adminIs this the mysterious Miss Dong? Zhang Haiyan thought to himself as he looked at the crowd. Several of the assassins he had identified in the third-class cabin were present in the ballroom, including waiters and musicians.
If he had come in with his own face, he would have likely been targeted by now. He remained expressionless as he watched Miss Dong walk down the stairs and nod to the people below.
The firing squad had all arrived at the railing on the second floor, and he could see that their hands were in their pockets, aimed at the downstairs. These should be the best marksmen. Miss Dong really took her safety seriously.
When Zhang Haiyan looked up, the members of the firing squad recognized him and greeted him, to which he politely responded.
“Miss Dong is the daughter of the shipowner, and she happens to be on the ship this time. The Dong family is the wealthiest in Xiamen and has connections with various heads of state. Both the revolutionary army and the Qing court have to give her some respect,” someone commented. His female companion seemed a bit jealous: “Look, she’s not ugly. Beautiful girls always get the same reaction from you men.”
Zhang Haiyan politely released his grip. “I was just stunned by the spectacle of Miss Dong. I apologize if I upset you. But now I need to attend to my teacher.”
“Steven, where have you been these past few days?” Warner, who had followed Miss Dong down, called out to Zhang Haiyan. Zhang Haiyan immediately cleared his throat and approached. “Teacher, my throat has been uncomfortable lately.”
Warner said, “Dancing doesn’t require your throat; come sit with me. Let’s finish our meal quickly and then join the ladies for some fun.”
Zhang Haiyan nodded. This was a dinner and dance party. The two exchanged polite greetings with everyone on the first floor before heading back up to the second floor.
Zhang Haiyan looked around the second floor. The firing squad showed no signs of relaxation; the first floor and the stairs were within shooting range, so they couldn’t act recklessly. They obediently followed and entered one of the private rooms on the second floor.
Miss Dong and Warner sat down, and the door of the room was left open. Inside were some exquisite appetizers, and as the three of them poured drinks, Warner asked, “I heard there’s a special drink for the dance; let’s each have a glass.” Steven looked around and saw no attendants, realizing Warner was speaking to him.
He cursed inwardly, stood up, and realized that he was invited to the table to serve. He approached the wine cabinet in the room, where there was a bottle of already decanted red wine and a box. Zhang Haiyan was a bit puzzled and glanced at Warner, who gave him a knowing look.
Zhang Haiyan then brought the box and the wine over.
“Miss Dong, what do you think about the matter I mentioned last time?” Warner asked as he wrapped a napkin around himself.
“I told you, the deal we made when we boarded is the final version. I cannot meet your additional requests,” Miss Dong said, lighting a cigarette and casting a slightly disdainful glance at Steven.
Zhang Haiyan was still watching the two musketeers guarding outside the door. The door was not closed, and he could easily take down Walner and kidnap Miss Dong, but he knew that someone with good marksmanship could hit him directly from such a close distance, even if he managed to take Miss Dong hostage. He didn’t want to take Miss Dong’s life; he just hoped she would help him fight against those assassins. He needed to think of a way to close the door.
“It’s not an extra request; it’s an additional transaction.” Walner opened the box, revealing a piece of jade. “I know that money has little value to your family now. This is a piece of jade discovered in Central Asia, likely imported by Arabs from Myanmar through China. I know your family has been collecting such items. Your father will surely appreciate this; it’s one of the rarest pieces of this kind. I hope this can open the door to our cooperation.”
Listening to Walner, Zhang Haiyan thought the foreigner was quite straightforward; he hadn’t even started eating yet and was already getting to the point.
Miss Dong looked at Walner. “It is indeed very precious, but exchanging this for a smuggling channel is like asking my family to trade a life for a piece of stone. I think my father would find it hard to agree, and I haven’t even arrived in Xiamen yet; our first transaction hasn’t been completed, so why rush?”
Walner replied, “By the time you reach Xiamen, one piece of stone might not be enough. What I mean is, you take this piece of stone now, send a telegram to your father, and before you arrive in Xiamen, you open the smuggling channel for us. Once you get to Xiamen, the channel can be closed. I only need this little time.”
Miss Dong smiled. “It feels like you’re using me to threaten my father.”
