Chapter 36 Ship (2)
“Pei Yanxi—!”
The rain came down suddenly—first a few scattered drops, as if testing the waters, then the whole sky collapsed.
Her shouts were torn apart by the sea breeze and mixed with the ship's horn. Raindrops pelted her face, making it impossible to tell whether it was rain or something else.
Yun Zhan ran wildly along the embankment, which was covered in white foam from the rain, his trench coat hem rolled up like a soaked flag.
In the distance, the giant ship had already left its side, its dark silhouette moving slowly through the gray fog, its ship's lights shrinking into a distant crimson speck.
She rushed to the boarding gate, but the iron railings were closed, and the guards reached out to stop her.
She struggled, her trench coat hem stained with mud, her voice hoarse and almost cracking: "Where is your captain?..."
"Oh dear, miss, the boat has already departed. Please wait for the next one." The captain was startled by Yun Zhan's soaking wet appearance and quickly handed her an umbrella.
Yun Zhan raised his wrist and ripped off the emerald bracelet.
"This bracelet is completely green, and its value is estimated to be in the tens of millions. It's for boating."
The rope snapped, and the jade and diamond fragments exploded in the downpour, shimmering in the light.
She clutched the largest piece, a thumb-sized piece of icy jade, the rainwater flowing through her fingers like blood.
"Please wait... chartering a boat also takes time..."
"Launch the boat!"
Yun Zhan's voice was torn to shreds by the gale, yet it still carried the sharp edge of a command.
The captain, holding his raincoat, glanced at the jewel and the girl for a fleeting moment—the emerald reflected in her bloodshot eyes, despair burning like fire, making her pupils bright.
In the brief moment the guard hesitated, Yun Zhan had already stuffed the entire string of gems into the captain's palm.
Raindrops pattered on the gemstones, making a tinkling sound like countless tiny bells.
"I need to see the ship within ten minutes!" Her voice was hoarse, but every word was firm and clear.
The captain looked up and saw that the giant ship had become a blurry silhouette in the torrential rain.
The rain enveloped Yun Zhan in a gray vortex, her hair plastered to her face, water droplets rolling into the corners of her mouth, a mixture of salty, bitter, and rusty flavors.
My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, as if it were about to burst out of my bones at any moment.
The captain looked down; the gem was burning hot in his palm.
This is indeed a great product; when you calculate the profit, it's far more profitable than chartering a ship using currency...
The captain gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and the small boat cast off its moorings.
Yun Zhan lunged forward on the slippery deck, rainwater mingling with tears to form a scalding river.
She clung tightly to the gunwale, her fingernails scratching fine white marks on the steel plate.
The giant ship sailed further and further away in the rain and mist.
Her hoarse cries were torn apart by the gale: "21, can you find Pei Yanxi's location?"
"Sure, I've located her precisely. Just give the location to the crew."
The wind was unusually cold tonight, and the dampness that hit him felt like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting Yun Zhan's face—it hurt so much...
Yun Zhan shielded his eyes from the wind and rain with his arms. Some rainwater filled his eyes, and he could barely open them... His hands were already numb from the cold.
At four in the morning, the Black Sea looked like a mirror shattered by a hammer.
The torrential rain had just stopped, dark clouds hung low, and the crescent moon was just a thin sliver, unable to illuminate the burning sea.
That was Pei Yanxi's flagship, the "Gear," with tracer bullets crisscrossing the deck, cutting the night into scarlet fragments.
Yun Zhan's small boat collided with the port side of the "Gear," and the steel hull emitted a muffled thunderous roar.
She gripped the rope, her knuckles instantly scraped raw, blood mingling with seawater dripping into the oil stains on the deck.
The crew's shouts filled the air: "Back to the ship! Back to the ship! We've entered the neutral zone—damn it, how come there are troops here?! Isn't this area protected by international conventions?"
The crew member exclaimed in surprise and immediately sent a telegram to headquarters.
"The Gear has been suspected of being hijacked. Request headquarters to provide support as soon as possible!"
The crew tried to call Yun Zhan back, but Yun Zhan completely ignored them.
He bit the dagger between his teeth, the cold blade pressed against his lips, as if biting off the last bit of consciousness.
