88: Chapter 88 An Old Photograph

Mr. K did not speak.

He just looked at Jiang Feng; the killing intent in his eyes did not fade, but instead settled, turning into something much deeper.

"See them out."

The two bodyguards walked over and made a "please" gesture toward Jiang Feng and Captain Zhao.

Captain Zhao's back muscles tightened. He shielded Jiang Feng, stepping backward one step at a time until both of them had exited the study.

Back in the guest room, the door locked behind them.

Captain Zhao looked as if all the bones had been sucked out of him; he leaned against the door panel, gasping for air.

Jiang Feng turned back to look; Captain Zhao's back was completely soaked in cold sweat.

"Damn..." Captain Zhao's voice trembled. "Just now... I really thought he was going to make a move."

"You have too much nerve! How could you... how could you rip open his scars to his face?"

"No, Captain Zhao, aren't you being a bit too cowardly?" Jiang Feng looked at Captain Zhao with a meaningful gaze.

"It's not that... we don't have guns..."

Indeed, when the other party holds the truth in their hands, it seemed a bit excessive. However, it was finally done.

The killing intent Mr. K had just displayed almost made Jiang Feng think that the personal accident insurance bought by [Fated Prophecy] would need to be claimed prematurely.

The risk factor was maxed out.

Setting up a fortune-telling stall in a den of thieves, with a cold-blooded killer as the client.

【Ding!】

【Task Evaluation: Seeing through the human heart in a lawless land, influencing the fate of many, the evaluation has been raised to: Epic!】

【Calculating rewards...】

【Congratulations to the host, brain cancer cell activity has decreased by 20%, remaining lifespan increased by 120 days!】

120 days—still not enough to make up for the lifespan lost from activating [Fated Prophecy].

【Congratulations to the host, you have received a cash reward of 8 million!】

【Congratulations to the host, you have obtained a special skill: Eye of Truth (Passive)!】

A new skill?

Jiang Feng immediately pulled up the system panel to check the detailed description of the new skill.

【Eye of Truth (Passive)】

【Skill Description】: When the host is conversing with others, the host can faintly perceive the authenticity of the other party's words. When the other party tells a lie that completely contradicts their inner thoughts, the host will feel a slight stinging sensation.

【Note】: This skill cannot read minds; it is merely a lie detector. Please use it reasonably.

"A lie detector?"

Jiang Feng's eyes lit up.

Although he couldn't read minds directly, on this ship, a place where everyone had eight hundred schemes, this skill was simply an artifact.

"Brother Jiang? Brother Jiang?"

Captain Zhao's voice pulled Jiang Feng out of his thoughts.

He saw Jiang Feng sitting on the sofa, frowning one moment and grinning the next, and thought he had been scared silly by what just happened.

"Are you okay?" Captain Zhao looked worried.

"I'm fine, better than ever." Jiang Feng waved his hand. "I was just reviewing the client feedback from earlier."

Captain Zhao: "..."

He felt that Jiang Feng's train of thought was really different from a normal person's. Is this what a master is like?

Just then.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

Captain Zhao's body, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. He lunged to the door and looked out through the peephole.

Standing outside was a man dressed in a waiter's uniform, pushing a dining cart.

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Jiang, good evening." The voice outside was respectful and polite. "Mr. K has prepared a late-night snack for you and Officer Zhao."

The two nodded at each other.

Only then did Captain Zhao cautiously open the door.

The waiter pushed the cart inside. On the cart were exquisite steak, baked lobster, and a bottle of fine vintage red wine.

"Mr. K said that you both were startled tonight, and this is a token of his appreciation."

As the waiter spoke, he placed the food on the table.

Jiang Feng looked at the sizzling steak, his appetite whetted. He hadn't eaten much all day, and his stomach was already growling.

"Thank Mr. K for me."

Jiang Feng picked up the knife and fork, not standing on ceremony at all.

The waiter finished setting up the food but did not leave immediately.

From under the tray, he took out a beautifully crafted card and a small velvet-wrapped box, handing them to Jiang Feng with both hands.

"Mr. Jiang, this is something another guest asked me to pass on to you."

Jiang Feng stopped cutting the steak and took them. The card was sent by Pearson.

On it was written a line of vigorous regular script in Chinese characters: 【Listening to your words is better than reading books for ten years. Such great kindness needs no thanks; we shall meet again.】

"Heh, this old man is quite proper."

Jiang Feng smiled and opened the velvet box.

Inside the box lay the pure gold chip engraved with a dragon totem, which he had previously declined.

"This guy, he still sent it."

Jiang Feng took the chip in his hand and toyed with it; it felt heavy.

Captain Zhao leaned over and took a look, smacking his lips.

"This thing, it's probably worth hundreds of thousands, right?"

Jiang Feng didn't speak. He tossed the chip back into the box and was about to put the card back too.

He discovered that something else was pressed under the card.

It was a photograph. A very old, black-and-white photo with yellowing edges.

Jiang Feng picked up the photo.

In the photo was a very young man wearing an old military uniform; his smile was a bit shy, but his eyes were very bright.

Beside the man stood a girl in a white dress.

The girl had long hair braided into two pigtails. She wasn't looking at the camera but was tilting her head, looking at the man beside her, smiling very tenderly.

The background of the photo was a dilapidated two-story building.

Hanging at the entrance of the small building was an equally dilapidated wooden sign, with a few words written in paint: 【Xiangyanghua Orphanage】

Captain Zhao also saw the photo.

"This is..."

He pointed at the young man in the photo, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"This person... is Mr. K when he was young?"

Although many years had passed and their temperaments were worlds apart, that thin, gaunt face still vaguely showed the current contours.

Jiang Feng's gaze, however, fell on the girl's face.

He suddenly understood.

The God of Gamblers' "betrayal". The movie queen's "secret". Mr. K's "obsession". These three divinations were not coincidences at all!

Pearson lost not because of his card skills, but because of the betrayal of the person closest to him.

Lin Feier's tribulation was not caused by ghosts, but stemmed from a secret, illicit romance.

And Mr. K—he spent the first half of his life killing, but the second half was locked away like a trapped dragon by a departed old friend and a single spark of kindness in his heart.

Betrayal, secrets, obsession... These three seemingly unrelated things, when pieced together, pointed to three cracks in the heart of the same person.

"Damn..."

Jiang Feng couldn't help but curse in his heart.

"So this task wasn't random; it was custom-made!"

These three divinations were not for anyone else; they were for Mr. K himself!

The system was making him use this method to dissect Mr. K's inner demons one by one and lay them out before him.

"Brother Jiang, what's wrong?" Captain Zhao saw Jiang Feng holding the photo, silent for a long time, his expression changing, and couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Feng raised his head. He looked at Captain Zhao, his eyes filled with an unprecedented brightness.

"Captain Zhao."

He slapped the black-and-white photo onto the table.

"I know where the Eye of the Deadlock is."

Captain Zhao was stunned.

"Where? Did you find some clue in Mr. K's study earlier?"

"No."

Jiang Feng shook his head.

"It's not in the vault, it's not in the safe; it's in the place on the ship that least looks like a place to hide things."

He extended his finger and tapped the girl in the photo, who was smiling as gently as water.

"In Mr. K's own bedroom."

"And it must have something to do with this girl."

Jiang Feng stood up and stuffed the gold chip and the photo into his canvas bag. He picked up the napkin on the table and wiped his mouth.

Then, he looked at the bewildered Captain Zhao, grinned, and smiled.

"Let's go."

"I'll take you to see a good show."

"We're going to pay a night visit to the dragon's den."