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墨書 Inktalez
"Prosecutor?" Song Jiu paused, puzzled. "From the court?"
Fang Fei was taken aback by his question and stammered, "I suppose so."
"What kind of secret is that? Why the hesitation?" Song Jiu was confused, unable to understand what there was to hide about such a straightforward job. When he was in college, his school had organized a court observation, and he remembered that prosecutors and judges were not young. At Natalia's age, he guessed she could at most be a clerk or something similar.
"Who am I supposed to ask?" Fang Fei shot him an annoyed glance, as if she could see through Song Jiu's thoughts. She explained, "The structure of judicial institutions varies between countries; there's nothing suspicious about that. Besides, she mentioned herself that being a prosecutor is only half of it; she doesn't want to talk about the other half."
"Talk to her again and tell her we are all Successors; in terms of identity, we are all on equal footing," Song Jiu thought it over. If Barbie Doll worked in the judicial system, perhaps she had served in the military before. With that in mind, it made sense that she could handle firearms.
"You go ahead and say it." Fang Fei chuckled at his words, suddenly seeming to have an epiphany. She speculated, "She wouldn't happen to be someone from the overseas Establishment, would she?"
"That's a possibility," Song Jiu nodded. He was pondering this too but thought about it more; Barbie Doll's identity didn't seem to hold much significance. If he hadn't brought her out from the shipyard, she would still be a Mud Monkey—definitely not a prosecutor.
The two analyzed for a while outside the door but didn't come up with any useful information. Inside, the prosecutor began calling out "Song" repeatedly. Reluctantly, they stopped talking and sent Fang Fei back to her small wooden house while Song Jiu returned.
The night felt long; many who seemed fine during the day became fragile as darkness fell. Emotions that had nowhere to go spread within him like wild grass, eroding his heart disguised as a stubborn stone. Song Jiu lay there for a long time without feeling sleepy, staring at the intersecting beams above him. His mind felt stuffed with cotton and then ignited by a spark; one by one, familiar faces from the past surfaced before his eyes—unshakeable and unforgettable.
He knew he wasn't the only one unable to sleep; in such circumstances, many emotions had to be digested alone. Sadness was too contagious; if two sad people came together, they wouldn't find comfort but would instead amplify their sorrow infinitely.
Lost in thought, his mind gradually became chaotic. The flickering flames and shadows faded into darkness as his consciousness slipped into oblivion while his body fell into slumber.
In the following days, the entire island fell into an unusual atmosphere. Despite clear skies and bright sunshine, every Islander felt as if a cloud of gloom was slowly approaching, ready to shroud the island once more. This sentiment stemmed from Song Jiu and his group.
Fang Fei had already spoken openly with Qian Wanguo and his group without any concealment. She candidly informed them that she had decided to leave with Song Jiu and his companions. The island had gathered too much effort from many people; she hoped that after handing it over to them, it wouldn't collapse too quickly.
Qian Wanguo's group was somewhat stunned; he never expected Fang Fei would abandon this place. He himself was one of those who landed on the island years ago and knew better than anyone how it transformed from a deserted isle into paradise. Just days ago, he was still trying to gain influence here when suddenly happiness struck him like a bolt from the blue; others were heartbroken as they had been working hard these past few days hoping that Song Jiu's group could take over Jin Bo's leadership here.
"Girl, what will happen to everyone on the island if you leave?" The middle-aged man who had given words for the Bride and Groom sighed heavily. The years had left indelible marks on his face, making him appear much older than he actually was.
"Uncle, the island is still the same island—there's water, electricity, and food. As for what happens next, you all can discuss it among yourselves. Just live well and don't cause trouble anymore; it's pointless," Fang Fei said this in front of Qian Wanguo. The latter looked somewhat embarrassed and forced out a couple of dry laughs without responding.
"We'll take some food and fresh water with us; we'll also leave you some weapons for self-defense," Fang Fei initially thought she was just explaining things simply. However, as she spoke more, emotions of reluctance surged within her until her eyes began to redden.
"Ah, just tell Old Qian that we have no grand aspirations—having enough to eat and wear is enough for us," the middle-aged man shook his head with a sigh before turning away with several young Conservatives from Stilt House.
Qian Wanguo looked at Fang Fei with an odd expression and mustered up courage to say, "We've lived together for so many years; I know Jin Bo has always looked down on me. But Fang Fei, you should understand—I want this island to be better too; I have no ill intentions."
"That's good; just remember it yourself," Fang Fei nodded lightly; she still believed in him regarding this matter.
"So when are you leaving?" Qian Wanguo turned his eyes around awkwardly and quickly explained, "I-I’m not rushing you away; I just..."
