"You should go home now, no, go to Grandpa's," Chen Fan said.
"What's wrong? Wan'er still wants me to vet Yuan Che's character and abilities." Chen Xing'er replied.
"Don't ask so many questions. Go stay with Grandpa, and don't go out for these two days," Chen Fan said.
Although Chen Xing'er was displeased, she still answered, "Okay."
After Chen Fan hung up, Wu Zhao let out a laugh and said, "Chen Tianjiao, you don't have to do this. I said I wouldn't lay a hand on Chen Xing'er."
"I don't believe you," Chen Fan replied coldly.
"Fine. Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. If I truly wanted to target Chen Xing'er, it wouldn't be of much use even if she stayed within the Chen family," Wu Zhao said. "This is just my first reminder."
"My second reminder is that Zuo Lizhou is already on his way. He should board the ship in about half an hour."
Chen Fan's heart sank. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I said, this is a reminder for you," Wu Zhao laughed. "If you were caught completely off guard and killed by Zuo Lizhou the moment you met, wouldn't that be rather boring?"
"I'm afraid Zuo Lizhou is here to kill you?" Chen Fan sneered.
"Zuo Lizhou is beneath my notice," Wu Zhao said. "My opponent is not him, nor you, but the prevailing trend of this world."
"Although you are still a pawn in my eyes, you are an irreplaceable pawn. Zuo Lizhou is still inferior. This pawn of his is even less important than you!"
Chen Fan sneered, "Playing with all living beings as pawns, the result of thinking too highly of yourself is that you will be backlashed, and ultimately discover that you yourself are merely a pawn!"
He paused, then asked, "Who has Zuo Lizhou brought with him?"
"Xin Beitian, Zhong Wuxin, and Yan Siyu."
Wu Zhao continued, "You've encountered Yan Siyu before, but in the confined space of this cruise ship, you might not have an advantage. Be careful."
"Also, a friendly reminder, Zuo Lizhou has a group of Huajin experts below him, sixteen in total, known as the Sixteen Flying Eagles. Each of them possesses the strength to contend with a Grandmaster."
Chen Fan fell silent for a moment. "Zuo Lizhou's strength is so formidable, I see no possibility of you defeating him."
"Haha, Chen Tianjiao, you don't need to test me." Wu Zhao laughed. "Since I said Zuo Lizhou is beneath my notice, then he is indeed beneath my notice. My enemy has never been him, but you."
"More precisely, even you are not my enemy; it's those behind you."
Chen Fan's heart trembled upon hearing this. "Those behind me?"
"No need to play dumb. Chen Tianjiao, you understand what I mean."
"If there's anyone in this world who understands me, it's you, Chen Tianjiao."
Wu Zhao continued, "But you and I are different. You choose to blend in with the world, while I want to overturn this heaven and earth."
"Three years ago, I thought you would be like-minded, but unfortunately, you are not. You suffered all sorts of grievances, yet after returning three years later, you have compromised, cooperated with them, and even become their spokesperson."
"You lack the courage for change. You are the God of War who guards the nation, just like the Martial Sage who guards the nation, both are maintainers of the old order."
Chen Fan's gaze gradually turned icy.
"These are what I wanted to tell you," Wu Zhao said gravely. "We share some objectives, but we choose different paths."
"The events three years ago, were they your doing?" Chen Fan asked coldly.
"That depends on which one you're referring to!" Wu Zhao replied. "If you're talking about the Qingyan Town massacre, I tell you, it wasn't me."
"Those old soldiers, who bled for the country, I wouldn't do such a thing to them."
"But if you're referring to Feng Qianyuan's death, then I can tell you, it was indeed arranged by me. Only after his death would you forge an irreconcilable feud with the Feng family!"
"I had hoped you would annihilate the Feng family along with him, but your strength three years ago wasn't enough, it didn't meet my expectations."
Chen Fan's expression was grave, his eyes cold.
"I've said too much to Chen Tianjiao. It's only when I face you that I become so talkative." Wu Zhao concluded his speech. "There are two and a half hours left before this cruise ship sets sail for the Ao Lai Kingdom. Chen Tianjiao, these two and a half hours are your time to call for reinforcements."
"Good luck, and don't disappoint me like you did three years ago!"
Chen Fan's voice was cold. "Rest assured, this time, I will absolutely not disappoint you."
"Haha, I hope so!"
The screen flickered and went black.
Chen Fan's mood was inevitably turbulent. The conversation just now contained a vast amount of information, and the purpose behind Wu Zhao's previous actions became clear. This man had his own ideology and was a subverter of the old order. Such a person would not easily change his mind, would be ruthless in achieving his goals, and would even disregard death. In such a person's eyes, everyone was a pawn, with no distinction. Chen Fan had encountered many such individuals in the underground world, but they were rare within Great Xia. The Qingyan Town incident three years ago did not seem like something Wu Zhao would do, as such people were often extremely proud. However, he had admitted to arranging Feng Qianyuan's death to frame Chen Fan. Chen Fan wanted to ask more, but Wu Zhao clearly knew he had revealed too much information and stopped speaking.
Wu Zhao's disclosure that Zuo Lizhou would be coming aboard the Mayflower, coupled with the already confirmed presence of Japanese martial artists, made the cruise ship a rather lively place. Chen Fan wondered if Ye Yunchen would also come aboard.
Shaking his head, Chen Fan knew Du Fumin would not return to this room. He walked out, preparing to leave this deck. Wu Zhao had admitted he was on the ship, but finding him would not be easy. With twelve decks, the cruise ship was like a city, and searching for him room by room was clearly impractical. However, it was not impossible, it just depended on whether there was enough time to find his location before Wu Zhao's plans unfolded.
As he was walking out, Chen Fan suddenly saw two attendants emerge from a room ahead. Chen Fan then slowed his pace to avoid being questioned. Unexpectedly, a woman leaned out from the room and said, "Thank you, I don't know how my room card got lost. Sorry to have troubled you." Her voice was clear and cold but very polite, showing good upbringing and demeanor. As she leaned out, she saw Chen Fan, and a hint of suspicion appeared in her eyes. Seeing this, Chen Fan smiled at her openly.
"You're welcome, Miss Mi. Please keep this room card safe. If it's lost again, we won't have spare cards, and it will be quite troublesome," the attendants said politely and then left.
Miss Mi's suspicious gaze remained fixed on Chen Fan. Chen Fan merely nodded and prepared to leave quickly. But at that moment, a group of people, led by a manager and attendants, were approaching from the direction of the front desk down the corridor. A formidable aura preceded them. Chen Fan's pupils constricted as he scanned the area. Without hesitation, he turned around, faced the suspicious Miss Mi, stepped forward, put his arm around her waist, covered her mouth, and pulled her into the room. He then closed the door with his other hand. Miss Mi tried to struggle, but Chen Fan's large hand was like an iron vise. A hidden force surged, rendering her unable to muster any strength, and she slumped limply. Terror filled her eyes.