Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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At this moment, some of the people on the Dream shared the same thought as Lei Qie, all noticing that Ivan was acting strangely. “What happened? What made this madman have such a fit?”
“I don’t know, hopefully the Earl can catch him soon, otherwise who knows what will happen.”
“That’s true, if the profits weren’t so great, I wouldn’t want to get on this madman’s ship at all.”
The guests in the auction hall whispered among themselves.
Duan Qizhou stroked his chin and grinned mischievously, “Don’t you think I guessed right? The boxes were full of people before, and now the ones that escaped are the people from those boxes?”
Qin Fan didn’t respond. Guo Chengxiong pressed the keypad on his phone, a series of data codes scrolling rapidly across the palm-sized screen. He said absentmindedly, “This cruise ship is controlled by Ivan Jasper. The only way to escape is to jump overboard, but even if you jump, you won’t be able to swim back to shore.”
Duan Qizhou: “So, they really can’t escape?”
“Or they can capture Ivan Jasper.” Guo Chengxiong tapped on his phone, and a line drawing appeared on the screen. Anyone familiar with the ship would recognize that this line drawing was actually the structural diagram of the Dream. Having completed his mission, Guo Chengxiong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Trying to take down Ivan Jasper would be less satisfying than jumping into the sea. This man is an absolute madman.”
Duan Qizhou, known as “Little Madman,” raised an eyebrow and asked, “How mad?”
Guo Chengxiong glanced at Qin Fan, then turned his gaze back to Duan Qizhou, and said in a low voice, “Let me put it this way, your madness is out of necessity. Usually, it’s just that you’re emotionally volatile and violent, but under normal circumstances, you can still control and endure it. Ivan Jasper, however, is truly a madman psychologically, so incurable that even top psychologists are helpless. He doesn’t even care about his own life, has no moral compass, and his behavior becomes very strange. Even the most skilled psychologists can’t predict what he’ll do.”
Duan Qizhou turned his gaze to Mei Hualu.
As a hypnotist in the Blood Flag Special Agent Group, Mei Hualu also had a background in psychology, so Duan Qizhou wanted to get answers from him.
Noticing his gaze, Mei Hualu said calmly, “Ivan Jasper is a paradox.”
“So he must be difficult to get along with, then why do so many people cooperate with him, and why is his business so large?” Duan Qizhou found it intriguing.
Mei Hualu said, “Ivan Jasper, when he’s not insane, is a perfect gentleman.”
Duan Qizhou pondered, “A perfect gentleman and a reckless madman, it’s really contradictory. I kind of want to see him in person.”
“Actually, Ivan Jasper is mostly an easy-going gentleman, as long as his princess is around,” Guo Chengxiong interjected, his tone slightly mocking and disgusted when he mentioned ‘princess.’
“Princess?” Duan Qizhou laughed, crossing his legs, “The Dream, Earl Dream, plus a princess, is he some kind of madman living in a fairy tale?”
Mei Hualu whispered, “Perhaps.”
A madman’s thinking is beyond the comprehension of normal people, just as autistic people have their own world of thought. Perhaps in their eyes, normal people are the real patients.
“Boom—” A sudden explosion interrupted their conversation, shaking the entire ship.
“What happened!?”
They quickly learned the answer; Ivan Jasper’s voice echoed throughout the Dream again.
“Want to play hide-and-seek? But I’m not very patient. How about a bomb-destroying game instead?”
“Damn it! Is this madman trying to kill us all?” Upon hearing this, a guest panicked. “He actually planted a bomb on his own ship?!”
“I heard the Earl’s princess had an accident on the way… Damn it! I knew the Earl without his princess was a ticking time bomb!”
“Please don’t panic, everyone. The Earl will soon catch the troublemaker. And everything will be back to normal.” The auctioneer calmly reassured the guests.
His words had some effect, but some still refused to believe it. “He’s risking his life again! He’s risking his life again! Damn it, that fearless devil Earl!”
….
At this moment, Si Huang and Lei Qie were also cursing Ivan Jasper in their hearts.
The two people within the blast radius scrambled to hide in the room. Luckily, the room they entered was interconnected on all four sides, with doors leading to other rooms— it was practically a presidential suite.
“I told you he’d gone mad,” Lei Qie said with a wry smile.
Si Huang, seeing his pale lips, asked, “If we don’t get out, does he dare blow up the ship?”
“Yes,” Lei Qie answered without hesitation.
Si Huang pursed her lips, a hint of anxiety forming between her brows.
Before, she thought Ivan Jasper, a capable and calm man, would be difficult to deal with; now, with his fearlessness, he was simply the most troublesome type.
A person who isn’t even afraid of death is capable of anything.
The blast radius wasn’t large enough to affect the entire cruise ship’s operation, but judging from Ivan Jasper’s words, every corner of the cruise ship might be equipped with these miniature bombs.
What a fu**ing madman!
The white hamster clinging tightly to the edge of her pocket clearly knew it had caused trouble, so it hadn’t uttered a sound since being rescued.
“How much do you know about Ivan Jasper?” Si Huang asked Lei Qie. Sitting idly by was not an option.
