Out on the Atlantic, the Titanic was steaming toward her appointed destination.
But as the sea wind grew colder, more and more people put on heavy clothing.
Feeling the weather turn abruptly cold, the captain seemed to sense something too.
But before he could act on it, a catastrophe of prehistoric proportions was already upon them.
April 14, 1912, 11:40 at night.
A violent crash rang out as the starboard side of the hull smashed into an iceberg. Even with the helmsman wrenching the wheel around with all his strength, there was no saving the ship from her fate — the damage was simply too great. From starboard to midship, of the ten watertight compartments, nearly half had flooded...
Even if God himself came down, He could not save this ship.
In the wake of the collision, the whole vessel fell into chaos; no one knew what had happened.
Rushing in panic to the captain's cabin, the sailors reported the damage in every quarter, and Captain Edward's last hanging hope finally died. The ship was beyond saving.
He announced the situation to the passengers over the ship's loudspeakers. Captain Edward did not conceal the news.
Because he knew that people would soon realize the danger the Titanic was in.
As countless people fought and shoved their way up toward the top deck, Liu Ren was down in the boiler room, saving lives.
The seawater pouring in had snuffed out the boilers in an instant, killing all power and leaving the men down there face to face with the sea's most savage malice.
Liu Ren dove straight in, grabbed hold of a man, and hauled him upward with all his strength.
Watching the men being dragged one after another out of the water, Uncle Qiang, soaked from head to toe, shouted at the top of his voice: “Who else? Who's still not out?”
“Uncle Qiang, we're all out! What do we do now?”
The young men looked to Uncle Qiang in panic, many of them thrown into confusion.
Because no one had imagined that what Liu Ren had said a couple of days ago would turn out to be true!
Hugging themselves and shivering, many of them were so cold their teeth chattered.
Even so, Uncle Qiang forced down his own fear and said: “Up. We go up first!”
“Splash—”
Liu Ren clambered painfully out of the water. “Move! We can't stay here any longer!”
Hearing him, Uncle Qiang nodded hurriedly.
On the chaotic deck, people were fighting tooth and nail for a place on the boats.
The sailors did their utmost to keep order and even drew their guns, but they could not hold back people who had gone completely mad.
Because at this moment, the shackles of morality had been shattered by the will to live.
Seeing Liu Ren coming from a distance with his countrymen, a sailor roared: “Get to the back! Chinese laborers wait until everyone else is aboard before it's your turn...”
On hearing this, a young man beside him shouted in fury: “Fuck! If we wait till they're all aboard, will there be any room left for us?”
But just as the young man was about to charge forward, Liu Ren raised a hand to stop him: “Easy. Don't get worked up!”
“I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. I am Captain Edward... It is my failure that has brought about this terrible disaster, and for that I am deeply sorry. I will go down with this ship...”
Delivering his sorrowful words, Edward slowly took off his cap.
As captain, he could have been the first to leave, but he had not, because the dignity of his position would not allow him to abandon the ship.
Listening to Captain Edward, Liu Ren tilted his head back, a smile curving at the corner of his mouth.
When is human nature at its most terrifying? When survival is threatened.
And yet here, at the moment of death, he had seen Edward's calm composure and equanimity. It was simply too interesting!
“My friends, this may be the last time we play together! Shall we?”
Holding his violin, one of the musicians looked around at his companions.
At his words, the rest of the band began to play as well.
And in this hour of life and death, their music, amid human nature at its worst, could not help but move the heart.
Watching the chaos before him — some choosing to meet death with composure, some choosing any means to get on a boat, some entrusting their children's hope of life to strangers...
Watching it all like a bystander, Liu Ren seemed to understand something. A savage grin spread across his mouth.
His yellow-brown eyes slowly brightened. Liu Ren turned and said: “Come on! We're going somewhere else!”
The people there stared at Liu Ren, stunned.
Because this was the only place with lifeboats!
But when everyone had reached the stern, which was slowly tilting up on one side, Liu Ren dropped the lifeboat he had prepared long ago.
Looking at the boat waiting below, Uncle Qiang said in shock: “Ah Ren? You...?”
“Don't say anything. Get down first!”
Liu Ren spoke to Uncle Qiang and the others, then looked around — and did not find Lauren, that fat cook. He turned at once to go look for him.
“Ah Ren, where are you going?”
Seeing Liu Ren about to leave, Uncle Qiang shouted after him in question.
“I'm going to find someone. Row over that way first!”
Liu Ren shouted back at Uncle Qiang.
“Creak...”
With the sound of tearing steel, the hull heeled over sharply.
His body slid forward, and Liu Ren quickly steadied himself: “Looks like there isn't much time!”
He ran for the kitchen as fast as he could. Liu Ren knew that if Lauren wasn't up on deck, he would be in his favorite place — the kitchen.
But just as Liu Ren was sprinting toward the kitchen, Spicer appeared not far away, revolver in hand.
Seeing Spicer raise his gun and fire, Liu Ren asked in puzzlement: “Mr. Spicer, what are you doing?”
“Fuck! Those two damned mongrels — they stole the Tear of the Ocean!”
Spicer's roar was furious, his face livid with rage.
At that, Liu Ren blinked: “What?”
“Liu, this is no time to talk about it. You should be running for your life!”
With that, Spicer gripped his gun and ran on in pursuit.
Liu Ren's mouth twitched. He had already helped Cal see what Rose really was — and the man had still let them trick the Tear of the Ocean away from him. Cal was dim enough to sit at the same table as Silly Zhu!
But the next second, Liu Ren froze: “Holy shit — the Tear of the Ocean?”
Thinking of what the gem was worth, an axe appeared in his palm at once.
Because that was a jewel worth two hundred million!
“Damn it!”
Liu Ren raced after Spicer, meaning to help out too. After all, if his luck held, might the jewel not end up in his hands?
In the tilting corridor, Rose and Jack were fleeing for their lives, dodging Spicer's pursuit.
But they did not know that the truly dangerous one was not Spicer — it was Liu Ren, axe in hand, closing in behind them.
In the narrow passage, Jack burst out with all his strength and slammed hard into Spicer.
But as the two of them grappled, Rose played her part to great effect: she grabbed a vase and knocked Spicer out with it.
Seeing Spicer fall, Jack and Rose both breathed a sigh of relief.
But just then, Liu Ren appeared, axe in hand.
Looking down at Spicer on the floor, Liu Ren's expression turned to puzzlement — to be taken down while holding a gun meant Spicer really wasn't much good.
“You— what do you want? Stay back!”
Snatching up the revolver in a panic, Jack leveled it at Liu Ren and shouted.
“A thief and a whore, and you ask me what I want? That's hilarious!”
Brushing aside the hanging lock of hair, Liu Ren walked slowly forward, slapping the axe against his thigh with his right hand.
Chapter 7