Beyond the medicine, the Red Cross medical boat was stocked with basic food and drinking water. The pantry held over a dozen cases of instant noodles, a large barrel of water, several packs of Pepsi, Sarsaparilla, canned Ceylon tea, and bread sealed in oil paper—enough provisions to last for a half-month voyage at sea, certainly enough to reach Hong Kong.
However, fuel was scarce.
The boat's storage tanks were empty, and only a quarter of a tank remained in the main fuel system. That amount would barely be enough to reach the high seas, let alone cross them to return to Hong Kong.
Compared to her previous life, Chen Rou’s current body possessed only 30 percent of its former physical strength. After the intense exertion of the previous night, she was exhausted. Seeing the cola, she impatiently cracked open a can and downed it in one breath.
After a loud burp, she turned to the Doctor and asked, "This boat needs refueling. Under normal circumstances, do you have the gas station deliver it to you, or do you sail the boat directly to the station?"
The Doctor’s eyes darted around. "The gas station delivers it," he said. "If I call them now, they’ll bring it over." He smiled, adding, "Let me call them to deliver the fuel right now. I’ll do it immediately."
Chen Rou shoved a case of instant noodles into the Doctor’s arms and stacked a pack of cola on top. She sneered. "If it weren't for the fact that you have some medical skills, you would already be a dead man."
She calmly poured the remaining half-can of cola over the Doctor’s head and continued, "Every boat in this area refuels at Ghost-head Chang’s Anilao Port. Since you don't produce fuel locally and rely on imports, and Ghost-head Chang controls the only foreign trade port at Anilao, gasoline is his monopoly. Not only did you lie to me, but you also wanted to call him to tip him off and bring him here to capture me. Do you still think you're clever?"
To the Doctor, Chen Rou had looked beautiful but young, and he had assumed she would be easy to deceive. But this young, beautiful, and ruthless woman was incredibly sharp; one look from her had seen right through him.
The Doctor was thoroughly beaten and resigned to his fate. "If you want fuel, you have to go to Anilao Port," he admitted honestly. "But you just escaped from there, so you surely wouldn't dare go back, right? I advise you to hide somewhere else. I promise not to report you. I swear to God, okay?"
Chen Rou turned toward the stairs and asked with a smile, "Who told you we wouldn't dare go back?"
The Doctor was stunned. "You mean you actually want to return to Ghost-head Chang’s camp? Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"
Wandaozai was waiting at the top of the stairs, nodding off. He wasn't hungry because he’d eaten on the road, so he didn't care for the noodles, but he was interested in the cola. He took the can from the Doctor and drained it in a frantic gulp. He let out a satisfied belch. "Refreshing!"
Song Yuanchao was with Nie Han; he took a can of cola as well and drank deeply. After fighting their way out of a siege, a cold soda felt like heaven.
Once they caught their breath, it was time to discuss the next move.
As the leader of the escape, Chen Rou’s authority was unquestioned. Her plan was this: the boat was capable of crossing the high seas, but they were at least four drums of fuel short. They would have to strike back at Anilao Port to seize the fuel—enough to make the full crossing to Hong Kong in one go. If they could get it peacefully, fine; if not, they would take it by force. Once they reached Hong Kong, everyone would go their separate ways and return home.
Nie Han was still giving Nie Zhao a massage. She was simpler and didn't think too far ahead. "Sister A-Rou," she asked urgently, "we barely made it out. If we go back and get caught, what then?"
Wandaozai was cowardly and lacked any sense of loyalty. "I object," he said. "I would rather die than go back to that compound."
Chen Rou crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Song Yuanchao. The sky was brightening; the sun would rise soon. It was the first time she had really looked at Song Yuanchao. He stood about 183 centimeters tall, with thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and a resolute expression. His posture was rigid, and he carried the air of someone with a military background.
He was the only one who followed her loyally and agreed to her decisions unconditionally.
"Miss Chen is the boss," he said. "I execute her orders. There's nothing to discuss. I support her!"
Wandaozai spoke earnestly, "Everyone, please. My father is very rich. As long as I make it back to the island, I can get money from him. Let's be reasonable. Just get some fuel and take me back to the island; I’ll pay you, okay?"
Song Yuanchao frowned. "If your father is so rich, why hasn't he ransomed you? Why let you work as a coolie in the Philippines?"
Wandaozai clearly had his own unspeakable reasons regarding why his wealthy father hadn't saved him. Stung by the question, he stammered, but he held his ground. "Anyway, I won't go back to that compound, even if I die!"
The fuel required to reach his home island was minimal, but the political relations between that island and the Philippines were complicated; they would likely be arrested the moment they arrived, or hunted down by local syndicates. Chen Rou would not take that risk.
The matter was not up for negotiation. Since there was opposition, Chen Rou’s approach was blunt.
"I am determined to go back for the fuel," she said. "A-Han follows me, and Song Yuanchao supports me. It is decided. Since you object, Wandaozai, you can get off the boat and escape on your own. We’ll part ways here. Goodbye!"
Wandaozai froze. *I just voiced a different opinion,* he thought, *and now I’m being dumped?*
The Doctor chimed in with a dry smile, "I also object to going to the compound. I can get off the boat too, right?"
Chen Rou glared at him. "You cannot. You are coming with us to Hong Kong. If anyone gets hurt along the way, we’ll need you for emergency medical care."The Doctor was displeased. He pointed at Wandaozai and demanded, "Why is he allowed to leave while I'm not?"
