Chapter 291 - 252: The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea

Chapter 291: Chapter 252: The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea

Huang Zhiqiang’s body shuddered powerfully, and Zhang Wei immediately bowed to him!

"Brother Qiang! I believe you! I’ll follow you! But about that lottery... if we can win, why don’t we just buy a few tickets? That way, if the apocalypse doesn’t come, we’ll still have a pile of cash."

"The... the mysterious power of the Orient—you wouldn’t understand. If we buy tickets, the numbers won’t win. Stop dreaming. I’ve been reborn three times already; the apocalypse is definitely coming! Just listen to me... By the way, what are you doing in this crappy little motel?"

"Hey! Brother Qiang, since you’re a Reincarnator, have you met Lin Zhixue in the future? I heard through the grapevine that she might be on a Caribbean cruise. I’m waiting here to cheer her on!"

"Lin Zhixue... Of course I’ve met her. She’s one of our allies, too. You’ll meet her in the future."

A mysterious smile played on Huang Zhiqiang’s lips.

Zhang Wei was now filled with even greater admiration!

"You’re a badass, Brother Qiang! I’ve got nothing to my name anyway, so I’ll follow you from now on! Just make sure I get fed."

"Heh heh... Follow me, and I’ll at least make you a team leader. Got it?"

"HISS... Brother Qiang!"

The two of them hit it off instantly, as if they were old friends who regretted not meeting sooner. The recruitment process went unbelievably smoothly. In fact... it was a perfect replica of how their relationship had started in the last life.

Huang Zhiqiang, who had never been a leader of any kind, suddenly felt the weight of something new in his hands—something invisible, intangible.

After Dongzi’s rebirth, Zhao Youcai’s fortunes had soared right along with his.

...

"Officer Wang, there’s a disturbance outside. Officer Jing can’t handle them. Could you come take a look?"

When Xiao Dabe pushed the door open, the smoke inside was so thick it nearly knocked him backward.

"Jeez, Officer Wang, is your office on fire?"

Wang Dingbei’s face was buried in a white haze, flickering in and out of view. He’d been in here smoking alone for three hours since returning from the teahouse.

He had to make the choice Yu Dong had given him, and he had to make it alone. Yu Dong’s phone was no longer reachable...

It made Wang Dingbei realize the depth of Yu Dong’s resolve. Yu Dong was truly washing his hands of it.

The fates of over 5,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members on that cruise ship, as well as the lives of everyone in the Huangyang Port area... all of it had been left in his hands.

’This was a setup, orchestrated by Yu Dong and my own future self...’

"Alright. I’ll handle it."

Wang Dingbei stubbed out his cigarette and followed Xiao Dabe out the door.

Outside, it was the usual troublemaker—a market supplier named Brother Jiu. Today, he was here to report a rival market for smuggling beef.

He walked out and yelled at two young officers who were heading out on a case. "You two, get back here! What case? What beef? Brother Jiu is here to file a report. How many times have I told you? Send people like him directly to my office. There are no cameras in my office..."

Brother Jiu, the informant, looked slightly embarrassed. "Officer Wang, I’m filing a normal report. You can’t just... strong-arm a private citizen, can you..."

"Then let me ask you, whose smuggled beef are you reporting? Is it that shipment Old Man Zhang from the wholesale market ordered from Brazil? You’re trying to muddy the waters so his customers will come buy from you instead, right? I think..."

Wang Dingbei paused abruptly. Brother Jiu was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

’Damn it, this Wang Dingbei is sharp as a fucking tack. He saw right through me. I’m already starting to regret this...’

’Next time, I’ll have to pick a day when Wang Dingbei isn’t here.’

"I think we *should* investigate... A lot of recent shipments from Brazil have had something extra mixed in. My informant just told me..."

Brother Jiu’s eyes lit up. He walked right over and offered Officer Wang an expensive cigarette.

"Exactly! Officer Wang, you’ve got a sharp eye. We absolutely have to investigate! Twenty tons of frozen beef... think how much stuff he could hide in there if he wanted to. What if there’s some ’flour’ or something...?"

’As long as they seize Old Man Zhang’s shipment, I can sell off all my own stock. Beef prices have been all over the place, but they just shot up. I have to cash in on this bull market.’

Wang Dingbei gave Brother Jiu a long look and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come by my office in a bit. We’ll have a proper chat..."

"Got it, got it!"

Officer Wang of the Huangyang Port Police Station was a good man, albeit a flawed one. He had a habit of extracting ’fines’ from criminals and donating the money to an orphanage.

’Some people are after money, others are after fame. He, Brother Jiu, had seen it all. You had to know how to play the game!’

’Time to add another jewel to Officer Wang’s crown of ’good deeds’!’

