Chapter 87 Wanting to Possess Shan Ran Alone
"That's my great-aunt!"
My dear aunt, I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that, but I really didn't mean any harm. I absolutely, positively didn't mean to hurt you.
I just wanted to get to know you, to befriend you, but who knew you'd be such a nemesis to me! You're the complete bane of my abilities! Please, little miss, have mercy on me, don't hold it against me..."
Shan Ran didn't know what to say for a moment. She had originally come to confront the other party, but who knew that the other party was so spineless, with a servile appearance, and wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy. Her already scarce temper had long been extinguished.
She was about to say something when she was suddenly interrupted by a commotion from not far away.
"Eat what? Did I give you permission to eat?"
A group of people stood in front of a table, confronting a young girl in front of them.
The girl was thin and short, with dark skin, a buzz cut, and worn-out clothes; she looked drab and dusty. She kept her head down and didn't say a word.
The plates on the table had been overturned and were on the floor. Fortunately, they were stainless steel and were not broken, but all the food inside had fallen to the floor.
In these times of food scarcity, every serving is precious, and such wasteful behavior made Shanran frown.
"I'm talking to you! You filthy thing, look up at me!"
The man at the table was aggressive. He stood at the front and was probably the leader of the group. He was short, fat, dark-skinned, with triangular eyes and a fierce expression.
The girl's hands were clenched tightly under the table, her knuckles turning white, before she loosened them.
She looked up, concealing the fleeting resentment in her eyes. When she looked up, she had already composed herself, appearing meek and submissive.
"sorry."
"Say hello! Who are you apologizing to? You should greet people before you speak. Didn't anyone in your family teach you that? Oh, wait, maybe your family is all gone, hahaha..."
Upon hearing this, the girl, who had already loosened her grip, clenched her fist again. A wave of resolute yet sorrowful emotion washed over her, almost overwhelming her.
The girl's resentment, which she had been trying so hard to hide, could no longer be suppressed. She clenched her teeth, looking as if she wanted to bite off a piece of the other person's flesh.
"Xiao Qingzi! Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive!"
"Aqing! An apology is all it takes. Don't cause any trouble on the ship!"
Several people nearby quickly stopped Aqing, worried that she might do something irreversible.
The person next to Aqing was dark-skinned, thin, and withered, with large, calloused hands and scars of various sizes all over his body. It seemed that he had not received proper medical treatment, so the scars were very obvious.
Apart from Aqing, the others were all quite old, with many and obvious wrinkles on their faces. Due to long-term sun exposure, their skin was very rough, and it seemed that some sand was hidden in the deep folds.
They were clearly a few low-level superhumans who worked hard to survive, unlike the arrogant, well-behaved, and even somewhat overweight person opposite them.
Upon hearing this, Aqing immediately shut up and reverted to her previous demeanor, lowering her head and even bowing.
"Boss Shu, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I will never steal your monsters again. I will stay in my own territory and never cross the line again."
"Old Shu, that's enough. Don't make too much of a fuss, or Brother Cheng will scold us again."
Old Shu spat, and spittle landed on A Qing's body, clearly visible on her dark skin.
"Let me tell you one more time, you brat, I'm the one who calls the shots on this ship. If any of you temporary crew members mess with me, I can make sure you can never board again, understand?"
Ah Qing lowered her eyes, making it impossible to read her expression, and obediently replied, "Understood, Boss Shu."
Old Shu was finally satisfied. He patted A Qing's head hard before turning and leaving.
After Lao Shu and his group left, A Qing silently squatted down, picked up the plates, and prepared to put all the dropped food back on the plates.
Although they are working-class people, at least they have superpowers and can work to earn money and food. If they were working-class people without superpowers, they would only have a harder time living.
Suddenly, a new plate was handed to me from the side.
Aqing was stunned. She looked up and saw a red-haired girl.
"Take it, I haven't eaten it yet."
Shanran handed the plate to Aqing and then turned to leave.
Even as they walked back to the table, Aqing's gaze remained fixed on her.
Yuan Yu clicked his tongue in amazement a few times, looking at Shan Ran with surprise, "I never expected you to be such a kind and generous person, little auntie!"
Shan Ran glanced at him sideways, "Didn't expect that?"
Yuan Yu hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, I can think of it! My little aunt is beautiful inside and out, her inner beauty is just as lovely as her appearance!"
Shan Ran chuckled lightly, neither approving nor disapproving of his sycophantic behavior.
"Who were those people just now?"
Yuan Yu's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, adopting an extremely fawning attitude. "Little Miss, you've come to the right person. The people you gave us the plates to were the temporary guards we talked about last night."
"A temporary escort team? Are they all water-type or aquatic animal-type?"
