Chapter 123: The Sea of Wandering 16
Surging waves tumbled over the ship’s rails, roaring and crashing on the deck. A massive external force was violently shaking the ship from side to side. Under the blood-colored moonlight, a sharp claw abruptly appeared on the deck. In the next moment, the dripping wet heads of the mermaid clan, like monsters parasitic to the sea surface, emerged one after another, densely packed!
“Liar—” The cry echoed amidst the tumult!
Accompanied by the harsh sound of metal scratching, in just a dozen seconds, the safety railing as thick as an arm was twisted into a ragged mess. The mermaid clan’s attack showed no sign of stopping; on the contrary, their roars became increasingly muffled, as if they were curses from the depths of the ocean!
“Liar—”
Inside the cabin, Song Qiaowei couldn’t stand steadily. She stumbled against the cold, damp wall, clutching a lifebuoy tightly. Her long hair plastered messily against her face as she cursed wretchedly, “Your brother is crazy, and Liam is crazy too! What exactly do they want? Why? Why don’t they negotiate conditions directly with us instead of creating such a ghostly thing!”
Fu Dong’s face was ashen, and he didn’t answer. Song Qiaowei’s chest heaved, but she didn’t pursue the question further because the answer was obvious. Now that the Fu Corporation was an empty shell, they had lost the qualifications to negotiate with Liam and the Invisible Giant behind him.
Fu Han had become the more valuable one between the two brothers.
The ship jolted and shook again. This time, however, it didn’t sink further but was lifted a significant height by the waves! The feeling of weightlessness made Song Qiaowei look out the porthole in panic, only to see a golden light flash by in the pitch darkness.
The thick poetry anthology worked its magic again, severing all the heads of the pursuing mermaids! The blood moon was obscured by dark clouds. Moments later, bean-sized raindrops came crashing down. Purple lightning split the sky in two, accompanied by deafening thunder and a flash of light. It was clearly visible that on the sea surface surrounding the cruise ship, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of mermaids were floating! Their numbers were simply too great, like a bizarre image drawn by AI software after receiving a command. Although the wristbands showed that the current environment had no mental pollution, the action team members witnessing this scene still felt their scalps tingle and their stomachs churn.
“Liar—”
After this escape, the mermaid clan’s focus seemed to have shifted from the Princess to the King’s lie.
The poetry anthology flew out of Yi Ke’s hand, its golden light reaching hundreds of meters away, constantly turning mermaids into loose grit along its path. The school of fish roared angrily but could do nothing; anyone attempting to tear at the anthology would be devoured by it.
Most mermaids floated on the sea surface, and only a very small number successfully climbed onto the ship. They were smart, their slippery tails silently sliding across the deck. Using the heavy night as cover, their bulging eyes locked onto Yi Ke. If the poet dies, there will be no more poetry anthology! So the school of fish held their breath, wriggling forward slowly like maggots. Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters…
The distance was getting closer. The deck, railings, and even the mast were all covered with greedy and excited mermaids.
They were waiting silently.
Finally, when the golden poetry anthology flew toward the depths of the ocean again, the mermaids seized what they thought was the best opportunity to attack! Drool flowed from their foul-smelling sharp teeth, their claws dug tightly into the deck, and then they suddenly exerted force, rushing toward Yi Ke like cannonballs! In the sky, a dozen huge bodies hanging on the mast cables were also plummeting straight down like swings!
Using their numerical advantage, the mermaids wove an airtight net around the poet who had lost his anthology!
Filthy saliva mixed with rainwater drifted in the air, yet not a single drop landed on the poet’s white cuffs. Because the faithful Listener had thrown out his excerpt notebook. Papers filled with beautiful verses cut through the night sky. The fierce wind flipped the pages, making a “swish swish” sound. Since the silver clasps had been opened beforehand, all the poems broke free from their bindings, flying out lightly and freely! They danced and spun in unison in the air, blocking even the most insignificant thread of rain for the poet. The audacious school of fish didn’t even get a second to retreat before turning into wet grit under the silver blades.
Alice, the previous user of the excerpt notebook, couldn’t believe her eyes.
She had always thought the excerpt notebook’s lethality depended on the poetry anthology, but Zhuang Ningyu made the excerpt notebook possess even stronger offensive power than the anthology!
