Chapter 92: Revelation
…
Gazing at the figure that vanished into the darkness without a sound, Lingjing’s heart clenched. Her hands tightly gripped the warm coffee cup, the faint light from outside filtering into the corner where she huddled.
What was Jia Ming up to? What secret was he talking about? Would he…be alright?
Moments later, a loud thud echoed from afar, like something falling to the ground. It was followed by the staccato bursts of machine gun fire, the sound resonating in the darkness, chillingly loud. Then, shouts and screams pierced the silence.
Lingjing’s heart pounded so hard she thought it would stop. The intense gunfire reverberated through the hallway, footsteps pounding, the gunshots getting closer, then a deafening boom. And then, an eerie silence.
In the terrifying quiet, Lingjing’s tears finally spilled over. She whispered, “Jia Ming…Jia Ming…” Her hand clutching the coffee cup, she was about to stand up when a beam of light from a flashlight swept across the doorway. It belonged to the guns of those bad guys. They were…coming.
In that instant, Lingjing felt betrayed. Jia Ming had tricked her, he must have led them away, but they had finally killed him. The thought sent a wave of despair crashing over her. She leaned against the wall, numb, indifferent. If Jia Ming was gone… But then, her gaze froze.
Several beams of light danced across the room, illuminating the doorway. It was Jia Ming, his eyes gentle, four assault rifles slung over his shoulder, the flashlight swinging wildly. Setting the guns down on the floor, he said apologetically, “Sorry, I kept this from you and Sha Sha…”
Before he could finish, Lingjing flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. At that moment, nothing else mattered, only that Jia Ming was alive.
“…Actually, it all started when I was ten. Do you remember, Lingjing? That year, at the end of the year, I was bullied by Huang Haobing and his gang, and I ran away from home. I got shot, and the two guys who died…they were assassins. They were chasing another, more powerful assassin, and I stumbled upon them, disrupting their plan. The powerful assassin was grateful, so he took me in as his disciple, teaching me many things. How to use a knife, how to use a gun, how to stay hidden. I played a lot of pranks on Huang Haobing and his gang, and eventually, they were too scared to bully me anymore. I learned very quickly.”
“Back then, I thought it was because we became friends with Sha Sha…”
“Heh, yeah, Sha Sha had a part in it, but I also caused a lot of trouble in secret. Until one day, the assassin who trained me was killed by someone even stronger. That day, I realized that even the strongest person can be killed by someone even stronger. One mistake, one misstep, and you’re dead. But if you’re just an ordinary person, it’s different. You can apologize for your mistakes, you can fix things, even if you get beaten up, it’s just pain for a while. So I…”
“So, Jia Ming, you stopped showing off in front of people? When they asked you to fight in the ring, you just ran away, refusing to fight, right?”
“Yeah, do I seem cowardly?”
“You do, but that’s our Jia Ming, the Jia Ming that Sha Sha and I love. I… I like that Jia Ming so much…” Lingjing smiled, clinging to his neck. Jia Ming chuckled, taking a bedsheet to wipe away her tears. This explanation was mostly a lie, with a little bit of truth mixed in. You could even say it was all a lie. But it was the most he could reveal. After all, the truth about his rebirth as a Phoenix, the reason he was so strong, would only cause trouble and confusion.
“Okay, stop crying, you’re making a mess of your face… In the future, don’t worry about me when something like this happens. I can protect myself… If I had told you and Sha Sha earlier, today’s event…”
“No.” Lingjing interrupted him, her voice firm. “There are dangers in everything, especially this kind of thing. They have guns, bullets flying everywhere, no one can avoid them. It’s just a matter of time before someone gets hit. No, being careful doesn’t even matter… Sha Sha and I don’t want to be left in the dark. If something like this happens again, you can’t just jump in like that. Otherwise, Sha Sha and I will come after you, and if you die, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!”
“Uh…Ah?” Jia Ming’s expression twisted slightly.
“So, from today onwards, you have to promise me…”
“Promise you what?”
“From today onwards, you can’t just jump into dangerous situations. You can’t go to dangerous places. You have to be the old Jia Ming, the one who doesn’t get into trouble. But if someone starts trouble, you can’t hide like you used to. You have to fight back, show them who’s boss. I… I don’t want you to always be looked down upon. Like that last time in the ring, if he dares to come again, you have to beat him to the ground. And…” She took a deep breath, her voice resolute. “If someone wants to kill you, you can’t worry about Sha Sha and me being scared. You have to kill them. Otherwise… the books say their revenge is terrifying…”
Jia Ming was stunned by Lingjing’s torrent of words. He leaned his forehead against hers, a smile playing on his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
Lingjing gave his head a light tap, a hint of reproach in her eyes. “So… you’re the usual Jia Ming now?”
