Chapter 1008
Chapter 1008 - 994 Acquaintance
1,591 words
•
8 min read
"Here’s your Ship Ticket."
"Thank you."
Although Victory had already arrived in international waters, even more people chose this time to board.
Some came on yachts, with Rich people and beauties leaping down; these were mostly Audience members who had purchased high-priced "admission tickets."
It wasn’t just them; there were even more outrageous arrivals...
"...Do you have an invitation?"
"Do I need one?"
"For you, no."
And looking at this middle-aged man who had floated to the open sea on a broken bamboo raft, any security personnel in their right mind would not choose to stop him.
Moreover, he wasn’t even the weirdest among those who boarded later; in fact, he was somewhat ordinary...
"There was a woman who came riding a sea dog, a grandparent and grandchild pair floating over on a gourd, and even a surfing boy drifting along the surface of the water. Uh, earlier there was also a little Monster that floated over carried by several balloons. At least the raft this man used, although broken..."
At an outdoor dining area of a coffee shop on the cruise ship’s deck, Lu Ping’an was enjoying an overpriced coffee he would never usually buy while observing the continual stream of new arrivals boarding the ship.
In front of his table lay the information booklet he had purchased earlier; he had confirmed that most of the newcomers didn’t match its contents.
Those who didn’t follow the cruise ship out but came over to board on their own avoided the risk of their information being scoped out in advance, saving time, but as a trade-off, they attracted many gazes the moment they boarded the ship.
Not far away, a young man who had just come aboard started fighting with another contestant.
They smashed right through one of the decks, and after the initial panic and scramble for safety, the tourists gathered around to watch, pointing and commenting on the Fighters in the midst.
They, in a sense, came specifically for this.
The chance to watch high-level Fighters battle to the death in public may come just once a year.
"......These Ship Tickets cost a fortune, and these people aren’t afraid to die. A bunch of Decree-level above start fighting, and they could easily punch a hole through the ship."
The joys and sorrows of Humans can never resonate with each other; while most people spare no effort in pursuit of safer dwellings, there are others who chase after various thrills.
"Do you mind if I join your table?"
Suddenly, a somewhat elderly voice interrupted Lu Ping’an’s train of thought.
Without even lifting his head, Lu Ping’an’s curt response made the conversation a bit awkward to continue.
The old man who had spoken was also taken aback by the lack of face given by "Su Xi", considering his many years of renown in the industry, he was someone of status.
"Young man..." He was a bit annoyed and about to blow his top.
"Big brother, Xiao Mu is hungry. Granddad brought Xiao Mu over, and he hasn’t even given Xiao Mu a full meal."
It was a little girl’s voice that broke the standoff.
Lu Ping’an looked down, first startled, then opened his eyes to "see" a little girl about five or six years old.
That’s when he smiled.
"If it’s you, of course..."
"Can I? Big brother?"
The little girl’s eyes widened, her face full of longing as she stared at the untouched cake in front of Lu Ping’an.
It was too sweet; Lu Ping’an wasn’t used to it, but to Qian Xiaomu, who had been hungry for a good and a half days, it was a life-sustaining nutrition.
Approaching Lu Ping’an was, of course, no coincidence... but because her grandfather said there was an "acquaintance" here from a chance meeting, they came over to scrounge for information.
Yes, information. The way this person boldly scanned through the information booklet, comparing each and every individual, was indeed a bit too conspicuous.
"....Of course you can’t."
Despite smiling, Lu Ping’an denied the little girl, causing her sweet smile to freeze on her face.
While speaking, Lu Ping’an rudely stuffed the sickly sweet cake into his mouth, polishing it off in two bites, even smearing some on his face after finishing it.
"Delicious... uh, by a child’s standards."
Lu Ping’an, who told no lies, quickly added two more sentences. He actually struggled with the overwhelming sweetness and almost spat it out.
