KN | Chapter 53

Don’t Play Tricks, Chen Wan

Chen Wan forced himself to keep his gaze on Zhao Shengge’s face, not letting it drift downward. Even so, every part of Zhao Shengge’s body carried an overwhelming presence. On the surface, Chen Wan looked calm and composed, but in truth his mind was already muddled.

Zhao Shengge walked barefoot along the shore. Chen Wan quickened his pace, went ahead to pick up his shoes, bent down, and placed them by his feet.

Zhao Shengge looked down at him from above, watching him lower his head in submission. He reached out and pulled him up, then put on his shoes. His hand, however, never left Chen Wan’s arm. Soon, Chen Wan’s sleeve was damp as well, and the spot where Zhao Shengge held him burned with heat.

Worried he might catch a chill, and with servants occasionally passing along the path, Chen Wan unfolded a white bath towel and asked, “Do you want to put this on?”

Zhao Shengge wrinkled his nose slightly, as if finding it troublesome. But Chen Wan kept his arms raised, holding the towel open. Zhao Shengge leaned forward a little. Chen Wan immediately reacted and draped it over his shoulders.

His arms passed in front of Zhao Shengge and around behind his back, giving the illusion of an embrace.

Zhao Shengge lowered his head, like a silent, docile large feline allowing itself to be handled.

The damp ends of his hair brushed against Chen Wan’s cheek and earlobe. Droplets of water fell onto his shoulder, one by one.

Chen Wan held his breath, suppressing the frantic pounding of his heart brought on by the overwhelming stimulation. Even his usual effortless smile faded slightly.

It was not that he was seeing him through any sort of filter. Zhao Shengge truly was strikingly attractive. When he had been younger, before he carried this current air of mystery and authority, people had said he looked like a male model at the negotiation table.

After settling the towel, Chen Wan went to retrieve his belongings. The two of them walked back to the villa together.

There were more servants in the villa area. Zhao Shengge walked straight ahead, eyes forward, as if no one else existed.

Chen Wan escorted him to the door. Zhao Shengge asked, “Coming in?”

Chen Wan was tempted, but he shook his head. “It’s late. I still have to go out to sea with Fang Bo tomorrow morning.”

The research vessel and unmanned craft would arrive at the island in the early hours tonight. Tomorrow they would carry out the most comprehensive data collection yet. The workload would be heavy, and they had to set out at dawn.

Zhao Shengge said, “Good night, Chen Wan.”

“Good night, Zhao Shengge.”

Chen Wan watched him go inside before returning to his own room. He shut himself in the bathroom, staring coldly at his reflection in the mirror with a kind of self-disgust and resignation.

The sound of water began to run. Someone seemed both immersed and in pain as he murmured a name, “Zhao Shengge…”

On the final day at Ting Island, the Explorer set sail. The weather was better than yesterday, and the wind and waves were not too strong.

Although the research vessel was not especially large, it was highly conspicuous during operations at sea. Li Shenghui assigned additional personnel for Zhao Shengge’s use. Even though Zhao Shengge’s subordinates were all elite, they were not familiar with this area.

Today’s voyage was two to three times longer than yesterday’s. They would pass various ports, docks, and tribal settlements. To ensure smooth passage, Li Shenghui suggested sending one of his most trusted deputies, Lin Lian, along with them. To the local fishing boats and residents, seeing Lin was equivalent to seeing Li himself, so there would be no obstruction or harassment.

It was unclear what Zhao Shengge had promised Li Shenghui. After their private discussion in the tea room, Li Shenghui showed a faint attitude of submitting to a sovereign.

Zhao Shengge accepted this gesture. He preferred to win over distant allies and deal with nearby forces selectively. Ting Island was not strong enough to pose a threat, so he was willing to adopt a softer approach to achieve mutual benefit.

Chen Wan had no objections. He had already investigated Li Shenghui’s deputies thoroughly, practically tracing their family histories back eighteen generations.

The Explorer was Minglong’s largest undertaking in recent years aside from Whale Vessel No. 17. It was jointly developed by Minglong and the mainland and manufactured there. It marked the first of its kind in scientific collaboration between the two regions, causing a major sensation across the Asia-Pacific and even worldwide.

