adminZhang Haiyan wasn’t pretending to be dead; in the first few minutes, he genuinely thought he was. He had never experienced such a close-range gunshot before. If it had been a modern firearm, his brain would have been splattered, but Hudson was using an old handgun with moderate power, and the bullet struck him right in the nose.
To disguise himself as a foreigner, he had a steel plate fitted to create a fake nose bridge and cheekbones that closely matched his facial structure. Therefore, the impact of the shot was almost entirely absorbed by his face. Additionally, the pillow helped to mitigate the bullet’s force significantly, so Zhang Haiyan miraculously survived, although he had a nosebleed and fractures in his cheekbones. His head also suffered a severe jolt.
If he hadn’t been lying on the sofa, that shot might have severed his neck.
About ten minutes later, he was thrown into the sea, and the moment he hit the water, he regained consciousness.
When he returned to the room, Zhang Haiyan was soaked through, and He Jianxi looked at him coldly as he walked in. He tore off Steven’s mask and asked, “Do you have a cigarette?”
Steven glanced at a corner, and Zhang Haiyan found a pack of cigarettes inside, lighting one up. He removed the steel plate from his nose, revealing two distinct marks on his face.
Zhang Haiyan pulled the cloth from Steven’s mouth: “Alright, you are officially considered dead now. Your comrades shot at my face without hesitation. You didn’t tell me the code earlier; were you waiting for me to die?”
Steven shook his head: “You were too anxious and didn’t let me finish speaking. I know much more than you think.”
Zhang Haiyan looked at He Jianxi: “He didn’t make any rash moves, did he?” He Jianxi shook his head, and Zhang Haiyan considered blocking Steven’s mouth again. Clearly, Steven was not keen on being silenced again and quickly said, “Obviously, you and the people we need to guard against are not on the same side. Why not cooperate? You possess Eastern mystical skills, and judging by your reaction to the plague, your presence on the ship must be related to it. This woman is also connected to the plague; we can certainly benefit from each other.”
Zhang Haiyan stared at Steven. The woman had appeared from the epidemic area; could she also be involved in spreading the plague? If that were the case, were these assassins actually Zhang Ruipu’s men? Had he helped the wrong person?
After thinking it through, he felt something was off. The assassins had said that they had lured the woman out with the plague, which meant that those assassins were likely the ones spreading the plague. As Steven suggested, this situation was quite bizarre; it seemed someone was hunting a type of person that only appeared during a plague, willing to kill so many for it.
Who would appear during a plague? Only the God of Plague. Were they hunting the God of Plague?
Ah, were they trying to steal my thunder?
Regardless of the situation, the Nanyang Archives should take action against such executions on the shipping routes. Would cooperating with this woman be feasible?
“Your brothers up there are not very reasonable,” Zhang Haiyan said. Steven replied, “Yes, it’s very difficult for you to reach an agreement with them now because they only want to adhere to their established tactics and are unwilling to change. This is also what that woman emphasized. But if I stand on your side, there might be a turning point.”
“Not necessarily. Based on their attitude towards your face just now, they probably wouldn’t mind killing both of us directly. What do you think they would lose by not cooperating with me? If you die, what do they lose?” Zhang Haiyan exhaled a puff of smoke.
“Then you need to communicate directly with that woman,” Steven said.
“How about this: I pierce your neck, and you give that woman a dream?” Zhang Haiyan replied. Steven immediately said, “Mr. Plague God, you’re really mischievous. Actually, you have a very simple way to communicate with her directly.” After Steven said that, he glanced at the notes on the side.
The phone on the ship hadn’t become widespread yet, and there were little notes between the cabins used to convey messages.
“Are you sure the letter will reach her? Based on what just happened, that woman probably doesn’t even want to breathe the outside air. By the way, doesn’t she eat?”
“To prevent poisoning, all the food is self-stocked. There’s enough food in her room; she doesn’t need the ship’s food.” Steven’s survival instincts kicked in, and he suggested, “But information still needs to be exchanged. However, pursuing a woman requires a token of sincerity; you need something to make her come waiting for this note.”
Zhang Haiyan looked at Steven.
“There’s something you don’t know. An epidemic has already started on the ship. We suspect that the assassins, unable to enter that woman’s floor, deliberately leaked it. But we have suppressed the news with the shipowner. The disease spreads quickly, and we don’t have much time to live comfortably. If an epidemic breaks out on the ship, the passengers might riot, and once that happens, things won’t be easy to control.”
Steven said softly, “If you threaten the people above and let them know that if that woman doesn’t see your note, you will spread this matter to all the passengers, Hudson and the others will definitely discuss countermeasures with that woman. This way, your note will naturally be seen by her.”
Zhang Haiyan took a puff of smoke. He knew that what Steven said was very correct. He was trying hard to facilitate cooperation between both sides; only in this way could he save his own life.
He’s a smart character. It’s a pity he’s a foreigner.
He thought for a moment and decided to adopt this method. So, what should be written on the note? How to make the other party feel his sincerity when they see it?
****
Due to the modifications earlier, the amount of information here will be quite large, and the earlier modifications will be smooth. Chapters 16-28 will be uploaded tomorrow, and it won’t affect subsequent readings. Those who don’t want to go back and fill in can skip it; tips will be provided later for explanations.
Tip: Starting from Chapter 16, Zhang Haiyan begins investigating the plague after boarding the ship, looking into the ship’s doctor and the third-class cabin. The storyline of the Baon号 shifts to the lower deck of the Nanan号, taking place on a single ship. During his investigation in the third-class cabin, Zhang Haiyan accidentally saves He Jianxi and discovers that He Jianxi’s request for someone to kill him is not due to showing off wealth, but for reasons unknown. This leads Zhang Haiyan to realize that He Jianxi might have seen something he shouldn’t have, which could be the reason for the assassination attempt against him. Zhang Haiyan kills the assassin and brings He Jianxi back to his room to help him recall his memories. Eventually, He Jianxi mentions a specific scent from a person in the third-class cabin that he had smelled in Penang, but that person denies ever having disembarked. Zhang Haiyan tests the woman he suspects and discovers that there is a group of people in the third-class cabin who are part of an organization. That night, the members of this organization attack Zhang Haiyan’s room, prompting him to retreat to the highest level of the first-class cabin and hide in Steven’s room. During the ordeal, they encounter the formidable firepower of Hudson and others, leading Zhang Haiyan to decide to join forces with the mysterious woman from the first-class cabin to counterattack. It’s a tough situation, and he has a fever.
