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Chapter 198: Chapter 167: Return to the East Capital
Beep————
With the sonorous sound of the steam whistle, a ferry brimming with tourists slowly set sail from the harbor.
The striking blue hull was gleaming in the rising sun.
Even from the training camp on the hillside, one could see it very clearly.
The day after the Ocean Festival, the current returned to normal, and the route to Yong’an Island was reopened.
Nevertheless, many tourists chose to stay, lingering in this peaceful paradise that calmed their spirits.
On the seventh floor, inside an office.
Two silhouettes stood in front of a window, gazing at the scene in the direction of the harbor.
"Spirit, I’m sorry to have put you through this."
Watching the ferry moving further away, Zheng Hongxin suddenly spoke in a deep voice.
Chen Jiandong’s shoulders trembled slightly before he shook his head, saying:
"After joining the True Thought Society, my real family is actually the companions in the society. Grandfather was too confused; since he took the wrong path, he should be punished. Otherwise, it’s unfair to those who have passed away..."
Hearing this, Zheng Hongxin felt somewhat gratified and said:
"I will allow him to die peacefully. As for the matter of defecting to the enemy, only a few of us high-ranking members know."
Chen Jiandong nodded silently.
Zheng Hongxin patted his shoulder, exhaling deeply.
Chen Hui was also like a child he watched grow up, who, eager for a longer life, chose to join the True Thought Society and laid the foundation on Yong’an Island, thereby making remarkable contributions.
Yet now, in order not to become a monster, he trusted the deceiving words of others and sought refuge in the mysterious Noah Organization.
However, there are no gains without sacrifices in this world; one must pay a corresponding price for what they receive.
As for the impact on the spirit, it’s impossible to eradicate it completely from the root.
Because it’s not just a matter of one lifetime!
The anchoring effect of the Truth Stele is only to mitigate the negative impacts as much as possible, guiding the consciousness of the members’ souls after death not to get lost in chaos and darkness, enabling them to reincarnate smoothly.
The Noah Organization uses so-called "Spirit Potions" to forcefully suppress chronic mental afflictions; accumulating like that, the outbreak would be even more terrible when it comes.
Thinking of this, Zheng Hongxin once again said in a grave voice:
"I’m afraid I won’t hold on much longer. In the future, the True Thought Society will have to rely on you to sustain it..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiandong couldn’t help but feel moved.
At that moment, a loud voice suddenly interrupted:
"Old Zheng, this is the inventory confirmed by our salvage team. Please check it."
It was Feng Kehai who walked into the office, handing over a document to him.
Listed on it were various valuable items dredged up from around the seabed fissure.
It included Ancient Relics that the True Thought Society valued most and miscellaneous items like sunken ship antiques.
There were also deep-sea seaweed and tentacled flesh masses, perfect ingredients for the canteen to brew delicious soups.
After a glance, Zheng Hongxin instructed:
"Store the Ancient Relics at the altar for preservation first; handle the rest according to the usual rules." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Feng Kehai then asked, "What about the captives? How should we deal with them?"
Zheng Hongxin’s gaze suddenly turned cold:
"Speaking of which, the True Thought Society hasn’t had a blood sacrifice for a long time. During the next Ocean Festival, let’s use them as offerings."
Hearing this, Feng Kehai was immediately invigorated, appearing quite excited.
Then, he couldn’t help but ask more:
"Old Zheng, although that girl provided us with information, she is the main culprit who damaged the Truth Stele. Why not seize the opportunity to capture her?"
Zheng Hongxin shook his head with a smile:
"What’s the use of capturing her? The fact that she successfully gained powers back then implies that the Truth Stele has actually accepted her."
After a pause, he instead asked Feng Kehai in succession:
"Have you ever felt that she’s very similar to someone we once knew? Have you thought about why the Truth Stele would accept her?"
"Why did she appear at the crucial moment to help us? Perhaps, even the man with the mask is acquainted with her..."
"Are you saying she is..."
"Shh, it’s enough that we know this in our hearts."
Zheng Hongxin hushed with a mysterious air.
