Chapter 814: Chapter 814

Ono and Paolo, seeing Zhao Shengshi beaten, had long been itching for a fight, rubbing their hands in eagerness. At Zhao Shengshi’s command, they immediately charged towards Linghu Baimei, who stood at the entrance of the fourth-floor staircase.

"Hmph, overestimating yourselves!"

A hint of cold light flashed in Linghu Baimei’s charming eyes, and with a flick of her delicate hand, two chips shot out, striking Ono and Paolo, who had reached the middle of the staircase, in the chest.

Ono and Paolo were merely Yellow Level Martial Artists, while Linghu Baimei had already joined the ranks of Heaven Level Experts. The disparity in strength between them was like heaven and earth. Ono and Paolo going against Linghu Baimei was akin to an egg smashing against a rock—their defeat was predictable.

The two seemingly light chips, when hitting Ono and Paolo’s chests, were as if a thousand-pound hammer had struck them with ferocity. Their bodies were flung backward by a tremendous force, tumbling down the stairs to land heavily on the ground, bleeding from their mouths and noses, faces deathly pale, and contorted in pain; they had clearly sustained severe injuries.

Seeing his bodyguards unable to even touch Linghu Baimei’s clothing before being beaten until they could not stand up, losing the ability to fight, Zhao Shengshi was dumbfounded, speechless for a while.

He had been acquainted with Li Jinlin for a long time and remembered that Li Jinlin’s female bodyguards were slightly inferior to his own bodyguards Ono and Paolo. How had they suddenly become so formidable?

"Today, Missy won some money and is in a good mood; otherwise, I would have thrown all three of you into the sea to feed the fish! Scram, don’t come back and disturb Missy’s pleasure!"

Having disciplined Zhao Shengshi and his two men, Linghu Baimei acted as if she had just done a trivial thing and did not deign to give the three another glance. She turned back to the gambling table nonchalantly and said to the other wealthy individuals, "Let’s continue... come on, let’s keep playing..."

The passengers on the cruise ship were all wealthy elites from around the world, each accompanied by bodyguards, more or less. Some like to show off and act ostentatiously, leading to inevitable conflicts with others, which is why fights and brawls occasionally occurred on the ship and were not uncommon, so the other wealthy individuals were no strangers to such scenes.

Yet no one expected that Li Jinlin’s female bodyguard would be so fierce, knocking down Zhao Shengshi and his two robust bodyguards with just a mere gesture.

However, since Zhao Shengshi was the one beaten and it had nothing to do with the others, they took pleasure cruises around the world for the sole purpose of enjoying themselves. Thus, spurred on by Linghu Baimei, the rich quickly forgot about the recent incident and dove back into their gambling, heating up the atmosphere once again.

Zhao Shengshi was a smart man and knew not to absorb losses in front of him; realizing his bodyguards were no match for Linghu Baimei, he swallowed his pride for the time being.

"Li Jinlin, just you wait!"

Zhao Shengshi glared at Fang Bai, who had disguised himself as Li Jinlin, with an ashen face. Grinding his teeth, he left alone.

As for the two bodyguards who were severely injured, he did not bother with them.

Carrying a grudge, Zhao Shengshi made his way to the top deck of the cruise ship and knocked on the door, meeting the shipowner, Neo.

Neo was an American tycoon, about fifty years old, not very tall, with a slim build, and bald. At first glance, he seemed somewhat aged, but Zhao Shengshi knew that Neo had deep connections and was no simple man.

Zhao Shengshi’s family had a business relationship with Neo, and through some secretive channels, he had heard that Neo was a powerful individual in his own right, with the enormous organization of America’s "Statue of Liberty" as his backing, wielding significant influence both in America and globally.

When Zhao Shengshi met Neo, the latter was lounging on a sofa with a cigar in his mouth, enjoying massages from two blond women, looking utterly content.

"Mr. Zhao, my cruise has food, drink, and women for enjoyment. Shouldn’t you be indulging in pleasure right now? What brings you to me?"

Upon seeing Zhao Shengshi come in, Neo waved the two blondes away, extinguished his cigar, and stood up smiling. When he noticed Zhao Shengshi’s dislocated arm, a glimmer of sharpness flashed in his eyes.

"Mr. Neo, my bodyguard and I were assaulted, could you help me out!"

Zhao Shengshi said bitterly.

"Assaulted? When did this happen? Who were you in conflict with?"

Neo furrowed his brow, feigning ignorance as he asked.

"Damn it, this old guy is playing dumb!"

Zhao Shengshi cursed inwardly, aware that Neo had surveillance cameras installed all over the cruise ship and would be the first to know of any incident. The fight with Li Jinlin’s bodyguards had caused quite a commotion, so it would be weird if Neo hadn’t heard about it.

However, Zhao Shengshi also knew that Neo was very cunning and only looked out for his own interests. Despite the good relationship between his family and Neo, without a strong incentive, Neo certainly wouldn’t interfere in the matter of him getting beaten up.

"It just happened a moment ago! The ones who hit us were bodyguards under Li Jinlin!"

Zhao Shengshi said, fuming with rage.

After thinking for a second, Neo suddenly realized, "Oh, the young Chinese-American tycoon! I know of him... But I remember you two had a good relationship. What started the fight?"

Zhao Shengshi said irritably, "I exchanged a few words with one of his female bodyguards, then, for some crazy reason, she actually kicked me... sent me tumbling down the stairs! My bodyguard was badly injured by her as well... And the infuriating part is, Li Jinlin just stood there doing nothing when his bodyguard injured us! I’ve decided to cut ties with Li Jinlin for good! I want that bodyguard of his dead!"

"Mr. Zhao, don’t get too agitated just yet. I’ll check the surveillance footage from before and see...", Neo said.

As he spoke, Neo instructed one of his subordinates to retrieve the surveillance videos from the third and fourth floors. He carefully reviewed them and when he saw Hu Baimei inflicting heavy damage on Ono and Paolo with the chips, he frowned and murmured, "This woman... is very strong..."

"Three million US dollars!"

Zhao Shengshi’s eyes flashed with a ruthless light as he bitterly said, "Mr. Neo, I offer three million US dollars for you to take out that bodyguard and soothe my desire for revenge!"

Neo sighed, "Mr. Zhao, I’m a legitimate businessman. Both you and Mr. Li are my guests. It’s inappropriate for me to get involved in matters between you two..."

"Five million US dollars!"

Zhao Shengshi said, feeling the pinch.

Neo said expressionlessly, "Mr. Zhao, that’s a human life we’re talking about, not the life of a cat or dog. Killing someone involves a huge risk..."

"Ten million US dollars!"

Zhao Shengshi clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.

Neo’s face broke into a hint of a smile. He picked up the red wine in front of him and took a small sip, then said leisurely, "Mr. Zhao’s family and I have always enjoyed a good working relationship, and we are also friends. Your affairs are my affairs. So, this favor... I’ll do it..."