Chapter 71: JACOBS POV.

"Alright, then let’s get out of here," I said, clenching and pumping my fists.

It’s been awhile since I had a good fight.

Moreover, my body felt light, almost too light, as if the gravity of the earth was having a hard time holding me down after my time in the deep sea.

"We’d also like to join you."

"Please take us with you!"

"Hmph! You’re all mad if you think you’re getting out of this situation in one piece."

The voices of the other captives varied.

Some men scrambled forward, reaching out with desperate hands, their eyes wide with the hope of seeing the sun again.

Others stayed tucked in the shadows, their faces pale and full of dread.

I couldn’t believe that some of these guys actually wanted to stay put.

I looked at a few of them, men who were shaking and pulling their knees to their chests.

Either they had really good foresight and thought we were all going to die, or the lot of them were nothing but blooming cowards.

Either way, I didn’t give a darn. I wasn’t their father, and I wasn’t going to drag someone into a fight if they didn’t have the heart for it.

In a jailbreak, a coward was usually more dangerous than a guard anyway.

For those who decided to follow me, I didn’t waste any time.

I moved around, grabbing the iron locks and snapping them all as if they were made of dry twigs.

Helping break their hand and foot bindings, the heavy metal clinking as it hit the floor.

In the end, around 15 or so men, stood up, rubbing their sore limbs and looking at me with gratitude and frevor.

" Alright."

"Stay close." I whispered.

" We’re busting out of this filthy hold." I gestured for them to follow.

We all marched towards the heavy wooden door at the end of the hold.

The group of men following me were busy murmuring among themselves, their voices rising in a mix of excitement and fear.

It sounded like a hive of bees in the small space.

I felt a vein throb in my head. I turned around and gestured sharply for them to turn silent, putting a finger to my lips.

Only once they did, and the hold became deathly quiet, did I place my ear against the cool wood of the door, focusing everything I had on the sounds outside.

’Now, there are only two outside. I’m guessing they were assigned to keep watch and take care of these guys,’ I said to myself.

I could hear the occasional thud of boots on the floorboards from this side of the door.

One of them let out a wet cough. They sounded bored, which was exactly what I wanted.

I lifted my ear from the door and turned to glance at the men behind me. They were all huddled together, looking at me for the next move.

"I just want to confirm one thing. This is a slave trafficking ship, right?" I whispered, making sure my voice didn’t carry past the wood.

" Yes it is." One said as if afraid I’d suddenly change my mind.

They all nodded vigorously.

Another man leaned in and whispered, "They take us to the southern ports. Most of us never see the sky again once we land."

" These guys are the worst kind of scum."

I didn’t know how they all ended up becoming slaves in the first place, but nevertheless, no one deserved to be treated like this against their will.

’Alrighty then.’ That was all the motivation I needed. If these guys made a living selling people like cattle, I didn’t need to feel bad about what I was about to do to them.

"Listen up," I said, my voice barely a breath. "There are two guys just outside the door. I’ll knock out the one on the left. But I need you men to take care of the guy on the right without causing a ruckus. You mustn’t let him alert the others, understand? If he screams or fires a gun, the whole ship will be down here in seconds."

I warned them with a hard look. While I had a lot of confidence in my new strength, I still didn’t know the entirety of the powers these so-called traffickers possessed.

This was a world where mermaids existed and people talked about "superhumans."

Who knew? Perhaps another superhuman might be on board. If a guy who could punch through stone was waiting on the top deck, I didn’t want to meet him while being surrounded by fifty other guards.

Once the group of men nodded, showing they understood the plan, I pressed my hand against the door.

The lock was on the other side, and the hinges were heavy. I didn’t want to kick it down yet because the bang would be too loud.

To avoid alarming our watchers, I gradually applied strength to my palm, pushing against the frame. I felt the wood groan and then, crack, the door hinge snapped quietly under the pressure.

Fortunately for me, both men were near the far end of the corridor by then, likely leaning against the walls, and they couldn’t hear the small sound over the creaking of the ship and the splashing of the waves.

I waited, my heart beating a steady drum in my chest.

’Now!’

The moment I heard the guy on the left taking steps away from the door, his back turned, I acted.

I pushed the door open and bolted towards him.

Due to my explosive speed and the fact that I wasn’t used to having this much power on land before, I moved much faster than I expected.

The sound of my feet pushing off the ground was like a crack of thunder in the narrow hallway.

The floorboards actually groaned under the force of my stride.

The sound immediately alarmed both men.

"What in the—?!" the guy on the right started to shout, his hand flying to the sword at his waist.

But it was already too late.

"Go now!" I let out the signal, my voice filling in the hall.