....

Meanwhile, Yu Dong was already at the Mao Ye Department Store, shopping with a nervous Liu Ye’ye.

"Senior, you look... really handsome today."

"It’s our first date, so I made an effort. You look beautiful, too."

Liu Ye’ye was exquisitely dressed today, the very picture of a young college student. She wore several of her favorite traditional-style hairpins; they might have looked contrived on someone else, but they perfectly suited her face and disposition.

The two strolled through the mall. Yu Dong would occasionally stop to play a game with her at an arcade, and he bought her clothes and other gifts.

Liu Ye’ye accepted everything with delighted surprise.

"Senior, I want to play this one!"

"Wow, Senior, you have great taste! This outfit really does suit me!"

"Senior, you’re so good to me... How did you know this was what I’ve always wanted?"

"Senior, do you believe in fate?"

The whole time, Liu Ye’ye’s face was a picture of shy happiness.

Yu Dong smiled, watching the Liu Ye’ye of this moment. She was constantly smiling, so innocent and pure, as if this perfectly ordinary date were the most masterfully designed event.

The Liu Ye’ye of this moment still knew nothing of the apocalypse.

"You must be hungry. Let’s get something to eat. A new Western-style restaurant just opened on the top floor. Want to go check it out?"

"Okay!"

Liu Ye’ye skipped happily toward the elevator.

They chatted over their meal, not about anything in particular, just sharing bits of their lives and happy moments, just like any other couple.

"Senior, let’s go see a movie later. There’s a really obscure film I want to watch... if that’s okay with you?"

"No problem. What’s it called?"

"All About Dating."

Liu Ye’ye blushed as she explained, "I didn’t pick it just for tonight... It’s... It’s one I’ve wanted to see for a while, but I never had anyone to go with."

"Alright. Tonight, it’s all up to you."

Yu Dong couldn’t resist patting Liu Ye’ye on the head.

Liu Ye’ye froze. A jolt, like an electric current, shot through her, and her whole body tingled.

Yu Dong chuckled and took her hand. "Let’s go. I want to see for myself just how good this obscure movie my Ye Ye likes is."

"Wh-who’s ’your’ Ye Ye...? I... I haven’t said yes to you yet..."

But she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, her fingers tightened around his.

「Two hours later.」

When the movie ended, Liu Ye’ye looked over at Yu Dong, who had been asleep on her shoulder for the past two hours. She couldn’t resist reaching out to smooth his furrowed brow.

’Senior, you look... so tired.’

Yu Dong had fallen asleep right after the opening credits. Liu Ye’ye hadn’t woken him, content to simply have him by her side as she watched the entire film alone.

She didn’t blame him at all; her heart just ached for him.

’He’s this exhausted... but he still came on a date with me. Senior must really like me, right? Dad was right. We really are destined to be together.’

’But... should I really be holding him back like this? It’s not like I can be with him forever.’

she murmured to herself.

CLICK.

The house lights came up. The sudden brightness stirred Yu Dong, and he slowly woke.

Seeing Liu Ye’ye in front of him, Yu Dong said sheepishly, "Oh man... How did I fall asleep? Tell you what, let’s watch another movie. That one didn’t count."

"It’s okay! I was really happy just to have you here. Besides... we have plenty of time. We can always come back tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Yu Dong slowly sat up straight. He looked around the now-empty theater and let out a long sigh.

"Ye Ye... we won’t be able to see each other again... for another week."

"Right now, I need to tell you something very important. I’m a Reincarnator. In the future, a zombie virus is going to break out. It’s the end of the world. A lot of people will die, but... we’re still together. We’re always together."

"This is a Reincarnator’s handbook I wrote for you. Once you read it, you’ll understand everything that happened to us in our last life..."

"If you believe me, go find Xufeng. He’ll help you prepare for our future. He’s an incredibly capable person; you’ll see when you meet him..."

"Next Monday, wait for me. I’ll come find you, and we’ll go on another date."

Her mind went blank as she listened. After they talked for a while longer, she began to understand Yu Dong’s past and the burden he carried... She nodded firmly.

"Senior, I’ll wait for you. I’ll always be waiting. Come back safe!"

"I promise."

Yu Dong took Liu Ye’ye back to the Xiangti Bay Community.

In this life, he had spent a single day entrusting everything to capable people.

Now, he was going to meet the person who could grant him the most power.

A ruthless man with connections on both sides of the law. An intelligent man who figured out the only way to survive three shots of adrenaline. A tycoon of immense wealth.

’Yin Shuangyang, you told me to come find you... so here I come.’

After watching Liu Ye’ye enter Building One, Yu Dong turned and walked alone into the darkness...