sense of balance
The wind was strong and the waves were high, and the ship swayed from side to side like it was dancing. Even people who were not usually seasick felt dizzy and nauseous like never before. Not to mention Director Yan, who had been listless since boarding the ship. Gao Junxiao helped him put a thin blanket on him, because people are more prone to feeling cold if their stomach is empty.
Yan collapsed onto the bed, offering a thank you, but he didn't even have the strength to nod. Gao Junxiao patted his shoulder, telling him to rest well, and generously offered to lead the team after they landed on the island.
Even after receiving assurances, Director Yan was still uneasy. He hoarsely instructed Gao Junxiao to have the CC's men charge ahead after Gao Junxiao landed on the island. He said it wasn't a case for their headquarters, so there was no need to risk everything with the Communist Party. Just send a small detachment to make a show of it.
As long as we guard the boat, regardless of whether the capture goes smoothly or not, as long as we bring the person back safely in the end, the higher-ups will remember our contribution.
Gao Junxiao readily agreed. He looked around and found that the first mate's lounge on the lower level of the cabin was relatively clean. The tables and chairs were secured with chains, but they seemed to be useless. The chains rattled, and the tables and chairs slid freely on the floor, with personal belongings scattered all over the place.
In this situation, being able to lie still without falling off the bed is a skill in itself. He needed to find a rope to secure Yan Chu to prevent him from falling off the bed and causing further injury.
The cabin kept out the torrential rain outside, but it couldn't keep out the waves. As soon as Gao Junxiao stood up, he felt his body go weightless, and his feet veered uncontrollably to one side. He had to pull himself up against the wall to steady himself.
The floor remained erratically tilted to the left. Clatter, clatter... In a flash, the noise of the chains brought Gao Junxiao back to the interrogation room. His stomach felt churning, and Gao Junxiao shook his head, trying to clear the chaotic, bloody images from his mind.
But as soon as he finished doing that, a wave of acidity surged up his throat. Oh no! He quickly pulled out some preserved plum candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. The sweet and sour taste greatly relieved the nausea caused by seasickness.
His wife was right; it was worth it for him to secretly see her before going to sea. Gao Junxiao was savoring his wife's concern when, with a thunderclap, all the decorative paintings on the wall were shaken off, and the sharp frames almost hit his feet.
Good heavens, this voyage is going badly. It seems even the heavens are against those spies. Gao Junxiao looked through the round glass window at the ferocity of nature and felt a sense of awe.
Boom! A giant wave exploded on the side of the ship, spraying water droplets all over the glass, making it impossible to tell if it was seawater or rain. Gao Junxiao was also thrown heavily to the ground by the inertia, rubbing his aching tailbone and lamenting that he never wanted to go out to sea on a boat again in his life.
A hand-drawn structural diagram of a merchant ship lay scattered at his feet. Gao Junxiao picked it up casually. The size of each cabin and the connecting areas were carefully marked on it with a pencil. It was clean and detailed. What a neat and skillful handwriting!
But this picture should be hanging at the deck exit, right? Before he could figure it out, a concerned voice came from ahead: "Mr. Gao, are you alright?"
Then Gao Junxiao was pulled up by the first mate. His face flushed, and he lowered his head to hand over the ship's structural diagram, regretfully saying that it was such a pity that such a good drawing was broken.
The first mate smiled and accepted the structural diagram after receiving the praise: "Hey, it's just a doodle I made for my own amusement."
"So this is what you drew. If this were graffiti, I'd chop my hand off," Gao Junxiao said modestly. "By the way, I'd like to find a rope to tie up our Director Yan. Do you know where I can find some?"
This was someone else's house. The first mate quickly found a sleeping strap to help Yan Chu secure his body, and then urged Gao Junxiao to make a choice: either stay where he was or leave immediately to meet at the restaurant.
With winds reaching Force 11, the captain ordered all passageways with doors to be closed to prevent guests from wandering around and causing accidents.
During the conversation, the chandelier above flickered a few times and then went out. A hint of panic appeared on the first mate's dark face. He anxiously ran to the next room and knocked on the door. Gao Junxiao imitated the first mate's walking style, tiptoeing out of the lounge. It must be said that although the posture was strange, it was extremely practical.
