Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 4: Journey to the End of the World (4)

Dragon Raja 4

Chu Zihang sat quietly in the confinement room, his hands cuffed to the table, waiting for the interrogator to arrive.

Reginleif had not made things difficult for him. When he opened the bedroom door, the corridor outside was silent, with not a single shadow in sight. No trace was left behind. But when he took the VIP elevator down to the deck level, the ship’s security guards, fierce and menacing, blocked the elevator door and, without a word, handcuffed Chu Zihang and locked him in the confinement room. It was not hard to understand their actions; after all, Reginleif was the one paying their salaries. To please their boss, they had to be even tougher than their boss.

The security guards accused Chu Zihang of illegal entry and theft and threatened to hand him over to Captain Sasha Rybalko for interrogation. The captain’s bad temper was well known among the passengers.

Soon, urgent footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, followed by a loud clang of the iron door. A vivid red burst into Chu Zihang’s view—it was Santa Claus with a white beard.

Santa Claus plopped down in front of Chu Zihang, removed his hat and beard, and threw them on the table, staring coldly at Chu Zihang. He was a middle-aged man with a beard, deep brown hair, light brown eyes, a gaunt face, and pronounced features. By some standards, he might be considered a handsome man with a rugged look, but his gaze was fierce enough to seem as if he wanted to devour Chu Zihang alive. Chu Zihang silently met his gaze, and the intensity of their stare seemed to spark lightning.

“Although we’re friends, you’ve gone too far, so don’t blame me for making things difficult for you!” Sasha broke the silence. “The top-level cabin is off-limits to ordinary passengers; it’s on the same level as the nuclear power room, as was clearly stated when you boarded! Anyone daring to enter the nuclear power room will certainly be punished.”

They actually knew each other but had barely exchanged a few words because they almost always met on the deck watching the whales.

The Arctic Ocean is home to numerous whale pods, and it’s common to see schools of white whales, gray whales, or narwhals swimming alongside large ships. The sight is spectacular. Whale watching is a classic polar expedition activity, and every time the ship sets out, the navigator highly recommends it to passengers. However, whale watching is strenuous, requiring endurance of the cold and solitude, and whales are not as warm and inviting as the delicate white Russian waitresses in the bar. Whale watching on the deck has become increasingly rare, leaving only Sasha and Chu Zihang. They had never spoken, only nodding to each other when they passed by. On a snowy night, as a whale following the YAMAL ship sang its ethereal whale song, Sasha suddenly felt a sense of kinship and decided it was time to break the ice. Sasha approached Chu Zihang and offered him a cigarette. Chu Zihang took it and lit it with a flick.

“Whales are the birds that fly in the sea. Such huge birds are still very insignificant compared to this world,” Sasha exhaled a puff of smoke.

“And what are we? Gods? We’re on a steel ship, floating above the clouds,” Chu Zihang replied.

Friendship between men is subtle. After these cryptic words, they considered themselves friends, and Sasha even invited Chu Zihang to his office for a drink.

“Don’t think that just because you’re a paying passenger I can’t do anything about it! International maritime law grants me high authority. If I judge that someone might endanger the safety of the voyage, I have the right to detain them. If they resist, I can even execute them on the spot!” Sasha slammed the table. “Of course, I can also pardon you from the punishment, provided you tell me who you really are, what your purpose on board is, and what you said to our VIP.”

Chu Zihang looked at him calmly. “Major Alexander Rybalko, can we take off the masks and speak openly?”

Sasha’s expression changed dramatically. He instinctively pulled his hand into his sleeve, attempting to grab the hidden dagger he used to carry when he was still a major. He had always kept a dagger in his sleeve to guard against enemies worldwide. But as he reached in, he realized he had long since removed his military uniform and was now just a Santa Claus entertaining children.

“Your real name is Alexander Rybalko, formerly served in the Russian Federal Security Bureau’s Alpha Special Forces. On the surface, you are an employee of the cruise ship, but secretly you report to the Russian Federal Security Bureau. You don’t actually know how to operate a ship; you’re a combatant. Some of the crew follow your orders, and if the ship’s owner does anything unusual, you can retake control at any time.” Chu Zihang said.

Sasha instinctively pushed back from the table, his muscles tensing as he maintained a safe distance between himself and Chu Zihang.

“Your target is the ship’s owner in the top-level cabin, just like mine. You haven’t seen her either and don’t have the authority to enter the top-level cabin,” Chu Zihang continued.

