Chapter 59
Given the gravity of the matter, Tang Mei immediately invited Lin Tu aboard her ship.
Tang Mei had a tracker on her, and when Lin Tu saw it, she realized that the position of Tang Mei's southbound ship was right between Lin Tu and her next destination. Even more conveniently, according to Tang Mei, it was a mobile refueling vessel at sea, with plenty of fuel still in storage—exactly what Lin Tu needed to solve her immediate crisis.
Sailing to the mobile refueling ship would take about a day. To shorten that time, Tang Mei tried to contact her superiors and colleagues using her portable radio. Strangely, none of the messages she sent received a single reply.
As visible on the tracker, the ship continued along its original course, showing no sign of moving toward Lin Tu and the others.
What was even stranger was that no rescue team had broadcast any message searching for or calling out to Tang Mei, who might well have been killed.
Lin Tu quietly observed Tang Mei, pondering whether she might be lying. But lies were often half-truths—people always based their fabrications on some kernel of fact. At the very least, that ship did exist, and it very likely was a mobile refueling station. That possibility alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile for Lin Tu.
After the storm passed, the houseboat sailed across the calm, waveless sea. Near the Arctic waters, scattered ice floes floated about, and the soft yet utterly cold sunlight spilled across the surface, making the ice glint with scattered light like broken diamonds strewn across the ocean.
Xiao Huang whined excitedly at the chunks of ice in the water. Because there was a stranger aboard, the Butler had temporarily gone invisible, leaving no one to translate Xiao Huang's dog-speak. Lin Tu guessed he wanted the "toys" in the water, so she fished some up for him to play with.
Unexpectedly, the glittering ice floes stopped glowing the moment they were hauled out of the water. Xiao Huang gnawed at them with great effort for a while, then whined at the water again. Lin Tu, patient and amused, scooped up several more pieces, repeating the process over and over.
After a few rounds, Xiao Huang finally tired out. Though he had been through two disasters, only a little over a week had passed in reality. He had only grown one week's worth, still a puppy with very limited stamina.
After finishing playing with Xiao Huang, Lin Tu looked over at Tang Mei, who was anxiously sending radio signals again and again with no success. Unlike herself, Tang Mei was far more worried about that ship and the colleagues and friends aboard.
Lin Tu sighed, but there was nothing else she could do.
That anxiety persisted until evening, when the houseboat gradually approached the large ship Tang Mei had been on.
Even from a distance, against the vast expanse of the sea, the vessel looked enormous—like a small island. Lights flickered across the deck, showing no sign whatsoever of any accident.
If that was the case, then why had no one come searching for the crew members who had gone out on business and never returned?
Lin Tu looked at Tang Mei, whose eyes held confusion, anger, and bewilderment that didn't seem fake.
"A thunderstorm shouldn't affect a ship this big that much," Tang Mei said after a moment of thought. "Maybe it hit a reef, or ran into some other accident. Either way, out at sea, any disaster is possible."
Under Tang Mei's direction, Lin Tu steered the boat toward the large ship's rope ladder.
The suction effect when two ships draw close together causes violent rocking—it was actually quite dangerous. The small boat had to maintain exactly the same speed as the large ship to safely get someone aboard.
Tang Mei had been worried that Lin Tu's slender arms couldn't handle the wheel, but to her surprise, Lin Tu drove the boat steadily right up alongside the big ship—something only an experienced helmsman could do. Tang Mei shot Lin Tu a long, searching look, completely unaware that the latter was just putting on a show; the boat was still being driven by the Anju Butler.
Tang Mei grabbed the rope ladder and, with a slight push of effort, leaped onto it like a monkey. The big ship surged through the wind, but she was unaffected, quickly climbing aboard with agility.
Before long, a circular opening lit up on the ship's side—half underwater, half above. Clearly, it was a door. It slid upward and opened, allowing the water inside the ship to meet the seawater. Once the levels roughly equalized, Lin Tu drove her boat inside.