Half an hour later, the school of fish finally gave up their revenge temporarily and returned to the seabed. The sea surface regained tranquility, though it was only brief because, according to the game rules, the mermaids would reappear every midnight.
Zhuang Ningyu caught the excerpt notebook flying back from the air, while the poetry anthology in Yi Ke’s hand began to feel faintly hot again.
“Liar!
The mermaids dive back to the center of the sea with roars,
Yet danger still wanders around the ship like a pale ghost.
To end the displacement,
For the future and destiny,
The three crowns make their own choices.”
A few minutes later, the action team members gathered in Qing Gang’s room, looking together at the latest poem appearing in the anthology.
The three crowns undoubtedly referred to the King, the Queen, and the Princess.
Qing Gang suddenly raised his role card: “Quick, quick, there’s a hint!”
Zhong Mu leaned over to look, puzzled: “Where?”
Qing Gang was confused by the question: “You guys can’t see it?”
The other team members and Zhong Mu shook their heads together.
The text on the role card was like encrypted dialogue in a game, open only to the designated person. Qing Gang read to everyone: “Although the Princess’s doom is destined, it is not without hope of survival. Deep within the kingdom lies a secret known to few. If you wish to seek a way out, exchange it for that.”
“That’s it?” Yi Ke asked.
“That’s all.” Qing Gang nodded.
The others’ role cards remained unchanged for now. Ye Jiaoyue said, “According to Xiao Yi’s poem, there should also be hints on the King and Queen’s role cards.”
Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei hadn’t come out of their cabin since boarding. The impact of the mermaid swarm had scattered all the furniture on the floor. At this moment, Song Qiaowei was tidying up piece by piece, while Fu Dong leaned on the sofa, flipping the role card in his hand idly, showing no intention of helping his wife.
Song Qiaowei wasn’t good at housework. At best, she could stuff the decorative paintings shaken off the wall into the trash can. Just as she was about to sit down and rest, she felt a burning sensation in her chest. Frowning, she took out her own role card and was visibly stunned: “Hubby, there are words.”
“What is it?” Fu Dong’s gaze swept over lightly, but he didn’t take it. He just rubbed his brow wearily. “Read it.”
“The Queen stands at the crossroads, hesitant and in a dilemma. On one side is her husband’s scepter, on the other is her flesh and blood’s gaze.”
After reading it, Song Qiaowei asked her husband, “What about yours?”
Fu Dong handed over the card between his fingers.
Song Qiaowei looked puzzled: “No words? But it’s hot.”
Fu Dong answered, “There were just now.”
Song Qiaowei didn’t doubt him and asked, “What did it say?”
Fu Dong looked at his wife for a moment, then opened his lips and said airily, “Everyone must obey their King.”
…
“Everyone must obey their King.”
Ye Jiaoyue repeated it word for word after returning.
The room was filled with “Tch” sounds, utterly disdainful. No one believed it, not even Ye Jiaoyue herself. But Fu Dong did say that. The writing on the role card could only be seen by the role-player, and there was no other way to verify it. For now, they just had to take it at face value and listen to the noise. Qing Gang waved his hand repeatedly: “He really thinks he’s something big now.”
King my ass. Our Order Maintenance Department has its own Emperor!
Yi Ke asked, “What about Song Qiaowei’s?”
Ye Jiaoyue answered, “The Queen has resolved to follow her beloved King.”
If Fu Dong didn’t tell the truth, then Song Qiaowei could also be lying. The words of this couple could only be taken as a reference.
Zhuang Ningyu tugged at Yi Ke’s sleeve. Yi Ke understood and voiced their previous analysis: “The mermaid swarm calls the King ‘Liar,’ and the Princess card says ‘a secret is hidden in the kingdom.’ Then it’s very likely that the lie equals the secret. So the King must be aware of the secret. As for whether the Queen knows, it’s uncertain for now. Although the Queen on the role card is willing to sacrifice her life for the Princess, the game has just started, and Song Qiaowei definitely won’t stand with us. So we can temporarily view her as Fu Dong’s teammate and see how things go later.”
