"So that's your take on things..." I said slowly.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," the mercenary replied. "We saved these women, so speaking of love, I don't think it's too much for them to repay us, is it?"
Lin Chun clenched his fists, also silent.
"We saved their lives, what's wrong with sleeping with me for a night? Am I going to lose a piece of flesh?" The mercenary chuckled. "Brother Lu, I think you could totally take all these women into your harem and just leave a few for us brothers to play with..."
I remained silent, but the expressions of the women around me turned grim.
"Besides, weren't they doing that kind of thing on the ship before?" the mercenary continued. "If others can have their fun, why should it be any different when they're with us..."
My body vanished instantly. The next moment I reappeared, I was beside the mercenary, one hand on his neck, lifting him up.
This bizarre sight stunned everyone present.
They hadn't seen how I moved, nor had they seen what had happened in that instant.
One moment they saw a blur, and the next, the mercenary was dangling in my hand.
"You... Brother Lu... What are you doing..." the mercenary struggled desperately. Logically, his strength was considerable, but in my hands, it was utterly insufficient.
"Now you take back what you said and apologize to them..." I said.
"Brother Lu... I don't understand... What I said... is the truth, they are just for playing..." The mercenary's face was bright red.
At this point, my anger could no longer be contained.
"You scumbag!" I gritted out. "There are no legal constraints here, but don't forget, you are a human being!"
"Being human, even without legal constraints, one should have basic morality!" I looked at the mercenary. "It's the same here; everyone is equal, everyone is free. You have no right to deprive others of their freedom, nor do you have the right to demand anything from them!"
"You can leave anytime, I won't stop you, as long as you can survive on your own. You can also refuse to submit to me, and at worst, I'll imprison you until death!" I said coldly. "But remember this, your recent words have made my anger uncontrollable..."
"Brother Lu... you..." the mercenary struggled, his face turning purple, his breathing becoming difficult.
"Don't call me Brother Lu. When you decided to work with me, I sincerely considered you all my brothers." I said with a cold expression. "But this does not mean you can abandon moral constraints, abandon human dignity! Abandon human reason!"
"But you have abandoned it!" I said sternly. "In my eyes, you have been added to the death list!"
Hearing this, the mercenary suddenly burst into laughter. "Brother Lu, you're kidding. If you want to establish authority, you should have done enough by now. I've done so much for you, you can't just abandon me once you're across the river..."
"Then I will say one more thing." My gaze was cold. "Remember, what you did was not to help me, but to help yourself, to give yourself a chance to survive in this place!"
"As for me, I can survive with or without your help!" I said coldly.
Then I looked at everyone present: "Remember, under any circumstances, you must adhere to the morals and qualities of a normal person. If you abandon these, you are no different from savages!"
"I, Lu Ziye, am making it clear to everyone here that if you wish to abandon the moral and qualitative standards of a human being, you can tell me anytime, and I will let you go." My gaze was cold. "However, if there is a next time for such a thing..."
As I spoke, my fingers tightened.
My years of cultivation had brought my strength to an unprecedented level.
With a forceful squeeze, I crushed the mercenary's neck.
I threw the mercenary onto the ground: "This is his fate!"
Everyone fell silent.
"I am very happy that you are all here. If you wish to leave, I will not stop you." I said, my tone exceptionally serious. "But I hope that those who remain will be friends, brothers and sisters. We are here to overcome difficulties together..."
"If anyone is unwilling, you are free to leave!" I said, and without waiting for anyone's response, I turned and walked back to my room.
Luo Yaqin followed, a smile on her face. She knew I was in a bad mood and didn't say much.