Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Today was the first day of the auction on the Dream Ship. Everyone was gathered at the auction venue on the top floor, but it was not yet time for the auction, and everyone was having breakfast.
After returning to the venue, Duan Qizhou sat down next to Qin Fan.
Qin Fan glanced at him and then looked away.
If Si Huang were here, she would find many familiar faces. Besides the Blood Flag Special Agents and Duan Qizhou, Dou Wenqing and his client whom she had met before were also there.
“I just went out for a stroll and saw something,” Duan Qizhou said in a low voice.
“What is it?” The one who asked was Guo Chengxiong, who was sitting on the other side of Duan Qizhou.
Duan Qizhou knew Qin Fan was listening, so he said, “The organizers of the Dream Ship sent four boxes to the VIP area for that Earl to inspect personally.”
“Each box is half a person’s height. Could they contain people?” Duan Qizhou had been with Qin Fan and the others for the past few days and knew a bit about the mission, hence his question. “I asked if they were auction items, and the person in charge said we’d see them soon, but I think they’re just trying to fool us.”
Guo Chengxiong looked at Qin Fan; if they really did contain people, they were 80% likely to have special bloodlines.
“That’s not our target,” Qin Fan said expressionlessly.
Duan Qizhou and the others calmed down and continued watching the auction.
Meanwhile, Si Huang, also on the Dream Ship, had been transported to her destination.
After confirming that everyone had left, Si Huang didn’t make any rash moves. No one knew if there were security cameras, and more importantly, she needed to find an opportunity to release Five Treasure.
Although Five Treasure wasn’t an ordinary hamster, being sealed in a closed metal cabinet for so long could lead to unforeseen circumstances.
Time slowly passed. Si Huang occasionally moved her limbs to keep her body from stiffening. She calculated that about ten hours had gone by. Looking through the hole, it was pitch black outside.
The curtains in the room were probably all drawn; by late afternoon, without the lights on, it was almost impossible to see anything inside.
Si Huang carefully opened the iron cage. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see the cover in front of her, she rolled over and crouched under a pool table.
From here, she could observe carefully and discovered that there were indeed cameras in the room, but they weren’t the kind that covered every angle.
Should she wait or leave and look for an opportunity later?
Si Huang thought for a moment and decided to stay where she was and wait.
The box containing Five Treasure couldn’t be opened by brute force. Since the person in charge said it was to be given to the Earl, someone would definitely come to open the box.
Si Huang’s guess was correct. She didn’t wait long before she heard footsteps approaching.
The footsteps were heavy and light, the lighter ones rhythmic, suggesting a very elegant person.
This was not an exaggeration. A person’s temperament and refinement were not only reflected in their appearance and behavior, but in all aspects, such as their gait and posture.
“Earl, surely one of these four items will satisfy you.” The voice that spoke was that of the previous freight manager.
“Is that so?” came the reply, deep and slightly hoarse, like a fine old wine.
This was a successful man, and if nothing unexpected happened, he should be a successful and mature man, like Zhuang Jin, the former mayor of H City, or even more outstanding.
“Is my princess in there too?” the man asked again, his tone filled with deep affection when he mentioned the word “princess.”
The manager hesitated, “…No, Earl, you’ve forgotten, Her Highness the Princess had an accident on the way.”
“You shouldn’t have reminded me of this unfortunate news again. I thought you had already made up for this mistake.”
Although the man’s tone didn’t carry much blame, Si Huang felt that the manager who had spoken to him seemed frightened.
With a “snap,” the view suddenly brightened, accompanied by the person in charge’s calm voice, “Earl, you can take a look at this first.”
Perhaps to redeem himself, the person in charge quickly and efficiently chose the metal cabinet where Five Treasure was locked. After removing the outer camouflage, he took out the key and used the fingerprint scanner to open the half-person-high sealed metal cabinet.
From where Si Huang was hiding, she could see that inside the cabinet lay a man who appeared to be asleep, wearing an oxygen mask.
Although she couldn’t see his face clearly, Si Huang recognized him at a glance by his build and hair color— this man was Lei Qie, whom Xiao Jin and the others had been searching for. It was truly a case of “the flowers you plant with care don’t bloom, but the willows you plant without intention thrive.[1]” She was looking for Five Treasure, but she had unintentionally found this guy.
Si Huang’s gaze shifted further forward, where she could only see the so-called Earl sitting on the sofa, wearing cropped suit trousers and dark brown leather shoes.
“Who is he?” The voice came from the owner of the shoes.
The person in charge didn’t believe the Earl had truly forgotten who the other party was, but still earnestly explained, “The third son of the Pierce family, named Lei Qie.”
“The Pierce family? Why is he delivering himself to our doorstep?” The other party’s tone still sounded uninterested.
The person in charge interpreted this as: the prey who delivered himself was simply too boring.
