DDT - Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Tycoon’s Daughter (11)
Yearning, deep as the sea; old affairs, distant as the sky.
Yi Shuhan followed Chi Junluo in a trance, letting her lead the way forward.
Such a “yearning, deep as the sea,” and then “old affairs, distant as the sky.” A desolate sorrow welled up in Yi Shuhan's heart. She was only nineteen, yet she felt as if she had already lived lifetime after lifetime. She had always been a loner, playing by herself and never falling for anyone, so why did she have this feeling of having lost her one true love?
She couldn't figure it out. Perhaps the answers lay in the dream she had been having repeatedly since she was a child. Never before had Yi Shuhan wished so desperately to fall into a deep sleep and return to that dream that had haunted her for years. This was the first time she felt no aversion to the recurring dreamscape.
The Dragon Kingdom had only recently left its feudal society behind. Its people still believed in gods, myths, and legends. They still believed in reincarnation—that people had past lives and would be reborn after death.
Even Yi Shuhan, with her modern education and new ideas, couldn't help but connect these peculiar feelings and her dreams to a past life she wasn't even sure existed, all in an attempt to find answers.
The person who kept dying in her dreams... was that her lover from a past life, or the one before that, or even further back?
A sudden ache gripped her heart. If she and the person from her dreams truly had so many past lives, wasn't their fate far too tragic?
She then remembered the general with the blurry face from the dreams she'd had as she grew up. How many times had she frantically tried to stop his assassination in her dreams, to prevent him from descending that city tower, but it was always in vain.
Weren't dreams supposed to be under the dreamer's control? Why couldn't she change the ending, no matter how much her heart broke?
Now, she was more convinced than ever that those were her memories, that it was a world she had once lived in!
If they had four past lives together, and she kept dreaming of them in this world, did that mean she would be able to meet her true love in this life?
She never wanted to experience that kind of heart-wrenching despair ever again!
Just as Yi Shuhan was lost in her own world, unable to extricate herself, her foot suddenly caught on a threshold. She lost her footing and stumbled forward.
The person beside her immediately noticed her stumble. With a swift motion, she reached out and pulled Yi Shuhan back from her fall.
It wasn't until she was leaning safely in Chi Junluo's embrace that Yi Shuhan realized she hadn't been paying attention and had nearly tripped. The delayed shock hit her a second later, almost taking her breath away.
"All grown up and still tripping over your own feet. What a little scatterbrain," Chi Junluo teased, gently patting the still-shaken heroine who was leaning against her.
Yi Shuhan's face flushed slightly, annoyed at her own foolishness.
She quickly stepped out of Chi Junluo's arms and straightened up. As she fully came to her senses, she realized Chi Junluo had led her to the side entrance of Wanxing Restaurant.
The man guarding the door kept his head down, reading a newspaper, pretending not to see the two of them fussing at the entrance.
Yi Shuhan was dumbfounded. Had Senior Chi just brought her to the Secret Party's main hideout?
This was the very Wanxing Restaurant where she had lost the trail multiple times.
Chi Junluo took the dazed "little cutie" by the hand and led her straight inside. Yi Shuhan watched as they went through the side door, crossed a courtyard, entered the restaurant proper, and made two turns. At what looked like a dead end, Chi Junluo fiddled with the wall for a few moments. The wall slowly swung open. After pulling Yi Shuhan inside, Chi Junluo quickly closed the wall behind them, revealing a staircase that extended upward.
Yi Shuhan quickly snapped out of her daze. Her eyes shone with excitement as her imagination started to run wild.
After climbing five flights of stairs, Chi Junluo led Yi Shuhan to an exit. She activated a mechanism on the wall, and a small door slid open without a sound.
The two emerged from the passage. Chi Junluo sealed the wall behind them and led her curious companion toward the secret base.
Along the way, they encountered the same attendant from before. Dressed in a Western-style uniform, he bowed politely and then led them forward. After escorting them to Hou Wanxing's "home," the attendant closed the door and hung a sign on it that read, "Mr. Hou is not home. Please contact the restaurant manager."
This was Yi Shuhan's first time at the base, and hardly any of the Secret Party members had seen her before. They all cast curious glances at the apparent newcomer.
Yi Shuhan felt a little nervous. She subconsciously tugged on the corner of Chi Junluo's sleeve, as if seeking a sense of security.
Seeing that Chi Junluo was the one who had brought in the new person, the members of the Secret Party relaxed and didn't ask any questions.
Chi Junluo was the chief of the Huaping City Secret Party's military section. She had her own small office.
Leading the heroine into her office, Chi Junluo closed the door, walked behind her desk, and began preparing the party admission materials.
Yi Shuhan surveyed the modest space, her eyes filled with admiration. Small as a sparrow, but with all its organs intact—the little office had everything it needed.
Chi Junluo gestured for Yi Shuhan to come over and directed her to fill out some forms.