“The solution to this game should be finding the hidden secret,” Ye Jiaoyue tapped the table with her index finger. “But right now, the clues are far from enough.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yi Ke spoke, voicing Zhuang Ningyu’s thoughts as well. “If the King knows this secret and doesn’t want to share it with us, he will definitely find ways to conceal and prevent it. As long as he acts, we have a chance to follow the clues.”
Alice didn’t understand: “But the King is also a player. If the solution is to find the secret, what’s the point of him concealing it? Doesn’t concealing it equal game failure?”
“In the vast majority of Rule Zones, the masses and the action team are indeed a close community, winning or losing together, with monsters being their only opposition,” Yi Ke said. “But this situation isn’t 100% applicable. There is another type of game where two groups of players confront each other, and both outcomes are solutions. Guarding the secret, the King wins; exposing the secret, the Princess wins.”
Whichever side loses is considered to have failed the mission.
Alice nodded: “Understood.”
Zhuang Ningyu frowned slightly, thinking about another thing. Judging from the current situation, the King only had the Queen by his side, and the Queen might abandon the King for the Princess at any time. Fu Dong didn’t seem to have much advantage, quite a bit like a lonely monarch with little chance of winning. But… he habitually pinched Yi Ke’s fingers. What if, within the game rules, the King can make a deal with the mermaid clan?
By the time everyone finished the meeting, it was fully daylight.
The monster crew on the deck were still laboriously sweeping away the foul-smelling grit. The “swish-swish” sound was mostly blocked by the double-layered glass, turning into a white noise similar to a lullaby when it reached the ears. Zhuang Ningyu leaned against the headboard fully dressed, closing his eyes to rest. Yi Ke hugged him from the side, covering his eyes with a large palm to block out most of the harsh morning light after the rain, dozing off with him.
The waves gently pushed the ship, and the bed swayed along. Compared to the thriller-like midnight, the daytime sea was much friendlier and brighter. As Yi Ke fell asleep, his arm drooped slightly. Sunlight sprayed through the gaps in his fingers onto Zhuang Ningyu’s thin eyelids, waking up the person who hadn’t slept soundly to begin with. He moved the hand blocking his eyes and carefully turned his head, finding Yi Ke still asleep. So he prepared to help the man lie flat. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly changed position, crashing down towards the familiar fragrant scent, his arm naturally wrapping around, almost hanging entirely on his wife. His breath landed hot on the neck, and Zhuang Ningyu soon broke out in a thin layer of sweat from the disturbance.
The 1.5-meter thin wooden bed creaked under the pressure. As for why it creaked, it was because after sleeping for two or three minutes, Yi Ke probably felt uncomfortable, so he “scooted” upwards, wrapped his arms around the person in his embrace, and buried his face contentedly in the chest. His two long legs, with nowhere to go, twisted left and right, really unable to stretch out. Finally, he managed to find space on both sides of the bed, spreading his legs bent like a frog… like a frog prince, pressing on Zhuang Ningyu and sleeping for another hour.
Aren’t you uncomfortable? When Yi Ke woke up, Zhuang Ningyu really wanted to ask him this question, but ultimately didn’t. Because Yi Ke answered with practical action—just as he propped up his upper body yawning, before he could show a lazy and charming smile to say good morning to his wife, he flopped back down with a “splat.” Zhuang Ningyu was caught off guard—and had nowhere to hide even if he was on guard—almost suffocated by the pressure as his vision went dark. Hearing his wife emit a strange “urgh,” Yi Ke thought oh no, but really couldn’t get up, so he could only howl: “Legs are numb.”
Or to be more precise, not just the legs were numb, but also the tailbone and buttocks. Zhuang Ningyu ruthlessly rejected the proposal to massage his husband’s butt, only moving the person to the inner side of the bed. He fished out a wormwood meridian hammer from the action backpack and started banging on his acupoints “bang bang bang.”
Like high-voltage current pouring into the body, the wondrous sensation mixed with numbness and sharp pain hit the top of his skull. Yi Ke let out a howl, tearing up on the spot, his hands tightly gripping the sheets, his handsome face distorting along with his soul: “Wifey, wifey, lighter, lighter—ow ow ow why do you bring this kind of thing when going out—”
Zhong Mu and Alice, passing by the door, both paused in their steps, then simultaneously accelerated away.