Finding that Lei Qie’s presence couldn’t win the Earl’s favor, the person in charge moved to the next box.
This second box was the one where Si Huang had been locked. As the person in charge pulled back the black cloth, the empty box was revealed to the two people currently in the room.
“Hmm?” The Earl seemed somewhat interested.
The person in charge, however, broke out in a cold sweat. He was certain that if he couldn’t give a reasonable explanation, proving he wasn’t toying with the Earl, his fate would be dire.
That would be dire.
Was this a joke? But the Earl, who hadn’t seen the ‘princess,’ was clearly in a bad mood; daring to joke with him like this was suicidal!
Was this the deliveryman’s negligence? As the person in charge of this shipment, he couldn’t escape responsibility either!
While the person in charge frantically tried to find an excuse, Si Huang’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. She saw her beloved Five Treasure, who loved to act silly, wobbling out of Lei Qie’s clothes, then landing on its feet like a person, staggering like a drunkard.
“…” Si Huang was certain that the other two people in the room were currently focused on this little creature.
From the moment the metal cabinet where Lei Qie was located was opened, Si Huang smelled a peculiar scent slowly dissipating in the air. Just smelling it made Si Huang feel dizzy for a moment, which explained why Lei Qie had fainted.
She just hadn’t expected that the scent would also affect Five Treasure, otherwise the other wouldn’t have given up on responding to her calls.
“Pretend to be an ordinary hamster and hide,” Si Huang reminded the still-silent Five Treasure with her mind.
“Squeak?” Five Treasure stopped, looking around in surprise, its head still fuzzy like it was drunk.
Where was it? Why did it hear His Majesty’s voice?
Luckily, Five Treasure wasn’t quite clear-headed and didn’t immediately rely on its senses to look towards Si Huang’s hiding place, otherwise it would have been a complete liability.
However, now that it was standing upright, its way of looking around was even more expressive and intelligent than before, and anyone would be tempted to take a second look.
“Interesting.” Five Treasure’s silly antics successfully piqued someone’s interest.
The person in charge’s eyes lit up, and seeing an opportunity, they weren’t about to let it go. They immediately grabbed Five Treasure from the ground and sent it to the Earl.
[Who dares to grab this grandpa Five Treasure!] Once Five Treasure was grabbed by a stranger, it finally came to its senses, and its arrogant voice was only audible and understandable to Si Huang.
Si Huang held the assembled Soul01 in her hand, ignoring Five Treasure’s silly antics. She thought it would be best if the other party, considering Five Treasure was just a hamster, would lose interest after playing with it for a while and then discard it, thus avoiding the most trouble.
However, fate seemed to be deliberately working against her.
The Earl, who had taken Five Treasure into his hands, seemed quite interested in it. “Little thing, want some fruit?”
As a hamster with style and personality, Five Treasure believed it wouldn’t fawn over anyone other than His Majesty, except for exceptional individuals like the Little Sun.
Five Treasure arrogantly turned its head away from the Earl’s flattery, not only ignoring him but also struggling to break free from his grasp.
Suddenly, a silenced pistol shot rang out.
Si Huang’s eyes narrowed, and she couldn’t help but peek out to see Five Treasure’s current situation.
She finally got a clear look at the so-called Earl.
The man was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, looking formal and elegant, though the tie and pocket watch prevented him from appearing old-fashioned. Even just sitting on the sofa, his impressive height and physique, while not particularly muscular, were striking.
His handsome features possessed a rare refinement for a Westerner; his meticulously styled hair didn’t obscure his face, and his smile exuded a classic gentlemanly air, radiating a unique medieval charm befitting his title of Earl.
While his looks alone couldn’t compare to Lei Qie’s, and weren’t particularly striking, his demeanor was distinctive and undeniable. At first glance, one would perceive him as a perfect gentleman of impeccable character.
However, this was merely an appearance.
A true gentleman wouldn’t be toying with a poor hamster while holding a pistol.
The fur around Five Treasure’s back was singed, and there was a bullet hole in the table behind him.
Earl of Dream, Ivan Jasper, pointed the still-hot muzzle of his gun at Five Treasure’s head, his smile elegant and gentle. “Little thing, want some fruit?”
Five Treasure: “…”
Your Five Treasure grandpa is unyielding to the death!
Five Treasure widened his beady black eyes, pretending not to understand.
“Oh.” A hint of disappointment flashed in Ivan’s eyes.
Si Huang gripped Soul01 tightly; she was certain the other party actually intended to shoot, just like the previous shot had been fired without hesitation.
“Bang—”
The author has something to say:
Five Treasure: This is just so awesome! Unyielding to the death, so classy!
Er Shui: The fur on your back is gone.
Five Treasure: …
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[1] This Chinese proverb means that things done with intense planning and hard work may fail, while things done casually or without expectation can succeed unexpectedly.
