Chapter 43 Gathering, Faces, Wishing You Success "What? You rushed here especially for..."
Badger Tooth moved incredibly fast; if his suit hadn't prevented him from making any large movements, he would have already started running.
He pushed open the captain's cabin door with a "bang," quickly looked around to make sure only the captain was there, and then asked, "Where is the first mate?"
Sensing the unusual tone in Badger Tooth's voice, the captain immediately tensed up.
"They just went out."
Did he say where he was going?
"It seems they went to adjust the load distribution in the bottom compartments."
Having received the captain's reply, Badger Tooth was absolutely certain that his current role on the cruise ship, replacing the first mate, wielded considerable influence.
Moreover, their target was very clear: they were after contraband!
The badger's heart, which had finally calmed down, was in suspense again.
He quickly planned out the shortest route in his mind, and before leaving, he instructed the captain: "If you see the first mate again, don't tell him I'm looking for him. Stop him immediately, and then find a chance to call me."
Badger Tooth's contradictory logic for finding people left the captain completely bewildered, but considering Badger Tooth's employer status and the background of the Cumming Group, he could only nod in agreement, even though he didn't understand what was going on.
Although Badger Tooth had moved as stealthily and quickly as possible, he still found nothing when he arrived at the hold containing the contraband.
After inspecting the goods and confirming that no tracking devices had been attached to them, Badger Tooth sat down and began reviewing the surveillance footage, disregarding his image.
The result was the same: nothing was gained.
However, thanks to the recent run, the badger's brain is now exceptionally active due to the stimulation of adrenaline.
In just a few minutes, he had drafted a preliminary plan to pull the cunning rat off the ship.
Immediately afterwards, all crew members received a notification message on their mobile phones—
"All crew members, assemble in the top-floor conference room."
Although they were somewhat confused, everyone did as instructed.
Once most of the people had arrived, Badger Tooth went through the roster one by one to check the names.
To ensure that the person he was calling was indeed the crew member on the roster, he also asked the person to unlock their phone with their fingerprint in front of him and check the information on it.
After checking each crew member, all but the vice-captain, who was not present, were found to be without issues.
After confirming that there was indeed only one enemy, Badger Tooth secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter how capable someone is, what kind of waves can one person stir up?
As soon as he closed the roster, Badger Tooth raised his head and said loudly, "From now on, no one is allowed to leave the meeting hall without my order."
After leaving the room, he closed the door and brought up the ship's live monitoring again.
Badger Tooth had two purposes in sending out the message for everyone to assemble.
One is to determine the number of enemies.
The comatose first mate was discovered by him under extremely unusual coincidence, and there is a high possibility that a second or third "first mate" is hiding in a place he is unaware of.
As for those guests used as a cover, they will not be considered.
After all, any disguise will have loopholes, so a shrewd enemy would naturally not choose targets that would interact extensively with others as their disguise objects.
Secondly, they made a big show of announcing to the enemy that they were looking for them.
At this time, the cruise ship was still on the high seas, with our side in the open and the enemy in the shadows.
Faced with this relentless search, which felt like an inescapable military force, the enemy, knowing their identities had been exposed, had no choice but to hide.
In this way, I can use my understanding of the cruise ship's layout and the real-time monitoring to create a situation where I can "catch a turtle in a jar".
Badger Tooth quickly scanned the surveillance footage. So far, no one had passed through any of the passageways inside the ship, so the person had definitely hidden as he had planned.
So next, he had to personally check each room one by one, and he absolutely could not let this rat that had sneaked onto the ship get away!
-
Badger Tooth moved quickly, and in no time he had searched all the rooms of various sizes scattered throughout the ship's interior, before heading towards the public entertainment area.
As soon as he pushed open the door to the entertainment area, the explosive drumbeats and the powerful strumming of electric guitars mingled together, almost deafening him.
In the flickering lamplight, many people noticed Badger Tooth's figure and greeted him: "Good evening, Manager!" "What are you busy with, Manager?"
With his serious expression replaced by a blank stare, Badger Tooth put on his signature smile again: "Did you all have a great time?"
Everyone chimed in, "Of course we're having fun!" and "The most fun we've ever had!"
At any other time, Badger Tooth would definitely take this opportunity to cultivate relationships with these wealthy young men.
But his immediate priority is to find someone.
He glanced around briefly, memorized the identities of all the guests in the lobby, and then made an excuse to go to the next room.
When he reached the last section of the entertainment area, after repeatedly checking the list in his mind against the guests he had just seen, he grabbed one of them and asked, "Where's Mr. Alexei? Why wasn't he with you?"
Upon hearing the name, the group of people who had been having a great time burst into laughter.
"Manager, you know Alexei, so don't bother him at a time like this."
"Just wait for Alexei to come to the club and throw money at you; you deserve it."
Faced with these sudden hints, Badger Tooth was unusually bewildered.
Although he knew Alexei's personality well, he could roughly guess what the other party was doing from their sly expressions.
