Chapter 080 I Will Not Let Go

On the boundless expanse of the sea, a small yacht cut through the waves.

At the helm was a middle-aged man. Beside him, a beautiful woman with golden hair and blue eyes gestured toward the distance and introduced the scenery to the passengers in a foreign language.

“There are many small islands in this sea, each with its own name and legend,” she explained, pointing as she spoke. “That one is called Moon Island, said to be where the goddess of the moon descended. That island shaped like a scepter—legend has it, it was once the wizard’s staff transformed into land…”

“What’s the name of that island?” a passenger asked, pointing to one not far off.

“Lover’s Island,” the woman replied. “Its shape resembles the entwined hands of lovers. But this island isn’t as idyllic as you might imagine.”

“How so?” Jiang Yao, absorbed in the story, couldn’t help but ask.

“Because its shape draws so many tourists, but over the past decade, there have been more than a dozen accidents. Many who landed there died for various reasons. They say the island is haunted by something unclean…”

A gust of sea wind swept over, and Jiang Yao shivered.

She looked back; the coastline had blurred into a thin line.

Staring at the vast ocean, Jiang Yao suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of being swallowed by the sea.

“Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the end of today’s journey,” the blonde woman suddenly changed her tone.

The group was puzzled.

“Please take out all your valuables and mobile phones and lay them before me,” she said with a slight smile.

It was Jiang Yao’s first trip abroad, her first time at sea. Unfamiliar with the etiquette, she looked blankly at He Yunqing seated beside her.

He Yunqing frowned deeply and shook his head at her, silently.

“Why are we supposed to hand over our valuables?” someone demanded loudly.

“For this reason,” the woman’s gaze turned cold. In an instant, she drew a gun from her waist and pointed it at everyone. “Is this enough?”

Jiang Yao was stunned.

She even wondered if the weapon was a toy or real.

But when that dark barrel aimed at her, she realized—they were truly abroad.

Her body tensed involuntarily.

She hadn’t expected, after all she’d been through back home and coming here to find peace, to encounter something so absurd.

Misfortune truly followed her…

A large hand quietly closed over Jiang Yao’s.

She turned to see He Yunqing giving her a reassuring look, as if to say, “Don’t be afraid; I’m here.”

In that instant, Jiang Yao felt a surge of calm, though she knew that no matter how capable He Yunqing was, flesh and blood could not withstand cold steel.

“People like this want money. As long as we hand it over, we’ll be safe,” He Yunqing whispered, leaning close to her ear.

Jiang Yao nodded and handed over her phone.

Aside from that, she had nothing of value.

The others surrendered their phones, jewelry, watches—everything.

The woman eyed the pile of belongings, nudging it with the toe of her red high heel, then exchanged a glance with the man piloting the yacht. They nodded at each other.

“All right, now you can get off.”

“Here?” one passenger protested, agitated. “We’re at sea. What are we supposed to do after jumping in?”

The woman leveled the gun at him. “Jump, or die here. Your choice.”

He fell silent, sitting down obediently.

The woman smiled, using the gun to indicate, “You few first—then the others…”

On board, a child of about seven or eight was petrified, sitting unmoving and wailing at the top of his lungs.

The woman grew annoyed by his crying. She pointed the gun at Jiang Yao. “You, throw him overboard.”

Jiang Yao didn’t obey. Instead, she gently patted the boy’s shoulder, comforting him as she drew him into her arms. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

But the child only cried harder.

The woman’s patience snapped. She aimed at Jiang Yao and the child and pulled the trigger.

A deafening bang rang out.

Yet Jiang Yao and the boy remained unharmed. He Yunqing stood in front of Jiang Yao, and a bullet spun into his left shoulder.

A bloom of blood instantly spread across He Yunqing’s shoulder.

“He Yunqing!” Jiang Yao cried out, about to rush forward.

“Ah Yao, don’t move.” He Yunqing uttered not a sound, pressing his wounded shoulder with one hand, sweat beading on his brow.

Jiang Yao froze mid-step. She looked up to see the woman now aiming the gun at her head.

At last, Jiang Yao understood, viscerally, that the woman truly would fire.

She and He Yunqing could die in an instant.

Facing the woman, Jiang Yao stepped forward, then again, until she was at He Yunqing’s side, gazing at his bleeding shoulder. “He Yunqing, I’ll go with you.”

She turned and glared fiercely at the woman. “You want money. There’s no need to hurt anyone.”

Her foreign words were a bit clumsy, but the woman clearly understood.

She sneered, “Hurting people depends on my mood.”

Jiang Yao gritted her teeth. In a flash, she wrapped He Yunqing in a tight embrace and, summoning all her strength, leapt into the sea.

Behind them, two more shots rang out…

The scent of blood quickly seeped into the water.

Jiang Yao dragged He Yunqing, swimming desperately toward the nearest island.

But a wave soon swept them back.

Though Jiang Yao was a strong swimmer, this was the vast sea; even alone, her chance of survival was slim.

And now she had to keep He Yunqing afloat, wounded as he was.

“Ah Yao, let go of me,” He Yunqing murmured weakly by her ear.

Jiang Yao didn’t look at him. “Don’t worry. The island is just ahead. We’re almost there.”

“There are sharks in these waters,” He Yunqing said simply. “And I’m bleeding.”

Jiang Yao only pressed on, stubbornly shaking her head. “No. We’re almost there. You know I can swim. We’ll be fine.”

He Yunqing’s voice grew faint. “If you go alone, you might survive. I’ll only drag you down.”

“Shut up!” Jiang Yao shouted, turning to glare at him, his face growing paler. “If you say one more word, I’ll cut myself and feed us both to the sharks.”

The waves grew stronger, and Jiang Yao soon lost her strength.

Yet she clung to He Yunqing, refusing to let go. “I won’t let go, just as you would never let go of my hand.”