"Yes, not only are the people who look pitiful members of the temporary guard team, but those who were particularly arrogant just now are also members. However, they have powerful backers and are different from ordinary people."
"Oh? A powerful backer?"
Yuan Yu leaned closer to Shan Ran and whispered, "The Cheng-ge they were talking about is their backer. But Cheng-ge is only close because he's associated with the Gongyang family. To be precise, these people's backer is actually the Gongyang family."
Shan Ran and Rhine exchanged a glance.
She didn't speak, but continued to listen.
"The temporary escort team buys their own tickets and assumes full responsibility for their lives. Any extra crystal cores they get after going ashore will be used to exchange for other things. Of course, the ship's manager is willing to hire these people. The Yu family is very shrewd."
Although Lao Shu and his group worked for the Gongyang family, they all wanted to earn some extra money after such a long voyage. Moreover, with the Gongyang family as their backer, they were doing just as well as the regular team members, so why not?
The temporary escort team gradually split into three factions. One faction consisted of those who had been bullied, had no background, and were not accepted by any organization on land. Their special abilities were only suitable for going into the water, so they could only earn money by going aboard ships.
One group consists of people who come temporarily during the voyage to earn some money, without getting involved in any disputes, and leave as soon as they disembark.
Another faction consists of people with connections who want to occupy better positions. Naturally, they exclude the other two factions, leaving them only a small space to operate and assigning them the most difficult monsters to deal with.
Those who were just doing temporary work didn't care much. Some of them were mainly trying to cross the continent and earn some living expenses along the way, so it didn't matter how much they earned.
But it's different for those who make a living this way; this severely restricts their living space.
Shan Ran frowned: "Won't their blatant division of areas create a conflict of interest with the official guard team?"
Yuan Yu raised an eyebrow: "Little Miss, you've hit the nail on the head. These people are definitely in cahoots with the guards!"
The guards are paid a regular salary and are hired by the Yu family. If they hadn't been given permission, would they have dared to be so arrogant?
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Yu family has acquired HNA Group; the seven great families of the First Continent are also eyeing it covetously, ready to take a bite at any moment. Who knows what will happen in the future? The guards naturally wouldn't dare offend the Gongyang family; there must be some shady agreement between the two sides.
Shan Ran squinted at the other person: "How do you know so much about this?"
Yuan Yu coughed lightly, lowering his voice even further: "My little auntie, have you forgotten what my special ability is? As long as I pull them into my dream, it's a piece of cake for me to find out what I want to ask them."
Not everyone is like you! I don't have that many nemesis!
Shan Ran became even more suspicious: "Why did you enter their dreams to find out these things?"
Yuan Yu: ......
"Are you a peeping tom?"
Yuan Yu covered his face with one hand, but his ears were already bright red, indicating that he didn't want to answer the question.
Shan Ran didn't press the matter further.
After all, everyone needs some privacy.
Inspired by Yuan Yu, Shan Ran tried to use her digital information-based superpowers to hack into other people's electronic devices that very night.
Her digital information ability is currently at level D, capable of completely covering the entire area of the ship.
However, her powers quickly ran out.
Counter-surveillance is like putting a lock on your own front door; it can be solved with a simple step.
However, spying on others is like breaking into an unfamiliar house with drawers, some of which are locked. You have to search through each drawer one by one, and you might not even find anything.
Before long, Shanran's supernatural abilities were exhausted.
Moreover, with her current control over her superpowers, she has no way of finding the target she needs in the vast and complex data.
Since there was nothing to do on the ship anyway, Shanran simply stayed in her room and slowly trained her digital information ability.
Three days later, Shan Ran finally located Yuan Yu's phone.
However, the other party had a counter-surveillance system.
He told Rhine about his discovery, but received no response for a long time.
Shanran turned around in confusion, only to see a pair of slightly mournful eyes.
"W-What's wrong?"
"Ranran, it's been several days since we got on the ship, and you haven't spent any time with me properly."
The man, who was always proud and arrogant, had such a wronged expression on his handsome face, which was like a work of art. Shan Ran's heart skipped a beat.
She has now figured out these people's tactics; no matter what image they project in public, it doesn't affect their ability to appear vulnerable and seek warmth in front of her.
Once she softens and accepts them, her beastly nature will be exposed, and she will take advantage of them. If she doesn't stop them, they will never stop.
With this in mind, Shanran decided to be ruthless.
Her eyes darted away, her gaze somewhat unfocused, and she coughed lightly, saying, "There are only the two of us in the room. How could I not keep you company properly?"
Seeing that Shan Ran didn't want to look at him, Rhine's long-dormant desires and burning emotions surged up in an instant, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.
Love can breed jealousy and a desire for possession.
