Chapter 408: On the Eve of the Grand Ceremony

Ten hours had passed, and the sky was growing dim. The suite Zhong Yang arranged for the eight eccentrics had only three bedrooms. Aside from Xia Yue, who enjoyed one by herself, the rest were grown men; they weren’t too particular and could make do with whatever sleeping arrangements for the night.

Once everyone had sorted out their sleeping arrangements, Ling Chen lay on the couch in the living room, legs crossed, playing with his cell phone, prepared to sleep there for the night.

"Huh?" As he was playing, Ling Chen discovered that his cell phone had lost its signal, and he couldn’t even search for the cruise ship’s Wi-Fi network anymore. Annoyed, Ling Chen sat up; it was truly disappointing not being able to finish the movie he was watching.

At this moment, Qiu Yong and Yuan Yun walked out of the bedroom. The living room was equipped with an independent bar, and these two men were fond of a good drink, liking to have a few sips before going to bed.

"Ling Chen, come on, join us for a few drinks if you’ve got nothing else to do," Yuan Yun called out to Ling Chen, taking out three glasses from a cabinet under the bar and placing them side by side on the table. He then took out a bottle of Moutai from the liquor cabinet and filled each glass.

Ling Chen put away his phone and walked to the bar. Lifting his glass, he said, "Elder Brother, Third Brother, after sitting on the boat for more than ten hours, where are they taking us? I estimate we’ve already left Huaxia territorial waters."

Yuan Yun was also puzzled, "Every Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony has been held domestically; there’s never been a precedent for holding it abroad. Is the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion breaking tradition this time?"

"I’m not sure about that either." After speaking, Qiu Yong glanced at the wall clock and suggested, "It’s still early, why not go find Zhong Yang and ask him? Now that we’ve come this far, he surely won’t keep hiding it from us."

Ling Chen and Yuan Yun followed Qiu Yong to the top deck of the cruise ship. After asking a crew member, they learned that Zhong Yang was in the cockpit, and they immediately hurried over.

"Elder Qiu?" Seeing Qiu Yong’s trio standing outside the cockpit, Zhong Yang was slightly taken aback, then greeted them with a smile, saying, "Elder Qiu, you could have called me if you had any issues; why bother coming here in person?"

"Zhong Yang, spare the pleasantries; we’ve been on this boat for so long and haven’t arrived at our destination yet. Where are you taking us?"

Faced with Qiu Yong’s questioning, Zhong Yang sheepishly replied, "Elder Qiu, you also know the rules of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion—I cannot disclose anything before we arrive."

While the two were speaking, Ling Chen surveyed the cockpit, observing the advanced equipment and instruments. His eyebrows knitted slightly, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Impatiently, Qiu Yong said, "We’ve already come this far; are you still worried we would leak our location?"

"No, no, no, Elder Qiu, you misunderstand; that’s not what I meant," Zhong Yang hurriedly explained, "This time..."

"Stop there." Not letting Zhong Yang finish his words, Ling Chen interrupted, "Elder Brother, Third Brother, I think I’ve figured out why we haven’t reached our destination even after more than ten hours."

Hearing this, both Qiu Yong and Yuan Yun looked at Ling Chen in surprise, asking, "You know the reason?"

Ling Chen nodded, "They’ve been circling around; we’ve actually been in the waters belonging to East Sea City all along; we haven’t gone far." After speaking, Ling Chen looked at Zhong Yang, "Mr. Zhong, am I wrong? Now, isn’t it time you gave us a proper explanation?"

Zhong Yang glanced through the window at the pitch-dark sea and curiously counter-asked, "Mr. Ling, how are you so sure we’re still near East Sea City?"

Ling Chen pointed to the electronic equipment in the cockpit and the assembled large display screens, his expression indifferent, "I used to serve in the military, after all. You can fool my elder brother, who can’t comprehend high-tech and is a traditional martial arts practitioner, but you can’t fool my eyes. I understand clearly what the data displayed on these devices means."

Yuan Yun coldly said, "Zhong Yang, you’re wasting our time. You better clarify things clearly; what is going on?"

"Gentlemen, please calm down." Zhong Yang, feeling helpless, explained, "It’s not that I intended to deceive everyone; it’s just… we’ve been doing this also considering everyone’s safety. To be honest, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion received intelligence that someone intends to cause trouble during the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony. However, the information we have collected is limited, and we do not know who the party is. To be cautious, the Pavilion Master ordered that we must be extremely careful this time to ensure that the location of the ceremony does not get leaked. We are circling around this area just to avoid being followed."

Upon hearing this, Ling Chen and his companions were taken aback—they had not expected someone to dare oppose the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

With a forced smile, Zhong Yang said, "Elder Qiu, you all go back to rest. I assure you, by tomorrow morning, we will definitely arrive at the venue."

"Fair enough."

Qiu Yong was a reasonable person. After learning the reason, he no longer insisted and turned to leave the cockpit. Ling Chen walked to the door, then turned back to ask, "Mr. Zhong, has the wireless network on the ship been turned off?"

"Yes, to prevent any accidents, we’ve blocked all signals on the ship. If it has inconvenienced Mr. Ling, please accept my apologies."

"It’s fine. Mr. Zhong, please continue with your work; we won’t disturb you anymore."

Back in the suite, Yuan Yun called for a waiter to bring some snacks to accompany the drinks. The three of them drank until midnight before staggering back to their bedroom to rest.

Under the influence of alcohol, it didn’t take long before Ling Chen’s snoring could be heard from the couch in the living room.

…

At this time.

East Sea City.

In a spacious basement, over a dozen staff members were seated in front of computer screens, with various precise devices arranged around, and blinking indicator lights everywhere.

Standing in front of a large screen hanging on the wall was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and leather shoes, cultured and elegant.

"Mr. Yun, the drone has been deployed."

Upon hearing the sound, Mr. Yun pointed to the large screen in front of him, "Switch the view to the screen."

"Yes."

As the words fell, the large screen immediately displayed an image filtered through night vision. In the image was an endless ocean with surging waves.

Mr. Yun frowned slightly, "Where’s the target?"

"Still searching. Ten minutes ago, signal from the trackers in Ling Chen’s cell phone and wallet disappeared—the other party must have activated a signal jamming device. However, judging from the signal’s last known location, they couldn’t have gone too far."

The voice suddenly paused, then excitedly said, "We’ve found the cruise ship."

Mr. Yun focused on the screen, where a cruise ship appeared from a distance in the drone’s surveillance camera.

"Keep your distance; don’t let them notice us. Dispatch the frogman team immediately; make sure they lock onto the cruise ship—we can’t let that ship escape our sight."

"Yes, Mr. Yun."

"The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony!"

Mr. Yun murmured to himself, his lips curving into a sinister smile, and a sharp glint swept across his eyes, deep as a pond.