Chapter 31

"Distance doubled, let's go."

Zheng Chen directly pulled Qi Ya in the opposite direction of the association members, retreating. Seeing the pained expression on Qi Ya's face due to her leg injury, Xisika's anger intensified. How could the person who fired the shot be so stupid as to do this?

With such vigilance, what's the point of firing a shot right in front of them?

"You... If we keep going like this, you'll die." Once they were out of sight of the association members, Qi Ya, despite the pain in her leg, wasn't very worried. Zheng Chen had already promised that nothing would happen as long as the association followed his conditions.

If he were to break his promise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths for the blue-haired girl.

"..." Zheng Chen didn't respond. He thought even speaking now was a waste. After reaching a safe place, Zheng Chen released his hold on Qi Ya and quickly used the terrain to escape from her line of sight.

"Such a resilient man."

It didn't take long for Qi Ya to see Long Wei and Xisika, who were rushing over with worried expressions. Seeing that Qi Ya was unharmed except for her leg, Xisika let out a heavy sigh of relief. She looked around, feeling a bit puzzled. Why did something feel off?

"Speaking of which, this battle was a bit strange." Sitting on the ground, Qi Ya smiled lightly as Long Wei tended to her wound. She suddenly said.

"Strange... Indeed, a bit." Xisika frowned, thinking. Given Zheng Chen's situation, the other party wouldn't be foolish enough to return to the church ruins, which hadn't been fully dealt with. She hadn't had time to think about it before, but now, it felt very deliberate.

What could the other party have left behind that would make them return? The blue-haired girl? What a joke.

Xisika, who couldn't figure it out, heard the sound of a ship's horn in the distance and was stunned. "We've been tricked. That guy is too ruthless to himself."

Xisika still found it hard to believe. If her guess was correct, Zheng Chen's actions were essentially using himself as bait.

They were all fish on the hook.

"Quickly notify the branch and stop that ship."

"Uh... It might already be too late." Long Wei, with a sweat on his face, looked at the ship that had already left the port. After a moment of silence, he said, "And is this really the right thing to do, Senior?"

"…Alright, let's wait and see for now. If he feels too cornered, he might blow up the ship, which would be bad."

Long Wei, sweating profusely, nodded. That was indeed possible, no, very possible.

The hiding place was dark, and the blue-haired girl didn't know if it was day or night. All she could do was wait quietly for Zheng Chen to return. As for going out, she didn't want to cause him any trouble...

A light appeared behind her and quickly disappeared. The blue-haired girl only smelled a strong scent of blood. "Is that you?"

"Yes."

The brief and unelaborated answer made her completely relax, but then she asked with concern, "This smell of blood..."

"It's not mine."

The blue-haired girl felt, perhaps wrongly, that Zheng Chen's tone this time had a slight wave of unease. The darkness made it hard to see his current state, and the rustling sound seemed to be him changing clothes.

This made her blush slightly and hesitate to get too close. Nearby, Zheng Chen quickly tended to his wounds, cleaning and applying medicine. If not for the metal armor he had previously formed on his body, the shrapnel from the explosion would have killed him.

However, to not affect his movement, the protected areas were limited.

He also needed to remove the bullet from his shoulder...

The blue-haired girl was puzzled. As time passed, the smell of blood didn't decrease but became even stronger. Her fingers, touching the ground, accidentally brushed against a slippery liquid. Blood?

"You lied to me again."

"Yeah, the second time." Zheng Chen nodded wearily, his voice no longer cold. Since he couldn't hide his injuries, it was better that she didn't disturb him while he tended to them. After a simple treatment, he no longer had to worry about his life.

The medicine given by Ping Shizhi was still very effective, healing severe injuries in less than a day. However, this time he used a large amount, and there wasn't much left.

"You..."

"Let me rest for a while." Zheng Chen whispered, "We'll talk tomorrow."

"..."

At night, the blue-haired girl quietly opened her eyes and cautiously approached Zheng Chen. The usually vigilant young man didn't react at all to her approach.

As she got closer, she gradually saw Zheng Chen's current state. He had changed his clothes and looked fine. She slightly pulled back his sleeve and, as expected, saw tightly wrapped bandages on his arm. More unusually, she saw a heavy fatigue on his face, something she had never seen before.

