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墨書 Inktalez
Yuki Chiba woke up in the intensive care unit. Her injuries were not as severe as they appeared, but the significant blood loss and her own unconsciousness made the situation seem dire.
After Chen Rui had bandaged and stopped the bleeding, the medical staff aboard found little else they could do aside from disinfecting and stitching up two wounds.
When Yuki Chiba opened her eyes, the first person she saw was He Chengrong, sitting on a nearby stool with a smile on his face. She wanted to rub her eyes to see him clearly, but inadvertently tugged at the wound on her right arm, causing her to cry out in pain.
He Chengrong heard her and immediately rushed over, pressing down on Yuki Chiba's right hand. "Don't move it; it's just been bandaged. If you keep moving, it might leave a scar."
At that moment, Yuki Chiba recognized him. Although she had only seen him once on the staff list, she remembered him well. He was He Chengrong, the second-in-command of The Other Shore and a former senior officer in the Chinese Navy.
"I'm fine. If you have something to say, just say it," Yuki Chiba said slowly as she sat up and leaned against the pillow.
"You speak Chinese? What could I possibly have to say?" He Chengrong replied with an awkward smile. He was surprised at how easily she saw through his intentions and didn't realize how poor his acting skills truly were.
A faint voice came through the earpiece. "You don't need to beat around the bush. Your acting is really lacking. Since she wants to know, just get straight to the point, like I told you earlier."
The wall in front of the intensive care unit was actually a one-way mirror, allowing for observation of critically ill patients. At that moment, Chen Rui stood there watching Yuki Chiba's every move.
Yuki Chiba sighed lightly and smiled. "General, hasn't anyone told you that your acting is subpar?"
He Chengrong coughed twice and became serious. He took out a document from the bedside table and opened it, looking at Yuki Chiba as he asked, "Yuki Chiba, regarding the basic principles of the Third World, I want to ask why someone like you would come here. What is your purpose?"
"Do I really need to answer these questions?"
"You do!" He Chengrong stared at Yuki Chiba. "According to regulations, any trainees with unclear intentions will be repatriated. If you don't mind that, then you can choose not to answer."
Yuki Chiba lowered her head as if deep in thought.
"Alright. It might be hard for you to believe this, but my intention for coming here is quite similar to that of others' secondary intentions."
"Others' secondary intentions?" He Chengrong repeated her words and suddenly understood what she meant. Most of those who signed up for training were attracted by Dawn's recruitment efforts; thus joining Dawn Group was their primary intention.
But what about the secondary intention? It was essentially about giving those who were previously of no use to society a chance to become useful! In simpler terms, it was about helping them achieve self-improvement.
Yuki Chiba continued, "Someone must have told you that although I come from a distinguished background, I am really not interested in those matters and have no confidence in taking over the family business. Most of the time, I just daydream and write a bit when inspiration strikes to pass the time."
He Chengrong showed no outward reaction, but inside, he was deeply shaken by the girl’s words.
"Actually, I came here to find that kind of confidence because... my father's health is getting worse," Yuki Chiba's voice slowly changed, as if touching upon some painful memories.
"I..."
"You don’t need to explain anything. You’ve maintained this sitting posture because you’re wearing an air headset in your right ear, and with your short hair, you probably don’t want me to see it, so you’re sitting like this on purpose."
He Chengrong's chair faced the bedside table on the right side of the hospital bed rather than directly facing the bed itself. This meant that Yuki Chiba could not possibly see the right side of his body. However, he did not expect that this strange posture would be seen through by her.
"There's no need to be surprised. When visiting a patient, facing directly towards the bed is the most respectful posture. As a senior officer, you surely know this, so there must be something unusual about it. And now, the person standing behind that one-way mirror watching us must be the Captain."
This statement truly surprised He Chengrong. After all, the side of the one-way mirror they were on was disguised as a wall; it was nearly impossible to detect without touching or knocking on it. Yet this girl had seen right through it.
"Don't engage with her any longer; withdraw," Chen Rui said from behind the one-way mirror, observing Yuki Chiba's furrowed brow. Although Chen Rui knew Yuki Chiba couldn’t see him—she was looking at a wall—it still felt uncomfortable to be stared at like that.
He Chengrong paused for a moment after hearing the order, then looked at Yuki Chiba, stood up slowly, bowed slightly, and quickly exited the monitoring room.
