35 Greed

The atmosphere in the banquet hall froze instantly; everyone stood petrified.

Gu Yichen lay on the floor, eyes wide open and motionless. Blood welled continuously from his head, quickly staining the carpet a deep, scarlet red. Gu Tingzheng swayed violently, stumbling back several paces. Gu Cuiying collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face. After a long moment of shock, she crawled over to Gu Yichen on her hands and knees, throwing herself over him and wailing, "Third Brother!"

Roused by the crying, Gu Tingzheng rushed toward Gu Zhixu. He wanted to strike him, but intimidated by the gun in Gu Zhixu's hand, he could only point at his nose and curse, "You animal, Gu Zhixu!"

Gu Zhixu, however, remained calm. He used the barrel of his gun to push away Gu Tingzheng’s hand, his gaze drifting to the steaming puddle of yellow liquid on the carpet. With a slight flick of his wrist, he tossed the gun onto Gu Laosan and said with a wry smile, "Guns really aren't much fun, are they, Uncle?"

Hearing this, Gu Cuiying finally noticed something amiss. She stopped crying and examined Gu Yichen closely. Despite the time that had passed, while his breathing and heartbeat were irregular, he was clearly still alive. Fresh blood continued to seep from the left side of his head, trickling down his neck. The bullet had merely shattered his left ear; he was otherwise uninjured. The fact that he remained rigid was clearly due to being paralyzed by terror.

Gu Tingzheng and Gu Cuiying breathed a collective sigh of relief. Gu Tingzheng hurriedly retrieved the gun and ordered his bodyguards to secure it. Gu Cuiying began shouting for the ship’s doctor. The banquet hall descended into chaos.

Yang Wen, who had been busy with his phone, put it away and leaned down to whisper in Gu Zhixu’s ear: "Young Master Gu’s ear was injured on the 20th; it looks like a gunshot wound." His voice was so soft that only Gu Zhixu could hear.

Gu Zhixu nodded slightly. Yang Wen retreated behind him and stood in silence. Gu Zhixu tapped his fingers rhythmically against the armrest of his wheelchair. The 20th—the very day the positioning data for the Gu Corporation disappeared. Gu Laoer had been with Wang Hongzhi that day, but there was no way Wang Hongzhi could have caused the gunshot wound on his ear. They had just discovered that on the 20th, Old Man Wang had flown into a rage and kicked the similarly injured Wang Hongzhi out of Rongsheng.

To have both of these spoiled brats injured in Chenxing City, combined with Old Man Wang’s abnormal behavior, a name began to form in Gu Zhixu's mind. He smiled faintly and raised a hand. Yang Wen leaned down again, bringing his ear close to Gu Zhixu.

"Stay on the *Voyage* and keep an eye on them," Gu Zhixu said in a voice only they could hear. "Also, handle the purchase of the island yourself." Since Fable had sent him such a generous gift, he would naturally return the favor.

Yang Wen nodded. Up ahead, the three siblings were busy tending to the injuries. Yang Wen checked his watch; due to the delay, it was nearly 4:00 AM in the Xia Kingdom. He announced clearly, "Mr. Gu, it is getting late, and you have an important meeting this morning." His voice cut through the noisy environment with striking clarity.

Before Gu Zhixu could respond, Gu Cuiying heard him and walked over. "Zhixu, you should head back. Thank you for making this trip." After the series of events, everyone present felt uneasy. They wanted to send this volatile god of plague away as quickly as possible, fearing any further accidents.

Gu Zhixu bid a polite farewell to Gu Laoer and Gu Cuiying. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Gu Laosan, and a meaningful, subtle smile appeared on his face once more. Having lost an ear and endured two bullets grazing his head, Gu Yichen had been lying on the floor in a daze for a long time. Seeing the smile on Gu Zhixu’s face, his body gave a violent jolt, and warm liquid began to leak uncontrollably from beneath him again, emitting a pungent odor.

The smile on Gu Zhixu's face deepened. He turned his wheelchair and departed.

UTC 4:00.

A hazy light began to spread from the edge of the horizon. The sea was exceptionally calm today, without a single ripple. There were many nameless islets in the international waters that belonged to no country or individual. One such island was craggy and densely overgrown, rarely visited by humans.

At the island's highest point stood a makeshift watchtower. A gaunt young man stood atop it, peering through binoculars at the distance. A small black dot appeared on the surface of the sea; as time passed, it grew larger, its silhouette becoming increasingly clear. Recognizing the markings on the ship, the young man quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie at his side and pressed the button. "Boss, the *Voyage* is coming this way."

"Wasn't there a route notification for the *Voyage*?" The man on the other end, his voice gruff, sounded impatient at being woken from his sleep.

The young man stared at the approaching ship. "No, Boss. It’s heading straight for the island."

The man on the other end spat out a curse and cut the connection. A few minutes later, a burly, bearded man arrived at the base of the watchtower. He climbed up in a few strides, snatched the binoculars from the young man, and frowned, staring at the approaching *Voyage*. After a moment of thought, he tinkered with the equipment nearby, disabled the signal jammer, pulled out a satellite phone from his waistband, and dialed a number.

After a long time, the call was finally answered. "You’d better have a good reason for this."

The bearded man went straight to the point: "Why is the *Voyage* heading toward the island?"

"Hmm?" The person on the other end sounded puzzled. This was followed by a rustling sound, as if someone had hurriedly thrown off their covers and was getting dressed. A door was pushed open, and the sound of whistling wind rushed into the receiver, mixed with faint, indistinct chatter.

After a moment, the voice continued: "It’s nothing. Gu Zhixu arrived last night. He wants to buy an island for fun, so he’s coming to take a look."

"Is that so?" The bearded man frowned, his suspicions unallayed.

"What are you worried about? Are you worried that Gu Zhixu is going to help the GSC?" The person on the other end seemed to sense his doubt and scoffed. "Doesn't everyone know that Fable broke Gu Zhixu’s legs? The security level at the Gu Corporation has been raised several notches, and they’ve vowed that anyone from the GSC who goes there won't make it back."

The bearded man had heard of this. Since Gu Zhixu was personally on the *Voyage*, there shouldn't be any need to worry about the GSC hitching a ride with him. He hung up and stood on the tower, watching the ship closely.

When the *Voyage* reached a point two nautical miles from the island, it slowed to a stop. A short while later, a young man stepped out onto the deck. He stood on the balcony for about ten minutes, seemingly evaluating the island's value. Ten minutes later, the *Voyage* restarted its engines and gradually vanished into the vast ocean.

The sea returned to its calm state. The bearded man did not let his guard down; he waited patiently by the radar screen until he was certain there were no anomalies. Only then did he feel truly at ease. He reactivated the signal jammer, turning the island back into an isolated fortress, unreachable by the outside world, where only the internal DK walkie-talkies could function.

"Keep watching," he said, handing the binoculars back to the young man. He descended from the tower, stifled a yawn, and couldn't help but curse, "That little brat is a real pain."

They had all been worn thin by the eight-month-old infant recently. The kid screamed all day, and nothing worked to soothe him. He didn't understand human speech, threats were useless, and hitting him only made him cry louder. If it weren't for the one-hundred-million reward, he would have tossed the brat into the sea to feed the fish long ago.

At the thought of the one hundred million, a flicker of greed crossed the bearded man's eyes. Once the ransom was paid, he would slaughter the guards and the nanny, and then the entire two hundred million would belong to the DK. For such a massive fortune, he could endure a little longer.

But for now, he needed to catch some sleep while the kid was too exhausted from crying to make a sound. Otherwise, once the brat woke up, no one would have a moment of peace.