Myra tilted her head slightly, her brows knitting together as a faint spark of recognition surfaced.

“Fang Fang Pet Store…” she murmured, rolling the name on her tongue. “That does sound familiar. I might have seen it in some promotional reel or merchant bulletin.”

The thought lingered for half a second before she brushed it aside, business overtaking curiosity. She turned back to Jiang Fei, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

“Huaxi City isn’t far from here,” she said. “I’ll go take a look myself. You should rest for now. I’ll also contact your grandfather and inform him of your condition. As of now, he doesn’t even know you’re awake. Once he is informed, he will probably send his men and tell you what to do.”

And then she started leaving.

“Wait.”

Her steps stopped with his shout.

Myra turned, surprise flickering across her sharp features. “Hmm?”

Jiang Fei straightened, the blanket sliding off his shoulders as he swung his legs down from the bed. His movements were slow but deliberate, as if every muscle was being brought back under his command.

“Don’t tell him,” he said. “Don’t tell my grandpa…”

Myra raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want him to know you’re out of the coma?”

“Not yet,” Jiang Fei replied. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “And also, I’m coming with you.”

“You?” Myra’s surprise sharpened into disbelief. “In your condition?”

Jiang Fei nodded, his expression firm. “I want to see how he’s been living.”

Myra crossed her arms, studying him. “I’m not going there to kill him right now,” she said flatly. “And if you come along with that kind of rage boiling inside you, you’ll make a mess before we even figure out what’s going on.”

Jiang Fei shook his head slowly. “I won’t do anything.”

His gaze drifted toward the window, unfocused, distant. “I know someone is protecting him. Someone strong. Strong enough to command an Overlord-tier monster. I want to know who that person is… and why she was protecting someone like Lin Fang.”

His jaw tightened.

“And I want to know,” he continued quietly, “whether my Yan’er has anything to do with it.”

His hands clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening, but he said nothing more.

Myra watched him in silence for a long moment. Finally, a faint, dangerous smile curved her lips.

“Fine,” she said with a clear frown on her face. “But remember this. You’re an observer, not a participant. If you lose control, forget about cleaning up after your mess, I will not hesitate to send you back into a coma.”

Jiang Fei nodded once. “That’s acceptable.”

*

Two days later, at Huaxi International Airport, Announcements echoed through the terminals, rolling suitcases rattled across polished floors, and crowds surged in slow, constant waves.

Near one of the departure gates, Lin Fang stood holding Li Liu tightly, her arms wrapped around his waist as if letting go would somehow change his decision.

“This was supposed to be our first Christmas as a couple,” Li Liu said softly, her voice muffled against his chest. “And you’re leaving just like this.”

Lin Fang rested his chin lightly on her hair, his fingers pressing gently into her back. “I know.”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes shimmering in worry. “If only I knew how to fight like you… or Yan Yan. Then I could’ve gone with you.”

Zhi Yan stood a short distance away, watching them with a complicated expression. Guilt tugged at her chest. In her mind, the reason was obvious. If she hadn’t mentioned Christmas to Lin Fang and reminded him that she and Li Liu celebrated together every Christmas, Lin Fang wouldn’t have been leaving Li Liu behind.

“I’m sorry,” Zhi Yan said quietly, stepping closer. “I didn’t think—”

Lin Fang shook his head before she could finish. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Even otherwise, I would still leave her, not letting danger come to Liu’er.”

But inside, his thoughts told a different story than the one either of them imagined.

This trip wasn’t about danger, or capability, or protecting anyone from distraction. It was about answers. About a sister who vanished. About truths that had been buried for too long. And until he knew what he was facing, he couldn’t bring Li Liu or Zhi Yan into that uncertainty. Moreover, he knew that he would not be as focused as he would be now, with Li Liu around.

Nebula stood silently nearby, her presence calm and unshakable, eyes scanning the crowd with habitual vigilance. She said nothing, but her loyalty was written plainly in the way she remained close to Lin Fang without question.

Li Liu finally loosened her grip, though her hands lingered on his sleeves. “You’ll come back soon, right?”

Lin Fang smiled, brushing a thumb gently across her cheek. “Of course, it’s just a week. We will be together for the New Year.”

Lin Fang hugged Li Liu one last time, lingering just a second longer than he should have, as if trying to imprint the warmth of the moment into memory. Zhi Yan stood nearby, arms crossed loosely, watching with a soft but complicated expression. When Lin Fang finally stepped back, he gave them both a small nod.

With a final wave, Lin Fang turned and followed her toward the boarding gate, leaving behind the familiar chaos of Huaxi City and stepping onto a path that felt increasingly heavy with unanswered questions.

The flight to West Coast City passed quietly. Lin Fang spent most of it staring out the window, watching clouds slide past like drifting continents, while Nebula sat upright beside him, still as a statue. Anyone who glanced their way would instinctively assume she was a professional bodyguard, the kind hired by wealthy elites who could afford both danger and protection.