Feng Kehai immediately shut his mouth, his face revealing even more excitement.
.........
The cruise ship cut through the waves, sailing out of the harbor and into the vast, azure ocean.
On the open-air observation deck, many tourists stood by the railing, gazing at Yong’an Island, which was gradually receding in the distance.
A flock of seagulls flapped their wings, incessantly calling out, circling behind the ship as if seeing them off.
"What a pity—"
Pan Wendi sighed deeply, with a lingering sense of regret: "We didn’t get the chance to soak in the volcanic hot springs, which is the most popular tourist attraction on Yong’an Island."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuqiao couldn’t help but glare at him reproachfully:
"You really treated this like a vacation. We owe our smooth return to East Capital to Fang Cheng’s help, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible."
Saying this, she brushed her hair that was tousled by the sea breeze, looked at the man standing beside her with concentrated eyes, and then whispered:
"In any case, I dare not take you out again next time, lest I get scolded by auntie."
Hearing this, Pan Wendi’s face immediately fell.
Listening to their conversation, Fang Cheng revealed a smile.
He looked up towards Yong’an Island, now just a blurry silhouette, and silently thought to himself.
I’ll come back here in the future; this place is an excellent retreat for my own cultivation.
Perhaps with enough money, buying a seaside villa on the island and spending each winter there vacationing and cultivating wouldn’t be a bad choice.
On the deck, tourists leisurely admired the seascape, waiting for the voyage to reach its final destination.
Inside the ship’s cabins, in a particular VIP room, the atmosphere was almost frozen.
Luo Lie’s face was incredibly dark, as he swept a glance across the remaining four elite team members.
His gaze then settled on a fat man with greasy slicked-back hair.
Tang Dayuan, the former head of the Yong’an Island base.
This man had a big life; he actually managed to fake his own death using his spiritual power, deceiving the merfolk and escaping by the skin of his teeth.
From his testimony, Luo Lie came to understand the specifics of the situation and how his own brother ended up dead.
This mission resulted in the loss of an entire Hunter squad and the sacrifice of a senior executive; it was likely to be difficult to cover up.
Thinking of the masked man who ruined his plans, Luo Lie couldn’t help but grind his teeth in hatred.
At the same time, he felt a headache, pondering how to explain this to the board of directors upon his return.
Because of this, he had been losing quite a few hairs over the past couple of days.
.........
As evening approached.
The setting sun cast its glow on the high-rise buildings, staining half the sky with sunset hues.
A yellow taxi weaved through the narrow streets and stopped beside a flower bed.
Fang Cheng, with a shoulder bag, emerged from the taxi door.
He quickly took out a travel bag and a gray-white metal box from the trunk.
Then, holding the bag in one hand and the box in the other, he looked up at the tubular building that he had been away from for over a week.
A slight surge of excitement welled up inside him, along with an especially strong sense of fondness.
As he passed through the building’s ground floor corridor.
Fang Cheng deliberately took out a few special products he had bought from Yong’an Island and knocked on Wen Xin’s door.
There was no response; the lights inside were also off.
Thinking that Wen Huixi probably hadn’t finished work yet, he gave up and continued upstairs.
Upon reaching the ninth floor, he saw that Zhou Family’s door was open and called out.
The one who came out to greet him, however, was only Granny Zhou.
Fang Cheng was slightly surprised and asked where Zhou Xiumei had gone.
Nevertheless, Granny Zhou was hard of hearing; she simply kept asking about his well-being with fervent concern.
Seeing that the questions and answers didn’t match, Fang Cheng could only hand over the gifts he bought and then turned to go home.
Opening the door, dropping his bags, the familiar scent hit him squarely.
Returning home, his body and mind immediately felt an incredible sense of peace, and there was also a faint sense of fatigue, wanting to rest well.
Fang Cheng stretched his limbs, opened the window for some fresh air, and tore off several pages from the calendar on the wall.
Today is January 24th, the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
He had learned from a phone call with his mother on Yong’an Island that his grandfather’s surgery was scheduled for the 25th, which was tomorrow.
Although the trip was delayed, he had just managed to arrive on time.
