Chapter 153: Domestic Turmoil

Although the hospital ship was massive and complex in design, it still followed the basic structural principles of any vessel.

Dragon Two and Qin Qing possessed extensive knowledge, so as soon as Natalie provided a brief explanation, they understood completely.

"Whether it is the bow door or the main hull hatches, they have all been specially treated, thickened for explosion-proof safety, and they open outward from the bottom up. Trying to force them open from the outside is virtually impossible."

Natalie traced her finger across the schematic again and suggested, "My recommendation is to blow open the ventilation ducts directly. This ensures we won't suffocate from their attempts to choke us out, and it also allows us to bypass the most heavily defended areas."

Normally, the ventilation ducts on a ship are far too narrow for an adult to enter.

However, since Natalie was capable of blocking the ducts, she was naturally capable of blowing them open once more.

"Like this, like this." Natalie said with eager excitement, "The captain and crew down below might not necessarily be carrying weapons. What if I crawl down hugging a bundle of explosives to threaten them?"

Mofei nodded repeatedly, making no attempt to conceal his agreement.

The bottom deck was situated right near the keel; if a massive bundle of explosives were to detonate down there and accidentally blast a hole in the hull, the entire ship might sink.

What they were after was precisely that kind of thrill and heartbeat-accelerating danger.

"The idea is good, but we don't have that many explosives," Dragon Two vetoed. "You will infiltrate the bottom deck, find a way to open the door to the crew's lounge, and launch the attack from there."

The explosives they carried were just about enough to breach a ventilation duct, but falling somewhat short if the goal was to blast straight through the ship's bottom.

It would be a different story if they could bring over the entire inventory of the explosives warehouse.

Right now, the deputy team leader's gang was probably conducting a sweep of the lower-level ventilation ducts; otherwise, if they really suffocated the captain and crew, nobody on this ship would come out unscathed.

Natalie nodded. "Fine, you guys wait for me by the hatch."

The enemy had no idea that their side had someone like Natalie, who could infiltrate the lower deck through the ventilation system.

Natalie's true expertise lay in infiltration and assassination, making this a textbook match for her skill set.

Qin Qing and Baiti had absolute confidence in her abilities.

With the plan finalized, the group split up to carry it out.

Dragon Two handed his explosives over to Natalie, leaving her to infiltrate alone.

The remaining four moved toward the hull of the ship.

While a breakthrough was being sought on the hospital ship, the other side of the sea was bustling with anxiety.

The civil war in Myanmar had escalated to such an extent that the domestic news had already broadcasted it.

When Lu Chunqiu saw that enemy artillery shells had crossed the border and landed right in Yuncheng, her heart turned half-cold.

Over the past few days, she had placed hundreds of calls to Mofei without receiving a single scrap of news, and at this point, all hope felt thoroughly frozen.

She considered calling the police, but the police department over there was in absolute chaos as well.

Every single jurisdiction was rushing to the border to repatriate individuals from their respective districts.

Myanmar was an age-old, festering wound, and the chunk of rotten flesh being carved away this time was massive.

Even excluding those who had died on foreign soil, the number of living citizens currently being repatriated numbered in the thousands.

Under such circumstances, if Lu Chunqiu went to file a missing person report, the case might be logged, but any actual investigation would have to wait until the police freed up manpower.

Moreover, once the officers heard her out, they would say: Oh, the person you are reporting missing is also in Yuncheng? What a coincidence, isn't it? All of our police force is currently in Yuncheng looking for people. We can look for your person too, but you'll have to wait; there's a whole queue of people ahead of you.

When would her turn come? Unknown, uncertain, depending on the situation.

Words like those offered comfort to no one.

Panicking, Lu Chunqiu called Director Wang.

Since Director Wang had been the one to arrange the trip over there and had even provided a bodyguard, surely Director Wang must have some news?

To her surprise, Director Wang was completely bewildered when he received Lu Chunqiu's call.

He had been busy polishing the script and supervising Wu淼's training, paying zero attention to current affairs news.

Consequently, he had no idea that such a massive incident had occurred in Myanmar and Yuncheng.