He waited outside during the first fog, but he couldn't stay by Shan Ran's side for so long before the second fog. When they reached the safe zone, so many people were with her, and Rhine's figure was almost completely obscured.
He also wanted to possess it all to himself, and his heart ached from thinking about it countless nights.
But no, if he really did that, Ranran definitely wouldn't have the superpower of immortality, and Rhine would have already lost her.
Compared to the despair of losing Shan Ran, his jealousy was insignificant and could be easily hidden.
However, when he finally had some time alone with Shanran, he wanted to possess her more.
Instead of things like this, where even someone like Yuan Yu, whom she had just met, could take up Shan Ran's time and energy.
Rhine took two steps forward, reached out and wrapped his arms around Shanran, tilted his head down and kissed the soft flesh of her ear.
The warm, moist air was gentle yet undeniable; its breath was so close that it sent a shiver down the spine of Shan Ran's ear.
She could hear Rhine's breathing, with very soft sighs, which seemed to be coming from a state of great satisfaction.
The tip of her tongue brushed against her ear, and her teeth gently ground against it. The tingling sensation stimulated Shanran, making her feel a little itchy, and she involuntarily wanted to hunch her shoulders.
Rhine stopped her, and a damp softness came to her rounded shoulder.
A shiver ran from the tips of her ears to her shoulders, fingers, and then throughout her body, causing Shanran to let out a soft, comfortable moan.
Hearing her tender voice, Rhine tightened his grip, holding the girl in his arms even tighter.
His chin pressed against the top of Shan Ran's hair as he breathed heavily, resisting his desires and trying to calm himself down.
The ship isn't suitable; let's wait.
The fierceness in Rhine's eyes had vanished. He lowered his head, his gaze focused, and quietly looked into Shanran's eyes.
He liked it this way, being able to see his own reflection in her pupils.
Only his figure was visible.
That evening, while they were having dinner together, Shan Ran kept staring at Yuan Yu, making him feel uneasy.
Yuan Yu carefully put down his chopsticks and tidied his curly hair. "Little Miss, is there something on my face?"
Shan Ran smiled and shook her head, "It's nothing."
After the meal, Rhine asked, "Ranran, he's not as simple as he seems."
Shan Ran shrugged. "I know, but everyone has their own secrets. I have no desire to investigate him, as long as it doesn't affect us."
The next morning, Shanran was still asleep when she heard a knock on the door.
Rhine opened the door and was surprised to find three packed breakfasts outside.
"Who sent it?" Shanran asked, puzzled.
“She ran very fast. I only saw her back as she left around the corner. She looked like the little girl who was bullied that day.”
Shan Ran thought for a moment, "The one called A Qing?"
"It must be her."
They were with Yuan Yu that day, and A Qing probably thought the three of them were a group.
Shan Ran weighed the item in her hand and found it somewhat amusing. "In that case, let's call Yuan Yu over to get it."
Rhine hesitated. "We've only met that girl once. Are you sure you want to eat the food he brings?"
"That's why I asked you to send Yuan Yu over first," Shan Ran said with a smile.
So Rhine took the initiative to call Yuan Yu, her attitude was indifferent but her actions were very proactive.
Yuan Yu sat on a small chair on the balcony of room 404, and under the watchful gaze of his great-aunt, he finished the takeout food without understanding why.
After some time, once she was sure he was alright, Shanran took out some hot food from her spatial storage and ate with Rhine.
She sat on the balcony, looking down.
It was a cloudy day, but the movements around the ship were still clearly visible.
The ship is the core, surrounded by battle groups of all sizes, most of which are marine creatures.
The differences between the groups are quite obvious in the crowd.
The most organized and combat-effective force was the guards, who occupied roughly half of the positions.
Shan Ran spotted Lao Shu and his group of underlings.
The Ram Clan must be able to hire people to transport their goods, so they must all be people with superpowers who can move underwater, which would make the delivery safer.
They occupied a good location, close to the ship and surrounded by abundant marine life, which helped them withstand a lot of pressure.
In comparison, the other group was in a more ordinary position, farther from the ship, with more monsters and greater danger.
They couldn't find Aqing and her group anywhere around the ship.
Using the eagle's keen eyesight, Shan Ran gazed into the distance and finally found the other person amidst the vast ocean waves.
They were placed on the outermost edge, furthest from the ship, and in the most dangerous position.
The first to face the ferocious beast charging towards the ship were Ah Qing and his companions.
Under such immense pressure, everyone's superpowers grew rapidly, and these people were all quite strong.
There weren't always so many monsters along the way; it just so happened that there was fog in the vicinity where we were currently traveling, which suddenly increased the number of monsters.
After the marine life was cleared from some sections of the route, the number of monsters was very small, making it easier for the guards.