As a result, he got the pleasure of seeing the frozen face of the other party, which then turned into a puffed-up little cheek... and an old man snickering behind her.
"So, what business do you have with me? I am quite busy."
"Meanie! Xiao Mu won’t talk to you!"
Saying this, the little girl tried to pull her grandfather away.
But Lu Ping’an just smiled, watching all this... and casually ordered two more cloyingly sweet cakes, along with an even sweeter milk tea.
Lu Ping’an undoubtedly heard someone swallowing, so as he took the tray from the waiter, he pushed the cakes over.
"This is to apologize; both are yours, I haven’t touched them, so you can eat them at ease... Come on, what do you want from me?"
"Ah, I take back what I said earlier, big brother, you really are a good person!"
As the little girl quickly sat down and started gobbling up her food with joy, the grandfather, who was laughing and known as "Old Qian," Qian Zhujin, was somewhat surprised.
The Su Xi in front of him was different from the one in the files... That lonely boy shrouded in shadows, a young killer from just four or five years ago, seemed now to be so... normal?
But Qian Zhujin, being a powerful Decree-level individual, hesitated.
He had come to find Su Xi simply because he needed an ally he could control.
The strength didn’t need to be too great, but it would be best if they had certain social connections and accumulated wealth, able to provide information and logistical support... Ideally, a qualified short-term meal ticket, someone whose bridge could easily be burned when necessary.
He had sought him out because he knew from his information dealers that Su Xi was here.
They had a brief encounter before, and that cloaked young killer had decent skills, but was still too green and directionless.
Based on his impression at that time, even if the young man had ten more years, he probably couldn’t catch up to him.
But now, he found it harder to see through this person, and his heightened intuition as an old stager in the Decree system was even making him feel wary of this young man.
To him, the feeling was uncannily unfamiliar, so much so that it was unsettling...
"Heh, young man, I wonder if you remember Old Qian? We had a brief encounter five years ago, on that sewage project in Shaluo District..."
At that moment, Qian Shu’en staggered back a step.
His keen senses alerted him that the young man still smiling before him, at the instant he let out the words "I know you," seemed to be... like he had entered the mouth of a Beast and could be swallowed whole at any moment.
"...Choosing him might have been a mistake..." Cold sweat appeared on his back, and Old Qian grew even more uneasy.
Perceiving the "Su Xi" before him had greatly changed, and that his strength was probably no longer beneath him, Qian Zhujin hesitated.
"Oh, so it’s a senior, I am listening..."
But at this time, facing the smiling "boy," Old Qian, already having loosed the arrow from his bow with no way back, could only press on.
"Perhaps, we could work together for a while. After all, there are many troublesome tricks to deal with before the final Victory, and I have some information. Perhaps you do too..."
However, he was unaware that the person in front of him was calculating how to deal with him.
"Big Cat, do you know this man?"
"Too low-level, who would pay attention..."
"We’ve met once. Did he recognize me? Is this him threatening me?"
"Nothing of the sort. If he recognized you, he’d stay as far away as possible. Being able to completely replace Su Xi, he would not invite trouble himself... Su Xi used to wear a hood and cloak; not many people have seen his real face, that’s also why I chose him."
Well, that makes things easier.
"Ha, it turns out to be Old Qian... brother. A collaboration? Sure, sure, sure, I like nothing better than cooperating and making deals."
While Lu Ping’an was happily exchanging information with his new friend, he was oblivious to the fact that in some place, a Chapter of his past was fermenting.
Big Cat’s guess wasn’t wrong; some things can’t be avoided... But she hadn’t anticipated that those troubles might have originated from her from the very beginning!
"I have the latest information on the Mother Goddess, though it seems a bit far-fetched... Should I proceed as planned and awaken the ’Princess’?"
"What era is this for you to still call someone Princess? Be careful or the Princess will carve you up in person... Wake up Miss. Some matters can only be decided by her personally."
— End of Chapter 1008 —