There weren’t many diners in the dining hall, only simple bread, black grape juice, some sauces, and canned fruits and vegetables. Zhong Mu felt it necessary to explain to his colleagues from the capital that Captain Zhuang and Xiao Yi didn’t usually have this kind of situation during work. They might be… Zhong Mu organized his vocabulary for a long time, then said decisively: “Massage! Yes, it’s massage!”
“Mmh!” Alice nodded cooperatively. “I know.”
The two leaned against the railing in the shade with their trays, enjoying the refreshing sea breeze together. Alice ate a few bites and said, “There were rumors in our unit for a long time that Captain Zhuang was transferring over. Later it didn’t happen. Our boss’s face was so black during that time; he simply couldn’t stand hearing the word ‘Huo.’ I was wondering if it was really that exaggerated. But seeing Captain Zhuang use that excerpt notebook last night, it was truly awesome. How did he think of opening the silver ring beforehand to let every page fly out for individual attacks?”
Zhong Mu: “Small trick, small trick. Our Captain Zhuang has many amazing points, and he’s also very nice. He gives us massages whenever there’s nothing to do.” Anyway, stick to the massage story; he must justify Xiao Yi’s howling just now.
In room 102, Yi Ke was still continuously whining. Even though the sharp pain had turned into a numb, dull warmth and became comfortable, he still whined, turning his head to act spoiled: Kiss me.
Zhuang Ningyu dropped the meridian hammer. No kiss. If you’re better, get up quickly.
Yi Ke refused to get up.
Zhuang Ningyu turned around and sat down on his lap.
Yi Ke: “Sit further up.”
Those three words triggered some memories Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t think about in detail. Feeling guilty, he waved his hand as if nothing happened, stood up, and went to the bathroom to shower. Yi Ke ran barefoot off the bed, lying on the milky white semi-transparent frosted glass door, asking annoyingly: “Wifey, why are your ears red?”
Zhuang Ningyu turned the showerhead in his hand. The dense water stream hit the glass with a “patter” sound with moderate force, intending to express dissatisfaction and drive the person away. Who knew it had the opposite effect. The milky frosted surface became more translucent after being wet, making the originally hazy shadow instantly clearer by more than a degree. The curve of the waist in the mist gathered like a work of art; the legs were long, slender, and straight. Forget it! Yi Ke twisted the door open with a “clatter” and rushed in. Husband helping wife shower, I’m justified even if the Heavenly King comes!
Zhuang Ningyu was caught off guard and slammed against the wall by him.
“Beware of large dogs rushing and injuring people!
—Fuxingyuan Neighborhood Office · Publicity”
…
An hour later, the two went to the buffet restaurant and happened to run into Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei. Both sides still had no communication, maintaining a superficial “teammate” relationship only through brief eye contact. Yi Ke picked a tray of food for Zhuang Ningyu, chose a seat by the window, and while spreading jam, said: “He must know in his heart that even if he shows a friendly attitude, we can’t let him off. So he might as well be like now; at least he can save himself a little face.”
Zhuang Ningyu agreed with this view. A person showing a friendly attitude to another is based on two possibilities: first, from the heart; second, wanting to swindle corresponding benefits through a friendly attitude. Applied to Fu Dong, the first was absolutely impossible. And the second, given the current perception of Fu Dong by the Order Maintenance Department, even if he were friendly to the heavens, he couldn’t fool anyone. Thinking about it this way, there was indeed no need to waste effort on polite social interaction.
After eating, Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei returned to their residence. Fu Dong sat in his old spot again, spinning the role card with his fingertips. Although the writing that appeared last night had disappeared, it was deeply imprinted in his mind—
“The King once swore solemnly before the gods,
But now treacherously tears up the promise!
Listen, the mermaids are singing in unison,
‘Betrayer of God! Shall suffer divine punishment!’
‘Betrayer of God! Shall suffer divine punishment!’
‘Betrayer of God! Shall suffer divine punishment!’
Before the death knell tolls,
Will the lost old King,
Rebuild the covenant,
And pick up that dusty scepter?”