“Of course, always.”
“Then…” Lingjing grinned mischievously, “I hit you and you don’t hit back, right?”
“…Try it and see.”
She tapped his forehead, chuckling, “I’ll try. Hmph, you bumped into me… Ah, I’m not coming, help! Jia Ming, spare me, ah… Husband, spare me…”
Lingjing’s laughter was muffled, her voice laced with playful fear. She struggled against him, then slowly gave up her feigned resistance and pleas for mercy, her eyes shining, her cheeks flushed with warmth, her heart filled with a tender shyness.
In this crisis, it wasn’t the right place or time for intimacy. After some playful banter, Jia Ming started thinking about getting back to the upper deck of the ship. If he was alone, he could do whatever he wanted, but with Lingjing, things were different. Most of the areas leading to the upper deck were now battlegrounds. Even with his confidence, he couldn’t imagine himself charging through, killing everyone in his path, and then strolling up with Lingjing.
He didn’t want anything to happen to Lingjing. Hiding in the dark, labyrinthine lower deck was probably the safest option. But both he and Lingjing were worried about Sha Sha. If they couldn’t be seen for a long time, she might do something similar to Lingjing. After some deliberation, Jia Ming decided to take a risk. He taught Lingjing how to shoot, and they quietly slipped out of the room. They didn’t turn on the lights, Jia Ming leading the way, Lingjing clutching his arm, navigating the long, dark corridor.
Moments later, they reached the chaotic ballroom. One of the doors in this ballroom led to the deck, exposed to the wind and rain, the path they had planned. As they reached the door, Jia Ming suddenly pressed his hand against Lingjing’s chest, stopping her. The spot he pressed was sensitive, and Lingjing’s heart skipped a beat. At that moment, three beams of light flickered from outside the door. Simultaneously, there were voices from the other end of the ballroom, the light flashing and disappearing.
They were surrounded. What to do, what to do… Despite the danger, Lingjing remained calm. She remembered Jia Ming’s words, she wouldn’t be a burden to him. She checked the magazine, pulled the bolt, and aimed…
Bang, bang, bang!
Flames erupted, bullets ricocheting off the floor. The flashlight beams outside flickered, then froze. Jia Ming, like a cheetah, charged out the door!
In an instant, the gunshots echoed through the rain, amplified by the storm. Lingjing was startled by her own actions. When she recovered, she heard the sound of gunfire from outside, but Jia Ming’s location was unclear. She raised her gun, firing towards the flashing light at the back, the bullets flying over dozens of meters, leaving streaks of fire in the darkness, a spectacular sight. At the entrance to the ballroom, several lights flickered wildly, indicating that someone had heard the commotion and was rushing towards them. Then, two figures emerged, caught in the flashlight beams, their heads exploding.
“Lingjing, come here!” Jia Ming’s voice echoed from the doorway, two assault rifles pointed at the small door dozens of meters away. Lingjing, her gun empty, ran towards him, taking cover behind him. In the darkness, three guns lay on the deck, their flashlights still on. Beside them, several bodies lay still.
“Lingjing, let’s retreat behind those boxes.”
Jia Ming, with terrifying accuracy, suppressed the enemy on both sides, taking them down as soon as they appeared. They retreated behind several iron boxes on the deck, their plan in ruins. Now, they had to think about how to escape.
“I… I’m sorry… Jia Ming…”
“We’re the closest people, there’s no need to apologize.” Jia Ming smiled back at her, turning one of the guns, firing off a volley, killing two more enemies who had been drawn to the commotion. The situation was dire. Even with the cover, if they couldn’t break out, they would be overwhelmed, even with Jia Ming and Minamoto Yoritomo working together.
Having temporarily suppressed the enemy on both sides, Jia Ming took a moment to glance over the deck. He let out a sigh of relief, then flipped over the boxes, pulling a thick rope with him.
“Lingjing, tie this to the railing, we’re going to be aerial acrobats.”
Below the deck, a gunboat was docked alongside the cruise ship. The hull must have been breached, as many of the enemies had entered through the hole. There were people on the gunboat, but…not many…