As the valve closed behind her, Lin Tu found herself in a narrow, man-made channel. One side was the ship's outer hull; the other was a temporary dock for boats, with small vessels of uniform size neatly moored along the platform.
Lin Tu finally found an empty berth, docked the boat, and climbed up the steps.
By then, Tang Mei and a pale, terrified staff member had also come down from the deck.
"Please, just fuel up and leave quickly—don't ever come back..." The uniformed staff member trailed behind Tang Mei, pleading desperately. "Helping you refuel is already risking my life. Do anything more, and I really won't survive!"
Lin Tu looked at Tang Mei with uncertainty. Tang Mei waved a hand, ordering the staff member to go refuel first, her expression grim. "See that button? If something goes wrong, press it to open the gate, and get out as fast as you can."
Lin Tu asked, "What happened?"
Tang Mei ground her teeth. "Those bastards from Noah's Ark! They bribed people in the United Sea Republic and found out in advance that my superior was bringing evidence back. They sent people aboard! Right now, the entire ship is under their control!"
Lin Tu immediately grew alert. She glanced at the staff member trembling as he prepared the fuel, ready to draw her blade at any moment.
Tang Mei had never seen the greatsword behind Lin Tu's back, but she could guess what it was. She quickly pressed down on Lin Tu's hand. "Don't worry, I know that man well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared let us in. You know, the boat entering the hold makes quite a racket—one slip and we'd be discovered."
No sooner had she finished speaking than noises came from above.
The staff member shuddered, freezing mid-motion and raising his hands. "They're here! They must have found out! Let me go, Sister Tang, I really can't do this. They actually kill people! I'm really scared of dying!"
Tang Mei crept over and shut the door to the entrance, pressing her ear against it for a moment. Her face changed drastically, and she lowered her voice. "We need to go!"
Lin Tu stopped her and asked, "Where can we go?" Her home needed refueling, and a wooden boat like this stood out conspicuously among all the others—anyone coming in would spot it immediately. The biggest problem was that without fuel, she couldn't leave anytime soon.
"What else can we do? They're mercenaries, full of evil deeds and real guns! The whole crew couldn't resist them, and the blood of the people they killed on board hasn't even been cleaned up yet!" Tang Mei said nervously. "I have nothing right now."
"Keep fueling." Lin Tu said to the staff member, then reached into her backpack and pulled out a nearly meter-long rifle from the small bag.
The cold gun barrel gave off a frigid metallic gleam in the dim artificial channel.
Tang Mei: "?" She couldn't be seeing that right, could she?
She couldn't help but glance sideways at the backpack behind Lin Tu, wondering when such things had been packed into it.
"Know how to use it?" Lin Tu asked.
Tang Mei couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it. What mattered was the dire situation at hand. She took the rifle and nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Good. Wait for my orders."
Lin Tu reached in again and pulled out another gun—this time not just a rifle, but also a standard-issue pistol fitted with a silencer. She deftly holstered the two weapons at her waist and on her back, looking every bit a seasoned veteran.
This fully armed appearance was completely at odds with the elegant gold-rimmed glasses she wore. She was practically a walking contradiction, which only made her more mysterious.
Who was she? Tang Mei felt this was an answer she would never guess, but one thing was certain—her best choice right now was to listen to Lin Tu.
"Then..." A trembling voice came from behind. "Do I keep fueling?"
By now, Lin Tu had already drawn her blade. The meter-long heavy sword was held effortlessly in her hand, as if she were a war god descended to the mortal world. The staff member really wanted to cry. He was just an ordinary person—whether it was the mercenaries or Lin Tu, he didn't want to get caught up in their fight!
"Fuel up," Lin Tu said. Hearing the increasingly urgent footsteps above, she gestured for Tang Mei to follow. "There are some oil barrels on the deck. Fill them all up, then hide yourself. For now... don't follow me up."