He pressed his palms together and pleaded, "Miss, please, I really don’t want to risk my life with you lot. Won't you just let me go?"
Chen Rou shot him a cold glare, then turned to Wandaozai and asked, "Didn't you want to leave? Why haven't you gone yet?"
Wandaozai gritted his teeth for a long moment, crushed his soda can, and threw it to the deck. "You think getting off this boat now is anything other than a death wish?"
Ghost-head Chang’s men were everywhere, and in the Philippines, the police and the criminals were one and the same. If he stepped off that boat, he’d be signing his own death warrant. He was too terrified of death to even return to the compound, let alone step off the boat.
Chen Rou pulled her gun and pointed it at his head. "Since you aren't leaving, I'll take it as an admission that you're one of us. We're going to seize that fuel, which means a firefight is inevitable. Firefights mean casualties. If you lose your nerve or flake out at a critical moment, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in you."
Wandaozai sighed, held up two fingers, and said listlessly, "Okay, fine. If a fight breaks out, I swear on my mother’s life that I’ll fight just as hard as you. Does that satisfy you?"
Chen Rou then addressed the group. "We are all strangers here, brought together by chance. But I will fight with everything I have to protect you, and you must do the same for me. Aligning our hearts and efforts is the only way we’ll make it out of the Philippines alive. I don't need your oaths; I need you to understand this."
Song Yuanchao, acting with the discipline of a soldier, replied, "Protecting everyone is my duty."
Nie Han added, "I’ll do whatever A-Rou says."
Wandaozai still looked wilted, but he nodded. "I’m in, too."
The Doctor, realizing he had no path to escape and hoping to avoid a beating, chose to fall in line. "I’m in."
Seeing that everyone agreed, Chen Rou gave the order: "Prepare yourselves. We’re heading back in!"
...
This was a boat, and to sail it, they needed a driver.
The vessel had come equipped with a crew, but since it was in league with the pirates, the driver had received a call from Ghost-head Chang the previous night and had driven off to hunt for escaped hostages. That was why only the Doctor had been on board when Chen Rou and her group arrived.
However, having lived in an island nation, the Doctor knew how to handle a boat, so Chen Rou had him pull double duty as the pilot.
Wandaozai, terrified of dying, had volunteered to learn how to steer the boat, but Chen Rou assigned that task to Song Yuanchao instead, keeping Wandaozai close by her side.
For one thing, steering a boat wasn't much different from driving a car; Song Yuanchao already knew how to drive and would pick it up quickly.
For another, Wandaozai was not only cowardly but treacherous. Though Chen Rou was a woman, she possessed no soft-hearted sentimentality. On the run, survival demanded ruthlessness. By keeping Wandaozai nearby, she made it easy to take him out with a single shot if necessary. She was hedging her bets: she could be his protector, or she could be his executioner—it all depended on his behavior.
Once the boat set sail, Chen Rou found two white medical coats. She put one on, gave the other to Wandaozai, and led him up to the deck.
They were all strangers, and other than her name, Wandaozai knew nothing about Chen Rou.
But as the morning sun rose, casting a warm, gentle light across her face, Wandaozai was struck by a realization: this woman, who killed without blinking, had skin as fair and smooth as fine powder. Her eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, shimmered with a liquid light. She was, in fact, an incredible beauty—the kind one couldn't help but look at again and again.
Men, by nature, are lustful.
The more Wandaozai looked at Chen Rou, the more he liked what he saw. He couldn't help but suck in a breath, his mouth watering.
But Chen Rou paid him no mind.
It was early morning, the busiest time for maritime traffic. Fishing boats and speedboats passed by from time to time. They crouched on the deck; while passing ships couldn't see them, they could observe the others.
The waters were exceptionally busy today. Armed speedboats, filled with mercenaries, cruised past at regular intervals.
However, because this was a red medical ship under American jurisdiction, the mercenaries didn't board to search it.
After more than an hour, another speedboat appeared in the distance. It carried three mercenaries and three bound women, along with a half-grown boy—no more than fourteen or fifteen—tied to the stern of the craft.
Chen Rou pointed at the speedboat and asked Wandaozai, "See that boy on the boat? Have you seen him at the compound before?"
"I have," Wandaozai said. "His surname is Kuang. Everyone calls him Kuangzai. He was locked in Water Cell No. 5."
Chen Rou asked again, "And those women? Did they escape from the compound too?"
"The men they kidnap are used for manual labor," Wandaozai explained. "The women are either sold or used as military comfort women. Those are comfort women—playthings for the mercenaries. They must have tried to escape during the chaos, but they didn't get far before they were caught."
Chen Rou declared, "We have to save the women and children. Get ready. We’re rescuing them first, then going for the fuel."
Wandaozai froze.
He had just discovered that Miss Chen was ravishingly beautiful, and his lust had briefly outweighed his cowardice, making him ready to follow her through fire to seize the fuel. Yet, she actually wanted to risk everything to save a few sex slaves and a brat?
Seeing him hesitate, Chen Rou said with a sincere expression, "If you're afraid, get off the boat and save your own skin. I'll rescue them myself."
Wandaozai puffed out his chest and held his head high. "You're so funny. I’m the manliest guy on this boat—why would I be afraid?"