Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 655 - 647: Rescue Operation? A Welcome Task

Chapter 655: Chapter 647: Rescue Operation? A Welcome Task

On the seventh day at sea.

The stars adorned the night sky, the ocean surface reflecting a bright moon; if one could stand in the high sky to appreciate such a scene, it would certainly be a delightful experience.

However, as a member of the joint rescue operation, Xia Qianjun was in no mood for it.

He was clad in full bulletproof combat gear, his body secured within the aircraft by safety devices, every nerve taut and ready for action.

The only information he could get about the outside world from the plane was a few seascapes transmitted from the cockpit.

Beautiful as the night was, he had no interest in enjoying it.

Because he and his teammates were responding to an emergency mission from the special forces to rescue the Dongfang Star.

Unfortunately, his sister Xia Qianyue was also on that ship.

"Damn it, Zhang Wei, why did you take my sister on board!"

This was Xia Qianjun’s first reaction upon learning that the Dongfang Star had been hijacked by pirates.

But his cursing left his good teammates, Gao Yang and Luo Qi, speechless.

Who could have guessed that the Dongfang Star would be hijacked?

Moreover, according to the original route of the Dongfang Star, the ship was not supposed to pass through dangerous pirate-infested waters but rather sail through safe seas.

Outsiders obviously didn’t know that the pirate hijacking this time was an inside job, which is why the Dongfang Star was seized.

However, Xia Qianjun’s displeasure was not directed solely at Zhang Wei, but also...

The transport plane he boarded was a supersonic transport provided by the War Department, its speed beyond imagination.

Such strategic flying vehicles were dispatched, this time three in total, carrying over 50 elite special forces operatives.

It could be said that while the Dongfang Star had been sailing for seven days, they only needed two hours to catch up with the ship.

However...

As a member of the special forces operation team, Xia Qianjun looked to the person in charge of their mission.

The temporary squad leader of the special forces operation team and the person responsible for this rescue mission was a young man.

Zhang Youlin.

Xia Qianjun was somewhat familiar with Zhang Youlin, who, like himself, came from the War Department, joined the special forces after retiring, and was promptly promoted to the leadership.

But who could help that the young man had a father who was the Council Head of Dongfang Capital City?

To Xia Qianjun, though, none of that mattered. He didn’t care if the other party had connections or was relying on his father’s influence.

All he wanted was his sister’s safety.

Yet ever since Zhang Youlin had taken on this mission, he hadn’t called a single combat meeting.

Even as they boarded the supersonic transport and started heading to the scene, he had remained silent throughout.

What kind of operation didn’t give any orders before action?

Were they supposed to improvise once they arrived at the location?

Xia Qianjun was tempted to question him about the action guidelines, objectives, and whether there was a rescue plan.

But considering that the young leader’s own father was also on the Dongfang Star, it made sense if all he could think about was "saving his father," so Xia Qianjun understood.

After all, he was preoccupied with saving his sister.

What if his sister ended up in the pirates’ hands? Wouldn’t she be better off dead?

"Captain Zhang, has there been any communication from headquarters?"

The team’s communicator suddenly piped up.

"Contact from headquarters, who is it?"

"Headquarters says there’s a Mr. Zhao trying to contact you."

"Mr. Zhao?"

Zhang Youlin’s eyes flickered, then he gestured to the communicator, "Switch to my encrypted channel!"

"Right away." The communicator obliged, shifting the call to an encrypted channel that only Zhang Youlin could hear.

Afterward, Zhang Youlin actually unbuckled his seat belt, walked to a corner of the transport, and turned his back to everyone.

Such behavior was obviously meant to prevent anyone from reading his lips.

"Mhm, mhm, oh, okay, I understand..."

After some ambiguous responses, Zhang Youlin returned to his seat, buckled up again, and remained expressionless.

Seeing this, Xia Qianjun, anxious about his sister, could hardly hold back.

"Captain Zhang, may I ask about the communication just now..."

"The communication just now was meaningless, merely a parent concerned about his daughter. Sit down and wait, instructions will be given once we arrive!"

But Zhang Youlin replied coldly, with no interest in explaining.

