Chapter 703: The Shortest Distance Between Two Points Is A Straight Line
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Aboard the Vikings, Cao Qingci had been a.n.a.lyzing the intelligence report meticulously all along, as if filtering for the information she needed.
Meanwhile, Chen Zuan, Cheng Qiuqiao and Han You had already become used to her quiet nature.
Han You was a new member, but a talented one. Despite his Cla.s.s B apt.i.tude, he had accomplished multiple military achievements along the national border. Like Gao Shenyin, he was also a bellicose man.
Before the start of the mission, Han You had the stereotype that all Cla.s.s A apt.i.tude geniuses were merely spoiled elites, and that only people like him, who grew up in hards.h.i.+ps, could shoulder the future responsibilities of the Heavenly Network. However, he soon realized the difference between the geniuses and himself, because the former had always been partaking in dangerous missions and only the cream of the elites could survive.
Han You was confused. “Brother Zuan, who’s that Brother Shu you are talking about? Do all of you know him? Is he a Cla.s.s A apt.i.tude genius too?”
Cheng Qiuqiao was stunned. “Have you not heard of Brother Shu?”
“Well.. Sounds familiar to me.” Actually, Han You had wanted to say, who is he? Why must I know him? But judging from Cheng Qiuqiao’s face, it seemed like a shame to not know the person.
Cheng Qiuqiao slapped his forehead in realization. “Oh right, his stories in the Lop Nur remains are not released to the public. But you’ve probably seen him before. He’s the captain of the Flood of Bronze!”
Han You was dumbfounded. “OMG!”
The Flood of Bronze had been dismissed right after the closure of the remains, but its legend lived on in the Daoyuan Cla.s.s.
Nowadays, their fame was almost comparable to that of Cla.s.s A geniuses. They were a bunch of annoying yet strong people, who would come to rescue whoever was in danger in the remains.
“So it’s him,” Han You said, feeling excited, “Are you close? Can you introduce me to him?”
Lying on the deck chair, Chen Zuan gazed into the sky melancholy. “I wanted to. But he, our team leader, has eloped with his girl…”
“All forces on the island are after him now,” Cheng Qiuqiao said, “I’m not even sure whether he can live until we arrive. Speaking of which, we won’t be of much help anyway. If Brother Shu can’t settle it, neither can we…”
He glanced at Cao Qingci, expecting her reaction.
By then, Lu Shu was an official Cla.s.s B, but Cheng Qiuqiao believed that Cao Qingci had attained a similar state too.
In spite of their similar apt.i.tudes, it was commonly thought that Cao Qingci was special as compared to other Cla.s.s A geniuses. There were a few others like her too, and they were called “super geniuses” in secret.
They had earned their t.i.tle through their supreme performance during missions and training.
Chen Zuan continued looking up at the sky. “It might be too late by the time we arrive. Why didn’t Brother Shu wait for us? He has made tens of thousands of enemies now. Although it sounds sad, who else in our generation can be compared to him? It’s no exaggeration to say that he’s the strongest in the world, only second to the Heavenly Kings.”
At this moment, Cao Qingci suddenly stood up. She said, “We jump into the sea.”
Chen Zuan was shocked. “Are you insane? Why must we jump into the sea?”
“It’ll take some time for the Vikings to even reach Holland. But we’ll save a lot of time by entering the Mediterranean straight from the Strait of Gibraltar and swimming to Sardinia,” replied Cao Qingci calmly, “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”
Chen Zuan was dumbfounded. “I understand your logic. But that means we have to swim over 200km!”
“Is it that hard?” Cao Qingci asked, expressionless. She had already started to pack up her stuff. “I can keep your luggage in my invisible storage equipment. My military rank is only lower than Lu Shu’s. Now, I am in command. So, move.”
She was not joking!
“What if I tell you that I can’t swim?” Chen Zuan asked carefully.
In the next instant, he was lifted up by his collar. Then, he was thrown into the sea, by an immense force much stronger than what a Cla.s.s C should possess.
“AHH!”
Flop!
All pa.s.sengers on the cruise s.h.i.+p circled around the railing to see what was happening. Han You and Cheng Qiuqiao looked at each other in hesitation. When Cao Qingci shot them a cold look, Cheng Qiuqiao yielded immediately. “We’ll jump down ourselves…”
Having packed up all the items, Cao Qingci looked into the distance towards Sardinia. There was a trace of worry in her eyes. Although it sounded cool to fight against tens of thousands of enemies, Lu Shu must be in danger. She hoped it was not too late yet.
After a whole day of swimming, the coastline was finally within their sight. Chen Zuan felt that his limbs were getting pale and swollen due to the long time in water.
“Finally!” Chen Zuan was ecstatic. 24 hours of mechanical swimming was no joke.
After they came ash.o.r.e, Cao Qingci asked a pa.s.ser-by in English, “Is this Sardinia?”
Confused, the person replied, “This is Corsica. Sardinia is in the south…”
Chen Zuan drew a startled breath. He looked at Cao Qingci and complained, “It’s true that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But you weren’t going in a straight line ahhHHHH…” Flop!
Cheng Qiuqiao and Han You squeezed out a flattering smile. “We’ll jump. We’ll jump…”
Corsica was not too far away from Sardinia. Thus, provided that they were heading in the correct direction, they would reach Olbia, the northern city of Sardinia, in one hour!
…
In the meantime, Lu Shu and Coral were sitting on a truck. To his surprise, there were intercoms installed on the trucks, as though they were a fleet for an organization.
The ice-cream vendor glimpsed at him and smiled. “Long-distance goods delivery is very boring. Thus, we got the intercoms for relaxation. We can talk or even sing to one another to kill time.”
That was the local culture here. All of the Sardinia residents were happy because they could find happiness in their everyday lives. World peace would have been within reach if everyone in this world could be like them.
Some people would argue that it was Cartel’s protection that gave them the luxury of constant happiness. But Lu Shu disagreed. It was like the age-old question, which one preceded the other, the chicken or the egg? Cartel was also part of the local population. That was why their members were happy, although they appeared strange to the outside world.
“Young man, can you sing a Chinese song for us? We all like the Eastern culture. It’s so mysterious,” the ice-cream vendor asked, smiling. Over the intercoms, the other drivers echoed his request. Even Coral looked at Lu Shu, her face full of expectation.
But Lu Shu had never sung any songs other than Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, because he did not have time for hobbies in the past. Yet, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was too childish for his age. Under Coral’s antic.i.p.ating gaze, Lu Shu hesitated and started singing, “You live on the Loess Highland, your dad is your mom’s cousin…”
They knew that his lyrics were all wrong, but they still listened for the fun of it. Finally, the fleet arrived in Olbia amidst their laughter and singing.
The sky was clear. It was 3.14 p.m.. When they stepped into Olbia, Lu Shu suddenly sensed danger in the air. As expected, they were there.