Chapter 56 Back to Earth~ Sang Zhitao had already sensed something was amiss...
Sang Zhitao had long noticed Bill's unusual attention to this dark bead.
She couldn't recall how she had managed to grab the bead, but it wasn't surprising; as the bead spun faster and faster in the later stages, it was quite common to grab the wrong one.
When Bayer suggested that Bernard could choose freely, she already noticed that Bill looked particularly nervous.
With a quick glance, she pretended to turn around and casually concealed the small bead behind her back.
Bernard naturally didn't want to agree to this outcome, but seeing the warning Bayer was giving him, he could only glare at Sang Zhitao before taking a deep breath and saying, "Fine."
Sang Zhitao put the iron rod behind her, grabbed the special bead, and stuffed it directly into Eureka's hand.
It wasn't that she didn't want to give it to the more reliable Baron, it's just that Baron was a bit too far away from her at the moment.
Eureka, true to his reputation as a man who traded his brains for strength, blankly took the bead and was about to ask Sang Zhitao a question.
However, Baron was always reliable and had already noticed Sang Zhitao's actions. When he saw Eureka take the bead, he walked directly to his side and stopped him from saying what he was about to say.
Eureka paused for a moment, but he and Baron had grown up together since childhood and always trusted each other, so he didn't say anything more, but took two steps back to make room.
Since Bernard had agreed, he didn't hesitate and stepped onto Sang Zhitao's small boat. Looking at the pile of beads, his eyes kept flashing.
He rummaged through the beads for a long time before finally picking out two.
The group had originally planned to stay and watch the excitement, but seeing him dawdling like this, they became impatient and urged him, "Why are you taking so long to choose?"
Bernard looked up at the speaker and saw that he was one of the bigwigs from the South. His face, which was about to be angry, twisted into a grotesque expression. After a while, he turned to a polite reply and said, "I've made my choice."
As he spoke, he lost interest in continuing the search, picked out a few at random, and returned to his own boat.
Seeing that the excitement had died down, the rest of the group rowed away.
Sang Zhitao noticed that Bernard's boat was rowing very fast, as if he was in a hurry to do something.
Her eyes darted around, and she instantly realized that Bernard must be unable to swallow his anger and wanted to rush back to the fleet in hopes of intercepting and killing her.
Sang Zhitao wasn't worried, after all, with her current abilities, the Red Blade was no longer a threat to her.
Bernard's actions also caught the attention of Bayer and Bill, who frowned slightly and simultaneously rowed their boats to Sang Zhitao.
The two small boats collided with each other, making a crisp clattering sound.
When Bayer and Bill met, they were both stunned.
Bayer, thinking Bill was trying to seize the initiative, frowned and was about to issue a warning.
Bill saw his expression and guessed what he was thinking, so he quickly explained, "I'm looking for Captain Sylph because I need something."
His humble attitude surprised Bayer, who wondered what could have caused such a proud man to act this way.
But Bayer was willing to give Bill some face, so he smiled at Bill and moved the boat back a little.
Bill breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
"For that bead?" Sang Zhitao asked before he could speak.
Bill nodded heavily, a hint of sadness in his eyes: "The necklace inside that bead looks a lot like my wife's, so..."
Sang Zhitao didn't listen to him finish speaking. She took the bead back from Eureka's hand and threw it into the other person's arms.
Bill was surprised by Sang Zhitao's decisiveness. He hurriedly took the bead and then let out a deep breath.
He lifted the bead slightly and examined the necklace inside carefully in the light.
Everyone watched as his eyes reddened and a few tears fell. He swallowed his sorrow deeply, looked at Sang Zhitao again, and bowed deeply: "Thank you, it is indeed my wife's keepsake."
Sang Zhitao was taken aback, not expecting it to be true. She paused for a moment before seizing the clue in the other person's words and asked, "Aren't these things from before the great disaster? Why are your wife's belongings among them?"
Bill paused for a moment before looking at Bayer.
Bayer sighed and replied, "This matter is very complicated. In recent years, many people have discovered that the Dark Vortex contains a number of items belonging to our era, but we still don't know why."
Sang Zhitao didn't get an answer, so she had to put the question aside for the time being.
Looking at the now empty sea around them, Sang Zhitao continued, "Since everything is alright, let's head back to the ship."
“Okay, we’ll escort you there together,” Bayer said after thinking for a moment.
Bill nodded in agreement with Bayer's idea.
Sang Zhitao smiled and shook her head: "It's okay, he can't beat me."
The "he" she was referring to was Bernard, and Bill and the other man knew that.
Bayer paused for a moment, then continued, "It's not just for those reasons; there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
Bill said, "Anyway, I was going that way anyway, and... I also want to thank you for being willing to return this bead to me."
As he spoke, Bill looked affectionately at the beads in his hand.
Seeing that they said that, Sang Zhitao had no choice but to nod in agreement.
The three ships quickly left the center area, and Bill and his companion readily escorted her all the way to the Anling before departing.
Bayer didn't mention anything about seeing Sang Zhitao along the way; the two only agreed to meet again the next day and discuss it in detail then.
Sang Zhitao naturally had no objections. The fight today had taken a lot of effort on her, and she couldn't help but feel a little tired now.
Back on the ship, the outer shell of the bead had begun to slowly peel away.
According to the original plan, once the outer shell of these beads is completely removed, they will reveal their original appearance.
"Baron, find a place to put the beads. We'll sort them out more carefully tomorrow."
“Okay.” Barron nodded in agreement.
