056 The murder caused by Teddy

During the mealtime, the biscuits were still nowhere to be found. Guo Tianming glanced around, searching absentmindedly.

I inquired, "Lao Gui, still no luck?"

"Yeah, been searching for quite a while now, but no trace of them anywhere."

"Hey, don't fret. Biscuits are quite clever; perhaps they've wandered off to play somewhere and will show up on their own later?"

After the meal, Jiang Erwa used her pinkie to pick at her teeth, pulling out a strand of meat and flicking it away.

"The meat today seems off," she remarked.

Duan Huairen burped, "What's wrong? Did it upset your stomach?"

"No, it feels like dog meat. I used to hunt wild dogs when I was on the drilling team; this taste is familiar."

Guo Tianming overheard this and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He strode over, grabbing Lao Huang's collar aggressively, demanding, "Where did today's meat come from?"

Lao Huang shook off his hand, "It was brought by the first mate, said he brought it from home for me to cook."

Leaving Lao Huang behind, Guo Tianming swiftly exited the mess hall, his steps splashing through puddles, heading straight for the bridge.

He He ran out from the captain's quarters barefoot, holding an umbrella, standing at the railing, humming Wang Jie's song "Sorrow 1999," enjoying the sea breeze, appearing in good spirits.

"Surname He, did you take the biscuits?"

He He remained silent but cast a glance toward a nearby trash can.

Guo Tianming went over to take a look, his body trembling as he pulled out a bloody piece of dog skin, the Teddy dog biscuit.

"Damn it, I'll kill you."

Guo Tianming rushed over and punched He He in the face. He He grabbed Guo Tianming and the two slipped, tumbling together.

"Stop it, let go, quickly."

Lao Jia ran out barefoot from the captain's cabin, trying to separate them, but in vain.

Before long, Lao Huang, with a bruised face, ran over, shouting, "Bad news, bad news, there's a riot."

As he spoke, five or six people holding fish knives arrived at the gangway, looking to settle the score with He He, including Wang Xiaoliang.

He He's side also didn't back down, brandishing their weapons and rushing over. A melee seemed inevitable.

In the rain, where the sparks couldn't catch, Jiang Erwa struck the flint of her lighter, whispering to me softly, "This is getting lively; there's a good show to watch."

"What's going on?"

From start to finish, I was a bit perplexed, wondering why such a fuss was being made over a Teddy dog. Was it worth all this commotion and confrontation?

Jiang Erwa, with the cigarette soaked by rainwater, explained, "The Manchu people are a nomadic ethnic group. When Nurhaci conquered the world, dogs made significant contributions, so the Manchu people don't eat dog meat, just like the Hui people don't eat pork. All these troublemakers are Manchu."

Jiang Erwa clicked her tongue a few times, cryptic and ominous, continuing, "This is serious; a Teddy dog is about to trigger a bloody conflict between two ethnic groups."

Faith is a frightening thing. Without it, experts can be ignorant and fearless, willing to commit all manner of immoral acts. With faith, ordinary people are fearless, even willing to sacrifice their lives.

Several Manchu people, red-eyed and few in number, were intimidating, declaring that if this matter wasn't resolved, they'd risk their lives.

He He's side had the numerical advantage, but they appeared weaker in spirit. The tension between the two sides was palpable.

The rain continued to fall, drop by drop, landing on the deck, weaving into a vast net.

Lao Jia hurriedly stood between the two groups, extending his hand to calm them down and prevent any rash actions.

"Lao Gui, what do you mean by this? How do you plan to handle this today?"

Guo Tianming spat out some blood, saying, "I don't mean anything; you're the captain, you decide how to handle it."

Lao Gui passed the buck to Lao Jia; everyone knew Lao Jia and He He were in cahoots. Guo Tianming wanted to see how Lao Jia would handle the situation in front of the whole crew.

The situation has escalated to such an extent that it cannot be resolved with silence or indifference. There must be accountability for Guo Tianming, or rather, for the Manchu people.

After hesitating for a moment, Lao Jia wiped away the rainwater from his face, seized a fish knife from someone's hand, and walked over to hold down He He's hand. With a swift motion, he cut off his little finger.

He He clutched his hand, blood dripping through his fingers, shaking with pain.

"Lao Gui, shall I have Lao Huang cook you a dish too?"

Guo Tianming snorted, said nothing, and led his men away.

The aftermath of this incident had a significant impact, completely dividing the two already estranged factions. They became irreconcilable.

Duan Huairen, Jiang Erwa, and I belonged to the neutral faction; we had our own tasks and didn't want to get involved with either side.

Thus, we became the objects of both factions' attempts at recruitment, unexpectedly becoming popular.

He He had called Jiang Erwa over several times, and each time she returned with two packs of cigarettes. She smoked them so much that she coughed punctually at four in the morning, sounding like a chimney.

One night, in a daze, Wang Xiaoliang whispered to me, "Du Ge, wake up."

I dreamt of Shi Jingxia; we were embracing and about to embark on a journey together, only to be interrupted.

Though it was a dream, it felt too real.

Opening my eyes, I pushed away Wang Xiaoliang's smelly head, "It's late at night, what's up?"

Wang Xiaoliang covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, "Lao Gui wants to see you."

Hearing this, I immediately became alert and asked, "What does he want with me?"

Wang Xiaoliang handed me my pants, "Stop asking questions; you'll find out when you get there."

After dressing, I quietly slipped out of the dormitory.

Guo Tianming was already waiting for me in the cabin.

"Why summon me at this hour?"

Guo Tianming got straight to the point, "Gather your men and join us for something big."

"Big? What do you mean?" I had a bad feeling.

Guo Tianming stared at me and said two words, "Hijack the ship!"

We had considered this before, but the risk was too great, so we quickly declined.

"No, no, you'd better find someone else."

As I turned to leave, Guo Tianming suddenly said something that stopped me in my tracks.

"I know what you want to do. I can help you, and we'll split the loot from this batch fifty-fifty."

I looked at Wang Xiaoliang, who lowered his head nervously, picking at his nails. He must have spilled the beans about our plan.

"I considered you my brother, but your mouth is as loose as the waistband of cotton trousers."

"Du Ge, let's do it together. Strike first, avoid calamity later."

Here's what happened.

Wang Xiaoliang was very diligent, always helping Lao Huang in the kitchen. Last time when the Manchu people beat up Lao Huang, he even helped to intervene, saying it had nothing to do with Lao Huang.

Today during dinner, Lao Huang quietly told Wang Xiaoliang a life-and-death matter. While delivering food to the captain's cabin, Lao Huang overheard Lao Jia and He He plotting to take advantage of the fact that Jiyu 0825 was in international waters, where killing is not punishable. Once their dirty work was done, they planned to kill everyone who opposed them and take all the cargo for themselves.

With lips and teeth connected, although we hadn't taken sides, it didn't mean we were safe.

A chill ran down my spine; these bastards didn't plan on letting us return alive. They were too damn ruthless.