CH 10

The chef’s skills were pretty impressive. After Xiao Zhenyun cleared his plate, his gaze fell upon the red wine placed on the corner of the table. It looked like good wine, and though he was a bit tempted, he suspected it might be spiked with something unpleasant. After all, it was meant to be a drink to liven up the spirits during the attempt by someone to 419 him, and Xiao Zhenyun didn’t want to take any risks. So, he decided to leave the wine where it was.

He turned on the projector on the bedside, hoping to find a movie to pass the time, but there was no signal. The same situation occurred when he tried to access the wrist terminal – signal interrupted. Even though he hadn’t flown since he was transported to this world, it was evident that the technology here was more advanced than his original Earth. The lack of signal on the aircraft was peculiar.

The odd feeling reached its peak as overwhelming fatigue washed over him. Xiao Zhenyun fought hard to stay conscious, wondering where the drugs had been placed. Were they in the food, the dishes, or the utensils?

He tried to splash cold water on his face in the bathroom, but such a simple action was surprisingly difficult for him now. How could a mere unknown bodyguard dare to use force against the Vice-Chairman of the Special Agents Association? And on a private plane belonging to the Si family, no less. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Such a thought felt out of place… Perhaps, it wasn’t about him. Then, who else could it be?

Suddenly, several gunshots outside the door provided Xiao Zhenyun with the answer. The gunfire was followed by sounds of struggle, impact, and blades piercing flesh, along with agonizing screams and cries of pain. It seemed like a fierce battle was now spreading throughout the entire ship, far beyond a mere encounter.

In the distance, there was a booming explosion, and the ship started shaking violently. Xiao Zhenyun struggled to control his wheelchair, trying to hold onto a safety bar on the wall, but the drugs were taking their toll, making his body weak.

Despite his determination not to give in, he couldn’t even clench his fist after several attempts. Defying the odds, he persisted for a few seconds, but the bar slipped from his grasp, and he helplessly watched as his wheelchair toppled backward, slamming into the wall and then lurching forward due to the recoil, leaving him straggling on the floor.

It was true that anything related to Si Di would never turn out to be a good thing!

After the explosion, the ship lost control entirely. Lying on the floor, Xiao Zhenyun felt a strong sense of weight, and his heart was in extreme discomfort. He could hardly move a finger, but the intense will to survive triggered a surge of adrenaline. He extended his hand and managed to grab the first aid kit from under the bed, slowly putting on the oxygen mask and escape suit.

The sounds of fighting outside temporarily ceased, but soon another wave of people continued. This time, Xiao Zhenyun faintly recognized Si Di’s voice among them. It seemed like he had the upper hand as he coldly questioned, “Who are you, and what is your purpose?”

“Mr. Si, you’ve blocked someone’s path to money, and now they want your life.”

As soon as this voice sounded, Xiao Zhenyun immediately identified the person. It was the chef from the ship who had delivered his lunch and exchanged a few words with him. ‘MP Research Institute,’ he mumbled to himself.

“Huh, again?” Si Di sneered, “I was just thinking about lacking evidence, but it seems like you’ve delivered yourselves to me.”

“Mr. Si, don’t be too confident. I’ve placed enough bombs in the body and the bow of this aircraft to blow it to pieces. You’re as good as dead.”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Indeed, it wasn’t necessarily true, Xiao Zhenyun thought. The chef was just an ordinary person, while Si Di, despite his current condition, was still an S-class sentinel. Handling an ordinary person wouldn’t be too difficult for him, unless… unless the chef had an accomplice.

As soon as this thought arose, Xiao Zhenyun heard a terrifying electric current sound, and at the same time, there was an incredulous shout from Si Di: “Du Nai, you—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, and all that was left were agonizing roars. Xiao Zhenyun knew what the electric current sound was: Si Di’s shock collar, and the controller was in Du Nai’s hands.

This time, Du Nai must have gone all out. Xiao Zhenyun could even faintly smell a burnt smell from behind the door.

Would Si Di be played to death by them?