Lei Qie leaned against a wall, panting, and briefly recounted what he knew about Ivan Jasper, much like what Duan Qizhou and Guo Chengxiong had discussed. He then chuckled, “Taking him head-on is impossible. Not only is he fearless, but if things go wrong, he’ll drag you down with him. His marksmanship is terrifying; no one can dodge it. Every time he fires, it means he’s absolutely confident of hitting his target…”
Lei Qie suddenly stopped speaking, recalling the shot Ivan Jasper had fired at Si Huang. He was certain the bullet was aimed at Si Huang’s forehead, so why was she still alive?
Lei Qie scrutinized Si Huang, noticing a faint scratch on her left temple.
“You actually dodged it? Or did Jasper miss? That’s impossible!”
Hearing him mention it reminded Si Huang of that life-or-death moment. In that instant, she had almost used all her trump cards, using her bewitching eyes and illusionary magic to barely dodge the fatal shot.
This made her realize how terrifying Ivan Jasper was; his willpower was completely unaffected by external influences.
“Doesn’t he have any weaknesses?”
Lei Qie opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head dejectedly. “No.”
“If he has no weaknesses, why are you running?” He still insisted on running with her.
Si Huang’s icy gaze was like a knife, and she couldn’t help but suspect that Lei Qie was knowingly trying to take someone down with him.
Lei Qie understood the meaning in her eyes, and upon reflection, he realized his actions were unkind. However… he forced a grim smile, “Human survival instinct. Even knowing there’s no hope in Ivan Jasper’s hands, you still want to try.”
Before he could finish speaking, Si Huang kicked him, sending him tumbling more than a meter away.
He cried out in pain, but before he could question Si Huang, another explosion sent a jolt through his chest.
Si Huang nimbly dodged, unharmed. When she pushed open the only door in their current location, she was momentarily blinded by what was inside, and then heard Ivan Jasper’s voice, “Come out!”
Si Huang’s reaction was the opposite; she went inside, followed by Lei Qie, who limped along, his face already pale.
“Entering the princess’s room without permission, you deserve the harshest punishment.” Ivan Jasper’s voice was filled with emotion, a burning anger in every word. “I will personally crush you.”
Something was thrown to the ground, followed by a series of footsteps, like trampling on someone’s heart.
At this moment, Si Huang and Lei Qie looked at the scene in the room. Lei Qie cursed, “Pervert!”
Actually, the room’s decoration was far from perverted; it could even be described as extremely luxurious and elegant, filled with the atmosphere of ancient Central European nobility.
The walls were covered with dark green patterned wallpaper, the floor was covered with carpet, and the furniture was exquisitely handcrafted in European style. On the table sat a vase and a cup of black tea that had already gone cold.
One wall was covered with framed photos, each featuring a different young woman: some sitting in gardens, others enjoying the breeze on balconies, or dining at tables… The angles of the photos obscured the women’s faces, but they all shared long black hair, dressed in the same style, and even had a remarkably similar air about them, easily mistaken for the same person.
However, Si Huang, an actress, was adept at observing a person’s appearance and demeanor, so she easily discerned that they were not the same person.
The fact that these two distinct individuals were so similar, displayed in frames and hung on the same wall, created a strangely eerie atmosphere.
Below this wall was a cabinet, on which sat a single object covered by a black cloth.
Si Huang strode over, pulled back the cloth, and revealed a half-meter-wide oil painting.
The oil painting depicted a woman, a faceless woman with black hair and dressed in black. At first glance, one would think that the woman in this unfinished painting was undoubtedly a great beauty. However, upon closer inspection, the painting seemed almost complete, without any flaws. Combined with the photograph hanging on the wall, it became strange.
“Indeed, this is a princess’s room,” Lei Qie’s mocking voice rang out.
Si Huang’s memories flashed through her mind like a slideshow, she felt like she remembered something, grasped something else, but couldn’t quite grasp the main point.
She strode through the room, not missing a single corner, and discovered a huge, fully equipped dressing room. Inside was a female mannequin wearing a black wig and a black lace dress. The wardrobe contained dresses and clothes almost identical in style to those of the women in the photographs, along with exquisitely crafted masks, hats, jewelry, and shoes.
A piano stood by the window on the right side of the room.
Two steps led to a 1.8-meter bed, with a beautiful doll at the head of the bed.
“He should be here soon.” Lei Qie sat down on a leather sofa, assuming Si Huang was still searching for a way out. “No need to look anymore. There might be other exits elsewhere, but there definitely aren’t any in this room. Jasper would never let his princess escape… Speaking of Ivan Jasper, if you had to find a weakness in him, it would probably be this princess.”
“What did you say?” Si Huang suddenly stopped and walked towards Lei Qie.
Lei Qie answered irrelevantly, “Although I don’t think I’ve dragged you into this, your situation is indeed better than mine. Why don’t you try hiding and looking for another chance to escape?”
Si Huang ruthlessly kicked the spot on Lei Qie’s left leg where he had been shot. The tone of his words was devoid of any kindness, more like mocking her futile struggle.
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