Chapter 1463: Final Decision
There was one more thing the burly man hadn't mentioned. He had brought all his subordinates here, making a considerable effort. Having only just managed to reach Half-Moon Island, if he were to immediately flee, he would feel somewhat unresigned.
The burly man's answer disappointed his subordinate sea demons. They all hoped he would order an immediate retreat, to avoid getting involved and losing their lives. At that moment, their mindset was identical to when they faced Yang Haoran before: they wished the burly man would submit to Yang Haoran instead of resisting.
Both then and now, the sea demons under the burly man's command desired only one outcome: to live. Everything they hoped for revolved around survival. On that day, their desire for the burly man to submit to Yang Haoran was solely for the sake of survival, not out of genuine willingness to pledge allegiance to Yang Haoran.
Now that they had arrived at Half-Moon Island, the current situation made them feel their lives were threatened. How could they still care whether they had already submitted to Yang Haoran? They also didn't want to consider the consequences of betraying Yang Haoran. They simply wanted to leave this place and save their lives, even if it was only to temporarily preserve them.
It had to be said, the sea demons under the burly man's command were indeed very timid. Truth be told, the burly man, their leader, wasn't much better than them. But precisely because of this, they had managed to survive until now in this demon-eat-demon Eastern Sunrise Ocean.
“Leader, please think twice. We all see the situation on Half-Moon Island right now, and I believe you're equally clear about it. Staying here any longer won't do us any good. ”
Another sea demon, seeing the burly man unwilling to retreat immediately, couldn't help but speak up as well. From his anxious expression, it was clear he genuinely hoped the burly man would change his mind and retreat at once, without holding onto any lingering hope and staying any longer.
When one person spoke up to persuade him, the burly man didn't think much of it. But when two started, he began to waver. He looked at his other subordinates present; although they didn't speak, he saw the panic in their expressions and eyes. Already somewhat wavering, his desire to immediately retreat grew stronger, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.
The first sea demon who spoke, seeing the burly man's hesitant expression, hastily urged him on, hoping his prompting would have some effect.
This sea demon's urging indeed had some effect. The burly man, who had been wavering, finally made a decision under the sea demon's prompting. He felt that his two subordinates' advice was not unreasonable, so he decided to retreat immediately.
However, just as he was about to give the order to retreat, a cruel, brutal, and twisted laugh echoed from Half-Moon Island, carried from afar.
“Hahahahaha, it's like getting a pillow when you're sleepy! I was just wondering where to vent my anger, and now some blind fools have delivered themselves right to my doorstep. How wonderful! ”
Although the burly man and his group were still far from Half-Moon Island, the voice, amplified by power, still reached their ears.
Upon hearing that voice, the burly man's body violently shuddered.
It wasn't just the burly man; all his other subordinates, except for the new ones he'd recruited on the way here, reacted without exception at that moment. Some trembled violently, just like the burly man, while others' faces drastically changed.
The reason the burly man and his subordinates reacted so strongly was because that voice had left an incredibly deep impression on them. Especially that laugh—to them, it was nothing short of a nightmare, for the one emitting that laugh was none other than Zhong Siyu.
Upon hearing Zhong Siyu's laugh, all the sea demons whose bodies trembled violently, just like the burly man's, were without exception those who had been dealt with by Zhong Siyu on that earlier day. The sea demons whose bodies didn't tremble were those who had been intimidated at the time, neither fleeing nor resisting, and thus hadn't been dealt with by Zhong Siyu. However, they had all witnessed Zhong Siyu's power and brutality firsthand, and it was deeply etched into their minds. Therefore, their reactions, though not as intense as the burly man's, were not much better.
As for the new sea demon subordinates the burly man had recently taken in, they hadn't witnessed Zhong Siyu's terror. So, upon hearing her voice, they weren't afraid; instead, they looked bewildered, not understanding why their leader and the other elders reacted so strongly.
The burly man, who had originally decided to heed his subordinates' advice and leave this place, changed his mind after hearing Zhong Siyu's voice.
“We're not leaving for now. I want to assess the situation first! ”
Why the burly man made such a decision was something he himself couldn't quite explain. In the past, whenever he encountered a situation like this, he would have long since made a quick escape. Why would he continue to stay and stir up trouble here? Yet, this time was an exception.
As these words left his mouth, the faces of his sea demons changed once more. The sea demon who had previously tried to persuade him suddenly looked anxious and was about to speak again but was directly cut off by the burly man.
“Don't try to persuade me any further. Not only am I staying, but I'm also going closer to Half-Moon Island to observe. My mind is made up. If anyone dares to try and dissuade me again, don't blame me for being impolite! ”
The burly man's face was cold, showing no hint of jest. The sea demon who had still intended to persuade him, seeing how serious the burly man was, dared not speak again. He knew the burly man's character: if he insisted on speaking, the burly man would definitely make an example of him in public.
This sea demon didn't want to be the chicken killed to warn the monkeys, and neither did the other sea demons. Therefore, no one dared to open their mouth to persuade the burly man again.
Of course, they also didn't dare to revolt. After all, the burly man's strength far surpassed theirs; the only outcome of rebellion would be death. Following the burly man a little closer to Half-Moon Island didn't necessarily mean death, but openly defying the burly man in this situation would truly be a certain death.
All the sea demons' faces were far from pleasant at that moment. More or less, panic or dismay could be seen on their faces, but no one was foolish enough to speak up at this time.
The burly man took in the expressions of all his sea demons, but he did not change his decision because of them.
“You don't need to worry too much. If there's genuine danger, I will immediately order a retreat without hesitation. We're just going to take a look; we're not going there to die. I haven't lived enough yet, and I'm not foolish enough to seek death, nor would I let you die in vain. ”
To stabilize morale, the burly man still gave his sea demons a brief pep talk. In truth, he was even more conflicted than his subordinates at that moment. If not for a persistent voice in his heart telling him not to flee, that fleeing would lead to a lifetime of regret, he truly wouldn't have taken such a huge risk. However, he couldn't say such things openly; after all, it was too mystical. Speaking it aloud might not only fail to have a positive effect but could also diminish his prestige in the eyes of his subordinates.
No one responded to the burly man, but he didn't feel awkward. In his view, his subordinates' silence meant consent.
“Let's go. Stay close to me. I want to see what's truly happening on Half-Moon Island right now! ”
The burly man took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his emotions, wishing for his uneasy heart to quiet down, but it had little effect. He didn't let his inner turmoil show on his face, instead feigning composure as he led his subordinates cautiously closer to Half-Moon Island.
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