"I know," Fang Fei interrupted him thoughtfully before saying, "We still need to prepare some things; it should be in the next few days. Old Qian, perhaps one day we will return; we leave this island in your hands—don't ruin it."
Three days later, everything was ready—the supplies needed for long-distance sailing were loaded onto the yacht. The water-making machine resumed operation after repairs were completed on the last remaining engine—it was reborn and could operate normally again.
The boat remained unchanged; the sea was still the same sea. The faces boarding were familiar yet lacked many known ones now. Jin Bo's underground arms depot had been exposed; Wu Wentao seized most resources leaving only a few handguns and ammunition for the islanders. Qian Wanguo didn't object much since these items were of limited use in their hands; they couldn't take much anyway.
After several negotiations between Song Jiu and Old Wu, they finally agreed to delay their departure due to Cao Zheng’s compelling argument: “The weather has been unpredictable lately; there might be rain.”
Having experienced a storm once before made many wary of rainy weather at sea—Cao Zheng’s previous weather predictions had been accurate enough that when he said it would rain, even nature hesitated to clear up.
Thus, twelve monkeys poised for action returned to the island amidst strange gazes from Islanders—each returned home behind closed doors without engaging with worldly matters.
That evening brought leaden clouds rolling in from afar accompanied by strands of rain descending upon the island. The refreshing drizzle lasted less than half an hour before dark clouds filled the sky entirely with lightning flickering behind them while thunder rumbled ominously nearby until torrential rain poured down heavily.
Those who delayed their departure stared blankly outside at the gray sky feeling mixed emotions inside them. For Song Jiu’s group, Cao Zheng had become a human weather gauge while for others he seemed like an omen of doom.
A sudden storm erupted as waves roared angrily against the coast—the foamy surf rose high with each wave crashing down while sea met sky almost seamlessly amidst tumultuous waves that turned faces pale upon witnessing them.
A fishing boat marked “China Ocean” bobbed violently amidst turbulent waters where supplies piled on deck rolled chaotically as loose ropes snapped sending cargo tumbling into the sea while its flag soaked through by wind and rain flapped wildly.
Inside the captain's cabin lay chaos—furniture drifted around drunkenly as if caught in a storm itself while the captain struggled upright from deck trying desperately to grab hold of door handles during brief moments of stability when waves lifted then dropped again.
“Signal! Send out distress signals!” The captain—a square-faced man—had coffee stains splattered across his uniform looking utterly disheveled as he rushed into the cockpit where seven or eight men gathered—all young men dressed similarly either in military uniforms or casual clothes—focused intently on watching rolling waves through portholes with pale faces reflecting fear.
The captain stumbled inside losing his big hat amidst chaos while drenched by either seawater or rain shouted hoarsely: “Sail against the wind!”
“Doing so will throw us off course!” shouted one helmsman drenched in sweat straining his voice back at him.
“You're risking your life!” The captain yanked away from him barking orders at Surveyor for data while trying hard adjusting their course aiming sideways against wind and waves.
“Now sailing against wind won’t help—we should prepare to abandon ship,” one young man managed calmly despite chaos around him trying hard not losing balance as military boots wedged into corners asked: “Where’s Xiao Zhuang? How far are we?”
“Unknown—we can’t pinpoint our location right now,” Surveyor adjusted glasses nervously stating: “We’ve definitely veered off course but how far remains unclear—we can only assess after storm subsides but abandoning ship now is too late—a single wave could crush us.”
“Captain! Is there any chance we can break through?” another youth asked anxiously.
“This is a fishing boat! Not a warship!” The captain nearly lost it having warned crew members before setting sail that any change in weather meant immediate return yet this youth took everyone’s lives lightly treating it like child's play instead.
“You’re an excellent helmsman—I trust you,” said this youth unfazed patting captain’s shoulder though worry flickered across his eyes momentarily.
“Sun! I’ll remember this debt! If we survive back home—I’ll report you to Old Yao!” Captain’s expression shifted dramatically revealing either genuine anger or bitter humor commanding engine room personnel ensure power systems ran smoothly taking deep breaths before facing another wave head-on causing vessel nearly lift off Sea Surface momentarily before crashing down creating massive splashes around them.
Just then instruments on Surveyor’s station suddenly beeped back online displaying previously empty screens now filled with dense linear patterns appearing rapidly across display panels indicating danger ahead!
“There are reefs!” Surveyor screamed hoarsely dropping pencil snapping under pressure while captain turned pale staring helplessly at monstrous waves crashing down closing eyes despairingly.
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