Chapter 149

Chapter 149

The speedboat crested another wave, and Shen Juanjuan was now close to Jin Gao, though he was on the crest while Jin Gao was in the trough.

When Jin Gao raised his gun again, Shen Juanjuan immediately released his Psychic Bind and lunged forward.

But Jin Gao also unleashed his psychic power, and Shen Juanjuan, mid-leap, felt a sudden numbness, losing all sensation. Jin Gao's hand holding the gun also trembled, and a bullet shot into the sea.

However, Jin Gao's boat was being lifted by the wave, catching Shen Juanjuan as he fell towards the water. Shen Juanjuan's speedboat flew over their heads.

Jin Gao recovered faster than Shen Juanjuan and immediately aimed his gun at him. The Teddy Bear leaped out of the water beside the boat, fiercely biting at his wrist.

Jin Gao neither dodged nor avoided it; a red spider the size of a face intercepted the Teddy Bear. The two quantum beasts clashed in the air, and Jin Gao pulled the trigger simultaneously.

Shen Juanjuan had just regained some strength but still moved slowly. Seeing Jin Gao shoot at him, he barely managed to roll to the side.

With a bang, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as a bullet pierced his flesh.

Shen Juanjuan shuddered but clenched his teeth and remained silent. The Teddy Bear, both shocked and angry, bared its sharp teeth and lunged forward repeatedly. However, the red spider kept waving its pincers, blocking it. Its life jacket was torn to shreds, and several wounds appeared on its body, emitting wisps of black smoke.

The small boat continued to move, rising and falling with the waves, about to collide with the ship anchored in the sea. Jin Gao turned off the engine with his free hand.

Pain clouded Shen Juanjuan's vision, but he finally recovered from the Psychic Bind. Seeing Jin Gao raise his gun at him again, he suddenly pushed himself up and lunged forward, grabbing Jin Gao's legs.

The gunshot rang out, and the bullet flew into the sky. The boat, already unstable, caused Jin Gao to fall with Shen Juanjuan when he was tackled, and the gun dropped into the sea.

Shen Juanjuan drew his dagger and stabbed at Jin Gao's neck, but Jin Gao deflected it with his hand and punched Shen Juanjuan in the chest.

"Roar!"

Seeing Shen Juanjuan hit again, the Teddy Bear, enraged, tore and clawed at the red spider. Despite the difference in rank between the two quantum beasts, the Teddy Bear fought like a madman, nearly overwhelming the red spider. Although it was emitting black smoke, it managed to tear off one of the red spider's pincers.

Despite being hit, Shen Juanjuan endured the pain and continued to stab at Jin Gao. Jin Gao deflected the attack again, but Shen Juanjuan changed the direction of the dagger mid-strike, slicing horizontally.

This quick and decisive change in tactics left a long gash on Jin Gao's chest. If he hadn't leaned back in time, Shen Juanjuan would have gutted him.

Both men stood up, Shen Juanjuan's left shoulder stained red, and blood continuously flowed from Jin Gao's chest.

"Not bad," Jin Gao, no longer underestimating the young man, drew a dagger from his waist and became more cautious.

Shen Juanjuan hunched over, his face pale with pain, but he didn't back down. "You're old, seeing me so powerful even before my second breakthrough, you're envious and jealous. Jin Gao, your A-rank is nothing. If I break through again—"

Anger flashed in Jin Gao's eyes, but Shen Juanjuan suddenly lunged without warning, continuing, "—I'll stab you two hundred times!"

Jin Gao blocked the attack, and the two daggers collided with a crisp sound. Shen Juanjuan's sneak attack failed, and he continued to strike rapidly. They exchanged several blows in an instant.

Torrential rain poured down, and the waves surged, tossing the small boat up and down. During the fight, they often fell within the boat and quickly got up to continue fighting.

The waves made it difficult to stand, but they inadvertently helped Shen Juanjuan. Both were guides and using Psychic Bind, but due to the rank difference, Jin Gao recovered faster after being hit. However, the rocking and jostling of the boat prevented him from getting close, giving Shen Juanjuan time to recover and avoid several fatal attacks.

The two quantum beasts also battled fiercely at the stern, each trying to reach the bow to help but hindering each other.

