"Do you intend to spare his life?"
"Elder Zhou, rest assured, I will not let him threaten the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion again. After the ship docks, I will imprison him for life."
Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, for your sake, I’ll spare his life today. Zhong Yang, take him away and confine him somewhere."
After Zhong Yang escorted Mr. Yun away from the venue, Zhou Qi pointed to armored Zhu Hong and said, "This man must be handed over to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion for disposal."
Zhu Hong had killed a guest invited by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion; naturally, the pavilion would not let him go. Initially, I intended to deal with him personally, but now it seems there is no need. Even Zhu Hong himself probably did not expect things to turn out this way, thinking he was fully assured of his actions.
As per tradition, it should have been a celebration after the competition for newcomers. However, due to this unexpected incident, everyone lost the mood, so they quickly dispersed, leaving only a few members of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to clean up the bodies at the scene.
Back in his room, Yuan Yun sneered, "That Mr. Yun is really bold, daring to confront the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion directly. I really don’t understand what he was thinking."
Xia Yue chimed in, "What I find most surprising is Elder Zhou. He’s actually a top expert on the Earthly List."
While everyone was discussing vigorously, Qiu Yong saw Ling Chen sitting on the sofa, silent and deep in thought, and couldn’t help asking, "Ling Cheng, what are you thinking about?"
"Mr. Yun’s actions this time were somewhat strange," Ling Chen thoughtfully said. "From his past actions, it’s evident he is a cautious person and would not take risks lightly. This action doesn’t seem to fit his style."
Qiu Yong took over the conversation, saying, "Maybe he was too confident."
"Perhaps," Ling Chen nodded, but a trace of doubt still lingered in his mind.
The night deepened, and past midnight, everyone had gone to their rooms to rest early.
Ling Chen lay on the bed, head on his arms, legs crossed, continuously swinging his toes.
After much thought, Ling Chen felt no sleepiness at all and simply got up from the bed and walked straight out of the guest room.
Leaving the room, Ling Chen took the elevator directly down to the cargo hold, where he saw Zhong Yang and several members of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion guarding an iron door.
"Mr. Ling," Zhong Yang greeted with a smile and asked, "You’re not sleeping this late?"
"I couldn’t sleep, just taking a walk. Mr. Zhong, can I go in and see him?"
"Elder Zhou instructed me that others may not, but there’s no issue with you, Mr. Ling." With that, Zhong Yang signaled to his subordinates, who immediately unlocked the door.
"Mr. Ling, if you need anything, just call me."
Entering the small room in the cargo hold, inside was a simple folding bed and an untouched dinner on the floor. Mr. Yun sat on the bed with his legs crossed, his eyes slightly closed, appearing as though he was dozing.
"Looking for me so late, is there something you need?" Hearing the approaching footsteps, Mr. Yun opened his eyes and looked at Ling Chen.
"I have some questions that keep me awake if I don’t clear them up."
"What would you like to know?"
"Earlier today at the venue, you said the collaborator this time was you, not the God Organization. Why? Since you are a senior executive of the God Organization, this operation should represent them. Could it be that you intend to go it alone, leaving the God Organization behind?"
Mr. Yun, with a smile that was not quite a smile, said, "You’re quite clever."
"Now that we have come this far, aren’t you going to say anything?"
"Mr. Ling, do you think I lost?" Mr. Yun shook his head meaningfully, "If you think so, you are wrong. Regardless of the outcome, I am the winner."
Ling Chen furrowed his brow, completely not understanding his meaning. In such a predicament, he couldn’t see where Mr. Yun could possibly be winning.
Mr. Yun seemed to perceive Ling Chen’s thoughts, smiling and saying, "From your perspective, I might have lost. But from mine, I have won. Moreover, let me give you a heads-up: after the ship docks, you’d better be careful and arrange for some people to meet you. Otherwise, you could be in big trouble."
Upon hearing these words, the previously perplexed Ling Chen immediately understood.
"You’ve become a traitor."
Mr. Yun smiled, said nothing, and simply closed his eyes, ignoring Ling Chen.
Leaving the cargo hold, Ling Chen returned to his room alone and then picked up a satellite phone to dial a number.
After talking with Mr. Yun for a few minutes, Ling Chen was sure of the situation. He could confirm that Mr. Yun had betrayed the God Organization. As for his reasons, only he would know.
The God Organization must have discovered Mr. Yun’s betrayal, hence forcing him to make this move.
If the operation went smoothly and he successfully negotiated a collaboration with the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, Mr. Yun could use the pavilion’s power to protect himself and make the God Organization wary of him. Even if the operation failed, he wouldn’t have to worry about his life being threatened, as he had pre-calculated everything.
As long as he was on this ship, given his relationship with Nanrong Wanqing, he would definitely not stand by and watch him being killed. Moreover, Mr. Yun was aware that he would definitely hand him over to the Ghost Organization for custody. With the Ghost Organization’s protection, he could also escape persecution from the God Organization. Thus, as Mr. Yun had said, no matter the outcome, he was the winner.
Having figured this out, Ling Chen couldn’t help but admire Mr. Yun, who had calculated every move in advance, thus daring to appear without any hesitation.
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Ling Chen got up and opened the door, only to see Zhou Qi and Zhou Jun, the grandfather and grandson, standing outside.
"Elder Zhou, why are you here? Please come in!"
Once inside the room, Zhou Qi got straight to the point, "Ling Chen, we just received a message from someone claiming to be from the God Organization."
"What did the message say?"
"They’re demanding we immediately release Mr. Yun. Moreover, they’ve sent a helicopter to pick him up."
Ling Chen silently cursed, surprised by the God Organization’s swift action.
"Elder Zhou, what are you planning to reply?"
"I wanted to ask your opinion. After all, I’ve handed him over to you, so it’s your call on how to handle this."
Ling Chen thought for a moment and said, "Elder Zhou, I definitely need to take him with me, but... I’m worried about involving the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."
Zhou Qi waved his hand, "You don’t need to worry about us; the God Organization wouldn’t dare mess with us easily. Also, their talk was negotiation, not a forceful demand to hand him over. However, we can protect you on this ship, once off the boat..."
Before Zhou Qi could finish, Ling Chen interrupted, "Elder Zhou, once off the ship, it becomes my concern."
"Alright, I’ll get back to them as soon as possible."