By the dim light of the emergency green light in the corridor, Gao Junxiao saw two sailors carrying toolboxes run past him quickly and disappear into the corridor in a few seconds. They seemed to be going to the engine room on the second basement level for repairs.
Snap! A beam of white light illuminated the dark corridor. The first mate, holding a flashlight, called to Gao Junxiao, "Sir, it seems that the power supply system on our ship has been affected by the storm. Let's go back to the restaurant."
The creaking of metal filled his ears, as if the ship would be torn apart by the storm at any moment. A bad feeling rose in Gao Junxiao's heart. He urgently needed to rendezvous with his men in the cargo hold.
However, his request to go to the warehouse was rejected by the first mate. It was too dark to go there now, and there were waterproof barriers outside the warehouse, so there was no need to worry too much about the soldiers.
Perhaps fearing that Gao Junxiao might linger any longer, the first mate said, "The restaurant is serving ginger soup. You should go back and drink it. I think your men have already taken it for you."
Ugh~ Gao Junxiao thought to himself that he hated spicy food the most, and he really didn't want to drink that ginger water dreadful, but he maintained a polite smile on his face. Oh well, he'd find his brothers after the storm passed.
When the two reached the stairwell, the first mate handed them a raincoat and a rope as thick as a water pipe. He told Gao Junxiao to put on the raincoat and tie the rope around his waist. They would need to cross the deck to get back to the restaurant. It was only a short walk, but the safety of the guests had to be ensured.
Wow, there are so many things to do on this ship. Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Gao Junxiao put on his gear as required, and after he checked it several times, the first mate opened the cabin door.
Whoosh! The hatch opened wide, and a blast of cold air rushed in. Gao Junxiao felt like his head was about to be blown off. He quickly glanced at the sea, where a thick fog blanketed the surface like a ribbon, and the merchant ship looked like a fish stuck in cotton.
The short walk left Gao Junxiao feeling as exhausted as if he had run ten kilometers. Fortunately, with the help of the first mate, he successfully reached the first-floor corridor. The moment he was untied from the safety rope, he felt a great sense of relief, and the heat he had felt slowly returned to his body.
At that moment, several dark figures flashed across the deck ahead. Gao Junxiao wiped the rain off his face. Was he seeing things? Those clothes clearly didn't belong to the headquarters. Did the CC agents not know the rules?
Suddenly, the first mate's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Is he out of his mind?!"
Zhang Chong slid down the deck to the railing as if his feet were oiled. The first mate rushed forward to pull him up without hesitation, but the strong wind made it difficult for him to move. Gao Junxiao cursed inwardly, thinking that none of them were easy to deal with. He reattached his safety rope and rushed out in one stride.
The roar of the waves drowned out all other sounds in the world. Zhang Chong was thrown into the air by the enormous impact and was about to fall into the sea.
In a flash, Gao Junxiao grabbed Zhang Chong by the back, and Zhang Chong's buttocks hit the ground hard. Gao Junxiao didn't care whether he was in pain or not, and together with the first mate who had arrived, they dragged him back to the cabin.
The first mate placed a dry towel over his head and warned, "Sir, it's very dangerous outside. If you fall into the water, you'll be swept underwater to a depth of one or two hundred meters, and the water pressure will crush you to death."
Zhang Chong seemed stunned, his body stiff as a wooden stake, until Gao Junxiao handed him the ginger tea. Only then did he blankly raise the cup and drink it all in one gulp. The spicy ginger water was like a life-saving medicine, and Zhang Chong finally recovered, staggering to his feet to thank him.
Strange, wasn't Zhang Chong in the wheelhouse upstairs? How did he end up on the deck? However, in response to Gao Junxiao's question, Zhang Chong's eyes unconsciously turned outside, without giving a direct answer. Gao Junxiao looked in that direction, but the deck was spotless, without a single soul in sight.
No, Zhang Chong wouldn't have run downstairs for no reason. It must be related to the dark figure from earlier. He must have seen something too.
A loud squeak—like fingernails scratching a blackboard—exploded in his ears. The next second, everyone in the room fell to the ground uncontrollably. Gao Junxiao's heart clenched. The floor was almost at a 45-degree angle to the sea. In desperation, he grabbed the iron chain on the ground to stop himself from sliding further.