If it weren't for the phone separating them, Lu Chunqiu would have grabbed Director Wang by the collar and shaken him back and forth out of sheer desperation.

"What kind of nonsense is this? The artist under my management went to assist with your work and ended up missing, and you claim to know nothing at all?" Lu Chunqiu roared into the receiver. "Do you believe this old lady will drag you down with me to mutual destruction right now?!"

What work, what movie, what personal favors—none of these things mattered in the slightest when weighed against human life.

Director Wang was no longer young; he nearly had his soul scared out of his body by the roaring and hastily placated her, saying, "Didn't I assign a bodyguard to him? That person has immense influence and extraordinary capability. Rest assured, just rest assured, haha."

"Rest assured my foot, rest assured?! Just what kind of chaotic mess has that place turned into?! What good is hiring a supreme deity at this point?!"

Unable to get any useful information out of Director Wang, Lu Chunqiu simply booked a bus ticket to Yuncheng.

Just as she was about to set off, Ji Xingyu showed up.

Riding his motorcycle, he quickly pulled over and lifted his visor when he saw Lu Chunqiu's rushed appearance. "I guessed you wouldn't be able to sit still. Are you heading to Yuncheng?"

Suppressing the anxiety in her heart, Lu Chunqiu nodded. "Yes, to find Xiao Fei."

"I wanted to go earlier too, but my older brother wouldn't let me. He said he would handle it and told me not to worry." Ji Xingyu thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'm coming with you anyway."

A bystander by the side of the road who appeared to be playing on his phone suddenly raised his head. "Young Boss, the boss said you are not allowed to go."

Lu Chunqiu was startled out of nowhere. "What the hell, who are you?"

"Xiao Wang, why are you here?" Ji Xingyu recognized him, though he was no less shocked than Lu Chunqiu.

"The boss said you definitely wouldn't be able to hold back, so he told me to keep an eye on you. If I let you slip away, he'll dock a year's worth of my salary." Xiao Wang removed his cap, pressing his lips into a fake smile. "Why must the Young Boss make things difficult for a working stiff?"

Once the cap was off, Lu Chunqiu recognized him as well—he was the young man who had led the way during her very first visit to Ji Xingjian.

"Absolute madness." Having no time to play along with their domineering-CEO games, Lu Chunqiu hoisted her backpack and hailed a taxi to the station.

Seeing her leave, Ji Xingyu wore an extremely displeased expression. "I am an adult."

Xiao Wang remained entirely unruffled. "The boss said that, out of respect for you, he has already sent professionals to look for Mr. Mo. Why must the Young Boss insist on getting mixed up in this mess?"

"Then where is he right now?" After asking, Ji Xingyu revved his motorcycle throttle and sped away in a cloud of dust.

Xiao Wang sighed where he stood.

It wasn't easy being an older brother who played the role of both father and mother, and the Young Boss was only trying to care for a friend, so who was actually in the wrong here?

Was that a question a humble wage slave like him should be worrying about?

Better go keep an eye on the Young Boss instead.

Director Wang, whose phone call had just been hung up by Lu Chunqiu, raised his head from the script.

Before him, the screenwriter and Old Deng were engaged in a fierce, red-faced argument.

"Are you out of your mind? Of all things to write for a victim, why a child?" The screenwriter waved the script around, shouting, "No wonder you can't get past censorship! From our country to abroad, from music to film and television, any piece of media meant for public consumption and profit cannot kill off a child!"

"Do you think we're living in the environment of a few years ago? Censorship, censorship, do you even know what that means?"

Old Deng thrust out his chin in defiance. "What do you know? Adding the storyline of a little girl is the ultimate fashion accessory for humanizing a villain! I don't care what kind of heinous monster he is; the fact that he adores his daughter gives him a cute point!"

"Cute your—" The screenwriter scanned the room, grabbed a stool, and prepared to smash it over his head. "So you wrote this little girl to death just to make this guy's evil seem logical, right?! At least let her reach adulthood before killing her off—she's five years old, you beast!"

Upon seeing this scene, Director Wang hurriedly stepped forward to break up the fight. "For crying out loud, this is already the third chair! Break another one and you'll both be sitting on the floor!"