Under his icy stare, Xia Qianjun found himself unable to voice the thousands of questions he had in mind.

"Brother Jun, I know what you want to say, but this Young Master Zhang, he seems to have no intention of speaking at all!"

"Yes, exactly. Is this what they call a young master from a great family? This is too... Anyway, I don’t understand why for this rescue operation, it’s him who is commanding."

Gao Yang and Luo Qi by his side also complained about the actions of Zhang Youlin.

"The higher-ups must have their reasons for this arrangement, right?"

"I don’t get it..."

Seeing Xia Qianjun say this, the two just shook their heads.

And it wasn’t just them; the other members of the team were also puzzled.

Because they had been involved in quite a few rescue missions before, but like today’s, there was absolutely no mobilization before departure, and even as they were getting close to the destination, no action commands or battle preparations were issued—this was a first.

Rumble!

Just at that moment, the transport plane suddenly became turbulent.

Though it had been maintaining supersonic flight, now its speed seemed to slow down.

During supersonic flight, once the speed drops, the airflow will rub against the fuselage, causing turbulence.

The plane is decelerating!

Such turbulence would naturally scare ordinary people, but the members of the special operations unit all had strong hearts and had ridden transport planes before, so their expressions remained calm.

"We’re slowing down; this means we are almost there!"

All eyes turned to Zhang Youlin, waiting for instructions.

"Listen up, everyone. The place we are heading to next is the last location where the Dongfang Star last sent out its position at sea. Once we reach the designated location, we’ll begin the search operation!"

The cruise ship was definitely not beneath them anymore, but the rescue mission still had to be carried out. Zhang Youlin issued orders while preparing.

Soon, the rear hatch of the transport plane opened, and one by one, the members of the special operations squad, wearing parachutes, came to the hatch.

"Jump!"

At the command, they jumped without hesitation from hundreds of meters in the air, then opened their parachutes one by one, descending toward the sea.

There were a total of three transport planes, so nearly 60 people’s parachutes were deployed over the sea area.

As the first person landed in the water, he immediately swam toward a large package that had been air-dropped from the transport plane, unbuckled the safety straps, and then pressed a button.

Suddenly, an inflatable boat began to fill with air, becoming a temporary vehicle for the members of the special operations squad.

There were a total of six inflatable boats on the sea, all equipped with motors and propellers, ensuring mobility on the water’s surface.

"All team members, assemble!"

Once each of the six inflatable boats was filled with 15 people, they gathered together.

"According to intelligence, our current location is where the Dongfang Star sent its last coordinate signal. The entire ship has since lost contact. Now we will split into six teams, searching outward in directions 60 degrees apart!"

"Captain Zhang, isn’t it inappropriate to spread out the teams? According to intelligence, the pirates hijacked the Dongfang Star, and we don’t know their numbers or equipment. If we rashly separate, isn’t it unsafe...?"

"Are you questioning me?"

Seeing a team member question himself, Zhang Youlin’s expression immediately turned cold.

The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

"Speak, are you questioning me?"

Zhang Youlin stopped issuing orders and instead coldly questioned the inquiring teammate.

"Captain Zhang, I was just suggesting, suggesting..."

"My orders are not to be questioned by anyone!"

Zhang Youlin snorted coldly, showing no intention of listening to suggestions.

His gaze swept over all team members, and then with an icy and emotionless tone, he warned, "For this rescue operation, I am in command; everyone must follow my orders!"

"Moreover, my father is on board the Dongfang Star, and his life or death is currently unknown. So I won’t allow anyone to hinder this rescue plan. If anyone dares to question my orders, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Immediately, the others fell silent.

"Now, move out!"

Following Zhang Youlin’s orders, the 60 people divided into six groups and dispersed in separate directions.

Xia Qianjun’s team was not with Zhang Youlin’s, so before his team split from the others, he just watched as Zhang Youlin’s group disappeared over the horizon of the sea.

He always felt that this rescue operation was unusual from the start.

Why is it, with such a major incident concerning the Dongfang Star, that the rescue operation seems incomprehensible? Logically, with the diplomatic means of Dragon Country, they could have contacted the ships from other countries nearby the maritime area to conduct a joint search operation, wouldn’t that be more efficient?

