SIATOWITF Chapter 34
by Volare“Are we there yet?” Xuan Bai walked down the empty corridor, his keen hearing telling him that he was getting further and further away from the crowd.
“Almost there.” The attendant walking in front of him was strongly built with rough hands.
But he walked quickly and steadily, not making a sound on the smooth, hard floor even in thick-heeled leather shoes.
What’s more, he held a tray of champagne in his left hand, and his right hand hung down at his side, not swinging with his steps at all.
The snake rolled his eyes where the attendant couldn’t see, savoring the tension and alertness in the air.
“I don’t think Ji Mo An would ask me to look for him in a place like this.” Xuan Bai deliberately slowed his pace, mischievously tasting the attendant’s tightened emotions.
Fun.
“I should probably call him.” Xuan Bai put one hand in his pocket and continued to scare the attendant.
Even from several meters away, the snake could clearly hear the attendant’s increasingly rapid heartbeat.
Fun.
“Mr. Xuan, Master An is discussing important matters.” The attendant quickened his pace, finally breathing a sigh of relief when he reached a luxurious door.
“Mr. Xuan, we’re here. Please wait here for a moment, Master An is next door.”
Liar, Ji Mo An wasn’t next door at all. The snake tilted his head and listened but remained silent, stepping into the reception room.
He glanced around the exquisitely decorated reception room, seemingly tripping over something at the door, knocking over a pot of greenery.
“Sorry.” The attendant immediately knelt down to move the flowerpot into the corner.
“It’s okay.” Xuan Bai lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the empty wall.
Seriously, how is the camera supposed to work when it’s blocked like that?
Xuan Bai sat down on the sofa, and an attendant immediately brought a fruit plate and a goblet.
“Please help yourself.” Another smiling waiter carefully arranged the refreshments for him, pouring a glass of brownish liquid from a bottle.
Xuan Bai took a sip. It was apple juice, but not very good.
“I want to find Ji Mo An.” He put the glass back on the table.
“I’ll go ask.” The attendant immediately walked out, so fast that Xuan Bai didn’t even have time to say another word.
“I’ll go too.” After waiting for two minutes, Xuan Bai yawned and stood up.
“Um… Sir, let me go for you. There’s a door lock in the reception room, you can’t get in without the password.” The waiter saw Xuan Bai heading for the door, wanting to stop him but afraid of being too obvious.
Xuan Bai ignored him, walking to the door and placing his hand on the handle.
Thump… thump…
He tilted his head, listening to the violently beating heart nearby.
“……” Boring.
Xuan Bai suddenly lost interest in teasing them, walking back to the sofa and leaning against the soft cushion, propping his head up.
This is the outfit Ji Mo An gave him, can’t get it dirty…
The snake yawned again, taking one last look at the empty wall where the greenery had been moved, then collapsing onto the sofa.
Thump… the waiter who had just walked out the door immediately knelt down and fainted.
The attendant who had said he was going to find Ji Mo An was also sitting nearby with his head drooping, a person in a white coat beside him opening a leather case and injecting him with a tube of blue liquid.
“Wait five minutes before going in, observe the situation. The anesthetic concentration inside is too high, change into a dedicated protective suit.” A somewhat hoarse voice came from the earpiece.
“Yes, sir.”
The door to the next room opened, and out walked a team of fully armed combatants holding guns.
“Act according to the original instructions.”
[Sir, Ji Mo An has noticed the target’s disappearance and is heading to the monitoring room on the negative first floor. Should we intervene?] Another younger voice came from the earpiece.
[No need.] While the ‘attendant’ was thinking, another aged voice appeared.
[Mr. Lin.] The younger voice became more respectful.
[Mm, there are twenty minutes left until the fireworks show on the deck. You can use this opportunity to leave from the stern. Don’t worry about anything else, I’ll distract him.]
[Received.] The ‘attendant’ gestured to the armed team, and the first gunman carefully pushed open the door.
The men quickly dispersed into the room, aiming their guns at the man lying half-reclined on the sofa.
Then, a slightly shorter armed man walked forward two steps, holding his hand over Xuan Bai’s head, a faint blue light slowly emanating from his palm.
“Confirmed, the target is in a comatose state, the suppression collar is ready.”
“Received. Rendezvous at the stern in fifteen minutes.” The ‘attendant’ outside the door propped himself up, signaling the person next to him to pick up the fainted waiter.
The group returned to the next room, the sound of the lock snapping shut crisp and clear.
–
“Master An.”
“What is it?” Ji Mo An stopped about fifty meters from the monitoring room, turning to look at the waiter who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Finally found you.” The waiter wiped the sweat from his brow, panting, “Madam is looking for you.”
“Wait a moment.” Ji Mo An frowned slightly, taking out his phone, which indeed showed several missed calls from his mother.
But he hadn’t heard the ringtone.
Suddenly, another call appeared on the screen.
“Dad?” Ji Mo An glanced at the somewhat bewildered waiter beside him. Why were all the troubles piling up at once?
“An An, where are you? The signal on the ship suddenly got bad, and your mother couldn’t get through to you.”
No signal? When he had called Xuan Bai earlier, there was no signal either…
“I’m over by the cabins, is it urgent?”