“Don’t struggle anymore, Si Di.” It was Du Nai’s voice. Previously, he had pretended to be cheerful and innocent, deceiving everyone, even Chairman Xiao Jingfeng.

Du Nai can’t access Si Di and board this aircraft without Chairman Xiao Jingfeng’s support. If it weren’t for Xiao Zhenyun having seen the plot, knowing that the chairman of the union was absolutely righteous, he would have suspected that the entire union was under the control of evil forces. 

Xiao Zhenyun suddenly remembered the incident at the Si family’s banquet when Si Di’s magnetic restraint ring inexplicably weakened. Du Nai and Si Di had privately tested their compatibility, providing ample time and space for their scheme.

He understood now that the MP Research Institute wouldn’t let Si Di off and had sent people to silence him, and his current dilemma was completely innocent involvement.

“We’ll send you on your way first. As for that cripple, Xiao Zhenyun, he can easily die from your ‘mental fervor.’ What do you think, Captain Si?” Du Nai’s voice carried an evil tone, “That way, you’ll do us a favor before you die.”

…?? Xiao Zhenyun faintly heard his own name. Could it be that his boarding the aircraft wasn’t a coincidence either? His vision was already extremely blurry and his consciousness was stubbornly fighting against the drugs, but there was a sense of defeat.

He had to reach for the hidden blade in his waist belt and hesitantly cut his own arm. Crimson blood flowed out from under his fair skin, creating a stark contrast that stimulated his retinas. Unfortunately, his brain was currently deceived by the drugs, and he couldn’t even perceive the pain.

Yes, Xiao Jingfeng probably thought of sending him to Haleite for the meeting because of some inadvertent remarks from Du Nai… Could it be that he was also a target of retaliation by the MP?

Xiao Zhenyun could only think of the stocks he sold off some time ago. He had underestimated the danger of these black industries and overestimated his own status, thinking he could come and go without worries, that no one would dare to lay a hand on him. 

The MP Research Institute must have noticed clues from his abrupt stock sale, suspecting the reason behind his anxiousness to distance himself and believing that he might have discovered the institute’s hidden secrets.

So, in addition to killing Si Di, they decided to take the opportunity to get rid of him as well.

“Mr. Si! Mr. Si!”

Anthony’s voice suddenly came from not far away, accompanied by deafening gunshots.

There was a closed loop of restraint between ordinary people and special individuals: Guides could restrain Sentinels, Sentinels could restrain ordinary people, and ordinary people could restrain Guides. But ordinary guides generally struggled to deal with two or more sentinels. 

Si Di suffered a miserable beating from Du Nai. But, the bad state of pressing and hitting has turned around because of Anthony’s support.  However, the chef’s warning about the bomb on the aircraft wasn’t a baseless claim. After Du Nai was injured and unable to suppress Si Di with his psychic power, the chef quickly detonated the remaining bombs, causing the already burdened aircraft to disintegrate in mid-air.

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t know what happened outside next; all he knew was that, in his hazy consciousness, he finally managed to put on the intelligent escape suit. He wasn’t sure what this thing was really used for, but when he boarded the aircraft, the stewardess had reminded him to wear it immediately in case of an accident.

Hopefully, with ‘intelligent’ in its name, it truly was smart enough…

He found himself in a room where the aftermath of a bomb blast had left a ferocious, gaping hole. The iron plates were twisted and shattered, and terrifying cracks with exposed steel bars were steadily expanding. The howling storm devoured everything in the room, creating a swirling vortex of air that swept him swiftly towards the exit…

“Xiao Zhenyun.”

“Xiao Zhenyun…”

“Xiao Zhenyun?!”

Xiao Zhenyun quickly opened his eyes, still shaken, as he surveyed his surroundings. He was sitting at a rectangular conference table, surrounded by people in the meeting room. Everyone was looking at him with confusion. The woman sitting next to him had just called his name, and upon closer inspection, he realized she was his colleague.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?” the woman asked in a hushed voice, leaning closer.

“…,” Xiao Zhenyun was still in a state of confusion and it took a moment to steady his heartbeat before shaking his head.

“Still denying it?” the woman chuckled. “To be honest, what did you do last night?”

