Erick was also quiet while having conflicting thoughts. His gaze moved back and forth between his parents and Bryan. His grip on the gun tightened.
"Two!"
After hearing that, Bryan looked at Erick worriedly.
"Chief Lee!" He whispered in a low voice.
'Elle! Save me! I trust in you! Do something. I now entrust my life in your hands.'
"This is not looking good! We should act now Captain!" June said in a panic.
The members of the joint task force were already in their position, holding their guns and ready to shoot anytime. They were just waiting for their Captain's go signal.
When Kelsy was about to end the countdown and say 'three' suddenly the surroundings were engulfed in complete darkness. The lights were put off.
"Men... let's move!" Captain Jason said as he gave the order.
This was the go signal they were waiting for. Erick told them that once the lights were switched off that's the time they should move. It was also the reason they brought infrared goggles which would help them to have clear visions in the dark.
Soon, the joint task force came out of their hiding spots. June and Carl rushed towards the area where Erick's parents were being held in place by the enemies.
They grabbed this opportunity to attack. Seconds later, loud thuds, men's groans, and whimpers could be heard in the hall.
Erick and Bryan started to attack the men which were surrounding them, throwing hard punches on the enemies' vital parts. They even tried to snatch some guns. Captain Jason and Allen helped them attack the men around Erick and Bryan.
Meanwhile, the Azumi Twins could sense that there were on-going fights happening in the dark. They stayed vigilant and careful.
"What are you waiting for! Call the others and tell them to go to the power control room and switch on the lights." Kevin yelled at their men.
It was hard to fight blindly in the dark. They couldn't fight back but they could only protect themselves against the attackers. Later on, they heard someone contacted others through the handheld radio.
In contrast to the Azumi Twins' situation, the joint task force could see clearly what was happening on the ground. They could even see Dark Knight's men falling on the ground one after another.
"Captain Jason… it looks like we have snipers by our sides!" Allen exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Let's grab this opportunity to escape. Is everyone alright? How're Erick's parents?" Captain Jason asked them.
"They are with us now!" June replied from the line.
"We already secured them, Captain!" It was Carl who also responded.
The Azumi Twins could somehow know what they were trying to do so they gave Dark Knight's men another command.
"Secure and block the exits. Don't let them escape!" Kelsy shouted.
Someone was also firing in their direction. Kelsy and Kevin were very fast to react as they grabbed some men beside them and used them as human shields.
"F*ck. They successfully infiltrated this ship. They brought back-ups!" Kevin was cursing inwardly.
"I will make sure they will not be able to leave this ship alive!" Kevin added.
He was very agitated by this sudden change of situation. They thought they had the upper hand all along. But it got reversed suddenly in just a split of seconds. Their enemies launched their counter-attack.
Just as what the Azumi Twins had ordered, there were several numbers of men waiting at the exit doors when the joint task force tried to escape through those routes.
"D*mn! What should we do? There are so many of them. Can we hold this far? We only have limited ammunition." June blurted out his concerns as they continued exchanging shots with the Dark Knight's men.
"Keep firing. We have to move fast and reach the ferry boat before they will do something to it." Carl said.
Sarah and Raymond were hiding on their backs. They hadn't reached the lower deck. They were still in the middle deck of the Ship.
On the other hand, Captain Jason, Bryan, Erick, and Allen were also together, escaping through the other exits.
"Captain Jason, Allen, Bryan, go ahead first. I need to go somewhere. Once you arrive at the boat together with my parents you can leave as soon as possible even without me!" Erick said as he requested them.
"Chief! What are you saying? We will not leave without you!" Bryan protested.
Allen and Captain Jason were both confused about why Erick suddenly made that request.
'What is planning to do?'
However, Bryan could somehow understand what Erick was trying to do. He wanted to search for Elle. He knew that she was still on the Ship. He wanted to make sure that she would also escape safely.
Without waiting for his colleagues to say another word Erick went back towards the middle deck. Captain Jason and the rest just exchanged meaningful glances with each other as they watched Erick's retreating back until he vanished from their sights.
Meanwhile, the lights inside the hall where the negotiation was happening a while ago came back. When the lights were switched on Kelsy and Kevin saw several members of the Dark Knight lying on the floor with gunshot wounds.
Some were already unconscious and some were already dead.
"Lu and Yan, please guide the joint task force members to reach their boat and escape safely." Elle gave them her command.
"Noted Lady Boss!"
"Aye Lady Boss!"
After saying that, Lu and Yan left their current positions and proceeded to where the other members of the joint task force were. With their help, the rest of the members together with Erick's parents finally reached their ferry boat. Lu and Yan made sure that the enemies wouldn't be able to go near the boat.
"June, where is my son?" Sarah asked them immediately in a worried tone.
"Aunt Sarah, Chief Lee, and I got separated a while ago. Don't worry. Bryan followed him." It was Allen who answered Sarah.
"How about Captain Jason? Do you know where he is?" Carl asked Allen since he was the only person they saw upon arriving in the boat.
Allen shook his head as he scratched his face. "Uhm, I thought he was following me but he suddenly disappeared. I don't know where he is."
"Eh… where are they? We have to leave as soon as possible!" June said to them anxiously.
"Chief Lee and Bryan said we can go ahead even without them but the problem is Captain Jason."
"Let's wait for them another more minutes," Raymond suggested to them.
"I agree! I won't leave this place without my son!" Sarah said with so much conviction. She was worried about Erick.
June took a deep sigh before he said to them. "Fortunately, we have them!" June pointed the two snipers who kept guarding them and firing shots at their enemies.
"Who are they? They are very skilled and sharpshooters! And it seems like they bring a lot of ammunition," June added.
Carl and Allen just nodded. They also felt relieved to have those back-ups. If not for them then they would have difficulty reaching their boat. Dark Knight's men just kept on targeting them and there were lots of them.