…
Beep beep beep beep— In the afternoon, the signal transmitter on the table suddenly rang crazily. The action team members sitting scattered everywhere instantly perked up, turning their heads in unison. They saw the words on the screen speeding by at a dazzling speed. At the same time, everyone’s internal mobile phones had full signal!
Out of the lost contact zone? Zhuang Ningyu felt a joy in his heart. His finger slid across the screen, but before he could dial Huo Ting, He Mo called first, opening with: “Xiao Yi.”
Zhuang Ningyu took a deep breath. He wanted to shout “Ah” to protest, but Yi Ke quickly covered his mouth. This cute voice must not be heard by a second person besides the husband… well, a third person, because there’s also medical worker Director Wang. He took the phone and said steadily, “Team Leader He, it’s me.”
“Good news, we have re-established contact between inside and outside the Rule Zone, but limited to internal lines,” He Mo said. “Not including Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei.”
Zhuang Ningyu, wearing the other earbud, silently gave a thumbs up. Well done.
“The signal loss in the Rule Zone this time has been confirmed to be man-made,” He Mo continued. “We actually have the ability to restore it completely, but we wanted to ask you first if it’s necessary.”
Zhuang Ningyu immediately shook his head. Since only Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei, the two fugitives, were left to be fully restored, letting them continue to be disconnected from the outside world was the optimal solution to avoid them causing new trouble.
Yi Ke relayed Zhuang Ningyu’s head shake. He Mo said, “Okay, then maintain the status quo. How are things inside?”
“Team Leader Ye is already doing data transmission,” Yi Ke said. “This Rule Zone is very strange. Compared to previous missions, it’s more like a card game. We are currently on a cruise ship.”
In recent years, whenever a Rule Zone involved a “cruise ship,” nothing good happened. He Mo had some PTSD. He frowned with a headache, massaged his temples for a while, and reminded: “By the way, judging from the direction of the white mist, it seems to be drifting back to the high seas.”
The brief stop in Country G seemed only to give the Chinese rescue team a reason to enter.
After hanging up, Zhuang Ningyu was still pondering this matter. The return of the white mist could be divided into two scenarios: first, random, which needed no analysis; second, human manipulation. Then what would be the manipulator’s motive?
Because of Fu Dong and Song Qiaowei’s entry, Fu Han had changed from a trapped victim to a suspected manipulator, so let’s assume it’s him for now.
If the manipulator was really Fu Han, Zhuang Ningyu could understand the other party scheming to get him to enter. But the problem was, his shift this time was actually quite random. After all, Fu Han couldn’t accurately judge that Ye Jiaoyue’s SOS would arrive at 2801 simultaneously with him, nor could he accurately judge that he could open the “Door” of the “Door.” Moreover, the role he received had a lover setting with a soul bond between the Poet and the Listener.
Yi Ke also didn’t think Fu Han would do something so decent, thoughtful, reasonable, appropriate, generous, and kind, unless he suddenly went crazy… but going crazy wasn’t impossible. But then again, is he really crazy?
Zhuang Ningyu: Shut up.
Yi Ke didn’t shut up. He curled his lips, then propped his cheek to accompany his wife in analysis. The manipulator wanted the Chinese rescue team to enter, possibly because the card game was short on hands and needed to gather enough players to start. But before the Chinese rescue team, there were clearly two other private rescue teams. Why weren’t they selected as players? If the manipulator was really Fu Han, wouldn’t private rescue teams be easier for him to control?
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head. Not like that.
Yi Ke didn’t understand: “What do you mean?”
Zhuang Ningyu typed on his phone: Fu Han wouldn’t trust any private institution, even experts specially invited by his friends to rescue him. In Fu Han’s eyes, anything that can be bought with money will betray because of money. So if he really needed to select players, then the most trustworthy, most professional, and definitely not biased towards the Fu Dong couple, is indeed the Chinese rescue team.
Yi Ke nodded. Understood.
Zhuang Ningyu waited for a few seconds, then turned to look at him, a bit unaccustomed. That’s it?
Yi Ke touched his face with a righteous expression. Wifey, don’t worry. Although your understanding of Fu Han is indeed a bit more detailed and in-depth than I expected, I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not disturb you during work hours!
You speak. Continue speaking.
