There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"Grey, calm down..."

Faced with the provocation, the elderly passenger weakly and helplessly swallowed his anger, but the old sea lion deliberately stomped his foot, eliciting a cry of pain before stopping. Gray was somewhat annoyed and wanted to get up, but Kai pulled him back without making a sound.

Gray subtly clenched and unclenched his fist, pretending to stretch his body because his muscles were numb from sitting, then turned to face the wall without saying a word.

The old seal, its puffy eyes gleaming with smugness, looked around triumphantly before strutting back to the door like a victorious rooster.

"Why won't you let me do it? If he gets close, I'm 90% confident I can disarm him without getting hurt."

"Grey said angrily."

Kay turned to the side to cover his mouth movements.

"Tackling him alone won't work... that captain with the gun is still watching us. And we don't understand the situation at all, like why we're here, or why things have turned out this way..."

"But the boss told me that if we don't take action to break the deadlock, things will never turn around!"

Kay covered his face and sighed, "You're talking about Marcus, right? I bet Marcus always manages to get himself into the eye of the storm..."

"Hey, how did you know?!" Gray exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't worry about it..."

"No need to be reckless," Kay said weakly. "I have my own way of analyzing the situation. From what I overheard earlier, I guessed that these people are political prisoners who escaped and were transported onto this ship, and the person lying on the ground is their leader."

“And then?” Gray asked.

Kay continued, "Then this ship is very likely an illegal sea vessel, or even a slave ship, intended to sell these people to overseas vineyards and cotton fields."

"Then I should have rescued these people even more!" Gray said indignantly.

Kay said in a low voice, "This is just my guess! Another possibility is that this ship is indeed a stranded vessel, and the scene before them is simply their waiting for rescue. Based on my experience at sea, this kind of fully armed 'protection' is often both to maintain order and to safeguard their 'storage,' preventing them from killing each other in the chaos and wasting resources..."

Gray frowned and said, "...Food reserves? Did I hear that right?"

Kai nodded and said, "It's just like you think... We often encounter such crises at sea. Our sailors in the Navigators' Alliance are rigorously trained and can escape danger using lifeboats and by hunting fish. But when ordinary ships are in dire straits, there have been instances where people have drawn lots to decide who survives. By the time the Navigators' Alliance found that lifeboat, only a handful of people had survived..."

Gray felt a chill run down his spine and shifted uncomfortably to suppress his nausea. "This is quite rare, isn't it?"

Kay said slowly, “It’s not too common, but it’s not rare either. Many of them are covered up as shootouts and internal strife resulting in casualties. But the most serious one even left behind a raft made of human bones, which is the secret 'Stuart' mentioned, and it was kept in the Elder Council’s warehouse—that should tell you how bad it was.”

"It's absolutely horrific..."

Gray sighed, pointing to a name tag on the ground and asking, "Cardwell...arms factory? Hey, Kay, what kind of brand is this?"

Suddenly, another shout rang out from inside the cabin, "Everyone, get down and behave! Anyone who's still talking, step forward!"

The old sea lion's hoarse voice cracked, like a cheap stereo turned up to its maximum, startling all sorts of people in the cabin. The passengers, like frightened birds, collapsed like waves of wheat, all declaring that they meant no harm.

But then, a cry suddenly rang out in the cabin, quite distinct even amidst the cacophony of screams.

Gray turned around instantly and saw irregular kicking and struggling in the short-haired refugee's large bag in the corner, clearly the outline of a child!

The low-lying crowd made it possible for him to clearly see the person tightly clutching the large bag in the corner.

Although the person's face was covered in black ash and her body was unrecognizable due to malnutrition, the contours of her face and her subconscious protective actions indicated that she was a mother who had fled with her child.

"It's me speaking! I want to eat and drink!"

Gray immediately stood up, his figure as straight as a javelin, his expression deliberately provocative.

The panicked refugees stirred again, turning away from Gray as much as possible. But this wave, starting from a corner, arranged itself like inverted dominoes, perfectly blocking the desperate mother's path once more.

"It's you, you bastard!"

The old sea dog, with its short body raised high, was about to slash at Gray when a foot suddenly shot out and kicked the old sea dog in the buttocks.

"No, we'll talk about his matter later!"

The captain, with his pipe dangling from his lips, remained unfazed, glaring menacingly at the passengers and casually brandishing his double-barreled shotgun.

"Find the children out of the boat first!"

Chapter 622 The Lost One (Part 2)

Gray stepped forward and, feigning ignorance, asked the person next to him.

"Where are the children? Have you seen them?"

The passenger he called shook his head in a panic, curled up and took two steps back, squeezing into a ball with the people next to him, which triggered a panicked scuffle.

Because everyone could see that the captain's double-barreled shotgun was already aimed at the troublemaker without hesitation, ready to pull the trigger at any moment and greet the ungrateful fellow with a bullet.

"Shut up, get to the side and lean against the wall."

Gray had no choice but to reluctantly comply.

The old sea lion, his eyes still glazed over, raised his knife and yelled at the huddled passengers, "Did you hear that! The captain said there are children, so there definitely are! Search them now! Otherwise, we'll kick you all off the ship!"

Gray glanced sideways at him, pressed himself against the ship's wall, and raised his hands in a French salute, trying his best to show that he posed no threat.

From his perspective, he could see several passengers in the back row huddled together, trying their best to shield their mothers with children, like a magnet attracting iron filings, layer upon layer covering a corner of the ship.

The captain, pipe in mouth, chuckled dismissively and slowly lowered the barrel of his gun. "I must have misheard. Old Sea Dog, come back. I have a new mission for you..."

He stood up and knocked on the cabin door behind him with his fingers, making a "thump-thump-thump" sound.

