Chapter Fifty-One: Releasing the Passengers

  Although I had expected the outcome a long time ago, when I stood in the empty cargo hold, my heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

  The wooden barrel that held the top-secret files of the National Government has vanished, and even the one we smashed before, with its contents including human heads, documents, photos, ice blocks, and wood shavings, were all taken away in a sweep.

  It can be said that this escort mission for the Golden Flower Wheel has thoroughly failed. At the same time, Corpse Old Man disappeared, and even Da Ba and Xiao Qiu are nowhere to be seen.

  I returned to my room in a daze, feeling empty and hollow inside. I didn't care about Nie Kun or Gui Ye Jia anymore. The struggles of the past few days had left me on the verge of collapse. I drank some water, which tasted like wax, and nibbled on some dry rations before collapsing onto the bed.

  Having lost what needed to be protected, drifting in the unknown sea, everything seems to have shed its burden for me, my body is lighter, and my spirit has also withered.

  I didn't care about anything and went straight to sleep.

  This time I slept very soundly and unexpectedly didn't have any strange dreams.

  When I woke up, it was already a day and a night later. My exhausted body had relaxed after the dimness of the sky, although I didn't feel as weak as before, but my whole body was sore and tired, even lifting an arm was tiring, and I didn't have the agility I had before. I knew this was the result of overexerting myself too much, previously when in crisis it seemed like I had plenty of energy, but actually I was overdrafting my life force.

  Walked out of the cabin and came to the deck, blowing in the black night sea breeze, sobering up a lot.

  The island has gone to an unknown place, and after the oni withdrew their anchor, the Kinhuamaru drifted aimlessly in the unknown sea area. Now all around is a vast expanse of dark blue sea surface, with little calmness.

  "It's about time we let those passengers out, they must have gone mad by now." Oni no Yaiba said to me, appearing behind me at some point.

  I saw that his right leg was wrapped in thick gauze, with a wooden board as a splint. It seemed like nothing serious was wrong. Oni no Yaiba's body was fully loaded with hand grenades, two clips of ammunition slung across his chest, an M50 pistol holstered at the back of his waist, and he looked fierce, which didn't match his handsome face or slender build.

  "My mind elsewhere, I said: 'It's time to let it out.'"

  I stood there, speechless, gazing at the scenery. I didn't take another step forward. I had begun to feel lost and uncertain about what tomorrow would bring. Maybe it would be the land of Taiwan, or maybe it would be endless drifting. As a secret agent, I left my hometown, my loved ones, familiar surroundings, and few friends behind, boarding this unfamiliar ship. Where was I headed? The day before, I could say it was to carry out my mission, which was my job. But now that the mission had failed, my actions suddenly lost their purpose, just like this drifting Golden Flower ship, not knowing where it would go next. I couldn't help but doubt whether leaving the mainland was the right choice from the start.

  It's possible that some people are right, in a great era, no matter how many individuals there are, they're just statistics. For the first time, I felt how small and insignificant I was, so small that even if I died, it wouldn't make a ripple or a splash. History is concerned with people like Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Jingwei, and Hu Shi, but what about the countless ordinary people like me? We're not worth mentioning.

  Even if everyone on the ship died, the newspaper would only publish a message "After the sinking of the Taiping, another tragedy occurred in the Taiwan Strait. A Kinwa Maru carrying hundreds of passengers to Keelung Harbor encountered a storm and 'lost its way', resulting in the mysterious death of hundreds of people on board, and the gold transported by the Bank of China disappeared!"

  It can be imagined that the focus of public opinion will only concentrate on the mysterious disappearance of gold, and the "conspiracy theory" will be widely discussed. Just like the sinking of the Titanic, the deaths of nearly a thousand people affected many families and led to countless tragic stories, but people won't pay much attention to these things. Because for others, our life and death are ultimately just topics for conversation after dinner.

  Oni no Yaiba has been with me for a long time without saying a word. I glanced at the man's expression, which was very calm and his eyes showed neither joy nor worry, like an old man who had experienced many worldly things, in other words, he had lost the vigor that young people should have. Oni no Yaiba's temperament is completely different from usual, I guess this might be Oni no Yaiba's true self, the mask he wears is far more than just a terrifying oni mask.

  We lean on the railing and gaze far into the distance, the dense stars under the night sky are brighter than before. If we can know our position, it's possible to find direction all the way, of course, provided that we know how to sail a boat. Moreover, it seems that our oil is not enough.

  An hour later, we returned to the cabin.

  Nie Kun joined us and together we arrived at the 'door' of the restaurant. Two or three hundred passengers had been locked in for many days, I put my ear to the 'door', but couldn't hear any movement inside.

  "I hope you don't die." I secretly made a wish and opened this large dial-type lock.

  Hehehe......

  The heavy big 'door' was slowly pulled open by me.

  Suddenly, a foul smell mixed with the heat emitted by the crowd burst out. Nie Kun covered his nose and cursed in Shanghainese.

  I took a quick glance around the restaurant and couldn't help but furrow my brow. The already crowded crowd was clearly divided into several factions, each huddled together. The few women and children were shivering with fear, clinging to each other in the corner of the restaurant. The food stored in the restaurant had been almost completely consumed, leaving behind only a large number of damaged packaging scattered all over the floor and a small amount left in the hands of the children. The kitchen had been temporarily converted into a toilet, with two or three hundred people sharing one facility, and it was impossible to dispose of the excrement and urine, which could only be watched as it accumulated, filling the air with a foul stench that was unbearable.

  I saw several disheveled women, with tear stains on their faces, sitting alone on the ground. There were also several men who had been beaten until they were covered in blood and lay unconscious on the dinner table, a scene of utter chaos.

