What the hell? Where did everyone go? The room was stripped bare, and the most confusing part was that all their luggage was gone too. Xiao Hei had even packed up the bedding, the toothbrushes, the damp towels, and the slippers from the floor.
It looked like everyone had taken off, leaving only Jing Shu behind in the empty suite.
She checked her watch, the ticking sound loud in the silence. There were still two hours before the agreed action time. If the plan had changed, why hadn't anyone sent her a message? And if it hadn't, shouldn't they still be asleep in their beds? Why would they pack up everything and disappear without a word? Even her own luggage was still sitting there, untouched.
Xiao Dou was still curled up in her makeshift nest, resting contentedly as if nothing had happened at all.
Jing Shu quickly sent a message to Tank, her fingers flying over the screen. It took quite a while before he finally replied.
"Sorry, totally forgot about you. The plan has changed. Hurry to Cargo Ship No. 24."
Jing Shu blinked at the screen. Was this because of her new ability? Had the evolution of her power made her presence so faint that even her own allies subconsciously ignored her?
If enemies ignored her, that's fine; but if her own team did, that's a real problem for her survival.
Thankfully, Xiao Dou was still as affectionate as ever. The moment she saw Jing Shu return, the hen rushed over, cooing and rubbing her head against Jing Shu's leg for praise and cuddles. Jing Shu handed her luggage to the hen to carry, slung on her own bag, and left the cruise ship as fast as she could.
The process went surprisingly smoothly. Jing Shu took a small yacht alone to Cargo Ship No. 24, the engine humming as she cut through the dark water. When one of the crew members on the freighter spotted her, he flinched in shock. But then, for some strange reason, he just helped her climb aboard without questioning anything. He even let this unfamiliar Asian woman step right onto the massive freighter as if she belonged there.
"Hey, Sanji, what are you doing? Go toss those dead slaves into the sea!"
"Oh God, I think I just pulled someone up... but maybe I didn't? Damn, what did I just do? I can't even remember!"
"Sanji, are you dreaming or something? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Chief, I think I have a fever. I must have been dreaming. There's no way I actually pulled anyone up. Yeah, it had to be a dream."
The cargo ship was enormous, a floating fortress mainly used to transport slaves owned by rich bigshots. Jing Shu, carrying her oversized luggage, released a swarm of bees to scout ahead through their shared vision and started searching for Tank's group.
For the first time, she really felt how lucky she was to have been born in China. At least there was no racial discrimination there. She had heard plenty about it in America; white people got green lights everywhere, while Black people were treated like they were nothing.
As she walked through the lower area where the slaves were kept, she saw rows upon rows of Black men, women, and children locked up separately. Some huddled in rusted iron cages, shivering from the damp air. Others stared blankly into space, their eyes empty and lifeless.
White crew members holding leather whips and batons barked orders, beating anyone who didn't move fast enough. The ship was filled with a constant, low noise, packed with slaves across three different decks. Some didn't even have cages to sleep in; they just lay on the cold metal floor, praying it wouldn't rain or that they wouldn't catch a cold. If they did, they would either be thrown into the ocean or chopped up and fed to the poultry.
Jing Shu couldn't help thinking how much food these slaves must consume to stay alive. Wouldn't it be easier to free them? But according to Yang Yang's intel, there were two reasons why that would never happen. First, the nobles in the Slave Kingdom relied on this system. Without slaves, what would a king rule over? And second, these slaves were basically like domesticated dogs, living off whatever leftovers the nobles didn't eat. There was always enough waste and cheap feed to keep them barely alive.
"Move," Jing Shu said as she pushed past a crew member who was busy whipping one of the slaves. Carrying her huge bag with Xiao Dou in tow, she made her way down the narrow, stinking aisle.
The man froze for a moment, then blinked, seemingly confused. He resumed his beating as if nothing had happened.
Jing Shu felt like a ghost wandering through the world—unseen, unheard, and utterly alone.
A flicker of fear crept into her heart. Her new ability, the Phantom Bypass, was incredible, but it also terrified her. It felt like the Cube Space was slowly stripping her away from the real world. Presence mattered, especially around the people she cared about. If even her family forgot she existed, what would be the point of living?
Still, maybe it wasn't absolute. Xiao Dou hadn't ignored her, after all. Maybe anyone who had drunk from the Spirit Spring was immune to the effect? She would have to test that later.
For now, one thing was clear: this new ability was a double-edged sword. It was powerful, sure, but it came with real risks to her identity. She would have to figure out how to use it wisely.
Eventually, she found Tank and the others. They were gathered in the ship's control room, a map spread open on the table while the captain discussed something with them.
The tension in her chest finally eased. So the captain was one of theirs? That made tonight's operation a whole lot easier. Otherwise, with all the private armories people like Peggy had, one stray missile could wipe them out in seconds.
If anyone tried to target her, she would definitely send a missile right back.
It wasn't until Xiao Dou let out a few impatient "Cluck cluck cluck!" sounds that the others noticed her. The captain looked confused, while Tank pointed at her.
"Uh, Zhang, she is part of our team too. She is—"
He paused, frowning as he tried to remember her name.
"—our support and muscle."
Turning back to Jing Shu, he added, "This is Brother Fa, the liaison Old Goat assigned us. He has been disguised as the previous captain for more than ten days."
Brother Fa had disguised himself as a typical American man with a full, bushy beard, and he pulled it off perfectly. Jing Shu had almost thought he was an actual foreigner when she first saw him.
Brother Fa frowned and asked, "I sent people to bring everyone aboard. How did you get here?"
"Me? I walked."
"No one stopped you?"
"Nope."
"So the crew here really didn't care, huh?"
Brother Fa stared for a moment, then sighed. "Since you're with Old Goat's team, I won't ask more. Let's move to the plan."
The room went silent. Everyone held their breath as he began.
"This operation involves Cargo Ships No. 1 to No. 44. The first twenty-three are carrying supplies—grain, rice, flour, oil—all essentials. The ships after No. 24 are transporting slaves, fuel, and other goods. Old Goat's team will reroute Ships 1 through 23 from Colusa to take the Williams route to the Grand Canal, then back to China.
We, on the other hand, are in charge of Ship No. 24 and everything behind it, including goods, black-market forces, and the bigshots in the city. In terms of danger, Old Goat's side has it worse. Only Ship No. 1 has our people. The other twenty-two are full of theirs. Old Goat's group won't be safe until they reach Williams, where they will get support."