The feeling of being protected, after so long, felt good.

...Did I fall asleep?

Rubbing her eyes groggily, the blue-haired girl looked around. It was still dark, but the strong heartbeat nearby made her feel at ease. She had a dream filled with beautiful memories.

"Heartbeat."

The blue-haired girl blinked and immediately sat up straight, her face twisted. She had fallen asleep on a human's chest and felt so at ease. More awkwardly, Zheng Chen was awake and had already stood up when she sat up.

"We're going out."

After resting for a night and with the help of the recovery medicine, the weakness from yesterday had mostly dissipated. The lack of blood and qi had also been restored to a significant extent by the ginseng liquid, which was easier to absorb. Overall, it didn't affect his combat ability.

Unfortunately, the medicine he carried was limited. If he were to be injured like this again, it would be used up completely. Mortals were indeed too fragile.

From the lowest deck to the highest, they walked up. Although people were curious, no one asked too many questions. They had already gotten on board, so there was no need to worry too much. The ship was quite luxurious, with a wide range of entertainment facilities. There were many ways to avoid suspicion, the simplest being... spending money.

Spending money generously, people who could do so wouldn't choose to sneak aboard because they couldn't afford a ticket. Most people thought this way. A few crew members who wanted to check Zheng Chen's identity gave up after seeing him with the blue-haired girl.

Although most entertainment activities and dining costs were included in the ticket price, it didn't mean everything was free.

For example, the swimsuits at the pool. Some passengers didn't bring them. If they were provided for free... would they even want them? Free? Not shared, right?

Not only that, but snacks outside of regular meals also required money. There were many places where money could be spent, and Zheng Chen visited many of them.

"…I never thought I'd meet you here." A familiar voice came from behind Zheng Chen. "Thank you for your help."

Lilya, standing behind Lassadi, smiled lightly at Zheng Chen and the blue-haired girl. After escaping the shadow of the gambling arena, she and her sister were much more cheerful. Lilya no longer saw the gloomy expression on her sister's face.

"Let's talk somewhere else." After greeting, Lassadi whispered and led Zheng Chen and the blue-haired girl to their room. How could a wanted person like Zheng Chen buy a ticket and board the ship? When did the country's regulations become so lax? "Are you also going to the Vulciennai continent?"

Zheng Chen nodded.

"Is that so? Since that's the case, you don't have a place to stay, right? Don't mind staying here. Consider it a thank you for the medicine you gave us." Lassadi rolled up her sleeve. The medicine Zheng Chen gave her was unexpectedly strong. In less than two days, her injuries were almost completely healed.

If it were someone else, Lassadi would have thought about it before making such a suggestion. But with Zheng Chen, seeing his unchanged expression, she didn't need to think much. Even if her sister stayed alone with him, nothing would happen. If Lilya didn't speak, there wouldn't even be any conversation, though she wouldn't do that...

Zheng Chen was undoubtedly very trustworthy.

However, trouble always finds its way. The door to Lassadi's room was knocked on. "Open up, we're checking rooms. Someone reported that you're hiding a dangerous stowaway."

"..."

"Wait here, I'll handle it." Lassadi stood up and went out, arguing with the crew members. Lilya looked worriedly at Zheng Chen and the blue-haired girl, fearing they would be discovered.

"Go tell your sister there's no one here."

Zheng Chen reached out and pressed the edge of the window, removing the metal that held the glass in place. He quickly jumped out with the blue-haired girl and resecured the glass. Lilya, with her mouth agape, watched this incredible scene, wondering how he did it.

Regaining her senses, she quickly ran out and tugged at her sister. Lassadi, getting the signal from Lilya, was stunned for a moment, then clenched her fist tightly. "If I find out who maliciously reported us, I'll beat them to death."

Seeing Lassadi's fierce expression, the crew member felt immense pressure. The girl in front of him looked good, but her aura was like a female tyrannosaurus. "If you don't find anything, you'll have to explain to me."

Lassadi and Lilya's room wasn't a luxury suite; it was a lower-class room, small and with few facilities. It was easy to see that there was no place to hide anyone.

Under the covers?

The blankets were neatly folded. What could be hidden there? Underwear?

...

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