After being hit by the Psychic Bind again and falling, Shen Juanjuan saw Jin Gao raising his knife to attack and widened his eyes in shock, looking at the sea.

Jin Gao instinctively turned his head but saw nothing, realizing the young man was tricking him.

With a grim expression, he continued to stab at Shen Juanjuan, who could barely move, rolling to the side to dodge the knife and swinging his own dagger horizontally.

As the two daggers collided, the small boat was thrown into the air by a wave, and both knives slipped from their hands, clattering to the bottom of the boat.

Jin Gao fell beside Shen Juanjuan, and both reached out to grab each other's throats. But Shen Juanjuan's strength was no match for the adult man, and the air was gradually squeezed out of his lungs, his hands weakening. In his fading vision, he only saw Jin Gao's distorted face and the Teddy Bear repeatedly lunging, only to be blocked by the red spider.

Just as Shen Juanjuan's consciousness began to fade, all the noise around him suddenly disappeared, the rain stopped, and the boat hovered above the waves, droplets frozen in mid-air.

Shen Juanjuan was no longer surprised by this scene. His mind was still fuzzy, but he quickly picked up the dagger that had fallen nearby and, without hesitation, stabbed Jin Gao.

In the sudden silence, the sound of the blade piercing flesh was unusually loud and clear, even the slight resistance as it hit bone was audible. At that moment, the Teddy Bear pounced, its claws slashing across Jin Gao's throat.

The noise resumed, the rain fell, and the waves crashed into the boat as time resumed.

Shen Juanjuan lay on his back, gasping for breath, fresh air filling his lungs, and his throat making wheezing sounds. Jin Gao collapsed on top of him, but he ignored it, coughing loudly in the storm, as if trying to expel his heart and lungs.

"Roar!" The Teddy Bear pushed Jin Gao off Shen Juanjuan and leaned over to look at his face.

"Cough, cough, cough, I'm fine, I'm fine..." Shen Juanjuan slowly got up, his voice hoarse, comforting the Teddy Bear.

Jin Gao lay face-up beside him, his lifeless eyes staring at the sky, a dagger embedded where his shoulder met his neck, and blood gushing from his throat.

Shen Juanjuan pulled out the dagger and staggered to the bow, cutting the ropes binding the suitcase and picking it up.

"Roar, roar!" The Teddy Bear suddenly tugged at him, sounding very anxious.

Shen Juanjuan looked in the direction it pointed and saw several lights rapidly approaching on the sea. Though he couldn't see the people on the boats, the Teddy Bear told him it was Gu Lin.

Far from the coastline, he knew it was too late to return by speedboat; he would definitely be caught by Gu Lin and his team. He glanced at the dark ship nearby, an idea forming in his mind. He immediately grabbed the suitcase and jumped into the sea, swimming towards the ship.

He hadn't noticed the pain in his shoulder during the fight with Jin Gao, but now, in the water, the wound throbbed painfully. The Teddy Bear took the suitcase and supported his arm, helping him swim forward.

"Baolong, my dear raccoon, my little treasure, how could I ever leave you?" Shen Juanjuan's face was pale, his voice trembling, but he smiled at the Teddy Bear.

"Roar!" Black smoke kept rising from the Teddy Bear's head, its voice high-pitched.

"You look like a grilled bear, all charred." Shen Juanjuan laughed and then looked at the approaching lights in the distance. "Do you know why we're going to the ship? The most dangerous place is the safest. If I leave by boat, they'll notice the commotion. If I don't, they'll assume I've fled and won't think I'd board their ship..."

"Roar!!!" The Teddy Bear swam in the water, bobbing up and down.

Shen Juanjuan looked up at the sky. Despite the heavy rain and wind, the gunfire had decreased, indicating the situation was improving.

Finally reaching the ship, Shen Juanjuan climbed up the ladder. Weak from blood loss, he stumbled, and the Teddy Bear had to support his waist, helping him climb up.

"My dear little dragon, don't forget the box." Shen Juanjuan grabbed the railing and panted.

"Ao～～"

As soon as Shen Juanjuan climbed onto the deck, several speedboats approached, their bright beams sweeping across the empty gangway.