By noon, they had finally left the sea area teeming with monsters, and most of the escort team took turns resting.
Shan Ran was about to leave when she heard another knock on the door.
She got up and opened the door, this time faster, calling out before the other person even reached the corner, "Ah Qing?"
The girl almost tripped over her own foot. She was stunned for a moment, but after regaining her senses, she ran even faster than before and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
I only gave her one meal box, and she actually delivered three meals to her twice.
Shan Ran was somewhat surprised, wondering what the girl was thinking.
With a premonition in her heart, when the knocking sounded at the door that night, Shanran opened the door almost simultaneously and grabbed the little girl who was trying to escape.
Ah Qing was clearly surprised to be caught, and her eyes widened in shock.
Her skin was tanned dark, and her eyes, though small, were very bright.
Suddenly caught, she just looked at Shan Ran timidly, showing none of the fierceness she had shown when facing Lao Shu and the others.
Shan Ran pursed her lips, trying to keep her tone as gentle as possible, "Why have you sent over three meals in a row? That's too much, take it back and eat it yourself."
Aqing lowered her eyes to look at the ground. She seemed to be used to a docile and obedient appearance, and spoke in a soft voice.
"I want to repay your kindness."
Just because of one meal, you have to repay so much for all the food?
A single meal is like a drop of water to Shanran's supplies, but so much food is like a spring to Aqing.
Shan Ran sighed softly, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes: "After you get off the ship, do you want to come with me? I'll take you somewhere else. I promise no one will bully you, and I'll make sure you have enough to eat."
Oh, and if you have family members, you can bring them along too.
Aqing froze, slowly raised her head, and looked at the girl in front of her in disbelief.
Her eyes reddened and quickly filled with tears, which eventually slid down her dark cheeks.
This time, Shanran was caught off guard.
She and Rhine looked at each other in bewilderment.
[No, I didn't say anything, so why are you crying?]
[I don't know either, don't ask me.]
Shanran hadn't used any force to begin with. Just as she was distracted exchanging glances with Rhine, Aqing took advantage of her moment of inattention, broke free from her grasp, and ran away, escaping just like that.
Do I... look scary?
Shan Ran didn't dwell on A Qing's attitude. There were so many people in the base and the safe zone, and she had seen too many people who had suffered greatly.
Since she has the ability now, she will provide some help, but life still depends on oneself, and she will not interfere too much.
She cannot devote too much attention to every vulnerable person; she will point out directions and pave the way, but the journey ahead is still theirs to walk.
We'll reach the Second Continent in three days. If Aqing is willing, we can take her to the Lawrence family first, and then bring her back to the Third Continent on the return trip.
The next morning, Aqing came to deliver breakfast again, but to her surprise, the other person opened the door for her first.
Shanran was waiting at the door early on, and when Aqing arrived, she gave her a box of chicken wings that she had taken out earlier.
Most of the animals that survive today have developed superpowers, and marine life has reached an agreement that there will be no more seafood to eat in the future.
Apart from a few artificially raised animals, there was only meat available before the apocalypse; now, most humans only eat vegetables.
Fortunately, humans do not currently suffer from fatal diseases, so eating only vegetables will not cause any health problems, it's just that we crave them.
Aqing was stunned. She stared at the chicken wing in her hand, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Shan Ran didn't expect her thanks. She chuckled and accepted the lunchbox that the other person handed her.
At noon, no more food deliveries arrived.
Shanran thought that the girl probably saw the chicken wings she casually handed out and felt that the lunchbox she gave was not presentable, so she did not come again.
The three of them were having dinner in the restaurant when the boat rocked slightly.
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Yuan Yu explained skillfully. “There’s a fog around here. When we pass through this section of the route, the number of monsters will increase dramatically, even more than yesterday morning. It’s normal for the ship to shake a little. Don’t be nervous.”
Shan Ran was about to say that she wasn't nervous when she suddenly had a bad feeling.
She stopped what she was doing, looked out the window, and her expression was serious.
"What's wrong?" Rhine immediately noticed that something was wrong with her.
Shan Ran frowned, said nothing, but stood up and walked out of the restaurant.
There is a walkway around the restaurant; if you want to see the sea around the ship clearly, you have to go outside.
Rhine followed closely behind, and Yuan Yu, though unaware of what had happened, also came out.
The three of them went up to the deck and looked down.
A large number of monsters surged in, and all members of the guard, including the temporary team, went into the water.
The sea was churning with waves, and below, three species were locked in fierce battle, each fighting for their own two worlds.
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Author's Note: Thank you to the lovely readers for the nutrient solution: 75248835, and Yingyou!
Thank you for your support! [dog head with rose in hand][dog head with rose in hand][dog head with rose in hand]
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