That way, they wouldn’t need to split the force to search, dividing the available power into six groups to search in six different directions, which was utterly baffling.

Some had voiced this concern, but they were bluntly dismissed by Zhang Youlin.

"Who can know if they are telling the truth? Fishermen and seafarers all fear pirates, and they might intentionally lie, disrupting the rescue operation!"

Those were Zhang Youlin’s exact words; he had directly vetoed the proposal.

"I just hope nothing happens to my sister!"

"Those damn pirates, if you dare touch a hair on my sister’s head, I’ll make you pay with your lives!"

Xia Qianyue felt helpless and could only send a cold warning to that group of pirates she had never met.

...

The Dongfang Star.

Lower deck area, within the storage cabin.

"Help, somebody help!"

"Run, that woman isn’t human!"

"She must be a Saiyan, mommy help!"

At this moment, a group of pirates were ordered to search the lower deck area. After all, it was the leader’s command to ensure everyone was under control, with no fish slipping through the net.

But they were now regretting it because during their search on the lower deck, they encountered a woman with a terrifying fighting power.

Behind the fleeing pirates, there were bursts of afterimages flickering, like the terrifying shadow of an assassin.

Every time an afterimage stopped, another person would collapse unconscious onto the floor.

"Just one more step, there’s the exit. If I can just make it there..."

Bang!

The last pirate, who was less than half a meter from the exit of the lower deck, also fell.

"Zhang Wei, I’ve taken care of it!"

After knocking down all the pirates, Xia Qianyue shouted back.

Zhang Wei cautiously emerged from a corner with Zhao Xiaoxiao, Mo Yuzhu, and Jessica.

Looking at the pirates who had completely lost consciousness on the ground, the three women’s eyes widened in shock.

"Is, is this what Saiyans are like?"

"Don’t waste time, let’s move quickly. If these pirates don’t report back soon, they’ll definitely send more people down!"

Zhang Wei hurriedly reminded them and started moving under the protection of Xia Qianyue.

Fortunately, the Dongfang Star was large, actually, very large.

There were many places to hide, and even for hundreds of pirates, it was impossible to search every nook and cranny in a short time.

For now, Zhang Wei and his company were relatively safe.

But their safety didn’t mean that other places were...

Upper deck area.

As the pirates gradually took control of the cruise areas, guests who were hiding in their rooms, bathrooms, or under their beds were being captured. Then, they were all locked in a familiar area.

The banquet hall!

The place was very large and quite open. They just needed to guard a few exits to make it impossible for the people inside to escape.

All the hostages, once captured, were taken here.

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying were currently among them.

"Sister Baihe, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have persuaded you to accept that invitation at work, sob sob sob..."

"I’m still young, I don’t want to die yet, I still have a life ahead of me, sob sob sob..."

Tan Yingying was crying her eyes out, turning into a mess of snot and tears.

And Xiao Baihe, standing beside her, could no longer offer any words of comfort as she looked around at the surrounding scene.

After all, she was feeling incredibly anxious.

"Although this is extremely bad luck, if we hadn’t accepted Hou Liangliang’s invitation in the first place, we wouldn’t be in such a dangerous situation..."

As Xiao Baihe was thinking this, her gaze drifted to Hou Liangliang, who was huddled in a corner not too far away.

He too had been captured and was now cowering with his head down, trembling with fear.

"Who here is Hou Liangliang?"

But suddenly, a pirate entered the banquet hall and shouted loudly.

"I..." Hou Liangliang impulsively responded from his corner but then quickly waved his hands when everyone looked at him, "I’m not Hou Liangliang, I’m not Hou Liangliang!"

"It’s you!"

The pirates laughed; if you’re not him, then why did you make a peep?

"I’m not, I’m not, I’m really not Hou Liangliang, help me, somebody help me!"

But the pirate who called out simply grabbed Hou Liangliang and, ignoring the victim’s pig-like screams, dragged him away.

Everyone saw Hou Liangliang being pulled out, his pants soaked through; evidently, he had wet himself from fear.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Baihe, his colleague, felt embarrassed on his behalf.

