What the hell? Where did everyone go? The key point was that all their luggage was gone. Xiao Hei had even packed up the bedding, toothbrushes, towels, and slippers from the room.
It looked like everyone had taken off, leaving only Jing Shu behind.
She checked her watch. There were still two hours before the agreed action time. If the plan had changed, why didn't anyone message her? And if it hadn't, shouldn't they still be asleep? Why would they pack up everything and disappear without a word? Even her luggage was still here.
Xiao Dou was still curled up in her nest, resting contentedly like nothing had happened.
Jing Shu quickly sent a message to Tank. It took quite a while before he finally replied:
"Sorry, totally forgot about you. The plan's changed. Hurry to Cargo Ship No. 24."
Jing Shu blinked. Was this because of her new ability? Had it made her presence so faint that even her allies subconsciously ignored her?
If enemies ignored her, fine—but if her own team did, that was a real problem.
Thankfully, Xiao Dou was still affectionate as ever. The moment she saw Jing Shu return, she rushed over, cooing and rubbing her leg for praise and cuddles. Jing Shu handed her luggage to the hen, slung on her own bag, and left the cruise ship as fast as she could.
The process went surprisingly smoothly. Jing Shu took a yacht alone to Cargo Ship No. 24. When one of the crew 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 nothing was out of place.
"Hey, Sanji, what're 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've got a fever. I must've been dreaming. There's no way I actually pulled anyone up. Yeah, it had to be a dream."
The cargo ship was enormous, 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'd 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 area where the slaves were kept, she saw rows upon rows of Black men, women, and children locked up separately. Some huddled in cages, shivering. Others stared blankly into space, eyes empty and lifeless.
White crew members holding whips and batons barked orders, beating anyone who didn't move fast enough. The ship was filled with noise, packed with slaves across three 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'd either be thrown into the ocean or chopped up and fed to poultry.
Jing Shu couldn't help thinking how much food these slaves must consume. 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 feed to keep them barely alive.
"Move," Jing Shu said as she pushed past a crew member whipping one of the slaves. Carrying her huge bag and Xiao Dou in tow, she made her way down the narrow aisle.
The man froze for a moment, then blinked, seemingly confused, before resuming his beating as if nothing had happened.
Jing Shu felt like a ghost wandering through the world—unseen, unheard, 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'd drunk from the Spirit Spring was immune? She'd 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. She'd 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'd 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's part of our team too. She's—"
He paused, frowning as he tried to remember, then said, "—our support and muscle." Turning back to Jing Shu, he added, "This is Brother Fa, the liaison Old Goat assigned us. He's been disguised as the previous captain for more than ten days."
Brother Fa had disguised himself as a typical American man with a full 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'd 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'll get support."