Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The sky had not yet brightened, and the sea surface was shrouded in thick mist. A kayak quietly departed from the coast, paddling leisurely towards the forward outpost on the other side of the island. The abandoned pleasure boat, repurposed as a watch station, glimmered with faint lights, its outline emerging and disappearing as the wind swept through the fog.
Wu Wentao yawned. As a security personnel, he had not escaped the toil of labor yesterday. The event setup was overly complicated; although there were enough hands on deck, the lack of prior coordination only made things more chaotic. Wu Wentao lay in the kayak for a while, trying to gather his thoughts, but eventually he could no longer stand it. He took charge as the temporary commander of the venue, organizing personnel to ensure that subsequent tasks were completed smoothly.
Jin Bo had disappeared in the afternoon. They had previously agreed to assign him several security personnel, but he had been distracted by various tasks and completely forgotten about it. Left with no choice, Wu Wentao decided to recruit from his own team. He initially intended to find Song Jiu, but halfway there he ran into the Tattooed Woman who was also awake at this hour. Thus, Jasmine was unwittingly pulled from her warm bed into the cold sea surface, her mind still hazy and unable to process what was happening.
Prior to this, Wu Wentao had consulted about the island's defense rotation; Jin Bo seemed indifferent to it, leaving most of the coordination to Fang Fei. There were three forward outposts: the pleasure boat that had picked them up on their return trip, a makeshift lighthouse on the other side of the coast, and a rocky area at the edge of the forest behind the island. This place was essentially an uninhabited island; it wasn't even marked on sea charts. After three years on the island, few survivors had ventured close to this area, so security concerns had never been deemed significant.
Every time Wu Wentao thought about how there were no eyes watching outside, he felt uneasy. This time volunteering for security was partly an escape from labor and partly due to his professional instincts. The kayak carrying two people moved swiftly through the water; minutes later, they approached the forward outpost. He stowed away the paddles and let the gentle current guide them as they slowly came to rest at the stern of the pleasure boat.
Wu Wentao tossed a rope to secure the kayak and gently nudged Jasmine awake. "Get up."
"Mm... okay." Jasmine rubbed her sleepy eyes and reached for the boat's railing. The cold metal sent a jolt through her system, dispelling her drowsiness.
"Up." Wu Wentao found her movements too slow and lifted Jasmine by her hips with one hand, effortlessly tossing her onto the deck.
Jasmine stood dazed at the edge of the deck as a chill sea breeze hit her face. The exposed skin on her arms prickled with goosebumps as she shivered. It was only at this moment that her mind began to clear; she looked around in confusion and froze.
"What am I doing here?" Jasmine murmured to herself as she surveyed the old boat. Aside from a flickering light in one of the cabins, everything around her was engulfed in darkness. Was it possible that she had sleepwalked?
As she pondered this, a noise came from behind her. Turning around, she saw a heavy machine gun being tossed onto the deck, followed closely by Wu Wentao who rubbed his hands together and picked up the weapon.
Jasmine blinked in surprise as fragmented memories began to piece together in her mind. She gradually recalled what had happened when she got up during the night and stared blankly at Wu Wentao. "Wu... Brother Wu, what did you bring me here for?" Jasmine felt somewhat disoriented; they had hardly spoken during their journey together. Suddenly being brought here made her wonder if he intended something else.
"Change of post," Wu Wentao said curtly, cutting off Jasmine's thoughts before they could spiral further.
The cold wind from the Field Captain swept past Jasmine, who sniffled as the chilly air mixed with the tobacco scent lingering around him, invigorating her senses. Remembering her earlier thoughts, Jasmine felt her cheeks flush as she gazed at the man's strong back, a hint of disappointment creeping into her heart.
The tour boat they arrived on was on a completely different level compared to the yacht, from specifications to amenities; one offered high-end enjoyment while the other could only be considered a mass-market product.
Wu Wentao climbed up the side ladder to the Second Deck Control Room. Peering through the porthole, he noticed the helmet light used for lighting sitting on the control panel. The light was dim, as if it had been on for quite some time, yet there was no one inside.
"You go in," Wu Wentao said, glancing around but finding no one on duty. Instead, he spotted the shivering Jasmine and added helplessly, "Go inside and turn on the searchlight."
"Oh, okay," Jasmine nodded repeatedly, pulling open the cabin door and stepping inside. The cold wind from outside was blocked, and her icy body finally felt a hint of warmth. Following Wu Wentao's instructions, the Tattooed Woman picked up the helmet light to inspect the control panel. She found the searchlight's wiring connected but suddenly realized something was off. Before she could look up to see who was there, a pair of large hands covered her mouth and nose, followed by a sharp pain at the back of her head that sent her consciousness plunging into darkness.
On the east coast, at the lighthouse.
The guard on duty leaned against the wooden watchtower, with a gong for signaling time resting in the corner as he engrossed himself in a book.
The entire island was dominated by this lighthouse, which stood taller than any other structure except for the mountains behind it. However, due to its geographical position, it could only monitor the nearby sea surface; as for the living area across the coast, it was obscured by layers of mangrove trees, making it difficult to see clearly. The lighthouse rose five meters high, with cables running inside its walls. The searchlight hung in a square window and was supposed to illuminate the sea surface but had been redirected to serve as indoor lighting instead.
During the day, there was little excitement to be found; at night, he still had to keep watch. Naturally, this left some resentment in his heart. However, he could only suppress these feelings because this task had been assigned to him by Little Leaf. If it had been Jin Bo giving orders, he might have leveraged Qian Wanguo's influence to voice his complaints. But Little Leaf was different; Guard Boy had long harbored feelings for her. Not only would he help keep watch at night, but he would also gladly keep her company if asked.
Despite his thoughts wandering, he knew they were too accustomed to comfort; their vigilance and self-discipline couldn't compare to Song Jiu and his crew. After half a night of guarding duty, fatigue set in as yawns escaped him. If it weren't for Little Leaf's promised breakfast, he would have turned off the lights and gone to sleep long ago.
Li Ping'er and Lord Song's antics had been replayed in his mind several times already; his drowsiness faded considerably while a fire ignited within him. Thinking about Little Leaf's gentle demeanor only made Guard Boy feel thirstier.
"Sigh, relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself," Guard Boy muttered as he switched off the searchlight, closed his book, and unbuckled his belt.
Outside, the sea breeze rustled softly beneath the lighthouse. At that moment when the light dimmed, several shadows darted out from among the clustered pineapple thorns and stealthily slipped through the slightly ajar wooden door.
The confined space had excellent sound insulation. A shadow lurking in the darkness paused by the ladder, straining to listen. No alarms sounded above, only the sound of rapid breathing.
The figure let out a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, the lights had dimmed suddenly, and they feared being discovered. It seemed they had overestimated their opponents. As the heavy breaths began to subside, the figure swiftly ascended, a dark silhouette climbing to the peak alongside their desires, the suppressed sounds of pleasure abruptly silenced.
Moments later, the window lit up again, and the sea breeze continued to blow, as if nothing had happened.
Comment 0 Comment Count