Fierce Woman

Ding Ye stared at Hou Rui with reckless arrogance, as if he were sizing up a helpless prey about to fall into his hands. With no fashionable middle-aged man to block his way this time, Ding Ye was confident he could beat Hou Rui to death within a minute.

Sensing the tension in the air, the people in the cabin gradually focused their attention on them. Yet, without exception, no one seemed inclined to meddle; a few of those standing nearby even shifted slightly, creating more space for the two men.

Just as Ding Ye was about to strike, a bearded white man wrapped in a floral headscarf suddenly burst into the cabin, unleashing a string of deep, raspy English. Thanks to years of immersion in Western movies, Hou Rui managed to roughly understand what the bearded man was saying.

“You won’t get off this ship for another week. Until then, every one of you is cargo in my hold—my property. Don’t test my patience, or you’ll be fish food!”

Under the bearded man’s oppressive glare, Ding Ye wisely chose to back down. He shot Hou Rui a venomous look before silently returning to his seat. Relieved, Hou Rui quickly picked up his tray and retreated to the crowd on the other side of the cabin.

After wolfing down their food, the people in the cabin began to leave in twos and threes, retracing their steps to the deck and returning to their respective containers. With no better plan, Hou Rui blended into the crowd and quietly made his way back.

Minutes later, just as Hou Rui was about to slip into his own container, a commotion erupted in the line ahead. A bald, heavily muscled brute suddenly lunged forward, his massive hand slamming into the side of a tall woman’s face. He smashed her head violently against a nearby container with a loud bang, and the assaulted woman collapsed limply onto the deck.

The bald brute hunched his shoulders, scanning the crowd. When he saw no one intended to intervene, he let out a low, sinister laugh. “Heh heh heh, I’m first. Anyone interested can come in five minutes.”

At his words, a few men nearby snickered in unison. Only then did Hou Rui notice the woman sprawled on the deck; from behind, her figure was strikingly alluring.

As Hou Rui wrestled with his conscience, unsure whether to intervene, the brute, unable to contain himself, began to act. He yanked the woman's shirt from her back and grabbed her belt, preparing to drag her behind a row of containers.

In this wholly unfamiliar and perilous environment, no one had any interest in meddling with others’ affairs. And so, in the oppressive silence, as everyone resigned themselves to witnessing a crime, the woman who had been lying motionless suddenly struck back.

Seizing the moment as the brute shifted her body, the tall woman’s fingers shot like lightning toward his eyes. The brute reacted quickly, twisting his face away and avoiding most of the attack, suffering only a bloody scratch across his cheek. But before he could strike back in a rage, the woman unleashed her true weapon—a swift, savage knee that landed squarely in his groin.

“Argh, bastard!”

Howling curses, the brute staggered back. The tall woman gave him no chance to recover; she sprang up, planted her hands on the deck, and rolled her body in a supple arc, launching a relentless attack. In a single smooth motion, she hooked his legs with her own and sent him crashing to the deck.

The brute barely managed to prop himself up, not even fully seated, when the woman pounced again. Hou Rui saw her twist and coil around the man's right arm like a python, locking in a classic armlock.

A sharp crack rang out, followed by an uncontrollable scream. From nearby, Hou Rui saw clearly as the brute’s right arm snapped at the elbow, a jagged white bone bursting through the skin.

The onlookers instinctively stepped back, each eager to distance themselves from this formidable woman. But the woman paid no heed to those around her—her focus remained fixed on her foe. Clearly, a broken arm was not enough to quench her fury.

With a vicious twist, she wrenched the brute’s shattered arm, eliciting another inhuman scream. She then released his arm, only to ensnare his neck with her long legs, her left knee crooking under his chin, her right foot locking her left shin—a flawless and lethal triangle choke.

As he began to suffocate, the brute thrashed desperately. Hou Rui watched the veins bulge on his neck and arms, but there was no escape; after a dozen seconds or so, the sound of his neck snapping reached Hou Rui’s ears.

The deck fell utterly silent, broken only by the woman’s labored breathing after the fierce struggle.

At last, the tall woman slowly stood, reaching up to wipe the blood from her brow. A gunshot rang out, and she crumpled to the floor.