Once outside, He Chengrong joined Chen Rui and followed him while asking, "So what now…"
"Start investigating whether her explanation is reasonable. If it’s not reasonable, we will repatriate her to the United States according to protocol," Chen Rui said as he adjusted his tightly fastened tie to relieve some pressure on his neck.
"Understood." He Chengrong nodded and turned back toward the central command room but was stopped by Chen Rui.
"Wait!"
He Chengrong turned back to look at Chen Rui and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Where is the person we were preparing to repatriate earlier?"
He Chengrong thought for a moment, recalling who he was speaking to, and smiled. "Are you Lin Mingjia? You're still at the Ground Base in Kiribati, but it seems you're about to be officially sent back home."
"Let's put that aside for now and investigate her as well."
He Chengrong asked with some excitement, "If her actions and intentions are in accordance with the regulations, can she be brought back to The Other Shore?"
Chen Rui remained silent and turned to continue walking toward the gangway.
"Is this... an implicit agreement?" He Chengrong smiled knowingly, adjusted his hat, and turned to head toward the Central Command Room, feeling invigorated. "Just as you said, you're becoming more and more like a person."
When Chen Rui reached the gangway, he was immediately taken aback by the crowd of reporters below. Upon seeing him, they became increasingly excited, eager to rush up the gangway for an interview.
It seemed the news had leaked.
Chen Rui forced a wry smile; the beach wasn't very far from here. Although it was only a matter of time before the news spread, he hadn't expected these reporters to get wind of it so quickly.
Calmly, Chen Rui descended the gangway, but as soon as he stepped onto solid ground, he was surrounded by countless reporters. Without any security personnel, he couldn't move forward even a step; even the way back to Aboard was blocked by reporters. He was truly cornered.
"Mr. Chen, did you deliberately make that gesture to attract our attention so that Yuki Chiba could quietly enter The Other Shore?"
"Mr. Chen, why did you choose The Other Shore's medical team instead of opting for a nearby local hospital?"
"Mr. Chen, are you doing this to protect the reputation of the entire Project Team?"
"Mr. Chen Rui, rumors say you and Yuki Chiba were close friends years ago. Are you really willing to sacrifice your friend's safety for the sake of reputation?"
"…"
Chen Rui raised both hands to signal for silence, took a deep breath, and addressed the crowd of reporters seriously. "The choice to return to The Other Shore is because its medical facilities are the best here and the transfer time is also the shortest. The time required to reach other local hospitals is roughly similar."
"Furthermore, I attracted your attention so that Yuki Chiba could reach The Other Shore more quickly. You should understand how dangerous it is for an injured person to be surrounded by a crowd! Will she be able to board The Other Shore in time? Is there enough fresh air where she is?"
"Ultimately, the incident involving Yuki Chiba was purely accidental and has nothing to do with the Project Team. We are not the guardians of the Trainees and cannot provide complete protection. For this, I extend my deepest apologies to Yuki Chiba; however, aside from medical assistance, we will not offer any further support."
"All of the above are my personal decisions and orders, unrelated to the Project Team."
With that, Chen Rui moved forward while many reporters were still processing his words. The reporters did not part for him, so he squeezed past them one by one.
"Mr. Chen Rui! How can you be sure that all your decisions are correct?"
Chen Rui paused and replied softly, "I cannot be certain that all my decisions are correct. But what I can assure you is that my decisions are undoubtedly closer to being absolutely right than what you call 'better methods.'"
Arrogant!
Almost all the reporters repeated this word in their minds, which is why they added another label to Chen Rui.
That evening and the following day, nearly all news reports focused on the events that occurred in Yakushima, primarily covering the moments when the Trainees disembarked, when Yuki Chiba was injured returning to the ship, and when Chen Rui was interviewed.
Moreover, almost ninety percent of the news portrayed Chen Rui as a villain, with some heated discussions even labeling him a dictator.
A small portion of people defended Chen Rui; after all, what he said was factual. He indeed had a better grasp of decision-making than anyone else, so his choices were certainly among the most correct for humanity.
"Is this really okay? You might lose your title as captain due to public opinion."
Chen Rui sighed and smiled wryly. "It doesn't matter; I never wanted to take on this role in the first place. Whether I keep it or not isn't up to me. Even if I stop being captain, what difference does it make?"
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