The soldiers in the restaurant had never seen anything like this before. They shouted and screamed, some praying to Buddha, others repenting, and almost all of them were convinced that the ship was about to sink.
"Shut up, all of you! Stop howling!" Gao Junxiao roared, and the restaurant fell silent instantly. He then loudly asked the first mate what was wrong with the ship.
But the first mate didn't know what was going on either. Suddenly, the ship lurched like a carp, followed by a sudden, unexpected rocking motion. Gao Junxiao felt pain all over his body, and he was now absolutely certain that there was something wrong with the ship.
How could this happen? Gao Junxiao complained inwardly. He had finally waited for the moment when Guan Yu would fight Qin Qiong, but the Green Dragon Crescent Blade broke before it was even drawn, and the rest of the show could not be performed.
Just then, two sailors wearing raincoats pushed open the door and entered. Water was dripping from their clothes. The sailor in front was so anxious that he could hardly speak: "First mate, first mate, two steam pipes have suddenly started leaking. The boiler operator and the maintenance worker have been burned. If it's not dealt with soon, the pressure gauge will explode!"
"What? Immediately notify the captain to stop sailing and drop anchor, hurry!" The first mate, his face pale, struggled to his feet and ran with the sailors to the stairs, up to the bridge.
Ring, ring, ring...
One short, one long, one long, one short… The bell rang in a certain rhythm, as if it were some kind of mysterious command, and several sailors suddenly appeared on the deck.
The loud bell rang for more than a minute, and the speed of the boat slowed down significantly. The swaying also became more moderate. Gao Junxiao tried to get up and finally stood up. He patted the dust off his buttocks and pulled up the soldiers next to him.
"Councilor Gao, we might have been set up." The cat that accompanied them whispered in Gao Junxiao's ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "The ginger tea just now tasted wrong, so we poured it out and didn't drink it."
Gao Junxiao narrowed his eyes, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at Zhang Chong, only to meet his equally probing gaze. The two looked away simultaneously, as if struck by lightning.
The hurried footsteps eased the awkwardness between the two. The first mate ran downstairs in a few quick steps. Gao Junxiao gave Xiao Mao a wink, and then Xiao Mao led a few people to accompany the first mate to the bottom of the hold, ostensibly to "help out."
No sooner had the first mate left than Zhang Chong turned to Gao Junxiao to probe for information: "It's good that Councilor Gao brought his own men; they can even do pipeline repairs. If he had brought those people from the Publicity Department, they would have been helpless."
“Hehe, Section Chief Zhang is joking. Section Chief Li is just on leave, not retired. He arranged the affairs of the Publicity and Distribution Section before his leave. I can’t disrupt his plans because of an unexpected event, can I?” Gao Junxiao observed Zhang Chong’s expression openly.
Zhang Chong was also completely bewildered before, and he didn't hesitate at all when drinking the ginger tea, so it shouldn't be him. It seems that the dark figure on the deck was an organized action by a third party.
They'd likely resort to underhanded tactics like cutting corners, probably because they're short-handed. The kitchen is in the middle of the ship, but the dark figure I just saw was at the bow. Why are they splitting up their forces when they're outnumbered? What are they planning?
“That’s true. Li Sheng will have to come back. You two aren’t the same kind of people.” Zhang Chong stared at Gao Junxiao and made his conclusion.
A suffocating silence fell over the restaurant again. Zhang Chong probably felt uncomfortable, so he asked Gao Junxiao to greet Director Yan on his behalf before going upstairs.
The dim environment made Gao Junxiao subconsciously tense up. The enemy was in the dark, while he was in the light. He couldn't find any potential danger, so how could he rest in peace?
Holy crap!
All eyes turned to the person who had spoken. The soldier grabbed a nearby water pipe, leaving a long trail of water on his side, as if he had almost slipped.
His companion quickly fetched a mop, but Gao Junxiao grabbed the soldier's wrist and waved him away. He squatted down uncertainly to examine the two rows of watermarks. One row of watermarks had colorful oil droplets floating on it, and the oily water stains stretched from the hatch all the way to the stairs.
