Everyone was somewhat confused.
"What exactly happened?"
"Why were we suddenly gathered here? Is there a problem with the cruise ship?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" the words sounded ominous, and someone immediately reprimanded, "It must be for another reason. Perhaps Mr. Z has something to say."
Amidst the murmurs, Mr. Z arrived and sat down, clearing his throat twice.
The butler stepped forward immediately, his expression grave. "Everyone, Mr. Z originally intended to take you to a private island at sea. It was a round trip that could be completed in one day, and you could have enjoyed two days of leisure on the island..."
Upon hearing this, everyone was quite pleased. Private islands at sea are limited, and many people have wanted to visit but never had the opportunity.
Some began to whisper, speaking of their long-held desires to visit the island.
King chuckled softly, "These fools."
Shen Qingqing did not refute. Gathering everyone here in such a fanfare couldn't possibly be just to talk about this. Clearly, the butler had not finished speaking.
"However, an accident has occurred." The next second, the butler dropped a bombshell. "We conducted a survey just now and discovered a storm is imminent at sea. We must change our original route, otherwise, our chances of survival in the storm are ten percent."
In fact, this was stating the obvious.
In the face of natural disasters, humans are truly insignificant. The so-called hope of survival is merely an assessment.
Whether one can survive ultimately depends on fate.
The storm is relentless, and life and death are separated by a thin line.
The crowd, who had been happily discussing just moments before, now felt as if they had been doused with a basin of cold water, chilling them to the bone.
They even wanted to slap themselves for their earlier exuberance!
They were about to lose their lives, yet they were happy!
"How could this happen? Did you not make any preparations or surveys before we came?" someone questioned loudly.
The butler apologized, "I am very sorry. We did conduct surveys, and everything was normal. But the weather is unpredictable, and we truly couldn't foresee this..."
"Are you making excuses? What do you think our lives are worth?"
"Are you joking? If you weren't sure, why did you ask us to come?"
Mr. Z coughed lightly, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Please, everyone, calm yourselves. This is indeed something we did not handle well, but the immediate priority is not to assign blame, but to find a way to avoid the storm and survive."
Hearing this, the crowd became even more panicked. They were all wealthy individuals, and thus, even more fearful of death.
"It's easy for you to say, a storm at sea. How are we supposed to survive?"
"If you had a solution, you wouldn't have called us all here. I knew this would happen, I shouldn't have come."
"My father didn't want me to come in the first place. I really regret not listening to him..."
"What if something happens and we can never go back?"
Some of the men began to show anxiety and even choked up, while the women were more direct, covering their faces and weeping.
For a moment, the dining hall resembled a chaotic marketplace.
Shouts of anger, accusations, women's cries, men's reprimands...
Mr. Z sat in his chair, watching the chaos unfold, while the butler stood behind him, his gaze focused and his demeanor composed.
"This is really quite annoying."
Shen Qingqing held her delicate face in her hands and sighed.
King couldn't help but chuckle, "Shall I go beat him up for you?"
Before Shen Qingqing could reply, Ai Qi ran over, her skirt trailing, her little face pale. "Pretty sister, what should we do now?"
Shen Qingqing glanced at her and casually grabbed a cup, smashing it forcefully onto the ground!
With a loud "crack!",
A moment of silence followed, and everyone stared at the cup that lay shattered on the floor, its fragments scattered everywhere.
Ai Qi was also startled. "Sister, you..."
Shen Qingqing said coldly, "What's the use of shouting? Can you shout the storm away?"
...Of course not.
Someone couldn't help but say, "You say that as if you're not afraid. Even if you don't fear death, we do. Can't we think of a way, discuss it further?"
"Is this what you call discussing?" Shen Qingqing asked with disdain. "The way you're behaving, anyone would think you were lining up at a market to buy eggs."
Everyone froze.
"To put it bluntly, even the aunties and uncles lining up for eggs at the market aren't as noisy as you. At least they know to line up quietly and wait for their turn to get their eggs."
The dining hall was plunged into a deathly silence, and everyone's faces turned ashen.
"Pfft."
King couldn't hold back any longer and laughed, his shoulders trembling. Seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth that were trying to turn up.
"My apologies, please continue. I just remembered something very sad... pfft..."
Everyone: "..."
Seeing that she had brought the situation under control with just a few words, Mr. Z looked surprised and spoke with interest, "Then what do you suggest we do? The storm is about to arrive."
As he spoke, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, obscuring the previously clear blue. The sea turned dim.
Everyone couldn't help but shiver.
Fear washed over them once more, like an invisible boulder pressing down on their hearts.
Shen Qingqing looked at the butler. "Do you have a sea chart?"
"Yes, I do."
"Go get it."
A large sea chart was spread out on the table. Shen Qingqing and the other four occupied the chairs, leaving no room for anyone else. The rest could only stand by their sides and watch.
A young master from a prominent family wanted Zhao Qian to stand up. Zhao Qian was naturally reserved and was indeed about to give up his seat.
"Sit down."
Shen Qingqing said without looking up. Zhao Qian immediately obeyed as if he had received an imperial decree, his buttocks hovering over the chair, motionless.
The person who had asked him to give up his seat was very annoyed. Before he could speak, Shen Qingqing's cold voice cut through the air.
"If you're not going to look, get out."
That person suppressed his anger, but leaving was out of the question. He wanted to see what capabilities this woman possessed!
Shen Qingqing's gaze scanned the map.
She quickly found their current location. Their position was very awkward, far from their intended destination, the private island. Nearby, there were only uninhabited islands where they could land.
And these uninhabited islands were progressively larger.
These islands had been under the control of Country H for a long, long time, and no one had set foot on them for ages. Nobody knew what was on these islands now.
Carter sneered, "You're not thinking of sending us to an uninhabited island, are you? You'll probably die there."
He was the one who had asked Zhao Qian to give up his seat earlier.
Just then, more people arrived from the ship's cabin, bringing more bad news.
"There's a problem with the cruise ship. All signals are jammed, and we can't follow our intended route. Moreover, the weather at sea is dark, and visibility is very low. We've lost our sense of direction."
Upon hearing this, the hearts of the crowd sank further.
Carter was also scared. All his fear turned into anger, and he pointed at Shen Qingqing. "You've been pretending to look for a long time. What have you figured out? Is there a way to survive?"
Shen Qingqing frowned as she studied the map.
He continued to mock, "I think you're just pretending. A woman should properly serve the men, why are you meddling here!"
"Shut up, you're too noisy."
Shen Qingqing said without looking up, her brow furrowed in thought.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She pointed a finger at a small island on the map. "Let's go here."
The butler was taken aback. "Are you sure? This island is full of wild beasts and venomous creatures. If we go there, we might not be able to return."
Hearing this, everyone immediately began to protest vehemently.
"No, I'm not going to my death!"
"Exactly! We might be able to avoid the storm here, but if we go to the island, we're humans. How can we fight wild beasts? We'll just become their prey!"