Startled, Hou Rui turned his head just in time to hear the bearded man in the floral scarf roar, “I don’t care about your reasons—anyone who causes trouble dies!”

The crowd swiftly dispersed under the bearded man’s icy gaze, each person hurrying back to their container. But when Hou Rui tried to slip away, the bearded man waved his Colt 1917 revolver and barked, “You, Asian— and you, black boy, clean up the deck.”

With no choice, Hou Rui halted, glanced at the short black man behind him, and trudged toward the brute’s corpse.

The man’s broken neck had left his face twisted and monstrous, his bloodshot eyes almost glowing red. But the black man seemed unfazed. He hefted the brute’s arm and jerked his chin at Hou Rui, signaling him to grab the legs.

Suppressing his nausea, Hou Rui summoned all his strength, and together they heaved the brute overboard.

As they turned to move the woman, everyone assumed she was dead—until she suddenly groaned.

“What should we do?” Hou Rui was stunned.

The black man stared at him blankly, not understanding his Chinese.

“I mean, what do we do now?” Hou Rui repeated in English.

“Same thing—toss her,” the black man replied, blunt as ever.

“Then let’s do it.” Hou Rui had no better idea, so they lifted the woman as before.

As they walked, Hou Rui noticed she’d been shot in the shoulder. Perhaps the bullet had missed any major vessels; the wound wasn’t bleeding much.

She might survive! The thought flashed in Hou Rui’s mind and rapidly expanded. He slowed his steps, hesitating. Just as they reached the railing, the woman groaned again. In that instant, Hou Rui made up his mind—he swiftly released her feet and stepped back.

As the woman opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the black man. Without hesitation, she lashed out, her leg whipping up high and striking him in the ear. The man staggered and, with a scream, crashed into the railing and tumbled overboard.

When the woman’s gaze shifted to Hou Rui, he had already removed his shirt and draped it over her exposed chest.

“My name is Dis,” the woman said, her voice low and hoarse.

“I’m Hou. I was—” Hou Rui began to introduce himself, but Dis cut him off.

“Does that matter to me? Help me back to the container.” Her tone brooked no argument.

Hou Rui felt a twinge of annoyance, but given her formidable skills, he dared not show it. He carefully helped Dis to her feet and began moving toward the containers.

From a distance, the bearded man and the short, chubby man from the canteen watched Hou Rui and Dis coldly. As the two drew near the containers, the chubby man couldn’t help but ask, “Chief mate, you’re just going to let them go back? Should I—”

“No need. The organization’s been short on Asian faces lately, and that woman’s skills are impressive, at least the level of a green third-class medal. It’d be a waste to finish her off now,” the bearded man replied, arms folded.

“But they broke the ship’s rules,” the chubby man protested.

“We’ll see if they can make it back from the island,” the bearded man said, then disappeared into the cabin.

Meanwhile, Hou Rui had helped Dis back to the container and settled her down. As he turned to leave, Dis spoke up, “I’m feeling dizzy—probably a mild concussion from earlier. I have a suggestion for you.”

“What suggestion?”

“An alliance. Help me get through the week on this ship.”

“What?”

“Don’t be surprised. When we disembark, I’ll give you twenty thousand dollars.”

“It’s not about the money. What exactly do you need from me?”

“Get food for me. At night, I’ll stand watch. If needed, help me fight off enemies.”

“But I can’t fight,” Hou Rui protested.

“I know. Judging from your physique and muscle tone, you’re an ordinary man.”

Hou Rui thought it over carefully, feeling he’d be better off staying out of trouble. Who knew what complications such a beautiful woman might bring? Better to keep his distance. “I think I’ll pass. I can help you with food, but that’s all I can manage.”

Dis chuckled, but then doubled over, retching violently. After a long moment, she recovered and said, “If you work with me, your chances of surviving will be much higher.”

It was this final sentence that swayed Hou Rui and made him stop in his tracks.

Not long after, Hou Rui quietly moved into Dis’s container. At mealtimes, he would fetch food for both of them and bring it back to eat in the container, while Dis began to guide him in training.