Chapter 53: Don’t Try Anything, Chen Wan

Chapter 53: Don’t Try Anything, Chen Wan

Chen Wan kept his gaze fixed on Zhao Shengge’s face, not letting it wander lower, but every part of Zhao Shengge’s body exuded an overwhelming presence. Chen Wan seemed composed on the outside, but inside, he was in a whirlwind.

Zhao Shengge strolled barefoot along the shore, and Chen Wan quickly walked over to get his shoes. He bent down to place them at his feet.

Zhao Shengge gazed down at him like a king surveying a subject, then pulled him up and put on his shoes himself. However, his hand never left Chen Wan’s arm, so Chen Wan’s arm also became wet, the part he held feeling warm.

Chen Wan, concerned he might get cold, and knowing that servants occasionally passed by the path, unfolded a white towel and asked, "Would you like to drape this over you?"

Zhao Shengge wrinkled his nose, seeming a bit annoyed, but since Chen Wan kept holding the towel out with both arms, he leaned forward slightly. Understanding his intent, Chen Wan lifted the towel to drape it over him.

His arms encircled Zhao Shengge’s back from the front, and it felt almost like an embrace.

Zhao Shengge bowed his head, like a quiet, obedient big cat, allowing Chen Wan to adjust the towel.

The damp ends of his hair brushed Chen Wan’s cheek and earlobe, water droplets falling onto his shoulders, one by one.

Chen Wan held his breath, trying to calm his racing heart from the overwhelming stimulation, and his composed smile faded slightly.

It wasn’t that he was seeing things through rose-colored glasses; Zhao Shengge was truly a sight to behold. When he was younger, before he had the current aura of mystery and authority, some had called him the male model of the negotiation table.

After draping the towel, Chen Wan fetched Zhao Shengge’s things, and they walked back to the villa together.

The villa area was bustling with servants, but Zhao Shengge walked on, oblivious to everyone around him.

Chen Wan escorted him to the door, and Zhao Shengge asked, "Coming in?"

Chen Wan was tempted but declined. "It’s late. I need to head out to sea with Fang Jian early tomorrow."

The research vessel and unmanned boats were set to arrive by midnight, and tomorrow would involve the most comprehensive data collection, a significant task requiring an early start.

Zhao Shengge then said, "Goodnight, Chen Wan."

"Goodnight, Zhao Shengge."

Chen Wan watched him go inside before heading back to his room. He locked himself in the bathroom, staring at his reflection with a mix of self-hatred and despair.

The sound of running water filled the room as someone, caught between fascination and agony, whispered a name: "Zhao Shengge…"

On the final day at Ting Island, the Exploration set out. The weather had improved from the day before, the sea now calm.

Although the research vessel wasn’t particularly large, it was quite conspicuous during maritime operations. Li Shenghui had allocated more staff to Zhao Shengge’s team. While Zhao Shengge’s team was highly skilled, they were unfamiliar with the area.

Today’s journey was two to three times as long as yesterday’s, passing through various ports, docks, and tribes. To ensure a smooth trip, Li Shenghui suggested his trusted deputy, Lin Lian, join them. The local fishermen and residents would recognize Lin as they would Li, ensuring no hindrance or trouble.

It was unclear what Zhao Shengge had offered Li Shenghui, but after their private meeting in the tea room, Li seemed to have pledged allegiance to Zhao Shengge.

Zhao Shengge acknowledged this gesture, employing a strategy of befriending distant allies while dealing with closer threats. Ting Island posed no significant danger, and he was willing to achieve mutual benefit through a soft approach.

Chen Wan had no objections; Li Shenghui’s deputies had nearly had their family histories scrutinized down to eighteen generations.

The Exploration was Minglong’s most significant project in recent years, aside from the Whale Vessel No. 17. It was jointly developed and manufactured by Minglong and mainland China, marking a pioneering effort in cross-regional scientific collaboration that had caused a major stir across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

The sea was calm as Fang Jian collected the final set of data, and the Exploration began its return journey. Chen Wan thought about how he and Zhao Shengge would soon be heading to Beach No. 19, also known as Feiling Island, alone, and a sense of restless excitement and anticipation rose within him.