If the current situation were to happen to Zhang Wei, what would he do?

Just at that moment, a person flashed through Xiao Baihe’s mind.

Zhang Wei was also on the ship, and since he wasn’t in the banquet hall, did that mean he was in a safe place?

Was he trying to escape, or was he waiting for the right moment to take action on the ship?

Just thinking of Zhang Wei, Xiao Baihe’s heart couldn’t help but flutter for some reason.

Would Zhang Wei come to save her?

Unfortunately, no one knew the answer to this question.

On the other side.

Hou Liangliang, who was dragged away, was panicking at the moment.

"Brother, I’m not Hou Liangliang, I’m not, please let me go!"

He was pleading loudly while trying to break free from the pirate’s grip.

But soon after, he was thrown into the grand hall of a luxurious room.

"Prosecutor Hou, could you please stop yelling?"

"That voice, it’s Young Master Lin!"

Hearing that voice, Hou Liangliang finally stopped yelling because he recognized the person.

Lin Yufeng!

"Young Master Lin, how come you..."

"Prosecutor Hou, rest assured, these pirates are actually very reasonable to talk to, you... did you just wet yourself?"

Lin Yufeng noticed something odd, mainly because he smelled a strong scent of urine.

"Someone, take Prosecutor Hou to change his pants!"

Behind Lin Yufeng, a bodyguard clad in black stepped forward and took Hou Liangliang to change clothes.

Soon, Hou Liangliang, now in clean clothes, sat on the sofa in the grand hall, looking at the calm Lin Yufeng in front of him with a more composed face.

"Young Master Lin, what is this..."

"Little Hou, I hope you don’t mind if I call you that?"

"It’s fine, it’s fine, Young Master Lin, you can call me whatever you like."

"Alright then, Little Hou, you must know about the relationship between your father and Councilor Head Zhang, right?"

"I do, I do, my father and Councilor Head Zhang have always been good friends!" Hou Liangliang nodded eagerly.

"Good friends, haha..." But Lin Yufeng let out a scoff, "Little Hou, your father is delusional to say that, he has always been nothing but a lackey for Councilor Head Zhang from the start!"

"Ah, this..."

Hou Liangliang wanted to say something but was currently at a loss, so he could only look helplessly at Lin Yufeng.

"Here, let me show you a video your father recorded in advance!"

As he spoke, Lin Yufeng took out his phone and played a video.

"Liang, if you’re seeing this video, it means you are safe. Next, I must explain why I’ve been able to gain a foothold at the Procuratorate Headquarters and climb up to my current position, all thanks to the help of a powerful benefactor..."

The video was long, and Hou Liangliang watched it carefully, afraid to miss a single word.

When the video ended, Hou Liangliang looked at Lin Yufeng with a changed expression.

He knelt down with a "thud," fawning over Lin Yufeng, "Young Master Lin, from now on, I, Hou Liangliang, am at your service, ready to be at your beck and call!"

"Very good, very good!"

Lin Yufeng couldn’t help but laugh as he saw how cooperative Hou Liangliang was.

At this moment, Hou Liangliang was also happy because not only did he not have to die, but he was also able to connect with Zhang Tianlong and Lin Xiangtian, a stroke of great fortune he could not have asked for.

"Little Hou, it just so happens that we have a task here that only you can accomplish!"

"Please give your instructions, Young Master Lin!"

"You’re a prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Well then, the real culprits behind this attack are actually two people, Duanmu Heizu (Blackfoot) and Zhang Wei. We need you, once the rescue operation is over and you return to Dongfang Capital, to prosecute them in your official capacity and hold them accountable for the cruise ship attack!"

"Young Master Lin, so Duanmu Heizu and Zhang Wei, where are they now?"

"Duanmu Heizu is already dead, killed by Zhang Wei, and as for Zhang Wei..."

Lin Yufeng said, a cold smile emerging on his face, "Zhang Wei has fled because of his crimes and his whereabouts are still unknown!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Liangliang’s gaze flickered, but he soon joined in with a smile.

Zhang Wei fleeing from his crimes, for him, as the "righteous" side, to seek justice for the families of the victims on the cruise ship was nothing short of an excellent opportunity!