"Mr. Yin, look here—this is a fire pit that was just put out. Someone stayed here for several days just a few hours ago." A bodyguard squatted down and reported to Charles Yin, "There are bits of packaging here, water weeds used for tying ropes, and marks where a raft slid into the water. If I'm not mistaken, Mrs. Yin made the raft right here."
Charles Yin carefully examined the traces and confirmed this was where Cecilia Gu landed. Instantly, he gave an excited order: "Search the entire island! Report immediately if you find anything!"
His men quickly spread out, conducting a thorough search.
Each person carried a thermal imaging device, scanning only for targets within the range of human body temperature.
They turned the island upside down but found no trace of her.
Charles Yin frowned. Had he missed her?
By now, it was very late. Leaving the island would be dangerous, so Charles Yin ordered everyone to rest in the cave and continue searching tomorrow.
If Cecilia Gu left by raft, she could only have landed on a nearby island—she wouldn't have gone far.
As long as they sped up tomorrow, they were sure to find her!
With solid evidence that Cecilia Gu was safe for now, Charles Yin finally felt a little relieved.
At nightfall, a swarm of vampire bats gathered overhead, their eyes hungry yet wary as they watched the food below—there seemed to be a lot more tonight...
Hmm, seems different from what was on the menu last night.
Charles Yin lay inside the tent, his fingers gently rubbing the spot over his heart.
There, he kept a ring—one that Cecilia Gu had personally placed on his finger.
Even though Cecilia Gu hadn’t put the ring back on lately, Charles had never let it leave his side.
Someday, he’d make sure Cecilia would willingly put that ring on him again!
Charles Yin lay in the exact spot where Cecilia had once slept. Somehow, his heart finally relaxed—and before he knew it, he’d actually fallen asleep.
Meanwhile, Max Mo, who’d come from overseas, finally managed to dodge Captain Hans’s blockade. After circling around for ages, he was almost there.
Captain Hans got the news and stood in the clearing, silent and unmoving.
Ethan Yin watched Captain Hans. The usually noisy pirate suddenly seemed poetic—even Ethan, at just three and a half, could tell something was off.
Ethan Yin walked over to Captain Hans, tilting his face up to look at the man.
Captain Hans looked down at Ethan. Under the night sky, the two just stared at each other.
Moonlight rippled across the water, shimmering softly.
Gentle waves brushed the shore, and for a moment, everything felt strangely peaceful.
"Are you worried?" Ethan’s young voice sounded pure and clear in the quiet night.
Captain Hans reached out and pinched Ethan’s cheek, answering softly, "Yeah. I might never see you again."
"Why?" Ethan tilted his head at Captain Hans. "Is it because you’re leaving?"
"This time, it might be forever." Captain Hans gave a bitter smile. "My men failed to block Max Mo. His team’s heading this way, and the people here can’t fight him off. Plus, your dad and Earl Field’s men are lurking. I’m surrounded—looks like my luck’s finally run out. Ethan, I guess I won’t be your teacher anymore. After all these years at sea, seems I’ll meet my end right here."
Ethan turned to look at the sea. If Uncle Max arrived, maybe Mom could be rescued?
But honestly, he wished Dad would find Mom himself.
"Hey, Ethan Yin," Captain Hans suddenly spoke up again. "If I make it out alive, will you be my student?"
Ethan pouted. "Why do you love being a teacher so much?"
"Can't help it. The world’s full of idiots. Smart kids like you—if I don’t lock you down, someone else will snatch you away." Captain Hans suddenly burst out laughing, as if all his sadness was just an illusion.
Ethan gave Captain Hans a deadpan look. This guy was really something...
"But what could you teach me? My dad hired the best teachers in the world—astronomy, geography, history, literature, math, physics, chemistry, you name it. Plus, my grandpa teaches me all sorts of rare subjects. Do you really think you’re smarter than Grandpa?" Ethan grinned mischievously at Captain Hans.
"Little rascal, you really know how to pick a fight!" Captain Hans couldn’t help pinching Ethan’s cheek again. "I might not be as knowledgeable as your grandpa, but I can teach you things nobody else can. Sure, your grandpa’s a genius in culture, but he’s not an expert in everything. I heard you love weapons? I’ve got a tiny weapons base—if you’re interested, it’s yours."
