Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

"Joel!" Eason shouted in a panic as he rushed up the ladder.

Dexter glanced reluctantly at Eason and Joel. "Are you two reenacting the Titanic? I haven’t even left yet. What’s all the commotion about?"

Only then did Eason realize that Dexter was still down there. Even the dogs were afraid of that lunatic.

Without a doubt, those ferocious dogs came to a halt about three meters from us, all baring their teeth and preparing to attack. I was astonished as well. These fierce dogs appeared to be afraid of something. Could it be that they were truly afraid of Dexter?

"Come up quickly." I carried Ashton and Xandra out, passing Yara to Maverick, who was guarding outside. As I prepared to exit, the cover above was shut.

Maverick appeared visibly distressed. I should have realized from the start that there had to be someone else out there.

It seemed like the new rule of the Rebels was to only acknowledge the room card and not the individual. Those of us with a VIP room card were being targeted.

"Open the cover!" I slammed the upper cover.

Maverick was also pleading outside, "Please, open the cover. We’re all from Huma. Sooner or later, we’ll have to go ashore. You can’t kill people. This is illegal."

Despite Maverick’s continued attempts to reason with the group, it was clear that they were unwilling to listen. The leader stepped on the cover and issued a chilling ultimatum in a commanding voice.

"Those below, listen closely. If you wish to ensure the safety of these two children and the young girl, hand over your room card. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to throw your children into the sea."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands. Indeed, all the evil in human nature was unleashed at this moment. I turned to look at Dexter, who was eyeing the dogs warily. I couldn’t understand what set them off, but they were going wild, slowly closing in on us with the intent to attack.

Realizing he couldn’t hold on much longer, I pushed the cover hard. "There are many of you. Allow us to go up first. Then, we’ll pass you the room card."

The person above snorted. "I don’t believe you. Hand over the room key and I’ll let you out."

I took a deep breath. These people were indifferent.

At the base of the ladder, the ferocious dogs cautiously advanced. They appeared to be wary of Dexter, but it was clear that they could attack at any moment. Eason noticed that these aggressive dogs were going to pounce on people, so he patted me.

I descended while allowing him to ascend. He exerted great effort in attempting to raise the cover, yet we were positioned beneath while they stood above. They applied pressure on the cover, making it arduous for us to push it open with our own strength.

"I’m a police officer. Let us out!" Eason shouted angrily.

"Police? Hahaha! This cruise is out on the open seas! Why do we need the police?"

People outside laughed. "How impressive are the police?"

Eason punched the cover furiously. Regardless, we needed to find a way out. "I have two VIP room cards in my hand. I’ll give them..."

I was just about to ask them if they would allow us to leave when I heard Ashton’s innocent voice from outside. "Sir, which color card would you like? I have them right here."

The man sneered. "You little rascal. How would the adults leave the cards with you?"

"Is this the one?"

I peered through the crack in the cover as Ashton pulled a golden room card. It was unlike the room card we held in our hands.

Ours was a plain gold card with no patterns, granting us access to the VIP area and high-end rooms within it. However, the card in Ashton’s hand featured a gold pattern and looked even more luxurious.

"Fuck!" I heard the leader curse and then an exclamation.

"Who is this child? I noticed on the bulletin board that there are gold cards exclusively for VIPs and silver cards valid for below the 14th floor. The most common one is the white card, only usable for dining and activities below the sixth floor.

"Then there’s the exclusive diamond card, reserved for shareholders and high-level internal personnel. With this card, one can access any area on the cruise, even restricted ones."

I frowned, wondering how many surprises these two kids had for me.

"Sir, my parents were aware of these cards located down there, so we came to find them. All the staff down there are dead. They all possess this card. There are many of them," Ashton said again.

As he was a kid saying this, most people wouldn’t doubt it. His words had a magical effect, triggering the greed and desire of those people.

The leader swore and hit the cover. "Fuck! No wonder they went down. Retrieve the remaining room cards for us. In return, I’ll grant you permission to come up. Once you come up, we’ll divide the cards equally among us."

"That won’t work. These diamond cards are ours. If you want a gold card, I’ll give it to you," I continued speaking, building on Ashton’s words.

"Damn it! You have so many diamond cards and you’re only giving us gold cards? Are you treating us like beggars? Hand over the diamond cards quickly," demanded the people outside, their anxiety palpable.

I fell silent. At that moment, they seemed more anxious than I was. As expected, those people were unable to contain their anger and lifted the cover to descend.

"Don’t come down!" Eason ordered angrily. They would die if they came down.

"Hand over the diamond cards." Several people jumped down from above, each wielding a knife.

I furrowed my brows, ready to inform that there wasn’t a diamond card to begin with. However, my attention was quickly diverted as I noticed Ashton crouching beside me, flashing me an innocent smile. " Mommy, crouch down."

I was momentarily stunned and suddenly felt a chill down my back. I watched him snap his fingers at the aggressive dogs, and they swiftly charged in our direction. A few of us instinctively crouched down, and the dogs attacked those wielding the knives. The sound of screams filled the air.

"Get up quickly!" Those dogs never stopped once they started biting.

I climbed up and lifted Ashton, my gaze filled with determination. "Ashton! Do those dogs obey your commands? Instruct them to stop! Ashton Black, resorting to violence is not the way to address issues!" Ashton looked at me with confusion in his eyes. He couldn’t comprehend his mistake as no one had ever taught him that was wrong. In his perspective, in the law of the jungle, only the strongest survived.

"Listen..." I coaxed gently.

Fortunately, Ashton was easily coaxed and then whistled sharply downward. Despite their reluctance, the fierce dogs bared their teeth and retreated. The entire underground cabin was permeated with the scent of blood. Those who had been bitten were terrified, trembling, and covered in blood.

"Go up first." Eason headed up first, followed by Joel and Dexter. Afterward, they guided the others up as well. We couldn’t simply stand by and witness them being bitten to death.

"Lock this place. If those dogs come out, everyone will suffer." I searched and found a wire to tighten the bolt on the cover with all my strength.

Those people were injured and did not dare to confront us for the time being, but they were aware of our possession of diamond cards. This could potentially cause trouble.

"Ashton, Xandra, remember that you must respect life under any circumstances." I brought them closer and emphasized the preciousness of life. I stressed the importance of proper defense without going overboard.

After saying that, I was stunned for a moment. If I were alone, I would probably leave these people to fend for themselves. However, with the two children here, I was actually afraid that they would learn from me and go the wrong way.

Some people believe that the parents’ actions and words were the most powerful lessons for their children. I was worried that Ashton and Xandra would be like me.

They might struggle to fit into society, face exclusion and isolation, and be treated as outsiders. Therefore, they needed to learn to adapt and integrate into society better than I did. They had to love and cherish life.

Once upon a time, I found it difficult to grasp the true value of life. While I could witness the passing of others with a detached demeanor, the thought of losing those dear to me was unbearable.