What did he do last night? Xiao Zhenyun tried to recall, but his mind was strangely blank.

Yes, what did he do last night?

“You forgot?” another colleague interjected with a strange smile. “Xiao Zhenyun, on your way home from work yesterday, your car was crushed by a toppling bridge on the overpass.”

“Oh, right,” the woman laughed even more. “Xiao Zhenyun, you were crushed by the overpass… you’re already dead.”

He was dead?

Xiao Zhenyun sat there in a daze, the voices fading into the distance, and the conference table disappeared. Instead, a familiar scene flashed before him. He was gripping the steering wheel, surrounded by an overwhelming darkness outside the windshield. Just before he died, he heard the muffled sound of metal being crushed, as if someone was struggling futilely, unwilling to accept the void…

In the midst of silence,

He opened his eyes again, only to be blinded by the glaring sunlight, causing him to close them once more.

Pain, thirst, exhaustion, heat—countless negative sensations overwhelmed Xiao Zhenyun, making it clear that he was still alive, but not in great shape, and might die again soon.

Once he adjusted to the light, Xiao Zhenyun weakly opened his eyes to observe his surroundings. He removed the oxygen mask that had a crack in it and realized he was hanging from a tree. Behind him was a parachute that had automatically opened from his escape suit, it was caught on the tree branch. When he looked down, the sudden height made him feel dizzy.

Reality didn’t leave much time for this unfortunate guide to escape. As Xiao Zhenyun was pondering how to free himself from this predicament with his uncooperative upper body and completely useless lower body, the main supporting branch suddenly made a creaking sound, unable to bear the weight, and snapped. Xiao Zhenyun immediately fell a considerable distance, and some leaves and twigs also slashed along with him, producing a soft rustling sound.

After finally stabilizing for a moment, Xiao Zhenyun endured the stiffness and soreness in his limbs and tried to check the time, location, and signal on the terminal on his wrist. However, he discovered a crack running across the surface of the terminal, rendering it unresponsive even after tapping it vigorously.

‘Heaven wants to destroy me.’

Xiao Zhenyun thought hopelessly.

Du Nai and the chef’s emergency plan was to destroy the aircraft with explosives. They wouldn’t bother controlling the cockpit to change the course again. So, judging roughly from the flight path and time, the ship crashed over the Sada Ocean. He might have accidentally landed on some small island in the heart of the ocean, surrounded by vegetation that perfectly matched the climate zone of the ocean.

Judging from the direction of the sun, he had likely been unconscious for a day and a night. This would explain why his throat felt as dry as if it were smoking.

Although his current situation was better than drifting aimlessly in the open ocean and fighting with sharks, it wasn’t much better.

For instance, Xiao Zhenyun had to figure out how to land safely from a height of ten meters. Also, he needed to seek help after landing, deal with survival issues – the tropical rainforest swarmed with snakes, insects, rodents, and ants, and he might encounter more of them than he would like. Moreover, he had a large cut on his arm, which, if left untreated, could lead to inflammation and pus, creating more trouble.

Xiao Zhenyun remembered that there were emergency medicines in the compartments of his life jacket, but he decided to consider them only after landing safely.

If his spiritual body were a bird… well, it seemed useless. What giant bird could carry a grown man and land safely? It would need to be as large as a helicopter.

Gripping the parachute’s suspension lines tightly, Xiao Zhenyun swung back and forth, successfully grabbing hold of a tree trunk behind him. He then hooked his hand around a relatively thick branch, unraveled the ropes hanging from his back, and relied solely on the strength of his arms to support his entire body, slowly inching downward.

This wasn’t an ideal plan, but it was the only option Xiao Zhenyun had at the moment.

Fortunately, the tree had plenty of branches, making it relatively easy to find handholds. After painstakingly descending several meters, Xiao Zhenyun’s strength waned, and he was drenched in sweat. He rested for a moment, arms still hooked around the branch.

It was at this moment that an abrupt change occurred. He had initially thought he touched a leaf with the back of his hand, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a leaf at all. It was a remarkably vibrant rainforest frog, its toxicity unknown.

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