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

Zhao Shengge was listening to Fang Jian’s ideas about the surface displacement of sea rocks, while Chen Wan compared the real-time tidal energy differences. Occasionally, Chen Wan glanced up, squinting slightly.

Although the ship had sent out a signal to dock, the bow did not turn at all. Moving forward would lead them into the zone of undercurrents.

A sudden premonition surged from deep within Chen Wan. He didn’t alert anyone, his hand resting on the Beretta at his waist as he moved to the window to keep watch.

Lin Lian, who’d been on deck duty all day, also seemed to realize something was off and gave Chen Wan an almost imperceptible nod.

Li Jiaming!

These days, the interests Zhao Shengge had promised to Li Shenghui had almost pushed Li Jiaming to the brink, and they had been on high alert against him.

But despite their vigilance, a slip-up occurred on the very last day. Chen Wan secretly reviewed the situation but couldn’t figure out which link had gone wrong.

Today, their ship had docked once, and every part of the ship was guarded.

Li Jiaming’s men were clever. The ship was currently in a treacherous bay with weak signals, making it difficult to sense whether the vessel was approaching the coast.

But Chen Wan, who had fought his way out of Xiaolan Mountain since childhood, had a natural sensitivity and vigilance toward danger.

He stepped up to Zhao Shengge, and with just a glance, the other quickly understood his meaning.

Zhao Shengge didn’t say a word, immediately having Fang Jian taken to the lower cabin. The accompanying bodyguards were fully equipped, including Zhao Shengge’s people and Li Shenghui’s people, but it was unclear how many others had infiltrated now.

They were in the open, while the enemy was in the shadows. The ship was still adrift in the middle of the ocean, the weather was changing, and the helm was in the enemy's hands.

Zhao Shengge calmly contacted his deputy while sending the location to Li Shenghui. He directly pulled Chen Wan into an area that required his own facial verification to enter.

Chen Wan grabbed him back, his voice still low and steady, "Zhao Shengge, you go to the secret cabin."

The verification area was only temporarily safe, but if Lin Lian couldn’t immediately identify and deal with Li Jiaming’s people, the ship’s systems could be compromised.

Although the Exploration was only a medium-sized research vessel, its comprehensive performance was extremely strong. It could perform underwater operations such as virtual anchoring, deep-sea base stations, vertical regional cruising, and multi-beam seabed mapping, and it was equipped with a secret cabin.

The secret cabin was like an emergency Noah's Ark, resistant to low temperatures and high pressure. Even if a bomb exploded on the ship later, the secret cabin would remain undamaged.

In an emergency, the secret cabin would automatically detach from the mother ship and operate within the laminar flow below fifty meters of the sea surface. It could continue to function for 72 hours in hurricanes and storms, and it had a positioning system, ensuring that those inside could wait for rescue.

However, this small secret cabin was made of new high-pressure materials, completely sealed and impenetrable. While it was as solid as a rock, it also meant it had strong airtightness and low oxygen storage. Moreover, this level was already below the sea surface, and two people inside would not be able to last until Li Shenghui’s rescue aircraft arrived.

A ship could generally only be equipped with one or two secret cabins, otherwise, it would hinder the normal functioning of the entire vessel.

Zhao Shengge looked at him for two seconds and said, "You take me there."

Seeing that Zhao Shengge didn’t argue with him, Chen Wan breathed a sigh of relief and escorted him down the gangway to the lower sea level.

As soon as the secret cabin door opened, the person behind suddenly pushed Chen Wan inside. Chen Wan quickly pressed his gun against the door frame.

He had kept a backup plan.

Unfortunately, Chen Wan understood Zhao Shengge, and Zhao Shengge also understood Chen Wan very well.

Zhao Shengge was not at all surprised that he had a backup plan. The deck above began to vibrate abnormally, and he directly pulled out a Colt Python revolver.