But what about the object of your affection?
None of the guests who came with him are missing, so who can he turn to for help...?
etc!
Noticing the shocked look on Badger's face, one of them patted him on the shoulder understandingly: "It's just as you think. Alexei finally succeeded in taking down that executive officer, and he left not long ago."
Another person, while refilling everyone's glasses, remarked, "I never expected that this little executive officer would have two faces. It's fortunate that I made a decision against my ancestors; it's rare that my bet on Alexei didn't come true."
The phrase "two faces" used by this person seems to hint at Badger Teeth.
After offering a brief reply, he backed out of the room and then headed straight for Alexei's room.
How could he have forgotten that there was an executive officer on this ship!
-
This cruise ship is equipped with a state-of-the-art cabin management system, and Badger Tooth, who holds the highest-level account, can easily find out which room doors have been opened.
Based on current data, only Alexei's room has been used.
Moreover, it was enabled after he issued the collection notification.
This timing is quite delicate.
Badger Tooth had good reason to suspect that right after he sent out the call to arms, the enemy who had infiltrated the cruise ship contacted Fu Ze and requested support, while Fu Ze was intentionally using Alexei as a cover to harbor the enemy.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will take root and sprout as the person involved repeatedly ponders it, eventually blocking out all other possibilities with an overwhelming force.
However, just as Badger Tooth was holding the gun he had casually left behind during the inspection, plotting how to kick down the door later...
But the door opened first.
Along with that came a lazy sound—
I could hear your footsteps from a long way off.
Immediately afterwards, a hand, slightly damp, braced itself against the doorframe.
"What? Did you come all this way just to ruin my plans?"
Looking at the water droplets falling from Fu Ze's hair, Badger Tooth said with a hint of mockery: "Didn't you say so confidently before: 'Why should a dignified executive like a dog wag his tail and beg for an opportunity?' What are you doing now?"
To everyone's surprise, Fu Ze showed absolutely no remorse, and even shamelessly said, "This is all thanks to you. I thought about it carefully later and realized that your advice at the time was very reasonable. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
At this moment, Badger Tooth was only focused on finding out Fu Ze's secrets, and then informing Rhinoceros Horn so that he could execute the man on the spot after receiving permission. He had no time to recall what he had said to Fu Ze at the time.
Seemingly sensing the tense atmosphere around Badger Tooth, Fu Ze asked in return, "He's taking a bath, what are you trying to do here?"
"That's perfect, I'm looking for someone."
Without waiting for Fu Ze's consent, Badger Tooth squeezed in sideways.
Holding the gun in one hand, he opened all the wardrobes one by one, carefully checking every possible hiding place.
However, once again, nothing was gained!
After searching the area, Badger Tooth felt like his head was about to explode.
Can this person really fly?
Fu Ze, who had been knocked aside by the badger's teeth, was too lazy to move. He continued to lean against the door frame and said casually, "Why don't you just wait for him to come out and say hello before you leave after making such a commotion?"
Fu Ze's sarcastic remarks actually calmed Badger Tooth down considerably.
Indeed, after all the trouble I've caused, the other party will certainly not act rashly again.
As long as I am more careful and cautious in the following process, I believe the subsequent actions will still be completed smoothly.
After tucking the gun back into his belt, he straightened his wrinkled clothes and smiled, "No need. Sorry to bother you, I wish you success."
Before leaving, Badger Tooth seemed to remember something and took a step back: "Just contact me if you need anything. We're all on the same side, don't be shy."
Fu Ze did not refuse, only saying, "It's a pity. I'm rather traditional and prefer to proceed step by step."
With limited energy, Badger Tooth didn't bother arguing with Fu Ze about it and quickly left.
A few seconds later, the entire crew received a new message:
"The order is lifted. Return to your posts."
Despite the interference of the water flow, Fu Ze, who was only separated by a wall, still keenly noticed the unusual vibration.
After closing the door, Fu Ze sat down on the bed next to him, his tone unusually relaxed and lazy: "Everyone's gone, so let's still follow the call to conserve water."
Before he could finish speaking, the sound of flowing water stopped.
Then the bathroom door suddenly swung open, and countless wisps of steam rushed outwards under the illumination of the overhead light.
It made the person standing in the center appear exceptionally tall.
Fu Ze narrowed his eyes slightly.
The last time I saw Yuan Jianxing in this pose was at that small hotel in the southern part of V City.
Moreover, it was he who opened the door for Haramihoshi after coming out of the bathroom.
How can this not be considered a shift in the balance of power between offense and defense?
Bathed in Yuan Jianxing's piercing gaze, Fu Ze raised his hand and pointed to the KingSize bed beneath him, which resembled the one in the fairy tale where the Princess and the Pea slept, covered with layers of bedding.
"Let's put aside any controversies for now."
"If we don't get him out soon, Alexei might suffocate."
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Author's Note: The episode I've been most looking forward to is finally here! [heart eyes]
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