Lei Zhengyang, ever the rogue, gave the attractive female crew member's backside a brazen squeeze, chuckling with a roguish grin. "Play nice, miss, and we'll get along just fine."
She knew she'd been groped, but with a cold gun barrel staring her down, she swallowed her anger. The two corpses on the floor were proof enough—this man had no mercy for beauty. Ignoring her pitiful expression, Lei shoved her out of the instrument room.
Soon, a squad of submarine soldiers closed in, recreating the earlier standoff in the ventilation deck. Only this time, instead of a gruff lieutenant, his hostage was a stunning woman.
"You can't escape," a captain-like figure declared. "Drop your weapon, and I'll ensure a fair trial." His face was a mask of icy menace, but his flickering eyes betrayed his reluctance to harm the woman. She was just a lowly crew member, but since boarding, she'd been the goddess in every soldier's heart.
A beauty like her was a rare spark in the endless monotony of submarine life. These men clearly wanted to protect her.
"Let's play a game," Lei taunted, his tone mocking. "Will I kill her, or will you back off? Go ahead, Captain, count to three." His gun hovered, ready to end her life. No one doubted he'd pull the trigger.
The soldiers glanced at their captain, hesitating. They hadn't flinched when Lei held the lieutenant, but this was different. Lei seized on their weakness, emboldened. This hostage was gold.
He stepped forward. The soldiers instinctively retreated—a stark contrast to the earlier standoff.
"Please, don't kill me!" the woman begged, her voice trembling. She might've been trained, but nothing prepared her for a gun to her head. Even the bravest falter before death, a primal instinct beyond willpower. Those who seemed fearless on the battlefield were merely desensitized—not unafraid. No one wanted to die.
"Don't kill you? Fine, I'll kill them," Lei sneered, firing. A soldier dropped, blood pooling. Hiding behind the woman, Lei's tactics were shamelessly vile.
Unbeknownst to him, in the distant base control room, the old man and both instructors watched every move on the screens, glued to his actions since the mission began.
The old man nodded with approval. A man shouldn't be heartless, but in life-or-death moments, survival demanded ruthlessness. Morality, chivalry, principles—none mattered when your life was on the line. This was the lesson he wanted Lei to learn, and he'd finally grasped it.
"That bastard's despicable, treating a woman like that," Instructor Two muttered. She knew the training's near-impossible odds, but seeing Lei use the woman as a shield stirred something personal, as if she were the one being manhandled. He shouldn't treat her—or anyone—like that.
Instructor One chimed in, "The Hellfire Training Camp forges cold-blooded super soldiers. He's ready to graduate. He's no gentleman, but he's a damn fine soldier."
In front of the old man, he restrained his smugness, but his words only fueled Instructor Two's anger.
Lei, oblivious, was reveling in his advantage. If he'd known these soldiers were so soft for a pretty face, he'd have grabbed a beauty from the start. Their hesitation meant bullets weren't flying his way.
Even after he gunned down a soldier in plain sight, no one dared return fire, too afraid of hitting the woman.
As Lei raised his gun from behind her again, the captain waved his men back, barking, "Fall back! Defensive positions! Don't harm Miss Annie!"
Lei nearly burst out laughing. His hand roamed her backside again, mentally thanking this little darling for her unintended help.
The standoff drew more soldiers, and soon the commander arrived. Seeing Lei and his hostage, Annie, he wasn't surprised, but his face paled. "Annie!" he gasped, clearly recognizing her. Perfect, Lei thought. Familiarity made this easier.
"Commander, got another two-choice game for me?" Lei teased. "I'm a fan of your style. Shall we play again?"
This time, the commander wavered, his earlier decisiveness gone.
"I'll let you leave safely," he offered. "We'll pretend this never happened. Just release Miss Annie."
The commander's deference piqued Lei's curiosity. What's so special about this woman?
"He wants the control room?" a new voice cut in over the comms. "Let him in. I'll be waiting."
The commander protested, "Captain, I've failed you. I'll accept any punishment."
"Enough," the captain replied. "This isn't your fault. If anything happens to me, you take full command. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain."
Lei was puzzled, but clarity came when he entered the control room. Annie's cry echoed: "Daddy, save me!" She was the captain's daughter—no wonder no one dared shoot.
The control room housed about a dozen operators, surrounded by a massive nautical chart and blinking instruments.
Lei's senses scanned the room—no elite fighters here. The moment the door sealed shut, he released Annie, who ran sobbing into her father's arms.
The captain showed no fear, only tender concern as he patted his daughter's back. Looking up at Lei, he asked, "What do you want? If it's my life, take it. If you mean to threaten the submarine, I'm sorry, but I won't comply. You can kill us both—my daughter and I will die together. It's a fitting end."
Lei hadn't expected this. The captain had let him in to face death alongside his daughter—a rare kind of resolve.
Resolve meant nothing to Lei. His mission was all that mattered, and Annie was just a lucky break. Tossing out the coordinates, he said, "I don't care about your life, so long as you don't piss me off. Relax, I'm not here to hijack your sub. I just need a ride to this location. That's my stop."
The captain stayed silent. Lei's patience snapped. Yanking Annie back, he tore off her navy jacket. "If you're so eager to die, Captain, how about I put on a show for you first?"
Annie, barely twenty and fresh from the academy, was no match for this nightmare. Sobbing, she flailed helplessly, her cries like rain-soaked petals.
The captain was a soldier, but also a father. He had no choice. "Do as he says," he ordered. "Give this man his ride. Let him hitch a lift."
The captain's wry humor shone through. In twenty years as captain, Lei was the first to dare "hitch a ride" on his submarine.