Chapter 29: The Brother Who Laid His Cards on the Table

Chapter 29: The Silent One Shows His Hand

"Heh, Mr. Wu, you really are something!" A-Ning smiled at Wu Yu, then turned her gaze to Wu Tianzhen. "Are you honestly telling me you have no idea why your third uncle came here?"

"What do you mean by that?" Tianzhen frowned. "Wasn't he hired by you lot as a consultant?"

"Ha!" A-Ning let out a cold laugh. "In truth, it was your third uncle who approached us for this operation. We only reluctantly agreed because the terms he offered were quite good. But who would have expected that not only would we lose an entire team and a significant amount of cutting-edge equipment, but according to your third uncle's own admission, he had organized a team to explore this shipwreck tomb once before—and failed miserably!"

"This time, he was planning to regroup and try again."

A-Ning then looked at Wu Tianzhen and added, "What's more, your third uncle specifically said that if he went missing, I should turn to you for responsibility, claiming that you would certainly hold the clues!"

"Me?" Wu Tianzhen pointed at himself in astonishment, even though he was still completely bewildered.

"It seems, Tianzhen, there are still things you haven't figured out yet," Wu Yu said calmly. "Don't worry. We’re still a few days' journey from the site, so take your time and think it through. Since Third Uncle said so, he must have left some clues behind; you just haven't discovered them yet."

"Fine. I'll give Mr. Wu the benefit of the doubt. Once we reach the waters where we lose contact, I hope you can come up with something, Wu Tianzhen!" With a warning glance at Tianzhen, A-Ning turned and walked away.

"Brother, brother! Did she just flirt with me?" Wu Tianzhen looked dazed.

"Brother, are you sure that wasn't a threat?" Wu Yu and Fatty looked at him and shook their heads in unison, sighing, "There's no saving him."

"Who's in trouble? Help! Someone help!" The Silent One suddenly started acting like a drunkard, shouting and stumbling—the performance was uncannily convincing.

Watching this, Wu Yu shook his head. "I'll take him back. Fatty, you and Tianzhen go back to your room and think over those clues."

"Right!" Fatty nodded, assuming Wu Yu wanted to investigate the background of this so-called 'Expert Zhang.'

When the four of them reached the cabin, the atmosphere turned bizarre. A-Ning was standing there, her face beet red, looking as if she didn't know which way to go, which was quite a sight.

From the cabins on both sides, a series of sounds—at once painful and pleasurable—wafted out. The four men couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines, and they looked at Wu Yu with strange expressions.

"I—I'm going to the deck to get some air!" A-Ning shot a glare at Wu Yu and hurried away.

Because it was a fishing boat, the cabin space was cramped, to say nothing of the lack of soundproofing.

***

"Master Yu, from this day forth, I am your loyal follower!" Fatty looked at Wu Yu with a hint of terror. He had never heard of anyone being able to manipulate people to such an extent with music.

"Let's go!" Wu Tianzhen, his face flushed, grabbed Fatty and headed back to their cabin.

"Damn! Tianzhen, don't be so aggressive! You're making me nervous! Even if you really want me to submit to you, you at least have to give me some time to prepare mentally!"

Fatty's miserable wailing made Wu Tianzhen's face turn even redder.

Wu Yu watched the bickering pair, amused. Once he had brought the Silent One back to his cabin, he said, "Alright, we're alone now."

In the next second, the Silent One, who had been feigning drunkenness, instantly sobered up. However, wearing the skin mask of Zhang Hai made the transition a bit surreal.

"You could have just come out and said it, why the act?" Wu Yu asked out of curiosity.

"Jude Kao is wary of me," the Silent One said bluntly, abandoning his talkative persona.

"Jude Kao is indeed an old fox. Do you think there will be any danger for Third Uncle on this trip?" Wu Yu asked.

Although Third Uncle was shrewd, the world had changed, and Wu Yu was worried that his uncle might fail and get himself into a mess. That would be quite a situation.

"I don't know." The Silent One shook his head and looked at Wu Yu. "Why did you think I would know?"

"Intuition," Wu Yu replied, echoing the Silent One's brevity.

Inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. The Silent One was truly sharp; he would have to be more careful.

"If that's all, I'll go. Get some rest." Wu Yu turned and left.

Watching Wu Yu's retreating figure, the Silent One fell into thought. "Have we... met before?"

The Silent One had his own room, filled with equipment for his disguise, while Wu Yu shared a room with Tianzhen and Fatty. Pushing open the door, he saw Wu Tianzhen looking as energized as if he’d been injected with adrenaline. "That's it! It must be this!"

"Oh? It seems you've found a clue, kid," Wu Yu smiled.

"Yes!" Wu Tianzhen grinned. "This snake-browed copper fish Third Uncle left me is the clue. I just mistakenly thought the answer lay in the Warring States silk manuscripts."

"I’ve seen this copper fish in Grandfather's notes before! I just didn't recall it in the moment. After I got back, I thought carefully and found the entry! It even contains information related to Third Uncle’s shipwreck!"

"Can you pinpoint the location?" Wu Yu asked.

A shipwreck on the seabed is not static. Violent storms and tectonic shifts can displace it. However, there is usually a pattern, though it is incredibly difficult for an amateur to decipher.

"No problem. I'll go ask A-Ning for the charts and the navigation route!" Tianzhen said, already heading for the door.

"Wait!" Wu Yu shook his head. "I told you before, don't rush. Stay calm. Even if it concerns Third Uncle, you can't lose your head. Otherwise, you'll just be led by the nose. Go back to bed and we'll talk in the morning!"

"But!" Wu Tianzhen hesitated, but seeing Wu Yu's resolute expression, he nodded.

"Sigh, Tianzhen, it's not that I want to lecture you, but you have to listen to Master Yu. We aren't on the same side as A-Ning. There's a boundary there; don't get that mixed up!" Fatty patted Tianzhen in consolation, seemingly forgetting that he, too, had been hired by A-Ning's money.

The first half of the night was spent listening to the "battle" sounds of the crew, and just as things finally quieted down, the crew started wailing in the second half. Just as morning broke and Wu Yu wanted to get some rest, he saw Wu Tianzhen wake up, glance at him and Fatty, and quietly slip out.

At this moment, Wu Yu could only shake his head. It was true that Third Uncle understood him best, but even he could not change his nephew's nature. All one could do was let time polish him, allowing him to settle and walk step-by-step toward his destiny as the 'Evil Emperor.'

Before that point, no one could accelerate the process.

Thinking of this, Wu Yu frowned, feeling a bit conflicted.