Chapter 778: Red and Black (3k)
As evening fell, dark clouds gathered in the sky, allowing only a few stars to peek through. The wind and waves roared like wolfhounds devouring their prey. The sea, calm during the day, now seemed enraged, bellowing its fury.
On the not-so-wide island, a light suddenly approached. It was a ship with English writing on it. the figures of the remaining travelers were illuminated, attracting many people who craned their necks to see what was happening.
Soon, several figures disembarked from the ship, rustling. Under the light, only their jet-black silhouettes were visible, adorned with bright silver pendants, seemingly in the shape of crosses.
Someone whispered to the leader, “Lord Bai Lin, how should we deal with these people?”
The leader stood by the ship’s side. He appeared to be an eerie-looking young man. His gaze swept over the fishermen, and with a slight smile on his face, he lowered his head and said, “Heh heh, they are all good sacrifices…”
“This area has been requisitioned by us. If you don’t want to die, get out!”
Before a few people could make another move, a hoarse and muffled voice echoed from the ship, like wheels grinding over waterlogged wooden planks, grating on the ears.
The voice, amplified by external qi, carried an inexplicable pressure that bore down on the fishermen. Many stumbled backward, their faces contorted with fear.
“It’s the nearby pirates, run!”
Feeling this oppressive power, one, two, three… they all fled towards the distance, where their boats were moored. It was a good choice to evacuate before the heavy rain and stormy waves arrived.
Watching the retreating figures of the fishermen, the young man named Bai Lin frowned. He placed his hands on the railing, turned his head, and said in a low voice,
“Lord Waterbird, wouldn’t it be better to use them as nourishment? Anyway, this island requires us to offer fish carcasses as a sacrifice.”
“…”
The person in the ship’s cabin remained silent. After about tens of seconds, they slowly said, “Killing them rashly, in a place without signal shielding, can easily alert the authorities. Moreover, as far as I know, this deity likes to eat seafood.”
“Likes to eat seafood?”
This reason caused those outside to exchange bewildered glances. However, many knew that the main reason was to avoid alerting the authorities. After all, the equipment here was not set up to block phone signals in advance, so choosing to drive them away was indeed wise.
However, some people’s eyes flashed with a scarlet glint, their hearts stirred – should they offer more to this deity…
Fish?
Perhaps, if Lord God was pleased, they might gain a slight increase in strength.
“Lord Waterbird, won’t this attract undue attention?”
But these reasons did not convince the Black-clad Bishop Bai Lin. He narrowed his eyes and gazed through the closed door, as if trying to see clearly what was happening inside…
“Don’t you understand what I mean?!”
The hoarse voice once again came from the ship’s cabin, carrying with it the pressure of a War God, directly pressing down on Bai Lin.
“This is a show of dominance…”
This action sent a shockwave through the cultists. Both the Priest and Shadow felt a pang of sympathy for their fellow creatures, as they were all too familiar with the church’s rules, where the strong preyed on the weak was commonplace.
“Bang!”
As the pressure intensified, Bai Lin’s body suddenly lowered, his hands pressing on the railing, his eyes filled with ferocity. He immediately retorted,
“Lord Waterbird, I am only considering your future plans…”
“Beep beep!” The communicator in his pocket suddenly rang. The ferocity on his face slowly receded, replaced by a smile…
A message from Lord Zichuan had arrived.
The pressure did not last long. Bai Lin straightened up, then brushed the dust off his clothes, letting out a sigh. He raised his phone and looked at the text on it, his mouth curling into a grin…
[Zichuan: Have dispatched two high-ranking Ferrymen to the first island. Keep Lord Waterbird stable and prevent any accidents.]
[Me: Understood.]
Inside the ship’s cabin, near the back of the desk, a middle-aged man with a stubble was fiddling with his phone, playing a word puzzle game. He was waiting for a reply.
“Liuli said that Zichuan is sending stronger individuals this way and asked me to pretend I don’t know…”
“But in doing so, we are simply waiting to be slaughtered.”
While waiting, he couldn’t help but swipe through his phone and look at the picture of the woman with a mosaicked face, then shifted his gaze to the infant on the small bed…
His eyes suddenly returned to that rainy night. The rain was heavy, and lightning seemed to pierce through the world visible through the window. At that oath ceremony, a young man waved his wine glass, softly reciting passionate lines, like a speech delivered in a tavern:
“From today onwards, we must remain anonymous, appearing as the roles we detest the most…”
“In this clash of red and black, there are no flowers, no applause. We can only silently bear the burden, carrying all the accusations.”
He stood below, listening intently. He was also young, just over thirty, with good talent and ample experience, and had a chance to advance to become an Elder.
He really wanted to refuse the young man’s invitation, for a simple and humble reason: because…
His wife was pregnant.