Walner shook his head. “It’s business, Miss Dong, it’s business. The ship is yours, but the strongest firepower on board is mine, and it’s you who approved our boarding. A common man fears the country, and a Bodhisattva fears cause and effect. Don’t you think about what makes you so afraid that you need me to protect you?”
Miss Dong seemed to be touched by Walner’s words. After a moment of thought, she asked, “Mr. Walner, you said your people are ruthless killers, right?”
Walner nodded. “Yes, they follow my orders and are ruthless killers. Right, Steven?”
Zhang Haiyan nodded.
Zhang Haiyan poured wine for both of them and himself, then stealthily moved toward the door, preparing to close it. Walner looked at Miss Dong. “You’ve delayed long enough; today you need to give me an answer. Otherwise, we might all be in for a scare.”
Miss Dong smiled. “You will definitely be the one scared.” She said to Zhang Haiyan, who was about to close the door, “Mr. Fake Face, even if you close this door, what you intend to do cannot succeed.”
Zhang Haiyan was taken aback, but his hands did not stop; he continued to close the door. Walner had not yet reacted when suddenly Miss Dong pushed herself off the table with one hand, executed a horizontal kick, and struck the box on the table. It flew out, getting stuck in the door gap, preventing it from closing successfully, and then it soared over the railing, falling down to the second floor.
Zhang Haiyan did not expect Miss Dong to be so fierce. Just as he turned around, she kicked out with another flying kick. Zhang Haiyan opened the car door and performed a backflip out. Miss Dong’s movements were just as swift; she followed him out immediately. The gunmen were still trying to figure out what had happened when Miss Dong had already approached Zhang Haiyan’s face.
Zhang Haiyan thought to himself, “This is too aggressive. How could she be the daughter of a shipping king? She’s practically the daughter I would train myself.” He quickly said in Chinese, “I’m here to discuss business; I handed you a note.”
Miss Dong paid him no mind and went straight for his eyes. Zhang Haiyan flipped over and jumped from the second floor to the first. Before he even landed, Miss Dong had almost glued herself to him and jumped down as well.
“You’re definitely not a rich second generation,” Zhang Haiyan thought. “Is it a trend for shipping kings to send their daughters to Shaolin Temple?” Upon landing, Zhang Haiyan rolled to the side, and the dance floor below turned chaotic. As he looked up, he saw the chandelier above. He narrowly dodged another eye poke from Miss Dong and, using his remaining strength, shot a blade up at the chandelier, severing its power line.
The chandelier didn’t fall, but sparks flew from the wires, and the lights went out, plunging the entire dance floor into darkness. Everyone screamed and scrambled for safety.
Zhang Haiyan rolled into a corner, quickly removed his outer clothing, and tore off his mask, tossing it into the center of the dance floor. Almost simultaneously, the regular lights of the dance floor turned on. The lights were extremely bright, and everyone seemed to awaken, noticing that Miss Dong had stopped chasing and had come to where the mask lay, picking it up and stuffing it into her skirt while holding onto the jade box.
Hualena chased after her, looking at Miss Dong. “What happened to Steven? Where’s my jade?”
“Your jade was taken by Steven.”
“What’s wrong with Steven? He was acting like a monkey just now,” the gunmen murmured behind him.
Hualena took off his face mask and immediately tossed it to the gunman behind him. “Miss Dong, I lost something on your ship, and you need to take responsibility.”
Miss Dong lit another cigarette. “That’s not right. The person who took your things was one of your own, wasn’t it?”
Hualena was furious. He suddenly drew his gun and aimed it at Miss Dong. “You set me up, didn’t you? That wasn’t Steven at all. If Steven could jump down from here and still run, I’d lick your feet.”
Miss Dong looked at him coldly. She took a step forward, and the gun in Hualena’s hand disappeared. He was momentarily stunned as Miss Dong had already stuffed the gun into his holster.
“Since his goal is the jade, and the ship hasn’t docked yet, the jade is naturally still on the ship. What are you worried about?” Miss Dong said. “From now on, we will conduct a search. Everyone should be informed of this, and all passengers must stay in their rooms and wait for Mr. Hualena’s inspection.”
Zhang Haiyan, hiding in the corner, watched Miss Dong, feeling puzzled about what this woman was really up to.
