Before Ryan could even react, Michael quickly stepped forward, clamping his hand over the man’s mouth and nose. “If you want to live, you’ll keep it together. Otherwise, I’ll send you straight to hell,” Michael said in a low, dangerous voice as he pulled out a gun and aimed it coldly at the man.
The young researcher froze, eyes wide, staring at the black muzzle of the gun. He was terrified, but the vortex hadn’t claimed his life yet-there was still a chance to survive, or at least hope for a miracle. But the gun in his face was a far more immediate threat. The survival instinct kicked in, and the man, trembling, clamped his hands over his mouth and nose, forcing back his tears.
Michael relaxed slightly.
In situations like this, emotional breakdowns were the last thing they needed. It would act like a spark to set off everyone’s fear. And in that panic, who knew what would happen?
Michael knew, though, that if anything else triggered chaos, Ryan would take care of it.
The cold-blooded leader of the Dark family didn’t care about anyone’s feelings-no one, not even Michael and his Brown family, was safe from Ryan’s wrath.
“Throw them into the aft hold. Anyone causes trouble, just toss them overboard,” Ryan ordered coldly without even turning around.
“Got it.” The Dark family members who had boarded from other ships quickly obeyed, lifting two people at a time and dragging them to the back. Even Brook was hauled along.
Michael nodded at Brook. “You go too. Ivy can’t handle it. Help calm the others down.”
Brook nodded back, and the Dark family members threw him into the hold as well.
“Water current speed’s almost 400 knots,” Bill said right after Michael spoke.
Echo’s heart skipped a beat.
The ship was moving at 300 knots, but the current was at 400 knots. There was almost a 100-knot difference. No wonder the radar needle kept moving toward 264. At this rate, destruction was inevitable.
She looked up at the sea.
The water wasn’t calm anymore. Instead of the smooth, mirror-like surface, it was churning with violent waves, rushing toward them. The sound of the waves crashing against each other was so loud it could be heard clearly from the ship’s command center. The wind howled with an eerie noise, sending a chill down her spine.
The sky was dark, almost like it was filled with an unknown mix of water, wind, waves, or clouds-maybe a combination of all of them. The powerful forces of nature were changing the weather, making everything seem heavier, pressing down on their chests like an invisible weight that made it hard to breathe.
“How many more miles until we reach the center of the vortex?” Ryan asked, sitting straight in the captain’s chair, his hands working the controls with precision. His expression was graver than ever.
“About 100 miles to the center,” Cobra’s calm voice came through.
The ships were different models, and originally, they’d been prepared to handle any of the Street family’s ships. But now, the situation was calling for something else.
Cobra’s radar and interface showed strong interference coming from over 100 miles away. This kind of powerful disruption could only be coming from the underwater vortex. That was their only clue.
“The water current’s getting faster, and the pull is getting stronger. Boss, we might still have a chance if we shut down all non-essential systems,” Bill said, his face dark with concern.
Ryan frowned deeply, his eyes scanning the data on the instruments. His mind was calculating, constantly comparing the information.
Echo, who had been leaning on Ryan’s back, was barely holding it together with the rough seas pulling the ship backward. Her face was ghostly pale, drained of all color. The tension in the air made her dizzy. She looked out the window and immediately felt lightheaded. Her stomach churned, and she had to lower her head to fight the nausea.
She hadn’t eaten much since boarding, so nothing really came up. Instead, she dry-heaved, her body trembling, unable to keep herself upright.
Michael, clearly concerned, rushed over and helped her up. “I’ll take you to rest for a while. Don’t stay here.”
Michael glanced at Ryan, who was completely focused on the vortex and the ships, not giving a single thought to Echo. He was about to speak but stopped himself, realizing that the lives of everyone on both ships depended on Ryan’s decisions right now. How could he even bring something like that up with him?
Looking down at Echo, who was clearly dizzy but still gripping Ryan’s arm tightly, Michael sighed deeply. He gently wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “Let go, I’ll take you somewhere to rest. We can’t bother Mr. Ryan right now. If he gets upset with you for not listening, I’ll take the blame. Let go… you don’t want to push your body like this, do you?” He tried to pull her hand away from Ryan’s arm.
But Echo had no strength left. The dizziness had drained her, and she was completely helpless in Michael’s hold. But her hand never loosened from Ryan. Her fingers had turned white from holding on so tightly, as though she was using every last bit of strength she had left.
“No,” Echo gasped, taking a deep breath. Her voice was weak but firm as she spoke. She pushed Michael’s hand away and slowly said, “I want to stay by his side.”
Michael’s patience snapped. He frowned, a hint of anger in his tone. “There’s a time for everything.”
Echo nodded, “I know.”
She finally released Ryan’s arm, then slid down to the floor, resting her head on his leg. She wrapped her arms around his leg and curled up at his feet, exhausted and drained, but finding comfort there.
She was dizzy, her whole body ached, but she still felt something-the pull of being near him.
At this moment, she knew she couldn’t disturb Ryan. But at the same time, she also knew, somewhere deep inside, that Ryan was her anchor. In times of danger, in these harsh conditions, she wanted to be close to him. His presence calmed her, made her feel safe, like she didn’t have to be afraid. He was the one person she truly trusted.
In the back of her mind, a thought flickered. Was this what loving someone felt like? Wanting to be near him just because she loved them?
No… this wasn’t just loving. Maybe it was something beyond that. She couldn’t quite figure it out, and honestly, she didn’t want to.
Whether it was love or not, it didn’t matter. What mattered was staying close to him, now more than ever.
Michael stood there for a moment, frozen, before a complicated look passed across his face. He glanced at Echo, curled up on Ryan’s leg, then looked at Ryan, who seemed completely oblivious to what was happening. Michael clenched his teeth but didn’t say a word. He just stood silently behind Ryan.
“Turn the ship around, reduce speed, and lower all energy to the minimum. Keep the engines running,” Ryan suddenly commanded, his gaze fixed on the instruments.
“Understood.” Cobra, Hawk, Bill, and the others replied in unison, without hesitation. In an instant, both ships began to turn, heading straight toward the vortex.
“What… what does this mean? Mr. Ryan, you… are you trying to…?” Michael was completely stunned.
Turning the ships toward the vortex? Was this some sort of suicidal move?
His words got stuck in his throat as a man sitting next to him, in the co-pilot seat, turned and gave him a cold, menacing look. Michael quickly swallowed his words.