But the night before the rainy night, the young man found him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said with a hint of helplessness in his eyes:
“Brother Zhou, we need someone who is good at acting and has strength. This person needs to be exposed to the public, serving as White Night’s front man to the outside world.”
“I want to rest for a while.”
Faced with this request, he waved his hand and walked past the young man, not wanting to accept this mission, wanting only to quietly await the birth of his child.
The young man was not discouraged. He blocked him again and continued, “You transferred from National Security, you have professional training, and you’ve done similar things…”
He frowned, his expression showing displeasure, and tried to push the young man away.
“Night Watcher Elders have vast resources. As long as you agree to execute the mission, regardless of life or death, I will use the Elder’s authority to promise you—
“As soon as your child graduates from high school, the resources to reach War God Level will be provided to her by my informants, little by little.”
However, the young man’s next words stunned him, even plunging him into silence. Clenching his hands, he found himself unable to refuse such a benefit.
“Mm.”
Having worked for most of his life, this was the only hope he had: one, for his child to have a good future, and two, for national peace and prosperity.
This mission encompassed both aspects.
His vision returned to the young man’s boisterous speech, which seemed to be nearing its end. As if remembering something, he took out a police uniform from his ring and peeled off the serial number.
He tightened his grip on it, feeling its warmth. His gaze lingered on the patterns for over a minute, as if returning to another speech.
It was at his graduation ceremony that the old Principal had said:
“After the tassel is turned, let’s go for a drink. Perhaps you’ll never see each other again in the future.”
He stopped listening to the young man’s speech and walked towards the depths of the bar. Under the dim, yellowish light, he saw the short figure, pursed his dry lips, and placed the serial badge on the table.
“Old Man, when Zhi Zhi is eighteen, if I haven’t returned, give this to her. Whether she decides to be an ordinary person or reactivate the serial number, it will be her decision.”
Sitting on a small chair, the Old Man did not turn around. He merely lowered his head and drank in silence. After a long while, he waved with the back of his hand, signaling the other to leave:
“Go drink more of the bar’s liquor. The wontons and noodles are also cooked by me, Old Man.”
Just as he was about to leave the door, the Old Man’s voice sounded again, “Prioritize your own life. We are working underground; we are not going to be heroes.”
He nodded and changed into a black raincoat. He was not a hero to begin with, he only wanted to fight for his child’s rights.
The word “hero” was too brilliant. For them, who flew like dark crows, it appeared exceedingly garish.
“Ding!”
The sound of his phone pulled Zhou Hong out of his memories. He looked down; it was a message from Liuli. After a moment, his face suddenly froze:
[Awaiting reinforcements, codename: Jiu]
…
In the dilapidated building.
Warm heat rose in layers, and the pot inside let out a gurgling sound. Three people sat around a small round table, eating hot pot.
“So? What does this have to do with Iron Turtle Immortal?”
Bairnis got up, picked a scallop for Su Jiu, then sat down and looked curiously at the handsome young man opposite her.
This story was truly interesting, but with his appearance, it was hard for him to empathize with such a story, wasn’t it?
“Little Sisi, that’s enough, that’s enough…”
Looking at the bowl full of shells and chicken, Su Jiu’s mouth twitched. This Nanhai dish contained too much coconut meat, making it cloyingly sweet. As a Huai’an native, without chili and a salt dipping sauce, he found it extremely uncomfortable to eat.
Bairnis turned her head, looked Su Jiu up and down, and said matter-of-factly:
“Miss is too tiny, you need to eat more meat.”
Su Jiu: “…”
Little Sisi, you’ve changed. You’re now indirectly calling me short.
His gaze casually swept over Su Jiu and the other person. Mu Qi’s eyes revealed a flicker of envy, but it was quickly concealed. Following the box of shells, he continued to control his phone with external qi:
“Later, Ugly Egg found an opportunity and couldn’t help but ask: What do I need to do for you to restore our relationship?”
“Little Mermaid just glanced at him, her eyes darting away. She quickly lowered her head and said: I don’t know, maybe a year, or maybe five…”
The mechanical voice paused at a crucial point and skipped some details to continue:
“When he returned that day, Ugly Egg cried for a long time. He wanted to get plastic surgery, but his cultivation was too high, making it impossible to alter his flesh and skin.”
“He decided to travel, to stay away from the Little Mermaid.”
“Whoosh!”
The steam from the meat broth rose, and a thin mist formed on the windowpane. It was raining heavily outside, and even from afar, one could hear the sound of the sea licking against the stones on the shore.
The mechanical voice continued without stopping:
“Months passed. Ugly Egg visited many places. Finally, during a distant journey, he encountered a fierce storm. His strength was great, but he still ran into some deep-sea overlords, and he was battered and bruised before barely reaching a strange island. On the island, he met a handsome young man with hair as long as his waist.”
The mechanical voice paused, and Mu Qi withdrew his gaze, making eye contact with Su Jiu and the other:
“He claimed to be Iron Turtle Immortal.”
