503: Chapter 496 On the Way 503: Chapter 496 On the Way On the deck of the Spirit Ship, people were packed tightly against each other, with at least a thousand crammed aboard.
On the side of Jinshan City, only Yan Song and his two subordinates guarded the deck.
Their spot was relatively spacious.
After all, the sight of them killing people like mowing grass had been witnessed by those from Liuyuan County just earlier.
With such a deterrent in place, ordinary people only wanted to keep as far away from them as possible—who would dare to get close!
Zhao Junyi, the Commander of Jinshan City, had already returned to the cabins inside.
What was the situation like inside the cabin?
Chen Hai and the others on the deck, although unsure, could still imagine it.
After all, just from the side of Liuyuan County alone, around two thousand people had already squeezed aboard.
The people of Jinshan City, like Zhao Junyi, should have exclusive cabins inside the ship.
After setting aside those private cabins, the actual space left for the people of Liuyuan County to rest was likely even less spacious than the deck.
On the deck, a thousand people were squeezed shoulder to shoulder.
Nearly two thousand people crammed into the cabins below might already be head-to-head, finding it challenging even to turn around.
Among the crowd, a pile of luggage was placed next to Chen Hai.
He appeared quite ordinary, nothing noteworthy.
As for Ye Qingqing, she leaned against a large luggage trunk, her head buried in her knees.
No longer young, she lacked the vigor of the youthful.
After being squeezed among the crowd for so long, she already felt somewhat weary.
With Chen Hai by her side, she had nothing to worry about and, with her eyes half-closed, had already begun to doze off.
As for the other people from Liuyuan County on the deck of the Spirit Ship…
Their destinies unknown, their paths uncertain, their faces showed despair, fear, hesitation, confusion…
These people, with varied expressions, reflected all aspects of life, seemingly encompassing everything within.
“Brother, what’s your surname?
You look somewhat unfamiliar; which district are you from?” asked a man in his thirties to the left of Chen Hai.
This fellow seemed to have a rather straightforward demeanor.
Before greeting Chen Hai, he had attempted to chat with several people nearby.
Unfortunately, no one else had the energy to engage with him.
“Surname Chen, I live over by the Eastern Pearl, how about you?” Chen Hai nodded, smiled, and replied.
“Your own place?
You seem pretty young.
Being able to afford a house in the Eastern Pearl is impressive!”
Happy at last to find someone willing to talk, the man grinned and added, “I’m Fang Jun, most people call me Junzi.”
“Originally from a town down there, I worked for ten years and finally saved up some money to make a down payment on a house in the county.”
“I was planning to marry my ex-girlfriend once I got the house.”
“Damn developers left me with an unfinished project, and because I had no house, my ex-girlfriend ended up marrying someone else, now they even have a kid old enough to help in the kitchen.”
“Five years of mortgage payments to the bank, and getting that house still seems like an eternity away.”
“Angry and frustrated, I just stopped paying, and the bank sued me, turning me into a deadbeat.”
“In debt up to my ears, no house, no money, no woman, I was ready to just give up on the second half of my life…”
At this point, the man named Fang Jun deliberately stopped, letting out a dry chuckle.
No wonder this guy was different from the others.
While everyone was filled with despair and confusion, he appeared full of spirit, as if even slightly excited.
“You don’t think that because the world has changed, everything is different now, and going to Jinshan City, your opportunity has come, do you?” Chen Hai said with a meaningful glance, laughing.
“Bro, the ancients always said, ‘Chaotic times breed heroes!'”
Feeling quite carefree, Fang Jun shook his head and continued, “Originally, my life was tough enough, I was just short of eating dirt directly.”
“Because I couldn’t pay off the mortgage, I patched up the east wall with the bricks from the west wall and racked up various online loans that were suffocating me.”
“But now, I don’t have to pay off any debts, and I feel a whole lot lighter.”
“Going to Jinshan City, I may be poor and have nothing, but at least I won’t have debt collectors calling me all day to repay my debts.”
“I have hands and feet, even if I can’t find work for the time being, I could beg and still be able to fend for myself.”
…
Fang Jun, the chap, whether because of his buoyant mood or just naturally loquacious,
launched into a monologue that went on and on for a good half hour.
It was only after his mouth had gone dry and his tongue parched that he finally stopped talking, opened his suitcase, pulled out a bottle of purified water, took a few gulps, and moistened his throat.
“Chen Hai, what time is it now?
How long has the Spirit Ship been sailing?”
Burying her head in her knees, Ye Qingqing, who had dozed off for a while, finally raised her head and woke up.
She looked around and asked Chen Hai.
“It’s just past eleven in the morning, the Spirit Ship has been sailing for less than an hour!” Chen Hai lifted his wrist, checked the time, and replied.
This world, it seemed, was like Blue Star, with a day and night cycle that was also twenty-four hours.
The time displayed on the watch may not be absolutely accurate, but it was roughly correct.
“Woken up?
Why not rest a bit more?”
With a tender look, Chen Hai gently stroked Ye Qingqing’s hair, which had already lightened quite a bit, and smiled as he spoke.
“Bro, you’ve got guts, going for an auntie like that,” Ye Qingqing hadn’t responded yet when Fang Jun, who had just finished his water, commented.
He gave Chen Hai a strange look and a thumbs-up.
Then, he went on, “In the past, snagging an auntie like that could save you decades of struggle.”
“But now, in this new world, we’re all poor and have nothing, starting from the same point, so what’s there to pretend…”
He had not finished speaking when Chen Hai shot him a glare, stern and fierce.
“Don’t force me to lose my temper, if you spout more nonsense, I’ll make sure you don’t reach Jinshan City.”
In his words, there seemed to be a deep chill, his gaze sharp as a knife, bearing down on Fang Jun.
If it had been any other jest, he might have laughed it off.
Joking about Ye Qingqing’s age?
No one, absolutely no one, was allowed to do that.
Clearly, Fang Jun’s comments had crossed a line for Chen Hai.
It was only because he considered Fang Jun hadn’t meant to cause harm that Chen Hai was holding back, merely warning rather than taking action.
Stared at by that icy, bone-chilling glare, Fang Jun felt a wave of inexplicable panic and shivered involuntarily.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn’t speak and simply hung his head in silence.
The Spirit Ship continued on its course, soaring through the sky, though its flight speed was anything but fast.
Chen Hai estimated that the Spirit Ship’s speed was probably just over a hundred kilometers per hour.
No wonder Zhang Yushan, in a hurry to get back to the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, chose not to take the Spirit Ship, but to fly there on his sword.
Of course, although the Spirit Ship was sluggish, its comfort level should still be acceptable.
Chen Hai and the others, sitting on the deck, didn’t feel the chill wind against their faces.
It seemed that in addition to stability, the layers of light rippling around the hull not only defended against fierce birds in the sky but also blocked all the air resistance from outside.
Time passed quietly, moment by moment.
Just after six in the evening, around dusk, a huge city finally came into view for everyone.