  These former socialites are trapped in such an environment, their minds have already reached the limit, and a few have completely collapsed.

  "Cough, cough!" I pretended to cough, the passengers had been locked up for too long, and they were stunned for a moment when they saw someone come to check on them, looking at us with terrified and pleading eyes, accurately speaking, at the weapons on our bodies.

  Ten seconds later, the crowd was in an uproar!

  "Spare our lives, hero! Let us go! My child is dying, waaahhh!" A disheveled woman knelt down in front of us, crying out.

  "You can ask for as much money as you want, sell me to Southeast Asia as a laborer, just please don't kill me! I haven't lived enough yet, I don't want to die!" The well-dressed middle-aged fat man knocked his head on the ground, making a loud noise. This person must be Qin, the high-ranking official from the Education Bureau.

  A young man burst into tears: "I have an 80-year-old mother in Shanghai, and I also have a wife. My boat ticket was scraped together by my whole family for me. Please don't kill me!"

  ……

  It's heartbreaking to watch scene after scene, to be honest I knew this would happen and I should have let them go a long time ago. Although these people are mostly high-ranking officials or at least from wealthy families, in the midst of war and chaos, regardless of their social status, they are just like me - afraid of death and yearning for life.

  I looked at Oni no Yaiba and he nodded slightly.

  At this time, a young man with a greasy face suddenly rushed over, hugged Gu Ye's leg and said in a flattering tone with a hint of crying: "My name is Kong Rui, I am the manager of Yangzi Jianye Company. If you let me go, I will make sure that you have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life in Taiwan!"

  Seeing that we didn't respond, he suddenly became anxious, thinking that we didn't believe him. He hastily exclaimed: "I'm telling the truth! My adopted elder brother is my boss, and he has plenty of money and power. With just one word from him, even Soong Mei-ling would have to show some respect!"

  Oni no Ya laughed coldly: "Are you one of Kong Xiangxi's people?"

  Kong Rui nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, it's him. You know that when my brother Kong Xiangxi stamps his foot, the whole of China will shake three times!" As soon as Kong Rui mentioned Kong Xiangxi, he suddenly became spirited, as if he had grasped a lifesaving charm. He patted his chest and loudly declared: "Under heaven, who doesn't fear my brother Kong Xiangxi?"

  Bang!

  Kong Rui's eyes widened in shock as he fell to the ground, dead. His face was frozen in an expression of utter disbelief as he stared at Gui Ye Jia.

  "Why did you kill him?" I exclaimed in shock, as Oni no Yasha was not a person who killed innocent people indiscriminately.

  "Oni no Ya said coldly: 'I have a vendetta with the Kong family.'"

  The gunshot from Oniichan completely stunned all the passengers in the dining car, and no one dared to make a sound again. They fell to the ground, trembling with fear. I took a glance around, and everyone was cowering with their heads down, not daring to look me straight in the eye. It seemed like they thought we were ruthless fugitives who killed people without batting an eyelid. Hmm, it seemed that apart from me, those two really were.

  Nie Kun instead enjoyed the feeling of being feared by others, fired a shot into the air and shouted loudly: "I'm asking you, who among you can sail a boat? Step forward!"

  The passengers looked around, but no one answered.

  Nie Kun was furious: "Damn it, who would dare to start the boat? I'll kill him!"

  This time the effect is completely different.

  I can drive!

  "I can fly an airplane, I'm a pilot who brushed up on flying!"

  I can swim.

  ……

  Nie Kun cursed and grabbed one who claimed to have seen others open fishing boats, only to find out it was just for survival, nonsense, and was kicked by Nie Kun, rolling over several times.

  I've lost my last hope, thinking about it, these people's families have money, they're good at eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and they can speak English and German fluently, but their other skills are rubbish.

  I stopped Nie Kun's nonsense, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. Suddenly, all the passengers' eyes focused on me. I loudly declared: "Everyone may have misunderstood, my name is Hong Xingdong, a police officer from Huangpu, Shanghai. The hijackers and the sailors who plotted evil have been eliminated by me and the two civilians beside me. In other words, you are safe... You are released!"

  "I repeated again: 'Niangximi, did you hear? You are released!'"

  The passengers were taken aback, looked at each other in surprise and suspicion, thinking I was fooling them.

  "It's really hopeless." I shook my head and turned around with Oni no Yaiba and the others to leave the dining hall.

  As we walked to the end of the corridor, suddenly, a thunderous applause came from the dining hall, and in an instant, the footsteps shook the ears 'almost' deaf.

  I smiled wryly at Oni no Yaiba and said, "What I told them was release, not salvation. Well, who knows what they'll think when they find out their circumstances."

  Oni no Ya didn't respond, instead Nie Kong said a very philosophical sentence: "If there's wine today, get drunk today, let them be happy first."

  "How much food is left?" I asked.

  "Oniichan calculated: 'There's still enough water, but the dry rations are running low. If we eat once a day, we can hold out for at most five more days.'"

  Nie Kun and I both looked unwell.

  After returning to the room, our most common conversation was whether we could 'get through' this level.

  Time passed bit by bit, and Jin Hua Lun was like a withered leaf in the vast ocean, drifting along with the waves.

  The passengers didn't dare disturb us, and the few brave ones were scared away by Nie Kun's fierce appearance.

  We are just struggling through the dullness and anxiety, these are also the most difficult days for me to survive until now.

  Five days later, the last bit of dry rations was exhausted. I gave the few pieces of biscuits I had saved to a woman with children.

  Two more days passed and almost everyone was in despair. Every few hours someone would faint from hunger.

  Just as we were about to give up all hope, a passing Nationalist Party warship spotted us.