The sea surface was calm. After Fang Jian completed the final data collection, the Explorer began its return journey. Chen Wan thought about how he and Zhao Shengge would go alone to Beach No. 19 tomorrow, also known as Feiling Island. A restless excitement rose within him.

Two hours later, the research vessel signaled its approach to shore. The engine noise was slightly louder than usual.

Zhao Shengge was listening to Fang Jian explain his projections about sediment displacement on the surface of the seabed rock. Chen Wan compared it with real-time monitored tidal energy differences. He happened to glance up and narrowed his eyes.

Although the ship had issued a docking signal, the bow had not turned at all. If it continued forward, it would enter a zone of hidden currents.

A sense of foreboding rose sharply from deep within him. Chen Wan did not alert anyone. His hand rested on the Beretta at his waist as he moved to the window to observe.

Lin Lian, who had been stationed on the deck all day, also seemed to notice something wrong and gave Chen Wan an almost imperceptible nod.

Li Jiaming.

In recent days, the benefits Zhao Shengge had promised Li Shenghui had nearly pushed Li Jiaming into a corner. They had been on guard against him all along.

Yet despite all precautions, something still went wrong on the final day. Chen Wan ran through everything in his mind, but he could not figure out where the flaw had been.

Their ship had docked once today, and every part of it had been guarded.

Li Jiaming’s people were clever. The ship was currently in a hazardous bay with weak signal reception, making it difficult to detect whether its course was deviating toward the shore.

But Chen Wan had fought his way up from Xiaolan Mountain since childhood. He possessed an instinctive sensitivity and vigilance toward danger.

He walked to Zhao Shengge’s side. With just a glance, Zhao Shengge immediately understood.

Without saying anything more, Zhao Shengge ordered Fang Jian to be taken to the lower cabin. The accompanying bodyguards were fully equipped. Among them were Zhao Shengge’s men and Li Shenghui’s men, but it was unclear how many others had infiltrated.

They were in the open while the enemy was hidden. The ship was still drifting in the middle of the ocean. The weather was shifting, and control of the helm was already in enemy hands.

Zhao Shengge calmly contacted his deputy while sending their location to Li Shenghui. He then pulled Chen Wan into a restricted area that required his facial recognition to enter.

Chen Wan grabbed him in return. His voice remained low and steady. “Zhao Shengge, go to the sealed cabin.”

The verification area was only temporarily safe. If Lin Lian could not quickly identify and eliminate Li Jiaming’s people, the ship’s entire system could be sabotaged.

Although the Explorer was only a medium-sized research vessel, its overall performance was extremely strong. It could carry out operations such as virtual anchoring, deep-sea base station deployment, vertical fixed-area cruising, and multi-beam seabed mapping. It was also equipped with sealed emergency cabins.

The sealed cabin was like a miniature emergency ark. It could withstand low temperatures and high pressure. Not to mention bullets, even if a bomb exploded on the ship, it would not damage the cabin.

In an emergency, the cabin would automatically detach from the vessel and operate within fifty meters below the sea surface, maintaining stable flow conditions. It could continue running for seventy-two hours even in violent storms and had a positioning system to allow those inside to wait for rescue.

However, this type of small sealed cabin was made of a new fully enclosed high-pressure material. While it was extremely secure, it also meant very limited oxygen reserves. And since this level was already below the sea surface, two people inside would not be able to last until Li Shenghui’s rescue arrived.

A ship could usually only be equipped with one or two such cabins. Any more would interfere with its normal operation.

Zhao Shengge looked at him for two seconds and said, “Take me there.”

Seeing that Zhao Shengge did not argue, Chen Wan let out a breath and escorted him down the gangway to the lower level beneath the sea surface.

The moment the cabin door opened, the person behind suddenly shoved Chen Wan inside. Chen Wan reacted instantly, bracing his gun against the doorframe.

He had kept a backup plan.

Unfortunately, Chen Wan understood Zhao Shengge, and Zhao Shengge understood Chen Wan just as well.