The deck was piled with items, tightly covered by tarps. The moment Shen Juanjuan was helped into the cabin by the Teddy Bear, he heard a beast-like roar from the sea, filled with sorrow and anger, sounding like Gu Lin's.

The cabin was small and pitch black. To avoid making any noise, Shen Juanjuan and the Teddy Bear hid directly in a storeroom behind the cabin door.

Gu Lin's roars continued, making Shen Juanjuan's heart race. Then came a series of gunshots, as if they were firing into the air.

The sea finally grew quiet. Shen Juanjuan pressed his ear against the wall, catching the sound of footsteps boarding the ship and snippets of conversation.

"… President, don't chase them. The storm is coming; we won't be able to leave if we stay any longer… Have the flight team retreat… Our chip has been taken away… President, we've lost Colonel Jin and eight brothers. We will avenge this, but not now…"

The waves grew stronger, and the ship swayed from side to side. Shen Juanjuan peered through the crack in the door. From this angle, he could see people standing on the rain-soaked deck, uncovering the tarps. Gu Lin knelt beside Jin Gao's body, cradling his head in his arms.

Shen Juanjuan hid in the storeroom, barely daring to breathe. The Teddy Bear also knew the danger, worried that its black smoke might be detected, so it returned to Shen Juanjuan's mental domain.

Shen Juanjuan's mind raced. The man said they had lost eight men, indicating that after he left the dock, Tang Yuanyuan and the others, though unable to detain Gu Lin, had killed many of his men. But he didn't know about Lin Duozhi's situation and was extremely worried.

Just as Shen Juanjuan was thinking, he saw the men uncover the tarps, revealing two small aircraft underneath. It seemed that Gu Lin and his men, fearing pursuit, would not return by boat, and the ship's purpose was merely to store the aircraft.

"President, let's go, the hurricane is coming," a subordinate shouted, helping the aircraft toward Gu Lin.

Gu Lin finally stood up and walked briskly to the aircraft. Two subordinates quickly lifted Jin Gao's body and followed.

The aircraft started, and just as Shen Juanjuan's heart began to relax, he saw Gu Lin poke his head out of the cockpit, looking toward the cabin.

The Cloud Peak flight team was retreating in the sky, a beam of light passing over Gu Lin's face. His complexion was pale, his red eyes full of hatred, resembling a demon just crawled out of hell. A Black Snake leaped from his shoulder, swiftly slithering toward the cabin.

Gu Lin's mental power entered the cabin, but his mind was distracted and unstable, quickly withdrawing. The Black Snake, however, continued deeper, searching every corner before returning. When it reached the cabin door, it found another storeroom and tried to push the door open with its head.

Shen Juanjuan's heart pounded, gripping the dagger in his hand, his mind racing with thoughts.

There was no cover in the storeroom. If the Black Snake pushed open the door, it would find him. He decided to push the door first, rushing across the deck and jumping into the sea before Gu Lin and his men could react.

Even drowning in the sea would be better than falling into Gu Lin's hands.

Just as Shen Juanjuan made up his mind to push the door, a huge wave hit, tilting the ship sharply to the left. The sound of objects crashing filled the cabin, and Shen Juanjuan clung to the door handle. The aircraft on the deck slowly slid to the left.

"President, we must take off!"

The pilot's shout echoed as the aircraft roared into the sky, and the Black Snake quickly returned to Gu Lin's mental domain.

The two small aircraft flew away into the storm, while higher up, the Cloud Peak flight team retreated. Beams of light rapidly swept across the dark sea, illuminating the ship tossing in the waves.

Shen Juanjuan remained hidden in the storeroom until all the lights disappeared and the aircraft were gone. He then leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.

The Teddy Bear appeared beside him, concerned, and Shen Juanjuan said, "I'm fine. It's too dark in here; can you find a light source?"

The Teddy Bear quickly found a kerosene lamp, and Shen Juanjuan said, "They're gone. Let's go out."

He stood up, leaning on the wall, and left the storeroom with the Teddy Bear's help.

The sea was pitch black, with waves reaching several meters high, the ship rocking like a leaf in a storm. The Teddy Bear hung the kerosene lamp on an iron hook outside the cabin, and Shen Juanjuan clung to the railing to steady himself, gazing toward Linya City.

