Chapter 260 Surviving the Ordeal

Hearing the continuous sound of sniper bullets hitting the boat, Chu Zixuan knew that from such a distance, Xiao Qing would have a hard time landing a hit. She was merely providing cover fire. Chu Zixuan held his gun, remaining vigilant in the direction of the cabin door, but he didn't fire again.

He had just checked his gun—only four bullets left. The gun in Ye Yongsheng's hand had only eight rounds left. With that and the need to protect Zhao Yanan, they stood little chance against more than ten bodyguards.

In fact, unless it was absolutely necessary, Chu Zixuan had no intention of fighting to the death. Now that Ye Yongsheng was dead and the bodyguards were hesitant due to Xiao Qing's sniper rifle, they didn't dare to rush in. The safest move at this point was to negotiate.

"Ye Yongsheng is already dead! Are you still willing to risk your lives for him? Let me be clear—there's more than one sniper on the shore, all using M200 rifles. From this distance, blowing your heads off wouldn't be hard! Besides, Chu Zhiqing's men will be here in less than half an hour!"

While shouting, Chu Zixuan was untying his wife.

Still caught in despair and self-blame, Zhao Yanan hadn't fully processed the sudden turn of events. It wasn't until Chu Zixuan ripped the tape off her mouth and kissed her on the lips that she came back to her senses. She grabbed his shoulders tightly, her voice trembling, "Yu... Yuxuan!"

There was no time for Chu Zixuan to take advantage of the situation further. He crouched down, pulling Zhao Yanan to the kitchen. After scanning the area, he whispered, "Honey, hide behind the fridge and don't come out no matter what!"

Zhao Yanan nodded in terror, but her hands still gripped him tightly.

Chu Zixuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I can handle them."

Only then did she let go, trembling as she hid behind the fridge. "Yuxuan, promise me... you won't get hurt."

Chu Zixuan nodded with a grin, "Don't worry!"

He then slipped out of the kitchen and closed the door.

The bodyguards outside seemed to ignore his words, but due to the sniper, they were too scared to stick their heads out. They occasionally fired a few shots into the cabin.

Most of the bodyguards were hiding near the stern of the boat, while Chu Zixuan was positioned near the bow. The bodyguards didn't dare to rush in, and he wasn't about to risk moving to the glass-walled cockpit to steer the boat—that would be suicide. He kept his gun trained on the cabin door, waiting.

"Listen to me," Chu Zixuan shouted. "Let me go, and I won't make things difficult for you! This yacht is worth at least over a hundred million, right? Take it to Thailand and flip it—you could easily make a few million. Why throw your lives away for a dead man like Ye Yongsheng?"

"You must have noticed the boat is off course! Make your decision quickly. We don't need to go down together!"

The bodyguards continued firing, but more than half of them were starting to hesitate.

At that moment, three drones zipped in from the sea, adding more pressure on the bodyguards.

Seeing the drones, Chu Zixuan shouted again, "You see that? My people are already moving in! Either you rush in now, and maybe three or four of you will survive, or you let us go, steer the boat, and make your escape!"

The gunfire slowed down.

The bodyguards were calculating their odds—each wanted to be one of the survivors, but none wanted to be the first to die.

Two impulsive bodyguards crept along the side of the boat, trying to sneak in, but Chu Zixuan was prepared. Two shots later, both were sent overboard.

"Who else wants to try? Huh?! Come on if you're not afraid of dying!" Chu Zixuan shouted, his nerves taut. Seeing that no one else dared approach, he yelled again, "Listen to me! Time's running out! If you don't act soon, none of you will get out alive! If you accept my offer, lower the inflatable raft into the water. Once I'm off the boat, you can make your escape!"

"A yacht like this without Ye Yongsheng? You could sell it! Take the money and be the boss in Thailand. That's better than being his lackeys for life, right?!"

Not long after, one of the bodyguards shouted back, "Tell Chu Zhiqing not to chase us!"

Chu Zixuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry! Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't catch you now. Lower the raft, and I'll get off the boat! But if you delay any longer, none of you will make it out!"

"Fine, you've got one minute!"

"No sneak attacks. We have no grudge. If something happens to me, Chu Zhiqing will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"

Hearing the sound of the inflatable raft being prepared, Chu Zixuan rushed back to the kitchen. Keeping a close eye on the outside, he brought Zhao Yanan out. Grabbing an ashtray, he smashed a window and said, "Honey, as soon as the raft is in the water, we'll jump into the sea and dive. Understand? Don't be afraid."

Zhao Yanan, now slightly steadier, nodded nervously. "Okay, as long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything."

She didn't seem overjoyed by the prospect of escape. Instead, her eyes were filled with concern for Chu Zixuan, who was covered in blood.

Without saying more, Chu Zixuan waited until the sound of the raft hitting the water reached his ears. He glanced at the sea and soon spotted the raft. Gripping Zhao Yanan's hand tightly, he smiled tenderly, just like when he had driven off the cliff. "Yanan, I love you."

With that, he jumped into the water with her, swimming fiercely toward the deep.

Luckily, the bodyguards weren't looking to cause further trouble. They didn't shoot as the two splashed into the sea, instead rushing to the cockpit, correcting their course, and fleeing like their lives depended on it.

Underwater, Chu Zixuan didn't relax. One arm around Zhao Yanan's waist, he kept diving deeper.

Though she claimed to know how to swim, compared to Chu Zixuan, who had years of experience on the sea, her skills were far inferior. Within half a minute, she was already struggling to hold her breath.

Chu Zixuan looked up and, seeing no trace of the yacht, figured the bodyguards had likely gone far. He slowly brought Zhao Yanan to the surface.

By now, night had fallen, and the sea stretched out like a vast pool of ink.

Gazing at the shrinking silhouette of the boat in the distance, Chu Zixuan finally let out a deep breath.

Next to him, Zhao Yanan gasped for air, her chest heaving against his.

Chu Zixuan turned to her and smirked, "What's the matter? Never seen such a handsome man before? Are you planning to offer yourself in gratitude?"