Zhao Shengge had large hands, and the gun was imposing and domineering. He effortlessly knocked down Chen Wan’s small and compact Beretta and calmly said, "Chen Wan, I don’t want to point a gun at you. You said you’d listen to me. Don’t make me angry at a time like this."

The Exploration had two secret cabins. One was given to the defenseless Fang Jian, and the other, Zhao Shengge decided on his own to give to Chen Wan.

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

The cabin above began to echo with slightly hurried footsteps. Zhao Shengge’s hand, like an iron chain, firmly restrained Chen Wan’s wrists. He lifted his chin and softly commanded, "Go in."

With his other hand, he grabbed a hemp rope from the ship's side and tied Chen Wan's wrists tightly, showing no mercy and leaving no room for resistance.

"Stay inside no matter what you hear," Zhao Shengge's tone wasn't harsh, but his demeanor was commanding.

"Zhao Shengge," Chen Wan called out to him, raising his hands tied to the pillar, and said, "You tied it too tight; I can't reach the thermostat."

If things escalate to the point where the secret compartment detaches from the ship, then the time adrift on the ocean is uncertain. If they drift near an iceberg, the temperature inside the compartment needs to be raised, ensuring at least some basic mobility for those inside.

"Don't try anything, Chen Wan," Zhao Shengge warned lightly but went back to adjust the hemp rope for him, allowing him enough slack to move within the confined space.

Zhao Shengge was very cautious, with immense strength, giving Chen Wan almost no chance to resist.

Although Chen Wan had been in many fights since childhood, he was no match for Zhao Shengge in terms of physique and strength.

To prevent Chen Wan from counterattacking, Zhao Shengge stayed very close, so close that Chen Wan could almost hear his strong heartbeat.

Chen Wan didn't seem inclined to resist, just lowering his eyelids and softly saying, "Zhao Shengge, my wrists still feel a bit sore."

Zhao Shengge frowned slightly; Chen Wan wasn't being coquettish, but Zhao Shengge still felt he was.

"Be quiet," Zhao Shengge said in a deep voice.

He didn't want Chen Wan to speak further, as it could easily distract him.

Seeing the obvious red marks on Chen Wan's fair wrists, Zhao Shengge's expression remained stoic, but he slightly loosened the rope.

Chen Wan didn't stay silent, seemingly resigned to being outmatched, letting Zhao Shengge tie his hands, calming his thoughts, and asked, "Where are you planning to exit from later?"

Zhao Shengge ignored him, focused on the intricate binding.

Chen Wan then leaned closer and said, "From the right side of the ship, the escape ladder there is more concealed."

Zhao Shengge leaned back a bit, continuing his work without looking at him, and gave a noncommittal "Hmm," seemingly accepting his suggestion.

As Zhao Shengge was tying the last knot, Chen Wan offered some advice, but Zhao Shengge didn't respond, unwilling to engage further.

"Did you hear what I said?" Chen Wan suddenly placed his hand on Zhao Shengge's, pulling and shaking it slightly.

Chen Wan's hand was soft and warm, and Zhao Shengge's palm was gently brushed by Chen Wan's soft fingertips.

Uncertain, as if it were there or not, Zhao Shengge frowned, feeling almost harassed. He was about to tell Chen Wan to behave, but the next second, the hemp rope slipped from his hand, which he found itchy.

The rope was cleverly looped by a sudden force and ended up around his own wrist, causing Zhao Shengge's brow to furrow deeply.

While speaking, Chen Wan had secretly untied and taken the rope.

In terms of physical skills and physique, Chen Wan was no match for Zhao Shengge, who had received systematic training since childhood. But when it came to underhanded tricks and tactics, Zhao Shengge was no match for Chen Wan, who had grown up in a chaotic environment.

Chen Wan's methods were far more underhanded than Zhao Shengge's.

Author's note:

The research ship is somewhat inspired by the "Shen Kuo" and "Zhang Qian" ships, but with some personal modifications.