The moment she climbed onto the bulwark, a bullet grazed her ear, and the scorching heat ripped her hair back.
The smell of blood, gunpowder, and diesel fuel mingled together and poured into my throat like molten iron.
On the deck, the warlord's private soldiers, dressed in rags-colored combat uniforms, spat fire from their guns.
They shouted in the Beidao dialect, each syllable ending with the same name: "Pei Yanxi! We want to see her alive or dead!"
"Damn the Pei family, they took the ore from the island but didn't pay the final payment. I'll kill their daughter and throw her into the sea to feed the fish."
The army commander's voice was hoarse, like a saw blade, as if it had cut through steel plates and eardrums.
Yun Zhan ran close to the bulkhead, sparks flying from the soles of his boots.
Bullets wove a blinding white net above my head, each explosion sending shivers down my spine.
"Host, are you scared? We might be done for tonight." 21 was numb; even its mechanical voice trembled as it spoke...
Are you scared?
Isn't that obvious? Of course she's afraid...
"I'm not a god, who isn't afraid of death? Your question is strange." Yun Zhan bit her dagger, the smell of gunpowder choking her and making it hard for her to open her eyes.
Talking to 21 is the only way to calm down...
"Then why do you insist on saving Pei Yanxi? If you die... you're really dead... We can only travel through time, we can't be resurrected." 21 suddenly hesitated.
It was genuinely worried about Yun Zhan... and at that moment, it was truly afraid.
It wanted to persuade Yun Zhan, "Why don't we leave?"
The crew is still on board. We can turn around, find a safe place, and wait for support from headquarters.
Isn't this... a good thing?
"Host, perhaps you should reconsider. I really feel it's a bit dangerous... How about we wait for reinforcements?... You see, we wouldn't be of much help even if we went up there..."
"Shut up! By the time reinforcements arrive, Pei Yanxi's body will be cold!" Yun Zhan roared at it.
How could she not be afraid?
She was actually so scared her jaw was chattering, and her fingertips were ice-cold—
But that fear was torn apart by an even sharper thought: Pei Yanxi is inside, Pei Yanxi will die.
Yun Zhan dodged the hail of bullets and crashed into the main cabin passageway, where the lights flickered on and off due to the gunfire.
Around the corner, a warlord was kicking down a door, his rifle butt sending splinters of wood flying.
Yun Zhan did not slow down. He twirled the dagger in his palm, and a cold light drew an extremely thin arc.
Blood sprayed onto her cheek, hot as a first heartbeat.
At the end of the corridor, the lock on the lounge door had been blown off.
She kicked the door open and burst in, the smell of gunpowder and burning filling the air.
Pei Yanxi knelt under the porthole, her left arm stained with blood, and she still held an empty gun in her palm.
She looked up, and the firelight danced in her pupils, reflecting Yun Zhan's blood-stained face.
In that instant, the cannon fire, the gunfire, and the waves all faded into the background.
Yun Zhan heard his own hoarse voice pierce through the smoke of battle:
"Senior, I'll take you back."
Outside the window, another flare was launched, its bright light casting the shadows of the two men against the cabin wall.
She looked up, and the firelight illuminated Yun Zhan.
His face was covered in blood, he gripped the dagger in reverse, and his chest heaved violently.
In that instant, a bright look of astonishment flashed in Pei Yanxi's eyes, which were then burned red with anger.
She braced herself against the wall and suddenly stood up, the empty gun clattering to the ground at her feet.
"Who sent you!"
Pei Yanxi's voice cut through the smoke of battle, hoarse yet sharp, like two steel plates colliding.
She staggered, grabbed Yun Zhan's wrist, her nails digging almost into his flesh, "Yun Zhan, who do you think you are?! Are you out of your mind?!"
Upon hearing the noise, the crew rushed into the cabin, their guns still pointed outwards, but Pei Yanxi grabbed them.
"Take her back to the lifeboat! Immediately!"
Pei Yanxi roared, her vocal cords trembling, and blood splattered from the corner of her lips.
Yun Zhan remained motionless, twirling the dagger half a circle between his fingers before gripping it in a defensive stance.
"Trust me, I served in the army. Give me a gun, and I can keep you safe."
