Chapter 53: Gaze, Level, Stillborn. The next time the two spoke...

Perhaps to give his brilliant performance a more dramatic ending, Dragon Spine blew a breath onto the "small boat" in his palm.

As if by some divine coincidence, the cruise ship, located a kilometer away, instantly responded to his action and officially activated its full-scale autopilot system.

Without human intervention and coordination, the autopilot system, pre-set to maximum forward speed, was like a ferocious beast with its steel muzzle released, roaring as the massive turbine machine charged towards the distant horizon where sea mist was faintly rising.

All the cableways that originally connected the ship to the dock snapped, and the walkway between the two was also stretched and deformed. With a few clangs, it collapsed and fell into the sea.

Even the most obtuse person could realize that they were about to find themselves in a situation where they had no chance of survival.

However, for Fu Ze, death has never been the end of life; it may even be a new beginning, like emerging from a cocoon.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry.

Being anxious will only increase worry and will not help to resolve the current situation.

After a quick look around, Fu Ze discovered that although his clothes were still there, all his communication devices had been taken away.

So without a doubt, he was deliberately left on the ship.

As for the reasons...

Fu Ze quickly wiped his face with the clothes he had left on the deck and gazed in the direction of the poster.

By this time, the giant human figure on the poster had shrunk to the size of a thumb, almost becoming a blurry green blur, but he could still clearly feel several intense gazes coming from that direction.

A sense of deep worry.

These must be badger teeth.

Although Fu Ze and Huan Chi's time together was very short and full of testing and tripping, they eventually became friends through a fight, and even developed a subtle sense of mutual appreciation.

His act of going into the water alone to save the day became the ballast that completely gained the other party's trust and recognition.

A distinctly indifferent expression.

This must be rhinoceros horn.

After all, from the initial restaurant bomb incident to the "meeting" at the furniture store, Rhinoceros never truly considered this guy who openly disobeyed orders and returned uninvited as a companion.

Furthermore, considering the secret relationship between Yuan Jianxing and Lu Er brought about by Xu Xiezhi, the other party naturally wouldn't care about Fu Ze, who came to L City with Yuan Jianxing.

The final dish is characterized by its rich and vibrant colors and playful elements.

However, hidden beneath the playful demeanor was a subtle yet unmistakable murderous intent.

Considering the phone call Badger Tooth made earlier, that last look must have belonged to—

Dragon's spine.

Upon hearing this name, Fu Ze's eyes sharpened.

Although he had no idea why Dragonspine had killed him, he didn't care.

From this moment on, there is no turning back for him and the Dragon Spine.

Putting aside the fact that the key she so desperately wanted was undoubtedly in the possession of this man, Fu Ze, who didn't consider himself a saint, wouldn't hesitate to use some less-than-honorable methods to obtain it.

If he would have previously leaned more towards "cheating and swindling" after weighing the options, from now on he will prioritize "murder and robbery".

Moreover, the other party is also the ultimate target that Yuan Jianxing intends to eliminate for a long time to come.

I did this entirely in response to the call and went with the flow; there's not a single fault to be found beyond procedural justice.

Even if something goes wrong, this person, as your direct supervisor and mentor, has to share the burden with you; no one can run away.

In the short time it took Fu Ze to turn his head, the cruise ship, at full speed, had already sailed a considerable distance into the deep sea area outside Dala Port.

Without the surrounding buildings to buffer him, the biting sea wind lashed at Fu Ze's face like a knife.

His clothes, soaked by seawater, drew even more heat from his body in this environment.

To avoid hypothermia, Fu Ze immediately hurried back into the cabin and went to the bridge.

Perhaps because he had been able to maneuver the ship into Dala Harbor with ease under Yuan Jianxing's guidance, the interactive buttons on the dashboard have now been disabled to prevent him from disengaging from autopilot.

In other words, no matter what Fu Ze does, they will not react.

Fu Ze looked up at the monitor screen on one side of the captain's cabin.

The screen was almost entirely still, except for a red light that kept flashing and changing.

I've seen this rhythmic light before, right here in Cui Ya's restaurant.

It's a bomb.

Despite the lack of support, Fu Ze still chimed in with a sarcastic remark: "Another bombshell? Can't we have something fresh?"

However, even though both are bombs, their objectives are completely opposite.

The bomb is currently located in the ship's hold, where contraband that has not been transferred away is stored.

Its explosion would ignite a considerable amount of bullets, and a large number of stray bullets would penetrate the thick metal hull, ultimately causing the entire cruise ship to flood and sink.

Fu Ze couldn't quite understand why Dragon Spine would use an expensive luxury cruise ship for his funeral, but he didn't want to think about what the other party was thinking for the time being.

His immediate priority was to survive in this almost hopeless situation.

In the past, Fu Ze, who possessed the ability to "die and be reborn," would never have made such a thankless and arduous choice.

But now he faces a major problem:

If he died in this shipwreck, there is a certain possibility that he could be directly reborn into the dragon's spine.

Based on Fu Ze's previous experience, the logic for determining "death and rebirth" has a very rigorous hierarchy.

Those who have the subjective intent to kill and directly commit the crime have the highest probability of being identified. For example, Wan Chuanqiu and Bogdan.