"I'm exhausted, I'm going back to sleep now~" Sang Zhitao yawned and walked towards her room.
She slept very well that night, and when Sang Zhitao sat up rubbing her shoulders, she realized that she had finally returned to Earth.
"Awake?" The base was used to her comings and goings, and no longer a group of people would surround her like before. Even her sister, Sang Lezhi, was too busy to come over.
Looking at Zhang Su, who was talking to her, Sang Zhitao nodded, consciously stretched out her arm, and handed it to the other person, watching the bright red blood gradually fill the blood vessel.
"They said there was a problem with crops in Lezhi, so they went there with the professor. Leping is currently celebrating the release of their holographic game, so they haven't had time to come over yet," Zhang Su briefly explained her brother and sister's situation while waiting.
Sang Zhitao was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Zhang Su to be so close to her older brother and sister that she could call them by their first names.
Her surprise was plainly expressed on her face, and Zhang Su noticed it.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head to continue drawing blood.
Sang Zhitao raised an eyebrow, looking at her slightly reddened ear tips, a look of realization flashing in her eyes.
"Perhaps I should have a sister-in-law?" she thought.
"Someone will come to see you in a bit." Zhang Su neatly put away the blood-drawing equipment, pressed the cotton swab against her puncture site, and then stood up to leave.
"Could you please call someone from the psychology team over here, Sister Zhang?" Sang Zhitao took the cotton swab that she was holding and hurriedly asked as she saw her leave.
Zhang Su frowned slightly, nervously put down the suitcase, and bent down to look at her: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I feel a bit off this time, and I wanted to ask the psychology team." Sang Zhitao smiled.
Seeing that there was no change in her expression, Zhang Su breathed a sigh of relief and then left with her suitcase.
"I heard you're not feeling well, what's wrong?" Li Mingguo came with the psychology team.
He looked Sang Zhitao up and down nervously, followed by a group of worried people.
It's not that everyone is making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather that Sang Zhitao is now their precious darling, and they can't bear to see her suffer any misfortune.
Sang Zhitao was taken aback when she saw so many people, and quickly said, "It's alright, it's alright, I'm not hurt."
"Tell us quickly, don't hide anything from us. Nothing concerning you is trivial." Li Mingguo looked at Zhang Pingnan. "Take a look."
Zhang Pingnan, however, remained calm and unhurried as he sat down opposite Sang Zhitao: "Tell me, don't rush, speak slowly."
"I've been transported to a pirate world. Things were alright at first, but I've discovered that... I don't feel any fear of killing at all." Recalling his initial mindset, he then proceeded to recount his experiences to everyone.
However, no one paid attention to the treasures; instead, they all looked at Sang Zhitao with concern.
"Pingnan, come quick and see what's wrong with Taotao?" Li Mingguo looked at Zhang Pingnan anxiously.
"If it's due to time travel, Tao Tao, avoid the conditions for this time travel and rest well. Your health is the most important thing," one of the big shots instructed.
Feeling pressured by the watchful eyes of the bigwigs, Zhang Pingnan quickly asked, "After killing several people, what other feelings did you have?"
“The rest…” Sang Zhitao murmured, recalling her murders, “I feel a sense of excitement when I kill at night, but I’m terrified during the day…”
"Does that count?" She looked up at Zhang Pingnan.
"Yes, I do." Zhang Pingnan nodded and wrote it down in his notebook.
The two of them then engaged in a question-and-answer session for quite some time, surrounded by onlookers, before finally concluding the consultation.
"How is it?" Li Mingguo asked Zhang Pingnan eagerly.
Zhang Pingnan looked at the notebook and pondered for a long time before saying, "I have some doubts now, but I'm not sure yet. I want to wait until the physical examination report comes out before I say anything more."
“But…!” Li Mingguo opened his mouth, about to say something.
"Alright, Mingguo, let Dr. Zhang go and organize the medical records first. Let's learn about this new world too." The old man stopped Li Mingguo before turning to Sang Zhitao, "How is Taotao feeling now?"
"No problem, I'm in great shape right now." Sang Zhitao nodded emphatically.
"Good boy." He nodded, glanced at the time, and said, "Go eat first, then you can talk to Professor Li. Are you missing eating at home over there?"
“Yes, that world is Western-style, and the food is all Western. At first, it felt novel, but it became more and more boring later.” Sang Zhitao sighed deeply.
Li Mingguo was amused by her sigh and patted her head: "Home-cooked meals are still the best, aren't they?"
"Mmm, Chinese food is the best!"
Sang Zhitao acted like a little girl, making Li Mingguo and the old man laugh all the way.
The chefs in the cafeteria were working hard.
They had barely sat down when several cold dish platters were served.
Before we finished the cold dishes, several hot dishes were served.
Li Mingguo and his companions have always lived a simple life, usually eating only three dishes and a soup on a regular basis. However, when it comes to Sang Zhitao, they never skimp on food.
The chefs certainly knew this, but even so, they only served four cold dishes and six hot dishes.
"Tao Tao, eat up! The chef has mastered this spicy chicken to a very authentic level now," Li Mingguo said, turning the spicy chicken towards Sang Zhitao.
"Thank you~" Sang Zhitao said gratefully, using serving chopsticks to pick up a few pieces of spicy chicken and put them into the bowls of the elders before obediently sitting down to eat her own.
Everyone enjoyed the meal, and after the meal, the important business was brought up at the table.
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Author's Note: This story achieved a six-kill streak, and I'm starting to doubt whether my dedication to Jinjiang Literature City was the right decision.
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