Yun Zhan's words were like iron nails driven into a steel plate.
Pei Yanxi's eyes were bloodshot. She raised her hand to push him away, but due to blood loss, she swayed and almost knelt down.
She gritted her teeth, her voice barely audible: "Yun Zhan, our chances of survival are extremely slim. Are you going to risk your life to save a corpse?"
The crew member was caught in a dilemma, the muzzle of his gun trembling between the two men.
Pei Yanxi raised her eyes, her gaze piercing through the smoke of battle, like a final warning: "Take her away, that's an order!"
As the words fell, she swayed slightly, but still stood firmly between Yun Zhan and the cabin door.
The gunfire outside the cabin roared again, and the floor shook.
Yun Zhan's dagger hung at his side, blood dripping from the tip of the blade, mingling with Pei Yanxi's blood on the ground to form a dark red line.
She didn't back down an inch, her voice low and hoarse but firm: "I want to stay with you, Pei Yanxi... Trust me this once, I can definitely save you."
Gunfire wove a blazing white net in the corridor.
Yun Zhan gripped Pei Yanxi's wrist with his other hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, while his other hand raised his gun—
"Bang, bang, bang—"
Three short bursts of fire shattered the helmets of the two leading private soldiers, sending a spray of blood through them. A third man fell backward after a flash of fire on his chest.
The spent cartridges landed with a clanging sound, and before the smoke had even cleared, Yun Zhan had already grabbed Pei Yanxi and rushed off.
The soles of the boots stepped over the steel plates, sending sparks flying.
A gun barrel appeared again around the corner. Yun Zhan turned sideways, knelt on one knee, and rested the butt of the gun against his shoulder.
"Bang!"
The bullet grazed the enemy's gun barrel and entered his forehead; the body slammed against the bulkhead, creating a muffled, thunderous tremor.
On the side of the "Gear", Yun Zhan's small boat bobbed and swayed amidst the gunfire.
“There’s a small boat on the sea, that’s my boat. I’ll take you up there first, and then I’ll come over.” Yun Zhan took Pei Yanxi’s hand and pulled her to his side.
"Yun Zhan, what are you going to do? I..."
"Okay, we'll talk about it later."
Yun Zhan kicked open the hatch leading to the deck, and torrential rain mixed with sea wind rushed towards him.
Lightning struck, illuminating her blood-stained face and the warlord leading the group at the far end of the deck—
The epaulets were stained with blood, and the gun barrel was raised.
Yun Zhan did not hesitate.
She grabbed Pei Yanxi by the waist, and with a burst of strength, threw her overboard.
Senior...
I risked my life to save you, so you must live on...
Pei Yanxi drew an arc in the air and landed heavily on the airbag of the inflatable lifeboat.
The boat shook violently, splashing water everywhere. She tumbled to the bottom of the cabin, the only sounds she could hear were her own rapid breathing and heartbeat.
Yun Zhan turned around, his back to the sea, and with a "click," the magazine was empty.
She tossed out the empty magazine, and in a flash, drew a spare pistol from behind her waist with her other hand.
The gun barrels were raised, facing off against the leading warlord's AK across the torrential rain.
Raindrops pounded on the gun barrel, sending up plumes of white smoke.
Yun Zhan's pupils shrank to pinpoints in the firelight, and his voice was so low that only the wind could hear it:
"Go ahead and kill me if you dare..."
Gunshots rang out, and lightning tore through the night sky.
In a beam of blazing white light, Yun Zhan's slender silhouette was fixed on the deck.
On the deck, spent shell casings rolled underfoot, making a crisp, clattering sound that blended with the distant echoes of artillery fire, creating a deathly rhythm.
Yun Zhan's left arm hung at his side, blood dripping from his fingertips, blooming into six dark red flowers on the steel plate—marks left by the warlord's six shots fired during the earlier firefight.
The warlord stood ten paces away, his AK-12 pointing diagonally at the ground, smoke still rising from its muzzle.
Rainwater slid down his face, which was blackened by gunpowder smoke, as if adding a layer of cold light to his murderous face.
"Good marksmanship."
His voice, carried on the sea breeze, was metallic and hoarse.
"Tell me, what is your relationship with Pei Yanxi? If you are willing to join us, I can give you three times the commission, and even save her life."
