on much longer, I pushed the cover hard. "There are many of you. Allow us to go up first. Then, we'll pass you the room card."
The person above snorted. "I don't believe you. Hand over the room key and I'll let you out."
I took a deep breath. These people were indifferent.
At the base of the ladder, the ferocious dogs cautiously advanced. They appeared to be wary of Steven, but it was clear that they could attack at any moment. Eason noticed that these aggressive dogs were going to pounce on people, so he patted me.
I descended while allowing him to ascend. He exerted great effort in attempting to raise the cover, yet we were positioned beneath while they stood above. They applied pressure on the cover, making it arduous for us to push it open with our own strength.
"I'm a police officer. Let us out!" Eason shouted angrily.
"Police? Hahaha! This cruise is out on the open seas! Why do we need the police?"
People outside laughed. "How impressive are the police?"
Eason punched the cover furiously. Regardless, we needed to find a way out. "I have two VIP room cards in my hand. I'll give them..."
I was just about to ask them if they would allow us to leave when I heard Ashton's innocent voice from outside. "Sir, which color card would you like? I have them right here."
The man sneered. "You little rascal. How would the adults leave the cards with you?"
"Is this the one?"
I peered through the crack in the cover as Ashton pulled a golden room card. It was unlike the room card we held in our hands.
Ours was a plain gold card with no patterns, granting us access to the VIP area and high-end rooms within it. However, the card in Ashton's hand featured a gold pattern and looked even more luxurious.
"Fuck!" I heard the leader curse and then an exclamation.
"Who is this child? I noticed on the bulletin board that there are gold cards exclusively for VIPs and silver cards valid for below the 14th floor. The most common one is the white card, only usable for dining and activities below the sixth floor.
"Then there's the exclusive diamond card, reserved for shareholders and high-level internal personnel. With this card, one can access any area on the cruise, even restricted ones."
I frowned, wondering how many surprises these two kids had for me.