bookbashuk Chapter 10 Hidden Dangers
Chapter 10 Hidden Dangers
"Zhang Qianyou?"
Xiao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, but his body remained motionless, always on guard.
The other person only showed a fake smile, and the two stared at each other for a few breaths, but it felt like an eternity.
It wasn't until Xiao Xuan sheathed his sword first that the other party finally spoke.
"That's right. You already know I'm not Zhang Qianyou, so why keep acting?"
"You're the one putting on an act, aren't you? During the day, you really fooled me. I even thought you were going to harm the innocent people on the island."
How did you know who I am?
"I can't say anything. Just know that I'm not on the same side as Lei Long. I'd rather help you than him."
Mai Shuangji's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
"Then why did you get on this ship?"
"Because before boarding the ship, I didn't know his purpose, let alone that he would poison us."
"Don't talk nonsense, what poison? I haven't detected anything."
"It's a Gu poison, the Heart-Eating Gu. Madam Lei is from Miao territory."
Mai Shuangji once again put on a fake smile. He had been infiltrating Qianlang Village for a long time and had also investigated this Madam Lei for a long time.
The intelligence gathered at McDonald's confirmed that this woman was a traitor to the Five Immortals Sect and was now serving the Xuan Yang Sect.
However, Su Qing was a woman who was extremely well hidden. It was only after I had been lying in wait for several months, and with the help of McDonald's, that I was able to find out the truth.
The young man in front of me had very little contact with Qianlang Village, and had not left the cabin for many days on the ship. How could he possibly have seen through everything in just one night?
"Since we've come this far, I might as well be blunt: that guy surnamed Gu is a Japanese pirate who knows Lei Long. He might be out here to call his accomplices."
Upon hearing this, Mai Shuangji was even more shocked. How could he know everything that Mai Shuangji knew, and also know things that Mai Shuangji didn't know?
"I've been following him, and he did release a carrier pigeon."
Xiao Xuan believed this statement. Mai Shuangji's lightness skill was indeed impressive. He had appeared behind him silently just now. If he were following him, he probably wouldn't have noticed.
"So you also called McDonald's?"
"Of course, we originally thought we could wipe out the human trafficking in Qianlang Village in one fell swoop, but we didn't expect to encounter something like this."
"You can even send messages at sea?"
"Carrier pigeons, do you know magic tricks? Hiding carrier pigeons is a required course for intelligence agents. When you join McDonald's, I can personally teach you."
Xiao Xuan smiled slightly: "If you can let me leave this island alive, I might consider it."
Mai Shuangji did not reply, because even he was unsure what would happen in the next few days.
"You should go back first; if we stay together, it will arouse suspicion."
Seeing that the other party had not made any real promises, Xiao Xuan knew that the other party was not confident either. Therefore, there was no need to mention his contact with the villagers again, as the more he contacted the villagers, the easier it would be to expose his secret.
Seeing Xiao Xuan enter the cabin, Mai Shuangji also jumped down.
In fact, Mai Shuangji did not tell Xiao Xuan all his information, because he was afraid that if he did, Xiao Xuan would lose his composure.
Mai Shuangji returned to the ship, but instead of reporting to Lei Long immediately, he quietly concealed himself and crept to a cargo hold in the dark.
The corridor was completely dark, except for four pairs of faintly glowing eyes at the far end.
This was a cargo hold he had stumbled upon during his last search of the ship. It was daytime at the time, and he used his position to approach the guard and elicit information from him, discovering that there were no living beings inside, meaning they were not trafficked people.
The ship was heavily guarded, with no light allowed, and the explosives were stored in the driest part of the ship's interior. Mai Shuangji couldn't think of anything else besides explosives.
So that morning on deck, he risked going to the door to warn them, suggesting that he force his way in and, if it was explosives, detonate them.
Moreover, judging by the time, he was certain that there would be a reply that night, so he volunteered to go to the island to investigate.
He did receive a reply, but his superiors instructed him to observe the situation and ignore the explosives.
Mai Shuangji immediately understood the intention. The reason why Lei Long brought so many explosives was definitely to forcibly destroy the mechanism and take the treasure.
There are countless legends about the Sage of Machines, and he is also the inventor of many firearms of the Thunderbolt Hall. Almost everyone believes that the Sage of Machines must have left behind the blueprints for these firearms, so even McDonald's covets these treasures.
"If so many explosives were detonated, the entire island would probably sink, and countless people would die. Is it really worth it?"
Mai Shuangji sighed. He had no choice but to obey his superiors' orders. Now that the explosives were confirmed to still be there, he could continue his undercover work.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mai Shuangji returned to the hall where everyone was discussing matters, where Lei Long and the others were all present.
"Brother Zhang is back too. We were just waiting for you. Tell us what you discovered!"
Before this, Xiao Xuan had already reported all his discoveries, but of course, what happened after he met Wen Qingqing was to be kept secret.
"Brother Xiao and Brother Gu cut in from both sides of the island, while I went straight in and found the village, which had about thirty households."
Behind the village lies that large mountain, with many guards at its foot; it seems our target is deep within the mountains.
"Yeah, what you're saying is pretty much the same. This island isn't that big to begin with, so where can you hide?"
Lei Long spoke arrogantly, looking as if he was determined to win.
"That old woman still wants to keep watch. Let's see what happens tomorrow. If Island Master Wei can break the mechanism directly, it will save us a lot of trouble."
"Putting everything else aside, I haven't been idle for the past twenty years; there's absolutely no way I'll fail this time!"
"Hahaha..."
A moment later, Xiao Xuan said he was tired and went back to his room to rest.
Having not slept a wink last night and having been on the go all night, Xiao Xuan was indeed quite exhausted.
After returning to his cabin, Xiao Xuan immediately locked the door and blew out the lamp. He listened inside for a long time to make sure no one had followed him before he breathed a sigh of relief and went to sleep, clutching his longsword.
Having slept without any dreams, Xiao Xuan was finally able to relax and rest peacefully without any tension.
There was no constant scheming and backstabbing, no life-or-death choices, not even his most familiar kitchen—nothing at all.
But all of this didn't last long. When Xiao Xuan opened his eyes again, the moldy ship planks in front of him began to remind him that he couldn't escape.
Fortunately, Xiao Xuan in both lifetimes shared a rare commonality: they never shied away from their predicaments, but instead sought ways to overcome them.
"call."
Xiao Xuan stood up with renewed vigor, opened his room door, and just then a crew member walked towards him.
"Young Master Xiao! I just came to call you. The chieftain is already waiting for you on the deck."