The waves outside were so fierce; even the dirtiest feet would have been washed clean if they had been on the deck. Gao Junxiao walked to the stairwell in surprise. The footprints on the stairs were even more chaotic. After careful examination, he confirmed that there was only one row of water footprints coming downstairs. The sailors who had reported the incident flashed through his mind, which meant that there was still one sailor left in the wheelhouse!
Bang! Hearing the noise upstairs, Gao Junxiao didn't dare to be negligent. He drew his sidearm and went up halfway up the spiral staircase. Another loud noise came from upstairs. Due to the narrow view, he could only make out the situation through the railing. Zhang Chong was desperately banging on the door of the driver's cab.
Something's happened!
With a bang, the door was kicked open. Before Gao Junxiao could make any further move, several golden sparks burst from the railing, the clanging and clattering sounds exploding in the air.
"Section Chief Zhang, are you alright?" Gao Junxiao asked loudly.
"Don't come any closer!" Zhang Chong had barely finished speaking when a golden spark flew from the railing. Zhang Chong quickly drew his gun and fired back. Bang, bang, bang... The smell of gunpowder filled the entire restaurant.
Startled, the soldiers downstairs raised their guns. After Gao Junxiao ordered a guard post to be on alert, he ran up the stairs and, using the railing as cover, crouched down and moved toward Zhang Chong, who was hiding.
The gunfire stopped abruptly. Zhang Chong knelt on the stairs to change the magazine. Gao Junxiao quickly peeked through the railing and saw a dark gun barrel pressed against the captain's head. The gunman was the sailor in the raincoat earlier. No, he was definitely not a sailor.
“The one inside is Shen Jian from the secret investigation team; he also wants to arrest the CCP,” Zhang Chong explained, panting heavily.
“He’s the only one inside. I’ll provide cover fire while you go in and rescue the captain. If the captain dies, we’ll just wait to die at sea.” Gao Junxiao’s heart was pounding. When the scales tip to one side, you have to add weight, otherwise, what’s the point of his trip?
“Okay!” Zhang Chong readily agreed.
The ship began to tilt to the right, and Zhang Chong rushed out. Gunfire erupted from the ship, and Gao Junxiao followed closely behind, quickly hiding on either side of the door.
The cockpit was filled with smoke. Gao and Zhang exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other's intentions. They dared not damage the bridge, and the captain, being used as a shield, couldn't act recklessly either. So the two could only lean against the door frame and shoot at Chen Jian's legs.
The guy from the secret investigation team noticed that they only dared to fire at insignificant areas, so he simply plopped down on the control panel and threatened, "If you fire again, I'll smash the control panel and we'll all die together."
"No! In this weather, we can only stay for seven or eight minutes at most, otherwise the ship will veer off course." The captain, though alarmed, did not forget his duty.
Shen Jian slammed the butt of his gun at the captain and cursed fiercely, "Shut the hell up!"
The moment his gun left the captain, Zhang Chong pounced on Chen Jian like a ferocious tiger, and the two fell to the ground, wrestling together.
In the chaos, Gao Junxiao reacted quickly and used all his strength to pull the captain, who was lying on the ground clutching his head, out of the control room. The captain had just escaped from danger.
Clang! A piece of the ventilation fan blade fell off the ceiling, and two soaking wet men jumped down. Upon seeing Zhang Chong, they didn't hesitate and immediately pulled out their guns and opened fire. Seeing the situation was dire, Zhang Chong, disregarding all pretense of dignity, scrambled back down the stairs.
Bang! The cockpit door slammed shut again. After the fierce battle, Zhang Chong's face was as white as a sheet of paper, and his chest heaved like a gust of wind.
Gao Junxiao and the still-shaken captain looked at each other in bewilderment. Suddenly, the captain reached out and shouted, "I have to go back to the helm. If we go off course in the fog, we'll all die. It's better if I'm the only one who dies."
"Calm down, we can negotiate with them in a bit. They don't really want to die." Gao Junxiao grabbed the captain tightly and dragged him downstairs.
At this moment, Gao Junxiao thought of the power outage that had just occurred. It was definitely not an accident caused by the storm. There were also secret agents from the investigation team in the mobile control room.
"Oh no, there are so many brothers down below deck!" Gao Junxiao acted on impulse, shoving the captain into the arms of a soldier. He had to send a message to the brothers in the hold.
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