Chapter 214 - 213: Giant Octopus (2)
"That’s enough. Go on back."
"Alright."
When Zhang Aihua went to the large galley Jiang Linhai had arranged, he was stunned.
They hadn’t used such fully modern equipment in a long time.
Everyone looked pleasantly surprised, especially when they saw the food the monkeys had brought over. That made them even happier.
Their voices started to get a little loud, and Zhang Aihua quickly shushed them. "Hey, keep it down. Don’t disturb anyone, or we’ll get kicked off the ship."
Everyone immediately fell silent and got busy in the galley.
After a hearty meal, Zhang Aihua stood before everyone in the dining hall. "Listen up," he said. "These people aren’t going to shelter us forever, so we have to follow the rules on this ship. Got it?"
"Understood."
The future was uncertain, but for now, just being safe felt like a blessing.
Brother Qiu and Lao Er sidled up to him. "So, where is this ship actually going?" they asked.
"North," Zhang Aihua replied.
"They’re just playing it by ear?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
Brother Qiu asked cautiously, "We haven’t seen Jiang Si or Qin Shen at all. Why is that?"
’They’re probably injured, or even dead,’ Zhang Aihua guessed, judging by the perpetually grim look on Jiang Linhai’s face.
Still, after a glance at a security monitor, he said, "They’re probably in one of the rooms. No reason they’d need to see us."
’He and Jiang Si were worlds apart now.’
’Jiang Si had saved his life. Logically, he should be repaying that debt, not causing more trouble for her.’
’But he had a wife and son. With no better way to survive, he had no choice but to depend on them.’
A cry echoed from the sky. It was Little Chun, returning with the micro-camera.
Their wrist locators had been able to track Jiang Si’s position, but they suddenly stopped working after she went on a rampage.
Qin Shen had also fallen into a coma, with no telling when he might wake.
To make sure they weren’t searching for Jiang Si in the wrong direction, Jiang Linhai had come up with the idea of sending Little Chun to scout ahead.
Little Chun had been flying for a long time and must have been exhausted.
Jiang Linhai had everyone prepare a lavish meal for the bird. He then removed the memory card from the camera, eager to check for any sign of Jiang Si.
When the other survivors saw that Jiang Linhai’s group was also keeping several Vultures, they grew fearful and retreated uneasily to the former crew’s quarters.
He scanned through the footage on the card and finally saw a familiar little red dot. But as the video showed Little Chun getting closer and trying to call out to Jiang Si, the Barrier that surrounded her instantly flung the bird away.
After several more failed attempts to get close, the exhausted Little Chun had finally flown back to eat.
Seeing that Jiang Si was still alive and moving forward, everyone finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Jiang Linhai also noticed that Jiang Si’s Barrier Space had expanded significantly.
It was now large enough to protect all of them, but she had lost control of her own mind.
Shen Baoying watched the video, crying. "Let’s ride Little Chun and find Sisi!" she pleaded.
Seeing Jiang Si walking all alone across the surface of the sea felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
The Icebreaker was too slow; they all wished they could just fly over to her.
"I’ll go too!" Zhang Qingfang declared.
"I’ll go too!" said Jiang Chengwu.
"We’ll go too!" Niu Niu and Lu Zhifeng added in unison.
’If we all go, we’d just be handing this ship over to the others for free.’
’And if they couldn’t wake Jiang Si, they’d have to come back to resupply and recover their strength anyway.’
Jiang Linhai cut in, "One person is enough!"
’As her father, it was his duty to bring Jiang Si back.’
Jiao Chunzi suddenly spoke up. "She doesn’t recognize anyone right now, and she’s extremely aggressive. It’s better if I go. It doesn’t matter if I get hurt, I don’t need to eat or sleep, so I can keep a constant watch on her. If Sisi regains her senses and realizes she hurt one of you, she would be heartbroken."
Jiang Linhai and the others exchanged glances. The thought of Qin Shen, still in a coma, was on everyone’s mind. Finally, Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying came to a decision. "We’ll go with you first to check things out," they said. "If that doesn’t work, we’ll come up with a new plan."
Jiao Chunzi nodded. "Alright. Are we leaving now?"
Zhang Qingfang said gratefully, "Thank you. We’ll be sure to take good care of Bao’er for you."
Niu Niu added, "I’ll take good care of my little sister, too. Don’t you worry, Auntie!"
Jiao Chunzi forced a smile, then kissed Bao’er, full of reluctance. "Be a good girl, sweetheart. Mommy will be right back."
After packing some food, bundling up warmly, and gathering enough ammunition, Shen Baoying, Jiang Linhai, and Jiao Chunzi each mounted a Vulture and set off.