Chapter 39
The freighter cut through the azure sea, plowing a long white trail as it sailed steadily toward the unknown distance. The busy sailors on the deck, of varying skin colors, were silent and oblivious to the few uninvited guests who had just boarded, demonstrating both extreme professionalism and... a tacit understanding.
This was a ship belonging to Qin Xiao. Or rather, it was a link in his vast and complex network.
Gu Jing was housed in a clean yet spartan cabin. The door was closed, shutting out the sea breeze and the hum of the engine. He stood alone at the porthole, gazing out at the endless ocean, shimmering with golden light in the sunlight. His face betrayed no joy of new life, only a refined, cold calm.
The wound on the palm of his hand had been simply treated and was wrapped with white gauze. It was slightly painful, reminding him of the heart-wrenching destruction that had occurred not long ago.
Qin Yu...
This name is like a tiny thorn, piercing the softest part of my heart. I dare not touch it, because if I touch it, I will feel a dense and sharp pain, and a sense of emptiness that almost drowns me.
Had he really... just disappeared like that? In that sea of flames and ruins, leaving not even a trace behind?
That paranoid, crazy man who tried every possible means to drag him into hell, but who also protected him with his bloody arms time and time again... In the end, this was the only ending he got?
Hate?
It seems that hatred has long become blurred in the repeated encounters between life and death.
What remains is something more complex, heavier, and almost soul-crushing.
There was a gentle knock on the cabin door, interrupting his dead thoughts.
"Enter."
The door opened, and it was 739 who came in. He had changed into a clean sailor suit, and the blood on his face had been washed clean, but the fatigue and grief in his eyes could not be concealed. He was holding a tray with simple food and water on it.
"Mr. Gu, please eat something." He placed the tray on the table and said in a hoarse voice, "You haven't eaten for a whole day and night."
Gu Jing didn't look back, his eyes still fixed on the window: "What's the situation outside?"
"Very calm. Mr. Qin Xiao's people are in control of the ship, and the route... has not been disclosed to us yet." 739 paused, his tone filled with hesitation and worry. "Mr. Gu, do we... really trust him?"
Qin Xiao's appearance was too coincidental, and his attitude too ambiguous and unpredictable. After experiencing so much betrayal and calculation, it was hard not to be extremely vigilant against anyone.
Gu Jing slowly turned around. The sunlight shone from behind him, coating his outline with a layer of light gold, but it could not illuminate his deep eyes.
"Do we have any choice?" he asked, his voice calm.
739 was speechless. Indeed, after losing Qin Yu, suffering heavy casualties, and being pursued by Qin Zhengfeng's forces, the boat and shelter provided by Qin Xiao were almost their only way out. Although this way out seemed equally fraught with danger.
"Antibodies..." 739 looked at Gu Jing, wanting to speak but stopping himself. The antibody, acquired at a huge cost and potentially affecting countless lives, was still in Qin Xiao's hands.
"It's safer in his hands than in ours." Gu Jing said calmly. He walked to the table, picked up the water glass and took a sip. He still had no interest in the food. "At least for now."
Qin Xiao clearly had his own agenda. The antibodies were one of his most important bargaining chips, and he wouldn't easily destroy or hand them over anytime soon. Leaving them with them would only lead to a more frenzied pursuit.
739 understood the stakes and nodded silently. He stared at Gu Jing's pale yet remarkably calm profile, a complex wave of emotions welling up within him. The Mr. Gu before him seemed different. His shattered despair and madness had been replaced by a deeper, colder rationality, like a demonic sword that had been reforged, its brilliance extinguished. It was even more dangerous, and even more... unsettling.
"Where is the Saker Falcon?" Gu Jing asked.
"In the medical room, his injuries have stabilized, but he needs time to recover." 739 replied, "The other brother...didn't make it."
The air in the cabin became more stagnant.
Death follows us everywhere.
"Got it." Gu Jing put down the water cup. "Go and rest. Keep an eye on Viper, he's still useful."
"Yes." 739 responded respectfully and left the cabin. Unconsciously, he had already regarded Gu Jing as his new core and source of instructions.
The door closed again.
Gu Jing walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling something out of his pocket—the scrap of paper that had fallen from Qin Yu's notebook, with the words "How to Pretend Not to Love You" printed on it. The edges were softened and blurred by blood and sweat.
The fingertips gently brushed across the line of handwriting that was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper.
How to Pretend Not to Love Someone...
He slowly closed his eyes, clenched the piece of paper tightly in his palm, and pressed it against his forehead.
The temperature was icy cold, yet it seemed to carry the lingering warmth of that man's hot and paranoid nature.
Fake... all fake...
If I could really pretend, why would I write this sentence?
If you really don't care, why bother...
My heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and a suffocating pain spread.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress all the surging emotions. When he opened his eyes again, only cold determination remained.
Now is not the time to dwell on sadness.
Qin Zhengfeng remains undefeated, and the shadow of Nirvana looms. Qin Xiao's purpose remains unclear. They are in danger.
He needed strength, he needed information, he needed... to survive.
He stood up, walked to the cabin door and opened it.
The corridor outside the door was empty. He walked along the passage towards the stern.
The freighter was large and complex, and relying on his memory and observation, he avoided the occasional sailors he encountered and eventually reached a relatively secluded open deck at the stern.
Qin Xiao was indeed there.
He leaned on a pile of cables, still looking lazy, holding the cold antibody box in his hand, tossing it intermittently, looking at the scenery of the sea and sky in the distance, humming a tuneless little tune.
When he heard the footsteps, he didn't even turn his head, as if he had expected Gu Jing to come.
"Are you willing to come out?" he said lazily. "I thought you were going to hatch your own eggs in there."
Gu Jing walked to his side and also leaned on the railing. The sea breeze blew the strands of hair on his forehead.
"I've already given you the coordinates." Gu Jing looked ahead, his voice steady. "What are your plans next?"
Qin Xiao paused in his motion of throwing and catching the antibody box, tilted his head, and looked at him with interest: "What? You want to take charge and arrange the schedule so soon?"
"I need to know the destination." Gu Jing met his gaze without any evasion, "and your purpose."
Their eyes met.
One with playful inquiry, the other with cold honesty.
There was a silent struggle in the air.
After a while, Qin Xiao suddenly smiled and put the antibody box back into his pocket. "Destination? Not yet. Just drift around the high seas until the storm passes, or... until the damned ones are dead."
His tone was light, but the content was cruel.
"As for my purpose..." He leaned closer to Gu Jing, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of temptation, "I said I just want to watch the fun, do you believe me?"
Gu Jing had no expression on his face: "I don't believe it."
"Tsk, how boring." Qin Xiao curled his lips, leaned back against the railing, and looked into the distance. "Well, to be honest, I want another thing that the old man hid in 'Archives Zero'."
"What?"
"A list." Qin Xiao's eyes grew slightly colder. "Over the years, he has used the medical ship and other channels to control the handles and 'cooperation' lists of important figures from various factions. That stuff is much more valuable than antibodies."
Gu Jing understood instantly. Qin Xiao didn't want destruction, but control. He wanted to take over the vast, dark network of relationships left by Qin Zhengfeng.
"What a shame," Qin Xiao spread his hands, his tone filled with genuine annoyance. "You two... well, mainly you, started it all. Now, I can only hope to get something out of this from other channels, or... from that 'viper's' mouth."
He looked at Gu Jing, his eyes becoming somewhat meaningful: "So, we are now... temporarily aligned in our goals?"
They all need Qin Zhengfeng to fall, and they all need to find life in the ruins.
Gu Jing was silent for a moment.
"Is there anyone from the Gu family on that list?" he suddenly asked.
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, as if a little surprised that he would ask this, then smiled: "Why? Still want to help your family clean up the mess? Yes, of course, and there are more than one. Zhou Liguang? He's just a pawn in the open."
The answer was expected, but it still made Gu Jing's heart sink. The Gu family was rotten to the core.
"What can I do?" He stopped dwelling on the past and asked directly about the future.
Qin Xiao looked him up and down, as if assessing the value of a piece of merchandise. "You? You're a hot potato right now, but also... a good bait."
He paused, then gave a calculating smile. "But there's no rush. First, get some rest and familiarize yourself with the surroundings. Our 'journey' is still long."
At this time, a sailor walked over quickly and whispered a few words to Qin Xiao.
The smile on Qin Xiao's face faded, he frowned slightly and nodded.
He looked at Gu Jing, his tone casual but unquestionable: "Go back to your cabin. Don't hang around if you have nothing to do. We seem to have... a 'guest' coming."
"Guest?" Gu Jing's heart tightened.
Qin Xiao did not explain, but just patted his shoulder, turned around and followed the sailor away, his back quickly disappearing at the cabin entrance.
Gu Jing stood there, his clothes rustling in the sea breeze.
"guest"?
Were they pursuers sent by Qin Zhengfeng? Or were they other forces coveting the antibodies or something else?
This seemingly calm freighter was suddenly filled with unknown dangers.
He slowly gripped the railing, feeling the cold metal.
No matter who comes.
He was fearless.
The worst has already happened.
All that remains is revenge, or... destruction.
He turned and walked back to the cabin.
The back figure is stretched out in the sunset, lonely and determined.
A new storm seems to be brewing.
And this time, he will take the initiative to walk into the eye of the storm.
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