"...Throw this barely breathing guy off the ground. Maybe it will create a magical effect and conjure up the child I want out of thin air..."

A second after the knocking, a loud noise suddenly erupted on the deck, as if some unknown entity was fiercely attacking the tightly closed iron door.

Such attacks did not last long; the being outside the door lost patience and turned into hoarse roars and biting, seemingly attacking the source of the noise with claws and teeth in a frenzied manner.

The resulting tremors caused the stranded ship to rock violently, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment in an unknown attack, the waves crashing and surging, mirroring the pale-faced emotions of the passengers inside the cabins…

"There it is! I saw the child inside!"

A bald passenger finally broke down, covering his face and pleading with the captain, "Stop banging! Stop banging! Please, stop banging!"

A middle-aged woman next to him suddenly shoved him and shouted angrily, "Do you know what you're doing! You scoundrel!"

The bald passenger said desperately, "Do you know where we are? How much longer do we have to live?! No matter what it takes, we must protect Mr. Siennis! He's the only one who can get us out of here now!"

The old sea dog looked at these people with some confusion, seemingly unable to understand why the passengers, who had been so united just moments before, had suddenly started fighting amongst themselves after the captain's words. But he faithfully carried out his master's orders, brandishing his knife hilt, and pushing through the crowded people one by one, pulling out a thin passenger from the crowd.

"Let go of my hand and let me see what's in the bag!"

The thin passenger's face turned ashen instantly, and even with veins bulging on his hands, he was no match for the old sea dog's strength. His eyes searched like hooks for any anchor point willing to offer help—but the surrounding passengers remained silent. After glancing at the middle-aged man lying on the ground, they all lowered their eyelids.

There's nothing there! There's really nothing inside!

He was like a hunting dog that had dug its way into the ground and found its prey, barking and scare it away, proclaiming its inner elation to all around.

The old sea lion lifted a large travel bag high above his head and replied to the captain, "There was indeed a problem!"

"Look! A sleeping child!"

The captain stood up expressionlessly, pointing his gun at Gray. "Very well, there's something they're hiding from me on board..."

"You should know I'm the captain, and the captain obeys me in everything... Old sea dog, since there are extra people on board, then please teach the disobedient passengers a lesson..."

The old sea lion volunteered, "Captain, I'll go tie this little guy and his family up right now! Let's teach them a lesson!"

The captain ignored him and continued talking to himself.

"Throw the child out."

His tone was as casual as tossing a crumpled piece of paper; the captain's words swept through every inch of air in the cabin, giving even the intangible things inhaled a chilling quality.

The bald man opened and closed his mouth in shock, the passenger was still asleep with his eyes downcast, and the thin passenger had already slumped onto the dirty floor of the cabin, stirring up a huge cloud of dust.

Even the old sea lion seemed not to have heard the order clearly. "Captain, what... what did you just say..."

The captain, with a pipe in his mouth, casually tossed off his dirty hat and spoke in a clear, deliberate tone.

"Throw it out."

The old seal's hunched body twisted even more, as if the bundle in its hands had suddenly become several times heavier.

Through the slightly ajar opening of the travel bag, one could see a young face fast asleep, oblivious to everything, with a barely noticeable tear hanging from the corner of its eye.

"Captain... I don't understand what you mean... There's something out there..."

The old sea lion stammered.

The captain picked up his double-barreled shotgun, grinning maliciously, and said, "I know better than you what's outside, but I'm more interested in what's happening inside the cabin..."

"Old Sea Dog, can you count again for me? Are there thirty-six people on board, or thirty-seven?!"

The old sea dog's face was as cold as frost, and he stammered, his mouth opening and closing slightly, "Captain...you...are you doubting me?"

"Oh? Shouldn't I have doubted you?"

The captain's tone grew increasingly stern, "Ever since you deliberately delayed meeting these people, it's inadvertently made me do what those swindlers on land say... I've known you for so long, and I never imagined you had such deep intentions..."

"Captain, you've misunderstood me... I had no ulterior motives..."

"I'm not interested in what you think! You understand that there's something wrong with this shipping route? But after so many years of sailing, I've long understood that the route itself isn't wrong; the mistake is always made by people!"

The old seal, its body limp, dropped the bag it was carrying to the ground, where it was instantly snatched back by the frail passenger. With that kind of force, the not-so-strong old seal wouldn't have been able to grab the travel bag at all.

Then, the cabin was filled with the mother's suppressed sobs and the child's whimpers after waking up.

"Captain, my son is dead..."

“Mr. Siennis told me that my son is dead…”

“I admit I’m a gambler, a scoundrel, a piece of trash, a bastard without honor or loyalty, but my son isn’t…”

The old sea lion raised its empty eyes and stared at the black fog outside.

"He had fine character, extensive knowledge, and a willpower that transcended his lowly bloodline. But he died in a concentration camp, while I, this old fool, am still alive... I really didn't think of anything else; I just suddenly felt that I had to save the children..."

Seeing this, Gray, under the pressure of the captain's narrowed gaze, said, "Captain, we're all stranded and in distress. We should unite and find a way to survive, not fight amongst ourselves. Luckily, I know some first aid; perhaps I can revive the gentleman lying on the ground... I just need one chance..."

The captain looked at him with a sneer. "Well said, but I advise you to stop your sneaky attempts to get closer, unless you want to see if your fists are faster or my gun is faster!"

Gray immediately stopped his stealthy steps.

After being bound to this body, all his superhuman physical abilities seemed to have become useless, leaving only a weak body suffering from hunger and cold.

"Don't be so nervous, Captain..."

Gray chuckled and moved back, "The boss already told me that beyond seven paces, the gun is fast..."

The captain scoffed, "And what about within seven steps? Does that mean you have to be fast with your punches?"