Ethan thought seriously for a moment. "Mom says you shouldn’t accept gifts from others, especially if you can’t give something of equal value in return. So, Captain Hans, I can’t accept it."
"You’ve got a great mom," Captain Hans said, looking at Ethan with envy. "She really loves you."
A mother who’d risk her life for her child deserved everyone’s respect.
As for sleeping arrangements tonight, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir reached a friendly agreement on behalf of the three men.
The cave was tiny—once the campfire was lit, there was barely any space left to sleep.
Miles Gu was still little and growing, so he couldn’t stay up late.
Earl Field had just recovered from a fever and was still weak, so he shouldn’t stay up too late either.
Jiro Hirayama?
Oh, he’s fine—bouncing around like nothing happened.
So, the two women decided Jiro Hirayama would take the first half of the night shift, and they’d cover the second half.
When it came to picking sleeping spots, Earl Field ditched his male ally and happily snuggled up with Miles Gu inside.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
Before Jiro Hirayama could protest, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir just settled by the fire and went to sleep.
With Jiro Hirayama here, who’d be afraid of bugs?
He was a biochemical expert who could make any living thing tremble!
Jiro Hirayama squatted at the cave entrance, looking helplessly at the four people snoring away inside.
This is professional discrimination! I protest!
Of all these people, he was the only one who had it easy today.
If he didn’t do the work, who would?
Still, Jiro Hirayama wasn’t exactly the obedient type.
Once everyone was asleep, Jiro Hirayama sprinkled powder all around the cave entrance, then quietly snuck over to Rona Muir’s side and fell asleep next to her.
As for switching shifts in the middle of the night—sorry, he was just too tired to remember.
So when the first rays of morning woke everyone up, these poor souls swept in by the waves realized no one had kept watch all night—and yet, they’d all slept like babies!
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir remembered how soundly they’d slept in the second half of the night, so neither had any right to blame Jiro Hirayama.
So, everyone silently agreed not to mention it.
They grilled a simple breakfast, shared it out, and then got ready to light a signal fire for help.
Now the weather was clear, visibility was high—setting off a beacon was the best way to get noticed.
The sun-dried branches were just damp enough to smoke—a perfect recipe for signal fire.
While lighting the fire, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir started giving Miles Gu a history lesson: "Miles, do you know the story of the Beacon Tower prank?"
Miles shook his head. "Nope."
Rona Muir was instantly in teacher mode, coughing and tearing up from the smoke as she explained, "So, the Beacon prank is about this ancient emperor who was obsessed with beauty. For a woman, he tricked all his vassals. Right, Cecilia? What was that beauty’s name again? It’s been so long, I actually forgot. That’s not scientific!"
Cecilia Gu couldn’t help but roll her eyes. With a history lesson like that, it’d be better not to teach at all!
"At the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was a ruler called King You of Zhou. He was obsessed with beauties. Someone gave him a gorgeous woman named Bao Si, and he doted on her, making her his consort. But Bao Si never smiled after entering the palace, so King You wanted to make her laugh. He lit the beacon fires on the Beacon Tower." Cecilia Gu started her lesson.
"Beacon fires were an emergency military signal in ancient times. From the capital to the border fortresses, Beacon Towers were everywhere. Western Zhou built over twenty Beacon Towers near Mount Li to guard against the Quanrong tribe. When the enemy attacked, the first sentry would light the beacon fire, and nearby towers would follow suit, alerting the vassals. When they saw the fire, they knew the king was in trouble and would rush to help."
"So, a not-so-reliable minister came up with this terrible idea and pitched it to King You, who actually agreed and lit all the Beacon Towers. The neighboring lords thought war had broken out and rushed over with their armies. But when they arrived, it was just a joke. The lords were furious, but Bao Si finally laughed at their angry faces."
"King You kept using the trick, lighting the Beacon Towers again and again. After a few times, the lords stopped believing him. So when real enemies attacked, no matter how many times he lit the Beacon Towers, the lords didn’t come. In the end, the country was destroyed." Cecilia Gu wrapped up.
Miles Gu nodded thoughtfully and said seriously to Cecilia Gu, "Mom, don’t worry. There aren’t many people in the world better-looking than me. I won’t start a Beacon prank over a woman."
Pfft... Everyone around spat out their water.
Kid, what on earth are you thinking about?