Yun Zhan's breathing was short and shallow, each rise and fall feeling like a knife twisting in his chest.
She didn't raise her hand to cover her wound; instead, she switched the pistol from her right hand to her left, her movements slow but steady as iron.
"impossible."
The answer was only three words, the voice torn apart by the sound of rain, yet resolute.
The warlord laughed, his teeth gleaming coldly white in the dim light.
"lover?"
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, as if using a dull knife to reopen an old scar: "Miss Pei is indeed beautiful, so it's understandable that I like her."
Yun Zhan did not speak again.
The next second, her body suddenly leaned forward, and blood splattered in a fan shape at her feet.
The excruciating pain in my left arm felt as if it had been severed by my will.
The gun barrel rose, flashes of light exploding in the rain; one bullet to the brow, one to the Adam's apple, one to the heart—three bullets lined up in a straight line.
In less than half a second, it completely ended the other person's breathing.
The warlord's body slammed heavily onto the deck, and the AK-12 slipped from his grasp, sliding several meters away.
Lightning ripped through the clouds, illuminating Yun Zhan's pale face and the unextinguished flame in her eyes.
boom--
Suddenly, a bright red fireball erupted in the lower deck, and a wave of heat, carrying steel fragments, surged onto the deck.
The ship emitted a mournful sound as metal snapped, and the firelight illuminated the sea with a blinding crimson.
On the lifeboat, Pei Yanxi knelt in the center of the inflatable cushion, gripping the edge of the boat tightly with both hands.
Rain and waves pelted her face, making it impossible to distinguish between tears and water.
She looked up, her gaze piercing through the sea of fire and thick smoke.
In that instant, she saw Yun Zhan standing on the edge of the shattered deck, his shadow stretched extremely long by the firelight.
Pei Yanxi let out a hoarse cry, but it was swallowed up by the echo of the explosion and the sound of rain.
The lifeboat tossed about in the giant waves, the firelight reflected in her pupils, despair and hope intertwined into a dazzling red.
boom--
The final explosion ripped the deck to shreds, and flames licked the sky.
Yun Zhan bent his knees and took a step at the edge of the fracture, his whole body like a black shadow struck by lightning, leaping into the darkness.
The next instant, she slammed heavily into the inflatable cushion of the lifeboat, the rubber creaking under her weight.
Pei Yanxi was pressed into the soft cushion by the sudden weight, and the cold rain poured into her collar, but was instantly replaced by hot breath.
Yun Zhan pressed down on top of her.
Pei Yanxi opened her eyes wide, her eyelashes covered with water droplets. The world was just a blur of flickering light, the firelight and raindrops all shattered by her tears.
"Yun...Zhan?"
Pei Yanxi looked at the person lying on top of her, her voice trembling and out of tune, as if it were being squeezed out from the deepest part of her chest.
Rainwater mixed with tears, making it difficult for Pei Yanxi to see clearly. She could only raise her hand and touch things haphazardly, her fingertips brushing against Yun Zhan's soaked temples and his still-bleeding left arm.
After confirming that the temperature was real, his knuckles tightened sharply, like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood.
Raindrops pattered between the two of them, making a soft, pattering sound.
"It hurts so much... Senior... I can't take it anymore."
Yun Zhan tried to sit up, but Pei Yanxi grabbed his neck.
Her palm was pressed against the back of Yun Zhan's neck, her fingertips were icy cold, but they revealed a stubborn strength in their trembling.
Tears mingled with rainwater and slid into the corners of my lips, salty and bitter.
Pei Yanxi took a deep breath, her voice so low that only the sound of the rain could hear it.
"Yun Zhan, I like you."
It wasn't the flutter of youth, nor the ambiguity born of careful consideration.
It is a love that seeps from the very marrow of one's bones after experiencing life and death, a love that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Her eyes were so red they were almost bloodshot, but her voice was unusually firm.
It's as if all the warmth of the rest of my life is staked in this one sentence.
Yun Zhan's breath hitched, and raindrops dripped down her chin onto Pei Yanxi's lips.
The lifeboat bobbed on the waves, the firelight casting overlapping shadows of two people.
Like a painting frozen in time by a storm.
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