Indirect accidents, such as car accidents or objects thrown from high-rise buildings, will be investigated based on the "culprit" in a simple emotional sense. As for the specific level of investigation, Fu Ze has not yet figured it out, but there are definitely certain hard criteria for judgment.

The current situation lies somewhere in between.

The captain put the ship into autopilot mode, Badger Tooth planted the bomb that caused the ship to sink, and Rhinoceros Horn officially gave the order to evacuate everyone except Fu Ze.

The one who orchestrated all of this, and who best fits the common public's simple concept of "culprit" in terms of good and evil, is Dragon's Spine.

As for Fu Ze's ultimate goal—obtaining the [key]—as long as he doesn't become the captain with a one-in-four chance of survival, the other three are all freebies.

Even if he were to take over as captain, it wouldn't matter, since given Rhinoceros Horn's style of doing things, he would definitely send someone to erase all traces.

Fu Ze could also use this opportunity to return to the Cummins Group and even gain more power and trust than Bogdan.

As for the substitute being born as the dragon's spine, that was even more like hitting the jackpot.

What might have required a great deal of effort to achieve suddenly became readily available.

But Fu Ze was unwilling to gamble on any of these possibilities.

The captain had a faint white mark on his left ring finger, suggesting a rather complicated romantic history. And what Fu Ze hated most was dealing with the emotional messes left behind by others.

Badger teeth workers have an unsavory profession, and their irregular working hours are detrimental to their health.

Rhinoceros Horn was missing a leg, and Fu Ze didn't have a good impression of prosthetics.

Because of his high status and the many people he had come into contact with, he was prone to being exposed and arousing suspicion if he acted carelessly.

Fu Ze could indeed list a thousand reasons why he didn't want to do it, but he knew perfectly well that, ultimately, he didn't want to be enemies with Yuan Jianxing.

The meaning of "unwilling to be an enemy" is actually quite complex.

Previously, when Fu Ze briefly stood on the opposite side of Yuan Jianxing in order to intercept Snake Eyes, he put on an absolutely brilliant performance.

However, in Hara Mihoshi's self-examination report, his existence was not mentioned at all.

It was as if Fu Ze's great success was nothing more than a trivial accident for him as the CEO.

Like a thin layer of snow falling on your shoulder, it can be easily shaken off or melted.

In other words, any enemy is just a passerby to Yuan Jianxing, and will eventually become a piece of dust buried under his honor and achievements.

Rebellion is the fundamental characteristic of Fu Ze's personality.

Therefore, someone like him would absolutely not be willing to become such a being.

If one were to truly become Yuan Jianxing's enemy, then it must be the kind of battle that is "fight to the death, an unforgettable and deeply etched memory."

However, with this identity shift brought about by "death in place of life," Fu Ze unexpectedly discovers that he can actually interact with Yuan Jianxing under another identity—

friend.

In stark contrast to his treatment of enemies, Hara Kensei was quite kind to everyone else, whether executives, colleagues, or even ordinary residents.

The "good" here doesn't refer to the kind of person who's always helpful and gets praised by everyone.

Surprisingly, Yuan Jianxing, who is usually meticulous and decisive, did not show any impatience due to the other party's non-principle issues or mistakes.

Seeing only a glimpse of the whole picture, Fu Ze occasionally pondered a question he had discussed with Mu Wangzhuo in the southern district of V City—

"I wonder who will be so 'lucky' in the future and 'happily married' to this chief who never comes home at night?"

His conclusion at the time was:

"Does anyone really want to invite such an iceberg, who seems to have never uttered a single flattering word in his life, to cool him down in his home?"

Considering his experiences over this period, Yuan Jianxing's behavior at home, facing someone who is special to him, would probably be quite different.

Suddenly, Fu Ze remembered the two of them signing their names side by side when they were dealing with the restaurant explosion.

Since we've talked so much about Hara Mihoshi...

Fu Ze glanced at the rearview mirror propped up on the outside of the ship.

Because the distance had grown too great, everything about Daraa Port had been swallowed by the thick sea fog and could no longer be seen, except for the streetlights that condensed and wove together to form a halo of light that shone brightly.

Shouldn't he have made it safely back to shore by now?

If I fail to escape this dangerous situation, what will my identity and the scene be when the two of us speak again?

Just then, the electronic female voice that had been playing on repeat suddenly stopped after two piercing "sizzle" sounds.

Instead, a steady male voice, extremely familiar to Fu Ze, was heard.

"This is Yuan Jianxing, the executive officer of V City. Please reply upon receipt."

...

Fu Ze looked incredulously in the direction from which the sound came.

Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Yuan Jianxing presumptuously guessed his thoughts and answered first: "Don't worry, I'm on shore, and I'm communicating with you encrypted through the control tower."

Fu Ze suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

I may be inherently incompatible with professions that require high sensitivity, such as writing or directing.

Otherwise, why would some unexpected event always interrupt his thinking whenever he gained some insight into the ups and downs of human nature, indirectly leading to the stillbirth of a certain masterpiece in the future?

Perhaps too immersed in the sadness of his "masterpiece failing," Fu Ze himself did not realize that he was actually smiling faintly.

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Author's Note: Go, Xingxing! [Keep it up!] Go, Xingxing! [Keep it up!]

A star fell from the sky, Brother Xing! [Go for it!]