564: The First Night 564: The First Night Editor: TheSloth Following his usual pace, Captain Mu Enli walked all the way back without any abnormal expression on his face.
The crew members he encountered along the way, as always, became unconsciously more reserved upon seeing the old captain.
It wasn’t until Mu Enli returned to his room and closed the door that a trace of fatigue flickered in his eyes.
But his body didn’t feel tired at all; instead, there was an energetic feeling reminiscent of his youth…
unbelievable.
Though this was all extremely bizarre, Mu Enli, having weathered decades of storms, managed to stay calm.
He took a deep breath, quickly walked to the window, and forcefully drew the curtains shut.
He then went over to the door again, double-checking that it was locked.
Only then did Mu Enli go to the window, squat down, and grit his teeth as he pushed the bed about five centimeters away from the wall.
Then he stopped, took out his pocket watch, opened it for a glance.
There was a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Someone knocked on the door—
“Dad?
Dad, are you in the room?
Dad?
Dad!
Are you okay?” It was Mu Qinghai’s voice.
The old captain frowned, put his pocket watch away, and moved the bed back to its original spot.
After Mu Qinghai had called out for a while without getting a response, he gave the door a hard slap, just as the door opened.
Old Captain Mu Enli, frowning, appeared: “What are you yelling for?
I’m not dead yet!”
Mu Qinghai was caught pletely off guard, and after a while he finally responded, “I heard you passed out on the deck…”
Mu Enli replied calmly, “Who said I passed out?
I just got tired and fell asleep in the chair, then accidentally rolled onto the floor.
Don’t make a fuss.”
“Dad, maybe you should let a doctor take a look?” Mu Qinghai insisted, “It’s no trouble to have the doctor e over anyway.”
“No need.
I know my own situation,” Mu Enli said, clearly about to close the door.
“Dad!
Can’t you just listen to me this one time?” Mu Qinghai stuck out his hand to hold the door, raising his voice slightly.
“I want to rest.
If I don’t rest now, how am I supposed to have the energy tomorrow to deal with those annoying camera-wielding folks?” Mu Enli snorted coldly.
Mu Qinghai was stunned for a moment…
and in that instant, Mu Enli had already closed the door—it almost caught Mu Qinghai’s hand.
Mu Qinghai frowned; from his father’s tone, it seemed he really agreed this time.
He’d grown up with Mu Enli and knew his father’s temperament inside out…
If he hadn’t truly agreed, he’d never say that kind of thing.
“Dad…
thank you,” Mu Qinghai softly said outside the door.
He paused for a moment, and then his footsteps grew a bit lighter as he left.
Inside the room, the old captain didn’t touch the bed again.
Instead, he opened the curtains and, not bothering to change, simply lay down.
With both hands gripping his pocket watch, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
…
…
Qian Guoliang said he needed to use the protractor at hand, along with a few other tools that were in his room.
Flying Eagle didn’t say much and simply agreed to Qian Guoliang’s request.
While the tourists outside were busy having a blast with the cruise ship’s entertainment, the two of them had holed up in the room, racking their brains over the blueprints they had.
Qian Guoliang laid the floor plans Flying Eagle brought on the bed, then took out a pile of blueprints from his suitcase, flipping through and cross-checking them in a hurry.
“The Baiyu Cruise has had three major refurbishments, but the important areas never changed.
Here, here, and here…”
While Qian Guoliang was poring over the blueprints with a serious face, Flying Eagle was just lazily sizing up the room’s décor…
He even took a beer from the fridge, leaning on the headboard as he drank and watched.
Qian Guoliang frowned and asked, “Can you do something to help?”
Flying Eagle shrugged, “Uncle, sorry, I’m illiterate.
Didn’t finish elementary school, I don’t know squat about any of this stuff.
Anyway, as long as you find the right spot, us two experts team up—taking it away will be a piece of cake!”
Qian Guoliang sneered, “Do nothing and profit off the blueprint you supplied…
That’s a real thief’s mentality.”
Flying Eagle let out a drunken burp and gave a greasy grin.
“What a thief,” Qian Guoliang muttered in discontent, then snorted, “Don’t think you’re going to do nothing!
I’m thirsty too, move it!”
“All right, all right.” Flying Eagle shrugged and got up from the bed, his words slurring, “I’m your servant right now, chief—you need something?”
“Pour me a glass of water,” Qian Guoliang snorted again.