When the plane touched down, the salt-scented air of the western coast greeted them. They had barely exited the terminal when a man stepped forward, waving with a polite but practiced smile.

“Mr. Lin Fang?” he asked. “I’m Ethan Lau.”

He looked to be in his early thirties, neatly dressed, sharp-eyed. The moment his gaze shifted to Nebula, however, his expression froze for half a heartbeat. His eyes widened ever so slightly before snapping back into professionalism.

Nebula stood tall, towering over most of the crowd at seven and a half feet, her broad shoulders filling out the tailored guard suit she wore. Her skin tone, her sharp features, and her sheer physical presence made her look foreign, almost otherworldly, as if she belonged to Zuania or the colder reaches of Siberia.

Ethan swallowed, heat rushing to his face before he forcibly steadied himself. Focus, he reminded himself.

He extended a hand toward Lin Fang. “Vice President Feng asked me to personally escort you.”

Lin Fang shook his hand, then glanced past him toward the parking area. When he spotted the sleek black limousine waiting at the curb, his eyebrows rose.

“A limo?” he asked, half amused. “Don’t you think this is a bit excessive? We’re just going to the port.”

Ethan chuckled, opening the rear door with a smooth motion. “Vice President Feng’s orders. I don’t get paid to argue with them.”

Lin Fang exchanged a brief look with Nebula before stepping inside. The interior was spacious, quiet, and absurdly comfortable. Nebula followed, though she had to angle herself awkwardly just to fit. She sat stiffly, knees drawn in, clearly uncomfortable, but she endured it without complaint.

The drive took about thirty minutes. Outside the tinted windows, the city gradually gave way to docks, cranes, and the endless stretch of the ocean. When the limo finally slowed to a stop, Lin Fang leaned forward slightly, peering out.

What he saw made him freeze.

Docked at the port was a colossal cruise ship, its white-and-silver hull gleaming under the coastal sun. The name Everton was emblazoned along its side in elegant lettering.

Lin Fang stared. “We’re… traveling on that?”

Ethan smiled as if he’d been waiting for that reaction. “Yes, sir.”

Lin Fang let out a slow breath. “That thing isn’t just expensive. It’s legendary.”

The Everton wasn’t merely a luxury cruise ship.

It was a floating fortress. Known as a playground for the ultra-wealthy, it was infamous for hosting the children of multimillionaires and billionaires alike. But beneath the polished decks and extravagant interiors lay layers of reinforced magical technology.

The ship could submerge underwater, rendering conventional naval attacks useless. It was armed with energy cannons, experimental missile systems, and advanced defensive arrays.

A normal three-day tour aboard the Everton costs more than a million credits. That was just the base package. Once food, events, private lounges, and the infamous year-end parties were added, the price climbed into territory Lin Fang had once only seen mentioned in flashy ads and envious comment sections online.

He stood at the foot of the boarding ramp for a moment longer than necessary, hands tucked into his coat pockets, eyes roaming over the ship’s towering decks and curved glass balconies.

“So it’s really rented out?” he asked quietly.

Ethan, walking a step ahead, nodded without turning back. “The entire ship. Nine days. From now until the new year.”

Lin Fang let out a low whistle. “That’s… excessive.”

Ethan smiled faintly. “Vice President Feng prefers certainty.”

They stepped onto the deck, and Lin Fang glanced sideways. “You said we’ll still be on the ship even inside the rift?”

“Yes,” Ethan replied. “The destination world is classified as a Water World. Vast oceans, scattered island chains, unstable tides. The Everton will act as the main base of operations.”

“A floating headquarters,” Lin Fang murmured.

He had done his homework. The rift was labeled Grade-1, dangerous enough that only A-rank hunters were considered safe. Beyond that, information was scarce. Too scarce. Articles stopped short. Reports were vague. It felt less like ignorance and more like deliberate silence.

Someone doesn’t want the public to know too much, he thought.

The moment they entered the first-floor lobby, however, those thoughts scattered.

The space was vast and elegant, marble floors reflecting soft golden light, a ceiling that rose several stories high. The receptionist straightened instantly when she saw Lin Fang, her professional smile slipping for half a second as her gaze drifted to Nebula. Like everyone else, she quickly reassessed the towering woman beside him and silently decided not to ask questions.

Lin Fang barely noticed.

His attention locked onto a figure near the lounge couches.

She was already standing.

Tall, around five-seven, with wavy shoulder-length hair streaked pink and blue, she clutched her phone so tightly her knuckles were white. A black lip ring caught the light when her lips parted. The eagle tattoo along her neck flexed as she swallowed.

Her eyes met his.

They shimmered.

“Fang-di…”

The word came out soft, trembling, as if she was afraid saying it louder might shatter something fragile between them.

Lin Fang’s chest tightened.

“Jie Jie,” he replied, the familiar title slipping out before he could stop it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep