Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 969: Journey to the East (Part )

The first day's journey went smoothly. It can be said that it was as smooth as the fake propaganda posters that travel agencies love to distribute. They did not rush to go out to the sea and land on the island, but first visited the attractions in the city, but not the wetlands in the suburbs. They were all very old-fashioned things, such as the underwater world or museum exhibitions, and a few small-scale ancient gardens. If you want to be picky, there is nothing really new here, which cannot be seen in online videos or art albums. However, the atmosphere on that day was great. Everyone was in a good mood and not too tired. Anything they said could cause a lot of laughter. Although there was sunshine, the wind was not hot, and the wet and cool touch made all the scenery look like a bright and soft texture like oil paintings.

Even Luo Binhan found it very interesting, because Aries City looked strange on this day. He thought that many things that he was used to seeing every day might become strange once they were put into the frame. But it was difficult for him to tell others about this idea, because no one except him was familiar with this place. He talked to every manager on the way and found that although their office building was in Wojiao City, there were few real locals in the team. No one really grew up in Aries City, at most they lived in neighboring cities: Fang Lu and two other interns grew up in Wojiao City, and two managers went to college and graduate school in Lihai City - of course, there was another person who claimed to have studied in Lihai City, and it was his good junior who loved music.

He didn't think about this person, and almost forgot about this person's existence during the whole journey, because now was not the right time. As Li Li reminded him, dogs always have a way to tell whether the visitor is malicious or not. He couldn't just act like this on the surface, but also had to immerse himself in it with real emotions. So he grabbed people to chat with everywhere, discussed ball games with the boys a few times, talked to Xiaorong about the unemployment wave in Aries ten years ago and the boss absconding with unpaid wages (he did it on purpose, that's right), and of course the talkative Fang Lu. She seemed to have a good family background, and didn't really value her current job. Therefore, as soon as she ran out of the office and talked a few more words with Luo Binhan in the car, she seemed to have forgotten that this was the client who should be dealt with carefully, and happily asked about the yacht.

"I wanted to go to the yacht club and rent a yacht," Luo Binhan said on the way to the port. "There is such a club in Lihai City, where people can rent yachts and go out on the river. But I finally decided it was boring. The waterways near the city are too narrow, and there are high-rise buildings everywhere. There's not much to do. Unless you really, really like fishing."

"Can we have a yacht here?" Fang Yu asked with a smile, "Can we surf here?"

"Why don't you try a jet ski? That's more fun than a yacht."

"Really? Is there one here?"

"Yes, it's quite popular." Luo Binhan asked in confusion, "You've never been there before? Don't you live in Snail City?"

"I went to college in another city. I only came back during holidays, and Wojiao City is not near the sea."

"Why go so far? We have good universities here too."

Fang Qi just smiled. It seemed that this was her own secret. Perhaps because of her family or her aspirations, Luo Binhan didn't really want to know. He then talked about the situation in Wojiao City.

"I went there on a business trip a few weeks ago," he said. "It's still the same. I feel like it won't change in a few decades. The blue brick roads, the sycamore and Chinese pine trees, the light yellow brick houses..."

"There are piles of small private workshops." Fang Qi continued, "pirated fashion, pirated brand-name shoes, pirated cartoon peripherals, pirated novels and ancient books, fake gems made of glass -"

They laughed together in silence, in order not to embarrass the other two interns from Snail Horn City.

"But your place is quite suitable for living." Luo Binhan added, "Really. The air is good, there are a lot of green areas, and the traffic is not congested. The roads in the southeast suburbs are especially well built. There are few high-rise buildings, only forest farms and small courtyards. There are barbecue stalls on the roadside after midnight, and the pedestrians seem to be quite leisurely. Moreover, the rent is cheap, and there are a lot of tax incentives - otherwise you would not have moved the office there."

"But there are no job opportunities." Fang Yu said quietly, "Why would I come here to suffer?"

"You better pay attention." Luo Binhan pointed at her team leader who was sitting behind her with his eyes closed.

They arrived at the port in the evening. A small, half-new cruise ship was already waiting there. In the cockpit sat a young man in slippers, browsing his phone. On his arm was a tattoo that looked like a loach or a black dragon. Luo Binhan recognized him, but waved at him as if he was unfamiliar with him, asking if he was the man Lu Jin was looking for. The young fisherman took off his headphones and helped the driver carry their luggage onto the boat. Luo Binhan walked into the cockpit empty-handed and looked at the instruments and indicator lights.

"How's it going these days?" he asked casually, "Is it easy to sail on the sea?"

The young ship owner told him that the situation was not bad. Luo Binhan nodded and went out. He walked to the cabin and caught a glimpse of Zhou Wenxing sitting alone at the stern, looking at the gradually disappearing harbor and buildings. He immediately turned his eyes away and walked to the position closest to the bow. As soon as Xiaorong saw him coming, she diligently made room for him, making it difficult for Luo Binhan to talk to other people. He had no choice but to sit down in the position suitable for viewing the water view, with Xiaorong and Fang Lu on both sides - this was inconsistent with his plan to keep an equal distance from everyone, but it was not a big problem at the moment.

They looked at the sea and talked about the sea. Tsunamis. Rising sea levels. Abnormal climate. The end of the world. Luo Binhan listened incoherently. They also talked in a casual tone. Yes, the news often talks about the problems of the ocean recently, but that is only in the news, which seems far away from life in offices and apartment buildings, and even far away from beach resort islands. The tide is a bit abnormal, but it does not affect their stay at the seaside homestay at night and enjoy the fresh fish wontons and seafood rice that the homestay owner is good at. At 4:30 in the morning, they can still get up to go to the sea.

They reminded each other to set the alarm, and then went to their respective rooms to rest. Luo Binhan had already used the privileges of a financial sponsor to reserve a single room closest to the exit for himself. He smoked idly in the room, browsed the most meaningless gossip news and pet videos, learned how to recognize the faces of different pandas, and finally took a pencil to draw the shape of the tombstone he most wanted on the notebook. He thought of a third more appropriate epitaph for himself ("I want the werewolf to die."), then closed the notebook and looked at the time. It was three o'clock in the morning, and he didn't want to sleep at all, so he opened the door, walked along the cobblestone path across the grass, and walked to the top of the riprap breakwater.

The breakwater is generally sloped. The cross-shaped stones in the front section are neatly arranged, like tombstones standing in layers. Near the sea, the slope is suddenly gentle, with rocks piled up in strange shapes. The black seawater surges in and out of the cracks in the rocks until it recedes to the next circle of stone embankment.

Luo Binhan estimated the general direction, then turned sideways and looked to the east, hoping to find traces of a spire on the turbulent tide, but in the end he only saw a little bit of land the size of a soybean. That could be Yunzhu Island or Yangshan Island, but not Dongzhao Island. The distance was still too far, and the shape was wrong.

"If you are willing to continue standing like this for two hours," Li Li in his pocket said, his voice was blurred by the whistling sea breeze, "the only new thing you can find in that direction is a rising sun."

"Shh," Robinson said, "Shut up. You agreed not to talk for a while."

He found a shell in the wetland at his feet. The mollusk that once lived in it was gone, of course. What was left was just an empty house. This was not really a release, but he still picked it up and threw it back into the sea. Go ahead, he thought, the most magnificent and deepest wishing well in the world was in front of him, and what he threw into it was the most primitive and ancient currency in human history.

If Shi Qi really had the gift of a fortune teller, there was no reason why he would not win this battle. He had to win, and it couldn't be a miserable victory that was not worth the loss, it had to be a complete victory, and it was worth paying some other price for it. Just as he was thinking about this, he heard a rustling sound on the grass behind him, and someone was walking towards him in the dark.

At the first moment, Zhou Wenxing's name flashed through his mind, but before he actually turned around, he knew in his heart that it was not him. Because the movements made by that person when walking at night were clumsy and messy, without the calmness and dexterity of a night vision person. He turned around and took a closer look, and found that it was Fang Lu again. She came out wearing the slippers in the homestay, and her hair was disheveled, not in the state of being ready to set off after washing. And she was probably not fully awake yet, and she couldn't even find the gravel road on the lawn, but she actually walked all the way through the bushes and onto the breakwater. Luo Binhan kindly used the flashlight in his mobile phone to illuminate the way for her to prevent her from stepping on empty air and rolling down.

"Suddenly you can't sleep?" He waited for Fang Lu to come up and asked. Fang Lu rubbed his eyes and nodded. He said, "There's still almost an hour left, you can lie down for a while."

"No, I can't sleep anymore. If I fall asleep now, I really won't be able to get up in an hour. It's better to wake up with some fresh air."

The night breeze at the seaside was refreshing, but also a little dangerous. Luo Binhan could feel the air blowing through his neck from behind, gently but continuously pushing him towards the dark sea. He turned his heels and stood back a little more steadily.

"Is this your first job?" he asked casually.

"Yes. Not counting college internships."

"So, how does it feel to be on the job for the first time?"

"Not good." Fang Qi said seriously, "I found that what I learned in school is almost useless."

"What major did you study before?"

“I studied biochemistry, and then switched to finance in graduate school.”

"That's not surprising." Luo Binhan said, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I'm still studying business."

Fang Qi laughed. She was not at all reserved. Luo Binhan couldn't help but think back to the last few times they met, wondering if her attitude was too natural. But it was hard to say. There were indeed such people in the world: they could keep a good attitude in the office, but they would become crazy when they were at a team-building event.

His suspicion was slowly rising from the darkness, but Fang Qi didn't notice it. He just fiddled with his hair that was brushing against his face and looked aimlessly at the turbulent sea.

"Do you think we will see the end of the world in our lifetime?" she suddenly asked, "Like a world war? Or melting glaciers? Extreme weather or something like that?"

"You can't sleep at night just worrying about this?"

"That's not the case. But... the news said that there have been many tsunamis recently." "Why? Are you afraid that we will encounter a tsunami in the next few days?"

Fang Qi looked at the sea for a while. "It doesn't look like a tsunami." She admitted, "It doesn't look like there will be a tsunami. However, before a major disaster, people often think that everything is fine."

Luo Binhan glanced at her. He had never asked the interns about their specific ages, but considering that this was her first job after leaving school, she should be several years younger than him anyway.

"Have you ever seen any major disasters?" He tried not to sound sarcastic, but simply curious. "Does it make you feel that life is unpredictable at your age?"

"That's not the case. But my parents are both doctors. One is in the emergency department, and the other is in the oncology department. They have seen a lot of accidents and deaths. Some people come in and still shout for water, but when you turn around, you find that the person is already dead."

"Ah," Robinham said, "no wonder you gave up biochemistry."

Fang Yu laughed again. "Yes. That's it."

"You're not considering studying medicine?"

"Of course not!"

"I thought there would be some family tradition."

“My parents’ family tradition taught me to take care of myself,” Fang said. “Live however you want. It’s all the same in the end.”

"They have no requirements for your marriage and offspring?"

"Not at all," Fang said. "I guess they've seen enough of what happens in the ward, so they just accept it."

Luo Binhan smiled at the sea, thinking first of Shi Qi sitting in the waiting room, then of Zhou Yu and his father, a brain specialist. "All the medical students I know are weird," he said, "can't all doctors be so weird?"

"It depends on the individual situation. I don't think there is a general rule for this kind of thing."

"It's better not to," Robinson said, "because my brother is also going to study medicine."

Fang Lu slightly tilted her head and glanced at him. It might have been unintentional, but Luo Binhan couldn't suppress his suspicion. He had never discussed his family affairs with these auditors, but under the cover of night, Fang Lu's eyes were full of too much surprise, as if he felt that he shouldn't mention the younger brother born by his stepmother.

"I wish him good luck." Fang Lu shrugged.

"It seems to be a bit windy now." Luo Binhan said, "You are wearing too little. You should go back to the house first. I want to smoke a cigarette here."

He took out a lighter and pretended to light it. Fang Yan decisively turned around and left before being forced to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Luo Binhan watched her back from behind, secretly paying attention to her slender limbs and fit body. Of course, her figure was originally the best in the entire audit team. She claimed to be a dance lover, but she certainly didn't dance those dances that required strict weight control before going on stage, and not even a little excess body fat could be left. The curves of her hands and feet were symmetrical and strong, and her movements were decisive and powerful. It was reasonable to say that she was trained by fitness dance - it was also possible to say that she was a fighting master.

He stared at the other person until he walked into the house, then put the lighter back into his pocket.

"Li Li," he said, "what do you think..."

"You asked me not to speak before."

"Don't be so fussy. Do you think Fang Lu is trustworthy?"

"Based on my investigation, everything the lady just revealed to you is true."

"She talked a little too much to me today... Is it just because she's having fun out here?"

"Let me provide you with important additional information: this lady successfully liquidated a stock she had held for a long time the day before yesterday."

"That makes sense. But what does it mean that she looked at me a little longer just now?"

"You might as well think positively. For example, she has a certain degree of appreciation for you."

"Have you noticed that I'm many years older than 18?" Robinson said. "I've been shocked to find that the world doesn't revolve around me. If a girl really has feelings for me in her eyes, I can tell."

"I never thought you were so perceptive. Did you learn it at the flower and bird market?"

"Shut up." Luo Binhan said immediately.

Li Li let him go for the time being, but Luo Binhan still had a gloomy feeling in his heart. He had been very suspicious recently, but it was not without reason. He wanted to kill Zhou Wenxing, both for his own peace and for the peace of the whole world. But even if he succeeded in killing Zhou Wenxing, it did not mean that the problem on the moon would disappear - they could only bet that there were other solutions to this problem. Maybe Zhou Wenxing would have a way to pull down what he had planted, or... it would depend on his accomplice who had not yet appeared.

This makes perfect sense. Since that person knows how to create a freak like Luo De, he probably also knows how to take more legal and conventional actions, such as how to pick up a secret interstellar phone and make a tearful call for help to the landlords who are simple and reliable and never like to engage in de-ruralization activities, that is, Wuyuan Base or its affiliated sub-bases, asking them to hurry over with herbicides or wildlife protection cages. As long as the call can be connected, Luo Binhan estimates that they are willing to help, even if it is not out of mercy, at least they can still use Jing Huang or Fake's face to get it.

However, until he boarded the station wagon, Li Li still hadn't found this person, or at least a suspect. This added a bit of uncertainty to their plan. Although he agreed with her point of view - even if this person really existed, his direct threat would not be higher than Zhou Wenxing - but that was just their wishful thinking, not a rigorous and reliable reasoning. What kind of reasoning can you give to such a group of supernatural monsters? Even if they guessed right, this accomplice was indeed not as difficult to deal with as Zhou Wenxing, but if he, she or it casually intervened when they implemented their plan, it would be enough for them. They couldn't take such a risk, so all suspicious people, even animals, were not allowed to approach the "Colosseum" on the day of their action.

Now they still have no suspects, and no one has tried to approach the forgotten island. At this juncture, Luo Binhan had to realize that the group of people who were most capable of approaching Dongzhao Island and were completely uncontrolled by Li Li were the ones he brought with him.

He stood in silence for a while in the last darkness before sunrise. "Are you sure she isn't?"

"Based on the assessment of the known circumstances, her suspicion level is no higher than your sister. Also, I will inform the relevant operatives to remain vigilant and closely monitor all companions other than the target during the operation."

Luo Binhan said nothing more. He should not indulge his suspicion any longer, because Li Li was the one who had the most information, and her judgment had its own reasons. Moreover, to be honest, he would rather Zhou Wenxing's accomplice was a concrete person like Fang Lu, who was flesh and blood, could talk and laugh, could communicate, negotiate, and threaten, and was simply reasonable.

It was dawn. People in the guesthouses woke up one after another and walked onto the breakwater in the sea breeze that was starting to change direction. The sun, as red as charcoal but soaked in dampness and coldness, slowly emerged from the abyss. The tide had receded to a low point, and they were going to chase its tail.

　Thanks to book friend @Achibo for the reward.

　　(End of this chapter)