The Return Of The God Level Assassin

1182  YUNYUE VS FENGHUANG (XVII)

[I saw what you did today.

Do you think I wouldnʼt notice? The way you leaned in, the way you smiled at her—how easily you forgot everything weʼve risked. Iʼve made sacrifices for you, sacrifices I can never take back. Iʼve put my daughter and my reputation at risk by trusting you, and now I wonder if that trust was misplaced.

Meet me in the second-class lounge before midnight. If you donʼt come, Iʼll know where I stand and will act accordingly. This cannot go on without an answer.

—J.W.]

YUN: [That was the content of the note. Based on whatʼs written, the person who wrote it could only be someone who was in the dining car when Luo Jin and I were ʼflirting.ʼ]

AmazingYoungMasterJin: [Can we just call it being friendly? No need to make it sound anything other than that.]

Shen Ji Yun ignored what Luo Jin sent and just continued;

YUN: [There were only two people who seemed to be mothers in the dining car at the time, and only one of them had a ʼdaughter.ʼ Plus, the initials—J.W.—match Mrs. Winslowʼs surname. Unless her first name doesnʼt start with ʼJ,ʼ itʼs hard to imagine anyone else it could be.]

Luo Yan nodded as he read the message. If he were in Shen Ji Yunʼs position, he would have arrived at the same conclusion.

White Marsh: [So does this mean that Ji Yun is having an affair with Xiao Yanʼs mother?]

AmazingYoungMasterJin: [There you go with the weird phrasing again! Brother Ze, let me remind you—Yan is my brother and your cousin. And letʼs not even get into the boyf—no, forget I said that. Just think carefully about how your words might come across, alright?]

Bai Ze, lounging comfortably in his cabin, read the reply and frowned in confusion. Then, he scrolled back to check what he had sent earlier. The moment he reread his own words, his entire body froze. It dawned on him that the way he phrased it made it sound like Shen Ji Yun was having an affair with his real-life aunt—his deceased aunt, no less. The unintended implication sent a chill down his spine.

Morganite: [This is why youʼre a fool.]

Bai Ze ground his teeth as he read the message, but he couldnʼt come up with a proper retort. Because he knew that at this instance, he was indeed too foolish. So, he could only respond with;

White Marsh: [Sorry. Iʼll be more careful with my wording next time.]

Luo Yan sent a reply before the topic veered off to another weird direction again.

Noctis: [We can use this new information to our advantage. I think.]

YUN: [How?]

Noctis: [Since youʼre having an affair with her, youʼll have an excuse to check on her and stay close to the situation. Itʼs the perfect way to be involved in the investigation without drawing suspicion.]

When Shen Ji Yun read that, a certain idea came to his mind. But he didnʼt voice it out, knowing full well that voicing it would only derail the conversation yet again. For tonight, he would keept it to himself.

The team continued discussing their plan late into the night before finally deciding to rest. Even though they were inside a game where time was distorted, the illusion of sleep would still help them feel refreshed and recharged.

And that was how team Yunyue concluded their first ʼdayʼ in the semi-final match.

-----

In another cabin, Ning Feng glanced at the messages in the team channel. After much discussion, they had finally come up with a solid plan—one that met his expectations. But deep down, he knew they likely wouldnʼt have gotten this far if he hadnʼt accidentally uncovered Jack the Ripperʼs identity so early in the match.

His luck had always been remarkable, and it seemed to be working in his favor once again. He hadnʼt even needed to put in much effort to uncover Jack the Ripperʼs identity. Now, all that remained was to assist him in eliminating his third target, and their team would secure victory in this match.

He gazed out of the window, and the image of a certain young woman flickered in his mind. Her ever-changing dyed hair, those eyes that seemed perpetually disinterested, and her sharp, sarcastic tone—often laced with self-deprecating humor. It seemed his luck worked on everyone and everything—except her.

Maybe he should have made a bet with Su Yuqi before the match. If his team won, it would have been worth it just to see a different expression on her face. At least while she was looking at him—and not her usual mix of indifference and sarcasm.

Ning Feng shook his head. Really, was he still expecting something? He should just focus on this match. At the very least, he should show her that he was someone worth paying attention to—even if only for this game.

----------

The next morning, train attendants going from cabin to cabin awakened everyone. The one who came to the cabin Luo Yan shared with Mrs. Thompson and her daughter was the same male attendant who had been in charge of their previous train car.

”Good morning, madame,” he said. ”I must deliver an important message from the train manager. Unfortunately, we have received urgent instructions from the railway authority via telegraph that all scheduled stops along our route have been temporarily suspended. There has been an incident ahead involving a derailment on an adjacent track, and stopping at the stations has been deemed unsafe for the time being. To ensure the safety of all passengers, the train will proceed directly to its final destination.”

He paused briefly, as if watching Mrs. Thompsonʼs reaction, before continuing;

”We deeply regret the inconvenience this may cause, especially to those intending to disembark at one of the stops. Arrangements will be made upon arrival at the final station to ensure that all passengers are accommodated. Please rest assured that your comfort and safety are our top priorities. Should you require further assistance, I will be happy to assist.”

With a polite nod, the attendant stepped back, giving Mrs. Thompson a moment to absorb the news. Luo Yan raised an eyebrow. So, this was the excuse the train manager had decided to go with?