Chapter 380
At that moment, I kept my cool, looking fearless. "Go ahead, shoot me. Even if I die, I'll go out a hero. Come on, make it quick. At least you'll all go down with me!"
"John, what's gotten into you?" Cassandra asked, her face full of worry.
I ignored her and locked eyes with Lincoln. "Shoot! Aren't you the tough guy? Pull the trigger, and I'll make sure you all die with me!"
Lincoln's eyes flashed with murderous intent as his finger inched toward the trigger. My heart pounded. But I couldn't show fear. If I did, he'd definitely shoot.
"Come on, right here!" I pointed to my head. "Make it count."
The tension was off the charts.
Finally, Lincoln lowered his gun. He squinted at me. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'll say it one last time, unlock my chains!" I shouted, letting out all my pent-up anxiety and fear.Dylan said, "You're asking for trouble."
"Dylan, unlock his chains," Lincoln ordered in a low voice.
"What? Boss!" Dylan looked stunned.
"I said unlock his chains. Don't make me repeat myself," Lincoln snapped.
Lincoln raised his gun again, and Dylan, shaking with fear, hurried over to unlock my chains.
As soon as I was free, I spat in his face. "You brought this on yourself!"
Before he could react, I kicked him in the groin. His mouth gaped, and his eyes nearly popped out.
I hit him again and again. Dylan screamed in pain, and I felt a rush of satisfaction.
Then a gunshot rang out, startling me. I stopped the beating.
Lincoln stared at me, expressionless. "Keep it up, and the next shot goes to your heart."
Seeing Dylan's bloodied face, I spat again. Under Cassandra's shocked gaze, I picked her up and set her on a nearby soft armchair.
Cassandra said, "John, you..."
I smiled at her and whispered, "Trust me."
Her eyes lit up. "I trust you!"
I walked up to Lincoln. "Let me introduce myself. I'm John Cena. You can call me Mr. Cena."
Lincoln squinted. "I don't care what your name is. I just want to know why you came to Crystal Nation and who that girl you rescued is."
"Maybe you should look into the people who came with me. One of them, her husband is an entrepreneur in Sevan City, involved in a huge government project. And Crystal Nation is a world leader in this field. And the girl you kidnapped is not just anyone. As for who she is, you don't need to know!"I continued, "Just know that if anything happens to her, the military will come after you, and you won't escape."
His face changed, and he called over a guy, whispered something, and the guy quickly left.
"What does any of this have to do with you?" He toyed with the gun in his hand. "And what does it have to do with her?" He pointed at Cassandra.
"Of course, it matters. The design data for the machine tool is with me, and she's my contact in Crystal Nation," I said, "You know a lot about Simbara, right? Then you should know their people. If you mess with them, they'll come after you, no matter where you are."
"And you think being at sea makes you safe?" I grinned and pulled out a real-time translation device from my ear. "See this? It’s satellite-tracked, which means my people already know where you are. Guess how long it'll take them to catch up."
Lincoln's face changed, losing its calm. He looked both scared and pissed. "Damn it, they didn't search carefully enough!"
I snorted, "Even if you destroy this now, it's too late. So here's the deal: let us go, or you all die!"
He was fuming. Just then, the guy who had left earlier came back and whispered something to him. Lincoln's face relaxed, and I felt a jolt of anxiety, afraid to be exposed.
Lincoln said in a hoarse voice, "I can let you go, but how can you guarantee our safety?"
Hearing this, I relaxed. He hadn't seen through my bluff. "Simple, give me a boat and a satellite phone, and I'll contact my people."
I said calmly, "I just want to finish my mission, and you're in it for the money. We don't need to fight. Otherwise, we all die."
Lincoln hesitated.
I knew this was my only shot. If he figured out the truth, I was done for.
"What, you don't agree?" I sneered, "Fine, then I won't leave."
"You can go, but she stays," Lincoln said coldly, "She'll cover my losses."
"No way! She's with me, and she's leaving with me." I walked towards him, trying to make my eyes look fierce. "Don't bargain with me. I'm not scared. Your people started this."
"Don't push your luck," Lincoln said in a deep voice. "If I contact Crystal Nation, how much do you think they'll pay for you? Do you think they'll send a fleet? Do your people really dare to fight?"
"Then you're asking for death. You won't survive."
We stared each other down for over ten seconds. Lincoln finally said, "Take her and get off the boat. I'll have someone escort you!"
The escort was actually surveillance. I felt a chill inside.
"My people will watch you board your boat." He smiled and said something to the guy next to him, Christopher. Christopher nodded and said, "Follow me."
I smiled. "You'll be glad you made this decision."
Then I walked over to support Cassandra. Her eyes were full of excitement. "John!"
I smiled and slowly walked out. I couldn't show any eagerness to escape.
On the deck, I said to Christopher, "Give me two life jackets and food."
Christopher said coldly, "I'm not obligated to do that for you."
I turned to Lincoln. "Give me your contact info. Maybe we'll meet again and do business together!"
Lincoln signaled to Christopher, who reluctantly went to get what I needed. "I know Simbara people are interested in some tech from other countries. If you can pay the price, I'd be happy to work with you."
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