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墨書 Inktalez
I instructed Jiao Ba to keep everything safe, reminding him not to lose anything and to be extra careful. We agreed to discuss things further once we found our fishing boat. We each took charge of one item, which would help prevent both from being stolen at the same time. My main concern was whether the man in black knew about our situation.
I was well aware that the jade pendant from the female corpse and the golden object in her mouth were inseparable; both were essential. Even if the man in black managed to take half of the jade pendant from me, he might not necessarily get what he wanted. Therefore, this small golden object, which resembled a key, had to be kept safe and stored in the most secure place possible.
Logically, aside from Jiao Ba, I was the only one who knew about this matter. The Bearded Man was dead, so he couldn't possibly leak any information. Yet, I still felt a sense of unease, as if something wasn't quite right.
We returned to the resting quarters, where Shunzi was eating. Upon seeing us come back, he didn't even look up and said, "Where have you two been? You weren't on deck, and I wanted to call you for some food, but I couldn't find either of you."
Jiao Ba and I exchanged glances, and he immediately smiled and said, "Oh! What? I went with Brother Yi to the control room to chat with Mai Lao and ask about the situation."
Shunzi shot him a glance and replied, "Lao Ba, are you trying to fool me? Do you think I'm a child? I just came back from the control room and have no idea what you two are up to. Ever since we set sail, you've been acting all mysterious."
Shunzi seemed a bit annoyed; perhaps he felt that Jiao Ba and I were distancing ourselves from him. I looked at Jiao Ba, who gave me a knowing look. I walked over and sat down next to Shunzi, putting my arm around his shoulder while smiling. "What's wrong? Is Brother Sheng upset?"
Shunzi put down his fork and looked at me. "Brother Yi, I'm not angry. No matter what happens, you'll always be my brother. I just feel like you might be intentionally hiding something from me."
I feigned ignorance and said, "Nonsense! What could possibly be going on? If there were something important, wouldn't I have told you already?"
Shunzi looked at me with an innocent expression and asked, "Really?"
I laughed and patted his arm. "When have I ever lied to you?"
For the greater good, I had to act this way. The fewer people who knew about certain matters, the better—even if it was someone as close as him. It wasn't that I feared he would betray me; rather, I worried that he might inadvertently let something slip. If that man in black found out, it would lead to trouble.
Shunzi was too straightforward for this kind of cerebral work, but I had another concern in my heart. Until we clearly identified who the man in black was, everyone on the ship, except for me and Jiao Ba, was under suspicion, including Jenny.
I recalled that Shunzi had left the rest area that day, claiming he went to the restroom. But who could say for sure? Although I had known him for many years and considered him like a brother, I thought I understood him well and didn't want to doubt him. Yet sometimes, the least likely person could be the most suspicious. It was better to be cautious.
Shunzi flashed a happy expression and threw an arm around my shoulder, saying, "Now that's what a brother is."
Jiao Ba snickered behind him, and I turned to glare at him.
After we finished eating, we found ourselves with nothing to do. Feeling well-rested, Shunzi and Jiao Ba settled down to watch TV in the rest area while I headed to the control room to find Mai Lao.
When I arrived at the control room, the old man was slumped in his chair, asleep. He seemed tired too. As I reached for his coat to cover him, he suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed my wrist with a speed so quick that even I couldn't react in time—it was almost lightning fast.
I froze momentarily, surprised not by his speed but by his agile reflexes. I was certain that this old man was definitely quicker than I was.
Once he realized it was me, he immediately released my hand and said, "Sorry! I got a bit tired. I meant to sit down and rest but ended up falling asleep."
It took me a few seconds to respond, "Oh, it's fine. I was just worried you'd catch a chill and wanted to cover you up."
Mai Lao stood up and stretched his neck a bit. "It's okay; I'm used to sleeping like this."
I chuckled and casually asked, "Mai Lao, where are we now? How far are we from the wreck?"
"If I'm not mistaken, we should be there," he said seriously as he looked around.
Just as he finished speaking, I spotted lights not far ahead. Clearly, it was a fishing boat. Excitedly, I pointed ahead and exclaimed, "Mai Lao, look! It's a fishing boat!"
"Yes, I see it. Looks like we arrived just in time; they haven't started yet." He pressed the accelerator, speeding towards the fishing boat ahead.
"Is that our fishing boat?" I asked.
"It shouldn't be wrong; this place is rarely known to people," Mai Lao replied, looking ahead.
Where exactly are we? I felt a bit lost, but who cares? Let it be wherever it is. Why overthink it? As we got closer, I finally saw clearly with the powerful lights that this fishing boat was indeed Jenny's Fishing Boat. "We finally found it! Mai Lao, you were right! They really are here."
"Notify Jiao Ba and the others to gather on the deck; we're getting ready to board." After he finished speaking, he sounded the horn on the boat, announcing that I, Hu Hanshan, was back.
I rushed to the resting cabin where the two guys were sleeping soundly in their chairs. I approached and gave each of them a light smack on the head. "Wake up, wake up! Stop sleeping already."
"What’s up, Brother Yi? Why aren’t you sleeping? What’s going on?" Jiao Ba opened his sleepy eyes, looking displeased.
"I found Jenny's boat." As soon as I said this, Jiao Ba jumped up excitedly. "Really? You found it?"
Shunzi also stood up immediately and asked, "So soon? Mai Lao is impressive."
"Less chatter, let’s go to the deck." The three of us quickly made our way to the deck. Now our two fishing boats were very close—just a few dozen meters apart—and we could see clearly that Mai Lao was still sounding the horn.
I spotted Jenny and Li Xin already standing on the deck along with other sailors. They seemed fine after all; I had worried about their safety for nothing. I thought they would never expect that we were still alive and doing quite well.
As Mai Lao maneuvered our boat alongside Jenny's fishing boat, I smirked and waved my hand. "How are you two lovely ladies? Did you miss your big brother?"
Jenny's face showed surprise mixed with a hint of joy, while Li Xin maintained her usual stoic expression. Mai Lao stepped out of the control room as if greeting everyone. "Is everything alright?"
"Jenny finally regained her composure and said, 'We're fine. You... you actually survived?'"
"'Of course! What did you think, that we were dead?' I shot back without hesitation. After all the trouble we went through for you, it’s ridiculous to think you’d be hoping for our demise."
"'No, no, that's not what I meant! I'm so glad to see you all alive. Quickly, lower the gangplank!' Jenny smiled, though I couldn't tell if it was genuine. The gangplank was lowered, and one by one, the four of us returned to the fishing boat."
"Jiao Ba glanced at the crew on board and quietly said to me, 'Brother Yi, I didn't see anyone from Bearded Man.'"
"I nodded slightly. Mai Lao remained expressionless and casually greeted them. Shunzi didn’t say much; aside from Li Xin, he smiled and nodded at anyone he recognized."
"At that moment, I deliberately looked at Li Xin and asked pointedly, 'Miss Li, are you doing well? Not hurt or anything?'"
"Li Xin scoffed and replied, 'No need for your concern. I'm fine. You should worry about yourself instead.'"
"Damn it! What a piece of work! Her arrogant attitude irritated me. Did she really think she was something special? I sneered and ignored her."
"Jenny then asked us, 'What exactly happened? How did you escape?' She seemed to be referring to the wreck."
"Mai Lao glanced around and casually replied, 'It's not something that can be explained in a few words. Let’s head back to the rest area and talk there.'"
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