Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 13: Sleepwalking in Dreamland

1636: A Close Encounter

No matter how smart you are, how meticulous your planning, or how strongly you believe you're defending your home and doing what's right, in the face of bullets, you're nothing.

Xie Feng drifted up and down in the water, coughing and sputtering, even blacking out for a moment. Just when she thought this was the end, she managed to fight her way to a scaffold outside the warehouse.

The dark storm had begun again.

Every ounce of strength seemed to drain from her, as if it had been swept away with the filthy yellow water, along with her tears. She finally climbed high enough to get above the waterline, but the sea breeze and cold rain hit her at once, making her shiver violently, her teeth chattering as if they might fall out.

'What time is it now? Qiu Chantian must be back by now, right?'

They had the yacht. Escaping the flooded harbor would've been far easier for them than it was for her.

The moment the security officer circled to the rear of the yacht, Xie Feng squeezed through the railing, clinging to the engine as she slipped quietly into the dirty water.

She had been naive, thinking she could hide beneath the boat, grab hold of something, and hitch a ride out with them without being seen—just like a small fish clinging to a bigger one on TV.

The second she hit the water, though, she knew it was impossible.

To avoid detection, Xie Feng forced herself to keep her eyes open in the murky, debris-filled water and swam deeper. Not far from the warehouse, she spotted some metal racks on the ground and used them as cover. Only after reaching the shelter of the racks did she dare to surface and catch her breath.

At that moment, Qiu Chantian was losing his temper on the yacht.

He'd been through a lot today, especially emotionally. From the shock of being kidnapped to regaining some composure, to believing he had figured out the kidnappers' intentions, only for Xie Feng's unexpected question to expose him.

After that, everything spiraled out of control. He was convinced his career was over and feared for his life. One moment he cursed, the next he begged, then promised, then threatened—none of it graceful. When his subordinates finally rescued him, all that pent-up emotion had to go somewhere.

"A couple of kids! And they managed to take down both of you? Where the hell was your security awareness? Calling yourselves security officers—what a joke! Have you followed any protocol at all? Is this how you do your job?"

His shouting echoed under the warehouse ceiling, so loud that Xie Feng's ears buzzed just listening from afar. "Great job! Now we've let one of them get away. The place is flooded. Where could she go? Obviously, she jumped into the water. Get down there and find her!"

Xie Feng bit down hard, clenching her teeth to keep from making any noise. She didn't know if it was the cold or fear causing her to tremble.

One of the security officers mumbled something quietly. Both men were standing on the deck, while the driver sat hunched to the side, too afraid to speak under Qiu Chantian's fury.

"Just do it! If you get worse and end up in the hospital, you can file for reimbursement!"

"I didn't hear a splash. Maybe she left earlier..." the officer said, his voice rising slightly.

Qiu Chantian went silent, staring at him.

"I'm giving you a chance to make up for this. Think it through carefully."