“Come here quickly, baby, we’re on the deck, just waiting for you.” Madam Mu’s clear voice interjected, she took the phone and before she could say a few words, the voice started to become distorted again.
“Ji Mo An! Mother wants to see you in ten minutes, hurry over here.” After saying this, Madam Mu’s voice disappeared completely.
No signal again.
Was it because of the different route this time? There had never been a signal failure before.
He couldn’t possibly check the monitoring in ten minutes and then get to the deck.
Ji Mo An hesitated.
“Master An…” The waiter next to him looked like he was about to cry from anxiety.
The deck… the deck… In his hurry, he had forgotten about the fireworks show.
All the guests were on the deck.
Ji Mo An gritted his teeth and turned to follow the waiter away from the corridor.
That damned snake, wouldn’t he have gone to the deck with the others to watch the fireworks show?
Clinging to this last hope, he followed the waiter to the scenic elevator and went straight upstairs.
Bang…
Passing by the cabins, he suddenly heard a clatter from the left, like someone bumping into a wall, followed by a rustling sound.
But right now, the only people in the corridor besides him were that anxious waiter.
“Did you hear anything?” Ji Mo An asked.
“This… maybe it’s because we’re close to the deck, the guests’ voices can carry over here.” The waiter gave a blank expression.
Had he misheard?
Ji Mo An tilted his head and listened carefully, this time he didn’t hear anything.
“Master An, there are ten minutes left until the fireworks show starts.” The waiter cautiously reminded him.
“Mm.” Ji Mo An nodded, following the corridor to the open side door, the gentle sea breeze of the summer night sweeping across his cheeks.
Soft and carrying a hint of coolness.
“Brother, you’re here.” Ji Mo Xin’s cheerful voice rang out, the little girl running out from a group of elegantly dressed guests.
She wore a pair of small high heels, holding up her skirt with one hand, like a fluttering little butterfly.
“I’m here.” Ji Mo An followed her to the front of the deck, scattered groups of guests holding champagne raising their hands in greeting.
“There are five minutes left, so let An An and Xin Xin control it this time.” Madam Mu stood next to two elderly people, reaching out to pat Ji Mo Xin’s head.
“Grandfather, Grandfather Mu.”
“Good child.” Old Master Mu, as he was called, although his hair was already white, still stood ramrod straight.
He was a soldier, and even though he had entered politics after retiring, the aura around him was still imposing.
The host pushed forward a small cart with a firework-shaped button on it, smiling as she made a celebratory speech, the projection behind her casting the image of a clock in the air.
[Countdown, three minutes]
“Brother, I think I saw an eagle!” Ji Mo Xin excitedly looked around, suddenly seeing a black shadow flash across the night.
“An eagle?”
“Let us begin the two-minute countdown!” The host cheered, pushing the atmosphere to a climax, waiters weaving through the crowd to serve the guests champagne.
“Oh dear, I can’t see it anymore, maybe I was mistaken.” Ji Mo Xin blinked her eyes, shaking Ji Mo An’s sleeve coquettishly. “Brother, can I have a sip? It’s only once a year.”
“You can’t.” Ji Mo An handed her a glass of apple juice and took a glass of champagne for himself.
“Let us raise our glasses and enter the final thirty seconds!”
Ji Mo An held Ji Mo Xin’s hand, placing it on the firework-shaped button.
Whoosh…
A black shadow sliced through the night, brushing past Ji Mo An’s peripheral vision and rushing into the darkness.
What was that… Ji Mo An immediately looked up, but all he saw was the boundless starlight.
“Brother, there are three seconds left!” Ji Mo Xin called back Ji Mo An’s attention, and the two of them put some strength in their hands as they listened to the host’s countdown.
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One!”
Boom…
At the moment the button was pressed, the entire sea was illuminated by fireworks.
Countless fireworks exploded in the sky at the same time, blooming into colorful flowers.
“Wow, so pretty.”
All the guests were looking up at the fireworks, but Ji Mo An’s gaze was slightly skewed to the left.
Bang!
A blue firework burst open, the exploding flames illuminating that fleeting shadow.
He saw it… Ji Mo An opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
No… that wasn’t an eagle…
There’s absolutely no eagle that big in the country……
He saw it, those were black wings with a wingspan of definitely over six meters, and they were growing on… a person’s back.
A person?
The fireworks died down, and Ji Mo An stared blankly as that figure disappeared into the night again.
He saw a pair of human legs under the wings.
But… how was that possible?
Couldn’t be…
Ji Mo An instantly thought of that person that Mu Xuan had mentioned, that ‘person’ who was like a person but not.
Xuan Bai was a snake, could his companion… be another species?
That explained it, Xuan Bai had probably left with his companion!
Ji Mo An felt his brain throbbing, but other than that, he couldn’t think of any other reason for Xuan Bai to leave.
Thump…
It seemed like something else had fallen, dropping right into his wine glass.
Ji Mo An subconsciously lowered his head, raising the wine glass.
Then, he froze.
In the clear wine, a black snake the size of a chopstick was blowing bubbles at him.
Golden eyes, black scales, red tongue.
Xuan Bai?
The little snake in the wine glass turned over, continuing to blow bubbles at him, the golden eyes magnified several times by the bulging glass wall.
“Brother, a bad bird snatched me away…” The next second, Xuan Bai’s resentful voice rang in his mind.