Chapter 451: Making a Decision

Chapter 451: Chapter 451: Making a Decision

Hayden Shaw, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

All eyes turned to her. They watched her quietly, eager to hear what she had to say.

"I feel like we’re overcomplicating this. Why can’t we just go over and defuse the bomb right now?

We just need to find out if there are guards or security cameras over there. If not, we can defuse the bomb. Wouldn’t that eliminate the greatest danger?" Hayden Shaw’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was like a splash of cold water, instantly clearing everyone’s heads.

Of course.

Zoe Sawyer slapped her forehead. Ever since she’d learned that Heath Hale and the others were fated to die in an explosion, they had been focused on how to catch the criminals before the detonation, completely forgetting the simplest and most effective solution.

"We were in such a hurry that we overlooked the most obvious solution." The leader slapped his thigh.

This was good. His team members were highly capable; they could certainly handle bomb disposal!

"If we covertly defuse the bomb and eliminate the biggest threat, couldn’t we also station a team in the nearby waters to lie in wait and capture this Patrick Miller?" Sean Hughes continued.

The security on the cruise ship was tighter than they had imagined. A head-on confrontation was definitely not an option.

So what about a divide-and-conquer strategy?

We could take them down one by one, capture the leaders, and then ambush the remaining patrols, taking them out with tranquilizer guns or other non-lethal means.

By the time anyone else realizes what’s happening, a good number of their men would already be incapacitated. Their overall strength would be significantly weakened, giving us a major advantage for the rest of the operation.

"That could work, but it would put the hostages in grave danger," Heath Hale pointed out the flaw.

If even a few of them notice something is off and decide to use the hostages as human shields, our hands will be tied.

And if we run into someone ruthless enough to decide to take everyone down with them and start shooting into the crowd, the casualties would be more than we could bear.

Sean Hughes frowned, considering the possibility Heath Hale had described, but before she could think of a solution, Zoe Sawyer’s voice cut through their discussion.

"Isn’t the most important thing right now to defuse this bomb?

We can figure out the rest as we go. All this planning is a waste of energy right now. No one knows what’s going to happen next." Zoe Sawyer’s hand was already on the doorknob. She turned to the side, her eyes fixed on Heath Hale and the others.

’There’s no use talking any more. We’re better off just defusing the bomb and then looking for a chance to rescue more people.’

Heath Hale and the others exchanged glances before finally nodding in agreement with Zoe Sawyer’s idea.

Just then, the leader entered with ten squad members.

The ten of them were fully equipped, each carrying professional bomb-defusal gear, waiting for Zoe Sawyer’s next orders.

Zoe Sawyer focused the portal on the cruise ship’s bilge. As soon as she opened it, she saw several men in loud, floral shirts patrolling below.

’They have guards down here, too? That’s going to complicate things.’

"Boss, with all these bombs planted down here... isn’t this a bit too dangerous?" one of the men in floral shirts asked, his voice thick with panic as he stared at the explosives.

The leader of the floral-shirted crew didn’t break stride, answering his subordinate as they walked. "What’s there to be afraid of? We do our inspection, and then we leave. The boss has a boat ready for us. We just need to make sure everything’s okay here, and then we can go."

As he said this, the crew leader seemed to remember something. He lowered his voice and instructed, "Later, once we’re on the boat, go straight inside. There are life vests prepared in advance. Put one on as soon as you get in, and don’t come out.

Then wait for my order. The moment I tell you to start the boat, you leave this place as fast as you can."

He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had heard from others today that the big boss had lost an entire boat of men—all of them shot dead.

And the men who died were the very same ones who had planted these bombs.

’I’ve been ordered to come patrol, and then I’m scheduled to leave right after finishing... Does that mean we’re going to be silenced on our way out, too?’

The crew leader didn’t dare to take that gamble. He could only do his best to make arrangements for his men, hoping to get every single one of them out of there alive.

Although his subordinates didn’t understand why their boss was saying all this, they knew they weren’t as sharp as him. All they had to do was follow his orders.

’After all, the boss would never do anything to harm them.’

Soon, the crew in floral shirts finished inspecting all the bombs in the bilge. After confirming that everything was in order, they left with their men.

Zoe Sawyer used their eyes to scan the surroundings, confirming the basic layout of the bilge.

Perhaps it was due to overconfidence, a belief that no one would ever discover his plan, because the entire bilge was left unguarded, with no surveillance cameras whatsoever.

Once she was certain they wouldn’t be exposed, Zoe Sawyer sent the ten bomb-defusal experts the leader had prepared through the portal.

She, in turn, stood guard at the portal’s entrance, keeping a close watch on the entire corridor.

That way, if anyone approached, she would know instantly and could use the portal’s power to bring the ten experts back to safety.

Perhaps Patrick Miller was just that overconfident in his plan, because even after every single bomb had been flawlessly defused, not a single person came down to check on them.

Zoe Sawyer brought the team back and asked what to do next.

The leader, Heath Hale, and the others discussed it once more. They ultimately decided to first survey the entire cruise ship again to get a clear picture of the current situation.

They needed to know whether the two brothers had arrived and the status of the scapegoat Patrick Miller had originally prepared for himself.

They also had to check on the hostages and see if there were any weak points in their security detail.

Once they had all this information, if a direct assault wasn’t feasible, they would resort to the previously discussed plan: take them down one by one.

They could post a team along Patrick Miller’s escape route and capture him the moment he arrived.

The female boss and the two brothers would be returning to their respective rooms, so they could be ambushed and captured there.

In short, there were always more solutions than problems!

Zoe Sawyer didn’t argue. She followed their plan and began to survey the ship, starting from the deck and moving down, level by level.

Soon, Zoe Sawyer discovered a problem.

The elite guards from her premonition were already standing guard in front of the room.

’It looks like all the key players have arrived.’

Zoe Sawyer maneuvered the portal inside and, sure enough, saw Patrick Miller, the female boss, and the two brothers sitting on the sofa. On the bed behind them lay the brothers’ father, while a group of people nearby checked his physical condition and adjusted various pieces of equipment.

Seeing the room packed with people, Zoe Sawyer clicked her tongue in regret.

’If there were fewer people, maybe we wouldn’t have to wait until tonight,’ she thought. ’We could just have Heath Hale and his team make their move now.’

But with this many people, while an assault wouldn’t expose her own existence, it would certainly tip off the enemy.

"What a shame."