Seeing the girl's reaction, the two dissolute youths became even more certain that she was a commoner with no background or backing.
When the girl saw the two youths, her first instinct was to avoid them. After all, her father had repeatedly warned her not to cause trouble when boarding the ship. However, as her escape route was blocked by one of the youths, and his lecherous hand reached out towards her, she decided she could no longer endure it. Gathering her qi, she clenched her right fist and began to exert her strength.
Just as the girl was about to throw her punch, a deep and familiar voice rang out.
"What do you two want to do to my daughter?"
Following the direction of the voice, the girl's eyes instantly lit up, and she exclaimed, "Dad."
"Dad?"
The blonde youth raised an eyebrow and said to the man before him, "Uncle, I advise you not to interfere. You know the consequences of offending us."
Unlike the blonde youth, his companion clearly recognized the man before them. He whispered, "Hey, hey, he looks like that famous detective recently, Kogoro Mouri, the Sleeping Detective. He has good connections with the police."
Mori Kogoro's ears were sharp. After the blonde youth's companion finished speaking, he immediately said, "Did you hear that? If you know what's good for you, apologize to my daughter quickly and then go wherever it's cool. Otherwise, I'll send you all to the police station."
Hearing Mori Kogoro's words, the two youths were stunned at first, then burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha, that's hilarious. He, he actually said he'd send us to the police station."
"That's really interesting. I've never been to a police station in my life. He really has the nerve to say that."
The laughter of the two also attracted the attention of many people around. However, in this situation, no one was willing to be the first to step forward. As the saying goes, it's better to have one less trouble than one more.
Hearing the dissolute laughter of the two youths, Mori Kogoro became furious and clenched his fists, ready to teach them a lesson and let them understand the price of messing with his daughter.
The blonde youth, seeing Mori Kogoro gritting his teeth, said, "Uncle, you're not thinking of making a move, are you? I have to remind you, with your status, if you dare to make a move, you'll be thrown into the sea. Of course, along with your daughter and family."
"Is that so? It seems you really are capable, or perhaps your family is truly capable."
The blonde youth sneered upon hearing the voice and said, "Yo, there's someone else who wants to be a..."
Before the blonde youth could finish his sentence, he swallowed the word "troublemaker" mid-utterance. His previously arrogant expression instantly vanished.
The reason was simple: the person speaking had too much influence, so much so that neither he nor his family could contend with it.
Not only the blonde youth but also his companion subconsciously took a few steps back, their faces filled with fear.
Following the blonde youth's gaze, the speaker was a bald old man who had reached an advanced age.
Although the man was elderly, his vitality was disproportionate to his age. His angry eyebrows made every word and action he spoke seem imposing.
"Suzu... Suzuki..."
The reason this elder instilled fear in the two youths was his surname: Suzuki. Jirokichi Suzuki, the younger brother of Shiro Suzuki, the current head of the Suzuki Group, and a celebrity who frequently appeared on television and newspapers.
Jirokichi Suzuki didn't waste any more words with the two. He walked up, kicked each of them hard, and berated, "Now that you know, get lost!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Facing the Suzuki Group, which was incomparably larger than their own families, the two dared not harbor any resentment. They quickly retreated, scrambling away.
They were certain that if they had offended the other party here today, their own families, in order to de-escalate the situation and appease the Suzuki Group, would have unhesitatingly sacrificed them.
Watching the two retreat, Jirokichi Suzuki let out an displeased "tch" and said, "Youngsters these days."
He then turned to Mori and Ran and asked, "Are you two alright?"
Mori quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you so much. I really didn't know what to do otherwise."
"It's nothing. That's just how I am. I can't stand their behavior."
With the backing of the Suzuki Group, everyone on deck looked at the two with a hint of apprehension.
But at this moment, Mori felt a chill run through his entire body, and he couldn't help but sneeze, almost forming a snot bubble.
"Dad."
Seeing her father's impolite behavior, Ran said with slight dissatisfaction.
Jirokichi, however, didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he looked around and said, "That's strange. It shouldn't be this cold at sea right now. And why does it feel like it's getting darker around us?"
Not long after Jirokichi finished speaking, dense sea fog began to rise from the sea surface, soon enveloping the entire cruise ship. The surroundings also darkened at a visible rate.
Unlike the bewildered crowd on deck, the crew in the bridge were in a state of panic.
The reason was simple: the moment the sea fog enveloped them, all the instruments in the bridge simultaneously malfunctioned.
They had encountered fog before, but this was the first time all the instruments had gone haywire.
The captain continuously wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.
He was acutely aware of the current situation.
Although they were not far from shore, they were still a considerable distance away. It would be impossible to swim back relying on human strength alone. With all the ship's instruments disabled, the vessel had instantly become a coffin floating on the sea. And that demon was causing havoc on land, with all the government's resources focused on it. There was no way they could expect a rescue operation from organized personnel.
Furthermore, all means of communication with the outside world, such as the radio, were rendered useless. By the time the government discovered them and launched a search and rescue, they would all likely have starved to death and become dried husks.
While the captain was in distress, he suddenly noticed a crew member standing foolishly by the window nearby.
While other crew members were frantically trying to make repairs, this individual was clearly slacking off, and doing so quite brazenly.
"Hey! You idiot! What are you doing?"
The captain's roar caused all the crew members in the bridge to stop and look in the direction the captain was pointing.
The next moment, the crew member's head suddenly detached and fell to the ground, rolling a considerable distance. His dead eyes were as wide as copper bells. Even more bizarrely, no blood flowed from the severed neck, as if some eerie force had sealed all the blood within his body.
Even though these crew members had seen their fair share of tough situations, this was their first encounter with such a bizarre occurrence. They involuntarily gasped and instinctively grabbed whatever they could find as weapons to defend themselves.
However, it was to no avail. A scream was heard, and another crew member met a tragic end.
Everyone followed the sound and saw a sharp sailor's knife piercing the man's abdomen. Again, no blood flowed from the wound.