“You want me to break into the top-level cabin, so you had the security team detain me to extract information about that woman from me.”

He then looked down at Sasha’s boot. “I also know that every time you come up on deck to watch whales, you always hide a military knife in your boot, so your right foot is always a bit stiff when you walk. Do you have it with you tonight?”

Sasha, stunned, remained silent for a moment before propping his feet on the table, pulling out the military knife from his boot, and tossing it, along with its sheath, in front of Chu Zihang.

The Russian-made Cyborg tactical knife, with its sharp curved blade and pointed sword shape, could pierce through a crocodile’s tough skin in the hands of a trained individual.

“Looks like your intelligence network is much better than ours… Have you even found out my mother’s name?” Sasha said helplessly.

“Alyona Razomovskaya. My Russian isn’t great, so I’m not sure if the spelling is correct,” Chu Zihang glanced at his handcuffs. “Can you please unlock my hands now?”

Sasha thought for a moment before throwing the key from his pocket onto the table with irritation. Chu Zihang could certainly use his mouth to retrieve the key and unlock himself, but with a slight effort, the chain of the handcuffs broke apart. Sasha looked in surprise at the broken cuffs, realizing they had been melted through; the heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant steel was as fragile as tin in Chu Zihang’s hands.

“How did you do that? Is this magic?” Sasha stared blankly.

“Not quite. It’s a technique similar to lighting your cigarette,” Chu Zihang said. “Captain, before I start my story, please have your subordinates bring me a glass of hot red wine.”

While drinking, Chu Zihang began to recount his experience of entering the top-level cabin but did not mention Herzog, the sensitive subject.

Sasha listened intently and asked about small details. He seemed genuinely surprised to learn that the ship’s owner was a beautiful young girl in her twenties.

“Have you really never been to the top-level cabin in your ten years as captain? Not even once?” Chu Zihang asked.

“They boarded on a stormy night to cover their tracks. I have no authority to inspect their cargo or know how many people are on board. If there are social classes on this ship, then the top-level person is the king, and their subordinates are knights, while my crew and I are merely serfs. I’m just a serf leader,” Sasha shrugged. “I’m tired of this life; I wouldn’t be able to continue even if you offered me more money!”

“They boarded on a stormy night to cover their tracks. I have no authority to inspect their cargo or know how many people are on board. If there were social classes on this ship, then the person at the top level would be the king, their subordinates would be knights, and my crew would be serfs. I’m just a serf leader,” Sasha shrugged. “I’m tired of this life; I wouldn’t be able to continue even if you offered me more money!”

“What orders did you receive from the Federation’s Security Bureau? Was it just to monitor them, or to investigate their ultimate destination?” Chu Zihang asked.

“If you want me to say more, you’d better say more yourself.” Sasha hesitated for a moment, his eyes becoming shrewd, “Let’s all speak without masks.”

Both the inner and outer spies nodded, exchanging the intelligence they had each gathered. It seemed that their superiors had given them very limited information, and their understanding of the far north was confined to Wikipedia entries. In summary, they were a group of charlatans looking for unknown lands in the Arctic Circle. They once thrived thanks to the favor of a certain leader, but times have changed. Now, they have returned, rich and determined.

“I don’t know anything about ancient civilizations, but if my superiors want me to keep an eye on that lady, I have to comply. I’ve been on this ship for ten years! I’m the second captain; the first one died of a heart attack! If the Saint Lady can’t find that damned Hyperborea, am I supposed to serve the old lady for the rest of my life?”

“Now you’re serving a young girl,” Chu Zihang corrected.

“That’s even worse! That way, she can wear me out, rather than me wearing her out!”

“Lost ancient civilizations and unknown continents sound like fairy tales. There isn’t even a small island in the Arctic Ocean. The Lomonosov Ridge beneath our feet is the highest submarine mountain range in the Arctic Ocean, but its highest point is still 200 meters below sea level. This means that even a volcanic island is impossible to appear here. Russia has launched several spy satellites to monitor the Arctic Ocean; everything is clear from space. Yet, your superiors believe Hyperborea might really exist and have spent thirteen years investigating it with an Arctic-class icebreaker.” Chu Zihang said.

“So the higher-ups must know some other things, but they’re unwilling to tell me,” Sasha paused, “By the way, who do you work for? Do we have conflicts?”

“We have no ties to any national interests,” Chu Zihang said, “I’m curious why you’re willing to share intelligence with me; it’s quite risky.”

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