The Stowaways in the Cabin（4）

The next man down was the French criminal, accompanied by two lackeys. They walked ahead, laughing and gesturing toward the woman. 

The Frenchman spoke Thai, his voice harsh. "We'll all take her. I want her mouth, and you two handle her from behind. Make sure you do it at the same time. Don't spoil the fun." 

His two lackeys grinned in agreement, their faces twisted with lecherous delight. 

As they eagerly began to untie the woman, I pushed off the wall behind me with my right foot, propelling my body forward like an arrow. I landed next to them, spinning mid-air, and thrust a knife into each of the lackeys' ribs. They didn't even have time to scream before they collapsed. 

I then moved quickly, aiming for the Frenchman's heart. But he leaped back just in time to avoid the strike. As I swung the knife again, he aimed a sidekick at my temple. I narrowly dodged, and we ended up in a strange standoff, him striking a kung fu pose. 

Though I had Chinese blood, I was more skilled in Muay Thai and military hand-to-hand combat. We clashed for several rounds, neither of us finding an opening. To avoid alerting his other men, I closed the distance and grappled with him. The man was strong, and in an instant, he had me pinned beneath him. He twisted my wrist, slowly pressing the knife against my chest. 

Just as I was about to be overwhelmed, a loud thud rang out. A heavy wooden stick had struck the Frenchman in the head. The Japanese woman, having managed to free herself, had grabbed a weapon and helped me. 

The blow wasn't strong enough to knock him out, but it gave me the moment I needed. I drove my leg up and kicked him hard in the back of the head. He reeled from the pain, and his hand instinctively went to rub the sore spot. 

I seized the opportunity and flipped him over, pinning him down. I pressed the knife to his heart and pushed it closer, but he fought back with all his might. His sweat streamed down, and I was covered in it too, as we struggled. 

For a moment, we were locked in a deadly battle of strength. A bead of sweat fell from my face and landed in his eye, distracting him for a brief moment. I took advantage of that and let another drop fall into his other eye. 

He seemed to be losing focus, and I saw the fear creep into his face when he noticed the scar in the shape of a cross on my chest. His strength faltered. In that instant, I thrust my knife deep into his heart, then twisted the blade with all my might. 

I knew from years of experience that when facing a larger enemy, you had to make sure the kill was decisive, or they might strike back with deadly force before they died. 

I pulled out the knife, wiped the blade on his shirt, and returned it to its sheath. I grabbed the Japanese woman's hand and rushed to climb up to the deck. 

Once we made it outside, I saw several sailors rushing toward my cabin with weapons. They must have thought I was asleep in my hammock. They had no idea I was standing behind them, rifle in hand. 

When I reached the side of the deck, I fired in quick succession. Eight sailors dropped dead before they even realized what happened, their bodies falling in a hail of bullets. But I didn't see Barsadi. 

I told the Japanese woman to hide in a dark corner and remain silent until I returned. She understood immediately and nodded. 

I made my way to the captain's quarters. Barsadi was speaking into a radio, his voice urgent. "33 degrees south, east... Captain of the Sea Demon, I need backup. This guy is trying to steal our drugs." 

I peered through the window, adjusted the rifle to single-shot mode, and took him out with a clean shot. 

But there was a serious problem. I only heard the latitude, but not the longitude. After we discovered Luya and Yiliang, the ship had veered off course. And the Sea Demon, an internationally wanted pirate ship, was involved in drug trafficking and all manner of ruthless crimes. Barsadi had been working with them all along. 

I knew I had to leave this area immediately, or we'd be dead when the pirates came for us. I rushed back, grabbed the Japanese woman's hand, and found her child in the locked cabin. 

We had to get out of here.