80: Chapter 80 A Ticket from the Abyss

In a private room on the second floor of a time-honored teahouse in Jinghai City.

Outside the window, a light rain was falling, the raindrops tapping against the old-fashioned wooden windowpanes with a dull sound.

On the tea table, wisps of steam rose from a purple clay teapot.

Zhao Yi sat opposite him, looking much more spirited than he had last time at the subway station; his back was straight, and his eyes were sharper.

Yet, that thick, unshakable cloud of worry still lingered between his brows.

"The case involving Liu Zhengguo has unearthed things far deeper than we ever imagined."

Zhao Yi's voice was low as he refilled Jiang Feng's teacup.

"Following that lead, we dismantled a drug trafficking network that had been entrenched along the southern border for over a decade, and the amount of new synthetic drugs we seized set a record for the past five years."

"And so, trouble followed; I was targeted for retaliation..."

Jiang Feng picked up his teacup, using the lid to skim the tea leaves floating on the surface.

He muttered inwardly.

"This is a classic trope from a cop movie: an upright police officer destroys a gang's den, then gets viciously retaliated against. But what is the point of coming to me, a fortune teller? I'm not a hitman."

Zhao Yi seemed to see through his thoughts and gave a bitter smile.

"My own safety isn't an issue; the bureau has arranged the highest level of protection for me. The trouble is, the other side plays by very unconventional rules; they bypassed all official channels entirely."

He took a beautifully crafted invitation from his briefcase and pushed it toward Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng set down his teacup and picked up the invitation.

It felt heavy in his hand, the paper quality was excellent, and it was printed with an image of a luxury cruise ship named "neptune".

He opened the invitation.

The content inside was not printed but handwritten in a very beautiful Slender Gold script.

The meaning between the lines was simple: the other party invited Officer Zhao Yi, along with the infallible expert by his side, to board this cruise ship as it sailed into international waters for a friendly negotiation.

"This is a trap," Jiang Feng said, throwing the invitation back onto the table with a scoff.

"These drug dealers are quite creative, knowing to invite a charlatan for entertainment. I'm not going; let them play by themselves."

"I wish I didn't have to go, either." Zhao Yi's expression turned grim.

He took another item out of his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

It was a photograph.

In the photo, his sister, Zhao Xiaoya, was standing at the entrance of the university library, smiling brightly.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, yesterday's date was written in red ink.

"They said if we don't go, they can't guarantee Xiaoya will be able to smile this happily next time."

Zhao Yi's voice was filled with suppressed, raging fury.

The playful look on Jiang Feng's face vanished.

He stared at the photo, silent.

"They also said this negotiation is very simple."

Zhao Yi's fists were clenched tightly under the table.

"As long as you can calculate where they have hidden an item on the ship in front of everyone, they will completely abandon all retaliation against me and guarantee they will never set foot in Jinghai City again."

Just as Zhao Yi said, "calculate where they have hidden an item on the ship".

That familiar mechanical voice rang out in Jiang Feng's mind.

【Ding! Detected keyword trigger: International waters / Cruise ship / Search / Break the deadlock.】

【New mission generating...】

Jiang Feng's pupils constricted.

【New mission issued】

【Location】: International waters, "neptune" cruise ship

【Time】: Within three hours after the banquet begins

【Method】: Dragon-seeking and acupoint-spotting

【Domain】: Breaking the deadlock and searching for objects

【Objective】: Find the eye of the deadlocked formation hidden on the ship and successfully break it.

【Warning: The mission area is a lawless zone; danger level is extremely high. Host, please proceed with caution!】

The bright red warning text pulsed in his field of vision, particularly jarring.

If the system itself warned of an extremely high danger level, that ship was definitely a den of tigers and dragons.

He hated trouble and wished he could stay away from such nonsense for the rest of his life.

But Zhao Xiaoya's smiling face and the impossible-to-refuse mission on the system panel left him with no choice.

Zhao Yi watched Jiang Feng fall silent and, thinking he was in a difficult position, lost the bit of fortitude he had managed to muster.

"This isn't just a crisis; it's also a greater opportunity. If we go in and coordinate from the inside and outside..."

"Perhaps we can round them all up..."

"But then again, I know this puts you at risk, and I am forcing your hand..." He looked desperate. "If you don't want to go, that's fine..."

"Regarding Xiaoya... I will find another way."

Jiang Feng raised his hand, cutting him off.

He picked up the purple clay teacup again and drained the now lukewarm tea in one gulp.

He set the cup down with a crisp, light sound.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy, like you're attending a funeral."

"It's just a ship, isn't it? You're acting like it's the Titanic."

"To be honest, in this world, besides Old Chen, you are my best friend."

"Your sister..."

"Is my sister too!"

He leaned back in his chair, looking at the stunned Zhao Yi.

"On your end, report it if you should report it, arrange police force if you should arrange it. Follow your rules, don't be timid."

"Leave the rest to me."

...

Night.

Longhu Mountain Villa, Guanhu Residence.

Jiang Feng stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the second-floor study, looking out at the lake shrouded in night.

Jiang Feng knew that this danger far exceeded any he had faced before.

The Civil Affairs Bureau entrance was a trivial neighborhood matter.

The Criminal Investigation Brigade was part of a society governed by law.

The Huake Institute was the state apparatus.

No matter where he was, he was always within a framework of rules.

But international waters were different.

That was a truly lawless place, a place where human nature could unleash its greatest malice.

Relying solely on the abilities granted by the system during the mission, even with the police's strength, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

Since the other party dared to pull such a big stunt, they could never be just simple-minded brutes.

He raised his hand, his consciousness sinking into his mind.

A virtual system panel unfolded before his eyes.

His consciousness swept across the panel, finally resting on the skill icon he had always deliberately ignored.

【Fated Prophecy】

He looked at the lines of notes below.

【Consumes own lifespan】

【Forcibly corrects reality's causality】

【Invokes unpredictable causal backlash】

Every word made his heart sink.

This was his final trump card, a card whose cost he didn't even know.

He had gone from a terminally ill wretch with only ninety days to live, step by step, to where he was today, and it was never by luck.

It was gambling with his life.

Every mission was a gamble.

Since that was the case, he would bet even bigger.

In order to survive, some prices had to be paid.

Jiang Feng closed his eyes.

【Fated Prophecy】 activated!

He tested the extent of what he could predict, testing the price he could afford to pay.

He had to find the most cost-effective solution!

After a long time, he constructed that prophecy in his mind, word by word.

"No matter what happens on the neptune, Zhao Yi and I will both return safely to Jinghai City."

The moment the words were spoken.

A surge of intense exhaustion welled up from his bones, almost draining him of all his strength.

It seemed that a significant amount of the lifespan he had previously accumulated had also been drained.

His body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing, his hand instinctively gripping the window frame.

An indescribable feeling emerged; he knew that certain causalities had been forcibly twisted because of his words.