"Chu Baolong, where are we?"

"Ao!"

The Teddy Bear indicated they were probably at sea.

"Do you know how far we are from Linya City?"

"Ao."

Probably very far.

"Will this ship capsize…?"

The ship suddenly tilted, and the Teddy Bear immediately supported the sliding Shen Juanjuan.

"Right, we shouldn't say such unlucky things on a ship. Chu Baolong, will this ship trip?"

"Ao."

It might flip over.

Shen Juanjuan found a recessed part of the cabin wall and wedged himself in, placing the silver suitcase beside him. A small overhang above his head held the swinging kerosene lamp.

"Chu Baolong, sit down and rest for a while."

Shen Juanjuan leaned against the wall, legs stretched out, his soaked clothes cold against his skin, and his wounds numb. The Teddy Bear sat in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around the furry body, drawing some warmth.

Waves crashed onto the deck, flooding Shen Juanjuan's legs before quickly flowing away. He licked the rainwater trickling past his lips, looking toward the dark direction of Linya City: "Chu Baolong, my brother must be looking for me."

"Ao!"

Of course, what else would he do?

"Do you think where he is?"

"Ao."

In the sea.

"Do you think he took an aircraft or a speedboat?"

The Teddy Bear pondered: "Roar."

Perhaps he swam over.

Shen Juanjuan half-closed his eyes: "That's right. There's a hurricane now, and Gu Lin and the others don't dare stay at sea. The flight team has all retreated. So Brother can't use his aircraft or sail a boat; he can only swim to find us."

"Roar." The Teddy Bear gently patted his thigh.

"Chubao Long, I'm so sleepy, I'm so tired. I want to sleep for a while..." Shen Juanjuan's eyelids grew heavier, and he mumbled softly. The Teddy Bear hurriedly slapped his face and shook his arm: "Roar!!!"

Hearing the Teddy Bear's anxious calls, Shen Juanjuan still couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the Teddy Bear suddenly let out a series of excited roars, filled with excitement and joy.

"Roar roar roar roar!!!"

"Good Chubao Long, let me sleep for a while. Wake me up when Brother arrives..."

"Roar roar roar!!!" Seeing him close his eyes, the Teddy Bear anxiously slapped him twice.

Shen Juanjuan struggled to stay awake, forcing his eyes open and looking in the direction the Teddy Bear's paw pointed. His expression froze, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Through the heavy rain, he saw two patches of light in the distant darkness, flickering like candles that could be extinguished by the wind and rain at any moment.

He stared for a few seconds, slowly sitting up straight.

"Chubao Long, am I seeing things? Is there light in the sky, or in the sea?" he murmured.

"Roar!!" The Teddy Bear exclaimed excitedly.

The two patches of light quickly approached, becoming more distinct. They were embedded in the dark background, making it hard for Shen Juanjuan to tell if they were floating on the sea or flying in the sky.

A loud rumble was carried by the strong wind, and the outline of an aircraft gradually appeared. It didn't look large, just a small aircraft.

Shen Juanjuan's lips moved, and his eyes sparkled: "Chubao Long, that's from Linya City, and it's not a Cloud Peak aircraft. It must be here to find us..."

He instantly forgot the pain of his wounds, feeling strength return to his body. He quickly stood up, waving his arms toward the aircraft and shouting hoarsely: "I'm here, I'm here! I'm Shen Juanjuan, I'm here..."

"Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar..." The Teddy Bear also jumped around on the deck, excitedly throwing its arms into the air. As the ship tilted to the left, it saw Shen Juanjuan about to fall and quickly supported him, almost missing with its arms.

"I'm here!"

"Roar roar roar!!"

The aircraft drew closer, its body bobbing up and down in the strong wind, its wings tilting left and right, but it tried hard to maintain balance.

As it neared the ship, Shen Juanjuan finally saw its full form.

It was an old model aircraft, with the words "Angels Association 01" clearly printed on its body. He gazed up, tears streaming down his face mixed with the rain.

"Chubao Long, Shen Miaomiao is coming to pick us up in the aircraft we repaired," he choked out.