Flying Eagle blinked, “Roger that~”
As Flying Eagle walked past Qian Guoliang toward the table with the water jug, he had barely taken two steps before suddenly squatting down with a flash.
At that exact moment, Qian Guoliang’s arm swept over Flying Eagle’s head by a hair’s breadth.
Flying Eagle kicked backward at Qian Guoliang’s gut.
Qian Guoliang’s reflexes were up to the task—he sucked in his stomach and, like a crouching leopard, instantly recoiled two steps back.
“Uncle, still trying this old trick?
Aren’t you bored?” Flying Eagle stood up, smiling coldly, every muscle tense.
“I grew up getting ambushed by my old man at home…
childish.”
“Not every thief is as alert as you,” Qian Guoliang replied calmly.
“Looks like you’re not an ordinary thief.”
“You flatter me—just so-so.” Flying Eagle curled his lip, his eyes drifting to the blueprints and the protractor lying on the bed…
Suddenly, he lunged for the blueprints and the protractor.
Qian Guoliang just watched Flying Eagle, not moving an inch…
almost as if he’d approved.
“Uncle, since you have no sincerity, guess we’ll do it solo.” Flying Eagle raised his trophies with a crooked smile, “Oh, wait, I mean I’ll do it solo myself…”
Halfway through his words, Flying Eagle shook his head hard, his body suddenly unsteady, his vision blurring.
“You…
what did you do?”
Qian Guoliang stepped up to Flying Eagle and, as Flying Eagle’s body went limp and helpless, swung a hook at his face.
He sneered, “Nicely trained…
But didn’t your family ever tell you not to walk into strangers’ rooms?”
Seeing Flying Eagle motionless, knocked out cold, Qian Guoliang tied him to the chair, using dead knots, and thoroughly searched him, laying out all of Flying Eagle’s “little tools.”
After that, Qian Guoliang walked over to the lamp, unscrewed the bulb, and took out a tiny bit of paper from inside—that was the real “culprit” that knocked Flying Eagle out.
A special chemical product: it releases a colorless, odorless knockout pound into the air when heated.
Once everything was done, Qian Guoliang grabbed the blueprints and protractor, locked the door behind him, and strode off alone down the hall, heading deep into the ship.
The night passed.
…
…
The night passed.
Luo Qiu opened the door to his room…
Everyone had agreed to meet up for breakfast.
But as soon as the door opened, Boss Luo found Subeditor Ren practically stuck to his face.
She must have been pressing herself right up against the door before he opened it.
“What are you doing?” Luo Qiu asked calmly.
“Calling the bed—no, I mean, calling you to get up!” Ren Ziling shoved Luo Qiu aside and barged into the room without the slightest courtesy, grinning, “You Ye!
Sleep well last night?”
“Very well, it was very quiet.” You Ye smiled slightly…
The maid was already dressed neatly, standing by the window, as if she’d just been watching the sea.
Ren Ziling glanced at the bed, then went straight to the table, her eyes sneakily darting under the desk at the waste bin.
Damn…
so clean, nothing in there?
Wait, no used chromosomal containers…
Could it be…
were they, uh, using…
hand stuff!?
So, Miss Ren put on a sweet smile and suddenly asked, “Say, did you two go to bed really late last night?”
“No,” You Ye answered softly.
“We were tired after ing back, so we just lay down and rested.”
Miss Ren, still unsatisfied, sidled up to You Ye, whispered in her ear, “You really didn’t do anything?”
“Do what?” You Ye replied softly.
Miss Ren…
Ren Ziling was crying inside.
She suddenly bellowed, “Officer Ma!
Officer Ma!
Get up!
Breakfast time!”
She stomped out of Luo Qiu’s room, hollering all the way to Officer Ma’s door, banging on it with gusto.
Then Officer Ma’s wife made a rather stunning appearance before them all, “Ziling, morning.”
“Morning, sis-in-law!” Ren Ziling nodded.
“Where’s Old Ma?”
Mrs.
Ma blushed, stammered, “Old Ma…
he’s not up yet, but don’t worry about him.
Let’s go eat, I’ll bring him something back later.”
Noticing Ren Ziling’s suspicious look, Mrs.
Ma was super embarrassed too…
She couldn’t possibly admit that last night, Officer Ma suddenly shouted: “Wife, I don’t think I can control my—uh—discipline!”
Then he pounced, and the two of them went at it like maniacs all night long…
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