Zhao Shengge was not surprised at all that he had left himself a fallback. The deck above began to shake abnormally. He immediately drew a Colt Python revolver.

Zhao Shengge’s hands were large, and the weapon looked imposing. With ease, he knocked aside Chen Wan’s compact and efficient Beretta. His voice remained calm. “Chen Wan, I don’t want to point a gun at you. You said you would listen. Don’t make me angry at a time like this.”

The Explorer had two sealed cabins. One had been given to Fang Jian, who had no ability to defend himself. The other, Zhao Shengge had decided on his own to give to Chen Wan.

Unfortunately, Chen Wan had also decided on his own to give it to Zhao Shengge.

Footsteps sounded above them, slightly hurried.

Zhao Shengge grabbed both of Chen Wan’s wrists with one hand, like iron shackles locking him in place. He lifted his chin slightly and said in a low, commanding voice, “Go in.”

With his other hand, he pulled a rope from the ship’s railing and bound Chen Wan’s wrists tightly. He showed no mercy and allowed no resistance.

“Whatever you hear, don’t come out,” Zhao Shengge said. His tone was not harsh, but carried strong authority.

“Zhao Shengge,” Chen Wan called out, raising his hands that were tied to the post. “You tied it too tight. I can’t reach the temperature control button.”

If the situation deteriorated to the point where the cabin detached from the ship, then how long it would drift on the sea would be uncertain. If it drifted near ice fields, the temperature inside would need to be raised. At the very least, the person inside needed enough freedom to operate basic controls.

“Don’t play tricks, Chen Wan,” Zhao Shengge said flatly. Still, he went back and adjusted the rope, leaving enough slack for him to move within the narrow space.

Zhao Shengge was extremely cautious. His grip was powerful, leaving Chen Wan almost no chance to resist.

Although Chen Wan had fought plenty since childhood, his build and strength were not on the same level as Zhao Shengge.

To prevent any counterattack, Zhao Shengge stayed very close. Chen Wan could almost hear the steady, forceful beat of his heart.

Chen Wan did not appear to resist. He lowered his eyes and said softly, “Zhao Shengge, my wrists still hurt a little.”

Zhao Shengge frowned slightly. Chen Wan’s tone was not deliberately coquettish, yet it still felt like he was acting spoiled.

“Quiet,” Zhao Shengge said in a low voice.

He did not want Chen Wan to keep talking. It would easily disrupt his focus.

Seeing the clear red marks already pressed into Chen Wan’s pale wrists, Zhao Shengge’s expression did not change, but he loosened the bindings slightly.

Chen Wan did not fall silent. As if accepting that he was outmatched, he allowed himself to be bound. After steadying his thoughts, he asked, “Where do you plan to exit later?”

Zhao Shengge ignored him and continued tying.

Chen Wan leaned closer again and said, “Take the starboard side. The escape ladder there is more concealed.”

Zhao Shengge leaned back slightly, head lowered as he worked, not looking at him. He gave a quiet “mm” in acknowledgment.

As Zhao Shengge tied the final knot, Chen Wan added a few more instructions. Zhao Shengge did not respond.

“Did you hear what I said?” Chen Wan suddenly placed his hand over the back of Zhao Shengge’s hand, holding it and giving it a slight shake.

Chen Wan’s hand was soft and warm. The pads of his fingers brushed lightly across Zhao Shengge’s palm.

He was not entirely certain. It felt faint, almost indistinct. Zhao Shengge frowned as if disturbed. Just as he was about to tell Chen Wan to behave, in the next instant, the rope slipped free from the hand that had felt that strange ticklish sensation.

The rope was deftly looped in a sudden movement and ended up around Zhao Shengge’s own wrist. His brows drew together sharply.

While speaking, Chen Wan had already quietly undone the rope and redirected it.

In terms of strength and direct combat, Chen Wan could not compare to Zhao Shengge, who had received systematic training since childhood. But when it came to underhanded tricks and subtle schemes, Zhao Shengge could not match Chen Wan, who had grown up in a chaotic, lawless environment.

The things Chen Wan knew were far dirtier.