After filling out five consecutive forms, Yi Shuhan shook out her hand. She felt as if she had revealed her entire life story, right down to the names of her younger siblings.
After the forms were complete, Chi Junluo affixed her personal seal and the seal of the military section. She then placed the forms in a file folder, went outside, and handed them to a member of the information section to finish processing the file.
Then, Chi Junluo pulled a new model handgun from a drawer, took out some bullets, loaded the magazine, and solemnly handed the weapon to Yi Shuhan.
Although Yi Shuhan had seen her father handle firearms before, she had never touched one or examined one so closely. With some excitement, she carefully accepted the dark metal weapon. It felt surprisingly heavy in her hand.
Seeing Yi Shuhan turn the muzzle around to inspect it, Chi Junluo quickly intervened. "This is a real weapon. Don't point the barrel at your head. If your hand slips, you'll be meeting your maker." Chi Junluo briefly showed Yi Shuhan the proper way to hold the gun but was still unsatisfied. She decided she would spend the next few days teaching the heroine about various weapons and basic self-defense skills.
Before they left, Chi Junluo briefly introduced Yi Shuhan to the various sections within the base and some of the members who were present.
Sure enough, Yi Shuhan spotted some familiar faces from school among the members. Her only regret was not joining sooner!
Hmph!
After being busy for quite some time, it wasn't until they had left the base that Chi Junluo remembered neither of them had eaten lunch. She led Yi Shuhan back through the passage to the third floor, where she had a small private room. Once they were seated, Chi Junluo called a waiter over to order. This was likely the first proper meal she'd had in several worlds. Chi Junluo ordered two of her favorite dishes, then asked Yi Shuhan for her order.
Yi Shuhan named her favorite dishes, and the waiter left to place the order.
Yi Shuhan secretly took note of the dishes Chi Junluo liked.
"..." Yi Shuhan looked at the beautiful girl before her, looking conflicted and hesitating to speak.
The observant Chi Junluo noticed Yi Shuhan's hesitant expression and gave her an encouraging look.
Yi Shuhan finally managed to ask, "Ahem... Senior. How should I address you from now on? Should I use your codename? Or...?"
Chi Junluo touched her forehead, thinking the heroine was truly adorable.
"Call me North Goose during missions, at the base, or in special training sessions. Otherwise, you can just call me whatever you're comfortable with."
Yi Shuhan considered this for a moment, then looked at Chi Junluo with sparkling eyes and called out sweetly, "Ah Yan~"
Chi Junluo: ??
Holy shit! The heroine in this world is illegally cute! What do I do?! Seeking advice online, it's urgent!
Before long, the waiter returned with their food. Chi Junluo ordered two glasses of fruit juice as well. They were both girls, so drinking alcohol seemed a bit too wild, especially since she had to teach the heroine a few things later.
Perhaps it was the brain-burning work of learning the secret code, combined with being busy with the paperwork, but by the time they finally sat down to eat, Yi Shuhan was famished.
Soon, the dishes on the table were mostly polished off. Yi Shuhan leaned back in her chair contentedly, feeling as if she were living in a dream. She had visited the Secret Party's base, become a member, and even received her own handgun. It was just too cool!
Once she was sure Yi Shuhan had eaten her fill, Chi Junluo tapped the table to draw her attention back.
"Since you are now a member of the Secret Party, and you're under me as part of the military section, it's my responsibility to teach you personally. From today on, I'll be in charge of your special training. Now, let's go. I'm taking you to the shooting range."
This day was destined to be one of the most important in Yi Shuhan's life. It was the most significant turning point in her journey.
Chi Junluo led the brimming-with-excitement Yi Shuhan out of the restaurant. Spotting a newsboy, they each bought a paper before continuing toward the shooting range.
The walk from Wanxing Restaurant to the shooting range took about an hour and a half.
After a winding journey, they finally arrived at a large, somewhat secluded mansion. Yi Shuhan was already starting to pant. It wasn't that her stamina was so poor she'd get tired from a simple walk; it was that Chi Junluo walked so fast that Yi Shuhan could barely keep up.
Looking at the breathless heroine, Chi Junluo's expression was one of disapproval. "You really lack exercise. We'll have to add physical training to your schedule."
Yi Shuhan opened her mouth to protest but felt she had no way to defend herself.
There was a doorbell at the gate. Chi Junluo pressed it in a rhythmic pattern, and the door clicked open.
She led the heroine—who, despite her fatigue, was still looking around curiously—inside. The door clicked shut and locked behind them.
Just inside the gate was a large grove of trees. The bark on some of them was scarred and split, as if they had been used for some kind of practice. After walking for a few more minutes, they arrived at the fabled shooting range.
The crack of gunshots echoed from the range intermittently, and Yi Shuhan's excitement surged again. She was about to use a real handgun!
Chi Junluo led her to a more secluded spot, a bit farther from the members who were practicing their shooting, to minimize distractions for a beginner.
She had Yi Shuhan take out her handgun, and then the lesson began!
Comments
Post a Comment